Moses Austin
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The initiator of Anglo-American settlement in Texas, Moses Austin was a native of Durham, Connecticut. After his marriage to Mary Brown in 1785, Austin became a leading figure in the development of the American lead industry. His buiness took him to Virginia and then west to the Mississippi Valley. A colonizer and pioneer as well, Austin helped establish several frontier communities. Moses Austin's decision to ventrure into a colonziation enterprise in the Spanish territory of Texas led him to San Antonio de Bexar in 1820. With the help of Felipe Neri, Baron de Bastrop, Austin requested permission from the Spanish Governor, Antonio Martinez, to settle a colony of 300 Anglo-American families in his province. Austin returned to Missouri, where he learned in March 1821 that his petition had been granted. Although ill from the effects of his journey, he began making plans to raise a colony. Three months later, Moses Austin died in the Hazel Run settlement, where he was buried. He was later reinterred in Potosi, Missouri. In response to his father's dying wish, Stephen F. Austin continued the colonization project and led the first of the "Old 300" colonists into Texas in late 1821. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A Connecticut native who became a leading figure in the American lead industry, Moses Austin carried his ventures from Virginia into the Mississippi Valley and on to Spanish Texas. In 1820 he reached San Antonio de Bexar and, with the help of Baron de Bastrop, won Governor Antonio Martinez's permission to settle 300 Anglo-American families in the province. Austin died in 1821 soon after learning his petition had been granted, and his son Stephen F. Austin carried out his dying wish by leading the "Old 300" into Texas.
Why it matters
Moses Austin set in motion the Anglo-American colonization of Texas, a migration that reshaped the future of the Southwest and the boundaries of the United States.
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Related people
- · Moses Austin
- · Stephen F. Austin
- · Baron de Bastrop
- · Antonio Martinez
Related events
- · Old 300 colonization
Themes & tags
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