This page contains information about the original colonies within Bastrop County.
Austin’s Little Colony (lying north of the Old San Antonio Road
and east of the Colorado River)
Milam Colony (southwestern section, north of the Old San Antonio Road
and west of the Colorado River)
Leftwich’s Colony extended into the extreme northern portion
of the county above Little Colony)
Austin’s Original Colony (south of the Old San Antonio Road
and east of DeWitt’s Colony)
DeWitt’s Colony (South of the Old San Antonio Road with a portion overlapping
Austin’s contract and the northeastern boundary
at the headwaters of the Lavaca River).
Bastrop County was colonized under terms of Austin’s original
colony, Austin’s Little colony, and Milam’s Colony.
Benjamin R. Milam, 10/20/1788-12/7/1835, killed in the Battle of San Jacinto.
January 12, 1826, Benjamin R. Milam was granted the right to settle three hundred families between the Guadalupe and Colorado Rivers, west of the Old San Antonio Road.
His contract ended 13th day of January 1832 with very few families settled and those that did settle had a problem proving ownership.
The government commissioned Talbot Chambers to get titles for the families that were already settled.
Two grants within Bastrop county were made directly by the Mexican government. Samuel Bangs and Jose Antonio Navarro. Navarro gained his title on 3/13/1832 and sold his land to John Caldwell on 4/2/1833. Bangs received a six league grant in the area of Milam Colony, had difficulty gaining a clear title and paid three of the leagues to T.J. Chambers for legal fees over the title.
A lawsuit ensued over this title. Bastrop County District Court Minutes, Vol. B, pp. 8-9, 10/19/1847
Nancy Blakey, a widow, settled on a league directly across the Colorado from the town of Bastrop and immediately north of the Old San Antonio Road, before the Texas Revolution. She was unaware of the fact that Samuel Bangs had been granted the land directly from the Mexican Government and that T.J. Chambers had acquired the rights to it. Chambers sued her and others (Hill, Patton, Mays, Cornelius Hemphill, Robert Anderson, and Nathan Anderson; ) for title to the land. Mrs. Blakey settled out of court and gave up half the league, 4,400 acres, to Chambers in order to gain a clear title to the portion containing her homestead. Mr. Chambers did not want to be known for putting a widow and orphan off of their homesite, especially since Mrs. Blakey had lost two sons in battles, Lemuel, her second son, was killed in San Jacinto, and her eldest son, Edward, lost his life in the battle with the Indians at Brushy, so he agreed to the settlement. The other parties lost their case and had to purchase their property from Chambers (Bastrop County Deeds, Vol. E. p. 385, January 20, 1847).
In 1835, fifty-two titles in the Milam Colony were issued, seventeen of which were within Bastrop County.
Below is a list of original titles for Milam Colony issued by Land Commissioner Talbot Chambers, 1835-1836, as listed in the General Land Office.
Name, Date of Title, Quantity, Location
Thomas Anderson 3/14/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Phillip J. Allen 5/23/1835 1 League Joins No. 5.
Theodore Bissell 3/19/1835 1 League On Williamson’s Creek.
John W. Bunton 4/8/1835 ¼ League On the San Antonio Road, joins ¼ No. 1
Hiram Beals 5/23/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek, joins No. 7.
Martha Barker 6/12/1835 1 League On the North side San Antonio Road.
Henry Brown 5/20/1835 1 League On the East side Guadaloupe, on the San Antonio Road.
William Cannon 3/29/1835 1 League On Williamson’s Creek branch of Onion Creek.
L.C. Cunningham 8/1/1835 ¼ League On San Antonio Rd., joins No. 3 on the Northeast.
James Curtis 2/20/1835 ¼ League On the West side St. Marks, on the San Antonio Rd.
James Doijle (Doyle) 7/31/1835 1 League On the San Antonio Rd, 10 miles from Bastrop.
Andrew Dunn 3/30/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins No. 5.
William Duty 6/26/1835 ¼ League On Colorado, above mouth Cedar Creek, joins Manlove.
Isaac Decker 3/17/1835 1 League On the West side Colorado, on Williamson’s Creek, joins 10 league grant.
Horatio Egglestone 7/16/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
S.P.R. Eggleston 2/21/1835 1 League On the waters of Onion Creek, includes a spring.
Reuben Gage 9/25/1835 1 League On the waters of Cedar Creek, joins A. Litton.
Sinclair D. Garvis 3/26/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins No. 5.
Atarcas Garcia 3/23/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek and San Antonio Rd.
Edward Gritten 7/28/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek, and joins Doyle on the East. 1 League On Purdinalla’s Creek, 4000 varas wide.
Henry P. Hill 7/14/1835 1 League On Colorado, mouth of Spring Creek.
James Haggard 5/21/1835 1 League On West side Colorado, about ten miles North of San Antonio Rd.
William H. Haggard 5/23/1835 1 League On the waters of Onion Creek.
David Holderman 5/25/1835 1 League On the Colorado, 1200 varas wide.
Thomas R. Jackson 3/28/1835 1 League On Onion Creek and Jackson’s Creek.
Edward S. Keeps 2/20/1835 1 League On York’s Creek, on San Antonio Rd.
Mary Ann Lindsey 4/22/1835 1 League On Colorado, below the mouth of Onion Creek.
Addison Litten (Litton) 3/23/1835 1 League On San Antonio Rd., includes the mouth Cedar Creek.
Bartholemew Manlove 4/22/1835 1 League On Colorado, includes the mouth of Cedar Creek.
Noel Mixon 4/23/1835 1 League On the waters of the Rio Blanco.
Martin McCarven 2/21/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins Allen on the North.
Jesse L. McCrooklin 6/18/1835 1 League On the waters of the Rio Blanco.
Ezeriah Moore 6/21/1835 ¼ League On San Antonio Rd., joins Gritten.
Thomas G. McGeehe 2/19/1835 1 League On the St. Marks and San Antonio Rd. crossing.
John G. McGeehe 4/5/1835 1 League On Bear Creek, Slaughter’s Fork.
Benjamin F. Mims 5/22/1835 ¼ League On Onion Creek, joins Jackson on the South.
James Northcross 4/22/1835 1 League On the Colorado and Cedar Creek.
James C. Neill 6/1/1835 1 League On the Colorado below the mouth of Onion Creek.
Daniel L. Richardson 9/20/1835 1 League On the waters of the Guadaloupe.
Mary Sweargert 3/24/1835 ¼ League On the San Antonio Rd., joins A. Litton on the East.
Thomas F. Slaughter 2/23/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Wilkinson Sparks 7/21/1835 ¼ League On the Colorado.
James Stewart 7/17/1835 1 League In the vicinity of San Antonio Rd.
John Stewart 9/20/1835 1 League Plum Creek.
Benjamin Tennel 6/1/1835 1 League On the Colorado.
William Barret Travis 4/10/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Richards Vaughan 6/17/1835 ¼ League On Onion Creek.
Walker Wilson 3/12/1835 1 League No description
Amelia Wilson 4/21/1835 1 League On Onion Creek and the Rio Blanco.
Seaborn J. Whatley 3/30/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
Benjamin Williams 7/27/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
Freelove Woody 3/30/1835 1 League On Onion Creek
For information concerning the General Land Office go to http://www.glo.state.tx.us/central/arc/index.html and http://www.glo.state.tx.us/central/arc/spanmex.html
Record of 70 of the 100 families that were permitted to settle in and around Bastrop
County during this period of settlement.
PRINTED IN THE BASTROP ADVERTISER IN THE 1920'S
Additions/corrections are in RED
The site was first occupied in 1804, when a fort was established at the strategic
Colorado River crossing of the Old San Antonio Road and named Puesta del Colorado.
The Baron de Bastrop obtained permission from the Spanish to found a German
colony and selected the site in 1823, but subsequently failed to establish a settlement.
On November 20, 1827, Austin entered into another contract with the Mexican
government of the state, for one hundred families to be settled on the east side of the Colorado
above the San Antonio Road. The contract was to expire 6 years from that date.
NAME, AGE, DATE, ORIGIN, OCCUPATION, NOTES
Andrews, Richard 30 1827 Georgia farming Single
Austin, Stephen F
Bangs, Jose Manuel
1816 Baltimore, Maryland printer
accompanied Xavier Mina
Barker, Leman 43 1827 Missouri farmer Widow & 2 female children
Barker, Martha 1835 North Carolina widow w/family of two
Barton, Benjamin 44 1830 Alabama farmer Single
Barton, William 47 1828 Alabama farmer wife Stacy 2 male, 3 female children. Total of 12 in group
Beales, Hiram 1835 Pennsylvania miller
Bostick, James H 23 1832 Tennessee
Bowles, Benjamin 43 1827 Missouri farmer wife Betsey. 2 male, 4 female children
Bunton, John W 1835 Tennessee lawyer
Burleson, Edward 33 1830 Tennessee farmer wife Sarah. 3 male, 1 female children
Burleson, James 1831 Tennessee farmer
Burleson, Jonathan 1832
Castner, Isaac
1832 Alabama
Christian, Thomas 1832 Illinois
Cottle, Sarah 42 1831 Missouri widow of Stephen & 4 males, 6 female children
Cottle, Sylvenus 1835
Cunningham, John C 1839 Ohio farmer
Cunningham, L C Tennessee lawyer
Curtis, Elijah 22 1823 Alabama farmer
DeCrow, Thomas 1831 Maine farmer
Doyle, James 1835 Ireland bricklayer
Duty, Soloman 1824 Louisiana
Edwards, Charles 25 1829 New York farmer wife Polly Anne & 1 female child
Garcia, Atanacia 1835 Mexico
Gazeley, Thomas J 31 1828 Ohio physician wife Eliza & 2 sons
Graham, Andrew 1832 Tennessee
Grassmeyer, F W 1831 Germany merchant
Gritten, Edward 1835 England
Haggard, James 1835 Tennessee farmer
Harris, Isaac Trinity
Highsmith, Elijah 34 1828 Missouri farmer wife Debora & 3m 3f kids
Isles, Perry B 1830 Kentucky farmer
Jenkins, Edward 1829 Alabama farmer
Knight, James 1822
LaFrence, Richard 1831 Philadelphia farmer
Lightfoot, Welson 1831
Litton, Addison 1835 Missouri farmer
Lomis, Lewis 1831 New York
Mays, Thomas H
27 1830 Tennessee farmer
Mackey, Ruthie 1831 Alabama with 7 children
Medford, William 1832 Illinois farmer
Millet, Samuel 1831 Maine
Moore, Azeriah G 1835 DC Carpenter
Morris, Jonathan D 421835 1828 North Carolina farmer
Navarro, Jose A San Fernando de Bexar
Osborne, Benjamin 60 1826 Mississippi farmer 4m 3f children
Rogers , Joseph 1831 Tennessee farmer
Rosseau, Moses 37 1828 Alabama farmer 1m 2f children
Sawyer, Samuel 1831 New York merchant
Smith, Charles S 28 1828 New York Missouri with wife Narcisa
Standifer, Elizabeth 35 1829 Alabama farmer widow 2m 1f children
Standifer, James 21 1829 Alabama farmer son of Elizabeth. Wife Sarah & 1f
Steward, John Alabama farmer age 16
Steward, James Alabama farmer age 14
Stuart, James 1835 Ohio blacksmith
Tanille, Benjamin 1835 Kentucky
Thompson, Thomas 25 1825 Arkansas farmer
Wadlington, James 1832
Walters, John B 1825 Missouri farmer
Wells, Martin 55 1830 Alabama farmer Wife Sarah & 5m 3f kids
White, W C 1822
Whiteside, George W 1832 age 8 years
Wilbarger, Josiah 29 1827 Missouri farmer wife Margarette & 1 son
Williams, Samuel M 1822
Woods, Leander 21 1824 Missouri farmer
ELIJAH ALLCORN
MARTIN ALLEN
JOHN ALLEY
RAWSON ALLEY
THOMAS ALLEY
WILLIAM ALLEY
CHARLES GRUNDISON ALSBURY
HARVEY A. ALSBURY
THOMAS ALSBURY
SIMEON ASA ANDERSON
JOHN ANDREWS
WILLIAM ANDREWS
SAMUEL T. ANGIER
JOHN AUSTIN
JAMES ELIJAH BROWN AUSTIN
STEPHEN FULLER AUSTIN
JAMES BRITON BAILEY
DANIEL E. BALIS
WILLIAM BARRETT
THOMAS BARNETT
MILLS M. BATTLE
JAMES BEARD
BENJAMIN BEASON
CHARLES BELKNAP
JOSIAH H. BELL
MANDERS BERRY
ISAAC BEST
JACOB BETTS
WILLIAM BLOODGOOD
THOMAS BOATWRIGHT
THOMAS HENRY BORDEN
CALEB R. BOSTIC
JOHN T. BOWMAN
EDWARD R. BRADLEY
JOHN BRADLEY
THOMAS BRADLEY
CHARLES BREEN
WILLIAM B. BRIDGES
DAVID BRIGHT
ENOCH BRINSON
ROBERT BROTHERTON
GEORGE BROWN
JOHN BROWN
WILLIAM S. BROWN
AYLETT C. BUCKNER
PUMPHREY BURNET
JESSE BURNAM
MICAJAH BYRD
MOSES A. CALLIHAN
ALEXANDER CALVIT
DAVID CARPENTER
WILLIAM C. CARSON
SAMUEL C. CARTER
JESSE H. CARTWRIGHT
THOMAS CARTWRIGHT
SYLVANUS CASTLEMAN
SAMUEL CHANCE
HORATIO CHRIESMAN
ANTHONY R. CLARKE
JOHN C. CLARK
MERIT M. COATS
JOHN P. COLES
JAMES COOK
WILLIAM COW COOPER
WILLIAM SAWMILL COOPER
JOHN CRIER
JOHN CROWNOVER
JAMES CUMINGS
JOHN CUMINGS
REBEKAH CUMINGS
WILLIAM CUMINGS
JAMES CUMMINS
HINTON CURTIS
JAMES CURTIS, SR.
JAMES CURTIS, JR.
SAMUEL DAVIDSON
THOMAS DAVIS
DANIEL DECROW
CHARLES DeMOSS
PETER DeMOSS
WILLIAM B. DEWEES
JOHN R DICKINSON
NICHOLAS DILLARD
THOMAS MARSHALL DUKE
GEORGE DUTY
JOSEPH DUTY
CLEMENT C. DYER
THOMAS EARLE
GUSTAVUS E. EDWARDS
ROBERT ELDER
CHARLES FALENASH
DAVID FENTON
JOHN F. FIELDS
JAMES FISHER
DAVID FITZGERALD
ISAIAH FLANAKIN
ELISHA FLOWERS
ISAAC FOSTERS
JOHN FOSTER
RANDOLF FOSTER
JAMES FRAZIER
CHURCHILL FULSHEAR, SR.
CHARLES GARRETT
SAMUEL GATES
WILLIAM GATES
FREEMAN GEORGE
PRESTON GILBERT
SARAH GILBERT
DANIEL GILLELAND
CHESTER SPALDING GORBET
MICHAEL GOULDRICH
THOMAS GRAY
JARED ELLISON GROCE, II
ROBERT GUTHRIE
JOHN HADDON
SAMUEL C. HADY
GEORGE E. HALL
JOHN W. HALL
WILLIAM J. HALL
DAVID HAMILTON
ABNER HARRIS
DAVID HARRIS
JOHN RICHARDSON HARRIS
WILLIAM HARRIS
WILLIAM J. HARRIS
GEORGE HARRISON
WILLIAM HARVEY
THOMAS S. HAYNES
JAMES > HENSLEY
ALEXANDER HODGE
FRANCIS HOLLAND
WILLIAM HOLLAND
JAMES HOPE
CHARLES S. HUDSON
GEORGE HUFF
JOHN HUFF
ELI HUNTER
JOHNSON CALHOUN HUNTER
JOHN IIAMS, SR.
IRA INGRAM
SETH INGRAM
JOHN IRONS
SAMUEL ISAACKS
ALEXANDER JACKSON
HUMPHREY JACKSON
ISAAC JACKSON
THOMAS JAMISON
HENRY W. JOHNSON
HENRY JONES
JAMES WALLES JONES
OLIVER JONES
RANDALL JONES
IMLA KEEP
JOHN KELLER
JOHN KELLY
SAMUEL KENNEDY
ALFRED KENNON
JAMES KERR
PETER KERR
WILLIAM KERR
WILLIAM KINCHELOE
WILLIAM KINGSTON
JAMES KNIGHT
ABNER KUYKENDALL
BARZILLAE KUYKENDALL
JOSEPH KUYKENDALL
ROBERT H. KUYKENDALL
HOSEA H. LEAGUE
JOEL LEAKEY
JOHN LITTLE
WILLIAM LITTLE
JANE HERBERT
WILKINSON LONG
JAMES LYNCH
NATHANIEL LYNCH
JOHN McCROSKEY
ARTHUR McCORMICK
DAVID McCORMICK
JOHN McCORMICK
THOMAL McCOY
ACHILLES McFARLAND
JOHN McFARLAN
THOMAS F. McKINNEY
HUGH McKINSEY
A. W. McCLAIN
JAMES McNAIR
DANIEL McNEEL
GEORGE W. McNEEL
JOHN G. McNEEL
PLEASANT D. McNEEL
STERLING McNEEL
ELIZABETH McNUTT
WILLIAM McWILLIAMS
SHUBAEL MARSH
WYLIE MARTIN
WILLIAM MATTHEWS
DAVID MILLBURN
SAMUEL R. MILLER
SIMON MILLER
JAMES D. MILLICAN
ROBERT MILLICAN
WILLIAM T. MILLICAN
JOSEPH MIMS
ASA MITCHELL
JOHN HENRY MOORE, SR.
LUKE MOORE
MOSES MORRISON
WILLIAM MORTON
DAVID MOUSER
JAMES NELSON
JOSEPH NEWMAN
MILTON B. NUCKOLS
JAMES ORRICK
NATHAN OSBORN
WILLIAM PARKS
JOSHUA PARKER
WILLIAM PARKER
ISAAC M. PENNINGTON
GEORGE SAMUEL PENTECOST
FREEMAN PETTUS
WILLIAM PETTUS
JOHN PETTY
JOHNATHAN C. PEYTON
JAMES AENEAS E. PHELPS
ISHAM B. PHILLIPS
ZENO PHILIPS
PAMELA PICKET
JOSEPH HENRY POLLEY
PETER POWELL
PLEASANT PRUIT
WILLIAM PRYOR
ANDREW RABB
JOHN RABB
THOMAS J. RABB
WILLIAM RABB
WILLIAM RALEIGH
LAWRENCE RAMEY
DAVID RANDON
JOHN RANDON
FREDERICK HARRISON RANKIN
AMOS RAWLS
BENJAMIN RAWLS
DANIEL RAWLS
PATRICK REELS
STEPHEN RICHARDSON
ELIJAH ROARK
EARLE ROBBINS
WILLIAM ROBBINS
ANDREW ROBERTS
NOEL F. ROBERTS
WILLIAM ROBERTS
EDWARD ROBERTSON
ANDREW ROBINSON
GEORGE ROBINSON
JAMES J. ROSS
JOSEPH SAN PIERRE
ROBERT SCOBEY
JAMES COTT
WILIAM SCOTT
WILLIAM SELKIRK
DAVID SHELBY
DANIEL SHIPMAN
MOSES SHIPMAN
BARTLETT SIMS
GEORGE WASHINGTON SINGLETON
PHILIP SINGLETON
CHRISTIAN SMITH
CORNELIUS SMITH
JOHN SMITH
WILLIAM SMITHERS
GABRIEL STRAW SNIDER
ALBERT LLOYD SOJOURNER
NANCY SPENCER
ADAM STAFFORD
WILLIAM JOSEPH STAFFORD
THOMAS STEVENS
OWEN H. STOUT
JAMES STRANGE
WALTER SUTHERLAND
DAVID TALLY
JOHN D. TYLOR
GEORGE TEEL
EZEKIEL THOMAS
JACOB THOMAS
JESSE THOMPSON
THOMAS J. TONE
JAMES F. TONG
SAMUEL TOY
JOHN TROBOUGH
ELIZABETH PLEMMONS TUMLINSON
JAMES TUMLINSON
ISAAC VAN DORN
MARTIN VARNER
ALLEN VINCE
RICHARD VINCE
ROBERT VINCE
WILLIAM VINCE
JAMES WALKER, SR.
THOMAS WALKER
CALEB WALLACE
FRANCIS F. WELLS
THOMAS WESTALL
AMY COMSTOCK WHITE
JOSEPH WHITE
REUBEN WHITE
WALTER C. WHITE
WILLIAM C. WHITE
BOLAND WHITESIDES
HENRY WHITESIDES
JAMES WHITESIDES
WILLIAM WHITESIDES
NATHANIEL WHITING
WILLIAM WHITLOCK
ELIAS R. WIGHTMAN
JANE WILKINS
GEORGE I. WILLIAMS
HENRY WILLIAMS
JOHN WILLIAMS, SR.
ROBERT H. WILLIAMS
SAMUEL MAY WILLIAMS
SOLOMON WILLIAMS
THOMAS WILLIAMS
ZADOCK WOODS