Austin’s ColonyBy : Shanjidah Haque

IntroductionThe Financial U.S. Panic of 1819 left us bankrupt, so we stopped using banks and stuffed it in our mattresses. We had spoken with Stephen F. Austin because he had chosen us to interview. The answers we gave for the interview were that we were not gamblers, not profane swearers, not drunkard, not idlers, we were honest law-abiding citizens, were willing to convert to Mexican citizens, and convert to Catholicism. We had sailed west from New Orleans with Austin and other families in heavy, cold, and stormy days and the Lively ship swaying left and right, which had made everyone seasick, that was enough to have made us throw up.

Introduction

Our old house in 1819.

1822The arrival to Austin’s Colony took about a week

long aboard the ship, we came here with $1,000 to buy crops. Each acre cost $0.12 ,the husband

received 640 acres, 320 for the wife, 160 for each of 4 kids totaling up to 640 acres for $192 that we would pay $64 for 3 years. We bought 5 acres of cotton & lumber, each acre for $5 and 10 for $10

each acre for cattle for a total of $150. The gross income of $200 increased the investment money

from all the high demands for lumber because of all the buildings being built, the investment return

being a 3,investment return for the harsh winter that caused cattle to die was a 1, and the Lively

arrived late with the cotton and planting season was over so it was a 1 in investment return. It was

challenging and exciting to start anew. Our family was not used to having any modern day technology and we had hard labor to do in the farm in 1822.

1822

Cattle in snow. Lots of construction with

lumber.

Lumber high in

demand.

Stacked Wood Pile by Caroline Steinhauer

Corn dying because

the Lively arrived

late.

1823In 1823, after we paid the yearly payment we were left with $922, we

bought 40 acres of cotton & lumber, and 30 acres of cattle, together

they cost $700 with $222 of investment money.

The investment return was 0 for cotton, 3 for cattle, and 1 for lumber.

The Lively sank thus we rationed our food because of a food shortage

and the Mexicans had a dispute over export of cotton. There was small

demands for lumber because there weren’t many buildings to build and

the mild winter was good weather for the cattle .

The gross income of $800 raised our to $1,022 that we stuffed in our

mattresses.

I was confident we would improve even more the next year.

1823

Cattle in mild winter

temperature.

The Lively sank.

1824The third year of 1824, we paid our yearly land payment

for the last year from our $1,022 with $958 left. We

bought 40 acres for cotton, 60 for lumber, and 30 cattle

for a total of $800 left us with $158.

It was a 3 for cotton and 2 for lumber and cattle on the

investment returns. There were bumper cotton crop, high

demands for lumber and cattle. We earned $1,800, which

was our gross income that made our investment money

go up to $1,958.

Since we lived in the town San Felipe, we didn’t face any

problems like Indian raids, and because we were a

profitable area we got $600 to make $2,258 and at the

end of the year we had gotten our farm.

1824

The bumper cotton crop.

The high demands for cattle.

Paragraph 5

Paragraph 5

Our successful new life in the farm.

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