The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 91, July 1987 - April, 1988 Page: 34
619 p. : ill. (some col.), maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
Association had been exhausted, he borrowed money and received a con-
tract in his own name on April 15, 1825. He sold this back to the Texas
Association on August 6, 1825, on condition that the area be known
thenceforth as "Leftwich's Grant."2
The land was known under that name from 1825 to 1827, but, when
the Association asked Stephen F. Austin to act as its agent and obtain
from the state government an extension of its boundaries west to the Col-
orado River, so as to take in the area where the present state capital is
located, Austin instead acquired that area for himself and had the Associa-
tion boundaries extended north into hostile Comanche Indian territory.
In doing so he loosely referred to the group as the "Nashville Company,"
rather than "the Texas Association." Therefore, the official document
issued on October 15, 1827, referred to the "Nashville Company," and
the area was known as "the Nashville Colony" for the next four years.'
Early in 1831 the members of the Texas Association again asked Austin,
in his official capacity as state deputy from Texas, to intercede for them
and explain that they had brought in their first settlers. Instead, Austin
reported to state officials that the Nashville Company had not taken the
first step toward settling its colony, and had the area transferred to himself
and his secretary, Samuel May Williams, on February 25, 1831, some
two months before the Nashville Company contract was due to expire
on April 15, 1831. Consequently, from 1831 to 1834, the area was
referred to as the Upper Colony of the Austin & Williams Contract. During
that time Austin & Williams did not succeed in getting a land commis-
sioner appointed and did not issue any land titles in the Robertson Col-
ony area. They did allow nonresident Mexican political figures to locate
their huge claims in the area, after paying a location fee of $2,000 each.
"Memorial signed by members of the Texas Association, Mar 2, 1822, McLean (comp
and ed ), Papers Concernmng RobertJon'J Colony, I, 364 - 372, contract of Apr 15, 1825, Ibid.,
II, 296 - 301, sale of Leftwich's contract, Aug 6, 1825, ibid., 344 - 346, 347 (quotation),
348 - 350 For the diary and letterbook kept by Leftwich in Mexico City from 1822 to
1824, see ibid., Introductory Volume
'Memorial of the Texas Association to the Congress of Coahuila and Texas, Mar. 7,
1827, Ibid , III, 230 - 239, Austin's petition as agent of the "Nashville Company," Oct.
11, 1827, ibid , 294 - 297, 298 (1st quotation); contract between the Nashville Company
and the state of Coahuila and Texas, Oct 15, 1827, ibid , 299 (3rd quotation), 300 - 303.
}Sterling C Robertson to governor of Coahuila and Texas (Francisco Vidauri y
Villasecior), Apr 2, 1834, Ibid , VIII, 366 - 368. The contract of February 25, 1831, award-
ing the area to Austin & Williams, is translated Ibid , V, 563 - 570. See page 567 for the
statement that Robert Leftwich, acting for the Nashville Company, had made no progress
In complying with the terms of his contract For further evidence that Austin had
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 91, July 1987 - April, 1988, periodical, 1987/1988; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101211/m1/60/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.