Inventory of county records, Washington County courthouse, Brenham, Texas Page: 1
xiv, 159, [1] p. : map ; 28 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
INTRODUCTION
Washington County (1973 est. population 19,300) is located
in south central Texas in an area drained by the Brazos River
and its tributaries. The 594-square-mile area includes rolling
prairie and partially timbered lands of sandy loam and alluvial
soils. Named for George Washington, present-day Washington
County lies in the midst of Stephen F. Austin's first colony
established under Spanish rule in 1821.
At the time of the Texas rebellion against Mexico, the
future Washington County was a gathering place for independentminded
Texans. Washington-on-the-Brazos served as the temporary
headquarters of the General Council of the Texas Provincial
Government, and was the home of the Convention of 1836 which
produced the Declaration of Independence from Mexico and the
Constitution of the Republic. Though proposed as the capital
site for the newly organized government, Washington lost this
coveted status after a vote which favored Houston.
Washington County, as created in 1836, included the present
county of Brazos, plus portions of Burleson and Lee counties.
Reorganization of old Milam County in 1840 and the creation
of Navasota County (later renamed Brazos) in 1841 resulted in
territorial losses from Washington County. Consequently, in
1844 the county seat was moved from the now peripheral Washingtonon-the-Brazos
to more centrally located Brenham.
1
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book 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 Book.
Clayton, Cathy. Inventory of county records, Washington County courthouse, Brenham, Texas, book, 1977; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth25171/m1/18/: accessed April 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.