- Green DeWitt
Green DeWitt (
February 12 ,1787 –May 18 ,1835 ) was anempresario inMexican Texas . He founded theDewitt Colony , one of the most successful.Early years
DeWitt was born in
Lincoln County, Kentucky , moving with his family while still an infant toMissouri .Fact|date=July 2008 At the time, Missouri was a part of Spanish-heldLouisiana .Roell (1994), p. 27.] At 18, he returned toKentucky , and studied for two years at the college level, then returned to Missouri once again. In 1808 he married Sara Seely ofSt. Louis, Missouri , and enlisted in the Missourimilitia . He fought in theWar of 1812 , rising to the rank ofCaptain by the wars end, then was electedSheriff ofRalls County, Missouri .Texas
In 1822, Dewitt petitioned the Mexican government for permission to settle colonists in Texas but was denied.Fact|date=July 2008 After gaining the support of
Stephen F. Austin , an influential Texasempresario , Dewitt's second petition, in 1825, was granted. He was given permission to settle 400 respectable, industrious, Catholic families in an area bounded by theGuadalupe River ,San Marcos River , andLavaca River . This colony was southwest of Austin's. Dewitt hired James Kerr as his surveyor. Kerr placed the capital, called Gonzales afterRafael Gonzales , provisional governor ofCoahuila y Tejas , at the confluence of the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers. The first settlers arrived in the summer of 1825. DeWitt visited the colony in October, but spent much of 1825 in Missouri recruiting settlers.Roell (1994), p. 28.] DeWitt was accused of misappropriation of funds inSan Antonio, Texas , by settler Peter Ellis Bean, but was exonerated onOctober 16 ,1825 . Sara DeWitt, whoseBrooke County, Virginia family was quite wealthy, contributed to her husband's endeavors, selling off some of her property in Missouri to help finance his venture.In July 1826 Gonzales was raided by Indians who were looking for horses. Most of the settlers fled temporarily to Austin's colony. Although the colonization laws specified that settlements should not be established within 10 leagues of the coast, DeWitt gained permission from the Bexar authorities to establish a temporary settlement, which they called Old Station, on
Matagorda Bay near the mouth of the Lavaca River. The settlement would be allowed until enough colonists had arrived to be able to see to their own safety in Gonzales.Roell (1994), p. 29.] By October 1826 40 people lived in Old Station, including Dewitt and his family. His family included his wife, two sons, and three of his four daughters in Gonzales, the fourth daughter having already married in Missouri.Because the Mexican government had made an error and included another colony in the contract grant, DeWitt had numerous disputes with colony founder Martín De León. At one point, DeWitt was arrested, on the authorization of the Mexican government, due to Martín De León claiming
tobacco being shipped into the colony was contraband. Tensions eased somewhat when Stephen Austin stepped in,Roell (1994), p. 30.] but the damage caused to the relationship of DeWitt and De León would never be repaired.Fact|date=July 2008 As a result of his arrest, however, Mexican authorities ordered that Old Station be abandoned, and Gonzales was reestablished.In 1827, DeWitt joined Austin and De Leon in signing a peace treaty with the
Karankawa so that their colonies would be safe from their raids. DeWitt also negotiated a peace treaty with theTonkawa , but were unable to reach terms with theComanche . As Comanche raids took a toll on the settlement, the political chief in Bexar sent the settlers of Gonzales a small cannon that they could use for their protection.Roell (1994), p. 31.] In 1830 Mexican authorities passed a law prohibiting further immigration to Texas from the United States. Austin was able to secure a waiver for DeWitt's colony, but the measure made it difficult for him to recruit families. When his contract expired onApril 15 ,1831 , he had settled a total of 166 families. Because he was unable to meet the terms of the contract, any unassigned lands in his colony reverted to the Mexican government, and DeWitt was unable to get a further contract.Roell (1994), p. 33.]By 1831 the colony was seeing success, although the DeWitt finances were depleted, having used much of his families funds to help keep the colony going. In 1835, near the time of the start of hostilities that would result in the
Texas Revolution , DeWitt traveled toMonclova , in Mexico, in an attempt to obtain more premium land for the colony, but was unsuccessful. While in Monclova, he contractedcholera , and died onMay 18 ,1835 , being buried in an unmarked grave. During theBattle of Gonzales , following his death, his wife Sara and daughter Naomi cut up a dress to make the banner "Come and Take It ", which has since become a symbol of pride for that community.Footnotes
References
*citation|last=Roell|first=Craig H.|title=Remember Goliad! A History of La Bahia|publisher=Texas State Historical Association|date=1994|location=Austin, TX|series=Fred Rider Cotten Popular History Series|number=9|isbn=087611141X
External links
* [http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/DD/fde55.html Green DeWitt, Texas Online]
* [http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/dewitt&kerr2.htm Green DeWitt]
* [http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/history-1825-1830.htm Affairs of Texas, 1825 - 1830]
* [http://www.forttours.com/pages/hmgonzales.asp Fort Tours, Gonzales]
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