- Allen Vince
Allen Vince (ca. 1785-1849) was one of
Stephen F. Austin 'sOld Three Hundred .Allen Vince and his brothers, William, Robert, and Richard Vince originally came from Georgia. Vince was a widower whose two sons did not come with him to
Texas . He was living in theSan Jacinto River area in 1822 and was listed in the census of 1826 as being between twenty-five and forty years of age. His sister Susan Vince kept house for the family.Allen Vince was a partner of Mosis A. Callahan when they received title to a
sitio of land in what is nowHarris County, Texas onAugust 3 ,1824 . InApril 30 ,1831 , Vince received an additional half league in easternGrimes County, Texas andMontgomery County, Texas , and in 1838 he received a labor of land inHarris County, Texas .The brothers gave their name to Vince's Bayou, famous for
Vince's Bridge at the time of theBattle of San Jacinto . Though Vince did not personally participate in the battle,Antonio López de Santa Anna who fled the battlefield on his black stallion, was captured when he could not cross the burned bridge.In 1838 Sally Vince, a black woman, filed suit against Vince, charging him with holding her, a free black, in slavery. She based her case on a deed executed by William Vince dated
September 7 ,1834 , that granted her freedom at his death. Allen Vince, William's administrator, contended that William owned only a one-third interest in Sally. When William's property was sold, Allen Vince claimed to have purchased her for $500. The case, which went to jury onJanuary 7 ,1839 , awarded Sally Vince her freedom.Vince married Ann Baker Hendrick Mellon in 1839 and some time later married Matilda Wilburn, according to some sources, he may have been living with two wives simultaneously. In 1838 the Second Congress of the
Republic of Texas declared John Vince, son of Allen Vince and Matilda Welborn, the legitimate son of Allen Vince and capable of inheriting his parents' property. Allen Vince was administrator of the John Flanders estate in 1841 and of the Richard Vince estate in 1844.References
*"The Old Three Hundred: A List of Settlers in Austin's First Colony," Lester G. Bugbee, Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association(October 1897).
*"Y.P. Alsbury letter" Texas Archives
*"John Coker" Texas Historical Commission historical marker.
*"Battle of San Jacinto" Texas Historical Commission historical marker.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
