John Austin (March 17, 1801 — August 11, 1833) was a

Texian Texians were Anglo-American residents of Mexican Texas and, later, the Republic of Texas. Today, the term is used to identify early settlers of Texas, especially those who supported the Texas Revolution. Mexican settlers of that era are referr ...

settler, one of Stephen Austin's

Old Three Hundred The "Old Three Hundred" were 297 grantees who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin in Mexican Texas. Each grantee was head of a household, or, in some cases, a partnership of married men. Austin was an American approved in ...

, and the Texian commander at the

Battle of Velasco The Battle of Velasco, fought June 25-26, 1832, was the first true military conflict between Mexico and Texians in the Texas Revolution, colloquially referred to as the "Boston Harbor of Texas" It began when Texian Militia attacked Fort Velasco, ...

during the Anahuac Disturbances before Texas Revolution. No relation (or a distant relation) to the

empresario An empresario () was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Tejas in the early nineteenth century. The word in Spanish for entre ...

Stephen Austin, John was born to John Punderson Austin and Susan Rogers Austin in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

. He initially also bore the middle name Punderson but apparently ceased using it, as it appears on none of his Texan records. John found work as a sailor and joined the

Long expedition The Long Expedition was an 1819 attempt to take control of Spanish Texas by filibusters. It was led by James Long and successfully established a small independent government, known as the ''Republic of Texas'' (distinct from the later Repub ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1819. Captured and imprisoned in Mexico, John later returned to Texas and joined Stephen Austin's colony, befriending him and becoming constable of his settlement at

San Felipe de Austin San Felipe ( ), also known as San Felipe de Austin, is a town in Austin County, Texas, United States. The town was the social, economic, and political center of the early Stephen F. Austin colony. The population was 747 at the 2010 census. History ...

. He was joined in Texas by his brother

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

. Stephen provided the capital for John's cotton gin on Buffalo Bayou, and his brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

opened a store with John in

Brazoria, Texas Brazoria ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in the metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city population was 2,866. Geography Brazoria is located southwest of the center of Brazoria County at (2 ...

. Involved through his business with the coasting trade, John became the port officer in 1831 and alcalde for Brazoria the next year. He was also the delegate for

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

at the

Convention of 1832 The Convention of 1832 was the first political gathering of colonists in Mexican Texas. Delegates sought reforms from the Mexican government and hoped to quell the widespread belief that settlers in Texas wished to secede from Mexico. The convent ...

, signed the

Turtle Bayou Resolutions In 1832, the Anglo-American settlers were involved in a conflict with Mexican commander John Davis Bradburn (also an Anglo-American) near the northern extent of Trinity Bay at Anahuac, Texas. The settlers were opposed to control of their daily aff ...

, and following his command at Velasco was elected

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

of the Texian militia. John Austin died with his two children in a cholera epidemic at Gulf Prairie. His wife Elizabeth married Thomas Parrott in 1834, returning the upper half of John's Buffalo Bayou grant to his father. His father, arriving in Texas, also succumbed to cholera and died in 1834. Half of the lower John Austin league was later sold to

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

and Augustus Allen for the settlement which became Houston, Texas.

References

Sources

Site of his home in Brazoria, Texas
People of Spanish Texas People of Mexican Texas People of the Texas Revolution Convention of 1832 delegates 1801 births 1833 deaths Old Three Hundred {{Texas-bio-stub

See also

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