Mary Brown Austin (1768–1824) had dramatic influence on early Texas history. Perhaps her most important contribution to history is writing a letter to her son, Stephen, two days before the death of her husband,

Moses Austin Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States. He was the father of Stephen F. Austin, one of the earliest ...

, imploring

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

to carry out the dying wish of his father—that Stephen follow through with 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 ...

grants for land settlement in Texas. As such, Mary Brown Austin had a significant role in the shaping and development of Texas.

Family

Mary was born to Abia Brown and Margaret (Sharp) Brown, at Sharpsborough Furnace, New Jersey, on January 1, 1768. She had eight siblings and she lived the longest. Her father, Abia Brown, had served as a deputy in the provincial congresses of 1775 and 1776. Her father had significant real estate holdings related to iron mining and smelting. After the death of her mother, Abia asked Benjamin Fuller to board Mary and one of her sisters. Fuller was connected to Abia by marriage into the Sharp family and actually was her uncle. Stephen F. Austin's middle name is credited to his great uncle, Benjamin Fuller. Mary Brown Austin was the mother of

and

Emily Austin Perry Emily Austin Bryan Perry (June 22, 1795 – 1851) was the sister of Stephen F. Austin and an early settler of Texas. She was an heir to Austin's estate when he died in 1836. She achieved significant political, economic and social status as a woma ...

, James Elijah Brown Austin, and wife of

. Her grandchildren include Guy Morrison Bryan, Stephen Samuel Perry,

William Joel Bryan William Joel Bryan (December 14, 1815 – March 3, 1903) was a Texas soldier and planter. Biography Early life William Joel Bryan was born on December 14, 1815 at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri. His father was James Bryan and hi ...

, and Moses Austin Bryan. Her daughter Emily was first married to James Bryan and later to James F. Perry.

Names

Mary was also known by the names: *Miss Maria Brown *Miss Mary Brown *Maria Brown Austin *Mary Brown Austin *Maria Brown Austin *Maria (Mary) Austin Brown. She liked to be called "Maria" (pronounced differently than typical for this particular spelling; the enunciation is like that of the first name of the singer

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

). *Mary Brown *Mary Austin *Mary *Maria

Death

Mary is buried in

Potosi, Missouri Potosi is a city in Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is seventy-two miles southwest of St. Louis. The population was 2,660 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washington County. Located in the Lead Belt, the cit ...

, alongside her husband who founded Potosi.

References

*Eugene C. Barker, ed., The Austin Papers (3 vols., Washington: GPO, 1924–28). David B. Gracy II, Moses Austin: His Life (San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 1987). {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Mary Brown 1768 births 1824 deaths People from Sussex County, New Jersey People from Potosi, Missouri