26 Facts About Moses Austin

Moses Austin was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States, especially in southwest Virginia and Missouri.

Moses Austin was the father of Stephen F Austin, one of the earliest American settlers of Texas, which was at the time part of Mexico.

Moses Austin is a descendant of Richard Austin on his paternal side.

Moses Austin then moved to Richmond, Virginia, to open a second dry goods store.

Moses Austin sought to start his own mining business in southwestern Virginia, and in 1789 he traveled there to look at a lead mine.

Moses Austin saw potential in the site and by 1791 his family had joined him in what is Wythe County.

The tiny village around the mines became known as "Austinville", and Moses came to be known as the "Lead King".

Valle and other French colonizers had long used enslaved African Americans and enslaved Native Americans to mine, and Moses Austin immediately took to these practices.

Moses Austin greatly expanded the use of enslaved men and women in running mining operations in Missouri.

Moses Austin became founder and principal stockholder in the Bank of St Louis, but the bank failed in the Panic of 1819, causing him to lose his entire fortune.

In 1820, Moses Austin traveled to the Presidio San Antonio de Bexar in Spanish Texas and presented a plan to colonize Texas with Anglo-Americans to Governor Antonio Maria Martinez.

Moses Austin had many relatives who helped settle Texas, including Stephen F Austin and Emily Austin Perry, Moses Austin Bryan, and others.

Moses Austin should be distinguished from his grandson Moses Austin Bryan.

The Missouri State Archives reflect that Moses Austin lived in a mansion called Durham Hall, named for his birth town of Durham, Connecticut.

Moses Austin attempted various economic ventures before his plans to settle in Texas came to fruition.

Moses Austin failed to successfully maintain the St Louis Bank and his financial situation suffered from unfavorable shipment deals.

Moses Austin's desperation reached a climax in 1820 when a Missouri sheriff threatened to break down his door to collect past debts.

Moses Austin hoped the Spanish government would permit free trade with the United States so he left for Texas to try and begin a new economic venture.

Mary Brown Austin, Moses Austin's wife, wrote to her cousin explaining Moses's plans to colonize Texas in order to provide for their family.

On December 23,1820, Moses Austin arrived in San Antonio to begin negotiations with the Spanish government to establish a trading post.

Moses Austin convinced Spain to reinstate the empresario system in Texas, which resulted in permission to begin a new settlement in Texas.

Therefore, Moses Austin's settlement was contingent upon its allegiance to the Spanish Crown.

Moses Austin ordered the settlers to own a "Spanish carbine", a type of gun, to protect the settlement.

In return, Moses Austin guaranteed transportation along with the necessary tools and provisions to begin the settlement.

Moses Austin triggered such a substantial movement of people into Texas that the land became inundated with Americans.

Moses Austin's push to settle Texas contributed to the Texas Revolution in 1836 which foreshadowed Texas's integration into the United States in 1845.