The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, July 1928 - April, 1929 Page: 7

Empresario Contracts for the Colonization of Texas

boundaries of his colony. Other colonies had definite boundaries,
but his was not specified in his contract and seemed to be whatever
he and his colonists occupied. The boundaries were not estab-
lished that year, but the following year, 1828, Juan Antonio
Padilla was appointed land commissioner for the colony.9
In 1829 De Leon, through his attorney Rafael Manchola, peti-
tioned for an augmentation of land on which he was to introduce
one hundred and fifty families.10 The boundaries for which he
petitioned included his original settlement and were as follows:
Beginning at La Baca Creek, near the place where it is crossed
by the middle road leading from La Bahia to Nacogdoches, and
thence run one league with the said creek upwards, thence a line
shall be run parallel with said road; to cross the river Guadalupe,
at the Lego Ford, until it strikes Coleto Creek; and thence with this
creek downwards, the Survey terminating at its junction with the
aforesaid river Guadalupe.
The government granted his petition, but this grant also lay
within DeWitt's colony and covered a considerable portion of it.
At first DeWitt, whose colonists were few in number and who were
concentrated in and around the little settlement of Gonzales, made
no protest; but the following year, 1830, when De Leon attempted
to remove by force twenty-five of the families established in the
region by DeWitt, a protest was made; and the governor annulled
the grant made to augment the lands of De Leon."1 In annulling
the grant, the governor said that such mistakes as granting the
same land to two people occurred because the government had no
correct map of the state.
By 1831 the grant to DeWitt had expired and the government
had refused to allow him an extension. With the expiration of
DeWitt's contract, De Leon was practically free to colonize the
vacant lands near him in DeWitt's colony. The government had
said that in annulling De Leon's contract of 1829, it really placed
no limitation on him except to prevent him from disturbing
families already established by DeWitt.12
8Ibid., 67-68.
9Ibid., 75.
0lIbid., 69-70.
'1Translations of Empresario Contracts, 69-70.
12Appendix to Empresario Contracts, II, 243.