The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 32, July 1928 - April, 1929 Page: 3

Empresario Contracts for the Colonization of Texas

period of his contract Milam or his agents introduced a few
families within the territory. During 1835 fifty-three titles were
issued.' They were probably to people who had entered the colony
before the expiration of the contract in 1832 but were not put in
the possession of their lands until 1835.
Milam's contract having expired in January, 1832, the legisla-
ture, in accordance with its new policy, which was embodied in
the Law of April 28, 1832, offering special protection and aid to
Mexicans who should agree to settle in Texas and to empresarios
contracting to colonize with Mexicans,8 granted the territory to
Juan Vicente Campos; the attorney for a Mexican company. The
company apparently made no effort to colonize the lands. Since
the territory was in the possession of the Mexican company, Milam
no longer had any legal right to the territory; but he apparently
had some claim, for in his letter of January 6, 1835, quoted above,
he said that he believed that he could have his colony settled in six
months. Milam wrote the letter from San Felipe de Austin where
he had gone two weeks previously in the interest of the colonists
on the Red River and other isolated places.9 The settlers had
in some cases come to Texas under the colonization laws, settled
on vacant lands, taken the oath of allegiance to Mexico, but had
never been put in possession of their lands.1 During 1834 some
of the lands had "been surveyed in and attempted to be dispossessed
by foreigners and others under pretended eleven-league grants.""
The colonists appealed to Milam to intercede for them with the
state government of Coahuila and Texas.12 Before leaving for the
capital, Monclova, Milam visited each of the departments of Texas
for the purpose of persuading the jefes politicos to join in a
memorial to the government asking that commissioners be sent to
place the settlers on the Red River and other isolated places in
possession of the lands which they had occupied a number of
years.13
'An Abstract of the Original Titles of Record, 53-55.
8Sayles, Early Law of Texas, I, 82-89.
9Milam to Pryor, January 6, 1835. Milam Papers.
"Johnson and Barker, A History of Texas and Texans, I, 186.
uIbid., I, 186.
"Brown, Indian Wars and Pioneers of Texas, 133; Milam to Pryor,
January 6, 1835. Milam Papers.
"sMilam to Pryor, January 6, 1835. Milam Papers.