The Dissertation Committee for Judith L - The University of Texas at ...

William Lindsey who would set aside some land and establish San Marcos in 1847.
Another Mexican national, Juan Vicente Campos, obtained land in April 1832. The
Campos grant contained eleven leagues of land and now comprises a large portion of
Hays County. 49
Texans fought for and won their independence in 1836. Under the Republic of
Texas immigrants from the southern United States continued to arrive. Texas leaders
continued the empresario system. Four major empresario agreements occurred during
this time that furthered Anglo and European migration. Two were given to Henry Castro,
who laid out the town of Castroville in 1844, and the last to Henry F. Fisher and
Burchard Miller, who later sold their grant to the Adelsverein. Thus, two land grants
played a role in European migration with one playing a very important role in the
formation of New Braunfels. 50
The United States officially annexed Texas on December 29, 1845 and opened the
floodgate for immigration. By 1850 U.S. Census records showed the population of Texas
to be 212,592 persons, up from the 142,009 counted in 1847. By 1860 the count was a
little over 600,000 inhabitants, a number almost three times larger than that of the
previous decade. 51 Three-fourths were born outside Texas with Tennessee being the
largest contributor and Arkansas coming in second. 52 A little over 43,000 came from
outside the United States with those from Germany being the largest group at 20,553
47 Richardson, et al, Texas, 66.
48 Richardson, et al, Texas, 71-72; Jordan, German Seed in Texas Soil, 24.
49 Dudley R. Dobie, A Brief History of Hays County and San Marcos, Texas (San Marcos, n.p., 1948), 15.
50 Richardson, et al, Texas, 151.
51 Jordan, German Seed, 27.
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