MILAM COLONY
Benjamin R. Milam, 10/20/1788-12/7/1835, killed in the Battle of San Jacinto.
Original colonies in the Bastrop County area:
Austin’s Little Colony (lying north of the Old San Antonio Road and east of the Colorado River)
Milan’s Colony (southwestern section, north of the Old San Antonio Road and west of the Colorado River)
Leftwich’s Colony extended into the extreme northern portion of the county above Little Colony)
Austin’s Original Colony (south of the Old San Antonio Road and east of DeWitt’s Colony)
DeWitt’s Colony (South of the Old San Antonio Road with a portion overlapping Austin’s contract and the northeastern boundary at the headwaters of the Lavaca River).
Bastrop County was colonized under terms of Austin’s original colony, Austin’s Little colony, and Milam’s Colony.
January 12, 1826, Benjamin R. Milam was granted the right to settle three hundred families between the Guadalupe and Colorado Rivers, west of the Old San Antonio Road.
His contract ended 13th day of January 1832 with very few families settled and those that did settle had a problem proving ownership.
The government commissioned Talbot Chambers to get titles for the families that were already settled.
Two grants within Bastrop county were made directly by the Mexican government. Samuel Bangs and Jose Antonio Navarro. Navarro gained his title on 3/13/1832 and sold his land to John Caldwell on 4/2/1833. Bangs received a six league grant in the area of Milam Colony, had difficulty gaining a clear title and paid three of the leagues to T.J. Chambers for legal fees over the title.
A lawsuit ensued over this title. Bastrop County District Court Minutes, Vol. B, pp. 8-9, 10/19/1847
Nancy Blakey, a widow, settled on a league directly across the Colorado from the town of Bastrop and immediately north of the Old San Antonio Road, before the Texas Revolution. She was unaware of the fact that Samuel Bangs had been granted the land directly from the Mexican Government and that T.J. Chambers had acquired the rights to it. Chambers sued her and others (Hill, Patton, Mays, Cornelius Hemphill, Robert Anderson, and Nathan Anderson; ) for title to the land. Mrs. Blakey settled out of court and gave up half the league, 4,400 acres, to Chambers in order to gain a clear title to the portion containing her homestead. Mr. Chambers did not want to be known for putting a widow and orphan off of their homesite, especially since Mrs. Blakey had lost two sons in battles, Lemuel, her second son, was killed in San Jacinto, and her eldest son, Edward, lost his life in the battle with the Indians at Brushy, so he agreed to the settlement. The other parties lost their case and had to purchase their property from Chambers (Bastrop County Deeds, Vol. E. p. 385, January 20, 1847).
In 1835, fifty-two titles in the Milam Colony were issued, seventeen of which were within Bastrop County.
Below is a list of original titles for Milam Colony issued by Land Commissioner Talbot Chambers, 1835-1836, as listed in the General Land Office.
Name, Date of Title, Quantity, Location
Thomas Anderson 3/14/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Phillip J. Allen 5/23/1835 1 League Joins No. 5.
Theodore Bissell 3/19/1835 1 League On Williamson’s Creek.
John W. Bunton 4/8/1835 ¼ League On the San Antonio Road, joins ¼ No. 1
Hiram Beals 5/23/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek, joins No. 7.
Martha Barker 6/12/1835 1 League On the North side San Antonio Road.
Henry Brown 5/20/1835 1 League On the East side Guadaloupe, on the San Antonio Road.
William Cannon 3/29/1835 1 League On Williamson’s Creek branch of Onion Creek.
L.C. Cunningham 8/1/1835 ¼ League On San Antonio Rd., joins No. 3 on the Northeast.
James Curtis 2/20/1835 ¼ League On the West side St. Marks, on the San Antonio Rd.
James Doijle (Doyle) 7/31/1835 1 League On the San Antonio Rd, 10 miles from Bastrop.
Andrew Dunn 3/30/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins No. 5.
William Duty 6/26/1835 ¼ League On Colorado, above mouth Cedar Creek, joins Manlove.
Isaac Decker 3/17/1835 1 League On the West side Colorado, on Williamson’s Creek, joins 10 league grant.
Horatio Egglestone 7/16/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
S.P.R. Eggleston 2/21/1835 1 League On the waters of Onion Creek, includes a spring.
Reuben Gage 9/25/1835 1 League On the waters of Cedar Creek, joins A. Litton.
Sinclair D. Garvis 3/26/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins No. 5.
Atarcas Garcia 3/23/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek and San Antonio Rd.
Edward Gritten 7/28/1835 ¼ League On Cedar Creek, and joins Doyle on the East. 1 League On Purdinalla’s Creek, 4000 varas wide.
Henry P. Hill 7/14/1835 1 League On Colorado, mouth of Spring Creek.
James Haggard 5/21/1835 1 League On West side Colorado, about ten miles North of San Antonio Rd.
William H. Haggard 5/23/1835 1 League On the waters of Onion Creek.
David Holderman 5/25/1835 1 League On the Colorado, 1200 varas wide.
Thomas R. Jackson 3/28/1835 1 League On Onion Creek and Jackson’s Creek.
Edward S. Keeps 2/20/1835 1 League On York’s Creek, on San Antonio Rd.
Mary Ann Lindsey 4/22/1835 1 League On Colorado, below the mouth of Onion Creek.
Addison Litten (Litton) 3/23/1835 1 League On San Antonio Rd., includes the mouth Cedar Creek.
Bartholemew Manlove 4/22/1835 1 League On Colorado, includes the mouth of Cedar Creek.
Noel Mixon 4/23/1835 1 League On the waters of the Rio Blanco.
Martin McCarven 2/21/1835 1 League On Onion Creek, joins Allen on the North.
Jesse L. McCrooklin 6/18/1835 1 League On the waters of the Rio Blanco.
Ezeriah Moore 6/21/1835 ¼ League On San Antonio Rd., joins Gritten.
Thomas G. McGeehe 2/19/1835 1 League On the St. Marks and San Antonio Rd. crossing.
John G. McGeehe 4/5/1835 1 League On Bear Creek, Slaughter’s Fork.
Benjamin F. Mims 5/22/1835 ¼ League On Onion Creek, joins Jackson on the South.
James Northcross 4/22/1835 1 League On the Colorado and Cedar Creek.
James C. Neill 6/1/1835 1 League On the Colorado below the mouth of Onion Creek.
Daniel L. Richardson 9/20/1835 1 League On the waters of the Guadaloupe.
Mary Sweargert 3/24/1835 ¼ League On the San Antonio Rd., joins A. Litton on the East.
Thomas F. Slaughter 2/23/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Wilkinson Sparks 7/21/1835 ¼ League On the Colorado.
James Stewart 7/17/1835 1 League In the vicinity of San Antonio Rd.
John Stewart 9/20/1835 1 League Plum Creek.
Benjamin Tennel 6/1/1835 1 League On the Colorado.
William Barret Travis 4/10/1835 1 League On Onion Creek.
Richards Vaughan 6/17/1835 ¼ League On Onion Creek.
Walker Wilson 3/12/1835 1 League No description
Amelia Wilson 4/21/1835 1 League On Onion Creek and the Rio Blanco.
Seaborn J. Whatley 3/30/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
Benjamin Williams 7/27/1835 1 League On the Rio Blanco.
Freelove Woody 3/30/1835 1 League On Onion Creek
For information concerning the General Land Office go to http://www.glo.state.tx.us/central/arc/index.html and http://www.glo.state.tx.us/central/arc/spanmex.html