Texas Tales: Maria Austin Frets Over Her Husband's Health
Oh my son I greatly fear it was only a delusion, so apt are [we] to flatter ourselves with that which will contribute to our happiness his fever has returned this day with great violence.
Mary “Maria” Austin
Moses Austin dreamed of glory—of establishing a colony of Anglo-Americans in Spanish Tejas where hardworking, down-on-their-luck folks could find a fresh beginning. His dream was incumbent on securing a land grant from the Spanish government. So, in the late winter of 1820, he made the arduous journey from Missouri to Texas, arriving in San Antonio de Béxar on December 23. Provisional governor Antonio María Martínez barred the door on Austin and ordered him to leave Texas and never return. Dejected, he walked across the plaza and by chance ran into a prominent resident of San Antonio, a man he had met nineteen years earlier in New Orleans: Philip Hendrik Nering Bögel, better known as the Baron de Bastrop.
Bastrop listened to Austin’s story and promised to help. He escorted Austin back to Martínez’s office and persuaded the governor to allow Austin to remain in the city. Over the next two days, Bastrop and Austin strategized on how to persuade Martínez. On December 26, with Bastrop interpreting, Austin presented a proposal to settle three hundred families in Texas. Martínez was impressed and forwarded Austin’s application to his superiors in Monterrey.
Austin left San Antonio three days later to await final approval. His return trip to Missouri was more taxing than his trip to Texas. His horse was stolen while camping on the Trinity River, leaving him afoot. It took four weeks in continuous wet and cold to return to his home, where he was bedridden with pneumonia. Shortly after reaching home word reached him that his petition was accepted. Ignoring his poor health, Austin threw himself into his “Texas Venture.” At the beginning of June 1821, he fell acutely ill. On June 8, his wife Mary, whom the family called Maria, wrote to her son Stephen expressing her fears for his father’s life and telling her son that his father’s dying desire, if he should die, was for the young man to fulfill his father’s Empresario contract in Texas.
Moses Austin died two days later.
(Maria’s letter is reproduced in full and retains her original spelling and grammar.)
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Hazel Run June the 8– 1821
I rote my dear Stephen by Mr. Honey on the third Inst. informing him of his Father’s Illness—and I now rite you by our old friend Mr. Bruffey and am truly sorry that I have nothing Encouraging to communicate. I found your poor Father very ill indeed, Dr. ben Hiser [Bernhisel] thought his disorder dangerous, it being a Violent attack of Inflammation on the breast and lungs, attended with a high fever—the Dr. staid a day and night blistered and bleed most copiously and when he left us two days past I flattered myself he was much better—but oh my son I greatly fear it was only a delusion, so apt are [we] to flatter ourselves with that which will contribute to our happiness his fever has returned this day with great violence, he breathes with much difficulty and seems in great distress boath in body and mind—in short my son I feel much allarmed about him, I shall send for the Dr. by Mr. B he is lately from Philadelphia studied with Dr. Physick and is well recommended by him and the bord—his yoth and Inexperience is the only objection I have against him, but our chief dependence must be in him who is only able to save oh my god, thou has in they great mercy heretofore supported him through many dangers—tryals and difficulties of various kinds, extend they mercys we beseech the and raise him once more from a bed of sickness and thy grateful servants will sing praises to thy name forever and ever—your Father had completed all his business in this quarter much more to his satisfaction than he ever expected to do—appeared to be surrounded with friends Anxious for him to go on with his enterprise in the province texes—everyone has the highest opinion of his plans and may only waiting till thay know he has made the Establishment when they mean to follow him, several young men has already gown and many now waiting to start with him all those things distract his mind and increases his disorder he called me to his bed side and with much distress an difficulty of speech, beged me to tell you to take his place and if god in his wisdom thought best to disappoint him in the accomplishment of his wishes and plans formed for the benefit of his family, he prayed him to extend his goodness to you and enable you to go on with the business in the same way he would have done had not sickness and oh dreadful to think of perhaps death, prevented him from accomplishing—this my dear son is your fathers unhappy situation, and you can better Judge of your Mother miserable feelings than she can describe them, although my mind is filled with anxiety and my body weied down with fatigue and distress—I will indulge the fond hope of his recover and communicate the pleasing intelligence to my dear Stephen by the first opportunity—I was so disireous to be with your Father when I heard of his illness—I did not take time to write to your Brother,1 I inclosed his letter to you, by that you will know his situation I hope the bill he sent on will be accepted in New Orleans, when the poor fellow will be Liberated and once more restored to his friends who will rejoice to see him tho poor and in a different situation from what theay was when he left them. Emily sends her moast affectionate love to you and would write if she had time though you are a letter in debt2—she has three lovely boys—Austin grows very like you and is laying all parsiality aside the most interesting child I ever saw—the infant is very butifull, I only wish you could see it and you would thing so two, he is called after Guy Morroson—farewell my son, heaven only knows what events make take place before I write again the book of futurity is hid from our eyes—for wise purposes and we ought to think it all for the best—may god bless and prosper my dear son in every just and Laudible undertaking is the sincere wishes of his ever affectionate but unhappy anxious Mother.
M Austin
[Addressed.] Mr. Stephen F. Austin Natchitoches Attention Mr. Bruffy
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1 James Elijah Brown Austin.
2 Stephen’s sister, Emily Margaret Austin Perry.
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Maria Austin to Stephen F. Austin, June 8, 1821, in The Austin Papers, vol. 1, ed. Eugene C. Barker (Fifteenth Report of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, 1919), 394–95.
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Old Moses had a rough go of it getting back to Missouri. Isn't it always interesting how history often rests on coincidences? Had Moses Austin not encountered the self-titled Baron, how different might Texas' story be?