Empresarios and Entrepreneurs

Martin De Leon Green DeWitt Robert Leftwich and Sterling C. Robertson De Zavala, Vehlein, and Burnet James Power and James Hewetson Haden Edwards

Martin De Leon Only Mexican empresario to found a colony in Texas Wanted to start a colony with Mexican families along Guadalupe River Received an unusual contract Did not have to have a certain number of families and his colony had no borders Main town was Guadalupe Victoria By 1835, 162 families lived there

Green DeWitt Born in Kentucky Was a Texas empresario Started his settlement in 1825 Received a contract to bring 400 families to Texas Area consisted of land near Lavaca, San Marcos, and Guadalupe Rivers Some of Dewitt’s land was on De Leon’s Mexico sided with De Leon, DeWitt moved West

Robert Leftwich and Sterling C. Robertson Robert Leftwich received a land grant in 1825 to settle 800 families Grant ran along the Brazos River Valley , north and west of Austin’s grant Leftwich sold his contract to Sterling C. Robertson Robertson brought families to Texas in 1830 Temporary Mexican law banned American immigration to Texas In 1835, Robertson settled 600 families in Texas

De Zavala, Vehlein, and Burnet Empresario System- Mexican government wanted empresarios to personally find good settlers and help their colonies grow Lorenzo De Zavala, Joseph Vehlein, and David Burnet all received land grants None of them had enough money to support or attract settlers by themselves 1830 they sell contracts to Galveston Bay and Texas Land Company

They had bought right to bring settlers to Texas, not the land Sold scrips to settlers Scrip- gave owners the right to claim a piece of land in Texas Scrips were worthless Company ended up bringing 1000 families to Texas

Irish in Texas 2 grants brought Irish to Texas James Power and James Hewetson received one grant Capital was Refugio Colony faced many problems: 150 immigrants died from cholera on journey to Texas Border disputes with De Leon’s colony upset plans James McGloin and John McMullen established a 2nd Irish colony in Texas

Haden Edwards Got a contract in 1825 to bring 800 families to an area near Nacogdoches Mexican leaders told Edwards settlers already lived there Edwards told settlers to prove they owned the land or they had to pay him Mexican officials cancel Edwards contract after feeling disrespected Edwards tries to start a revolt by declaring Texas an Independent nation

End of the Empresario System Population was 3,000 in 1820, grew to 25,000 by 1835 Many settlers never accepted Mexico’s system of government Settlers wanted kind government similar to U.S. Wanted to rule themselves Did not want to take orders from Mexican officials