Stephen returned to New Orleans and began promoting the new colonies along the Brazos and Colorado Rivers in Texas, with the first settlers streaming into the area in late 1821. Soon thereafter Mexico gained independence from Spain, forcing Austin to travel to Mexico City to salvage his colonial arrangements. The new agreement ushered in the era of the empresario, while Austin spent much of his time coordinating the allotments of land, mapping and surveying the territory. Accused of inciting insurrection among the colonists, Austin was taken prisoner and spent much of the period between 1834 and 1835 in Mexican prisons. Though he generally favored a moderate approach to relations with the Mexican government, Austin returned to Texas and was a leading figure in the revolutionary movement that eventually led to Texas independence from Mexico. Austin served briefly as Secretary of State for the new Republic of Texas, but died soon after his appointment at the age of forty-three.
The collection consists primarily of the personal and official records of Moses Austin (1761-1821), and his son Stephen F. Austin (1793-1836) who carried out his father's plan for the Anglo colonization of Mexican Texas. Included is material related to the history and early peregrinations of the Austin family, especially their years in Missouri; their business activities, including the lead mines, store and banking investments; the pursuit of both men for permission to colonize and Stephen F. Austin's management of the resulting colony; the events leading up to the Texas Revolution and then the Revolution itself; and the first few months of the Republic of Texas. There is also a small cache of later family correspondence on historical topics.
NOTE: The Austin Papers, including detailed calendar and index, have been published in
Papers are arranged in five series:
[* below refers to the published calendar:
Moses and Stephen F. Austin Papers, 1676, 1765-1889, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin