Manuscript DS, one page both sides, 8.5 x 12.25, December 24, 1833. Land deed signed by three of the 'Immortal 18' who would participate in the 1835 Battle of Gonzales, including one who would die at the Battle of the Alamo three years later—Thomas R. Miller. In part (translated): "I have the honor to direct my submission to you as a resident of this town of Gonzales according to Article 36 of the March 24, 1825 Colonization Law for the distribution of land in the new towns, and [in accordance] of that law, I had bought esquadria No. 3, No. 4." Signed after the first section by William W. Arrington, and at the conclusion by George W. Davis, Thomas R. Miller, and James Blair Patrick. In fine condition. Accompanied by a full translation.
George W. Davis (1797-1853), who witnessed the signing of this document, arrived in DeWitt Colony from Kentucky in 1831. He too participated in the Battle of Gonzales and was a delegate at the Texas Consultation, the committee tasked with directing a response to Mexico, in the fall of 1835. He fought in the Battle of San Jacinto in April 1836, which secured Texan independence.
Thomas R. Miller (ca. 1795-1804?-1836), another witness, arrived in DeWitt Colony from Virginia in 1830. He was purportedly the richest man in Gonzales. In addition to landowning, Miller owned a general store, and provisioned the garrison at the Alamo. Miller served as the town clerk, attended the Texas Consultation, and participated in the Battle of Gonzales. Miller was one of 32 men who traveled 75 miles east of Gonzales to relieve the besieged Alamo.
James Blair Patrick (born ca. 1800), referred to in our document as the Mayor of Gonzales, arrived in DeWitt Colony in 1829. Before being elected as Mayor in 1832, he served as police commissioner. In 1835, Patrick was a member of the Gonzales Committee of Safety. He, along with other town residents, evacuated Gonzales after the fall of the Alamo during the so-called Runaway Scrape. Like the other document signers, Patrick was a leading citizen and a wealthy landowner.
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