frontier times – Page 4 – Texas History Notebook

Henri Castro

Henri Castro (sometimes called Compte Henri De Castro de Boxar) was living in Paris, France at the time he arranged in 1842 to secure a land grant from Republic of Texas president Sam Houston. His first grant proposal was to bring 200 families to Texas the following year. He was not able to fulfill this agreement. A second effort was more successful. Castro’s ambitious agreement was to bring 600 families from Alsace in France to settle in Texas.

Quanah Parker’s Surrender

Colonel Ranald Mackenzie had been searching for Quanah Parker and his band on the western side of Comancheria which is described as the area that the Comanche tribe once roamed. At its strongest point, the tribe roamed from the area which is now New Mexico to West Texas. Quanah’s band was the Quahada, one of several spellings of the name.

Green DeWitt and the DeWitt Colony

Green C. DeWitt was born to Walter John DeWitt and Sarah Ann Holliday DeWitt on February 12, 1787 in Lincoln County, Kentucky. Walter John DeWitt is referred to as a Revolutionary War veteran. Not a great deal is known about the Walter John DeWitt family but they are presumed to have made their living as farmers. Green’s paternal grandfather DeWitt was born in New York, was of Dutch heritage, and his wife, Catherine Pierette Depuy de Brissac, appears to have been of French heritage.

Bob Causey

Robert Lincoln “Bob” Causey was born in Illinois on February 12, 1868 to George Washington Causey and Mary Adeline Crowder Causey. February 12, 1809 was the birth date of the late United States President, Abraham Lincoln. This was likely the source of Robert’s middle name. Concerning his place of birth, articles usually say that he was born in Missouri, but both the 1870 and 1880 census pages list his place of birth as Illinois. He was one of ten children born to the couple, many of whom were also born in Illinois. George W. (the father) had been born in Tennessee and in the 1870 census, his occupation was listed as farmer. He was still shown as being a farmer in the 1900 census before his death in 1907 at around 80 years of age. He died in Guthrie, Logan County, Oklahoma Territory. Mary Adeline had predeceased him, also in Oklahoma, in 1895.

S. W. T. Lanham

Samuel Willis Tucker Lanham was born July 4, 1846 in Woodruff, South Carolina to James Madison Lanham (1815 – 1869) and Louisa D’Aubrey Tucker Lanham (1820 – 1898). Samuel was the second of about ten children born to the couple. His first three names, Samuel Willis Tucker, came from his maternal grandfather. Samuel enlisted in the 3rd South Carolina Regiment of the Confederate Army when he was fifteen or sixteen years old and served throughout the entire war. His regiment primarily served with the Army of Northern Virginia and also participated in some engagements in Tennessee. His rank was sergeant when the war ended and he surrendered with his group in North Carolina.