Allen Vince
Encyclopedia
Allen Vince was one of Stephen F. Austin
's Old Three Hundred
.
Allen Vince and his brothers, William, Robert, and Richard Vince originally came from Georgia
, United States
. Vince was a widower whose two sons did not come with him to Texas
. He was living in the San Jacinto River area in 1822 and was listed in the census of 1826 as being between twenty-five and forty years of age. His sister Susan Vince kept house for the family.
Allen Vince was a partner of Mosis A. Callahan when they received title to a sitio
of land in what is now Harris County, Texas
on August 3, 1824. On April 30, 1831, Vince received an additional half league in eastern Grimes County, Texas and Montgomery County, Texas
, and in 1838 he received a labor of land in Harris County, Texas
.
The brothers gave their name to Vince's Bayou, famous for Vince's Bridge
at the time of the Battle of San Jacinto
. Though Vince did not personally participate in the battle, Antonio López de Santa Anna
who fled the battlefield on his black stallion, was captured when he could not cross the burned bridge.
In 1838 Sally Vince, a black woman, filed suit against Vince, charging him with holding her, a free black, in slavery. She based her case on a deed executed by William Vince dated September 7, 1834, that granted her freedom at his death. Allen Vince, William's administrator, contended that William owned only a one-third interest in Sally. When William's property was sold, Allen Vince claimed to have purchased her for $500. The case, which went to jury on January 7, 1839, awarded Sally Vince her freedom.
Vince married Ann Baker Hendrick Mellon in 1839 and some time later married Matilda Wilburn, according to some sources, he may have been living with two wives simultaneously. In 1838 the Second Congress of the Republic of Texas
declared John Vince, son of Allen Vince and Matilda Welborn, the legitimate son of Allen Vince and capable of inheriting his parents' property. Allen Vince was administrator of the John Flanders estate in 1841 and of the Richard Vince estate in 1844.
Stephen F. Austin
Stephen Fuller Austin was born in Virginia and raised in southeastern Missouri. He was known as the Father of Texas, led the second, but first legal and ultimately successful colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the United States. The capital of Texas, Austin in Travis County,...
's Old Three Hundred
Old Three Hundred
The Old Three Hundred is a term used to describe the 297 grantees, made up of families and some partnerships of unmarried men, who purchased 307 parcels of land from Stephen Fuller Austin and established a colony near present day Brenham in Washington County, Texas.Moses Austin was the original...
.
Allen Vince and his brothers, William, Robert, and Richard Vince originally came from Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Vince was a widower whose two sons did not come with him to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He was living in the San Jacinto River area in 1822 and was listed in the census of 1826 as being between twenty-five and forty years of age. His sister Susan Vince kept house for the family.
Allen Vince was a partner of Mosis A. Callahan when they received title to a sitio
Sitio
A sitio in the Philippines is a territorial enclave that forms part of a barangay, the location of which may be distant from the center of the barangay itself....
of land in what is now Harris County, Texas
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
on August 3, 1824. On April 30, 1831, Vince received an additional half league in eastern Grimes County, Texas and Montgomery County, Texas
Montgomery County, Texas
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The county was created by an act of the Congress of the Republic of Texas on December 14, 1837. The county was named for the town of Montgomery, Texas. In 2000, its...
, and in 1838 he received a labor of land in Harris County, Texas
Harris County, Texas
As of the 2010 Census, the population of the county was 4,092,459, White Americans made up 56.6% of Harris County's population; non-Hispanic whites represented 33.0% of the population. Black Americans made up 18.9% of the population. Native Americans made up 0.7% of Harris County's population...
.
The brothers gave their name to Vince's Bayou, famous for Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge
Vince's Bridge was a wooden bridge constructed by Allen Vince over Sims Bayou near Harrisburg, Texas. Its destruction by Texas armed forces played a critical role during the April 1836 Battle of San Jacinto in the decisive defeat of the Mexican army, which effectively ended the Texas Revolution...
at the time of the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
. Though Vince did not personally participate in the battle, Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
who fled the battlefield on his black stallion, was captured when he could not cross the burned bridge.
In 1838 Sally Vince, a black woman, filed suit against Vince, charging him with holding her, a free black, in slavery. She based her case on a deed executed by William Vince dated September 7, 1834, that granted her freedom at his death. Allen Vince, William's administrator, contended that William owned only a one-third interest in Sally. When William's property was sold, Allen Vince claimed to have purchased her for $500. The case, which went to jury on January 7, 1839, awarded Sally Vince her freedom.
Vince married Ann Baker Hendrick Mellon in 1839 and some time later married Matilda Wilburn, according to some sources, he may have been living with two wives simultaneously. In 1838 the Second Congress of the Republic of Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
declared John Vince, son of Allen Vince and Matilda Welborn, the legitimate son of Allen Vince and capable of inheriting his parents' property. Allen Vince was administrator of the John Flanders estate in 1841 and of the Richard Vince estate in 1844.