James (Jack) Cummins
Encyclopedia
James Cummins (1773–1849) was a Texas farmer
, public official and a colonist of Stephen F. Austin's first settlement in Texas.
from as early as July 15, 1819, while operating a salt business on the south side of the Caddo River
in Arkansas
. He was in Texas before June 1822 and settled on the east bank of the Colorado River
, opposite the community at Beason's Ferry, site of the present town of Columbus
. While he was returning east to gather his family, an Indian raid destroyed his corn crop, leaving them without provisions when they arrived. Cummins and his wife, Rebecca, were the parents of six children.
) of San Felipe de Austin on August 16, 1823, and served for four years. On July 7, 1824, as one of Stephen F. Austin
's Old Three Hundred
, he was granted six leagues and a labor of land in current Colorado and Austin
counties. A land bonus was granted to him for his efforts to build both a lumber and grist mill in the new colony. The census of March 1826 listed him as a farmer and stock raiser aged over fifty. His home was a community center on the Colorado River, and he took an active part in all colonial affairs, serving on committees, drafting petitions, and carrying on extensive correspondence with Stephen F. Austin
.
He was with the group of settlers who went to Nacogdoches to put down the Fredonian Rebellion, but was too old to fight in the Texas Revolution
. He lived on Cummins Creek (Colorado River)
, now in Colorado County, until his death in 1849.
http://www.txgenweb3.org/txfayette/creeks.htm
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
, public official and a colonist of Stephen F. Austin's first settlement in Texas.
Early life and family
James (Jack) Cummins was born circa 1773. He became interested in TexasTexas
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...
from as early as July 15, 1819, while operating a salt business on the south side of the Caddo River
Caddo River
The Caddo River is a tributary of the Ouachita River in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The river is about long altogther.-Course:The Caddo River flows out of the Ouachita Mountains through Montgomery, Pike, and Clark counties in Arkansas before flowing into DeGray Lake and then to its terminus at the...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. He was in Texas before June 1822 and settled on the east bank of the Colorado River
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, opposite the community at Beason's Ferry, site of the present town of Columbus
Columbus, Texas
Columbus is a city in Colorado County, Texas, United States, west of Houston along Interstate 10, on the Colorado River. In 1890, 2,199 people lived in Columbus, Texas; in 1900, there were 1,824 residents. The population was 3,916 as of the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Colorado County...
. While he was returning east to gather his family, an Indian raid destroyed his corn crop, leaving them without provisions when they arrived. Cummins and his wife, Rebecca, were the parents of six children.
Career
He became mayor (alcaldeAlcalde
Alcalde , or Alcalde ordinario, is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and administrative functions. An alcalde was, in the absence of a corregidor, the presiding officer of the Castilian cabildo and judge of first instance of a town...
) of San Felipe de Austin on August 16, 1823, and served for four years. On July 7, 1824, as one of Stephen F. Austin
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...
, he was granted six leagues and a labor of land in current Colorado and Austin
Austin County, Texas
Austin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas adjacent to the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 28,417 at the 2010 census. Its county seat is Bellville. Austin County is named for Stephen F...
counties. A land bonus was granted to him for his efforts to build both a lumber and grist mill in the new colony. The census of March 1826 listed him as a farmer and stock raiser aged over fifty. His home was a community center on the Colorado River, and he took an active part in all colonial affairs, serving on committees, drafting petitions, and carrying on extensive correspondence with Stephen F. Austin
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,...
.
He was with the group of settlers who went to Nacogdoches to put down the Fredonian Rebellion, but was too old to fight in the Texas Revolution
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
. He lived on Cummins Creek (Colorado River)
Cummins Creek (Colorado River)
Cummins Creek . Cummins Creek rises near Giddings in Lee County and runs southeast through Lee, Fayette, and Colorado counties for sixty-five miles to its mouth on a horseshoe bend of the Colorado River, opposite Columbus . The stream is named for James Cummins, one of Stephen F...
, now in Colorado County, until his death in 1849.
Citations
- Eugene C. Barker, ed., The Austin Papers (3 vols., Washington: GPO, 1924–28).
- Eugene C. Barker, ed., "Minutes of the Ayuntamiento of San Felipe de Austin, 1828–1832," 12 parts, Southwestern Historical Quarterly 21–24 (January 1918-October 1920).
- Lester G. Bugbee, "The Old Three Hundred: A List of Settlers in Austin's First Colony," Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association 1 (October 1897). Colorado County Historical Commission, Colorado County Chronicles from the Beginning to 1923 (2 vols., Austin: Nortex, 1986).
External links
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/CC/fcu16.htmlhttp://www.txgenweb3.org/txfayette/creeks.htm