Peter Kerr (Texas settler)
Encyclopedia
Peter Kerr also known as Peter Carr, was the founder of Burnet, Texas
and a member of the Old Three Hundred
, the original settlers in Stephen F. Austin's
colony.
, on September 12, 1795.
Kerr and his partner, William Kerr, received title to a league of land now in Washington County, Texas on August 10, 1824. At some point in 1824, he landed at Matagorda Bay
and proceeded overland to Victoria
, where he established a mercantile business. He was listed in the census of 1826 at a merchant with three servants. Soon thereafter his plans to marry a Spanish girl were thwarted when he was robbed on a trading expedition among the Indians
further down the Texas coast. Her father broke the contract because the robbery left Kerr penniless.
Kerr obtained a charter ship, which was soon wrecked in a storm. Kerr received insurance money for his ship and bought a hack and a pair of horses, which were in turn wrecked the first time he put them into use. After a trip to Pennsylvania
he returned to New Orleans, purchased a still
, and put it on a ship to Texas. The ship sailed without him.
In 1835, Kerr and José María Jesús Carbajal
drove a herd of horses to New Orleans and sold them in exchange for merchandise for the Texas trade and for arms and munitions for the Texas army. The provisions were loaded onto the ship the Hannah Elizabeth, which was captured by the Mexican Bravo. The William Robbins (later the Liberty), a Texas privateer, recaptured the Hannah Elizabeth and Kerr was able to redeem his property by paying half its worth.
On March 24, 1836, General Sam Houston
ordered Kerr's arrest on charges of spreading false news and of having befriended the Mexicans. The charges resulted from Kerr's delivery of the news of James W. Fannin's defeat in the battle of Coleto
. Although Kerr spoke the truth, Houston could take no chances of a panic among his men.
, Houston appointed Kerr interpreter for the Texas army. The Fourth Congress of the new Republic of Texas
granted Kerr 320 acres (129 ha) of land and twenty-four dollars for his services as interpreter. From 1846 to 1848 he was a justice of the peace in Travis County
. In 1849 he leased part of the Hamilton league in Burnet County and obtained a contract with the government to furnish beef to Fort Croghan
. Kerr obtained a deed from John Hamilton on October 27, 1851, for the entire league, minus 600 acres (2.4 km²) on the west side, which Hamilton had sold earlier. Kerr then leased to the government all of the league west of Hamilton Creek, including the land where Fort Croghan was located. Under the provisions of the agreement, if the government gave up the lease, Kerr would received title to all of the improvements that had been made on the land.
In 1852, Kerr began laying out the townsite of Hamilton (later Burnet) on the east side of Hamilton Creek and selling the lots. When the county was organized later that year, he donated ten lots for a courthouse square and 100 acre (0.404686 km²) east of town to the county in order to ensure that Hamilton would be chosen county seat. Kerr soon amassed a sizable fortune as a result of his land dealings and cattle enterprise. When the government abandoned Fort Croghan in December 1853, he sold 617 acres (2.5 km²), including the Fort Croghan site, for $6,000. In a letter to his brother in Pennsylvania in 1858 he estimated his holdings at $50,000.
Kerr died on November 21, 1861 and was buried in an unmarked grave in the northwestern section of the Old Burnet Cemetery. Three days before his death he established a will leaving all of his property except his land and $23,499.99 in notes due him to his nephew, William S. Carothers. The land was to be sold after ten years to establish Peter Kerr College at Burnet.
Carothers contested the will and had it annulled. The city of Burnet received two acres (eight thousand m²) for a public school.
Burnet, Texas
Burnet is a city in and the county seat of Burnet County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,735 at the 2000 census.Both the city and the county were named for David Gouverneur Burnet, the first president of the Republic of Texas. He also served as Vice President during the...
and a member of the 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...
, the original settlers in Stephen F. Austin's
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,...
colony.
Early years
Peter Kerr or Carr was born in Carlisle, PennsylvaniaCarlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The name is traditionally pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2010 census, the borough...
, on September 12, 1795.
Kerr and his partner, William Kerr, received title to a league of land now in Washington County, Texas on August 10, 1824. At some point in 1824, he landed at Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay is a large estuary bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, southeast of San Antonio, southwest of Houston, and southeast of Austin. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula and...
and proceeded overland to Victoria
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
, where he established a mercantile business. He was listed in the census of 1826 at a merchant with three servants. Soon thereafter his plans to marry a Spanish girl were thwarted when he was robbed on a trading expedition among the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
further down the Texas coast. Her father broke the contract because the robbery left Kerr penniless.
Kerr obtained a charter ship, which was soon wrecked in a storm. Kerr received insurance money for his ship and bought a hack and a pair of horses, which were in turn wrecked the first time he put them into use. After a trip to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
he returned to New Orleans, purchased a still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
, and put it on a ship to Texas. The ship sailed without him.
In 1835, Kerr and José María Jesús Carbajal
José María Jesús Carbajal
José María Jesús Carbajal was a Mexican freedom fighter, who opposed the Centralist government installed by Antonio López de Santa Anna. Carbajal was a direct descendant of Canary Islands settlers who emigrated to San Antonio, Texas in the 18th Century. As a teenager in San Antonio, he was...
drove a herd of horses to New Orleans and sold them in exchange for merchandise for the Texas trade and for arms and munitions for the Texas army. The provisions were loaded onto the ship the Hannah Elizabeth, which was captured by the Mexican Bravo. The William Robbins (later the Liberty), a Texas privateer, recaptured the Hannah Elizabeth and Kerr was able to redeem his property by paying half its worth.
On March 24, 1836, General Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
ordered Kerr's arrest on charges of spreading false news and of having befriended the Mexicans. The charges resulted from Kerr's delivery of the news of James W. Fannin's defeat in the battle of Coleto
Battle of Coleto
The Battle of Coleto, also known as the Battle of Coleto Creek, the Battle of the Prairie, and the Batalla del encinal del Perdido, was fought on March 19 and 20, 1836, during the Goliad campaign of the Texas Revolution...
. Although Kerr spoke the truth, Houston could take no chances of a panic among his men.
Entrepreneur and Civic Leader
After the battle of San JacintoSan Jacinto
San Jacinto is Spanish for Saint Hyacinth; as a place name, it may refer to:* San Jacinto, Bolívar, Colombia* San Jacinto, Chiquimula, Guatemala* San Jacinto, Comondú, Mexico* San Jacinto, Lerdo, Mexico* San Jacinto, Ancash Region, Peru...
, Houston appointed Kerr interpreter for the Texas army. The Fourth Congress of the new 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...
granted Kerr 320 acres (129 ha) of land and twenty-four dollars for his services as interpreter. From 1846 to 1848 he was a justice of the peace in Travis County
Travis County, Texas
As of 2009, the U.S. census estimates there were 1,026,158 people, 320,766 households, and 183,798 families residing in the county. The population density was 821 people per square mile . There were 335,881 housing units at an average density of 340 per square mile...
. In 1849 he leased part of the Hamilton league in Burnet County and obtained a contract with the government to furnish beef to Fort Croghan
Fort Croghan
*For the 1842 Iowa fort of the same name, see Council Bluffs, Iowa.Fort Croghan was the third of the first four forts established by the United States government to protect settlers from hostile Indians along the Texas frontier. From its establishment in 1849 until its decommission in 1853, Fort...
. Kerr obtained a deed from John Hamilton on October 27, 1851, for the entire league, minus 600 acres (2.4 km²) on the west side, which Hamilton had sold earlier. Kerr then leased to the government all of the league west of Hamilton Creek, including the land where Fort Croghan was located. Under the provisions of the agreement, if the government gave up the lease, Kerr would received title to all of the improvements that had been made on the land.
In 1852, Kerr began laying out the townsite of Hamilton (later Burnet) on the east side of Hamilton Creek and selling the lots. When the county was organized later that year, he donated ten lots for a courthouse square and 100 acre (0.404686 km²) east of town to the county in order to ensure that Hamilton would be chosen county seat. Kerr soon amassed a sizable fortune as a result of his land dealings and cattle enterprise. When the government abandoned Fort Croghan in December 1853, he sold 617 acres (2.5 km²), including the Fort Croghan site, for $6,000. In a letter to his brother in Pennsylvania in 1858 he estimated his holdings at $50,000.
Kerr died on November 21, 1861 and was buried in an unmarked grave in the northwestern section of the Old Burnet Cemetery. Three days before his death he established a will leaving all of his property except his land and $23,499.99 in notes due him to his nephew, William S. Carothers. The land was to be sold after ten years to establish Peter Kerr College at Burnet.
Carothers contested the will and had it annulled. The city of Burnet received two acres (eight thousand m²) for a public school.
Further reading
- Darrell Debo, Burnet County History (2 vols., Burnet, Texas: Eakin, 1979).