| In 1833
William McFarland became alcalde, and citizens began to
contemplate constructing a centrally located town. A committee
of fifteen men chose the banks of the Ayish Bayou and then
purchased the land from Edmund Quirk. The following year,
under alcalde Charles Stanfield Taylor, the municipality of
San Augustine was established by Mexican law. The name was
chosen by Mexican officials, supposedly to honor St. Augustine
of Hippo. Since the new district had 2,500 inhabitants in
1834, it could then officially elect an alcalde, two
councilmen, a clerk, a chief justice and a primary judge.
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Ayish Bayou settlers had been involved in
the 1832 battle of Nacogdoches, in which they helped remove
José de las Piedras, commandant of Nacogdoches. Subsequently,
they sent prominent representatives, including Sam Houston in
1833, to the conventions of 1832 and 1833.
Early in 1836 Houston was elected commander of
the Texian forces at San Augustine-and then for all of
Texas-which took an active part in the Texas Revolution. |
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| In April the
town was abandoned when citizens fled toward the Louisiana
border in the Runaway Scrape. They returned to their homes
with news of the victory at the battle of San Jacinto. With
the close of hostilities, Texans began establishing a
government for the new Republic of Texas. San Augustine County
was one of the first counties to be formed. In 1837 settlers
chose county officials, including a chief justice, a county
clerk, a sheriff, a district clerk, a surveyor, and a coroner.
In most instances, war heroes were elected to those positions,
replacing earlier settlers as community leaders. |
Cities and towns |
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Broaddus
San Augustine |
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