William McGillis Westall, or "Thomas", as he went by, was born c. 1787 in Northumberland, England. His parents were Richard and Jane (née Appleford) Westall.
He immigrated to America; year unknown.
He made his home in Tennessee, eventually marrying Mary Brittain, a North Carolinian. Then he crossed the Tennessee/NC border and settled there. They had a son, William Brittian Westall.
As the 1820s approached, the allure of Texas (a new land at the time) grew more and more appealing, and eventually, William left his wife and young son and set out to receive a land grant in Texas. As far as I know, Mary raised her son alone.
William started to go by the name of Thomas more and more, and lied about his age in the censuses so he couldn't be tracked. I'm sure it was pretty racy to leave your family without divorce.
In April 1824, "Thomas" stopped by Alexandria, Louisiana on the long road to Texas, and it was here that he received a letter of recommendation from J. Thomas, becoming one of Stephen Austin's "Old Three Hundred." Most of the three hundred were Southern farmers, and Thomas was a perfect candidate. His land spanned three present day counties: Wharton, Fort Bend, and Austin Counties.
Thomas basically started an entirely new life. He married again, and had two sons and a daughter. He never divorced his first wife.
Thomas's life certainly didn't lack excitement. He and a group of friends were attacked Indians at one point, and he was the lone survivor. He then became an active voice in keeping the Indians at bay. He also established a general store in San Felipe.
In 1825, he purchased four slaves: Lucy (and her young daughter, Catharine), Patsy, Elsy, and Henry. He seemed to treat them rather well, and he vowed to always care for Catharine if anything were to happen to Lucy.
Thomas's daughter, Eliza, married Stephen Austin's brother. The Westalls were rather close with the Austins, and the marriage only strengthened their friendship.
Thomas's plantation prospered, and he was pretty well off. The only schoolhouse in the area was built on his property, as well as various barns. Most of the land was made up of cotton fields that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It was only a matter of time, though, before tragedy struck. It came in 1833, with one of the worst cholera epidemics this country has ever known.
In the area where the Austins were living at the time, cholera was so widespread and contagious that the family packed their belongings and fled to the Westall plantation. They didn't know that the cholera virus was already inside them. They brought it to the plantation, and at least three died: Thomas; his eldest son, James; and Lucy, one of the slaves.
Even after the cholera epidemic was through, everyone was so afraid to approach the Westall plantation that they burned the bodies of Thomas, James, and Lucy, and burned down the house, the barns, the schoolhouse, and the nearly completed cotton mill. The field that was once filled with cotton was now brown and bare. They couldn't afford any more deaths.
Thomas, James, and Lucy's ashes probably still lie on that land.
Thomas was my 5x great grandfather.
He immigrated to America; year unknown.
He made his home in Tennessee, eventually marrying Mary Brittain, a North Carolinian. Then he crossed the Tennessee/NC border and settled there. They had a son, William Brittian Westall.
As the 1820s approached, the allure of Texas (a new land at the time) grew more and more appealing, and eventually, William left his wife and young son and set out to receive a land grant in Texas. As far as I know, Mary raised her son alone.
William started to go by the name of Thomas more and more, and lied about his age in the censuses so he couldn't be tracked. I'm sure it was pretty racy to leave your family without divorce.
In April 1824, "Thomas" stopped by Alexandria, Louisiana on the long road to Texas, and it was here that he received a letter of recommendation from J. Thomas, becoming one of Stephen Austin's "Old Three Hundred." Most of the three hundred were Southern farmers, and Thomas was a perfect candidate. His land spanned three present day counties: Wharton, Fort Bend, and Austin Counties.
Thomas basically started an entirely new life. He married again, and had two sons and a daughter. He never divorced his first wife.
Thomas's life certainly didn't lack excitement. He and a group of friends were attacked Indians at one point, and he was the lone survivor. He then became an active voice in keeping the Indians at bay. He also established a general store in San Felipe.
In 1825, he purchased four slaves: Lucy (and her young daughter, Catharine), Patsy, Elsy, and Henry. He seemed to treat them rather well, and he vowed to always care for Catharine if anything were to happen to Lucy.
Thomas's daughter, Eliza, married Stephen Austin's brother. The Westalls were rather close with the Austins, and the marriage only strengthened their friendship.
Thomas's plantation prospered, and he was pretty well off. The only schoolhouse in the area was built on his property, as well as various barns. Most of the land was made up of cotton fields that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It was only a matter of time, though, before tragedy struck. It came in 1833, with one of the worst cholera epidemics this country has ever known.
In the area where the Austins were living at the time, cholera was so widespread and contagious that the family packed their belongings and fled to the Westall plantation. They didn't know that the cholera virus was already inside them. They brought it to the plantation, and at least three died: Thomas; his eldest son, James; and Lucy, one of the slaves.
Even after the cholera epidemic was through, everyone was so afraid to approach the Westall plantation that they burned the bodies of Thomas, James, and Lucy, and burned down the house, the barns, the schoolhouse, and the nearly completed cotton mill. The field that was once filled with cotton was now brown and bare. They couldn't afford any more deaths.
Thomas, James, and Lucy's ashes probably still lie on that land.
Thomas was my 5x great grandfather.
William McGillis Westall, or "Thomas", as he went by, was born c. 1787 in Northumberland, England. His parents were Richard and Jane (née Appleford) Westall.
He immigrated to America; year unknown.
He made his home in Tennessee, eventually marrying Mary Brittain, a North Carolinian. Then he crossed the Tennessee/NC border and settled there. They had a son, William Brittian Westall.
As the 1820s approached, the allure of Texas (a new land at the time) grew more and more appealing, and eventually, William left his wife and young son and set out to receive a land grant in Texas. As far as I know, Mary raised her son alone.
William started to go by the name of Thomas more and more, and lied about his age in the censuses so he couldn't be tracked. I'm sure it was pretty racy to leave your family without divorce.
In April 1824, "Thomas" stopped by Alexandria, Louisiana on the long road to Texas, and it was here that he received a letter of recommendation from J. Thomas, becoming one of Stephen Austin's "Old Three Hundred." Most of the three hundred were Southern farmers, and Thomas was a perfect candidate. His land spanned three present day counties: Wharton, Fort Bend, and Austin Counties.
Thomas basically started an entirely new life. He married again, and had two sons and a daughter. He never divorced his first wife.
Thomas's life certainly didn't lack excitement. He and a group of friends were attacked Indians at one point, and he was the lone survivor. He then became an active voice in keeping the Indians at bay. He also established a general store in San Felipe.
In 1825, he purchased four slaves: Lucy (and her young daughter, Catharine), Patsy, Elsy, and Henry. He seemed to treat them rather well, and he vowed to always care for Catharine if anything were to happen to Lucy.
Thomas's daughter, Eliza, married Stephen Austin's brother. The Westalls were rather close with the Austins, and the marriage only strengthened their friendship.
Thomas's plantation prospered, and he was pretty well off. The only schoolhouse in the area was built on his property, as well as various barns. Most of the land was made up of cotton fields that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It was only a matter of time, though, before tragedy struck. It came in 1833, with one of the worst cholera epidemics this country has ever known.
In the area where the Austins were living at the time, cholera was so widespread and contagious that the family packed their belongings and fled to the Westall plantation. They didn't know that the cholera virus was already inside them. They brought it to the plantation, and at least three died: Thomas; his eldest son, James; and Lucy, one of the slaves.
Even after the cholera epidemic was through, everyone was so afraid to approach the Westall plantation that they burned the bodies of Thomas, James, and Lucy, and burned down the house, the barns, the schoolhouse, and the nearly completed cotton mill. The field that was once filled with cotton was now brown and bare. They couldn't afford any more deaths.
Thomas, James, and Lucy's ashes probably still lie on that land.
Thomas was my 5x great grandfather.
He immigrated to America; year unknown.
He made his home in Tennessee, eventually marrying Mary Brittain, a North Carolinian. Then he crossed the Tennessee/NC border and settled there. They had a son, William Brittian Westall.
As the 1820s approached, the allure of Texas (a new land at the time) grew more and more appealing, and eventually, William left his wife and young son and set out to receive a land grant in Texas. As far as I know, Mary raised her son alone.
William started to go by the name of Thomas more and more, and lied about his age in the censuses so he couldn't be tracked. I'm sure it was pretty racy to leave your family without divorce.
In April 1824, "Thomas" stopped by Alexandria, Louisiana on the long road to Texas, and it was here that he received a letter of recommendation from J. Thomas, becoming one of Stephen Austin's "Old Three Hundred." Most of the three hundred were Southern farmers, and Thomas was a perfect candidate. His land spanned three present day counties: Wharton, Fort Bend, and Austin Counties.
Thomas basically started an entirely new life. He married again, and had two sons and a daughter. He never divorced his first wife.
Thomas's life certainly didn't lack excitement. He and a group of friends were attacked Indians at one point, and he was the lone survivor. He then became an active voice in keeping the Indians at bay. He also established a general store in San Felipe.
In 1825, he purchased four slaves: Lucy (and her young daughter, Catharine), Patsy, Elsy, and Henry. He seemed to treat them rather well, and he vowed to always care for Catharine if anything were to happen to Lucy.
Thomas's daughter, Eliza, married Stephen Austin's brother. The Westalls were rather close with the Austins, and the marriage only strengthened their friendship.
Thomas's plantation prospered, and he was pretty well off. The only schoolhouse in the area was built on his property, as well as various barns. Most of the land was made up of cotton fields that stretched as far as the eye could see.
It was only a matter of time, though, before tragedy struck. It came in 1833, with one of the worst cholera epidemics this country has ever known.
In the area where the Austins were living at the time, cholera was so widespread and contagious that the family packed their belongings and fled to the Westall plantation. They didn't know that the cholera virus was already inside them. They brought it to the plantation, and at least three died: Thomas; his eldest son, James; and Lucy, one of the slaves.
Even after the cholera epidemic was through, everyone was so afraid to approach the Westall plantation that they burned the bodies of Thomas, James, and Lucy, and burned down the house, the barns, the schoolhouse, and the nearly completed cotton mill. The field that was once filled with cotton was now brown and bare. They couldn't afford any more deaths.
Thomas, James, and Lucy's ashes probably still lie on that land.
Thomas was my 5x great grandfather.
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