A collection, mainly in French, of correspondence related to the work of Henri Castro to establish French colonies in Texas in the 19th century.

Henri Castro (1786-1865) was born in France of Jewish Portuguese ancestry; in 1813, he married Amelia Mathias and in 1827 they immigrated to the United States. He became an American citizen and a partner in Lafitte and Company. In 1842 he made a contract with the government in Texas to settle a colony in land on the frontier west of San Antonio. Between 1843 and 1847, Castro arranged for 27 ships and brought 485 families and 457 single men to Texas, mainly from the Alsace region in France and Germany. These immigrants helped to establish the earliest permanent European settlements between San Antonio and the Rio Grande. He stayed in Castroville, Texas, until the time of the American Civil War, then died in Monterrey, Mexico, as he was returning to France.

1.25 Linear Feet (1 box)

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