Mary Brown Austin (1768–1824) had dramatic influence on early Texas history. Perhaps her most important contribution to history is writing a letter to her son, Stephen, two days before the death of her husband,

Moses Austin Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States, especially in southwest Virginia and Missouri. He was the fa ...

, imploring Stephen F. Austin to carry out the dying wish of his father—that Stephen follow through with the

empresario An empresario () was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Tejas in the early nineteenth century. Since ''empresarios'' attract ...

grants for land settlement in Texas. As such, Mary Brown Austin had a significant role in the shaping and development of Texas.

Family

Mary was born to Abia Brown and Margaret (Sharp) Brown, at Sharpsborough Furnace, New Jersey, on January 1, 1768. She had eight siblings and she lived the longest. Her father, Abia Brown, had served as a deputy in the provincial congresses of 1775 and 1776. Her father had significant real estate holdings related to iron mining and smelting. After the death of her mother, Abia asked Benjamin Fuller to board Mary and one of her sisters. Fuller was connected to Abia by marriage into the Sharp family and actually was her uncle. Stephen F. Austin's middle name is credited to his great uncle, Benjamin Fuller. Mary Brown Austin was the mother of Stephen F. Austin and Emily Austin Perry,

James Elijah Brown Austin James Elijah Brown Austin (October 3, 1803 – August 14, 1829) was an American settler and brother of empresario Stephen F. Austin, "The Father of Texas." Counted also as one of the Old Three Hundred, he is listed in Spanish and Mexican reco ...

, and wife of

. Her grandchildren include

Guy Morrison Bryan Guy Morrison Bryan (January 12, 1821June 4, 1901) was a U.S. Representative from Texas. Biography Bryan was born in Herculaneum in the Missouri Territory on January 12, 1821. His family moved to the Mexican State of Texas in 1831, and settled ...

Stephen Samuel Perry Stephen Samuel Perry (1825–1874) was an American early settler and pioneer of the state of Texas. He had managed the Peach Point Plantation, and he is credited with amassing and preserving significant historical manuscripts related to Texas histo ...

William Joel Bryan William Joel Bryan (December 14, 1815 – March 3, 1903) was a Texas soldier and planter. Biography Early life William Joel Bryan was born on December 14, 1815, at Hazel Run in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri. His father was James Bryan and ...

, and

Moses Austin Bryan Moses Austin Bryan (September 25, 1817 – March 16, 1895) was an early settler of Texas. Moses served as Secretary for his uncle, Stephen F. Austin. Family His mother was Emily Austin Perry, and his father was James Bryan. Born in Herculaneum, ...

. Her daughter Emily was first married to James Bryan and later to

James F. Perry James Franklin Perry (1790–1853) was an American who was an early settler of Texas. James married to Emily Austin Perry, and together they operated Peach Point Plantation. He was involved in Texas land distribution. Life James Franklin Perry was ...

Names

Mary was also known by the names: *Miss Maria Brown *Miss Mary Brown *Maria Brown Austin *Mary Brown Austin *Maria (Mary) Austin Brown. She liked to be called "Maria" (pronounced differently than typical for this particular spelling; the enunciation is like that of the first name of the singer

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

). *Mary Brown *Mary Austin *Mary *Maria

Death

Mary is buried in

Potosi, Missouri Potosi is a city and the county seat of Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is southwest of St. Louis. The population was 2,538 as of the 2020 census. Located in the Lead Belt, the city was founded in 1763 by French colonists as ...

, alongside her husband who founded Potosi.

References

*Eugene C. Barker, ed., The Austin Papers (3 vols., Washington: GPO, 1924–28). David B. Gracy II, Moses Austin: His Life (San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 1987). {{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Mary Brown 1768 births 1824 deaths People from Sussex County, New Jersey People from Potosi, Missouri 19th-century American women writers