Settlers on Government Land ~ 1832 - 1860

Settlers on government land in this parish between 1832 and 1860 were as follows:

1832 - Alonza Barr (the land lying near Many, and was sold in 1834: to Domingo Catriua who sold to F. Veuleman in 1837), William Palmer.

1833 - Eldred Parker.

1835 - James Tyler, Sam Wiley, Richard Cherrington.

1836 - Thomas Wilson, B. J. and Sam Thompson, Henry Hall, William J. Elam.

1837 - Sarah Greening.

1838 - Spencer G. Adams, Sam Westfall, John Spiker, Reuben Oxley, P. H. Craig, Carey Morris, James Cook.

1839 - Shadric Howard, Needham J. Alform, Couzie Biles (wife of Benjamin Biles), Silas Shellburne, John A. McClanahan, Zadock Turner, Asa Speights, John J. Francis, William Glallion, Cleri Grillet, Lydia Webb, Gora Munson, Lou Martha Moses, J. H. Crockett, Garrison Anderson, William Ferguson, John Lebo, Martha Wiley, Lindsey, B. and Benjamin B. Rayburn, William D. Stephens, James F Murphy.

1840 - Andrew Woods, Henry Ruggley, G. A. Sleet, Sarah Litton.

1841 - N. Croker, T. E. Woods, George W. Tate, S. A. Eason.

1842 - Andrew Woods, T. Roberts.

1843 - Sam Eldredge, C. R. Wimberly, Thomas J. Dandy, John Graham, Matthew Jones, John H. Thompson, Samuel W. Fellerton, Thomas G. Godwin, John Godwin Mary L. Branch, John Carroll, State to John Caldwell.

1844 - Cornelius Wiley, William T. C. King, John Lapsley, Albert Jordan, M. L. Branch, Martha Bitlingsley.

1845 - Mary L. Caldwell, William Curtis, John White, Stephen Wiley, John R. Yokum to P. A. Reagan.

1846 - Redic Sibley, Joe R. Billingsley, Nathan Darling, Shelton James, Washington and Bradley Deer, G. M Cook; Mary Provence bought land from Palmer.

1847 - William L. Cobbs, Clay P. Waldrop, John Jordan, Louis I. Wamsley, W. F. Woods, James M. Holt.

1848 - William Cook, William Varner, John Pullen, William F. Woods, John Gillaspie, John H. Jenkins, J. M. Gibbs, John C. Royston, James Hampton, Elijah Rembert, Prudent Strother, William Iies.

1849 - Fletcher Rallins, Thomas Constable, Daniel P. Lockwood, James L. Williams, J. J. Greening, John Vines, Jesse H. Fincher.

1850 - T. S. Stafford, John Callens.

1851 - James I. Self, James A. Woods, John Self, Sam Webb, J. H. Armstrong, H. P. Hudson, R. M. Armstrong, Daniel R. Gaudy, William Antony, T. A. Armstrong.

1852 - J. J. Snell, Calvin Alston, John A Gould, E. K. Baker, William H. Killough, James Walker.

1853 - William Foote, James A. Cranford, Robert Lambert, Ben H. Craig.

1854 - William B. Westfall, Robert Sibley.

1855 - John Bolton, James Earls, James R. Phares, John Miller.

1856 - William Rhodes, Andrew Cutright, J. Dove, J. Varner, J. P. Campbell.

1857 - Parish School Board sold land to R. Frances. No purchases from the government appear during this year

1858 - Lydia Godwin, Charles Johns, Franklin Dutton, R. L. F. Sibley, W. W Sibley, *Hugh Dowden, George W. Addison Allen Holland, Russell McDonald, Levi Weldon, William Mosely, Joe T. Lynch, Robert F. Royston, Joseph Brewster, Max McGowan, William Crump, John L. Childers, William Fanley, Robert D Miller, John Hampton, James Fike, W. W. Campbell, Green Weldon, William Kirkham, John Putnam.

1859 - James Owens, Daniel Britton, J. W. Kirkham, Napoleon Darnell, Sol Royston, Thomas M Berry, Jeremiah Robinson, Sam Johnson, William Vines, John Aten, R. L. Armstrong, William P. Glass, Daniel Cumilander, Isaac E. Robinson, John C. Duncan, Samuel G. Lucius, Joe G. Garlington, Isaac Dickinson, William Gook, James Gook, Temperance Cook, T. B. Conerly, Valentine Nash, Crawford G. Presley, William Antony, Allen Arthur, William Parrott, Hosea B. Lewing, Major Hardy, Benjamin P. Norsworthy, Joe Alford, G. W. Durritt, John Boswell, Sampson Whatley, Ann Lester, Henry Cook, Jesse Wright, William H. Stroud, Thomas J. Arthur, Thomas Grace, William Miller, Moses Salter, Alfred Self, Enoc Davis.

1860 - Bebee Michel, Robert Parrott, William P. Smith, Charles Darnell, Harris & Beck (merchants of Fort Jesup), Simeon Goodrow, Andrew M. Miller, W. W. Chapman, G. L. Wamsley, J. G. Sibley, P. L. Corley, Wm. Y, Weldon, Allen Gandy, Mary A. Beddenfield.

Among the first land entries in 1832 was that of William A. Lecure for the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 33, Township 8, Range 11. After the entry was made no person ever came to claim or take possession of the land. The presumption is that Lecure was an attache of the government surveying corps which surveyed the parish and acquired the land thinking that it contained valuable mineral deposits of some kind, but never returned to do any ''prospecting." No improvements have ever been made on the tract, which was sold for taxes in 1879.

In 1844 James Sepulvedo and others bought, in partnership, five acres of land on Sabine River in order to become qualified voters.

After the creation of Sabine parish, several land speculators acquired title to old Spanish land grants. Yates & McIntyre were the first to buy, and between 1841 and 1859 they sold land to the following persons:

During this period Thomas Patterson, who had acquired Spanish claims, sold lands to S. D. Bossier, John C. Garret, R. A. Patterson, W. M. McCullen. The Patterson lands were on the Las Orgemas and Lanana grants and were sold to Stone & Hamlin. Stone's interests in these lands were subsequently sold to Florien Giauque, Lehmer & Pfirrman and heirs of Patterson.

Harvey Baldwin, another pioneer real estate dealer, sold lands to G. W. Waller, Robert McDonald, William Wilson, Jose Procella, Ephraham Butler, T. E. Boyd, Jose Rock, James Oliver, Elizabeth Roberts, Alston Nabours, W. T. Quirk, John W. Eason, Robert B. and William B. Stille. The Stilles also bought Waterman's Rio Hondo claim in 1853.

Among those who purchased lands from the State were Thomas Hardin (1859), F. A. Fuller ('61), James W. Nettles ('60), L. Barbee (1859).

Many citizens resided on lands to which they had no title. If such lands were a part of the public domain, patents were finally obtained from the government under the provisions of the homestead laws. Others settled on lands which were a part of recognized Spanish claims. The Crow claim, embracing a large tract of land on Sabine River, was not finally approved until the present century, although several citizens had long been settlers on this tract. Squatters continued, to occupy land without procuring a title even after the War Between the States. However, that manner of settlement at this time was largely by ex-slaves or people who thought they were occupying public lands.

Some of the American settlers bought their Rio Hondo claims from the Spaniards. Henry Stoker, who came to the Fort Jesup community in 1818, acquired twelve hundred acres for a small amount of money and two or three "pack" ponies.

Until after the civil war Many and Fort Jesup were the only towns in Sabine parish and these places were mere villages. The names of additional pioneer settlers appear in chapters devoted to the chronicles of these towns and of the parish government.

Sabine Parish | AHGP Louisiana

Footnotes:
*Dowden settled in the Kisatchie country, making first entry in an entire township.

Source: History of Sabine Parish, Louisiana, by John G. Belisle, Sabine Banner Press, 1913.