It’s hard to believe that when Texas was first discovered and people began to move into the area that they had some added assurance that moving to Texas would offer their families the opportunity to become large land owners. Then again, there is a lot of land in Texas. Then again, Henri Castro was offering settlers more than a few acres.
Henri Castro was born in 1786. He was born in France but he wouldn’t remain there. He was the son of a prominent Jewish couple and they wanted the best for their son. Henri Castro would later believe that the New World would offer the best of all worlds. Henri Castro would marry in 1813. He would later move to what was known as the New World in the late 1820s.
Henri Castro became an American citizen. He obtained a land grant in February of 1842. It was granted to him from Sam Houston and the Texas government. There were some stipulations to the million acres of land that he was granted. He would need to introduce some six hundred families to the unsettled land of Texas.
Castro dangled the land in front of colonists and they did move to Texas. He was eventually credited for inspiring over 2100 colonists to move to the area. During it all, he became the founder of a town that became known as Castroville. Later, he would develop three other Texas towns.
Henri Castro died in 1865. He was traveling through Monterey which is where he was believed to have been buried. However, his grave has never been discovered.
|