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TEXAS STATE LIBRARY
isfied; and then gave this account of themselves - They said that they originally belonged to the Creeks in Geo - and Alabama - 'l'he Creeks had made a treaty with the US - but on returning home, had com- mitted many depredations, which was about to draw down the ven- geance of the Govt. upon them. This little band, anxious for peace, & dreading the consequences of war, retired to the Coosa & Talapoose, thence to the Alabama river, where they made canoes and descending it to the mouth coasted it io the mouth of the Mississippi, & thence to the Oppolusa. There they remaind a year, suffered much from sickness and then found their way to the 'l'rinity, their present resi- dence - They came to the 'l'rinity about 45 years ago. The Coshat- tees retained the name of the village to which they belonged before leaving their Tribe. The Alabama, so called themselves after the river of that name, in the state of Alabama US - They were frindly to the Emigrants - sold them Horses & cattle - & have remaind findly from that time to the present - The emigrants after planting their corn, not bing satisfied with the Sanjacinto, went in pursuit of a richer soil - they scattered on the Brazos &C - became sickly, lost many - some died at home, many in roamig about - August they became destitute; lived on game; greatly distressed; about this tim.e, came to New Washington, a keel boat, with emigrants, from Florence Alabama, 120 feet long - had coasted it from Tuckapa, thro Vermillion Bay - about 30 emi- grants - from this source the emigrants on the Sanjacinto settlemt received timely supplies - There were a very old couple came in this Boat - Their son, about 40 years old took the Boat up to Vinces on the Buffalo Bayou. There they met with two of old Lafitts pirates, who were acting as pilots at Galveston, & had piloted Pettus in - When the old couple died at Lynchburg, a split took place in the family - some wished to remain in the country - & some wished to return to the US- The quarrell was settled by having the Boat, (then at Vinces) sawed in two, one half was fitted up for the return of the disaffected, to the US- they embarked, 17 in number (latter part of 1822 - they arrived the last of July or lt. Augt.) sometime in the fall, leaving Mrs. Wilkins & two daughters, in a destitute situ- ation, (one of these daughters married Duke of Matagorda) - The party who had embarked, took all the negroes, tho' not entitled to them exclusively - and proceeded under the direction of the two pirate1:1 whom they had employed to pilot them - Their fate was a disaster- ous one - they were never heard of after their departure - but their bones were found near the mouth of the Culqueshoo, supposed to have been murdered by the two pirates in their employ - The Settlemnt dispersed after the first year - pretty much broken up - Pettus, removed to the Brazos, near San Phillippi one year after to San phillippe, in 1832 to mill creek, austin county where he still resides - Randle Jones moved to Fort Bend where he still resides - Dr. Hunter remaind at New Washington, then called Wrighter's point, thence moved to Fort Bend Co. where he still resides -
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