ROBERTSON
COUNTY

        Train Depot        

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   History and Geography

  An early Texas empresario, soldier and statesman,
Sterling Clack Robertson was born on October 2, 1785, in what
is now Nashville, Tennessee. There, he spent his youth. 

After serving in the Tennessee Militia in the campaign against the 
British in New Orleans, he was discharged with the rank of 
Major and returned to Tennessee, where he lived on a plantation in present Giles County.

In March 1822, Robertson was one of seventy
members of the Texas Association who asked the Mexican
Government for permission to settle in Texas. They finally received
a contract in 1825, known as Leftwich's Grant, and Robertson
came to Texas with a party sent to explore the new territory.
They left Nashville on November 21, 1825 and
Robertson remained in Texas at least until August of the following year.
The colonization project became known as the Nashville Company,
but it was not until April 1830 that Robertson began to sign up
families to move to Texas. Although he brought settlers to
Texas, they were prevented from settling in the colony because
of the Mexican Law of April 6, 1830, which suspended
immigration to colonies that had not already been established.

The land area assigned for settlement by the Nashville
Company was transferred to Stephen Austin and Samuel
Williams on February 25, 1831 and remained under their
control until May 22, 1834. On that date Robertson
obtained a contract in his own name and served as
empresario of the Robertson colony until May 18, 1835
when the area covered by the Nashville Company Contract
was transferred back to Austin & Williams. Robertson
is credited with introducing 600 families into Texas.

Meanwhile, Robertson become Captain of a Ranger 
company that was mustered into service on January 17, 1836. 
He and his nephew George C.  Childress were elected as
delegates to the Convention of 1836. There, along with the other 
delegates at the convention, Robertson signed the Texas   
and the Constitution of the Republic of Texas.
During the Battle of San Jacinto, Robertson was stationed at nearby
Harrisburg to guard equipment and supplies critical to the success of the Texas army.

  From the fall of 1836 until the spring of 1838 Robertson served in the
senate of the First and Second Congresses of the Republic of Texas. 
During that time he served as either chairman or a member of several 
committees charged with forging the laws for the new nation. Perhaps 
his most important contribution was his sponsorship of the bill creating the 
General Land Office to oversee the distribution of Texas public lands to its settlers.

 Robertson retired in 1838 and devoted much of his time to the breeding
of fine race horses. Then, on March 4, 1842, he died and 
was buried in southern Robertson County. In 1935, his
remains were removed to Austin, Texas and reburied in the Texas State Cemetery.
The above article was contributed by Dr. Malcolm D. McLean.   
                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                  
                                                                               

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please contact Marti Brown , Robertson County Coordinator   pzzyb@yahoo.com
Shirley Cullum , State Coordinator
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Last up date: Aug. 31, 2010



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