Sabine County, Tx: April 13, 1838. Partially-printed document, completed in manuscript, 10 x 8 inches, with lengthy manuscript annotations on verso. Old folds, minor edge wear, a few smudges. Good plus. Item #12759

A handsome document certifying the rights of Thomas Kinikin, an early Texas settler, to "one league and labor" of land in Sabine County, Republic of Texas. The document reads, in part, with handwritten portions in brackets: "Republic of Texas, Sabine County. This is to certify that [Thomas Kinikin] has appeared before us, the Board of Land Commissioners for the County of [Sabine], and proved according to law, that he arrived in this country [in 1838] and that [he] is a [married] man, and entitled to [one league and labor] of Land, upon the condition of paying at the rate of [$3.50 cents] for every labor of Irrigable Land, [$2.50 cents] for every labor of Temporal or Arable Land, [$1.20 cents] for every labor of Pasture Land, which may be containf int he survey secured to [him] by this Certificate." The grant is noted at top as "No. 599."

The document is signed by John H. McRae, President, as well as M.D. White as Clerk and William H. Harris as witness. The verso is completely taken up with a manuscript deed of sale from Kinikin to C. Thompson, assigning his rights for $500, issued at San Augustine County on May 19, 1838. The deed was witnessed by R.C. McDaniel and attested to before E.O. LeGrand, county judge and notary public. Edwin Oswald LeGrand (1803-1861) was one of the signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836. As a member of San Augustine's delegation to the convention, he also signed the Constitution of the Republic, and later served as the county's Chief Justice from 1836-1838. The Republic of Texas declared itself to be an independent, sovereign state on March 2, 1836. The convention which established the Republic also required their male citizens ages 17 to 50 to serve in the military, offering land bounties of 320 to 1280 acres as incentives. Late-arriving emigrants such as Kinikin found a less friendly atmosphere for land acquisition. Sabine County had only been formed a few months before the present document was executed, in December 1837.

OCLC notes a similar item at SMU, dated April 24, 1838, involving land in San Augustine transferred from "Thos Kinch(?)n" (very likely Thomas Kinikin) and assigned his rights to another land grant ("No. 587") to Samuel Stivers.

Price: $1,750