Sabine Parish Early Settlers

Sabine Parish, Louisiana
Early Settlers

A large number of the first immigrants to Sabine parish settled on what was designated, and still commonly known, as Rio Hondo lands, the original title to which was based on a Spanish grant to the settler, in return for some stipulated service to be or having been rendered, or other considerations. The residents on these lands in 1805 were Joe Leaky, John Waddell, Christopher Antony, Thomas Hicks, Jacob Winfree, Jose Rivers, Peter Patterson David Watterman, John Gordon, Benjamin Winfree, James Kirkham, Andries Galindo, Hugh McGhoffy, Jose Maria Procello (heirs of James Lenney and Manuel Bustamento), Thomas Yokum, John Yokum (assignee of Jesse Yokum), Azer Matbias, George Slaughter (assignee of Louis Warren) Remey Christy, William Davidson, Thos. Gray (assignee of James Bridges aud John Mackay), Stephen Bascus, Jose Ba«eus, Domingo Gonzales,Felicien and Francisco Gonzales, Raymond Dally, Martin Dios, Dennis Dios, John Yokum, Matthias Yokum, James Wilson, Philip Winfree, Absalom J. Winfree, James Walker, Nicholas Jacks, Hugh McNeely, Jacob Leahy, Thomas Arthur, Green Cook (assignee of Henry Charbiueau), Edmund Quirk, William Quirk, Thomas Gray, Joseph Montgomery, Samuel Holmes, Benjamin Morris, Antoine Laroux, John Lura, John H. Thompson, Benjamin Biles, Jose Antonio Manchac, Jacques Lepine, David Case, widow La Lena Padea, Manuel Gonzales, Jean Baptiste Parrot, Andrew Bassum, Thomas Wilson, Louis Latham, Antonio de La Sarda, Jose Estrader, Johu Cortinez, Robert McDonald (assignee of Stephen Moore), widow Ganissieu Parried, Henry Quirk, Henry Stcker, Manuel Cherin Maria Sanchez, Michael Early, John Litton, Asa Beckum, Francisco Rosalis, Jose Antonio Rodriguez, John Maximilian, the widow Interest Toval, Guilliam Bebee.
These claimants produced evidence of their settlement on the Rio Hondo lands in 1824, but after a new survey of the country had been made eight years later they filed new proof of their settlement and claims. The claims were for tracts of various size. One
claimant, Antoiue Laroux, very modestly asked for title to oue or two acres, on which he had located his dwelling in the
woods, explaining that he would not know what to do with more land.

In 1831 the government survey of the territory within the present boundary of Sabine parish was completed, the lands being laid out in townships and sections. No official survey was ever made by either the French or the Spanish, even the alleged marking of the Arroyo Hondo line defining the Neutral Strip being regarded as mythical. The survey of the United Slates made available for settlement thousands of acres of land which could be procured by a small cash payment per acre. The "five year" entry or free homes law did not prevail until many years later. In Sabine parish, as in other sections, the liberality of the homestead laws and government grants to railway corporations resulted in diverting many thonsaTid acres from the the individuril home builder, to whom the public domain rightfully belonged. 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

Catrina who sold to F. Veuleman in 1837, William Palmer.

1833 Eldred Parker

1835.James Tyler, Sam Wiley, Richard Cherringtoa.

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

1837. Sarah Greening.

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

1839. Sbadric 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 Billngsley.

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 E Wood, James M. Holt.

1848 William Cook, William Yarner, John Pullen, William F. Wood, John Gillaspie, John H. Jenkins, J. M Gibbs,
John C. Royston, James Hampton, Elijah Rembert, Prudent Strother, William Ilies.

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. Westfail, 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 Kirkkam, 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,
Dowden settled in the Kisatchie country, making First entry in an entire township.

Neutral Strip and Pioneers

John C. Duncan, Samuel G. Lucius, Joe G. Garlington, Isaac Dickinson, William
Cook, James Cook, Temperance Cook, T. B. Conerly, Valentine Nash, Crawford G. Presley, "William Antony, Allen Arthur,
William Parrott, Hosea B. Lewing, Major Hardy, Benjamin P. Norsworthy, Jjb Al- ford, Gt. W. Durritt, John Boswell, Sampson Whatley, Ann Lester, Henry Gook, Jesse Wright, William H. Stroud, Thomas J. Arthur, Thomas Grace, William Miller,
Moses Salter, Alfred Self, Enoc Davis.

I860 Bebee Michel, Robert Parrott, William P. Smith, Charles Darnell, Harris & Beck (merchants of Fort Jesup), Simeon Goodrow, Andrew M. Miller, W. W. Chapman, C 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 north- east quarter of the northeast quarter of Sectiou 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 & Mclntyre were the first to buy, aud between 1841 and 1859 they sold land to the following persons:

Thomas Ford, James Tynes, William Mains, John Scritchfield, Mary Langford, B. Dally, James Lesley, W. H. Edmundson, Hosea Presley, William M. Polk, William and B. K. Ford, Henry Hall, N H. Bray, Samuel Eldredge, S. S Eason, J. C. Sibley, W. G. Painter, Elizabeth Mc Donald, C. Chervington, Peter Buvens, J. Anderson, John Graham, A. Arthur, D. G Etheredge, R. R.King, L. Grimsby, Alfred Litton, Elizabeth Rembert, James Taylor, J. S. Childers, D. A. Blackshear, Asa Cherrington, W. B. Scritchfield, Hiram Litton, John Vines, Lee Vines, William Latham, James B. Stewart, J. M. Latham, Thomas Chambless, W. B. Schavler, Alfred Lout, William Lout, John Branch, James Latham, T. F. Harkins, James A. Lane, Elizabeth Latham, Samuel B. Paul, Henry Jordan, W. S. Whatley.

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 Lannna grants and were sold to Stone & Hamlin. Stone's interests in these lands were subsequently sold to Florien Giauque, Lehmer & Pfimnan 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 ('6O), 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 afler 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 Jessup 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.