History Lost & Found

On June 4, 1825, Stephen F. Austin signed an empresario contract with the state of Coahuila and Texas that called for him to introduce 500 families in Texas. W. W. Shepperd founded the Indian trading post or store on the 200 acres of land he purchased from William C. Clark on September 15, 1835. William C. Clark had purchased these two hundred acres from John Corner on January 1, 1831. The general timeline of events that occurred between the original Austin empresario contract and the founding of the Indian trading post are as follows:

Mary Corner, James Pevehouse, Archibald Hodge, James Hodge, Owen Shannon, William C. Clark, William Landrum, Zachariah Landrum, William M. Rankin, Noah Griffith, Benjamin Rigby, William Atkins, Jacob Shannon, Raleigh Rogers, John Corner, and Anne White received leagues of land from Empresario Stephen F. Austin. 

William C. Clark purchased 600 acres land on the John Corner League from John Corner. The six hundred acres were "contained within the following lines and boundaries, to wit, commencing at the North West corner of the aforesaid [John Corner] League and running thence South half mile English measure. Thence due East a line parallel with the East and west line of the same League such a distance as will make Six hundred acres or will inclose that amount of land and the upper line of the Tract to commence at the North west corner of the League and run East the distance requisite."

John Corner received his Mexican land grant for one League of land [League No. 27] from Empresario Stephen F. Austin in Austin's Second Colony on May 10, 1831. Corner had already sold 600 acres of this land to William C. Clark. See Montgomery County Deed Vol. B. pp. 317-319.

 

Initially the lands between the West Fork of the San Jacinto River and the stream called Lake Creek become known as the Lake Creek Settlement. This area would also be described by the terms District of Lake Creek, Neighborhood of Lake Creek, Precinct of Lake Creek or simply Lake Creek. Later the terms Lake Creek Settlement and Precinct of Lake Creek Precinct would also be used to describe the territory comprising most of what is present-day Montgomery County, Texas.

William W. Shepperd purchased 200 acres of land from William C. Clark in the northwestern most corner of the John Corner League on September 15, 1835. These are the two hundred western most acres of the six hundred acres that William C. Clark purchased from John Corner on January 1, 1831. See William C. Clark to Wm. W. Shepperd, Montgomery County Deed Vol. A, pp. 29-32.

It is here, in the middle of the Lake Creek Settlement, that W. W. Shepperd will found the first trading post or store. Here, he will trade with the Indians and early settlers. Known as "the store of W. W. Shepperd on Lake Creek", this is the Indian trading post that preceded the town of Montgomery.

 

When Shepperd created the town of Montgomery in July of 1837, the town of Montgomery was located on the two hundred acres he bought from Clark. This will be referred to by later historians as the "old town", "old Montgomery'', "the old town below the hill" and "the old town under the hill." It is important to note that Montgomery County officials such as Chief Justice, Jesse Grimes, and Montgomery County Clerk and Recorder, Gwyn Morrison, had already been conducting county business in the town of Montgomery as early as February of 1838.