Tracing Genealogy in Maps of the GLO Archives
Black History Month, celebrated annually in the United States in February, emphasizes the unique historical and cultural experiences of African Americans. These experiences are marked by times of great difficulty and tragedy, as well as courage, perseverance, and progress. Due to the practices and prejudices common during the years of the Republic of Texas and early statehood, there are but few records at the General Land Office that tell this story. Here, we’ll examine the case of Susan Browning, a “free woman of color” from New Orleans who came into possession of a Texas land certificate and fought the legal systems in two states to exercise her rights.
The Texas General Land Office is the repository of original land grants from Spanish imperial control through early statehood and a collection of over 45,000 maps. While the map collection is most often used by historians, it is also an incredibly rich resource for genealogists.
When looking at these maps through the lens of genealogy, the goal is to discover who was involved in settling an area and what happened to them when they arrived. Well-known maps like Stephen F. Austin’s Connected Map are popular with genealogists whose ancestors were among the first Anglo-Americans to come to Texas. County maps, the successors to maps of empresario colonies and land districts, contain the names of each original grantee and show how arriving settlers often made their surveys along prominent rivers, resources, or roads. Each depicted survey contains a number that is associated with a file that contains information on that specific grant process. The contents of most files are largely impersonal, including little more than survey notes and accompanying documentation, but in some cases, the information found on a map or in a file uncovers a mystery that leads to bigger questions. Such is the case with a seemingly insignificant plot of land in Montgomery County.
The bounty grant survey for John Williams lies 25 miles due north of Houston, almost on the county’s southern border. Contained in the bounty file is the torn certificate #2716, dated March 28, 1838, which states that Williams served for 6 months in the Texas Army from October 12, 1835, to April 25, 1836.[1] Like thousands of other bounty warrants found in the archives of the Land Office, this information is standard. What is unusual, however, is that the file also contains the last will and testament of a man from New Orleans, Louisiana.
On March 7, 1864, a man named Samuel Russel Browning submitted his last will and testament to a local notary in New Orleans named William Shannon. In it, he admitted to being both unmarried and without children. In the absence of related heirs, he chose instead to leave all his existing property at his death to his “good friend,” Susan Jane Browning. It was not entirely unusual to leave property to a woman, but Susan wasn’t just anyone — she was a “free woman of color” as stated in the will. In the same document, Samuel Browning appointed Susan as the will’s executrix and makes a provision for her son, whose name also happened to be Samuel Browning. There is no transfer in the file from John Williams to Samuel Browning, but the will, letters of testamentary, and affidavit of ownership state that Samuel Browning is the bounty warrant’s assignee.
Browning’s bequest and subsequent death in 1865 left Susan with the right to locate up to 640 acres of land in Texas. She spent the next year establishing her right to the role of executrix, addressing Browning’s final requests, and handling his remaining financial obligations. In 1867, she appointed G.W. Lawrence of Harris County, Texas, as her legal representative. It is unclear how John Williams attempted to locate his survey in Montgomery County with Samuel Browning’s certificate, but by 1873 Susan succeeded in having the survey legally invalidated. Williams’ name remains on the map, but the 204 acres he claimed were returned to Susan’s ownership and his survey in the files of the Land Office was officially canceled.
Very little can be found in the records of who Susan Jane Browning was, but the documents associated with her leave clues about the kind of person she might have been. In New Orleans, a small yet vibrant segment of free black people contributed greatly to the city’s culture and society through music, art, literature, and poetry, and it is from this environment that Susan came. While the extent of her formal education is a mystery, she was literate enough to sign documents with her full name in her own hand. She was determined to obtain her land in Texas and often fought for her rights in court.
Most importantly, Susan was bold enough to deal with the legal system in both Louisiana and Texas at a singularly contentious time for black people in the South. Under the Louisiana “black codes,” instituted during the early eighteenth century and growing progressively more restrictive through the Civil War and Reconstruction, a free person of color was still essentially a second-class citizen.[2] They could neither vote nor hold public office, and they could not marry a white person. The true relationship between Samuel and Susan Browning can be little more than speculated upon, but it is not outside the realm of possibility that this bequest was a tacit acknowledgment that Susan was more than merely a “good friend.” Where she eventually settled, either in Texas or back in New Orleans, as well as the date of her death are unfortunately still unknown, but at least this part of her notable life still resides in the archives.
The story behind John Williams’ canceled survey is just one of the many that can be told through the map collection at the Land Office. They are the visual representation of the over 35 million documents related to the settlement of Texas’ public lands, and each one has much to offer to both genealogists and historians alike.
[1] Land Grant for John Williams, Montgomery B-000297, Texas Land Grant Records, Archives and Records Program, Texas General Land Office, Austin, TX.
[2] Law Library of Louisiana, “History of the Codes of Louisiana: Black Code,” LibGuides, accessed November 4, 2019, https://lasc.libguides.com/c.php?g=254608&p=1697981)
