Mary Brown Austin

Mary Brown Austin (1768–1824) had dramatic influence on early Texas history. Perhaps her most important contribution to history is writing a letter to her son, Stephen, two days before the death of her husband, Moses Austin, imploring Stephen F. Austin to carry out the dying wish of his father—that Stephen follow through with the empresario grants for land settlement in Texas.^[1] As such, Mary Brown Austin had a significant role in the shaping and development of Texas.