Alexander Calvit (1784–1836) was an early settler in colonial Texas and a sugar planter. His Evergreen Plantation lay where the town of Clute, Texas, was later built.
Alexander Calvit | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 1784 Spanish West Florida; later the Mississippi Territory |
| Died | January 7, 1836 (aged 51) Brazoria District, Mexican Texas (now Brazoria County, Texas, U.S.) |
| Occupation | Sugar planter |
| Spouse | Barbara Mackall Wilkinson |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (sister-in-law) John Hunter Herndon (son-in-law) |
Early life
editCalvit was born on June 17, 1784, in what is now Mississippi,[1] which was then part of Spanish West Florida and in 1798 became the Mississippi Territory of the United States. He served as a First Lieutenant and aide-de-camp in the Creek War of 1813–1814.[2][3][4]
Career
editHe was one of the earliest settlers in Mexican Texas, going on Stephen F. Austin's mission.[5] As a member of the Old Three Hundred, in 1824 he received some land in what are now Brazoria and Waller Counties.[1][5] This included what is now known as Clute, Texas.[6]
He established the Evergreen Plantation, a sugar plantation in what later became known as Clute, Texas.[7][8]
Personal life
editHe married Barbara Mackall Wilkinson, sister of Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long, known as "the mother of Texas."[9][10] Their daughter, Barbara, married John Hunter Herndon, a lawyer and a planter.[5] When she inherited her father's plantation, they renamed it the Herndon Plantation and raised Arabian horses and cattle.[7][8]
Death
editCalvit died of pneumonia on January 7, 1836, aged 51, at his home in Brazoria County (then Brazoria District, Mexican Texas).[11]
References
edit- ^ a b "CALVIT, ALEXANDER," Handbook of Texas Online (https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fca22), accessed September 09, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Eron Rowland, Mississippi Territory in the War of 1812, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1921, Volume 4, p. 38 [1]
- ^ John Francis Hamtramck Claiborne, Mississippi, as a Province, Territory, and State: With Biographical Notices of Eminent Citizens, Power & Barksdale, 1880, Volume 1, pp. 320; 329 [2]
- ^ H. S. Halbert, T. H. Ball, The Creek War of 1813 and 1814, Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press, 1995, p. 245 [3]
- ^ a b c C. Herndon Williams, Texas Gulf Coast Stories, The History Press, 2010, p. 78 [4]
- ^ City of Clute, Texas: History, ci.clute.tx.us. Accessed March 21, 2024.
- ^ a b C. Herndon Williams, True Tales of the Texas Frontier: Eight Centuries of Adventure and Surprise, The History Press, 2013. [5]
- ^ a b Diana J. Kleiner, "CALVIT-HERNDON PLANTATION", Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed September 9, 2014. Uploaded June 12, 2010. Modified September 4, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ Neila Skinner Petrick, Jane Long of Texas, 1798-1880: A Biographical Novel of Jane Wilkinson Long of Texas: Based on Her True Story, Pelican Publishing, 2000, p. 89 [6]
- ^ Mary Austin Holley: The Texas Diary, 1835-1838, Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1965, p. 113 [7]
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online: "Calvit, Alexander". Accessed April 25, 2016. Uploaded June 12, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.