George Culver Tennille, Sr

TENNILLE. George Tennille, An Early Texas Pioneer by Ronald Howard Livingston. Born in the period of 1768-1772 (sources differ), George Tennille (a farmer from Missouri) arrived in Texas sometime during the year 1826 with his family, which consisted of his wife Sarah "Sally" Ross (Davis) Tennille (born in the period 1792-1797) and their two sons and two daughters (1). On April 5, 1830, Tennille was granted a sitio (or square-league) of land in current-day Brazoria County, under terms of Stephen F. Austin's third colonization contract (2). This land had previously (July 1824) been granted to one Israel Massey (3); however, for whatever cause, the grant was forfeited. The southeastern corner of the Tennille survey is located about one mile north of present-day West Columbia (4), which originally was named Columbia (founded in 1826 by Josiah Hughes Bell) and was the first capital of the Republic of Texas (5).

While a resident of Missouri, George Tennille was involved with Stephen F. Austin in land speculations in the vicinity of New Madrid. In a volume in which he later kept the journal of his first trip to Texas, Austin recorded "Memoranda Concerning Land Speculations," one of which represented an obligation of $7,400 in favor of George Tennille for a one-half interest in three 640-acre tracts and another containing 200 arpents. Austin added in the memoranda that "I have also a verbal agreement with George Tennille to furnish me with all the claims he can get, which I am to locate for our joint benefit for the half of which I am to pay him 10 Dolls pr acre in 5 years." Austin drew up several notes bearing the date of January 30, 1819, "payable in 1- 2- 3- 4- and 5 years after date." The next year, on the 13th of June, Tennille assigned one of these notes in the amount of $1,500 (payable February 1, 1821) to Pierre Alexander Laforge, attorney for the heirs of Pierre Antoine Laforge, deceased. Writing from New Madrid, Missouri, on June 16, 1827, Robert D. Dawson, on behalf of Laforge, inquired of Austin what prospects he had that he might "ultimately redeem this obligation." George Tennelle (sic) was listed as the head of a household on the 1820 census in New Madrid County, Missouri (*); however, in December of 1821, he was living in Jefferson, Saline County, Missouri, and on the 3rd of that month wrote to his friend Austin by way of a Dr. G. C. Hartt (who was then planning an inspection tour of Texas to locate a suitable place to settle). Tennille asked for general information about Texas and inquired "what arraingments [sic] are made respecting our business in this state [i.e., Missouri]". Further Tennille indicated his inclination to settle in Texas (should Dr. Hartt likewise do so), commenting that he thought Missouri was too cold.

Bounding the entire northern border of the Tennille tract (Brazoria County abstract 131) is the Thomas Kincheloe Davis survey (Brazoria County abstract 184) (6). Davis, who brought his family from Missouri and arrived in Texas in October 1834, was the brother-in-law of George Tennille. In applying for land, Davis specifically requested the league north of George Tennille (7). The selected land was granted on February 19, 1836, though Davis actually was admitted as a colonist under Austin's fifth contract (8). According to historian James A. Creighton, accompanying the Thomas K. Davis family to Texas was Thomas's twin brother, Jesse K. Davis. Creighton also stated that Thomas and Jesse's sister, Mrs. George Tennille, and her family, also constituted part of the immigrant band. Creighton wrote that the move from Missouri occurred over the period from spring to October, but gave the year as 1835. Their journey was interrupted by the loss of the family's horses and mules, stolen by marauding Indians, causing the family to have to proceed on foot until oxen were finally obtained (^).

As aforementioned, the Tennilles had been in Texas since 1826, so (if Creighton's scenario is correct) it is probable that they had returned to Missouri to bring Mrs. Tennille's relatives back with them. Indeed, Jesse K. Davis would appear to have also returned to Missouri for the same reason, since he too had been a resident of Texas for quite some time before the relocation of his kinsmen. Jesse had first arrived in Texas in December 1830 (#). On the 15th of May 1832 one-fourth of a sitio was granted to him in the DeWitt Colony. This grant of land is in current-day Guadalupe County. There are indications, however, that Jesse did not live on his DeWitt Colony survey throughout much of the 1830's. He was a member, for instance, of William H. Patton's Columbia Company (Fourth Company, Second Regiment, Texas Volunteers) at the Battle of San Jacinto. He married Eliza Davis, daughter of Kinchen W. and Frances Pleasants, by bond on 5 May 1835, Silas Dinsmore, Judge of the First Instance (or primary judge) of the Jurisdiction (i.e., Municipality) of Columbia officiating and George Tennille, Thomas K. Davis, Dr. Thomas F. L. Parrott, and James E. B. Phelps (Dr. James A. E. Phelps?) serving as instrumental witnesses. (The marriage records also list George Tennille and Thomas K. Davis as sureties.) On the fifth day of August 1839, Jesse and Eliza were remarried by Daniel T. Fitchett, a justice of the peace, who was a resident of the town of Columbia. Jesse was a resident of Fort Bend County on March 29, 1838, when the Fort Bend County Board of Land Commissioners issued him a headright certificate for 3/4 of a sitio and one-labor of land (the 3/4 of a square league being an augmentation resultant to his marriage). Fort Bend County tax records for 1840, list Jesse as having paid the annual "poll tax" (actually a head tax) there, which further adds to proof that Fort Bend County was his home. Possibly, he was then (and had been) residing on or near the league of Kinchen Davis. Brazoria County land records show that the lower half of the Kinchen Davis headright league, which was situated on the west side of the Brazos River above the mouth of Cow Creek was sold by Davis to George Tennell (spelling of the surname in Brazoria County land records, including signatures by Tennille himself, reflects several variants) at San Felipe de Austin on December 11, 1832.

Brazoria County deed records concerning George Tennille provide a chronicle of his life in Texas. At San Felipe de Austin on December 11, 1832, in consideration of Tennille's payment of all the fees and expenses pertaining to the granting of the land, Kinchen W. Davis promised before alcalde Horatio Chriesman to sell by deed of sale to George Tennille, "So soon as the law of this state will permit," one-half of the sitio granted to Davis by the state of Coahuila y Texas. Apparently, the deed of sale was never made, as indicated by a deed dated November 4, 1854, whereby Tennille's son George (Culver) Tennille and Sarah Ross (Tennille)---widow of George, Sr.--- both of the county of DeWitt, sold to Thomas K. Davis the lower half of the sitio originally granted to Kinchen Davis. The land was described as "situated in the County of Fort Bend on the West of the Brazos just above the mouth of Cow Creek." The deed notes that the property was "the same parcel of land decreed to George Tennile in his life time by the District Court of Brazoria County for the location of said league in a suit against the heirs of said Kincheon [sic] Davis. Also sold by the same deed was approximately 500 acres in Fort Bend County out one of the headright leagues of Thomas Alsbury, sold by order of the Brazoria County probate court to pay the debts of the Alsbury estate.

Notes: 1. Stephen F. Austin, Register of Families, ed. Villamae Williams (n.p., 1984), 2 volumes in one, I: 79; and ___________, Frontier Times, January 1976.

2. Virginia H. Taylor, The Spanish Archives of the General Land Office of Texas (Austin: The Lone Star Press, 1955), 246.

3. James A. Creighton, A Narrative History of Brazoria County (Angleton, Texas: Brazoria County Historical Commission, 1975), 501.

4. Pam Mats, cartographer, Road Map, Brazoria County, Texas (n.p., January 1979).

5. The New Handbook of Texas

• . "New Madrid County, Missouri, Heads of Household---1820 Census." http://www.rootsweb.com/~monewmad/1820.html

6. Mats

7. Austin; Creighton,

8. Taylor ^. Creighton

1. . Lewis Wiltz Kemp, "Jesse Kincheloe Davis," http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/kemp/v223.html

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George C. Tennille and his wife, Sarah Ross, came to Texas with Austin's third colony.

• Residence: De Witt county, De Witt, Texas - 1850
  • Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 12 2023, 1:34:29 UTC