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AUSTIN COUNTY TEXAS PIONEERS

Updated May 29, 2009

Betty Janelle Meischen
10900 Mayer Cemetery Rd
Burton, Texas 77835
United States
979-278-3409
bettystrails@yahoo.com

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I have been digging up bones for over thirty years, researching initially the early settlers of Austin County, Texas but then stretching that back to Virginia and across the sea to Ireland, Scotland, England, Germany and France.

I was born in Bellville, Texas, grew up there and graduated from Bellville High School. I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and shortly after, married my husband Del. After we moved back from Del's five years in the Air Force, we lived in Bellville for thirty two years. Then we finally found the place we really loved and moved out to our Trails West Retreat near Round Top, Texas.

Bellville is the county seat of Austin County and I was fortunate to be able to discover many of my ancestors right there in the local courthouse. Ten direct ancestors--James Bell, George Grimes, Eurydice Gardner Grimes, Margarette Grimes Bell, Rebecca Bell, James Stephenson, Amelia Bell Stephenson, James Bell Stephenson, Benjamin Granville and Nancy Grimes Benton Granville were in Austin's Colony prior to 1836. Thomas & Clarkia Williamson Maxwell may also have been there during this period. Several more arrived during the time of the Republic of Texas (1836-1845)--we know Thomas Maxwell, his wife Clarkia Williamson Maxwell, Melissa Maxwell Stephenson wife of James Bell Stephenson came by this time, Balthasar Hoffman of Germany who bought the estate that had belonged to William Barrett Travis, and Abigail Granville--15 ancestors were here before Texas became a state.

Many of these ancestors can be traced back to the area where it all began, the James River area of Virginia. They followed the typical migration routes VA > NC > SC > GA >Fl >AL > MS> TX (Bells & Stephensons) or VA > NC > TN > TX (Grimes). One group took a northern turn first starting out in VA > KY > IN > IL > TX (Maxwells & Williamsons) My Hoffmans came from Baden Germany and my Smiths were from England. Benjamin Granville (Grenville) also came from England by way of Michigan first.

I have much more history and list my proposed lineages at my website www.bettystrails.com

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