The Greer Way West, the web page of the Nathaniel Hunt Greer Family Organization — This page was last updated on March 26, 2008.

Letter from Jane Stamps to James Lane — 27 DEC 1868

Before it was discarded and lost, this document was procured in 2007 by Mr Ron Carlisle from a Matthew Simeon Greer descendant who cared little for genealogy or family history. We are deeply indebted to Ron Carlisle for saving this document and sharing it with us.

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[transcription by William N Greer who added the footnotes that follow]

[page 1]

Brenham.¹ De[c], 27th 1868
Judge Lane²
I have to day reseived your letter telling me of what I know to be a fraud practiced by Stiner³, in regard to the land he bought from me. I only sold him twelve hundred acres— the first six hundred acres was surveyed by Eareth⁴ and Earith will know where the corners of the first six hundred acres were. when Eareth surveyed it the old league corners were not found, but enough was asertained so as to run of six hundred acres for Stiner. the other six hundred I sold to him in Austin and I am willing to qualify that I never signed a deed to Stiner for any survey of land that did not mention the amount of acres— neither do I remember ever acknowling a deed before Cordover.⁵ I want you to send me a coppy of the deed you speak of, I read the deed I signed and I know the amount of acres was named in it— there is some grand rascality in the affare I want you to notify Stiner's agent⁶ if he attempts to sell more than 12 hindred

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acres— I will put the law in force agan[st] him— please write me his name, I shal[l] institute suite aganst Stiner forth with or as soon as I can— I think there can be eveidence yet got that Stiner has said he only bought 12 hundred acres from me, and if he of his own accord has astablish corners beyound that, I can't see how he can hold it in a law of justice, I want the name of all the wissnesses that is signed to it. I shall go in the morning to see Mr Gidding,⁷ and lay the matter before him— and get him to write to you on the subject. you know Judge Lane that I never would have given you a bond to the amount of land specifide in that bond if I had not thought and know, that, that amount belonged to me, I can give you a deed to the amount not calld for by Stiner, and so soon as the other is settle you can then pay for that, as a matter of corse I shall defend it at my cost. I do not expect you to pay for only what you get, and I will get the ballance if there is law enough to give me my rights then you can have that, at the same price, what ever I say I will do, I will always try to do, unleiss I am defrauded out of

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it— and I will try hard to keep them from it, do always be on the watch and find out all that you can— I expect Stiner Agent if he is cored a little and has to sware, he will tell another tale. Who surveyed the land for Stiner?⁸ find out— and let me know. Stiner wrote to me some ten months ago— insisting on buying all the land, offerd me a peace of land on the river below Waco— now I understand all about it. he has been affraid I might sell it, and his trick would be found out. get me Stiners address, I want to write to him on the subject.
let me hear from you on the subject at your earleyest convenience
Dec 28. I have been over to see Mr Giddings— and showed him what I have writen to you— he says he thinks it is far on my pont, to carry out our contract— as far as, as is my power, have the land surveyed that Stiner dos not claim— and I will give you a deed for that, and you can only pay for what you get now, Mr Giddings

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wants you to get a coppy of the deeds they are both recorded at Marideea[n]⁹ and send them down to me. I will pay for them.
let me hear from you as soon as possible—
(The coppy of the deeds)
(Stiner address— )
the name of his agent,)
yours with much respect

Jane A Stamps¹⁰

[again, but by a different and feeble hand...]

yours with much respect

Jane A Stamps¹¹

¹ Brenham Brenham had been named Hickory Grove until 1843 when the name was changed to honor Dr Richard Fox Brenham. In FEB 1843, the seat of Washington Co, TX, was relocated from Mount Vernon to Brenham, since the latter was near the geographical center of the county.

² James Addison Lane (4 OCT 1814 – 14 MAR 1883) No record has been found to explain why in this letter he was addressed as "judge". Perhaps it was an informal honorific.

³ Josephus Murray Steiner (17 SEP 1823 – 20 MAY 1873) Originally from MD, he studied medicine in PA and was a surgeon in the Mexican War. After being posted at Fort Graham he urged the creation of Hill Co, TX, where the fort was situated. In an 1853 dispute, he killed his commanding officer after being arrested by the latter. Facing a court martial, he went AWOL, surrendered to civil authority, and was acquitted in the subsequent trial. The army dropped the matter and he went to OH to wed. He returned to TX in 1859 to serve with George B Erath on the governor's Indian Commission to seek peace with the Comanche. During the Civil War he served on a governor's committee to evaluate the Sea King (an ironclad ship proposed by a local designer) and was in charge of the State Insane Asylum at Austin. In 1866 he moved to Madison, WI, therefore his Brazos valley land dealings were probably much influenced by his agent. The Bosque Co, TX, seat of Meridian was built on land donated by J M Steiner and the Hill Co, TX, seat of Hillsboro was built on land donated by his brother Thomas. Steiner Valley in Hill Co, TX, was named in his honor as was the Bosque Co, TX, village of Steiner, but by 1950 both fell in the flood plain for Lake Whitney and were condemned.

⁴ George Bernard Erath (1 JAN 1813 – 13 MAY 1891) Originally from Austria, he moved to TX in 1833 and became a celebrated surveyor and ranger before being elected several times to the legislature of both the Republic and State of TX. He, like Gilbert D Greer and Jabez D Giddings, served in the Somervell Campaign of late 1842, but each in a different company. As a surveyor for Jacob De Cordova, he proposed the site of the city of Waco, laid it out in 1849 and laid out Meridian five years later. In 1859 he served with J M Steiner et al on the Indian Commission. Erath Co, TX, was named in his honor.

⁵ Jacob De Cordova (6 JUN 1808 – 26 JAN 1868) Born in Haiti, he settled in Galveston in 1839 and became the most famous land developer in TX, at one time holding scrip or title to over one million acres. He compiled a map of TX that was highly praised. With his brother, he published newspapers and wrote books to promote TX development. He was instrumental in founding the city of Waco and the village of Kimball. He spent his final years as a neighbor of Thomas Lacy Greer in Bosque Co, TX, just south of Kimball which, like Steiner, was condemned due to the construction of Lake Whitney. De Cordova Bend of the Brazos river was named in his honor.

⁶ Steiner's agent has not been determined.

⁷ Jabez Demming Giddings (8 OCT 1814 – 25 JUN 1878) Born in PA, he came to TX to claim land left by his brother Giles who died from wounds sustained in the Battle of San Jacinto. He served in the Somervell Campaign before founding the city of Brenham. He joined the state bar in 1844, became Grand Master of the Masons in 1864, and was elected to the TX House in 1866 where he chaired the Judiciary Committee. His youngest brother, DeWitt Clinton Giddings, was his law partner and was later elected to the US House, but Jabez — one of the wealthiest men in the state at the time — was probably the man cited in the letter above. Giddings, the seat of Lee Co, TX, was named in his honor. (Although serving in different companies, Gilbert D Greer apparently knew J D Giddings because in 1849 Greer swore that Giddings lost a horse in the Somervell Campaign.)

⁸ Steiner's surveyor has not been determined.

⁹ Meridian Meridian is the seat of Bosque, Co, TX.

¹⁰ Jane Ann Pickard (abt 1807 – between 1870 & 1880) Born in NC, she came to Washington Co, TX, where she wed Oliver Gorman in 1838. In 1858 she wed a 2nd time to wealthy planter and land speculator John Stamps who, in 1841, had wielded such influence that he had the seat of Washington Co, TX, moved from Washington-on-the-Brazos to Mount Vernon. He later served in the House of the Republic of TX. In 1859, he became a commissioner and contractor for the East Texas Railroad at Sabine City in Jefferson Co, TX. There, in 1862, yellow fever caused many to evacuate, probably including the Stamps who would likely have fled to Washington Co, leaving their palatial home to be burned in OCT 1862 by Union forces. When John Stamps died in 1867, he was a director of Baylor University and Baylor Female College. The 1870 census of Washington Co, TX, listed his widow Jane with real estate worth $15,000 — placing her among the wealthiest people in the county. She does not appear on the 1880 census, so apparently she died before it was taken. Her undated tombstone is near that of John Stamps in Brenham's Prairie Lea Cemetery, Range 2, Section 2.

¹¹ feeble handwriting The redundant and obviously feeble salutation and signature are evidence that Jane dictated the letter to someone who prepared it for her.

¹	Brenham	Brenham had been named Hickory Grove until 1843 when the name was changed to honor Dr Richard Fox Brenham. In FEB 1843, the seat of Washington Co, TX, was relocated from Mount Vernon to Brenham, since the latter was near the geographical center of the county.
²	James Addison Lane	(4 OCT 1814 – 14 MAR 1883) No record has been found to explain why in this letter he was addressed as "judge". Perhaps it was an informal honorific.
³	Josephus Murray Steiner	(17 SEP 1823 – 20 MAY 1873) Originally from MD, he studied medicine in PA and was a surgeon in the Mexican War. After being posted at Fort Graham he urged the creation of Hill Co, TX, where the fort was situated. In an 1853 dispute, he killed his commanding officer after being arrested by the latter. Facing a court martial, he went AWOL, surrendered to civil authority, and was acquitted in the subsequent trial. The army dropped the matter and he went to OH to wed. He returned to TX in 1859 to serve with George B Erath on the governor's Indian Commission to seek peace with the Comanche. During the Civil War he served on a governor's committee to evaluate the Sea King (an ironclad ship proposed by a local designer) and was in charge of the State Insane Asylum at Austin. In 1866 he moved to Madison, WI, therefore his Brazos valley land dealings were probably much influenced by his agent. The Bosque Co, TX, seat of Meridian was built on land donated by J M Steiner and the Hill Co, TX, seat of Hillsboro was built on land donated by his brother Thomas. Steiner Valley in Hill Co, TX, was named in his honor as was the Bosque Co, TX, village of Steiner, but by 1950 both fell in the flood plain for Lake Whitney and were condemned.
⁴	George Bernard Erath	(1 JAN 1813 – 13 MAY 1891) Originally from Austria, he moved to TX in 1833 and became a celebrated surveyor and ranger before being elected several times to the legislature of both the Republic and State of TX. He, like Gilbert D Greer and Jabez D Giddings, served in the Somervell Campaign of late 1842, but each in a different company. As a surveyor for Jacob De Cordova, he proposed the site of the city of Waco, laid it out in 1849 and laid out Meridian five years later. In 1859 he served with J M Steiner et al on the Indian Commission. Erath Co, TX, was named in his honor.
⁵	Jacob De Cordova	(6 JUN 1808 – 26 JAN 1868) Born in Haiti, he settled in Galveston in 1839 and became the most famous land developer in TX, at one time holding scrip or title to over one million acres. He compiled a map of TX that was highly praised. With his brother, he published newspapers and wrote books to promote TX development. He was instrumental in founding the city of Waco and the village of Kimball. He spent his final years as a neighbor of Thomas Lacy Greer in Bosque Co, TX, just south of Kimball which, like Steiner, was condemned due to the construction of Lake Whitney. De Cordova Bend of the Brazos river was named in his honor.
⁶	Steiner's agent has not been determined.
⁷	Jabez Demming Giddings	(8 OCT 1814 – 25 JUN 1878) Born in PA, he came to TX to claim land left by his brother Giles who died from wounds sustained in the Battle of San Jacinto. He served in the Somervell Campaign before founding the city of Brenham. He joined the state bar in 1844, became Grand Master of the Masons in 1864, and was elected to the TX House in 1866 where he chaired the Judiciary Committee. His youngest brother, DeWitt Clinton Giddings, was his law partner and was later elected to the US House, but Jabez — one of the wealthiest men in the state at the time — was probably the man cited in the letter above. Giddings, the seat of Lee Co, TX, was named in his honor. (Although serving in different companies, Gilbert D Greer apparently knew J D Giddings because in 1849 Greer swore that Giddings lost a horse in the Somervell Campaign.)
⁸	Steiner's surveyor has not been determined.
⁹	Meridian	Meridian is the seat of Bosque, Co, TX.
¹⁰	Jane Ann Pickard	(abt 1807 – between 1870 & 1880) Born in NC, she came to Washington Co, TX, where she wed Oliver Gorman in 1838. In 1858 she wed a 2nd time to wealthy planter and land speculator John Stamps who, in 1841, had wielded such influence that he had the seat of Washington Co, TX, moved from Washington-on-the-Brazos to Mount Vernon. He later served in the House of the Republic of TX. In 1859, he became a commissioner and contractor for the East Texas Railroad at Sabine City in Jefferson Co, TX. There, in 1862, yellow fever caused many to evacuate, probably including the Stamps who would likely have fled to Washington Co, leaving their palatial home to be burned in OCT 1862 by Union forces. When John Stamps died in 1867, he was a director of Baylor University and Baylor Female College. The 1870 census of Washington Co, TX, listed his widow Jane with real estate worth $15,000 — placing her among the wealthiest people in the county. She does not appear on the 1880 census, so apparently she died before it was taken. Her undated tombstone is near that of John Stamps in Brenham's Prairie Lea Cemetery, Range 2, Section 2.
¹¹	feeble handwriting	The redundant and obviously feeble salutation and signature are evidence that Jane dictated the letter to someone who prepared it for her.