http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haden_Edwards

Haden (also spelled Hayden) Edwards (August 12, 1771 – August 14, 1849) was a Texas settler and land speculator. Edwards County, Texas on the Edwards Plateau is named for him. In 1825, Edwards received a land grant from the Mexican government, allowing him to settle families in East Texas. His grant included the city of Nacogdoches, and Edwards soon angered many of the previous settlers. After his contract was revoked in 1827, Edwards and his brother declared the colony to be the Republic of Fredonia. He was forced to flee Texas when the Mexican army arrived to put down the rebellion, and did not return until after the Texas Revolution had broken out.

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Haden (or Hayden) Edwards, pioneer settler and land speculator, was born in Stafford County, Virginia, on August 12, 1771, the son of John Edwards. In 1780 the family moved to Bourbon County, Kentucky (at that time part of Virginia), where John Edwards acquired 23,000 acres of land, worked for statehood, and was elected to the United States Senate. Haden was educated for the law but like his father was more interested in land speculation. In 1820 he married Susanna Beall of Maryland, and they moved to the area of Jackson, Mississippi, where he and his brother Benjamin W. Edwards acquired a plantation. He and Susanna eventually had thirteen children. In Mississippi the Edwardses first heard the news of Moses Austin's plans for colonization in Texas. In 1823 Edwards traveled to Mexico City, where he joined Stephen F. Austin, Robert Leftwich, and others in a three-year attempt to persuade various Mexican governments to authorize American settlement in Texas. Because of his wealth Edwards was often called upon to finance Austin. Their efforts resulted in the colonization law of 1824 in Mexico City and of 1825 in Saltillo, which allowed empresarios to introduce settlers to Texas . Edwards suffered more than he profited from his relationship with Austin, at least in his own mind, since he believed that Austin claimed the best lands and tried to push his boundaries in every direction at the expense of other empresarios.

Edwards received a grant in the vicinity of Nacogdoches where he could locate 800 families. Like other empresarios he agreed to honor preexisting grants and claims made by Spanish or Mexican officials. Of all empresarios, Edwards probably had the most such claims, some over a century old. In 1825 he posted notices to inform all potential claimants that they must come forward with proof of their claims or he would consider the land his, subject to sale to new settlers. This angered the older settlers, who opposed Edwards until he was expelled two years later. He also became involved in an election dispute between the representative of the older settlers, Samuel Norris, and Chichester Chaplin, Edwards's son-in-law. As empresario, Edwards certified the election of Chaplin. Norris then protested to Governor José Antonio Saucedo in San Antonio, and Saucedo upheld Norris's claim to office. However, Chaplin continued to hold the position until Norris requested aid from the local militia. Continued complaints from the area caused Edwards to come under suspicion, and his brother Benjamin, who handled business affairs while Haden was absent from Texas in 1826, addressed such strident correspondence to government officials that it resulted in the revocation of the Edwards grant in October of that year.

Edwards was shocked by this turn of events. He had invested more than $50,000 to secure and launch the grant, and he did not willingly surrender it. Additionally, the cancellation of his grant resulted in the forfeiture of the claims of all settlers who had moved onto his lands. Thus, when the events known as the Fredonian Rebellion, which the Edwards brothers eventually headed, began the following month, the Edwards grantees were most supportive. In November 1826 Edwards was arrested as a ruse. When no one appeared at his trial as an accuser he was freed, but Norris and militia chiefJosé Antonio Sepúlveda were found guilty and judged deserving of the death sentence, which was commuted to banishment from office by this extralegal tribunal. News of the uprising reached the Mexican authorities, who dispatched Lt. Col. Mateo Ahumada to Nacogdoches. Learning that troops were on their way, Martin Parmer and Benjamin Edwards recruited the Ayish Bayou militia to come to town as well. They signed articles establishing the Fredonian Republic, with Haden Edwards as its leader. An alliance was also made with Cherokee Indians led by Richard Fields and John Dunn Hunter, who also had grievances against the government. Before an armed clash occurred the Fredonians dispersed, in early February 1827, and Edwards fled to Louisiana for safety. He returned to Texas during the Texas Revolution and made his home in Nacogdoches until his death, on August 14, 1849. Edwards was the first worshipful master of Milam Lodge No. 2 when it was organized in 1837, a fact that indicates his status in the Anglo leadership. Until his death he was engaged in the land business.

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• Updated from MyHeritage Family Trees by SmartCopy: Mar 11 2015, 16:28:28 UTC

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haden_Edwards

Haden (also spelled Hayden) Edwards (August 12, 1771 – August 14, 1849) was a Texas settler and land speculator. Edwards County, Texas on the Edwards Plateau is named for him. In 1825, Edwards received a land grant from the Mexican government, allowing him to settle families in East Texas. His grant included the city of Nacogdoches, and Edwards soon angered many of the previous settlers. After his contract was revoked in 1827, Edwards and his brother declared the colony to be the Republic of Fredonia. He was forced to flee Texas when the Mexican army arrived to put down the rebellion, and did not return until after the Texas Revolution had broken out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Fredonia

Early life

Haden Edwards was born in Stafford County, Virginia, on August 12, 1771. Haden was the son of John Edwards, Sr, who later became one of the first two U. S. Senators from Kentucky. Haden Edwards married Susanna Beall of Maryland and they had 13 children born in Virginia, Kentucky, Louisiana & Georgia. One of his sons was Haden Harrison Edwards. In 1820 Haden Edwards and his brother Benjamin acquired a plantation near Jackson, Mississippi.

Texas

After learning that Mexican authorities were considering opening Mexican Texas to American immigration, Edwards traveled to Mexico City, where he joined forces with Stephen F. Austin, among others, in a 3-year attempt to persuade various Mexican governments to allow Americans to settle in Texas.

In 1824 the Mexican federal government passed a General Colonization Law, which for the first time permitted immigration into Texas. Under the terms of the law, each state would set its own requirements for immigration. On March 24, 1825, Coahuila y Tejas passed a colonization law, authorizing large land grants to empresarios who would recruit settlers for a particular colony. Many would-be empresarios had congregated in Mexico to lobby for land grants. Among these was Haden Edwards, an American land speculator who quickly became known for his quick temper and aggressiveness. Despite his abrasive attitude, Edwards was granted a colonization contract on April 14. The contract allowed him to settle 800 families in East Texas. It contained standard language requiring Edwards to recognize all pre-existing Spanish and Mexican land titles in his grant area, to raise a militia to protect the settlers in the area, and to allow the state land commissioner to certify all deeds that Edwards would award.

Edwards's colony encompassed the land from the Navasota River to 20 leagues west of the Sabine River, and from 20 leagues north of the Gulf of Mexico to 15 leagues north of the town of Nacogdoches. To the west and north of the colony were lands controlled by several native tribes which had recently been driven out of the United States. The southern boundary was a colony belonging to Stephen F. Austin, the first empresario in Texas; he had received special permission to establish his colony several years previously. East of Edwards's grant was the former Sabine Free State, a neutral zone which had been essentially lawless for several decades.

Edwards arrived in Nacogdoches in August 1825. Under the mistaken belief that he was authorized to determine the validity of pre-existing land deeds, in September Edwards posted notices alerting all residents that they must provide written proof of their ownership or their land would be forfeited and sold at auction. None of the English-speaking residents had valid titles; those who had not arrived as filibusters had been duped by land speculators. Most of the Spanish-speaking landowners were unable to find documentation that their families might have received 70 or more years previously. Edwards's goal was to remove many of the less-prosperous settlers and assign their lands to wealthy planters from the southern United States. A wealthy planter himself, Edwards scorned the residents who were poorer or of a different race than himself. Anticipating that there might be conflict between the new empresario and the long-time residents of the area, municipality acting alcalde Luis Procela and the municipality clerk, Jose Antonio Sepulveda, began validating old Spanish and Mexican land titles. Edwards accused the men of forging deeds. It is likely that both Edwards and the municipality authorities were in the wrong; the state land commissioner had been given authority to validate existing land titles.

The settlers protested to Political Chief Saucedo. In June 1826 Mexican President Guadalupe Victoria annulled Edward’s contract and expelled him from Mexico. Word traveled slowly. On November 22, 1826, thirty-six armed men who supported Edwards, arrested the anti-Edwards alcalde Samuel Norris and other officials. The party then arrested Jose Antonio Sepulveda, the commander of Nacogdoches’ tiny Mexican militia.

Mexican Response

On December 16, 1826 the rebels rode into Nacogdoches and raised a flag of independence. On December 21, 1826 Edwards signed a document declaring the Republic of Fredonia, which would comprise land from the Sabine River to the Rio Grande. On December 13, 1826 Mexican Colonel Mateo Ahumada and Saucedo moved against the Texas rebels. Austin rallied the other colonist against Edwards and his attempt at open rebellion. Austin offered to negotiate with Edwards, but he refused. On January 22, 1827 Colonel Ahumada moved towards Nacogdoches. All was not going well inside the Edwards camp either. There was internal fighting and the rebellion weakened. With the advancing Mexican and Anglo troops Edwards fled to Louisiana for safety on January 28, 1827. He returned to Texas during the Texas Revolution and made his home in Nacogdoches until his death, on August 14, 1849.

HAYDEN EDWARDS MARRIED SUSANNAH BEALL OF MARYLAND. SOMEWHERE AROUND 1820 THEY MOVED NEAR JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, WHERE HE AND HIS BROTHER BENJAMIN ACQUIRED A PLANTATION. HADEN AND SUSANNAH OVER THE COURSE OF TIME HAD 13 CHILDREN. SOMETIME AFTER HEARING THE NEWS REGARDING ANGLO COLONIZATION IN TEXAS, HADEN TRAVELED TO MEXICO CITY WHERE HE JOINED FORCES WITH STEPHEN F. AUSTIN, AMONG OTHERS, IN A 3 YEAR ATTEMPT TO PERSUADE VARIOUS MEXICAN GOVERNMENTS TO ALLOW AMERICANS TO SETTLE IN TEXAS.

HADEN EDWARDS WAS VERY WEALTHY AND HELPED FINANCE AUSTIN. THROUGH THEIR EFFORTS, LAWS WERE PASSED WHICH ALLOWED EMPESARIOS TO INTRODUCE SETTLERS TO TEXAS. UNFORTUNATELY, OUR HADEN'S LOSSES FAR OUTWEIGHED ANY GAINS. AUSTIN CLAIMED THE BETTER LANDS AND PUSHED BOUNDARIES AS FAR AS HE COULD IN EVERY DIRECTION AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHER EMPESARIOS.

HADEN RECEIVED A GRANT NEAR NACOGDOCHES, TX, AND AGREED TO HONOR PRE-EXISTING GRANTS AND CLAIMS MADE BY SPANISH AND MEXICAN OFFICIALS. MUCH TO HIS DISMAY, HADEN HAD THE MOST OF THESE CLAIMS. SOME OF THE CLAIMS WERE OVER 100 YEARS OLD, BOUNDARIES WERE UNCLEAR, LEGAL DOCUMENTS WERE MISSING, ETC. IN 1825, NOTICES WERE POSTED BY HADEN, INFORMING ALL POTENTIAL CLAIMANTS THEY MUST OFFER PROOF OF THEIR CLAIMS OR THE LAND BELONGED TO THE EMPESARIO.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, ANGER AND FEAR AMONG THE OLD SETTLERS RESULTED. ON TOP OF THIS HADEN INVOLVED HIMSELF IN A POLITICAL DISPUTE WHICH ONLY INFLAMED THE ALREADY VOLATILE MOOD.

AFTER A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE OLD SETTLERS, THE LOCAL MILITIA AND MEXICAN GOVERNMENT WERE CALLED UPON. AT A TIME WHEN HADEN WAS AWAY FROM TEXAS ON BUSINESS, BENJAMIN, WHO LACKED DIPLOMACY, TOOK CHARGE OF THIS FRAGILE SITUATION.

BENJAMIN TRIED TO BULLY THE MEXICANS, THUS THE EDWARDS GRANT WAS RESCINDED. HADEN LOST HIS INVESTMENT OF OVER $50,000, THE NEW SETTLERS' CLAIMS WERE FORFEITED, ETC. THUS, "THE FREDONIAN REBELLION."

THE UNREST RESULTED IN AN UPRISING AND THE MEXICAN AUTHORITIES DISPATCHED TROOPS. BENJAMIN EDWARDS AND MARTIN PARMER RECRUITED THE AYISH BAYOU MILITIA, ARTICLES ESTABLISHED THE FREDONIA REPUBLIC WITH HADEN AS LEADER WERE SIGNED AND AN ALLIANCE WAS MADE WITH CHEROKEE INDIANS WHO ALSO HAD GRIEVANCES AGAINST THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT. THE FREDONIANS DISPERSED BEFORE ANY BATTLE TOOK PLACE. HADEN AND BENJAMIN FLED TO LOUISIANA FOR SAFETY.

HADEN RETURNED TO TEXAS DURING THE TEXAS REVOLUTION AND MADE HIS HOME IN NACOGDOCHES UNTIL HIS DEATH AUGUST 14.1849. HE WAS HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM AND LOOKED UPON AS A GREAT LEADER. HIS GRANDSON, PEYTON FORBES EDWARDS, WHO SERVED IN THE CONFEDERATE TEXAS CALVARY AND LATER BECAME A RATHER PROMINENT POLITICIAN IN NACOGDOCHES COUNTY WAS CALLED "THE RED ROOSTER OF NACOGDOCHES," ANOTHER INTERESTING EDWARDS ANCESTOR.

NEEDLESS TO SAY AFTER THE EVENTS OUTLINED ABOVE INVOLVING HADEN AND BENJAMIN, THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT BECAME SUSPICIOUS OF THE REMAINING ANGLOS AND BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND ABUSIVE TOWARD THE AMERICAN SETTLERS. OF COURSE, THIS CAUSED WIDESPREAD UNREST. YOU MIGHT SAY THAT OUR VERY OWN ANCESTORS WERE THE SPRINGBOARD TO THE TEXAS FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE.

EDWARDS COUNTY, EDWARDS RESERVOIR. AND EDWARDS PLATEAU ARE SOME OF THE TEXAS NAMESAKES WHICH MEMORIALIZE OUR VERY OWN ANCESTORS.

(BIOGRAPHICAL FILES, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, STEEN LIBRARY, STEPHEN F.AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY, ARCHIE P. MCDONALD, COMP., NACOGDOCHES: WILDERNESS OUTPOST TO MODERN CITY, 1779-1979. EDWARD MORRIS PARSONS, "THE FREDONIAN REBELLION."

TEXANA, SPRING 1967)

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~kyafamer/Bourbon/Probate/edwards.htm

History of Texas

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Apr 8 2016, 4:50:19 UTC

Empresario Leader of the Fredonia Rebellion 1826-1827. Sent to the United States to raise funds for the Texas Revolution, 1836. A leader in the development of a Nation. Wife, Susan Beall Edwards born in Maryland. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=8134328" target="_blank MB)]

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 8 2016, 6:36:14 UTC