| 15. | Amanda (or Amelia) "Amiee" Comstock was born on 10 Mar 1775 in Smithfield, Providence Co, Rhode Island; was christened on 25 Jul 1789 in Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana (daughter of William* "Guilermo" Comstock and Rachel* Aldrich); died in 1853 in Harris Co, Texas. Other Events and Attributes:
Notes:
COMSTOCK, Amelia, Quakers (Guillaum & Rachel); bap. 25 Jul 1789, at age 18 yrs [b. 1771]; Opel. Ch.: v. 1, p. 92
SLR: Comstock, Amanda - of Rhode Island (Claude Cumstolk & Rachel Aldrich) m 31 Jan 1791 William White of Virginia in America (John &Sarah Gembell) Wits: John White, Thomas Dear, David Yarmon, Loisel. Fr. de Deva (SM Ch: v.4, #51)
Comstock, Anna m William White in succ of William White dated 14 Sep 1824
(Laf ct hse succ # 51)
(From "The Handbook of Texas") She wrote that surveyor Isaac Hughes had included another person's home in her league without her knowledge, and the man was not willing to sell the improvement.
She died in 1853 in Harris Cty, TX.
Amy Comstock White of Austin's Old 300 by Barbara Vernon, a 4th greatgranddaughter.
Information gathered from several sources ""Amy White of the Old 300:,
"Texas Handbook"
Amy was born 10 March 1775 in Rhode Island, where the Comstock family had lived since about 1640. Her father was William Comstock, born about 1730\1740 in Rhode Island. Her mother was Rachel Aldrich born 1742 in Massachusetts. They migrated to St.Martinville, Spanish Louisiana.
Amy married William White about a month before her 16th birthday, 31 Jan.1791, in St. Martin's Church in St. Martinsville, LA. William was 25, having been born 17 December 1766 in North Carolina to John White and Sarah Gambil.
John and Sarah had moved to North Carolina from Culpepper Co.,VA. William died on 8 October 1821 on the Vermillion River but his estate was not placed in probate until 1824. The names of their nine children are listed: Mary, Reuben, Jesse, George, Rachel (Barbara Vernon's ancestor), Henry, Rebecca, William and Julie, the last four being minors. The widow, Amy, was authorized to sell the land, as she was planning to move to Texas to enter Austin's colony.
Stephen F. Austin had taken over the negotiations of his deceased father Moses Austin in order to bring to Texas 300 families to settle between the San Jacinto and Brazos Rivers. On the advice of her brother-in-law, Humphrey Jackson, Amy and all of her children, except Rachel (who had married Mark Lee in Louisiana), and Jesse, left with others (Reuben White and his wife and 3 children, son George and also daughter and son-in-law Mary and Wm. Whitlock and their 4 children) from Louisiana. They probably departed from Berwick Bay (now Morgan City), where they had family connections.(Amy's sister, Rachel, had married Thomas Berwick in 1795, whose family Berwick Bay was named.)
By sailboat they could be taken as far as Lynchburg on the San Jacinto River. Before settling on their land (4428 acres to a family), conditions had to be met. The Roman Catholic Church was the established church of the land and each new applicant for the land had to agree to support it, prove good moral character, and an oath had to be taken to become a citizen of Mexico and to respect their laws. Marriages had to be performed by priests, but since no priest was a resident in the Colony, a few marriages were recognized by civil bonds in which the parties agreed to be married when a priest became available.
After the organization of the Republic in 1837, this was no longer required. Slavery was not legal in Mexico but this law was gotten around by changing the slaves to indentured servants. The black population was at least 30% of the whites. It does not appear that Amy brought any slaves with her to Texas.
(from Lori London) There is a paragraph in her book taken from her title to the land that goes like this: "Amy White went to the aforesaid league which by the preceding decree we have granted to this last party, etc........ We put the saidow Amy White in possession of said land, taking her by the hand and leading her over it, telling her in a loud voice and understanding voice that by virtue of the Commissioner and the authority vested in us, etc...... Amy White, as a token of finding herself in real and personal possession of said land without any opposition, shouted, pulled grass, threw stones, set stakes and performed the other necessary ceremonies, being notified of her obligation to cultivate it within the two-year term prescribed by law."
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Amy Comstock White, early settler, was born on March 10, 1775, in Rhode Island to William and Rachel (Aldrich) Comstock, who migrated to St. Martinville in Spanish Louisiana. She was baptized a Catholic in the church at Opelousas on July 25, 1789, and married William White, older brother of James Taylor Whiteqv in St. Martin's Church on January 31, 1791. She and her husband settled near his brothers on the lower Vermillion River below Abbeville, where she bore eleven children between 1792 and 1819 and became a widow on October 8, 1821. On the advice of Humphrey Jackson,qv her widowed brother-in-law, Amy White decided to move in 1824 to Galveston Bay, where she and her married sons could each receive a league of land. She claimed her 4,428 acres on the west side of the San Jacinto River on August 16, 1824, while her eldest son, Reuben White,qv located his on August 19 on the east bank, opposite his mother and below Jackson's plot. White then returned to Louisiana where she and the other heirs of her husband settled his estate on September 14, 1824. Soon thereafter the widow and her four minor children left for the San Jacinto River in company with Reuben and his wife and three children; son George; and her daughter and son-in-law, Mary and William Whitlockqv and their four children. Another son, Jesse, arrived in 1830. Amy White did not depend on her male relatives to take care of her business, and in June 1825 she wrote to Stephen F. Austinqv that surveyor Isaac Hughesqv had included another person's home in her league without her knowledge, and the man was not willing to sell the improvement. By May 28, 1828, Amy White had married William Swail and deeded her league to him. The couple moved to his league on the west side of the Trinity River, just above Liberty, where Swail probably died some time before 1838. At age sixty-two Amy White Swail petitioned the Liberty board of land commissioners (as Amy White) for her allotted labor of land, which was granted on January 19, 1838. The biographer of the White clan says that she died in 1853 in either Harris County or Liberty County.
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The Handbook of Texas Online
Christened:
St. Landry Catholic Church, Opelousas, LA
Baptisms
vol. 1-A 201; vol. 1-A page 92 [Church source]
July 25, 1789
Emily Comstock single, age 18 years (a Quaker)
parents: William Comstock & Rachel, his wife (Quakers)
sponsors: Jean Gradenigo & Celeste Chavot
Fr. Pedro de Zamora, Capuchin priest
Southwest Louisiana records: church and civil records (1750-1900), Complete Revision, Rev. Donald J Hébert, 1974
Notes:
Married:
Date: 31 Jan 1791
groom: William White of Virginia
bride: Amanda Comstock of Rhode Island
groom's parents: John White & Sara Gembell
bride's parents: Claude Cumstolk & Rachel Aldrich
witnesses: John White, Thomas Dear, David Yarmon, Loisel
Fr. de Deva
Southwest Louisiana Records, Hebert Vol. 1
Amaela Comstock, daughter of Glosio & Rachel Aldrich, married 31 Jan 1791 William White. St. Martin of Tours Church.
[recorded at St. Martinville as Amiee Comstock to Guilaume Whit]
Children:
- Marie White was born on 14 Aug 1793 in St.Martin Parish, Louisiana; died between 1862 and 1870 in Liberty Co, Texas.
- Elizabeth White was born on 8 Oct 1792 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; died on 10 Nov 1809 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.
- Reuben White was born on 28 Oct 1795 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; died in Sep 1848 in Lynchburg, Harris Co, Texas.
- Jesse White was born on 4 Mar 1798 in St.Martin Parish, Louisiana; died on 3 Jan 1861 in Harris Co, Texas.
- George Wallace White was born on 30 Sep 1800 in St.Martin Parish, Louisiana; died in Feb 1850 in Harris Co, Texas.
- 7. Rachel White was born on 29 Aug 1803 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; died before 1883 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.
- Henry White was born on 11 Jun 1806 in St.Martin Parish, Louisiana; died in 1857 in Harris Co, Texas.
- Celestine White was born on 23 Jul 1809 in St.Martin Parish, Louisiana; died before 1824 in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana.
- Rebecca White was born on 13 Apr 1813; died after 1836 in Texas.
- William White, Jr was born on 28 Mar 1815 in Louisiana; died on 18 May 1880 in Harris Co, Texas.
- Julia White was born on 21 Feb 1819 in Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, Louisiana; died in 1850 in Texas.
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1858 - 1943 (84 years)