- TSHA: General Land Office.
The General Land Office was established on December 22, 1836, by the First Congress of the Republic of Texas. John P. Borden, the first commissioner, opened the office in Houston on October 1, 1837. He was enjoined by law to "superintend, execute, and perform all acts touching or respecting the public lands of Texas." The Constitution of the Republic of Texas honored all grants made by Spain and Mexico that were deemed valid by the republic; later, the state followed suit. The commissioner assembled from the archives of the former governments a record of valid land grants and translated them. The Spanish archives section of the Land Office is the depository of records of 4,200 Spanish and Mexican land grants. Valid Spanish and Mexican grants cover 26,280,000 acres within the present boundaries of Texas. Some of these grants have received special confirmation by the state legislature, but most of them stand on the original titles from the governments of Spain and Mexico. Borden moved the land archives from Houston to Austin in 1839.
Here's some neat trivia. The first commissioner was the brother of Gail Borden - who later invented a process for condensing milk. Perhaps you drink his milk today. John and Gail were both surveyors and helped lay out both Galveston and Houston. A useful skill if one is to be land commissioner.
For more info and related topics:
- TGLO: History of the Texas General Land Office.
- TGLO: History and Archives.
- TSHA: Land Appropriations for Education.
- TSHA: Tidelands Controversy.
- TSHA: Veteran's Land Board Scandal.
The Texas Fiscal Siz-Up also contains an overview of the TGLO. You can find it by clicking below and looking through pages 431-439.
- Click here for the link.
