The “Mosquito Effect” and the History and Development of San Saba Part 2 Following the death of his brother, Joseph, from yellow fever, David Franklin Brown found that Joseph’s estate included land certificates which had been granted by the Republic of Texas.
The Republic of Texas granted certificates to individuals for their service of various kinds to the Republic. One such grantee was Ozwin Wilcox, who had served in the army of the Republic from April to December of 1836. For each three months of such service soldiers were eligible for a certificate with which they could claim 320 acres of land. These certificates were transferable and often sold or traded and finally used long after their issuance when the current holder chose to locate vacant land, have it surveyed and apply for a patent from the state. The certificate for 960 acres granted to Ozwin Owen Wilcox for his nine months of military service eventually found its way into the estate of Joseph Porter Brown. To create additional value for his brother’s assets, David Franklin chose to locate vacant land and have it surveyed in order to apply for a patent granting title to the land. Among other locations which he selected and surveyed was 960 acres on the south bank of the San Saba River. The triangular block of land for which David Franklin Brown successfully obtained title encompassed much of the current town of San Saba.
After David Franklin Brown had patented the land on the San Saba River, his children and their spouses, over the next several years, moved to San Saba. First, David’s daughter, Mary Armour and her husband, Dr. James C. Rogan, arrived in 1854. Arriving later were Mary Armour’s brother James Franklin Brown, sister Cordelia and husband, Thomas Harwood, sister Clara and her husband, Dr. David Fentress. After the Civil War, Dr. Brown’s children were joined in San Saba by their cousin, Joe Frazier Brown, the son of Joseph Porter.
(to be continued)