A. M. Brown Cabin Historical Marker

#1 Ownership list of land where the log cabin is located.

State of Texas to Asa M. Brown by Patent #269, Vol. 18 (Photostat of patent accompanies this material) Abstract #85, Certificate #5, 3rd class recorded in General Land Office and dated November 17, 1858. The log cabin was located on 317 acres, the land to which Mr. Brown was entitled by virtue of a law passed January 22, 1845, and amended in 1853, giving settlers pre-emption claims. The original survey was made on June 26, 1954, and certified on August 15, 1854, in the Surveyor's Records Book L, Page 172, Williamson County, Texas (All further records referred to in this ownership list are recorded in Williamson County, Texas.)

Samuel J. Davidson paid $400.00 for 407 acres, approximately $1.00 per acre, on October 26, 1859, recorded Vol. 8, Page 555 of the Deed Records. This included the original 317 acres plus a 90-acre tract contiguous to that original tract. Davidson sold to M. A. Robins, who paid $1,300.00 for 407 acres, about $3.19 per acre, on November 11, 1872, recorded Vol. 14, Page 139, Deed Records. Robins sold to John A. Cloud who paid $1,500.00 for 283 acres, $5.30 per acre on March 25, 1876 recorded Vol. 17, Page 259, Deed Records. The log cabin was on the 283 acres sold to Mr. Cloud. The other 124 acres were retained by Mr. Robins.

John A. Cloud died in 1880 intestate and left his 283 acres undivided to his children. He had five children with his deceased first wife. They were J. W. Cloud; J. E. Cloud, G. W. Cloud, M. E. Cloud Abraham, and S. A. Cloud Harris. He also had three (3) children with his deceased second wife. They were Mattie Cloud Roach, Pearl Cloud Roach, and Grace Cloud Goggolz.

J. W. Cloud sold his undivided interest in the 283 acres to G. A. Cloud for $2,000.00, approximately $7.06 per acre, on November 22, 1888, recorded Vol. 53, Page 292, Deed Records.

M. E. Abraham sold her undivided interest in 283 acres to S. A. Harris, her sister, for $200.00, about $4.25 per acre, on July 27, 1889, recorded Vol. 53, Page 288 of the Deed Records.

S. Allie Harris then sold her interest to Wm. Wood on November 18, 1889, for $400.00 ($4.25 per acre). $200.00 paid in cash and a $200.00 note bearing 10% interest and due on January 1, 1891, recorded Vol. 53, Page 294 Deed Records. The $200.00 note with interest was paid on May 26, 1900.

On November 27, 1889, Wm. Wood redeemed 177 acres of the 283 acres for payment of $8.63 in back taxes not paid by J. W. Cloud for the year 1887 recorded Vol. 53, Page 310 Deed Records.

G. A. Cloud sold his interest in 283 acres to Wm. Wood for $200.00, $4.25 per acre, on February 15, 1890, recorded Vol. 53, Page 297, Deed Records.

J. E. Cloud sold his undivided interest in the 283 acres to Wm. Wood on December 2, 1890, for $200.00, $4.25 per acre, recorded Vol. 59, Page 543, Deed Records.

G. W. Cloud sold his interest to Wm. Wood on November 30, 1895, for $200.00, $425 per acre, recorded Vol. 79, Page 434. A xerox copy of the note for $200.00 given to G. W. Cloud by Wm. Wood accompanies this material.

On July 29, 1899, a Quit Claim Deed was recorded in Vol. 93, Page 567 to Wm. Wood from the survivors of S. J. Davidson for consideration of $1.00 because in 1872, when Davidson sold to M. A. Robins, there were some irregularities in the deed due to two notes which had long since been paid but not properly released.

On December 14, 1903, Wm. Wood used his interest in 277 acres, including the cabin site, for collateral to borrow $1,600.00 at 10% interest due on or before five (5) years. He borrowed the money from John W. Hamilton with $10.00 paid to F. W. Carothers as trustee; recorded Vol. 18, Page 170, Deed of Trust Records. The note and interest were paid in full and the Deed of Trust was released by Carothers to Wood on May 11, 1909, recorded Vol. 133, Page 140, Deed Records.

On October 6, 1905, Mattie Cloud Roach and Grace Cloud Goggolz each sold their undivided interest in the 283 acres to Wm. Wood for $133.33, about $2.84 per acre, recorded Vol. 108, Page 241, Deed Records.

The last holdout was Pearl Cloud Roach, who, on April 24, 1906, sold her interest to Wm. Wood for $66.65, only $1.42 per acre, recorded Vol. 117, Page 463, Deed Records. She waited for the longest to sell and got the least for her share.

It took Wm. Wood from November 18, 1889, to April 24, 1906, to purchase all rights to the property where the log cabin stands. He paid a total of $1,209.61, an average of $4.27 per acre. During the time Mr. Wood owned and occupied the cabin, he added to the original structure, including more rooms and approximately three (3) times as many square feet of living area.

L. M. Hughes bought the 283 acres plus 554 acres contiguous to it for a total of 837 acres from Wm. Wood for $7,910.00 cash and notes for $4,550.00 divided into notes 1-10. #1 for $150.00 due 1-1-1910, #2 - 8 each for $200.00 due Jan. 1, 1911 and each Jan. 1 through 1917, #9 and 10 each for $1,500.00 due January 1, 1918 and 1919. Each note bearing interest of eight (8%) percent per annum, Recorded Vol. 131, Page 401, Deed Records.

L. M. Hughes was something of a rolling stone, according to his descendant, Charles Hughes. Leander, Texas. He moved to the ranch from Weir, Texas. It wasn't long before the urge to move on overtook him, and he talked his nephew and niece, T. L. and Annie Hughes, into buying the ranch so he could be on his way.

On November 12, 1910, T. L. and his sister, Annie, paid $7,500.00 for 837 acres, $8.96 per acre. They paid $2,586.00 cash and assumed the notes payable to Wm. Wood in the amount of $4,914. Warranty Deed with Vendor's Lien recorded Book 147, Page 112, Deed Records.

Soon after they purchased the ranch and made their home there, their brother Will E. Hughes and his wife, Mable, and their 4-year-old son, Charles, came to live on the ranch. They shared the house which included the log cabin and the additions which had been made by Wm. Wood. Charles E. Hughes lived on the ranch from 1912 to 1962 in this house. Mr. Hughes was very helpful in relating and confirming much of the cabin history included in this report.

Annie Hughes died on July 12, 1950. Charles E. Hughes, her nephew, inherited her undivided 1/2 interest in 526 acres, including the land where to cabin stands. The other 311 acres originally purchased by the Hughes had been sold previously. Probate #4640 T. L. Hughes died Aug. 26, 1957, and left his half of the 526 acres to Charles Hughes, his nephew. The property was valued at $35.00 per acre for inheritance tax purposes for a total value of $18,410.00. Probate #5408 Mr. and Mrs. Jack Garey, the present owners of the property, paid $89,126.00 for 523 acres on September 4, 1966. (3 acres having been donated to the highway dept. for purposes of straightening and widening the road) $170.41 per acre, recorded Vol. 490, Page 457, Deed Records.

#2 Proof of date the log cabin was erected.

According to the Pre-emption certificate for Asa M. Brown File 1211 Milam 3rd class, Asa M. Brown resided upon and cultivated the 317 acres where the log cabin is located for three consecutive years, and the settlement and improvement were commenced previous to February 13, 1854. According to the last section of the field notes, Asa Brown swore that he settled upon vacant Public Domain on February 7, 1853.

The original copy of the Pre-emption certificate and also the field notes are at the General Land Office, but copies of both documents accompany this material. Also included is an affidavit signed by Charles Hughes, previous owner, testifying to facts related to him by his predecessors in title confirming the building of the cabin by Asa M. Brown.

#3 Motivation for Erecting the Log Cabin

Mr. Asa M. Brown built and occupied the present cabin as a homesite in order to acquire free land under a homesteader law passed by the State of Texas in 1845. This land was made available by the State of Texas to settlers to encourage immigration and development of the State. From the size of the cabin and the materials used, it seems safe to assume that Mr. Brown was a pioneer of modest means. The times were predominantly agricultural. The cabin was located near the rich river bottomland. Undoubtedly, Mr. Brown hand cleared the best land of native oaks, elm, and cedar in order to cultivate it for the production of crops of the era.

The cabin provided the shelter necessary to protect Mr. Brown and his family from the elements and hostile Indians in the area, and the land provided the means for his livelihood through the production of crops.

#4 The builder of the structure and short histories of cabin owners.

The builder of the log cabin was Asa M. Brown. He settled on 317 acres on the S. San Gabriel River and built the log cabin to enable him to homestead the land pursuant to an act passed January 22, 1845, granting to settlers on vacant public domain pre-emption privileges. In the attached affidavit, Mr. Brown swore he had lived on this land since February 7, 1853. He sold the land to Samuel J. Davidson on October 6, 1859. He lived on and worked the land for 6 years and 9 months.

The next owner on whom any information could be located was John A. Cloud. He bought the land on March 25, 1876. He outlived two wives and fathered eight children, three boys and two girls by his first wife and three girls by his second wife. He died in 1880 intestate leaving the property on which the cabin stood to his children, but ownership was undivided.

The next owner was William Wood. He had the onerous task of acquiring all of the undivided interests in the property from the Cloud children. It took him seventeen years to do this. According to Charles, Mr. Wood lived on the land and added to the log cabin to make a home for his wife and several children. In addition to being a farmer and rancher, Mr. Wood was reported to be an old Indian fighter according to stories passed down to Mr. Hughes from his Uncle, who was well acquainted with Mr. Wood.

Wm. Wood sold to L. M. Hughes on December 10, 1908, two years and nine months after he had acquired complete title to the land. Mr. Hughes came from Weir, Texas and, according to present descendants, was a rolling stone. He owned the land for almost two years, but wanting to move on, he talked his nephew and niece, who also lived at Weir, into buying the ranch.