Mary Casner sale to James Casner -- Williamson County 1851

VOL. 3 PAGE 98 MARY A CASNER, ADMINISTRATRIX TO BOND FOR TITLE JAMES CASNER 

State Of Texas County Of Williamson 

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS: That I, Mary Ann Casner, Administratrix of Isaac Casner deceased, pursuant to an order of the probate Court of Williamson County, requiring me as Administratrix as aforesaid to make, execute and deliver unto the holder of a bond for a title to one hundred acres of land being a part of the head right of McDevitts and situated on the south side of the north San Gabriel and bounded as follows: Commencing at the south west corner of Isaac Casner part of said survey of the aforesaid headright; thence north 71° east to the north San Gabriel; thence up the San Gabriel with its meanders of said stream to the intersection of the McDevitts line with Casners; thence south 19° east to the place of beginning, containing and comprising in the limits above described One hundred acres, more or less and I, Mary Ann Casner, Administratrix aforesaid do by these presents put James Casner, his heirs and assigns in fee simple in full possession of the lands described in the aforesaid title Bond, given in the life time of Isaac Casner deceased and the said James Casner, his heirs and assigns is, To have and hold said lands, together with all and singular the lands and tenements improvements and appurtenances to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining and I as Administratrix aforesaid will for myself, my heirs and successors forever warrant and defend this sale and title. 

 In testimony whereof I hereunto sign, seal and deliver this instrument and title on this 1st day of November in 1851, a scroll for seal.

 Jacob L Wyatt MARY ANN CASNER (Seal)

Charles Littlepage wagon train from TX to CA account and photo

The story of the overland route from Texas, Blanco County by wagon to California told by T. J. Casner, eighty one and one half years of age. He used to be called little Tommy Casner.
 
 We started the journey from Western Texas about the middle of May1868, just a little while after the civil war. I was twenty-one years of age. There were four families in the caravan. Mr. Littlepage'sfamily of five, my brother-in-law, Cal Putman's family of three, my brother Martin Vanburin Casner and family of three, our family Martin Casner, wife and three children.
 
 We started with twelve hundred head of cattle and several horses. The women baked up a lot of bread, we had about a thousand pounds of bacon and everything else according. When my father started he hired the best gunmen he could get. There were twelve of us men all together. Atnight, three at a time would keep guard. We crossed the State Plains, came to the Pecos River at the Horse Head crossing but traveled about three hundred miles up the river, struck the New Mexico line, went through New Mexico near the White Mountains, along here we found a bigsaw mill, went on through Mexico until we came to the Rio Grande River. All the cattle and wagons had to be ferried across. The second night of our journey nearly all our horses ran away and went back to the head of a stream called Conclro. The country was full of Indians but I and another young fellow went back and got the horses.
 
 From the Rio Grande we went to Tucson, Arizona. Along here we ran out of anything to feed our horses so father bought flour, paying five dollars a sack, mixed it with water and fed the horses. We also ran out of bacon and payed a dollar a pound for it. We killed a calfe very evening until they got so poor they weren't fit to eat. Then we traded two poor ones, or three, off to the Indians for one fat one. After leaving Tucson we next came to the Gila River. Near here we came across a wagon train where the Indians had killed every one but two little children who had wandered away during the fight and some people found them on what was called the Salton Flats. The wagon wheels were still hot. The people had been buried by the soldiers who were stationed along the route about every fifty miles. When they heard shots they came as fast as they could but were often too late to do any good. We were not supposed to fire our guns unless we needed help. Some of the boys with us shot a snake one day and here came the soldiers and gave them an awful calling down.
 
 We traveled down the Gila River until we came to Fort Yuma, Arizona. We came to the Colorado River and were ferried across. We next came to Indian Wells which is now Imperial Valley. Just before we came to the Wells we came to a little valley where there was a lot of careless weed growing. Our cattle were so hungry they ate a lot of this weed. They bloated up and we lost forty head all in a bunch. We knew nothing to do for them at that time.
 
 I stayed at Indian Wells for two months to let the cattle fatten up a little. The rest of the train went on to Warner ranch in San Diego County. There was a bunch of Root Digger Indians at Indian Wells. They were harmless but very dirty. They would come to my camp every night and sit around my camp fire. After two months my father, brother, and brother-in-law came back and we drove the cattle, only about one hundred sixty head left, to Warner ranch.
 
 Just before we came to Tucson, Arizona we came across a family wherethe Indians had taken their horses and everything but the wagon. We fixed them up a team and brought then to some mines. Their names wereChilson and they now live at San Bernardino.
 
 We stayed at Warner ranch until spring then father bought land at Ballena Valley. All the rest of us took up government land near there. I built a house on my land and was married to Texanna Lester in the year 1870 in a little town called Julian City. From there we came to Ventura County in the year 1872. I drove twenty five head of cattle through what is now the main street of Los Angeles. At that time there were only a few buildings, no street cars or railroads. The first railroad came to Los Angeles in 1875.

Charles Littlepage Ramona CA 1930s

Thanks Bibb

Jacob Casner debt 1851

Jacob Casner Probate notice posted by Jane Feb 1854

Casner letters at POst Office Houston 1839

Casner horse sale 1882 Austin newspaper