Jared Ellison Groce (October 12, 1782, Halifax County, Virginia – November 20, 1836) was an American planter, slaveowner and settler. He was one of the first American settlers in Texas, making him one of the Old Three Hundred.
Early life
Groce's great-grandfather, Samuel Groce, arrived in West Point, Virginia, from Basingstoke, England in 1722 at the age of 20. He settled in Kenbridge, Virginia in 1727 and farmed tobacco with slaves, and married Elsa Murray, an Ulster Scots woman from Carrickfergus. In the 1750s, Groce's grandfather moved to Halifax County, Virginia. In 1802, at the age of 20, Groce left the family home to invest in land in South Carolina. On August 29, 1804, he married Mary Ann Waller, a member of the prominent Waller family. Shortly after, he purchased a plantation in Lincoln County, Georgia. Already a slaveowner, he had to purchase many more to work his plantation. The couple had three sons and one daughter: Leonard Waller, Edwin (who drowned while he was young), Sarah Ann, and Jared Ellison Jr. His wife died on either November 7, 1813, while visiting her relatives, or in 1814. He married her oldest sister Ann Weller in 1814 and had two more children. Groce established Fort Groce in Alabama. Ann died in 1818.
At the end of 1821, Groce heard about Steven F. Austin plans to establish a colony in Texas. He packed up 50 wagons and 90 slaves and reached the Brazos River in January 1822 with his family.
Mexico and Texas
The Mexican government gave him title to ten leagues of land (approximately 44,280 acres) on July 29, 1824.
Bernardo Plantation
Constructed on the east bank of the Brazos River, where there was a cross between the Coushatta Trace and the river, four miles south of what is now Hempstead, the Bernardo Plantation was born. Bernardo was the largest and one of the first plantations in Texas to grow and gin cotton up until the Civil War.
Upon arrival, about a third of his 90 slaves built a basic, 30-by-30-foot cabin out of cottonwood logs. The cabin consisted of four large downstairs rooms, two rooms upstairs, and a house-length gallery. By the end of 1822, the main home was finally finished. The name "Bernardo" supposedly came from Bernardo de Gálvez, an old Spanish governor. Slave quarters were also built.
Towards the end of 1822, Groce planted his first crop, cotton, and was possibly the first to do so in Austin's colony. The first couple of cotton crops failed, but later on, a single successful crop became the catalyst for a huge boom in cotton farming in Texas. Cotton was a major contributor to the Texas economy for many decades. In 1825, he built one of the original cotton gins in Texas.
In light of his great success, Groce had a dairy house and a small cabin built for the resident doctor in town. The original log cabin had six beds moved into it for guests. Jared Groce and the plantation became a popular stopping destination, as he became known for his welcoming family and demeanor.
He played an active role in colonizing and managing the Austin colony. In 1824, he was the head of a committee to petition the congress of Mexico to allow for protection of the acknowledgement of the property of slave ownership in Texas. That same year, Groce wrote to his friends and family in other states declaring Texas to be the promised land and inviting everyone to come see for themselves.
Anti-independence stance
Groce was openly against the Fredonian Rebellion (December 21, 1826 – January 23, 1827), the first attempt of Texan settlers to throw off Mexico's control. To show his opposition, he donated ferries, wagons, teams, supplies, and even some of his slaves to Mexican Colonel Mateo Ahumada, who was marching on Nacogdoches, Texas. Seeing as how the Mexican government was treating him very well (giving him land and ownership benefits), he believed that seceding would only harm his business and personal interests. He only confirmed this when he was selected to be a delegate from the District of Viesca (now Milam County), at the Convention of 1832, and opposed all ideas of seeking independence from Mexico. Following the convention, he and several other opposing members drafted a bill for tariff reduction in hopes that it would reduce the number of people wanting to secede.
The following year at a secondary convention, he made his case again about the disadvantages of separating from Mexico. He was very adamant about his position for a couple of years, but he eventually relented.