Isaac Decker 1795-1873 (101100)

Isaac Decker, probably taken about 1870.

Isaac Decker was a Texas pioneer, being one of the original settlers in Travis County and then Montgomery County, Texas. Isaac's Travis County land holding is now a suburb of the city of Austin. Because of this local celebrity, there is much information about Isaac on-line, some of it mere speculation and so useful only in guiding future research. This speculation is chiefly about his origins, since there is much good information available about him once he arrived in Texas.

Isaac Decker's parentage has been a matter of some speculation. Early researchers suggested that Isaac's father may have been named Thomas, based on the fact that this is the name of Isaac's firstborn son. Early settlers often followed this common practice of naming the first-born son after the child's paternal grandfather. Such naming patterns are often useful for guiding research. In the absence of other evidence this may be meaningless; however, if there is corroborating evidence, this becomes another piece of evidence that points to Thomas Decker as a possible father. In order to trace Isaac's father, we must understand where he was born.





Given Isaac's claims about his origins, we know that he was born in Upper Canada near Detroit, on the Detroit River. The Detroit River flows from Lake Saint Clair to Lake Eire and now constitutes the border between Michigan in the United States and Ontario, Canada. In the 1850 Federal Census, Isaac said that he was born in "Upper Canada", but in his application to the Spanish government for a land grant he said he was "a native of the Michigan Territory."


Upper Canada was the name given to the south-western half of the Saint Lawrence River. The river flows from its origin at eastern Lake Ontario, to its mouth at the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into the Atlantic Ocean. The flow of a river, and not its ordinal direction (north, south, east or west), determines upriver and downriver. Therefore, the "upper" part of a river is always its origin, and the "lower" part is always its mouth. This fact determined that early settlers north of the river would call the settlements near the mouth of the Saint Lawrence "Lower Canada," and the settlements near Lake Ontario "Upper Canada."

By 1805, Michigan Territory was part of the United States, but prior to that the British claimed it as part of their jurisdiction. This was the case in the 1790s, when Isaac was born in the Detroit area of Michigan. Therefore, when Isaac was born his family lived in Upper Canada. In 1835, when Isaac was applying for a land grant, the area was then known as Michigan Territory. Therefore, there is no contradiction in his claims, but merely changes in jurisdiction.

With Isaac's birthplace determined, it becomes possible to search for the presence of other Deckers in the area at the time of Isaac's birth. A survey of both Upper Canada and Michigan Territory records has so far revealed the presence of only one Decker in the vicinity of the Detroit River. That man was named Thomas Decker. At this point, it seems likely that this Thomas Decker is the father of Isaac Decker. More research needs to be done, in both land and probate records, to consolidate this finding. See the blog for Thomas Decker for the latest information on him and his connection to Isaac. 

The dates that have been claimed for Isaac's birth are an example of the contradictory information that exists for him. His grave marker gives his birth as 6 October 1795; however, since this marker was not placed until many years after his death, it cannot be used as a primary source. It is yet unclear where they got this information. Perhaps an early cemetery survey had dates from his original marker.

Information that Isaac gave about his birth in record sources is inconsistent. In the 1850 through 1870 Federal Census records Isaac claimed to be 55, 58 [could have intended 68] and then 78 years old. This would make him born about 1795, 1802 [would be 1792 if 68 years old] or 1792. On his application for a land grant in 1834 Isaac claimed to be 38 years old, so born about 1796. Most researchers use the 1795 date for his birth.

Isaac wrote, on his land application, that he came to Texas from Michigan in 1834. Yet, his eldest daughter claimed to have been born in New York about 1821, and his son Isaac Cryle (b. abt 1829) claimed to be born in Upper Canada like his father. This would mean that Isaac must have lived in New York when he met his first wife, Deborah, and moved or moved back to Michigan before 1829.

I believe that Isaac's family, both his extended family and his nuclear family, probably originated in New York. My reasoning on this combines the data giving the daughter's birth in New York, and the fact that there is a Christler family who were neighbors to the Deckers in Columbia County, New York at an early date (as early as 1790). Given that Isaac & Deborah named a son Chisler Decker, it is likely that there is a familial relationship with the Chrisler family. Since we have yet to determine Deborah's maiden name, there is a remote possibility that her maiden name may have been Chrisler.

Some researchers have given Deborah's birth date as March 14, 1801. Her grave marker is the likely source for this information, though that has yet to be determined. Isaac and Deborah must have married about 1820, since their oldest known child was born in 1821.

Another anomaly in this long list is the date that Isaac arrived in Texas. Though he claimed, in his land application, to have arrived in Texas in 1834, it is possible that Isaac came to Texas as early as 1826, and finally moved his family to Texas in 1834. There is a Texas Tax List which names Isaac Decker as a resident in Bastrop County, Township Austin, Mixicounty Territory at that time. Since Austin is where our Isaac got his first land grant, it is likely that this is him.

Texas Census, 1820-90

Name:	Isaac Decker
State:	TX
County:	Bastrop County
Township:	Austin, Mexicounty Territory
Year:	1826
Database:	TX Tax List Index, 1820-1829

In February of 1835, Isaac applied for a league of land (4,428.4 acres) in Stephen F. Austin’s colony. His application must have been denied, because within a month he would apply again.

Upper Colony. Applies for league back of Hornsby, Duty & Gilleland [From Application of Marlene Fae (Lacey) Parker - Early Settlers of Montgomery County, Texas, page 18] 

We learn from this land application, and from later census records, that Isaac was a cobbler [shoe and boot maker]. Family tradition says that he was a Saddler as well, and used the tannic acid acquired from the leaves of the Red Oak trees that grew along Spring Creek in order to dye the leather red. We also learn from the application that Isaac's first wife was named Deborah:

Stephen F. Austin’s Register of Families by Villiame Williams

Memorandum of Applications for Land in Austin’ Colony

Names: Isaac Decker    

Where from: Michigan     

Date of Arrival Dec 15 1834 

Date of Application; 28 Feb 1835 

Family & age: married, 38 yrs; Children 3 males 2 females

Occupation: Boot & Shoe Maker 

Deborah his wife    34 yrs.

In March of 1835, Isaac and Deborah Decker applied for a land grant the second time with Milam’s colony. Benjamin Rush Milam had also received a contract from the Mexican government to settle three hundred families on the land between the Guadalupe River on the south and the Colorado river on the north. Isaac's application for this land grant was addressed to the State of Coahuila, Mexico, and was written 17 Mar 1835. At that point of time, he had already found a plot of land for which he was applying--on Williamson Creek. 

Bluebells in bloom in central Texas, showing the
beauty and fertility of the land. This will help explain
why Isaac decided to move his family to Texas.

In his letter of approval, the commissioner described Isaac's portion as "a league of land [4,428.4 acres], situated on the west bank of the Colorado River, opposite the city of Austin, commencing at the mouth of Spring creek on the bank of said river..." [Quoted from a law suit published in The Texas Democrat (Austin, Tex.), Vol. 2, No. 8, Ed. 1, Saturday, February 27, 1847]. The commissioner's letter goes on to describe the borders of the property in great detail, even to tracing five crossings of Williamson Creek in its meanderings across the south border.

Here is a map showing that original grant; the darkened area in the center shows Isaac Decker's land grant location, with the pink area across the river showing where a small tract had been set aside for the city of Austin (over time Austin, of course, grew to encompass Isaac's land):

Survey for Isaac Decker's original League of Land.

Within a few short years, Isaac had left this land. It is not known exactly why he did this. One researcher has speculated that it was because of harassment from Indians in the area. It is also possible that this was too much land to handle for a man with so many small children at home. 

Land applicants who had obtained a headright land grant, as Isaac had done, were entitled to one League of grazing quality land and one Labor of farm quality land. Leagues and Labors were units of Spanish land measurement, based on their basic unit of land measurement, the vara (meaning “pole”). The Anglo settlers had agreed with the Mexican government to standardize the vara at 33 1/3 inches. A League was 25 million square varas, or 4,428.4 acres. A Labor was 1 million square varas, or 177.1 acres. Isaac had obtained his League of land in the vicinity of the city of Austin. Now, he applied for his Labor of land.

On the 1st of March 1838 Isaac obtained a certificate from the Board of Land Commissioners in Montgomery County, which would allow him to obtain land there. The certificate reads as follows:

Certificate No. 248 "This is to certify that Isaac Decker has appeared before the Board of Land Commissioners for the County of Montgomery  and has owed according to Law, that he arrived in this County in 1834 and that he is a man of family, and entitled to one labor of land upon the condition of paying at the rate of Three 50/100 dollars for every labor of Irrigable land, Two 50/100 dollars for every labor of Temporal or arable land and one 20/100 dollar for every labor of Pasture land which may be contained in the survey secured to him by this certificate.

"Given under our hands this the 1st March 1838. 

-attest

-B. Goodrich

-Clk"

[There is a section at the bottom of this certificate that has broken off, so everything below the date, which comprises the first part of this signature and accompanying information, is missing, as indicated by the hyphens.]

In the 1840 tax list, he is given as one of the original grantees of land in Montgomery County TX, and giving the source file of his original grant as League L, Section 66, Abstract 166. There is also a survey on file for Isaac dated November 1839. This must have been lost, because a copy of it was registered in 1841. This copy has crumbled with age and has many missing pieces:

"Survey for Isaac Decker of one Labor of Land--Situated North of Spring Creek about 18 miles 40 degrees E. of Montgomery Boarder[border] North of & adjoining a Survey made for Thom's Breece, South of & adjoining a Survey made for JP(?) Davy. East of  & adjoining a survey made for Thos D(?) Strawberry, Being the qantity of Land to which he is entitled by virtue of Certificate No. 248 issued to him by the Board of Land Commissioners for the County of Montgomery on the first day of March A. D. 1838. Beginning at Thos K(?) Breece N. E. corner a Black Jack 40 ins. Dia. Mkd D. Thence North 500 [looks like us or vs] to a Stake pointers Mkd D. being also the S. E. corner of H. Davy's survey. Thence West 2000 [vs?] with the South bouandary of Davy's survey, to his S. W. Corner, a Stake pointer Mkd [missing section] boundary line of Thos J Strawberry survey [missing section] South 500 vs to a stake, from which a Red Oak 15 ins dia Mkd D [word obscured by small missing section] N. 36 degrees E 46 vs? dst. Thence East 2000 vs to the place of Beginning Containing One Labor of Arable Land. Sam Bowers & Wm Booth C. C. [Chain Carriers] Surveyed November 1839 by Henry Trott Co. Surveyor

I [missing piece] H. Bringhurst, have copied [missing section] above Survey from the original field notes [missing section] late Henry Trott, and under oath of my office believe it to be a correct Survey. Geo Birmghurst Co. Survy. Harris Co.

"Houston Apr 21st 1841

"Houston 1841
"Received from Isaac Decker Two 50/100 Dollars the amount of Government dues on the above Survey [last piece missing]"

Isaac Decker's survey for land in Montgomery County, Texas.

The month after Isaac had obtained his certificate for land in Montgomery County, he sold his original Milam grant. On June 18, 1838, there is a deed on record in which Isaac Decker sold his original league of land to David Browning and Daniel Browning.

Deborah and Isaac Decker had the following children:
1) Eliza Marie Decker b. 28 Dec 1821 NY, d. 28 Jan 1880 Montgomery TX; m. (1) Daniel Lacey 24 Dec 1840 Montgomery TX, (2) Charles Weaver 24 Sep 1846 Montgomery TX.
2) Thomas Decker b. 1 Aug 1823 NY, d. 4 Jan 1842 Montgomery TX
3) Eli Decker b. 8 Aug 1823, d. 8 Aug 1825
4) Levi Decker b. 8 Aug 1825 d. 17 Aug 1825
5) Isaac Cryle Decker b. 18 Feb 1829 Ontario, Canada, d. Sep 1873 Montgomery TX; m. Rachel Elizabeth Sanders 26 Dec 1855 Montgomery TX
6) Bedina Jane Decker b. 23 Feb 1832 Michigan, d. Unknown
7) Christler Decker b. 23 Feb 1832 Michigan, d. Bef. 25 Sep 1873; m. Mary Ann E. Lewis 22 Nov 1870 Montgomery TX
8) Deborah Ann Decker b. 21 Apr 1836 Milam, TX, d. Sep 1836 TX
9) Lucinda Decker b. 12 Apr 1838 TX, d. 5 Feb 1916 TX; m. (1) J. E. Close 21 Nov 1855 Montgomery TX, (2) A. A. Johnson 8 Jun 1881 Montgomery TX

Some of the children's information has been confirmed, but most of this information comes from the work of other researchers. 

A second Texas Census for 1840 shows them living in Montgomery County. In 1841, Isaac joined with some neighbors in a new venture. They purchased some acreage near where they lived on Spring Creek, on which they hoped to establish a new town called Greenville. They styled themselves town Commissioners, and hoped to develop the area in which they lived into a thriving marketplace. However, the fact that there is no modern city named Greenville on Spring Creek in Montgomery County tells us that their hopes were never brought to fruition. Here is a newspaper article in which they were advertising for purchasers:

Telegraph and Texas Register (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 6, No. 34, Ed. 1, Wednesday, July 21, 1841, Sequence: 3 | The Portal to Texas History

In January 23, 1849 Isaac married Ann J. Hunter in Polk County, Texas [Bk A p. 23 Polk County TX]. She was born Abt. 1817 in Kentucky, and died before November 1854 (when Isaac remarried) in Montgomery County, Texas. She was a widow, whose maiden name was probably Harrell. The had the following children:
1) Victoria D. Decker b. 15 May 1850 Montgomery County, Texas, d. 17 Aug 1920 Tom Ball County, TX m. Montgomery Coe
2) Minerva Decker b. bef. 1854, d. unknown
3) Elizabeth Decker b. bef. 1854, d. unknown

There is an 1850 Slave Schedule, for Montgomery County, Texas, that says Isaac Decker had two slaves: one black woman 52 and an 18 year old  black man. The 1850 Federal Census shows Isaac, his new wife, Ann, and several of his children in Montgomery County, where he also appears for Texas State Census of that year.

The Federal Census records reflect the evolving family:

1850 United States Federal Census

Name:	Isaac Decker
Age:	55
Birth Year:	abt 1795
Birthplace:	Canada
Home in 1850:	Montgomery, Texas
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	209
Household Members:	Name Age Isaac Decker 55 Ann J Decker 33 Isaac C Decker 21 Kisler Decker 18 Jane Decker 18 Lucinda Decker 11 Edmund Douglas 12 John Douglas 10 George Douglas 8 Mary Ann Douglas 5 Victoria Decker 0 Charles Shingles 45 Wilson Johnson 20

Wedding picture of Isaac Decker and his third wife, Alcey, taken in 1854.

By 1854, Isaac had become a widower again, left with more young children to raise. He did not wait long to marry again this time. On the 10th of November 1854, Isaac married Alcey Jane Alston in Harris County, Texas. She was born about 1827, and died before 1864 in Montgomery County TX.

They had the following children:

1) Lucy Ann Decker b. 1855 Montgomery County, Texas, d. unknown
2) Aletha Decker b. 1856 Montgomery County, Texas, d. unknown
3) Wellington Decker b. 16 July 1857 Montgomery County, Texas, d. unknown
4) Lord Nelson Decker b. 16 Jul 1857 Montgomery County, Texas, d. 29 Feb 1920 Montgomery County, Texas
5) Julia Decker b. 1860 Montgomery County, Texas, d. unknown

In the 1860 Federal Census, Isaac was mis-transcribed as J. Decker, but he is found with some of his children in Montgomery County, Texas:

1860 United States Federal Census

Name:	J Decker
Age in 1860:	58
Birth Year:	abt 1802
Birthplace:	Canada
Home in 1860:	Montgomery, Texas
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Montgomery
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age J Decker 58 V Decker 10 E Decker 7 S Morris 35

Alcey and Isaac had an unhappy union. In 1864 Isaac filed for a divorce:

However, the divorce was never successfully completed, because Alcey also died young. She may have died shortly after Julia was born, but we know she died by the fall of 1864, because the divorce proceedings ended due to her death:

Five years later, Isaac Decker married Susan Eubank on May 15, 1869 in Montgomery County, Texas. She was born about 1835 in Alabama, and died August 15, 1917 in Curry County, New Mexico. Isaac and Susan had the following children:

1) John Decker b. 11 Oct 1864 Texas, d. abt 1907 Texas
2) Ellen Decker b. 1871 Texas, d. Unknown
3) Ida Decker b. 1874 Texas, d. Unknown

Isaac is believed to have had 22 children with his four wives. Four of these children died as infants. Among these children, he likely had two sets of twins with his first wife, Deborah, and another set of twins with his fourth, Susan Eubank. I have found marriage records to confirm the marriages for all but Deborah, and Deborah's name was mentioned on the land application. So, all four marriages have been confirmed.

In the 1870 Federal Census, Isaac can be found with his new wife, and several of his children, living in Tillis Prairie, Montgomery County, Texas:
1870 United States Federal Census

Name:	Isaac Decker
Age in 1870:	78
Birth Year:	abt 1792
Birthplace:	Canada
Home in 1870:	Tillis Prairie Precinct, Montgomery, Texas
Race:	White
Gender:	Male
Post Office:	Danville
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age Isaac Decker 78 Susan Decker 25 Lucy Decker 14 Julia Decker 10 Jack Decker 6 Virginia Decker 12 Whittington Decker 11 Amy Decker 2 Mary Jane Decker 33

As can be seen from the image, the 1870 Federal Census also confirms that he was a shoe maker, and that he owned $2,000 worth of land and $200 worth of personal property.

Up to a few years before his death, he continued to build his holdings and tried to see that his family would be well provided for after he was gone. In 1869 he bought 177 more acres of land in Montgomery County:

Texas, Land Title Abstracts,1700-2008

Grantee:	Isaac Decker
Certificate:	248
Patentee:	Isaac Decker
Patent Date:	6 Apr 1869
Acres:	177
District:	Montgomery
County:	Montgomery
File:	263
Patent #:	24
Patent Volume:	18
Class:	Harris 1st.

Isaac's will names only his youngest son, John (b. 1864), who was to inherit the bulk of the estate. However, the older children had already been provided for, or had predeceased their father, so it is understandable that he would want to provide for the one who would be left without support. Isaac mentions his other children in his will, but does not name them:

"I, Isaac Decker of the County of Montgomery and State of Texas do and publish this my last will and testament hereby Revokeing and making void all former wills by me at any time made. First I direct that my body be decently intered in my own buring ground And I Direct that enough of My unimproved lands be sold to Pay all of my Debts And I also direct that all my Property after My debts as payed Shal belong to My beloved Wife and My beloved Son John Decker all of my Cattle My Horses Hogs Wagons Buggys all farming utencils and all and every kind of Property by me owned I do hereby will to My Beloved wife and the said above Mentioned beloved Child I also direct that one dollar shal be given out of the ...of the Sale of any of my unimproved lands to Each and to Every of my children and that shal be their part to all intence and perpusis of all my estate.

In witness where of I have here unto Set my hand and seal this the 27 day of December A.D. 1869. /s/ Isaac Decker

Don in the presents of us who have sined it in the presents of each other.

J. H. (his mark) Hamlin, J. A. (his mark) Gatlin, /s/ Jacob Meyers."

The precise day of his death is not known, however the month and year of his death were mentioned in a guardianship record. This is a court record in which the guardianship of Isaac Decker's grandson, son of his deceased son Chrisler, was being determined. While petitioning to continue as William Decker's guardian, Wilburn Furguson deposes that Isaac Decker had died in Dec of 1873:

Black Box Documents, Montgomery County TX Probate
FHL 976.4153 P2mct v. 4 #603 Decker, William Minor
9 Feb 1874 Wilburn Furguson petitions for guardianship of Wm. Decker by virtue of agreement w/Isaac Decker states Isaac died ___ Dec 1873.

He was interred, as he directed, on his own property, surrounded by his family. His descendants, at a later date, had a fancy new tombstone erected, to honor their pioneer ancestor.