by William J. Hammond , Ph.D. and Margaret F. Hammond , M.A. Royal Publishing Company Dallas, Texas Copyright 1958 by William J. Hammond Printed in the United States of America by Royal Publishing Company “The Supreme law is liberty and reciprocal adaptation.” Considerant, The Great West , 40. “We desire the free and spontaneous unison of human forces.” Considerant, The Great West , 47. “Les principes de liberté, de justice, et d’unité” Considerant, Au Texas , 2 ed., 199....

In presenting this brief history of La Réunion, we realize that the story may appear too long for such a seemingly unimportant event in our state history, but to those who are doing research work, especially years hence, the details can not be too numerous. Even now great difficulties present themselves in tracing down the materials that are now in existence. Extensive quotations have been used throughout the monograph, too extensive in fact, but the production of these documents in full rather

The last half of the eighteenth century was a period of awakening for the masses of western Europe; revolution thundered in Paris and reverberated throughout all Europe. Thrones tottered and fell; others rose to take their places. Republics were created by the revolutions overnight to live and thrive only during the predominance of the French Revolution, and then fade into the kingdoms from whence they had emerged. Peoples were led to believe that the day of Utopia had arrived and they turned up

La Réunion, a French settlement in Texas, was the result of the efforts and teachings of three men: Albert Brisbane, Charles François Fourier, and Victor Prosper Considerant. These men were all middle-class and all were Utopian socialists. Both Brisbane and Considerant visited the colony but Fourier’s contribution was confined to the promulgation of the ideas and theories which formed a basis of the colony. Owenism in England and Fourierism in France grew out of the distaste of businessmen for b

Considerant, as a leader of the Fourieristic socialists, had always refused to combine the teaching or propagandizing of the movement with any attempt to put the phalansterian organization of society into operation. He thought that the proper promotion of either problem would require too large an outlay of energy and money ever to combine the two into one undertaking, and consequently the teaching of Fourierism and the colonization which would naturally grow out of it should be separate undertak

The over enthusiastic praise of Texas, its lands, its climate, and its opportunities in an economic sense should stamp Considerant as a promoter, if it were not for the caution with which he approached the formation of the colony. After serious investigation, it will appear to anyone that he was effusive by nature and his praise was sincere; no flattering statement was made by him to induce people to part with their money, or to participate in the Texas adventure. In fact, his first appeal to th

When Victor Prosper Considerant, the founder of La Réunion, came to Texas for the first time in 1852 he evidently met with hospitality from all the people, as his reports show no feeling of having been treated otherwise. In fact, in his writings he frequently refers to the kindly interest in, and attitude of the people toward, his scheme of colonization; especially does he mention Captain Macy of the United States Army, and Major Merrill, Commanding Officer at Fort Worth. However, when he return

After the organization of the company in Belgium on September 26, 1854, immediate preparations were made to raise money and prepare the colonists for their emigration to America. François Cantagrel and a Mr. Roger, Belgian medical student, left Brussels October 3, 1854, for New York, reaching that port October 27. Cantagrel’s plan was to go overland to Cincinnati where he was to purchase supplies and equipment for the new colony. From this place he intended to continue his journey to Texas, reac

La Réunion was located three to four miles west of the Dallas county court house near what is generally termed the “Old Fort Worth-Dallas Pike,” on the south bank of the Trinity River. The ground is now occupied by a small settlement, Cement City, and several farms. The soil is poor as compared with other lands surrounding Dallas, but the location is very attractive as to scenery. The hills and valleys are still partly wooded with elm and blackjack, and must have been more so eighty years ago. [

La Réunion was a failure from the moment it started; it was never a success. Of course, a historian cannot predict what would have happened under certain given conditions, but it seems reasonable to believe that any other type of colony formed by the same people under the same conditions would also have been a failure. In the first place, Considerant was not a suitable man to head such an enterprise. His theory of colonization as propounded in Au Texas is reasonable enough and, if followed, coul

This list has been compiled from all the bibliographical data used in this research, including the census report of 1850 and 1860. There are doubtless duplications since no effort has been made to check transfer of a son or daughter from a family list to a new family by marriage, etc. American reporters of that time and writers of a later date were not accurate in spelling French names. A careful check of names has been made on tombstones in the Old French Cemetery. Many times names were found s

An Act to Incorporate the European and American Colonization Society in Texas Whereas, A company under the name of the European and American Colonization Society in Texas has been formed in Brussels between Victor Prosper Considerant, Allyre Bureau, Charles Francois Guillon, Jean Baptiste Andre, Goden Lemaire and their associates, on the 26th day of September, A.D. 1854, as appeared by an act deposited at the office of Mr. Hedweld, Notary in said city, and duly legalized and certified on the 20t

New York City November 10, 1854 His Excelly Gov. Pease My Dear Sir: Permit me to introduce to you my friend Mr. F. Cantagrel of France—He is a gentleman of high standing and acquirements and goes to Texas to see the country and may perhaps establish himself there for life—Being a stranger, he will be thankful for any advice, aid or consel you may extend to him, will be regarded a personal favor by me and duly reciprocated by us both. [1] Very respectfully, (Signed) H. W. Merrill Bt Major USA To/

A selective bibliography is given here, listing only items important to the development of the Colony. Other items will be found in footnotes, especially for introduction and Chapter I. Adair, W. S., “Old French Settlement Near Dallas,” Dallas Morning News , March 26, 1922. Boyer, Louise, “The Story of Old French Colony,” in Dallas Morning News , June 15, 1924. Bougle, C., “Victor Considerant,” Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences , Vol. IV, New York, 1931. Brisbane, Albert, A Mental Biography, w