Castro, Henri

Henri Castro, a native of Bayonne, France, and the descendant of Portuguese nobility, served briefly in Napoleon's French Army. In 1813 he married Marie Amelia Mathias. He later immigrated to the United States and in 1827 became a naturalized U.S. Citizen. He returned to France in 1838 and joined the banking house of Lafitte and Company. While there he helped negotiate a loan for the Republic of Texas for which a grateful President Sam Houston later appointed him Texas' General Consul in Paris. Between 1843 and 1847 Castro administered, as Empresario, the settlement of at least 2,134 European colonists in this area. Castro eventually exhausted his own personal wealth to sustain his colonial effort. His extraordinary dedication to his colonists has led many to compare him favorably to the legendary Stephen F. Austin. Henri and Marie lived in Castroville with their four foster children. By 1860, however, the family was living in San Antonio. Henri and his son, Lorrenzo, traveled to Eagle Pass to run a family mercantile business. On his way to France in 1865, Castro was diverted to Monterrey, Mexico, where he became ill and died. He was buried in Monterrey in 1865. In 1876 the newly created Castro County, Texas, was named for Henri Castro. 1994

Castro, Henri is a historical marker in Castroville, Medina County, dedicated in 1994. It is one of 56 historical markers documented in Medina County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 108 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3573, -98.8745 near Castroville. The nearest cataloged historic site is Castro, Henri, Site of the Homestead of (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Cordier-Tschirhart-Seal House, Medina County (Castroville City Hall) (1854), and Dolch-Hans Compound.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5325002439. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.