Moses Austin then moved to southwest Virginia and got into the lead business in Wythe County. He and his brother Stephen (namesake of his son) and others industrialized the area, building several smelters and furnaces. The small village that grew up there became known as Austinville and Moses got the name of the "Lead King."
But, he incurred debts and his company collapsed and Moses skipped out of the state to avoid imprisonment. His next stop was Missouri for its rich lead deposits, but it was then part of Spanish Louisiana. In 1798, he was granted land in return for declaring allegiance to the Spanish Crown.
In 1803, Missouri became part of the United States as a result of the Louisiana Purchase.
--Brock-Perry
2012 marks the 200th anniversary of America's "Forgotten War," the War of 1812 that took place over three years, 1812 to 1815.
Battle of New Orleans.
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