Texas founding father Stephen F. Austin insisted Texas could not survive without slavery FacebookTwitterEmail 1of5 A photo of Charlie and Isabella Brown. He was an ex-slave who became the largest taxpayer in Brazoria County and died a millionaire. Brown built a business domain in Brazoria County and eventually purchased the plantation where his wife, Isabella, had once worked as a slave. Isabella died Jan. 30, 1906. Charlie died Aug. 30, 1920.Gary Coronado, Staff / Houston ChronicleShow MoreShow Less 2of5 African American male picking potatoes, possibly prisoners from the Imperial State Prison Farm; three men on horseback oversee the work in 1909.Library of Congress / Library of CongressShow MoreShow Less