One of the most influential east Fort Bend County families was the Dew family. In
1894, Dr. Hugh S. Dew, Henry W. Dew and George L. Dew came to Fort Bend County
from Lavaca County. Their uncle Hugh Saunders owned the Belvidere Plantation
near DeWalt in what is now Missouri City. In 1895, the brothers bought the
plantation from their uncle and renamed it Dew Plantation.
The brothers would later be joined in Fort Bend County by brothers Reuben C.,
Frank Y., and Walter G. Dew and sisters Ellen Mae, Jessie, Margaret, and Ruth.
In 1901, their father, Thomas Tristram Dew and his wife Alice Miller Dew moved
to Missouri City.
Around 1900, Hugh Dew built a plantation home on the property. This house was
passed down through the family and still exists. In 2006, it was moved to Kitty
Hollow Park in Missouri City.
By 1902, Dr. Dew gave up his medical practice to concentrate on the family
business interests with his brothers, which included raising cattle, growing
sugar cane, corn and cotton. The plantation also included a cotton gin, sugar
mill and the Dew and Hutchings general store. Other business interests for the
Dew Brothers Company included a ranch in Chambers County, farming in Hidalgo
County, oil interests and other ventures.
The brothers helped to found the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo and the Fort
Bend County Fair and were instrumental in the development of Missouri City.
Dr. Hugh S. Dew • Dew House, Dew Plantation, built in 1900 v Dew and Hutchings General Store • Cotton Gin, Dew Plantation
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