Texas, even by 1820 had only a few thousand whites in the entire state. It was in the 1820s that settlers came from the southeastern states into what was still Mexican territory. By 1832 there were some 20,000 Americans in the state, mostly in the area from Houston to the Gulf.
In 1835, the Battle of Gonzales began the revolution against Mexico. In 1836, Texas had won its independence. The Republic of Texas existed from 1836 until 1845 when it became the 28th State. The first Federal Census was in 1850, but right after Texas became a state, there was an informal census taken in 1846.