Stephen F. Austin received authorization to bring Anglo-American families to Texas from

The received the authorization from the Texas governor at the time.

Explanation:

Stephen F. Austin was an American empresario from Virginia, although he grew up in Missouri. Austin led the way for hundreds of settlers to Texas, a Mexican territory at the time.

The government of Mexico had problems with Texas because it was very sparsely populated and Native Americans roamed freely. For this reason, the Mexican goverment decided to grant permission to American migrants to settle the area, including Stephen F. Austin and those who came with him.