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Texas & Borderlands
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Burchard/Birchard Family Papers

  • TxAM-CRS C000504
  • Collection
  • 1821-1998

This collection includes documents of the Burchard/Birchard family from 1821 to 1998. The family is notable to Texas as Amasa Burchard was a founder of Independence Texas in 1835. The Burchard family claimed land through the generations in Texas following Amasa Burchard. The family remains active in Texas as John W. Burchard helped erect a Historical Landmark in Independence in 1998.

Alexander Thomson Letter

  • US TxAM-C 37
  • Collection
  • 1832-08-05

The Alexander Thomson letter is dated August 5, 1832, from Texas, Austin's Colony. Addressed to "Mr. Wm. D. Thomson, Giles County, Tennessee, Cornerville P.O.," with the salutation "My dear son," and signed "your Aff. Father, Alexs. Thomson."

The text of the letter recounts recent events in Austin's colony which, in retrospect, have a direct bearing on the brewing struggle for independence of the colony from Mexico. Most noteworthy is the account of the early revolt of Anglo-Texas colonists against the Mexican government's steady encroachment on the freedom of colonists to conduct free trade or encourage further immigration into Texas from the United States.

In the letter, Thomson details the build-up of hostilities between Colonel Juan Davis Bradburn, born in Virginia, but in service to Mexico, who was made commander of Fort Anahuac.

Noteworthy also in the letter are the expressions of loyalty and admiration shown toward General Antonio López de Santa Anna by the colonists, who saw him as championing their rights in the condemnation of Bradburn, who was known to be a supporter of the hated General Anastacio Bustamante. Bustamante, who had been the dictator of Mexico since January 1830, was now involved with Santa Anna and his allies in a fierce civil war. (see general note)

As the Thomson letter records vividly, the Texas colonists threw their support to Santa Anna, believing him to favor their freedom to enforce their own laws and maintain their own system of trade and civil courts. The letter records Stephen Austin's whole-hearted support of Santa Anna and Thomson's encomium on Santa Anna as "a true republican ... determined not to lay down his arms until republicanism prevails," rings ironically optimistic in the face of events only a few years later, culminating in the bitter defeat of the colonists by Santa Anna at the Alamo, and the equally bitter final defeat of Santa Anna at San Jacinto, assuring Texas's independence from Mexico.

Accompanying the letter are three other items.
A sepia-toned picture apparently reproduced from an oil painting. The picture is pasted inside a dark brown oval paper matting on a piece of cardboard measuring about 20 cm by 15 cm. The image measures about 13 cm by 7 cm. Though the original painting is as yet unidentified, "Alexander Thomson" is written on the back of the cardboard in pencil.

A sheet of letterhead stationery for the "St. Louis Southwestern Railway Lines, St. Louis 2, Mo.," with the logo for the "Cotton Belt Route," and below that "F. W. Green, President." On this much-folded piece of letterhead is an undated and unsigned biography of Alexander Thomson handwritten in pencil.

A photocopy (circa 1980) of a booklet originally prepared by Ralston P. Haun in Coleman, Tex. around 1936, which includes a transcription of the August 5, 1832 letter, as well as other family letters and papers. According to the copy of an explanatory note appended to the booklet, dated May 1, 1980, and signed Jim Glass of Houston, Tex., one of the three copies made by Haun was given to Ana Gardner Thomson and passed down to her granddaughter Ana Haun Frómen, thence apparently to Gardner Osborn. The booklet includes transcriptions of five other family letters and two memoirs. Though speculated upon in the Glass note, the current disposition of the other letters and papers is still unverified.

Thomson, Alexander, 1785-1863

Republic of Texas Stock Certificates and Confederate States of America Notes

  • US TxAM-C 261
  • Collection
  • 1838-1862

This collection contains one Treasury Warrant (February 13, 1861), one $100 share in the Consolidated Fund of Texas (September 1, 1837), one $10 treasury note (December 10, 1838), one $100 stock certificate in the 10 percent Consolidated Fund (June 15, 1840), and one $2 Confederate note and a $3 Confederate note (both dated July 7, 1862).

J. W. Batts

  • TxAM-CRS C000492
  • Collection
  • 1843-1952

This collection contains the personal and business documents of Joseph Woodyard Batts. The majority of the documents, around 600, are handwritten duplications of land abstracts that track the distribution of land from the founding of Texas. Other documents included are correspondence of land and loan agreements from the late 19th century to the early 20th century. Lastly, there are personal tax receipts for himself and his son, J. W. Batts, Jr.

Notable documents include land granted to Texas A&M, land granted from the Mexican government before Texas was a part of the U. S., land granted to the Confederate war efforts during the Civil War, and land granted from Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin.

Batts, J. W.

Hernan Contreras Papers

  • US TxAM-C 25
  • Collection
  • 1852-1993

This collection contains correspondence throughout the life of Hernan H. Contreras, both personal and professional, descriptions of his family home, a warranty deed on property owned by the Contreras family in Starr County, a map of these lots, photographs of family and coworkers in the U.S. Department of Immigration office in Starr County, an autograph book from his public school career, utility bills, receipts, junk mail, and oil and gas leases.

The collection also contains a multitude of papers from Mr. Contreras' wife's family, particularly those of her father, Casamiro Perez Alvares. The contents of these papers include oil and gas leases, utility bills, newspaper articles, correspondence with the U.S. Marshal's office in Galveston, subpoenas, arrest warrants, witness testimonies, receipts, government bulletins, poll tax receipts, land and city tax receipts, family photographs, marriage licenses, wedding invitations, funeral notices, personal letters, business letters, bank statements, checks, deposits, Christmas cards, a pamphlet on communism, a report card, ration sheets from World War I, Letters to the Editor of Newsweek magazine, articles on Estela Contreras' run for political office, and a picture of Estela Contreras from 1993. There is also a collection of reels accompanying all the paper items.

Contreras, Hernan, 1902-197?

Ackerman and McMiller General Store Account Books

  • US TxAM-C 1031
  • Collection
  • 1854-1856

This collection consists of two large leather account books from the old store owned and operated by David Verplank Ackerman and James McMiller that was at Washington-on-the-Brazos, Texas. The account book labeled "ledger" [box 1] dates from 1855 to 1865 and lists the accounts of individuals while the other one labeled "journal" [box 2] records the chronological expenses beginning in April 1854 and ending in January 1861.

McDaniel Family Papers

  • US TxAM-C 1292
  • Collection
  • 1855-1916

This collection contains personal letters of the McDaniel family from 1855-1916 along with civil war letters from Confederate soldiers. The letters originate from the McDaniel family in Texas and Mississippi during and after the civil war. Many of the items in the collection are fragile, and transcriptions were made of the letters. This collection also contains family recipes, remedies, along with stereoscopic view plates.

The McDaniel family spans across Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. Julius and Minerva (Rodgers) McDaniel were farmers who lived in Ben Hur, Texas during the 1800s.

D. Port Smythe Family Papers

  • US TxAM-C 1242
  • Collection
  • 1864-1894

This collection includes letters, genealogical data, notebooks, pictures, and picture postcards (1888-1909) of members of the family of D. Port Smythe.

Smythe, D. Port

John B. Zimmerman Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 1566
  • 1867-1884

This collection includes a ledger and a diary from John B. Zimmerman. The ledger contains mostly handwritten speeches and essays by John, also found within the ledger are notations of "flour received from Dailley & Co." for May to July 1867, two commencement programs attached in the back for Sam Houston Normal Institute (1880) and the University of Nashville State Normal College (1883), both where John graduated from. The diary was written later during the year 1891, though the physical diary itself was meant for the year 1890. Notes concerning this can be seen on the inside of the front cover, as well as the following notation, "Diary E - For abbreviations and explanations, see diaries B & C". However, there are no other diaries included in this collection.

Las Moras Ranch Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000046
  • Collection
  • 1869-1913

This collection consists chiefly of correspondence regarding the Runge family of Galveston, Tex. and Menard, Tex., including Henry Runge, his sons Henry J. Runge and Louis Hermann Runge, their cousin Julius F. Runge, as well as family members in Hannover, Germany, including heirs Hans Eyl and his wife Meta Eyl; German immigrant and Texas businessman Walter Tips (1841-1911) who, after the death of Henry Runge, had formed the Las Moras Ranch Company (December 21, 1879) with his wife's aunt Julia Runge, wife of Henry Runge, and Runge's sons Henry J. Runge, and Louis H. Runge; German Emigration Company lands, lawyers and law firms in Austin, Tex. and San Antonio, Tex., including C. A. Goeth, the firm of Webb & Goeth, Adolph Goeth, the business partner of Walter Tips and brother of C. A. Goeth.

Also present are: legal documents, including deeds, wills, powers of attorney, some ranch operations records, including ranch inventories, accounting ledgers, and handwritten notes. These papers record the operations and transfers of ownership of over 130,000 acres of property, principally in the Texas counties of Comal, San Saba, Tom Green, Concho, and Menard, collectively known as the Las Moras Ranch.

Beyond the acquisition, operation, and ultimate liquidation of this ranch property, however, an interesting part of Texas history, that of the Adelsverien or German Emigration Company, and early German immigrant settlement are illuminated through the documents in the collection.

The collection series reflect the history of the ranch from its foundation until its sale in 1913.

  • Series 1 begins with an 1867 legal document showing a transfer of ownership of many thousands of acres of land from Hermann Arnold Henry (Heinrich) Runge (1821-1861) of Funchal, Madiera, Portugal to his brother and business partner, Henry Runge (1816-1873). Henry Runge paid for the land in American Gold. Other documents in the papers include a very large judgment against the Adelsverien or German Emigration Company, a copy of the lengthy handwritten "Last Will of Henry Runge," probated April 2, 1873, and that of his wife, Julia, dated March 23, 1896.
  • Subsequent documents in Series 2-Series 4 of the papers highlight the operation and eventual liquidation in 1913 of the Las Moras Ranch, including transcontinental communications between Germany and Texas among heirs to the Runge fortune. Several of these family letters scattered through the papers may be particularly difficult to translate since they are written in Kurrentschrift, a Gothic handwriting style.
  • Playing important roles in the later transactions concerning the ranch properties were the sons of Henry Runge (1816-1873): Henry J. Runge (1859-1922), Louis Hermann Runge (1861-1936), and his nephew Julius F. Runge (1851-1906). Henry J. Runge and Julius F. Runge were financial advisors, while Louis Runge served as the ranch manager and lived on the Las Moras Ranch property. Walter E. Tips (1841-1911), another German immigrant, Texas Senator, and successful hardware merchandiser, who married into the Runge family, along with C. A. Goeth (b. 1869), a San Antonio attorney, were involved in the ranch operations and legal issues concerning the eventual dispersal of Las Moras Ranch property.

Las Moras Ranch, 1869-1913

Cavitt Family Papers

  • US TxAM-C 805
  • Collection
  • circa 1870s-post 1900s

The collection consists of personal correspondence and documents of J. F. Cavitt and other documents of significant importance. Included is the correspondence of and articles about Ann Cavitt Armstrong, that sheds a light on the early settlement period of Texas. Financial documents also shed a light on the early history of Texas, including court documents and receipts of slave purchases.

Cavitt, Joseph Franklin

Samuel Erson Asbury Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 33
  • Collection
  • 1872-1960

The Samuel Erson Asbury Papers consist of research materials, correspondence, mainly original contemporary letters and copies of the older historical correspondence, Asbury's writings and copies of state and national documents, held in eight boxes and one map case drawer occupying approximately twelve linear feet of shelf space. Asbury's broad range of interests is reflected in the variety of topics contained in these papers. Foremost among them are the files of correspondence, historical documents, articles and research notes concerning various aspects of Texas history.

Also included in the Asbury papers are articles, short stories, essays, plays, poetry, and a Texas Revolution opera written by Asbury; research notes and correspondence on the cultivation of roses and the growing of plants without soil; articles written about Asbury; correspondence with family members; general correspondence; and photographs of Asbury, his family and friends, and North Carolina A & M College.

Asbury, Samuel E. (Samuel Erson), 1872-1962

W. R. Cavitt Journal

  • US TxAM-C 1200
  • Collection
  • 1878-1879

This collection consists of a bound journal belonging to William Richard Cavitt from the late 1800s describing his law practice and the Cavitt House in Bryan, TX. Also included is a typed transcript of the journal and notes on it.

Cavitt, Howard R.

Johnson County War Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 163
  • Collection
  • 1884-1893

This collection contains financial and legal documents related to the Johnson County War, also known as the War on Powder Creek, which was a range war between large cattle ranchers and small ranchers in Johnson County, Wyoming, in April 1892. The financial documents include a bill of sale written in compliance with the Maverick Law of 1884 and a promissory note. The legal documents were produced in connection with the criminal proceedings against the participants of the range war.

Johnson County War

Santa Rosa Ranch Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 27
  • Collection
  • 1890-1910

This collection consists mainly of correspondence, legal documents, a corporate minute book, and handwritten notes recording the litigation connected with ownership of a large tract of land (89,000 acres) in Hidalgo country known as the "Big Santa Rosa Pasture". Actual litigation took place from 1903-1910.

Individuals involved in the case were: Dillard Rucker Fant and his wife, Lucy Fant; Daniel J. Sullivan; J. C. Sullivan; James V. Upson; Wiliam R. Elliott; Conrad A. Goeth; James Webb; J. M. Chittim; Archie Parr; Kate V. Elliott; G. G. Clifford; A. E. Chavez; J. A. Galligher; W. M. Sanford; Fred Kelly; F. A. McGown; F. W. Church; H. R. Wood; F. Groos and his wife, Hulda Groos. Legal counsel involved in the proceedings were: James E. Webb and Conrad A. Goeth of Webb and Goeth, F. A. McGown of Denman, Franklin & McGown, and R. L. Ball, all based in San Antonio, Texas.

At the onset of the difficulties, D. R. Fant had leased the Big Santa Rosa Pasture to the cattle-raising partnership of Chittim and Parr. J. M. Chittim was a large rancher in South Texas and Archie Parr, was a State Senator popularly known as the Duke of Duval. Based on the large annual rent monies Fant had expected to collect from Chittim and Parr, he then also borrowed money from D. Sullivan of D. Sullivan and Company Bankers (founders and owners of the large South Texas Mariposa Ranch) and, using the same collateral, borrowed more money from the competing F. Groos and Company Bankers (later a founder of Wells Fargo Bank).

When it appears, that Chittim and Parr defaulted on their rent payment for the Big Santa Rosa Pasture to Fant, Fant was then forced to default on his own payments to both banking organizations from whom he had borrowed funds. The bankers, in return, sued and foreclosed on the Big Santa Rosa Pasture.

Through the Santa Rosa Ranch Papers extensive set of legal documents, attorneys' memoranda, telegrams, letters, and financial disclosures, the most absorbing story of Texas land politics unfolds.

Notable among the papers is the Santa Rosa Ranch Minute Book, a ledger volume with handwritten entries detailing the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and minutes of the first stockholders' meeting of the Santa Rosa Ranch Company. Also present is a manuscript plat map in black and red ink on light blue linen, of the 1905 Maria Rodriguez survey, which has been encapsulated and is housed separately in a Map Case Drawer.

Santa Rosa Ranch

Don L. Jones Collection

  • US TxAM-C 1378
  • Collection
  • 1891-1971

This collection includes photographs, booklets, and publications about cotton farming in Texas, as well as other materials related to the work of agriculturalist Don L. Jones. Booklets include information, directories, etc. for the First Presbyterian Church in Lubbock, TX among other Texas agricultural related publications and events. Interesting items in this collection include a welcome dinner invitation for President John F. Kennedy dated for the evening of November 22, 1963.

Jones, Don L.

Goeth Family Letters

  • US TxAM-C 1221
  • Collection
  • 1897-1923

This collection contains letters dated between 1897-1923, primarily between brothers Max Goeth and Conrad Goeth (C. A.). The brothers opened two businesses together, La Salle Truck Farm, and Cotulla Farming and Irrigation Company. The second business was a contracting company for farm land. The two brothers leased land and sold crops, and it is inferred that Max and Conrad had two other brothers named Richard and Eddie, and that their father was Chas. Goeth (C. G.).

Rev. Jindrich Juren and the Brethren Church of Texas Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 987
  • Collection
  • 1900-2014; Undated

This collection contains materials collected in relation to the dedication and celebration of the Historical Marker for Rev. Jindrich Juren, though the materials range in date from 1900 to 2014, the bulk of the materials are from 1995.

Materials include correspondence, historical and biographical data regarding both Fayetteville Brethren Church and Houston Brethren Church, publications in English and Czech, a copy of the Texas Historical Marker application to the Texas Historical Commission, and multiple news clippings about the dedication celebration that took place on October 1, 1995.

Juren, Jindrich

A. D. Mebane Collection

  • US TxAM-C 1245
  • Collection
  • 1902-1952

The collection contains various publications about Mebane's cotton, including pamphlets, and newspaper and magazine articles. There are many correspondences to A. D. Mebane complimenting and ordering his cottonseed. Because of the involvement with the Texas Cotton Breeders Association, the collection includes speeches given at the Association meetings.

Mebane, A. D.

John and Deborah Powers: Early Texas Art and Artists Research Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 804
  • Collection
  • 1910-1999

This collection is comprised of correspondence, publications, writings, listings, directories, manuscripts, photographs, and research material for the Powers publication on Texas art and artists, titled, "Texas Painters, Sculptors & Graphic Artists: A Biographical Dictionary of Artists in Texas Before 1942", Austin, TX: Woodmont Books, 2000. The collection is primarily photocopies and writings of the Powers with some published materials.

The original order has been maintained as much as possible. Correspondence is dispersed throughout the collection with most concentrated in box 1. Those artists with significant information have been given a single file. The artists' information files are arranged in alphabetical order by artist's last name and are inclusive of all artists within the alphabetical listing. Each of these files begins with one artist and ends with the last artist information in the file. Artists' information can consist of one news item to several pages of information. To find an artist's name not listed on the file, please look at the file where his name would be in the alphabet.

Powers Family

Theron Appollonio Archive

  • US TxAM-C C000084
  • Collection
  • 1916

Theron A. Appollonio served in the US Navy during World War I and worked in the oil expoloration in Texas and Wyoming. This archive contains photos, postcards, and letters written to his mother in Boston, Massachusetts about his career in oil, primarily the Mexia Oil Fields working for Humphreys Oil Company. Some of the postcards are of El Paso and Camp Pershing.

Rev. Franklin Condit Thompson Correspondence

  • US TxAM-C 1577
  • Collection
  • 1917-1919

This collection contains correspondence (1917-1918) from Rev. Franklin Condit Thompson to his wife (mostly) and family from when he was at Camp Travis in San Antonio, Texas. Also included are many black and white (B&W) photographs with inscriptions, ten color postcards, and a few B&W picture postcards taken at Camp Travis and Camp Mercedes, Texas.

Eugene Butler Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 101
  • Collection
  • 1924-1987; Undated

This collection includes speeches, editorials, and articles written by Eugene Butler, dating from 1927 through 1987. These documents deal with a broad spectrum of issues of the day from Prohibition to bussing but focus primarily on agricultural topics.

Also contained in the collection are many Progressive Farmer articles and editorials, as well as correspondence. There are three complete issues of the magazine in the collection; one oversize and two in folders.

Other items in the collection include extensive material on the Progressive Farmer Company, cotton, and the Progressive Farmer Master Farm Family Award and individual winners.

Butler, Eugene

W. J. Estelle Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 10
  • Collection
  • 1927-1984; Undated

This collection contains mostly correspondence dating from 1927to 1984; personal office calendars; speeches; criminal justice materials; Huntsville First National Bank materials; and clippings, especially concerning the escape attempt of Fred Carrasco, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Ruiz v. Estelle court case.

Also present are reports, publications, reprints, and photographs relating to the several prison systems with which W. J. Estelle was associated during his career in corrections, some video cassettes, audiotapes, and souvenirs, including buttons, pins, and badges.

Estelle, W.J., 1931

Ellen Schulz Quillin Manuscripts

  • US TxAM-C 95
  • Collection
  • 1928-1964

This collection contains two manuscripts written by Ellen D. Schulz Quillin. The first, "Texas Wild Flowers. a Popular Account of the Common Wild Flowers of Texas.", was published in 1928 by Laidlaw Brothers (Chicago, IL), and the second, "Texas Cacti: A Popular and Scientific Account of the Cacti Native to Texas", was published in 1930 by the Texas Academy of Science and written with Robert Runyon.

The manuscript for "Texas Wild Flowers. a Popular Account of the Common Wild Flowers of Texas." consists of two bound volumes, typed with handwritten edits and notes, and both contain a title page handwritten in graphite, dated and initialed by Ellen (December 23, 1955). The inscription in Part I reads, "Original Texas Wild Flowers manuscript. Of no value to anyone else. Kept for reference to revision, if I should get to it". and in Part II, the inscription slightly changes with the last sentence reading "Kept for reference in case of revision".

The first volume, Part I (pages 1-337), has a second note by Ellen handwritten in ink, dated October 20, 1963, in which she talks about the book being published, the revisions she wanted to make after it becoming know the book was out of bring in 1959 [Part 2 state 1939], and never got around to due to her work in writing "History of the Museum" in 5 volumes and resigning in 1960.

The second volume, Part II (pages 338-640), also has a handwritten ink note from October 20, 1963, however, the inscription reads "Presented to Peggy C. Owens, College Station, Texas to use in any way she can as Texas Wildflowers has not been replaced since it became out of print in 1939 [Part I states 1959] - used copies are generally not available - and the last used copy I saw advertised in a California catalogue was $27.50 - a prohibitive price".

The second manuscript in this collection, "Texas Cacti: A Popular and Scientific Account of the Cacti Native to Texas", is held within a Weston Paper box with an address label for Mrs. Peggy C. Owens affixed to the outside. The manuscript itself is bound, typed with handwritten edits and notes, and original photographs (95 pages total). Also found within are a few publications that were used for reference.

Contained within the front cover are four documents, two are keys for illustrations, one for illustrations from "Succulents" by van Laren from paintings made in Amsterdam by Messrs. C. Rol, J. Voerman and H. Rol, and the second unidentified. The third is an announcement for the release of "Texas Wild Flowers: A Popular Account of the Common Wild Flowers of Texas by Ellen D. Schulz Quillin, M. S." with an overall description of the book, an excerpt from the book on the origin of Texas bluebonnets and two reprints from Texas newspapers of articles announcing Ellen's new book in June and July of 1928. The fourth document is a note handwritten in ink, originally paper clipped to the front cover, dated April 21, 1964, reading "To Peggy Owens - One of my most Precious possessions. Ellen S. Quillin". Also noted in graphite below the original note is "send vols 1 & 2" by Ellen, May 12, 1964. On the first page in the top right corner is another handwritten note in ink by Ellen dating April 21, 1964, "To Peggy Owens - Compliments of the author".

Quillin, Ellen Schulz, 1892-1970

Roland O. Cox Papers

  • US TxAM-C 1209
  • Collection
  • 1928-1956

The collection includes articles, books on gas measurement, and materials relating to the awards and achievements of Dr. Roland O. Cox.

Cox, Roland O.

Baldwin Scrapbook

  • TxAM-CRS 1113
  • Collection
  • 1930-1946

This collection contains a scrapbook that was made using the book "Teacher's Method and Results Book, Used with Progressive Business Accounting" prepared by L. E. Goodyear (1910), and inscribed on the book's front and back cover is "SCRAP BOOK - Baldwin". Within the book are many clippings from the 1930s related to business, religion, and Baldwin's Business College (Yoakum, TX) among other topics.

Many of the articles pasted within the book are written by Howard Baldwin of Yoakum leading one to believe the scrapbook could have been created by Howard Baldwin himself, however loose documents found within and accompanying the book suggest otherwise. Two short handwritten lists found between the pages note making hair appointments and a "dress altered" and found with the second list are two name cards for "Miss Ann Cade".

Other materials sewed or pasted into the book include recipes, Rural Pastor Conference schedule at Texas A&M (page 61), "Glenn Frank's Ideas" columns, and USDA Leaflet #68, "Roadside Markets" from October 1930.

A one-page letter dated Bryan, Texas, October 20, 1946, is also included in this collection, although it is uncertain whether the typed letter is of any relation or has been misplaced from another collection. It is addressed to "Dear Loved Ones" and there is no signature. We can assume the writer of the letter is a woman by the multiple mentions and use of "Daddy", and with the paragraph about Martha making reservations at the Baker Hotel in Dallas for a convention and wanting the writer to stay with her. There are many names mentioned in the letter that one could possibly narrow down the author.

Margaret Lips van Bavel Papers on Boonville

  • US TxAM-C 1286
  • Collection
  • 1937-1987

This collection contains the Boone and Bryan family history in a compilation of biographies, clippings, and photocopies from books and newspapers, and other topics on the history of Boonville, TX. Also included are land acre maps of the town of Boonville and several genealogies including the genealogy of the Harvey Mitchell family.

van Bavel, Margaretha H. M.

Clyde McQueen Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000045
  • Collection
  • 1944-1999

This collection consists of the research collection McQueen built and used to write Black Churches in Texas. A Guide to Historic Congregations (Texas A&M University Press, 2000).

The contents consist mainly of "Texas County Historical Black Church" information sheets, each listed as an "inventory" in the finding guide, accompanied by related church history materials including church worship service programs, also called orders of worship; church homecoming and anniversary publications; handwritten and typed letters mostly regarding church history; newspaper clippings about historic congregations and members; notes about the history and location of churches and contact persons in congregations; business cards for contacts; published church histories; photocopies from published books about related counties, cities, and congregations; Texas county maps; color slides, photographic prints and negatives of church cornerstones, existing church buildings, Texas Historical Markers, and congregation members.

Also present are photocopies of newspaper clippings covering African American religious issues and manuscript drafts for McQueen's book, many of which are heavily annotated by McQueen.

The inventories and related church history materials were amassed by data collection teams organized by McQueen and also collected by McQueen himself. Norris Braly, a member of the Burleson County Historical Committee, documented the first church history in February 1988. McQueen documented the last congregation on August 24, 1997.

Most of the church worship service programs are laser printed. However, there are a few earlier documents that are photocopies of mimeographed sheets, and a few that were professionally printed. When the word "typed" is used to describe a church history, it means that the history was not professionally printed.

Variant congregation names exist within the documents (for example, Macedonia First Baptist Church and Macedonia Baptist Church). For the purpose of this finding guide, we have chosen to use the form of the congregation name given in Black Churches in Texas. Files exist within the collection for congregations that do not appear in Black Churches in Texas because exact organization dates could not be determined at the time of publication. Conversely, not every church listed in McQueen's book has a folder in the collection (for example Colored Methodist Episcopal Church of Sweeny in Brazoria County).

McQueen used different versions of the inventory form to document the churches. Though the information requested is the same, the format may differ. McQueen also copyrighted many of his slides, and so most of them bear handwritten copyright information.

McQueen, Clyde, 1926

Mildred Watkins Mears Papers

  • US TxAM-C 192
  • Collection
  • 1946-1963

This collection consists of some correspondence, a significant number of mostly typed manuscript drafts, both published and unpublished, and a printer's galley for her book, Coryell County Scrapbook, published in 1963 by Texian Press of Waco, Texas. Also present are a few newspaper clippings, as well as handwritten and typed research notes for her published book.

The manuscript drafts reveal an engaging blend of scholarship, personal recollection, and anecdotal history chronicling the development of Coryell county from when the area was part of Coahuila, Mexico, through to its formal organization as a county in the state of Texas in 1854. Included is an account of the growth of Fort Hood as a military base in the early 1960s.

Stories are cited from early twentieth-century newspapers recounting Indian skirmishes with pioneering settlers, deeds of cattle rustlers and trail drivers, as well as events surrounding prohibition and various political rivalries. The early days of Fort Gates, now Gatesville, and the later development of Camp Hood, now Fort Hood, one of the nation's largest military installations, are described. Statistical tables and records present expenditures for, and descriptions of, buildings, jails, courthouses, prominent homes, banks, and businesses in Coryell county.

Interspersed among the political and economic accounts of the county's progress are more personal stories of weddings, births, parties, church events, legendary horses, dogs, local heroes, and even the county's centennial celebration in 1954. Mears' relatively unadorned narrative describes in some detail the increasing social, economic, and political prosperity and influence, as well as the setbacks, of Coryell County. Mears' work brings to life frontier Texas culture during the late nineteenth and early to mid-twentieth century.

Mears, Mildred Watkins

American Association of University Women, Texas Division, Bryan-College Station Branch Records

  • TxAM-CRS C000289
  • Collection
  • 1947-1988; Undated

This collection consists of AAUW publications, the president's records spanning the organization's forty-year history, and information regarding the branch's involvement in supporting the Bryan Day Care Center, as well as four scrapbooks.

Association publications include the newsletter from the local branch, as well as journals, newspapers, and bulletins published by the national and international parent organizations. Included in the president's records are branch reports, rosters, financial information, and correspondence. Also present are minutes and other records pertaining to the Bryan Day Care Center and the AAUW's contributions to it. In addition, one file in the collection contains a brief history of the local organization, beginning with its inception in 1948 and reviewing important milestones of each year up to 1980.

American Association of University Women

Texas Seedsmen's Association Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 1207
  • Collection
  • 1947-1952

This collection contains member lists and bulletins from the Texas Seedmen's Association (TSA) as well as bulletins from the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA) and the US Department of Commerce Field Service.

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