Collection

J. W. Batts

• 1843-1952 (Creation)

8 boxes

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.

This collection is arranged alphabetically, with the 600 land abstracts organized by name of the original landowner under the title 'Abstract' and thereunder by date. Following are Batts' personal documents organized alphabetically under his name. Oversize documents have been removed in the map case, also organized alphabetically.

Processed by Catherine Bradley, 2021.
Finding aid created by Catherine Bradley, 2021.

• Texas & Borderlands