Archival
Collections

Lee Quinn Nesbitt Papers (was Ms. 1, now Lee Nesbitt Collection)
Correspondence and other papers of Lee Quinn Nesbitt relating to the establishment and operation of the Nesbitt Memorial Library, and to other matters.

Thurmond B. West Collection (Ms. 2)
Papers and photographs from the West family home in Columbus, including dozens of photographs made by Oscar Zumwalt in Columbus between 1900 and 1920, most of which were sold as postcards in his pharmacy.

Lois Stafford Burt Collection (Ms. 4)
Miscellaneous family and other material, with an especially noteworthy collection of photographs that includes twenty photographs of notable sites in and around Columbus made in 1886.

Small Donations (Ms. 5)
Material collected by library staff or donated in small lots by other people is catalogued as part of the Small Donations collection, and is indexed by subject.

Draper/McCormick Papers (Ms. 6)
Papers of George Millan McCormick, who served in the Confederate army and was afterward an attorney, Colorado County clerk, state attorney general, and district judge, and of his granddaughter, Myrah Jane McCormick Draper. The collection includes letters written by McCormick when he was a soldier in Waul's Texas Legion as well as papers and pamphlets he accumulated during his later legal career.

Dittmar/Hinkel Papers (Ms. 8)
Documents regarding the Engel family from Reconstruction and before and school contracts, lists, and other papers involving the Content, Bluff, and Bernardo Schools, the Content Post Office, the Content-New Bielau Mutual Support Society, and the Weimar-Content Road from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Colorado County Citizen Collection (Ms. 9)
Photographs of people, places, and events in Columbus from the 1980s.

Simon Henry Koenig Papers (Ms. 10)
Papers relating to railroad activity in Glidden from 1920 through 1927, retrieved from the Koenig home in Alleyton and donated to the library by Henry Potter in 1992.

Harold Untermeyer Papers (Ms. 12)
Papers regarding the activities of the Untermeyer Brothers Store and Mortuary in Columbus in the mid twentieth century.

Weimar Mercury Collection (Ms. 13)
Photographs of people, places, and events in and around Weimar taken by the staff of the Weimar Mercury, most of which were taken in the 1950s.

James H. Wooten Collection (Ms. 14)
Letters and other materials accumulated by James Harbert Wooten, Jr. and his father relating to World War I, the Columbus Home Guard, and the Boy Scouts in Columbus, plus a series of deeds detailing the transactions by which William Harbert built his plantation in the 1850s, and estate papers and other documents of William Harbert, Daniel Webster Harcourt, and family members, dating from the 1850s to the early twentieth century.

Keith/Traylor Papers (Ms. 15)
Correspondence and photographs from the family of Charles Wesley Traylor of Columbus from the 1880s.

Mary Breit Collection (Ms. 16)
Bulletins and other publications and correspondence generated by St. Anthony's Catholic Church of Columbus in the 1970s and 1980s.

Columbus Study Club Papers (Ms. 17)
Minutes, yearbooks, and other papers of the Columbus Study Club, which existed from 1922 until 1976, and which played a key role in the establishment of a library in Columbus.

Columbus Rotary Club Papers (Ms. 18)
Newsletters, correspondence, and other documents of the Columbus Rotary Club., most of which is concerned with club activities in the 1950s and 1960s.

Columbus Music Club Papers (Ms. 19)
Minutes, yearbooks, programs, and newspaper clippings of the Columbus Music Club, which was established in 1941.

Nada Photograph Collection (Ms. 22)
Photographs of people, places, and events in and around Nada, most of which center around the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church.

Arthur L. Schuette Papers (Ms. 24)
Papers of Arthur L. Schuette, a rural school teacher who wrote a thesis on Cat Spring and translated the minutes of the Cat Spring Agricultural Society for publication.

Shropshire-Upton Chapter, U. D. C. Collection (Ms. 25)
Minutes and financial records of the Shropshire-Upton Chapter, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and old papers and other materials collected by the chapter for display in their museum in Columbus.

Velva Burrell Papers (Ms. 26)
Manuscript copy of Velva Whitley Burrell's unpublished book Blacks of Colorado County, Texas During the Nineteenth Century 1822-1900 and correspondence relating to it.

Charles Renz Collection (was Ms. 27)
Photographs of people, places, and events in the Bernardo-Cat Spring-Eagle Lake area made between 1905 and 1918.

Mary Cullinan Cravens Papers (Ms. 28)
Correspondence, articles, and news clippings regarding the proposed construction of a dam north of Columbus by the Lower Colorado River Authority, beginning in the 1950s.

Columbus Garden Club Papers (Ms. 29)
Scrapbooks containing yearbooks, programs, photographs, and newspaper clippings, kept by the Columbus Garden Club, which was established in 1936.

St. John's Episcopal Church Papers (Ms. 30)
Scattered administrative records and bulletins of St. John's Episcopal Church in Columbus, from 1928 through 1986.

Richard Waldron Byars Papers (Ms. 31)
Photocopies of diaries kept by Richard Waldron Byars and of family Bible records and inserts, together with a transcription of a reminiscence written by Byars. The diaries and reminiscences deal with the cattle business around Colorado County, and various other subjects, including hog raising, rice growing, the sheriff's office, and early oil speculation near Beaumont.

Tait Family Papers (Ms. 32)
Xerographic copies of letters and other documents written by and/or involving Charles William Tait, his plantation, and his slaves, dating from 1848.

Joseph Jefferson Mansfield Papers (Ms. 34)
Personal and professional papers of Joseph Jefferson Mansfield (1861-1947), who served as county judge of Colorado County (1896-1916) and United States Congressman (1916-1947). In the House of Representatives, he served on the Merchant Marine Committee and the Rivers and Harbors Committee, chairing the latter for many years. Mansfield Dam on the Colorado River was named for him. The papers also contain a few items collected by his descendants. The collection was donated to the library by his granddaughters.

Everett Family Papers (Ms. 35)
Papers of Henry Clay Everett, including gravel contracts and other papers, and affidavits regarding land ownership and family history.

Colorado County Chronicles Papers (Ms. 36)
Text, galleys, corrections, administrative documents, and other papers relating to the writing and publication of the two-volume history of Colorado County published by the Colorado County Historical Commission in 1986 under the title Colorado County Chronicles.

Leyendecker Family Papers (Ms. 37)
Xerographic copies of letters, documents, and printed material, most dealing with the life and career of Johann Friedrich Leyendecker, and dating from the 1850s.

Sophie Bridge River Observations Book (Ms. 38)
Book of daily observations concerning river depth and weather conditions at Columbus, Texas, kept by Sophie Bridge from July 1, 1903 until February 28, 1914.

Thomas T. Waddell Papers (Ms. 39)
Correspondence, diaries and other material of Thomas Tompkinson Waddell, who served Colorado County as game warden for most of the twentieth century.

Ben H. Neal Family Papers (Ms. 40)
Documents, including deeds, letters, funeral notices, and wedding invitations, all relating to the family of Benjamin Harris Neal, a Frelsburg physician, and including some family photographs.

Barry A. Crouch Collection (Ms. 41)
Documents relating to the activities of the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (commonly known as the Freedman's Bureau) in Colorado County and the surrounding area from 1865-1869.

Farmers Gin Company Papers (Ms. 42)
The bylaws, minutes, and other records of the Farmers Gin Company of Columbus, Texas, which was organized on March 24, 1924 and chartered on May 21, 1924.

Abstracts of Colorado County (Ms. 43)
A survey of the rural lands of Colorado County made by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, giving data regarding ownership, agricultural production, and structures, complete with various maps.

Trinity Lutheran Church Records (Ms. 45)
Record books and papers from Trinity Lutheran Church in Frelsburg, dating from 1841, the beginning of the congregation.

Leon F. Dick Papers (Ms. 48)
Seven registers and account books maintained by Leon F. Dick between 1902 and 1931 detailing the care of minor children Harry, Alma, and Walter Dick, the construction and maintenance of his home, and his daily activities; and maintained by his heirs between 1931 and 1934 detailing the business of his estate.

Osage Debating Club Records (Ms. 49)
Minutes and records of the Osage Debating Club, later named the Crocket Literary Society, from 1874.

First United Methodist Church of Columbus Records (Ms. 51)
Xerographic copies of the records of the First United Methodist Church in Columbus, including baptisms, marriages, burials, membership rolls, and quarterly conference reports, plus church histories, directories, and other material.

Bianchi Letters (Ms. 52)
Transcriptions of letters written by two French travelers, Fridolin Bianchi and Emile Bianchi, from Colorado County to their family in France in 1870 and 1871.

Willow School Papers (Ms. 53)
Xerographic copy of the records of Willow School from 1895 through 1919.

United Methodist Church of Eagle Lake Records (Ms. 54)
Xerographic copies of the early records of the United Methodist Church of Eagle Lake, including baptisms, marriages, and membership rolls, plus a church history and other material.

New Beef Club Records (Ms. 55)
Xerographic copies of the records of the New Beef Club, a meat club which was organized in 1923 and which existed until 1965.

Colorado County Economic Development Organization Papers (Ms. 56)
Records of the Colorado County Economic Development Organization from 1988 through 2000, including county tax assessments, budgets, employee information, incorporation information, by-laws, county demographics, economic updates, income and expense reports, and correspondence.

Records of Xi Chi Kappa Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi (Ms. 59)
Records of Xi Chi Kappa Chapter, Beta Sigma Phi from 1994 through 1999, including minutes and financial reports.

Gresham Marmion Collection (Ms. 61)
Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and other material relating to the 1935 double-lynching at Columbus.

Dusek Collection (Ms. 62)
A collection of letters, photographs, and clippings and business and legal documents pertaining primarily to the Alley, Auerbach, and Schott families, and including a 1935 dental appointment book.

Prause/Uhlig Papers (Ms. 63)
Nineteenth-century music book owned by Arnold Prause, and twentieth-century documents from the Uhlig family household.

John O'Leary Papers (Ms. 64)
Material relating to the Columbus High School baseball program from 1968 through 1985, and to other athletic programs, donated by John O’Leary, former high school baseball coach, in June 2002.

Mid Town Park Papers (Ms. 65)
Minutes, notes, and other documents relating to the planning and construction of Mid Town Park in Columbus, which opened in 2002.

H. O. Priest Papers (Ms. 67)
Scorebooks and other material relating to the Columbus High School baseball program between 1953 and 1968.

James T. Pettus Diary (Ms. 68)
The diary kept by James T. Pettus, sergeant in Company F, 8th Texas Cavalry (Terry’s Texas Rangers), Confederate States Army, while on campaign from February 12, 1862 until June 27, 1862.

David C. Neer Letters (Ms. 69)
Letters written by David C. Neer to relatives in Hillsborough (now Hillsboro), Loudoun County, Virginia, dating from his arrival at Prairie Point (later Oakland) in 1857 until 1861.

Reconstruction Documents, Miscellaneous (Ms. 70)
Documents collected by various persons and from various sources which relate to the Reconstruction period (1865-1876) in Colorado County. The collection includes several letters relating to the Crisp family, including some written from Brazil.

Klein Family Papers (Ms. 71)
Correspondence and printed matter, most of which deals with clubs in and around Columbus during the 1930s, including notable material dealing with a local chapter of the National Council of Jewish Woman and the Columbus Parent-Teacher Association.

Caldwell Family Papers (Ms. 73)
Printed material, much of which deals with local black schools, from the 1920s through the 1960s. The material was retrieved from the home of Mattie Leona (Toliver) Caldwell (1911-1993) and donated to the library by Virgil Thompson in 2005.

Docket Books of Arthur J. Ratliff, Justice of the Peace (Ms. 74)
Docket books, showing the cases which came before Weimar area Justice of the Peace Arthur J. Ratliff, and their resolutions, between 1944 to 1955.

Mary Grant Papers (Ms. 75)
Documents related to Weimar and to the history of the Grant family collected and created by Mary Edith Grant (1913-2002), who during her life was a school teacher and active member of the First United Methodist Church in Weimar. The collection was donated to the library by her estate in 2003.

William T. Eldridge Trial Transcriptions (Ms. 76)
Transcriptions of the testimony at the two murder trials of William Thomas Eldridge, the first in 1904 for the murder of William Dunovant and the second in 1907 for the murder of William Edward Calhoun. The transcriptions were donated to the library by Robert M. Armstrong.

Henicke Family Collection (Ms. 77)
Material collected by Oscar and Josephine (Miculka) Henicke, including some school material from Columbus, Weimar, and Shaws Bend, and considerable material dealing with St. Paul Lutheran Church in Columbus.

First United Methodist Church, Weimar, Records (Ms. 78)
Copies of the records of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, of Osage, and of  the First United Methodist Church in Weimar, including baptisms, marriages, deaths, lists of pastors, and lists of members. The books were loaned to the library for copying in October 2006. The earliest record book of the Osage church was missing.

Christ Episcopal Church, Eagle Lake, Records (Ms. 79)
Copies of the records of the Christ Episcopal Church in Eagle Lake, including baptisms, marriages, burials, confirmations, lists of pastors, and lists of members. The books were loaned to the library for copying in December 2006. The earliest record book was missing.

John S. Shropshire Papers (Ms. 80)
Letters written by John S. Shropshire while serving as an officer in the Confederate States Army on campaign in New Mexico in 1861 and 1862.

Northrup School Scrapbooks (Ms. 81)
Two scrapbooks assembled by Sunbeam Northrup to document her school years in Columbus. The material is mostly from 1934 and 1935, though some earlier material is included.

Columbus Golf Association Records (Ms. 82)
The minutes of the Columbus Golf Association from 1949 through 1972. The records detail the management of the Columbus golf course by the members of the golf association. The records were donated to the library on September 4, 2007 by Todd Barten.

Booker Memorial Temple, Columbus, Papers (Ms. 84)
Programs for the annual memorial service for Gusta Booker and other material related to Booker Memorial Temple in Columbus and its founding pastor, Carl Evans, and containing some material related to Gusta Booker Jr., donated to the library by Carl Evans on April 16, 2008.

Lillie Reese Papers (Ms. 85)
Material recovered from the former home of Lillie Reese, including the scrapbook which was the basis for the book Flaming Feuds of Colorado County. The Reese home was inherited by Mildred Campbell, who lived in it until the mid 2000s. Her son, Bruce Austin, cleaned up the house in 2007, and donated material collected by Reese to the library on July 31, 2007.