Finding Guides are tools that allow researchers to get an in-depth look at a collection before actually seeing the collection. Not all collections have finding guides, and not all finding guides are available on the website. Finding guides are created as collections are processed, with special attention given to the most used and requested collections. Here are our online finding guides available so far.
A
American Lumberman Photograph Collection, 1903, 1907. 3 cubic feet (9 volumes, 3 boxes)
American Lumberman was a weekly trade journal created on January 1, 1899 from the merger of Northwestern Lumberman, established in 1873, and The Timberman, established in 1886. The magazine featured the Southern Pine Lumber Company, founded in 1894 in Diboll, Texas, in three issues: November 16, 1901; April 16, 1904; and January 18, 1908. This collection contains more than 300 gelatin silver prints made by American Lumberman photographers during visits to Diboll in 1903 and 1907, documenting the lumber company’s management, logging operations, lumber camps, sawmills, commissary, and social life.
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B
Brashears, J.C., Family Collection, 1888-1975. 2 boxes
Family papers of the J.C. Brashears Family of Burke, Texas, including: Correspondence (1888-1945), Poll Lists and Tally Lists for Burke, TX Precinct No. 3 Angelina County (1917-1926), State and County Tax Receipts (1884-1928, 1946), Poll Tax Receipts (1904-1928), School Tax Receipts (1920-1930), Newspapers and Clippings (1891-1975), Bank Receipts (1896-1910) and undated photographs, and various legal documents.
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C
Carr, Jesse, "Hobbs Knight of the Road" Collection, 1954-1961. .5 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Temple Industries trucker Jesse Carr was nominated for the Hobbs Knight of the Road Award in 1958. The Hobbs Knight of the Road award was annually awarded to an unlimited number of truck drivers who had performed an exceptional act of courtesy and was subsequently nominated by a Texas Department of Public Safety officer. This collection contains correspondence, clippings, photographs, a plaque, certificates, and other items pertaining to Carr's receipt of the award.
Concerned Citizens of Diboll versus Family Affair Club Records, 1973. 1 folder
The Family Affair Club was a predominantly African American club in Diboll, Texas. This collection consists of a public hearing transcript, correspondence, and exhibits documenting the Concerned Citizens of Diboll’s effort, led by Baptist minister Larry Weaver, to prevent the club from obtaining a special use permit to legally operate and sell alcoholic beverages.
Cruthirds, Gayle, Collection, 1930-1991. 2 cubic feet
Gayle Cruthirds grew up in Diboll, Texas, and later became a seargent of the 376th Heavy Bomb Group, 15th Air Force. This collection consists of photographs, magazines, newspapers, medals, a flight log, and correspondence documenting Cruthirds’ life interests, school days, and service in World War II.
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D
Dubose, Lola, Rockland Photograph Collection. 33 photographs
One tintype and thirty-two digital images scanned from donor's originals pertainint to history of Rockland, Texas, at the end of the 19th century through the middle of the 20th century. Included are images of Neches River ferries, rock quarries, and Rockland railroad scenes.
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G
Grant, Ruth, Homer Research Collection. .75 cubic feet
Life-long Angelina County resident and historian Ruth Grant collected .75 cubic feet of research materials in order to write a book on the city of Homer, Angelina County's 3rd county seat. Homer served as the county's seat of government from 1858-1892, when the railroad and a courthouse fire forced a change to Lufkin. Homer was the county's leading city for many years and its founding families played a role in decades of county history. The Homer area was also known for its family feuds during and following the Civil War.
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H
Hannah, John Jr. Collection, 1966-2004. 46.4 cubic feet
This collection comprises some 46.4 cubic feet of correspondence, political campaign materials, souvenir photographs, scrapbooks of news clippings, books, and awards and memorabilia. The bulk of the material relates to specific times in the life of John Hannah Jr., documenting his career as Texas State Representative, 1966-1972, District Attorney, 1972-1977, United States Attorney, Eastern District of Texas, 1977-1981, his unsuccessful campaign for election as Attorney General for the state of Texas, 1982, his years as Secretary of State for Texas, 1991-1994, as United States District judge, 1994-2001, and as Chief Judge, United States Court for the Eastern District of Texas, 2001 until his death. In terms of bulk, the largest groups of material are the awards and memorabilia, the book collection, and the scrapbooks.
Houston Oil Company of Texas Recruise of Timberlands, 1910 (maps).. 6 vols.
Small maps and textual descriptions of lands and timber in twelve East Texas counties and one Louisiana parish.
Houston, East & West Texas Railway Company Payroll Book, 1921. 1 vol
The Houston, East & West Texas Railway Company was chartered on March 11, 1875, to build a narrow gauge railroad between Houston and Texarkana and to connect Houston with Corpus Christi and Laredo through Victoria and Goliad. At the state boundary the 191-mile HE&WT connected with the affiliated forty-mile Shreveport and Houston Railway Company, and the two railroads formed a through line between Houston and Shreveport, Louisiana. This collection consists of a single payroll volume documenting wages paid to railroad employees and attorneys of the Houston East & West Texas Railway and the Houston & Shreveport Railroad Company for January 1921.
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L
Lufkin Rotary Club Records, 1931-1997. 12.5 cubic feet
The Lufkin Rotary Club was chartered on January 18, 1934 by a group of Lufkin business men interested in providing social services to improve the community of Lufkin and Angelina County. This collection includes minutes, financial records, maps, publications, directories, conference materials, Rotary Ann records, correspondence, clippings, photographs, and artifacts documenting the club's service activities.
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M
McCall, Ina, Retirement Scrapbook, 1914-1955 (bulk 1955). .5 cubic feet (2 boxes)
Ina Eret McCall, daughter of Daniel Bynum McCall, served as postmistress of Burke from September 21, 1914 to August 31, 1955. This collection consists of a scrapbook compiled and gifted to McCall by Nobie Cambell, containing letters concerning her retirement and career as postmistress and her impact on Burke, Texas.
McDonald, Archie P., Political Campaign Materials Collection, c. 1952-2002. 4.5 cubic feet (7 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Dr. Archie P. McDonald is a professor of history and community liaison at Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches, Texas. In the early 1950s he began collecting political campaign materials. This collection includes posters, bumper stickers, pins, ties, t-shirts, brochures, buttons, mugs, and other materials from presidential, congressional, state, and local campaigns from circa 1952-2002.
Munz, Mary, Collection, c. 1900-2003. 3.25 cubic feet (5 boxes)
Born on August 4, 1923, Mary Munz was the daughter of Georgie Temple and Harry Munz, and granddaughter of T. L. L. Temple. This collection contains a variety of personal items of Munz and the Temple family, as well as records relating to Munz's care.
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N
Nacogdoches & Southeastern Railroad Company (Russell Tedder Collection), 1919-1956. 22 folders
Mainly reports and correspondence, encompassing a brief and incomplete snapshot of the company's dealings with the Interstate Commerce Commission and the volume of forest products shipped along its rails.
Nineteenth Century Land Documents, 1838-1979 (bulk 19th century). 14 items
Land documents from Texas and Georgia, mostly between 1835 and 1860. Includes signatures of Texas Governor Sam Houston and Republic of Texas President Anson Jones.
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R
Ramsey Family Collection, 1936-1981, bulk 1957-1961. 3 cubic feet (7 boxes)
Robert Ramsey, Sr. was the principal of Diboll High School between 1947 and 1974, in addition to serving as a teacher at the Blair School and a small school in Shelby County. His son, Robert Ramsey, Jr. was a Diboll High School student and athlete who lettered in baseball, basketball, and football. This collection primarily documents Robert Ramsey, Jr.’s high school athletic career, and also contains records documenting Robert Ramsey, Sr.’s career as a teacher and principal.
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T
Temple Estate Papers, 1879-1952. 3.25 cubic feet (7 boxes)
Thomas Lewis Latané (T. L. L.) Temple, born in Virginia in 1859, founded the Southern Pine Lumber Company and Texas South-Eastern Railroad in 1894 and 1900 respectively, and was one of the most successful lumbermen in East Texas. Upon his death in 1935, his will established a trust to provide financial asisstance to former employees who had been injured and their families. This collection contains correspondence, legal agreements and instruments, estate valuation statements, real estate records, income tax records, and cancelled checks documenting the administration of Temple’s estate and the establishment of his trust.
Temple Family Book Collection, 1806-1912. 2.5 cubic feet
The Temple family, through Thomas Lewis Latané Temple, has had a profound impact on Diboll, Texas and the East Texas lumber industry. This collection contains 19th and early 20th century books owned by early members of the Temple and Lewis families, reflecting their careers as ministers, doctors, and students, as well as revealing their personal interests.
Temple Foundation, 1955-1971, bulk 1955-1962. 2 boxes
Records of the Temple Foundation, which was formed by members of the Temple family and Southern Pine Lumber Company officials in order to provide charitable assistance to members of the community and former workers that fell through the cracks of early pension plans. The Foundation took several forms through the years, originating in 1935 as a trust provided for by the will of T.L.L. Temple and later renewed by his children in 1951, until 1962, when Mrs. Georgie Temple Munz, T.L.L. Temple's last surviving child, created a new foundation in his honor, the T.L.L. Temple Foundation.
Temple, Arthur, Jr., Papers. 240 cubic feet
240 cubic feet of the Arthur Temple, Jr. (1920-2006) Papers, dating from 1943-1978. The bulk of the content is characterized as correspondence. Though everything within this correspondence series is not strictly “correspondence” it is apparent from it’s original order that these were office files containing documents received by Arthur Temple’s office, meant for his notice, or documents that were produced by Arthur Temple’s office to be sent to others. The term correspondence is used to encompass all documents received in his office and filed alphabetically by subject. Other series include Financial Documents, Paid Bills, and Reports spanning roughly the same time period.
Temple, Arthur, Sr. Letters, 1939-1951. approx. 750 letters.
Letters written by Arthur Temple Sr. (1894-1951) to business associates and copied to his son, Arthur Temple Jr. (1920-2006) to keep him informed concerning the family business.
Texas South-Eastern Railroad Company Records, 1902-1991. 67 cubic feet (49 boxes, 6 oversize boxes, 112 volumes)
The Texas-Southeastern Railroad Company, incorporated on September 22, 1900 and chartered on October 9, 1900, was a short line railroad connecting Diboll, Texas with Lufkin, Texas. It was founded by T. L. L. Temple of the Southern Pine Lumber Company, and was primarily used by the company to transport forest products to and from the Diboll mill, connecting to the mainline St. Louis & Southwestern Railway in Lufkin. Today (in 2010) the railroad is fully owned by Temple-Inland, Inc., it no longer maintains track to Lufkin, and it primarily provides switching services for various industrial plants at Diboll, connecting with the Union Pacific. This collection contains legal documents, contracts, financial records, timebooks, minutes, printed material, freight correspondence, profile maps, retirement plans, and annual reports filed with the Interstate Commerce Commission, State Tax Board, and Railroad Commission of Texas. It also contains similar records of the Lufkin, Hemphill & Gulf Railway Company and Southern Pine Lumber Company due to their relationships with the TSE.
Texas State Railroad Board of Managers Audit Papers, 1921-1952. 5 folders
This small collection of papers was assembled early in 1952 when Southern Pine Lumber Company considered purchasing the Texas State Railroad, which was then leased by the Texas & New Orleans Railroad Company (T&NO). At the heart of the collection is a twenty-nine page audit report for the years 1943-1950. The report begins by reviewing an earlier audit of the years 1921 to 1943 and provides a three page narrative history of the railroad’s construction and operation to 1950. Interestingly, the audit questions T&NO’s reported operational losses during the lease years. Also included in the papers is an itemized list of additions and retirements to track facilities made by T&NO between 1921 and 1951.
Thompson, Clyde Papers (1934-1976). 92 cubic feet
Papers of Clyde Thompson, 61 year employee of the Temple Companies. He started work for Southern Pine Lumber Company in 1916 as a stenographer, then later gained responsibilities as the years passed. He held the titles of Purchasing Agent, Superintendent of Logging Operations, Vice President of the Forestry Division, and Director. He retired as Vice President and Director of Temple Eastex in 1976. This collection contains 5 series: Correspondence, Compensation Claims, Financial, Logging, and Other.
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W
Weeks, Franklin, Ryan Chapel Scrapbook, c. 1982-1986. 1 scrapbook
One scrapbook containing 66 pages of photos and text. The majority of the photographs are reproductions Franklin Weeks used in a November 1986 speech on the history of Ryan Chapel. The speech (11 pages) is located in a folder in the back of the book. The scrapbook also contains various photographs of Franklin Weeks at Texas Sesquicentennial events (1986) and at his Lufkin Industries retirement party (1982).
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