Manuscript Collections

Please contact the archives for any questions about the collections. Not all the collections have been completely processed.  Links in titles indicate Finding Aids or Inventories for that collection.   An alphabetical listing of the manuscript collections can be found here.

MC001 - E. A. "Squatty" Lyons Papers (1930 - 1994)

  • Twenty-two scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, printed materials, correspondence, photographs, and political ephemera document the political career and interests of E. A. “Squatty” Lyons and provide a record of Harris County government from 1943 – 1990.

MC002 - Glenn A. Perry Papers (1935 - 1950)

  • One scrapbook, three photographs, and two fezzes document Glenn A. Perry’s term as Harris County Judge (1944 – 1950). The scrapbook contains primarily newspaper clippings recording the functions of the Harris County government. Of particular interest is the concentration of the articles from the local and statewide press on juvenile and child welfare concerns.

MC003 - Abstracts of Title (individually donated)

  • An abstract of title traces the conveyances and encumbrances on a piece of property from the original grant forward. It also contains a certification by the abstractor that the history is complete and accurate. Abstracts are a condensed history of a specific parcel of land and can be a valuable reference tool.  For the complete list of abstracts in the Harris County Archives, please see Pathfinders.

MC004 - Charles L. Brace Papers (1877 - 1975)

  • Maps, printed materials, newspaper clippings and legal records document the professional work of Charles R. Brace (1881 – 1960), a real-estate developer and builder in the Houston area from the mid-1920’s until the early 1950’s.  Seven of the maps from the collection are digitized and available on the Map Collection page.

MC005 - Houston Cotton Exchange Records. (1880 - 1933)

  • Organizational records, printed materials, a financial report, and correspondence document the Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade.

MC006 - James H. Bray Papers (1971 - 1973)

  • Only 2 of the original scrapbooks survive intact having been destroyed by termites while stored on the dirt floor of an outbuilding.  However, the remaining records contain newspaper clippings, correspondence, and printed materials of Jamie Bray, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct 2, 1971 - 1974

MC007 - Harris County Tax Rolls (State Comproller Copies) (1850 - 1862)

  • These handwritten tax rolls were sent annually  by Harris County to the Comptrollers Office in Austin .  In 2003 a large number of these tax rolls from various counties were found on the floor in the Julia Ideson Building.   With the permission of the State Archivist, Chris LaPlant, all of the tax rolls were removed to the Harris County Archives where they were arranged by county and sent either to the originating county or the Historical Records Depository serving that area.  The bulk of the rolls are from 1860 - 1862.

MC008 - Bob Eckels Papers (1935 - 1988)

  • Eleven scrapbooks, photographs, audio video tapes and 1 film document the political career and interests of Bob Y. Eckels, Harris County Commissioner Precinct 3, 1972 - 1988.

MC009 - Dr. Joseph A. Jachimczyk (1874 - 2005)

  • Newspaper clippings, printed materials, photographs, correspondence, and artifacts, document the personal and professional work of Dr. Joseph A. Jachimczyk (1923-2004), Harris County’s Chief Medical Examiner (1960-1995) for 35 years. The collection is divided into nine series: Correspondence, Subject Files, Legal, Creative Works, Printed Materials, Monographs, Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Artifacts.

MC010 - J. E. "Mac" McCain Photograph Collection (1978 -1999)

  • Photographs, administrative records, manuals, minutes, a VHS and audio tape, and printed materials document the professional and personal interests of Mac McCain. Of particular interest are the 46 albums of photographs (1978 - 1991)recording county employees, elected officials, and events.

MC011 - A. J. Wagner Company, Inc. Records (1908 - 1910)

  • Two volumes of financial records document the business activities of the A. J. Wagner Company, Inc. in Bryan, Navasota, Mexia, and Cameron, Texas, from its inception to its declaration of bankruptcy in August 1910.

MC012 - Heritage Society Map Collection (1885 - 1960)

  • One hundred and eleven municipal, county, and regional maps in addition to surveys and subdivision plats were donated by Houston's Heritage Society to the Harris County Archives.  A number of the maps have been conserved and digitized and will be put on the Map Collection page of this website.  The intent is for all the plats to be digitized and made available to the public.  The inventory covers only those maps donated by the Heritage Society.

MC013 - Women Professionals in Government Records (1987 - 2010)

  • Four annual scrapbooks, two scholarship committee scrapbooks, one 2nd Vice President scrapbook, loose photographs, and a Senate Resolution document the professional, social, and educational involvement of the Women Professionals in Government organization from 1987-2010. Harris County employees and elected officials have been involved in positions of leadership in WPG since its inception.

MC014 - Frank F. Spata Map Collection

  • Two plat books and twenty-two plat maps (1906-1993) document the development of the city of Houston, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Brazoria County, Texas. Of particular interest are the maps of the Fourth Ward prior to the redevelopment in the late 1990s, Houston’s Freedman’s Town, and the downtown area of Houston.

MC015 - Jim Fonteno Papers (1974 - 2002)

  • Thirty-one scrapbooks and loose newspaper clippings (1974 - 2002) document the tenure of long-serving Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner, Jim Fonteno.  Please also see Precinct 2 records for photographs and video tapes from his tenure.

MC016 - John Peters Papers

  • Correspondence, newspaper articles, a newsletter, and 39 black and white 8 x 10 photographs document the Harris County Boys School (1956 - 1971) and the efforts by the communities of Clear Lake and Webster to keep the school open.  Also included in the collection are a A History of the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department 1907 - 1984 and a thesis, Burnett-Bayland Home:  An Historical Perspective.

MC017 - Bond Certification Records (1894 - 1949)

  • Bond Certification Records from the Texas Attorney General’s Office document the certification of bonds for Harris County, the City of Houston, Harris County Municipalities, and Independent School Districts.  Scans of the Drainage District Records are available here.

MC018 - Vera Dial Harris Scrapbook Collection (1937 - 1973)

  • Photographs, printed materials, newspaper clippings, and correspondence document the professional career of Vera Dial Harris as a Negro County Home Demonstration Agent in Austin and Harris County from 1937 until her retirement in 1973.

MC019 - Clayton Library Friends Microfilm Collection

  • Clayton Library Friends donated 162 rolls of microfilm of the Houston Post from February 19, 1880 to December 31, 1900.

MC020 - Rosemary Parks Collection

  • Rosemary Parks, daughter of Harris County Commissioner Tex Dreyfus, worked for the Harris County Engineering Department. Photographs of the Engineering and Right of Way Departments, February 1952, Astrodome construction, September 1963, construction of the Administration Building and two artifacts, the wooden name plate and ship's wheel from the ferry "Tex Dreyfus" document her family's ties to Harris County government.

MC021 - Jack Cato Papers

  • Photographs, newspaper and magazine articles, correspondence, a WNET radio program transcript, printed materials, a scrapbook, recorded materials and a caricature document the professional and political careers of Jack Cato (1953 – 2006), reporter and Harris County Treasurer. Ninety-seven digital images record Cato's from his high school years as a puppeteer in an early children’s television through his tenure as Harris County Treasurer.

MC022 - Walter W. Whitson Papers

  • A group photograph, "The 1915 Charity Organization," includes Walter Whitson, a long time Harris County Social Worker. 

MC023 - Houston Post Newspaper Collection (1880 - 1967)

  • Originally owned by the Houston Public Library and donated by the Clayton Library Friends, 636 bound volumes of the Houston Post (1880 - 1967) document local, state and international events.  The earliest volumes are not available for research due to their condition.  Please contact the archives for access to specific years.

MC024 - Robert A. Eckels Papers

  • Correspondence, photographs, videos, campaign records and ephemera, legislative records, scrapbooks, and artifacts document the political career of Robert A. Eckels.  The videos in this collection have been digitized and are available for researchers.  The remainder of the collection has not been processed but may be accessed for research.  Please contact the archives for further information.

MC025 - William G. Sharman Papers

  • Correspondence, photographs, printed materials, and artifacts document the life of life-long Harris County employee and Precinct 3 Commissioner (1921 - 1932) William G. Sharman. Of particular importance are 3 photographs recording the 1910 courthouse prior to the 1952 renovations and correspondence discussing the county road camps.

MC026 - Jefferson Davis Hospital Auxiliary Records

  • Fifty-six items including requests for reimbursement, membership lists, correspondence, minutes and printed materials document the work of the Jefferson Davis Hospital Auxiliary from 1972 – 1976.

MC027 - Gene Zaboroski Papers

  • Printed materials including campaign posters, a brochure, a handbill, copies of 2 commissions, newspaper articles, and political advertisements, document three campaigns of Gene Zaboroski for Justice of the Peace of Precinct 6 and later Precinct 4-1 in Harris County, Texas, 1966 - 1974. Two newspaper articles discuss the Juergen Store (1974) and Zaboroski’s donation to Harris County Precinct 3 (2004) of family-owned land, buildings, and artifacts which would become the foundation for Cypress Top Historical Park.

MC028 - A. E. Amerman Collection

  • Photographs, political ephemera, speeches, two funeral memorial books, and a scrapbook document the life of A. E. (Almeron Earl) Amerman, Harris County Judge (1907 – 1913) and Houston Mayor (1918 – 1921).  Of particular interest are the 150 glass plate negatives and 72 acetate negatives taken by A. E. Amerman and his brother C. H. C. Amerman ca. 1895 and 1910.

MC030 - Carol Vance Scrapbook Collection

  • Seven scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings, printed materials, correspondence, and photographs, document the career and interests of Carol S. Vance, Harris County District Attorney (1966-1979).

MC031 - Roy F. Campbell Scrapbook Collection (Digital)

  • Correspondence, election materials, photographs and newspaper clippings document the life and career of Roy Forsythe Campbell from 1890 – 1957. Of particular interest are letters announcing his admission to the bar including his exam results, the oath of office taken in 1925 as judge of the 80th District Court, a 1925 election poster, a push card from 1918, and photographs of Campbell and his family. A photograph taken in January 1940 of the 80th District Court shows the interior of a courtroom in the Harris County Courthouse prior to renovation in 1952. Records in this collection were selected and digitized from a scrapbook created by Helen Elizabeth Campbell Gose, Roy F. Campbell’s daughter.

MC032 - William Look Papers

  • Records (.5 cubic feet) documenting the business and land holdings of the William Look Family 1892 – 1955.  Records include but are not limited to warranty deeds, abstracts of title, leases, World War II ephemera, plans for property improvements, Extension Service plans for dairy barns, and tax receipts.

MC033 - Houston Post Police Beat Records (1976 - 1979)

  • Two log books (1976 – 1979) and 9 spiral notebooks of clippings (1976 – 1979) document the process and work of reporters from the Houston Post assigned to the police beat during the years 1976 – 1979.  The log books record daily events by shift.  Entries include notes about which officers were working a case, decisions made by editors, and story assignments.  Filled with clippings from the Houston Post, the notebooks provided reference materials for the police reporters and included the articles written by them.

MC034 - H. M. Hobbs Scrapbook Collection

  • Approximately 255 scrapbooks (1910 – 1975) document the interests of H. M. (Harold Maxwell) Hobbs and the local, national, and international newspaper articles available in Houston, Texas. His scrapbooks are often compiled by subject then chronologically.  For example, a scrapbook contains advertisements for automobiles in the 1950s, another pro-Wrestling stories, a third America’s entry into World War II, and a series of obituaries (with an index).  A rudimentary subject index list his interests from the spines of the scrapbooks.  There are many books with no subject, just a range of dates.

MC035 - Books and Serials

MC036 - Jefferson Davis Hospital

  •  The Caduceus of 1950, a Jefferson Davis School of Nursing yearbook, and a list of residents and interns (1924 – 1948) with some annotations document the educational functions of the county hospital.

MC037 - Beatrice Massey Papers

  • Two scrapbooks (1936 – 1938), correspondence, clippings (1983 – 1988), and a photograph of C. D. Massey document the tenure of Beatrice Massey, the first woman commissioner in Harris County (1935 – 1938).  She was appointed to fulfill her husband’s term, C. D. Massey (1927 – 1935), after he died in office.  She successfully ran for election in Precinct 2, but was not re-elected on her second try.

MC038 - Samuel Ashe Photograph Collection

  • A photographic portrait of Samuel Ashe (1839 – 1919) was discovered in the Valley, donated to the Heritage Society, and who then donated it to the Harris County Archives. Ashe was a decorated Terry’s Texas Ranger and served Harris County as a justice of the peace, sheriff, tax collector, and district criminal court clerk between 1870 and 1897.  The photograph was likely taken between 1910 and 1919 but had significant damage.  Here is the portrait before and after conservation work.

MC039 - William Tautenhahn Papers

MC040 - Marks Ranch Headquarters Collection

  •  A written history, photographs, negatives, and sketch plans from the Texas Historical Commission document of the Marks Ranch, Headquarters and Grounds located west of Houston in Harris County.

MC041 - Boudloche Land Records

  • Maps, a deed, correspondence, and condemnation of land related to the Texas Eastern Transmission Corporation pipeline crossing of four tracts of land in the Benjamin Barrow Survey in Harris County, Texas.

MC042 - City of Houston Housing and Community Development Photos

  • Sixteen printed digital photographs documenting 4709 Texas Street, 77011, and 312 Cosmos Street, 77009, in compliance with Texas Historical Commission requirement that photographs be placed in a local repository.

MC043 - Historic Court Documents

  • This artificial collection is a sampling of the case files from the Justice (20 Cases), County (ca. 175 Cases), and District (17 Cases) courts of Harris County from its first three decades, 1837-1867. While most case documents are from the Republic of Texas (especially 1838), there are several from the 1850s and a small sampling from Reconstruction, but none from the Civil War period. Together the files create an incomplete yet tantalizing picture of early Harris County and are an important addition to manuscript resources available to the study of Texas legal and social history.

MC044 - Schultz Family Papers

  • Sixty-two legal and financial records (1856 – 1937) document the acquisition and retention of land by members of the Schultz Family in Northeast Harris County, Texas.  Of particular interest are early school tax receipts (1871), the evolution and variant spellings of “Krimmel” from Crimmell to Grimmell to Krimmel, and John Zimmerman’s Letter Patent for 160 acres signed by Governor T. R. Lubbock.

MC045 - Houston Street Scenes Photograph Collection

  • Sixty-five color slide transparencies document properties in Houston in May and June 1967 with the East End comprising the bulk of the collection. Also included are several maps of Houston and unidentified properties.

MC046 - Penn City Land Company Records

  • A single ledger, Penn City Land Company, July 8, 1909 - November 27,1914, documents the early development of Penn City in east Harris County.

MC047 - Michael P. Driscoll Papers

  • Personal and professional papers, photographs, transparencies, photo albums, film, VHS tapes, printed materials, plaques, artifacts, creative works, and ephemera (1956 – 2010) document the political, professional, and political activities and service of Michael Driscoll, Harris County Attorney (1981 – 1996).

MC048 - Terence O'Rourke Papers

  • Correspondence, printed materials, legal documents, creative works, photographs, audio-video tapes, daily journals, and minutes 1960 – 2007 document the education and career of Terence O’Rourke.  Of particular interest are the 7 cubic feet of records pertaining to the standoff of The Republic of Texas militia members with the State of Texas in the Davis Mountains in 1996.  All video tapes have been digitized.

MC049 - StarTex Title Abstract Collection

  • Property records including 32 volumes of block books created by Texas Title and Abstract Company, 725 volumes of abstracts of title, and 15 order books dating from the mid-1920s document the history of land ownership in Harris County.

MC050 - Larry Paul Smith Collection

  • Nine digitized photographs and 3 personal essays by Larry Paul Smith (“807 Rutland,”  “The Gypsies,” and “Yale Pharmacy,”) document the history of a Houston Heights neighborhood, 1933 – 2005.

MC051 - C. B. Green Collection (1913 - 1963)

  • A scrapbook documents the Harris County Home for the Aged, the Harris County Probation Department, and the Green family through photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and creative works. Additional items include a 2003 aerial photograph of the property and a newspaper article from 2014 about the Harris County Cemetery. Digitized.

MC052 - Henry R. Norman Collection

  • Daily diaries (1954 – 1995), copies of photographs, correspondence and newspaper clippings (1938 – 1969) document the engineering and flood control work of Henry R. Norman.  The newspaper clippings have been digitized.

MC053 - Dalala Kathleen Saccar Collection

  • A scrapbook (1925 – 1983) created by Beulah Cisco, teacher at the Harris County School for Girls, containing photographs, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and greeting cards documents the life of the residents and staff at the county institution.  Additional photographs and certificates record the lives of the Saccar children.  The records have been digitized.

MC054 - Kirk Farris Collection

  • Identification Card for Kirk Farris, Pollution Control Department, 1978

MC055 - John D. Bruton Papers

  • Approximately .5 cubic feet of photographs, maps, printed materials, reports and a deed (1958 – 1991) document the establishment of Kingwood by the Friendswood Development Corporation.

MC056 - Luther Brown Papers

  • Deed (typescript), correspondence, and 33  tax receipts (1893 – 1927) relating to the ownership of Lot 30, Aldine Gardens, Harris County, Texas.

MC057 - Weather Museum Collection

  • Six cubic feet of Houston climate and flood data records collected over a 20 year period through 2014 by the John C. Freeman Weather Museum, Houston, Texas.

MC058 - Charles Henley Papers (1991 - 2005)

  • Newspaper clippings, correspondence, memos, and faxes document the conflict between Harris County and the Greater Houston AIDS Alliance in 1992. Case management and decisions by the Ryan White Planning Council are covered in later news articles.  This collection has been digitized. 

MC059 - Morse Bragg Cemetery Collection

  • 139 MB of correspondence, legal documents, maps, printed materials, and photographs relating to the Morse Bragg Cemetery and its eventual transfer to Harris County as a park in Precinct 3.

MC060 - Eli Mittelstedt Photo Collection

MC061 - Mike Vance Microfilm Collection

  • Microfilm  of the Houston Post for the following dates:  January – February 1914, January – December 1917, January – December 1918, January – December 1919, January – December 1930.