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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Organization of Collection

Restrictions

Index Terms

Related Material

Administrative Information

Description of Series

Series 1: Business papers

Series 2: Goliad County, Texas, Sheriff records

Series 3: Goliad County, Texas, Inspector of Hides and Animals records

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo

A Guide to the James Lincoln Papers, 1863-1896


Descriptive Summary

Creator: Lincoln, James, 1835-1903
Title: James Lincoln Papers
Dates: 1863-1896
Creator Abstract: A businessman and public official, James Lincoln (1835-1903) worked as a commission agent and supervised the shipping of cotton from Eagle Pass, Texas, into Mexico. He later joined a San Antonio business; engaged in ranching in Goliad County, Texas; and served as Goliad County Sheriff and Inspector of Hides and Animals.
Content Abstract: Correspondence, legal documents, financial documents, and printed material make up the James Lincoln papers.
Identification: Col 894
Extent: 1.83 linear feet (1 box, 3 oversize items)
Language: Materials are in English.
Repository: Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

Biographical Note

Born 1835 May 15 near Marion, Alabama, much of James Lincoln's youth was spent on the move, as he and his family pursued varied business opportunities in several states. After spending most of his childhood in Mississippi, Lincoln joined his father and two brothers in the California gold fields in the early 1850s. In the ensuing years, Lincoln was involved in cattle ranching in California, freighting between California and Salt Lake City, mining in Arizona territory, a lumber mill on the Rio Grande, and a government-contracted mail route between Ft. Clark and Eagle Pass, Texas.

Lincoln next served two years as Deputy Customs Officer at Eagle Pass before establishing a commission business there, moving cotton across the Texas-Mexico border. He also received an appointment from the Confederate government, serving as tax assessor in Eagle Pass.

After the Civil War, Lincoln supervised a train of wagons hauling cotton to Mexico City before joining the San Antonio merchandising business, R. Wulfing and Co. Following his involvement in that venture, Lincoln moved to Goliad, Texas, which became his permanent home. He began raising livestock, first mules, then cattle.

Lincoln periodically held public office during his residence in Goliad, serving as Justice of the Peace, Inspector of Hides and Animals, and County Sheriff (1877-1879).

Lincoln married Aletha D. Pettus (1848-1928), the daughter of John Freeman Pettus, in 1871. The couple had three children. James Lincoln died in 1903 and is buried with his wife in the Pettus family cemetery in Goliad County.

References

Goliad County Historical Commission. The History and Heritage of Goliad County. Austin, Texas: Eakin Publications, 1983.

Historical and Biographical Record of the Cattle Industry and the Cattlemen of Texas and Adjacent Territory. St. Louis: Woodward and Tiernan Printing Co., 1895.

Pettus Family biographical file. Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

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Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, legal documents, financial documents, and printed material make up the James Lincoln Papers, the material documenting some of the business and public activities of the Eagle Pass and Goliad, Texas, resident.

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Organization of Collection

This collection is organized into three series.
Series 1: Business papers
Series 2: Goliad County, Texas, Sheriff records
Series 3: Goliad County, Texas, Inspector of Hides and Animals records

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

No restrictions. The collection is open for research.

Usage Restrictions

Please be advised that the library does not hold the copyright to most of the material in its archival collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure those rights when needed. Permission to reproduce does not constitute permission to publish. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of copyright, literary property rights, and libel.

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Index Terms

Personal Names
Lincoln, James, 1835-1903.
Organizations
Goliad County (Tex.). Sheriff--Records and correspondence.
Goliad County (Tex.). Inspector of Hides and Animals--Records and correspondence.
R. Wulfing and Co. (San Antonio, Tex.)
Subjects
Cotton trade--Mexico.
Cotton trade--Texas.
Sheriffs--Texas--Goliad County.
Locations
Eagle Pass (Tex.)
Goliad County (Tex.)
San Antonio (Tex.)
Genres/Formats
Personal papers.
Correspondence.
Deeds.
Financial records.
Legal documents.

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Related Material

Pettus and Wallace Families Papers, 1836-1977, Col 907, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], James Lincoln Papers, 1863-1896, Col 894, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Lon W. Travis, 1962 February.

Processing Information

Processed by Warren Stricker, 1993 January.

Finding aid edited and encoded by Caitlin Donnelly, 2010 August.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Series 1: Business papers

The first series consists mainly of documents associated with Lincoln's activities in Eagle Pass in the 1860s, where he worked as a commission agent and supervised the shipping of cotton to Mexico. Included are letters to and from business associates in Mexico and Texas as well as legal and financial documents associated with the trans-border cotton trade. A few items are related to his association with the San Antonio business R. Wulfing and Co. in the late 1860s and later activities as a landowner and rancher in Goliad County.
Box Folder
1 Correspondence, 1865-1892
1 H. Klocke, Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, to James Lincoln, 1865 July 3.
2 E. Cramer, San Antonio, Texas, to James Lincoln, Eagle Pass, Texas, 1866 April 15.
3 James Lincoln to Mariano de los Santos, Villaldama, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 1866 July 22.
4 James Lincoln, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to Mariano de los Santos, Villaldama, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 1866 August 1.
5 James Lincoln, Villaldama, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to J. Perez Garcia y Compania, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 1866 October 3.
6 Luciano Padilla to James Lincoln, 1866 October 27.
7 E. Cramer, San Antonio, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1867 January 16.
8 James Lincoln, San Antonio, Texas, to Mariano de los Santos, Villaldama, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 1867 January 21.
9 E. Cramer, San Antonio, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1867 October 15.
10 Mariano Santos, Villaldama, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, to James Lincoln, San Antonio, Texas, 1868 April 14.
11 John Hynes, Goliad, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1883 December 28.
12 L. P. Williams, Pleasanton, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, circa 1883.
13 John Hynes, Victoria, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, 1884 February 20.
14 L. A. Maetze and Brother, Goliad, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1892 July 27.
15 [Susanna?] Relty [Lincoln?], Columbus, Mississippi, to James Lincoln, undated.
Legal documents, 1864-1895
16 Appointment: Assessor of Confederate Tax, 1 item, 1864.
17 Customs permits, 2 items, 1865.
18 Power of attorney: Rufino Sanchez to James Lincoln, 1 item, 1866.
19 Certification, 1 item, 1866.
20 Passports and passes, 4 items, 1866.
21 Court order: E. Cramer, bankruptcy, 1 item, 1868.
22 Bills of sale, 3 items, 1868 and 1895.
23 Brand records, 2 items, 1870 and 1874.
24 Depositions: Estrays, 2 items, 1872 and 1875.
Deeds, 1880
25 Phoebe Scott, William A. Scott, John J. Scott, and Susan Scott to James Lincoln, McMullen and Atascosa counties, Texas, 1 item, 1880.
26 W. A. Pettus to James Lincoln, Goliad County, Texas, 1 item, 1880.
27 Phebe Scott, John J. Scott, and Sue Scott to W. A. Scott, Bexar County, Texas, 1 item, 1880.
28 Subscription contracts: Woodward and Tiernan Printing Co., attached check, 3 items, 1895.
Financial documents, 1863-1896
Receipts, 1863-1874
29 Occupation tax, 2 items, 1863.
30 Confederate taxes, 2 items, 1863-1864.
31 Sales tax, 1 item, 1864.
32 Cotton tax, 1 item, 1864.
33 General, 4 items, 1863, 1874, and undated.
Bills of lading, 1860s
34 Cotton, 9 items, 1865-1866.
35 J. H. Bahnsen y Compania, blank, 5 items, 1860s.
Account statements, 1866-1868 and 1894
36 10 items, 1866-1868.
37 1 item, 1894.
38 Drafts and checks, 5 items, 1866 and 1878.
39 Promissory notes, 14 items, 1890-1896.
40 Inventory, 1 item, circa 1880s.
41 Printed material: R. Wulfing and Co., 2 items.

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Series 2: Goliad County, Texas, Sheriff records

The second series includes some of the official records associated with Lincoln's tenure as Goliad County Sheriff. Included is correspondence, which is made up of letters received, regarding criminal investigations and the sheriff's additional tax collection duties. Legal documents include court orders regarding criminal cases and housing of prisoners and orders from the County Commissioner's Court, primarily in connection with the appointment of jurors and election officials. Financial documents concern tax collection activities and include items to and from state government offices, such as receipts, account statements, and financial reports.
Box Folder
1 Correspondence, 1877-1879
42 G. W. Morriss, Brenham, Texas, to A. A. Henniman, 1877 January 3.
43 Stephen H. Darden, Austin, Texas, to D. F. Meriwether, Goliad, Texas, 1877 February 19.
44 Stephen H. Darden, Austin, Texas, to Tax Collectors, 1877 November 1.
45 DeCordova and McKinney, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1877 November 21.
46 B. M. Southard, Charleston, Arkansas, to unknown recipient, 1878 January 29.
47 F. W. Chandler, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, 1878 February 8.
48 Stephen H. Darden, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, 1878 February 8.
49 Stephen H. Darden, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1878 February 18.
50 I. Ulrich, San Antonio, Texas, to unknown recipient, 1878 April 2.
51 Thomas P. Marks, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, 1878 April 4.
52 F. W. Chandler, Austin, Texas, to James Lincoln, Goliad, Texas, 1878 April 15.
53 A. B. Peticolas, Victoria, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1878 April 24.
54 L. Ballou, Rockport, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1878 May 15.
55 William G. LeDue, Washington, D.C., to unknown recipient, 1878 June 15.
56 M. E. Brackenridge, San Antonio, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1878 June 18.
57 E. M. Wheeler, Rufugio, Texas, to James Lincoln, 1878 August 26.
58 Stephen H. Darden, Austin, Texas, to A. A. Herriman, Goliad, Texas, 1879 September 27.
Legal documents, 1877-1878.
Court order, 1877-1878
59 7 items, 1877.
60 10 items, 1878.
61 Orders: Goliad County, Texas, Commissioner's Court, 15 items, 1877-1878.
62 Notice: tax sale, E. A. Broyles vs. C. G. Word, 1 item, 1877.
63 Tax sale deeds: R. Cortina, Juan Cavado, and Mario Cabraro, 3 items, 1877.
Box Folder
Extradition papers, 1878
Oversize 1 John H. Martin, appointment of agent for his transfer, 1 item, 1878.
Oversize 2 C. P. Miles, appointment of agent for his transfer, 1 item, 1878.
Oversize 3 C. P. Miles, demand for his surrender, attached indictment, 1 item, 1878.
Box Folder
1 64 Tax roll: Victoria County, Texas, 1 item, 1878.
65 Receipts, non-monetary, 2 items, 1878.
Financial documents, 1876-1879
66 Account statements: Texas, Comptroller of Public Accounts, 4 items, 1876-1877.
Receipts, 1877-1879
67 Texas, Comptroller of Public Accounts, 9 items, 1877-1879.
68 State and county taxes: G. W. Burt, Mario Cabraro, Juan Cavardo, R. Cortina, Jr., Nat Lewis estate, and other, 6 items, 1877-1878.
69 General, 2 items, 1878.
70 Warrants: Texas, Treasurer, 3 items, 1877 and 1878.
Reports, 1878-1879
71 State taxes collected, 2 items, 1878.
72 Occupation taxes, 1 item, 1879.

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Series 3: Goliad County, Texas, Inspector of Hides and Animals records

Box Folder
1 73 Legal documents: certification of election, 1 item, 1873.
74 Legal documents: report, 1 item, 1875.

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