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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: Correspondence

Series 2: Financial records

Series 3: Land records

Series 4: Estate records

Series 5: General legal documents

Series 6: Austin County, Texas, sheriff's records

Series 7: Personal documents

Series 8: Research material

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo

A Guide to the Grayson Family Papers, 1835-1959


Descriptive Summary

Creator: Grayson Family
Title: Grayson Family Papers
Dates: 1835-1959
Creator Abstract: Brothers Benjamin S. and Thomas W. Grayson came to Texas from South Carolina in the early 1830s, engaging in the shipping business on arrival. Benjamin Grayson was involved in other business activities before relocating to Mexico in the 1840s, shipping supplies to California in the early months of the gold rush. Thomas Grayson established ranches in several locations before settling in Bexar County.
Content Abstract: Correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, and research material provide information on the business activities of several family members. The bulk of the material is associated with Benjamin S. and Thomas Wigg Grayson and their sister Elizabeth Mary Grayson.
Identification: Col 895
Extent: 5.21 linear feet (3 boxes, 2 oversize items)
Language: Materials are in English.
Repository: Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

Biographical Note

Brothers Benjamin S. and Thomas Wigg Grayson were natives of South Carolina who came to Texas on the eve of the 1836 revolution. Both men were involved in shipping in Texas; some of the vessels with which they were associated were used to carry men and supplies destined for Texan forces in the struggle with Mexico.

After the war, Benjamin S. Grayson formed a mercantile partnership with J. M. Shreve in Velasco. In the early 1840s, he served as Sheriff of Austin County. Prior to the Mexican War, he established a business in Camargo, Mexico, and began shipping supplies to California in the early months of the gold rush. He died in San Francisco in 1849.

Thomas W. Grayson served as master of the steamer Yellow Stone and other vessels operating on the Texas coast after the revolution. He later moved inland and married Mrs. Tabitha Edwards (1822-1868) in Austin in 1844. He lived in the area of La Grange, New Braunfels, and Selma before settling on a ranch outside of San Antonio. In addition to his ranching activities, Grayson was involved in numerous land transactions, including the management of the holdings of his brother Benjamin’s estate.

Grayson and his wife had five children. His sister Elizabeth Mary Grayson (1804-1889) also lived with his family and was involved in the Benjamin Grayson estate. Thomas W. Grayson died in San Antonio in 1873.

Some of Thomas W. Grayson’s children settled in the Bexar County area, including Bennie S. Grayson, who first married John M. Pirie and then, after Pirie’s death, Joseph Neil Campbell. Her daughters, Emma E. Pirie and Bennie S. Campbell, residents of San Antonio, actively researched their family’s history, particularly the Grayson brothers’ connection with the Yellow Stone.

References

"Ben S. Grayson." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr28

Burkhalter, Lois Wood. "Yellow Stone." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ety01.

Grayson Family Papers, 1835-1959, Col 895, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Thomas W. Grayson biographical file, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Pirie, Emma E. "Thomas Wigg Grayson." Handbook of Texas Online. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fgr30.

Yellow Stone vertical file, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

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Scope and Content Note

Correspondence, financial documents, legal documents, and research material are part of the Grayson family papers, providing information on the business activities of several family members. The bulk of the material is associated with three siblings, Benjamin S., Thomas Wigg, and Elizabeth Mary Grayson, with lesser amounts related to Bennie Grayson Pirie Campbell, John N. Pirie, Joseph Neil Campbell, Emma E. Pirie, and Bennie S. Campbell.

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Organization of Collection

This collection is organized into eight series.
Series 1: Correspondence
Series 2: Financial records
Series 3: Land records
Series 4: Estate records
Series 5: General legal documents
Series 6: Austin County, Texas, sheriff's records
Series 7: Personal documents
Series 8: Research material

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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
Grayson family.
Grayson, Benjamin S., d. 1849.
Grayson, Elizabeth Mary, 1804-1889.
Grayson, Thomas W. (Thomas Wigg), 1808-1873.
Campbell, Joseph Neil, 1847-1927.
Pirie, Emma E. (Emma Elizabeth), b. 1875.
Pirie, John M., d. 1873.
Organizations
Austin County (Tex.). Sheriff--Records and correspondence.
Yellow Stone (Ship)
Subjects
Businessmen--Texas.
Businessmen--Mexico.
Ranchers--Texas.
Sheriffs--Texas--Austin County.
Locations
California--Gold discoveries.
Genres/Formats
Family papers.
Account books.
Correspondence.
Deeds.
Estate records.
Financial records.
Legal documents.
Promissory notes.
Property records.
Receipts (financial records).

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Related Material

Grayson Family Papers, 1835-1882, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Grayson Family Papers, 1835-1959, Col 895, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Bennie S. Campbell, 1960 September.

Processing Information

Processed by Warren Stricker, 1998 January.

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

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Series 1: Correspondence

The Correspondence series has been divided into that of Thomas W. Grayson, Benjamin S. Grayson, Elizabeth Mary Grayson, Miscellaneous, Emma E. Pirie and Bennie S. Campbell, and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library. Items are arranged chronologically within those groupings. The early letters are primarily associated with business matters, including a brief letter from McKinney and Williams regarding shipping of military supplies for the Texas Revolution; letters of Benjamin S. Grayson regarding his business in Mexico and California during the gold rush; and the management of Benjamin Grayson’s estate by his brother and sister. Most of the later correspondence is associated with research into the steamboat Yellow Stone and the service of the Grayson family in Texas, initiated by Emma Pirie and staff at the DRT Library.
Box Folder
1 Thomas W. Grayson correspondence, 1835-1873
1 McKinney and Williams, Quintana, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson or E. Bailey, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1835 October 14.
2 A. R. Balling, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thomas W. Grayson, 1837 October 28.
3 Benjamin Grayson, Camargo, Mexico, to Tom Grayson, 1846 August 26.
4 Benjamin Grayson, Camargo, Mexico, to Tom Grayson, 1848 May 17.
5 N. H. Munger, San Felipe, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1848 July 27.
6 Benjamin Grayson, San Francisco, California, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1849 July 1.
7 Harry T. Hays, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1849 September 19.
8 Pyron, Adams and Co., Port Lavaca, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, New Braunfels, Texas, 1849 December 20.
9 Burgoyne and Co., San Francisco, California, to Thomas W. Grayson, Stockton, California, 1850 June 6.
10 Thomas W. Grayson, San Francisco, California, to Maunsel, White and Co., 1850 June 17.
11 David F. Douglass to Thomas Grayson, Stockton, California, 1850 June 22.
12 Burgoyne and Co., San Francisco, California, to Thomas W. Grayson, Stockton, California, 1850 June 24.
13 Maunsel White and Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, to T. W. Grayson, New Braunfels, Texas, 1850 August 23.
14 Maunsel White and Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1850 November 20.
15 A. J. Hamilton, Austin, Texas, to Thomas H. Grayson, 1851 March 10.
16 W. Richardson, Galveston, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1851 September 29.
17 Rawlins, Duncan and Co., New Orleans, Louisiana, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1852 September 3.
18 James Webb, Corpus Christi, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1853 October 15.
19 J. C. Hoskins to Thomas W. Grayson, 1854 December 15.
20 H. Mackey, San Antonio, Texas, to Thomas Grayson, 1856 August 30.
21 W. Hunt, Victoria, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1857 January 1.
22 A. M. Lindsay, San Marcos, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1857 November 3.
23 W. Hunt, Victoria, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1858 July 26.
24 D. Richardson, San Antonio, Texas, to T. W. Grayson, [circa 1850-1859] March.
25 J. S. McClellan, Forest Grove, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, 1861 January 14.
26 J. S. McClellan, Hockley, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, 1861 February 5.
27 W. Ellis, Nolan Mill, Tennessee, to T. W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1862 November 25.
28 J. McSween, Steinberg, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1864 October 15.
29 C. R. Johns and Co., Austin, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1869 May 3.
30 C. R. Johns and Co., Austin, Texas, To Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1869 July 26.
31 M[ary Elizabeth?] Lubbock, Houston, Texas, to Father, 1870 April 17.
32 Gideon Lee, New York, to Tom Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1870 May 3.
33 W. Hunt, Victoria, Texas, to Thomas Grayson, 1871 February 20.
34 John H. and A. C. Herndon, Houston, Texas, to T. W. Grayson, 1872 July 12.
35 C. R. Johns and Co., Austin, Texas, to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 January 9.
Benjamin S. Grayson correspondence, 1838-1854
36 Nelson Phillips, Brazoria, Texas, to Ben Grayson, 1838 April 1.
37 Samuel, Abbeville District, South Carolina, to Benjamin S. Grayson, Industry, Texas, 1846 March 1.
38 Col. Butler to Capt. McDonald [extract], 1848 January 24.
39 John R. Baker, New Orleans, Louisiana, to B. S. Grayson, Camargo, Mexico, 1848 April 4.
40 Benjamin Grayson, Los Angeles, California, to John R. Baker, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1849 January 18.
41 J. P. Graham, Los Angeles, California, to B. S. Grayson, San Francisco, California, 1849 May 15.
42 J. P. Graham, Monterrey, to B. S. Grayson, San Francisco, California, 1849 July 8.
43 L. B. Grissom, Velasco, Texas, to B. S. Grayson, 1854 October 12.
Elizabeth M. Grayson correspondence, 1847-1885
44 Thomas W. Grayson, La Grange, Texas, to Elizabeth M. Grayson, Beaufort, South Carolina, 1847 April 12.
45 Benjamin Grayson, Camargo, Mexico, to E. M. Grayson, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1848 March 3.
46 Benjamin Grayson, Camargo, Mexico, to E. M. Grayson, 1848 June 10.
47 Benjamin Grayson, Sacramento, California, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1848 September 2.
48 Benjamin Grayson, Los Angeles, California, to Elizabeth M. Grayson, 1849 March 24.
49 Unknown sender, Charleston, to Liz [Grayson?] [incomplete], 1849 June 30.
50 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to Elizabeth Grayson, 1853 January 25.
51 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, 1853 May 7.
52 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to Miss Grayson, 1853 August 23.
53 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1853 December 31.
54 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, 1855 March 23.
55 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, 1855 June 23.
56 James C. Wilson to E. M. Grayson, 1855 August 17.
57 Sam Hall to Miss [Elizabeth M.?] Grayson, 1860 April 2.
58 J. H. Collard and Co., Bremond, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1870 August 16.
59 C. R. Johns and Co., Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 June 7.
60 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1878 March 19.
61 J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1878 September 24.
62 Wills and Earnest, Runnels, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1882 November 29.
63 A. G. Wills, Runnels, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1884 May 22.
64 McLeary and Barnard, San Antonio, Texas, to E. M. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1885 September 10.
65 James C. Wilson to E. M. Grayson, undated.
Miscellaneous correspondence, circa 1830-1864
66 Incomplete letter [copy], circa 1830-1839.
67 E. Hathaway, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to owner, McLeod House, San Antonio, Texas, 1853 April 11.
68 W. P. Ballinger, Galveston, Texas, to J. W. Laurence, Austin, Texas, 1855 January 27.
69 L. H. Wyatt, Gonzales County, Texas, to John McClellan, 1860 October 6.
70 G. W. Grayson, Los Angeles, California, to O. B. Locket, 1864 December 6.
Emma E. Pirie and Bennie S. Campbell correspondence, 1899-1959
71 J. S. Hogg, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1899 January 3.
72 Martha Schnitzer, Houston, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1926 August 26.
73 Silas B. Ragsdale, Galveston, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1926 September 4.
74 Frank C. Patten, Galveston, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1927 June 4.
75 J. Evetts Haley, Austin, Texas, to Emma Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1931 July 10.
76 J. Evetts Haley, Austin, Texas, to Emma Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1931 October 13.
77 Sarah Groce Berlet, Houston, Texas, to Emma Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1935 June 20.
78 Sarah G. Berlet, Houston, Texas, to Emma Pirie, 1936 February 28.
79 Martha Schnitzer, Houston, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1946 October 17.
80 Marcelle Lively Hamer, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1946 December 28.
81 Harriet Smither, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1947 January 3.
82 Winnie Allen, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1947 January 14.
83 Harriet Smither, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1947 March 6.
84 Winnie Allen, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1949 February 16.
85 Llerena Friend, Austin, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1949 April 6.
86 J. Earl Rudder, General Land Office, Austin, Texas, to Bennie Campbell, San Antonio, Texas, 1955 February 8.
87 Thomas D. Moorman, General Land Office, Austin, Texas, to Bennie Campbell, San Antonio, Texas, 1959 July 3.
88 M. G. Milby, Harrisburg, Texas, to Emma E. Pirie, March 20.
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library correspondence, 1948-1953
89 Mary McDonough, Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas, to Cora Carleton Glassford, San Antonio, Texas, 1948 June 14.
90 John B. Heffernan, Naval Records and Library, Washington, D.C., to Cora Carleton Glassford, San Antonio, Texas, 1948 June 30.
91 C. Lamar Wallis, Galveston, Texas, to Cora Carleton Glassford, San Antonio, Texas, 1948 July 28.
92 Cora Carleton Glassford, San Antonio, Texas, to Jim Dan Hill, Superior, Wisconsin [carbon], 1948 August 13.
93 Unknown sender, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, to C. C. Glassford, San Antonio, Texas [incomplete], 1953 August 17.

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Series 2: Financial records

Financial records include a number of pages originally part of bound volumes, containing account records, financial transactions, employee records, a few journal-type entries, and newspaper clippings. The original order of these pages has been lost, replaced by an approximate chronological arrangement. An assortment of account statements issued to various family members includes an item related to work on the Yellow Stone. Most of the accounts are again related to the three Grayson siblings, with a few later items belonging to John M. Pirie and Joseph N. Campbell. Other types of financial documents are fewer in number and related to the same individuals.
Box Folder
2 Ledger pages, 1837-1872 and undated
94 1838-1839 and 1864
95 1863-1865
96 1871-1872
97 Circa 1865
98 1837 and 1870
99 Circa 1849-1850
100 1863-1872
101 Undated
102 Account book, 1867
103 Business records: Baker and Grayson, 3 items, 1850 and undated
104 Employee records: 2 items, 1865 and undated
Account statements and bills, 1835-1891
105 Harrod and Hughes to Steam Boat Yellowstone, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1835 December 30.
106 Shreve and Grayson to Major Reynolds, Velasco, Texas, 1836 October 20.
107 Shreve and Grayson to Pedro Quelin, Velasco, Texas, 1837 March 31.
108 Express Office to T. Grayson, Goliad, Texas, 1837 April 2.
109 Dobie and McCaskill to Benjamin Grayson, Harrisburg, Texas, 1837 October 28.
110 Robertson and Johnson to B. S. Grayson, 1842 April 29.
111 Forbes, Brooks and Co. to Benjamin S. Grayson, 1843 August 30.
112 N. H. Munger to Benjamin S. Grayson, 1847.
113 R. A. Howard to Ben S. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1848 July 28.
114 Paxton and Jordan to Thomas Grayson, 1848 September 19.
115 George Cupples to Thomas W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1848 December 16.
116 Winter and Latimer to B. S. Grayson, San Francisco, California, 1849 July 19.
117 Vance and Bro. to [T. W.?] Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1850 April 21.
118 Hancock and Co. to Thomas Grayson, 1850 October 23.
119 Hamilton and H. to E. M. Grayson, 1850.
120 E. Lane and Co. to Thomas W. Grayson, 1850.
121 Thomas W. Grayson to J. R. Baker, circa 1850.
122 Evans, Muncey and Co. to Grayson House, San Antonio, Texas, 1855 October 6.
123 Evans, Muncey and Co. to E. Grayson, 1855.
124 C. H. Rhodes to Thomas Grayson, 1857 March 29.
125 Charles F. Fisher to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1858 January 26.
126 McDonald and Co. to Thomas Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1858 September 13.
127 Julius Berends to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1862 January 18.
128 George Cupples to T. W. Grayson, 1862 June 26.
129 Alamo Ditch to C. Grayson, 1863.
130 James Newton to Mrs. Grayson, 1864 September 28.
131 St. Mark’s Training School to Tom Grayson, 1866 December.
132 H. Grenet to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1868 July 22.
133 A. Morris to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1869 August 7.
134 George Cupples to T. W. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1870 May 26.
135 William W. Gamble to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1872 August 21.
136 Eli Cole to John Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 April 16.
137 A. Moye to John Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 May 27.
138 Eli Cole to John Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 October 15.
139 J. H. McMahon to Thomas W. Grayson, 1873 October 27.
140 John K. Beretta and Co. to J. N. Campbell, San Antonio, Texas, 1891 June 18.
141 Thomas Smith to Thomas W. Grayson, undated.
Promissory notes, 1854-1888
142 Thomas W. Grayson to E. M. Grayson, 1854 October 15.
143 O. L. Uhlich to Mrs. Grayson, San Antonio, Texas, 1868 May 14.
144 J. M. Pirie to Thomas W. Grayson, Bexar County, Texas, 1872 December 25.
145 Neal Campbell to Eugenie Chase, San Antonio, Texas, 1878 October 7.
146 Neal Campbell to Alphonse Portanery, San Antonio, Texas, 1878 October 7.
147 J. N. Campbell to David Holzhauer, Mary Holzhauer, Robert Schneider, Henry Franz, and Elizabeth Franz, San Antonio, Texas, 1882 May 13. Attached acknowledgment, 1887 June 11.
148 J. N. Campbell to David Holzhauer, Mary Holzhauer, Robert Schneider, Henry Franz, and Elizabeth Franz, San Antonio, Texas, 1882 May 13.
149 J. N. Campbell to David Holzhauer, Mary Holzhauer, Robert Schneider, Henry Franz, and Elizabeth Franz, San Antonio, Texas, 1882 May 13. Attached acknowledgment, 1888 May 11.
150 Odom Luckett Land and Live Stock Co. to E. M. Grayson, 1884.
Tax receipts, 1852-1888
151 Thomas W. Grayson, 13 items, 1852-1871
152 Elizabeth M. Grayson, 8 items, 1855-1887
153 Joseph N. Campbell, 2 items, 1880 and 1888
General receipts, 1850-1888
154 M. L. Nelly to Tabitha Grayson, for hauling merchandise, New Braunfels, Texas, 1850 January 8.
155 J. M. Pirie to W. J. Edwards, for cattle, Bexar County, Texas, 1873 April 23.
156 Joseph Klein to John Pirie, for beef, 1873 April 26.
157 Eli Cole to W. J. Edwards, on account of J. L. Conaway, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 October 14.
158 Wagner and Rummel to W. Edwards, on account of Bennie S. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1873 October 15.
159 F. J. Beitel and Brothers to William Edwards, on account of J. M. Pirie, San Antonio, Texas, 1874 January 8.
160 James P. Earl to Mrs. J. N. Campbell, note for collection, San Antonio, Texas, 1888 September 4.
161 John Biegert to R. D. Granger, for mill for T. W. Grayson, undated.
162 Financial notations, 3 items, 1853 and undated

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Series 3: Land records

This series contains a number of deeds for properties in various areas, particularly the Texas coastal counties and the San Antonio area. Other types of records include two patent certificates, an abstract for Bexar County land, and a few survey records.
Box Folder
2 Deeds, 1838-1881
163 William H. Steele to William L. B. Vance, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1838 April 14.
164 Samuel Millet to Samuel Jordan, Harrisburg County, Texas, 1839 March 2.
165 Thomas G. Masterson for William L. B. Vance to Benjamin S. Grayson, Travis County, Texas, 1840 December 12.
166 Thomas J. Green, trustee for Branch T. Archer and Giles M. Stone, to Edwin Waller, agent for John C. Williams, Travis County, Texas [incomplete], 1841 September 7.
167 Thomas J. Green, trustee for Branch T. Archer and Giles M. Stone, to Edwin Waller, agent of John C. Williams, Travis County, Texas, 1841 October 7.
168 Edwin Waller, agent for John C. Williams, to Benjamin S. Grayson, Austin County, Texas, 1843 April 4.
169 Benjamin S. Grayson to Eugene C. Kelty, Austin County, Texas, 1843 April 17.
170 Thomas W. Grayson, agent for Benjamin S. Grayson, to Robert D. McAnelly, 1847 June 1.
171 William Russell, Matagorda County Assessor and Collector, to agent of Sarah E. Holmes, Matagorda County, Texas, 1848 July 10.
172 William F. Upham, Salisbury Haley, James R. Malony, and John A. Patterson to David F. Douglass and McKee Reany, Stockton, California, 1849 August 18.
173 Robert D. McAnelly to Thomas W. Grayson, Bexar County, Texas, 1849 October 26.
174 Hugh B. Van Deventer and Peter H. Birckhead to Robert B. Campbell, Bexar County, Texas, 1854 January 5.
175 Sarah C. Gilbert and E. F. Gilbert to Elizabeth M. Grayson, Bexar County, Texas, 1856 March 18.
176 Unknown individual to heirs of A. M. Lindsay, Bexar County, Texas, 1869.
177 Alphonse Portanery, Eugenie Chase, George M. Chase, Felice Portanery, and Adele Portanery to Neil Campbell, Bexar County, Texas, 1878 October 7.
178 J. N. Campbell to Bennie S. Campbell, Bexar County, Texas, 1880 February 24.
179 J. M. Formwalt, Runnels County Collector, to T. L. Odom, Runnels County, Texas, 1881 June 7.
180 J. M. Formwalt, Runnels County Collector, to T. L. Odom, Runnels County, Texas, 1881 June 7.
Land patents, 1844 and 1855
Collection Folder
Land Patent Collection Texas to Benjamin S. Grayson, assignee of Herman Sparks, 1844 September 27.
Box Folder
2 181 Texas to John Bird, bounty land [certified copy], 1855 March 9.
Releases, 1858-1887
182 Owen Shaw to T. W. and Tabitha Grayson, Bexar County, Texas [incomplete], 1858 March 30.
183 H. Canterbury, Bexar County Assessor, to E. M. Grayson, 1859 July 25.
184 A. Portanery to Neil Campbell, Bexar County, Texas, 1887 April 20.
185 Abstract of title: Miguel Gortari grant, Bexar County, Texas, Roziene and Co., circa 1873.
Surveys, 1853-1883 and undated
186 Thomas Grayson land, Bexar County, Texas, 1853 November 2.
187 James Clemmons league, field notes, 1854 September 5.
188 John W. Garretson, Deputy Surveyor, Bexar County, Texas, for Neil Campbell, 1883 April 2.
189 John W. Garretson, Deputy Surveyor, Bexar County, Texas, for Neil Campbell, 1883 April 2.
190 Oyster Creek land, undated.
191 Harvey league, plat, undated.
Box Folder
Oversize 1 Guadalupe River land, plat, possibly DeWitt County, Texas, undated.
Box Folder
2 General land records, 1858 and undated
192 Homestead: Thomas W. Grayson and Tabitha Grayson, Bexar County, Texas, 1858 July 6.
193 Notes: Land transactions, 5 items, undated.

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Series 4: Estate records

These records are primarily those of Benjamin S. Grayson, most items from the years immediately following his death in 1849. (The estate is also mentioned in items in the Correspondence and Financial documents series.) One item is associated with the estate of William Bracken.
Box Folder
3 Benjamin S. Grayson estate, 1849-1854
194 Letter of administration: to John S. Owen, San Francisco, California, 1849 July 17.
195 Statement: George F. Turner, San Francisco, California, on the death of Benjamin S. Grayson, 1849 July 23.
196 Tax receipt: to T. Grayson, Austin, Texas, 1849 October 31.
197 Account: fees, circa 1849.
198 Checks: 8 items, 1850.
199 Account: expenses, circa 1850.
200 Receipt: J. W. Laurence to John Hancock, for papers, Austin, Texas, 1851 December 20.
201 Power of attorney: Elizabeth M. Grayson and Thomas W. Grayson to John W. Laurence, Bexar County, Texas, 1852 March 1.
202 Agreement: Thomas W. and Elizabeth M. Grayson and John W. Laurence, services to estate, Bexar County, Texas, 1852 March 9.
203 Execution: costs in suit by J. H. Catlin, Austin, Texas, 1854 February 10.
204 Notes: Land records, undated.
William Bracken estate, 1853
205 Letters of administration: Wilkins Hunt, Jackson County, Texas, 1853.

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Series 5: General legal documents

This series includes bills of sale, contracts and agreements, records of lawsuits, and other miscellaneous items dealing with scattered business transactions.
Box Folder
3 Bills of sale, 1872 and 1880
206 Thomas W. Grayson to J. M. Pirie, Bexar County, Texas, 1872 December 25.
207 Andres Mata to Martin Delgado, Bexar County, Texas, 1880 December 13.
Contracts and agreements, circa 1830-1867
208 Thomas W. Grayson and Josiah H. Bell, [circa 1830-1839] February 26.
209 Matt R. Evans and Richard Meade, land trade, Bexar County, Texas, 1847 September 22.
210 Ben S. Grayson and Thomas Parker, property interests, 1848 February 15.
211 Robert S. Neighbors and Tabitha Grayson, sale of stock, New Braunfels, Texas, 1850 January 10.
212 Thomas W. Grayson and Owen Shaw, possession of property, 1858 March 3.
213 Larkin Smith and T. W. Grayson, use of timber, Chupederas, Texas, 1859 May 7.
214 John James and Thomas Grayson, use of land, San Antonio, Texas, 1867 November 12.
Lawsuits, 1860-1889
215 I. P. Simpson vs. Edward Miles et al., summons and petition, 1860 August.
216 Edward Miles vs. Tabitha Grayson and E. M. Grayson, petition, 1861 February 26.
217 Edward Miles vs. T. W., E. M., and T. Grayson, summons and petition, 1866 August.
218 William P. Bird et al., vs. Odom Luckett Land and Live Stock Co., summons and exhibit, 1889 February 25.
219 Hill vs. Grayson, notes on testimony, undated.
220 Power of attorney: Benjamin S. Grayson to Thomas W. Grayson, Bexar County, Texas, 1847 November 24.
221 Bond: Thomas W. Grayson and T. Grayson to Owen Shaw, Bexar County, Texas, 1856 September 5.

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Series 6: Austin County, Texas, sheriff's records

This series consisting of records of the Austin County Sheriff derives from Benjamin Grayson’s service in that office. Included are pages apparently from bound volumes recording the execution of legal services by the Sheriff and a list of Austin County taxpayers and taxes owed. Also found here is a list of delinquent taxes and a summons in a murder case.
Box Folder
3 222 Summons: Andrew Jackson Bell, James Madison Jackson, and Elisha S. Jackson, 1843 April 15.
223 Account ledger: executions, 1843-1845.
224-225 Ledger pages: tax records [incomplete], circa 1840-1849.
Drawer
Vault Map Case 1 List: delinquent taxes, 1840-1841.

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Series 7: Personal documents

Personal documents consist of three items, including notes of Benjamin Grayson on mileage of a route from Mexico to California, an incomplete poem, and a carte-de-visite, possibly of Gideon Lee.
Box Folder
3 226 Notes: Mileage, Los Angeles, California, to Camargo, Mexico, circa 1840-1849.
227 Poem: possibly John A. Wharton, Velasco, Texas [incomplete], undated.
228 Photograph: possibly Gideon Lee.

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Series 8: Research material

Research material includes items gathered and produced in research on the Grayson family and the steamboat Yellow Stone.
Box Folder
3 Yellow Stone
229 Notes
Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas, 1926 February.
Louis Wiltz Kemp, undated.
Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, vol. 4; Six Decades in Texas, or Memoirs of Francis Richard Lubbock.
230 Excerpt: History of Fort Bend County.
Clippings
231 Telegraph and Texas Register, 3 items [photocopies], 1836.
232 The Waterways Journal, 1941 April 5.
Grayson family
Biographical sketches
233 “Ben Grayson, Forty-Niner” by Emma E. Pirie.
234 "Thomas Wigg Grayson" by Emma E. Pirie.
235 Transcript: Bill for the relief of Thomas F. McKinney, 1873.
General
236 Clipping: “Some Early Texas History,” undated.

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