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TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Restrictions

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Description of Series

Manuscripts

Miscellaneous papers

Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo

A Guide to the Edward W. Grogan Papers, 1931-1934


Descriptive Summary

Creator: Grogan, Edward W. (Edward Winston), b. 1863
Title: Edward W. Grogan Papers
Dates: 1931-1934
Creator Abstract: A native of West Virginia, Edward W. Grogan came to Clay County, Texas, with his family in 1874. He established his own cattle ranch in Texas, eventually expanding into several north Texas counties. While living in the panhandle, Grogan began compiling his recollections of his days on the cattle frontier, continuing his writing after he retired to San Antonio.
Content Abstract: Consisting primarily of manuscripts, the Edward W. Grogan Papers contain several literary works in various stages of completion, ranging from brief anecdotes and articles to full-length fictionalized reminiscences of life on the cattle frontier of Texas. Almost all of the works are based on actual events and people, in many cases including Grogan's own experiences or those of his family.
Identification: Col 9635
Extent: 1.88 linear feet (5 boxes)
Language: Materials are in English.
Repository: Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library at the Alamo, San Antonio, Texas

Biographical Note

Edward Winston Grogan was born on 1863 February 12 in Kenawha County, West Virginia, one of eight children of Royal W. and Frances Summerfield Grogan. The Grogan family moved to the northwestern frontier of Texas in 1874, settling in Clay County near the confluence of the Wichita and Red Rivers.

After completing the limited educational opportunities available to him, Edward Grogan began his apprenticeship in the cattle business as a herder on nearby ranches. He was hired by local cattle raisers to assist in supplying beef to the United States government at Fort Reno, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma), spending about a year there before returning to Texas. After working for several years for different ranches in the Clay County area, Grogan acquired a small herd of his own, which he maintained in the vicinity of Fort Sill, Indian Territory. Working on his own and in partnerships, he supplied beef and grain to military facilities under a government contract.

Returning again to Clay County, Grogan began buying land for his cattle ranching activities, eventually acquiring about 1600 acres. He also developed ranches in several other northern Texas counties and moved to Amarillo in 1922, where he formed a ranching and real estate company with one of his sons. While living in the panhandle, Grogan began compiling his recollections of his days on the cattle frontier, continuing his writing after he retired to San Antonio.

Grogan married Margaret F. Kerr in 1889; the couple had eight children.

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Scope and Content Note

Consisting primarily of manuscripts, the Edward W. Grogan Papers contain several literary works in various stages of completion, ranging from brief anecdotes and articles to full-length fictionalized reminiscences of life on the cattle frontier of Texas.

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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
Grogan, Edward W. (Edward Winston), b. 1863.
Balfour, Arthur James Balfour, Earl of, 1848-1930.
Chapman, Amos, 1837-1925.
Doan, Corwin F., 1848-1929.
Subjects
Adobe Walls, Battle of, Tex., 1874.
Authors, American--Texas.
Buffalo Wallow Fight, 1874.
Cattle drives--Texas--Fiction.
Cattle trade.
Cattle trails.
Chisholm Trail.
Ranch life--Texas.
Wolves.
Locations
Texas--History--1865-1900.
Genres/Formats
Personal papers.
Manuscripts.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Edward W. Grogan Papers, 1931-1934, Col 9635, Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library, San Antonio, Texas.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Marilyn Grogan Jones Chapman, 1997 June and 1998 September.

Processing Information

Processed by Warren Stricker, 1999 June.

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

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

Manuscripts

The first of two series, Manuscripts includes the bulk of the papers. Grogan wrote out his work longhand, compiling a final version by cutting and pasting pages together and inserting sections from other drafts. As a result, three of the four longer works contain some anomalies in the page numbering, missing pages, and abrupt shifts in the narrative. When received, the papers were somewhat mixed, and an attempt to replicate the intended order of the writings was required during their arrangement. One of the longer works and several shorter pieces were typed and some show evidence of editorial comment.
Almost all of the works are based on actual events and people, in many cases including Grogan’s own experiences or those of his family. Typically, a large part of each of the longer narratives consists of lengthy conversations among the characters, which include anecdotes, histories, and descriptions of frontier conditions, weather, flora and fauna, people, business practices, and various aspects of the cattle trade and cowboy life. The different sections and drafts that make up each work include some variant titles; the title under which each is described is the most common version. None of the works are dated, but evidence suggests most were written in the 1930s.
The four full-length works are:
Balfour’s Visit: a fictionalized account of the events surrounding the visit of a young Englishmen to Texas in the 1880s to investigate the management of an English-owned ranch on the Red River. Grogan’s story identifies the visitor as future British Prime Minister Arthur James Balfour, either as an instance of literary license or in the mistaken belief that Balfour actually did come to Texas. The account may be based on the actual visit of an individual named Balfour who may have come to Texas from England on behalf of investors; Arthur James Balfour, already a rising British politician, did not make his first visit to American until decades later. (See Lester Fields Sheffy, The Francklyn Land & Cattle Company: A Panhandle Enterprise, 1882-1957 (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1963), 86.) Most of the work consists of conversations between Balfour and Corwin F. Doan, a storekeeper in Wilbarger County, Texas. Covered are descriptions and history of the area, including its wildlife, weather, the cattle business, Indians, and pioneer life. Balfour eventually finds work on the ranch, where he obtains information leading to the dismissal of the ranch manager.
Texas and Southwestern Trail Drivers: this work opens with a review of the cattle industry in Texas, including some description of cattle drives, business practices, and economic conditions. The narrative then turns to the story of Sam Doss and John Stephens, two trail drivers who meet near a Red River crossing in 1877 and combine their herds for the drive to Kansas. Grogan himself appears as a character and, again, most of the work consists of conversations on various topics, such as cattle, weather, Indian wars, and freighting. Grogan also describes the 1876 murder of Jack Kilmartin, an event he witnessed. The narrative ends when Stephens sells his cattle before leaving Texas.
Old Chisholm Trail: after a review of the cattle industry in Texas and the career of John S. Chisum (whose name is frequently spelled “Chisholm” in the manuscript), this work provides a detailed description of the route of the cattle trail in Texas. The description is then combined with a narrative of an 1878 cattle drive in which Grogan participated with Andy Sandell, his employer and future business partner. After several digressions, the narrative becomes a more general, fictionalized story, bringing in some of the same characters and events found in the above work.
Mike and Jimmie: A Story of Truth and Fiction Combined: is the most complete of Grogan’s longer works, existing in typescript form with two sections of pages missing. Taking place about 1876, it follows two immigrants from Ireland who go to Texas to work on railroads. After separating, one of the men, Mike McCarty, elects to return to Kenawha County, West Virginia (Grogan’s birthplace), where he sets up a business and is eventually reunited with his former companion, Jimmie O’Brien. McCarty’s journey and his activities upon arrival involve the usual conversations and digressions, which cover oil exploration in Pennsylvania, land trade in Texas, some Grogan family information, and moral tales.
Reminiscences of Western Freighters…as told by Joker Jones and Ike Beasley: apparently intended as a long work, but only a few pages are included in the papers along with an outline of the narrative.
Grogan’s short works encompass both fiction and non-fiction. Two accounts of the northwest Texas Indian wars are included, the Buffalo Wallow Fight and the second battle of Adobe Walls. The former is a detailed account of the battle between a group of U.S. Army scouts and soldiers and Comanche Indians, told from the point of view of Amos Chapman, one of the participants. The latter is another detailed account, also in final form. Grogan’s interest in natural phenomena of Texas and the west is reflected in an article the natural history of several species of the wolf family. Some of Grogan’s personal reminiscences are the subject of brief articles, while the remaining short works consist of humorous stories, many relying on racial or ethnic stereotypes.
A few manuscript pages and sections that could not be identified round out this series.
Box Folder
1 Balfour’s Visit
1 Notes
2 Preface 1-7
3 Preface 2-6
4 4-30
5 31-52
6 52-82
7 83-115
8 116-148
9 149-168
10 169-194
11 195-216
12 217-238
13 239-270
14 271-300
15 301-329
16 330-363
17 364-387
18 388-410
19 411-445
20 446-473
21 474-507
22 508-534
23 535-562
24 563-605
25 606-642
26 643-685
27 625-644; alternate version which continues from page 624 of the above portion of the manuscript to the conclusion of the narrative
28 679, 684-711; alternate version, apparently continuing pages 643-685, above
29 1-4
30 1-20
31 230-237
32 [233?]-250
33 Miscellaneous pages
34 Cover
Box Folder
2 Texas and Southwestern Trail Drivers
35 Preface, “A General Review of the Cattle Industry from 1866 to 1888 – 1890 – 1892," typescript, 1-21
36 Preface, “A General Review of the Cattle Industry from 1866 to 1888 – 1890 – 1892," typescript, 1-20
37 1-25; some pages renumbered; may also be added to the sections below
38 1-22
39 23-37
40 44-63
41 64-98
42 99-118
43 54-70; this section of the manuscript appears to fit between numbered pages 118 and 119
44 119-142
45 143-156
46 107-132; apparent alternate version that appears to continue the above section of the manuscript
47 133-169
48 170-204
49 205-235
50 236-259
51 260-286
52 287-301
53 300-322; apparent alternate version that continues the above section
54 323-358
Box Folder
3 55 359-393
56 394-429
57 430-461
58 462-488
59 489-510
60 511-541
61 542-577
62 578-607
63 608-641
64 Miscellaneous pages
Box Folder
5 Covers
Box Folder
3 Old Chisholm Trail
65 Preface, typescript, 1-20, 9-12
66 Preface, 1-34
67 2-13
68 14-37
69 38-72
70 73-99
71 100-129
72 130-151
73 38-65; alternate version that continues the above narrative
74 1-17; a general description of the trail in Texas that may have been intended as a separate article
75 Miscellaneous pages
76 “Old Chisum Trail,” miscellaneous pages
Box Folder
4 Mike and Jimmie: A Story of Truth and Fiction Combined
77 4-51
78 52-118
79 119-168
80 169-227
81 228-286
82 287-355
83 383-441
84 Cover
Reminiscences of Western Freighters…as told by Joker Jones and Ike Beasley
85 Outlines
86 Miscellaneous pages
Short works
87 List of Titles
88 “Battle of Buffalo Wallow,” typescript, 64 pages
89 “The Dairy Cow,” typescript, 1 page, 2 copies
90 “Hit was jest right, Boss, jest right,” typescript, 6 pages
91 “The Land Agent’s Luck, or, The Very Kind of a Farm He had been Looking For,” typescript, 1 page
92 “Maggie and Jiggs,” poem, typescript, 2 pages
93 “Mose and Sidney,” typescript, 2 pages
94 “The Siege or Battle of Adobe Walls,” typescript, 29 pages
95 “A Story of ‘What’s Time to a Hog, anyhow?’”, typescript, 4 pages
96 “The Wolf,” manuscript, 18 pages
97 [The Wolf, version], manuscript, incomplete, pages 9-16
98 Untitled, typescript, 2 pages
99 Untitled, manuscript, pages 24-38, postscript, on Indians
“Part 2 Short Stories” (removed from ring binder; binder housed in box 5)
100 “A Monstrous Fish Story,” typescript, 17 pages
101 “He Was Some Rambler,” typescript, 15 pages
102 “Senator George G. Vest of Missouri,” typescript, 5 pages
103 “The Big Overflow in Red River on June 5th, 1891,” typescript, 16 pages
104 3rd Short Stories, continued (notebook)
105 Unidentified and incomplete works, miscellaneous pages

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Miscellaneous papers

The second series, Miscellaneous Papers, consists of a single folder containing a variety of personal items, including a 1934 list of officers and members of the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, information on marketing manuscripts, and a prospectus for a hunting and fishing ranch/resort in New Mexico.
Box Folder
4 106 Miscellaneous papers

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