Descriptive Summary
Ballinger and Associates
Ballinger and Associates Collection
Bulk, 1854-19071836-1907, bulk dates 1854-1907MSS.0043
38.5 Linear feet,
90 document boxes
Materials are in English.
Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library
Processing Information
Processed by Pam Barron, Jan. 3, 1978.
Preferred Citation
Ballinger and Associates Collection. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.
Use Restrictions
None
Arrangement
The collection of incoming correspondence to the Ballinger firm is arranged chronologically followed by outgoing correspondence and the volumes relating to Thomas M. League and Willie and Campbell. Within each of the ninety boxes the letters are usually, but not always, arranged alphabetically and sometimes indexed at the beginning of the volume. A separate index is available. It is complete and listed by correspondent up to Box 68, where it becomes selective and listed by either correspondent or subject. Correspondence for 1856, 1864, 1897 and A though K of 1898 is missing. Up to Box 56 (1887) the contents of most letters are summarized on the backs of the letters. The papers include information concerning slavery, secession, the Civil War, the Buckley-Bell controversy, Texas politics, railroads, navigation companies and land development.
Biographical Note
Born in Barboursville, Kentucky, in 1825, William Pitt Ballinger moved to Galveston in 1845 to study law with his uncle, James Love. In 1850 he became the United States district attorney for the Texas district leaving that office in 1854 to organize the Galveston firm. Soon a leading attorney in the city, Ballinger served as legal counselor for the Galveston Wharf Company and strongly supported the island's economic growth. As a moderate-minded conservative, Ballinger refused to take a stand on the gubernatorial conflict between Runnels and Houston in 1859, but he later helped to organize the Bell-Everett Club of the Constitutional Union Party. After secession, he served as receiver for the Confederacy at Galveston until the end of the Civil War, when he went to New Orleans to negotiate the surrender of Texas. Although he declined two appointments to the Texas Supreme Court, Ballinger did accept membership to the Judicial Committee of the Constitutional Convention of 1875. He died January 20, 1888.
Scope and Contents
The collection of the Galveston law firm of Ballinger and Associates is a large holding of nineteenth century correspondence relating to economic, legal and political affairs of Texas, particularly the Gulf Coast area. The name of the firm varied during the 1855-1907 period of this collection. Partnerships included those of Ballinger and Jack, Ballinger and Mott, Willie, Campbell and Ballinger, Terry, Ballinger and Smith, and Terry, Cavin and Mills. For archival purposes, all will be referred to as Ballinger and Associates. The collection also contains a volume of letters to Thomas M. League and the 1875-1876 correspondence of the law firm of Willie and Cleveland. The University of Houston deposited the Ballinger papers in the HMRC in January, 1977.
Index Terms
Baker, Botts and Baker
Citizen's Electric Light and Power Company (Houston, Tex.)
Coke, Richard
Galveston City Railroad Company
Galveston Wharf Company
Galveston, La Porte, and Houston Railway Company
Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad
Houston & Texas Central Railway Company
Houston, Sam, 1793-1863
International and Great Northern Railway Company
Johnston, Albert Sidney
Missouri Pacific Railroad Company
Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Company
New York & Texas Steamship Company
San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway Company
Elections--Texas
Fires--Texas--Galveston
Freedmen--Texas
Galveston (Tex.)--History--19th century
Immigrants--Texas
Lawyers--Texas--Galveston
Railroads--Texas
Reconstruction--Texas
Secession
Slave insurrections--Texas
Slavery--Texas
Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865
Texas. Constitutional Convention (1875)
Yellow fever--Texas--Galveston
Incoming Correspondence
Ab-Ay
1
1
October - December, 1854; 1855
Ba-Be
1
2
October - December, 1854; 1855
Bi-Bu
1
3
October - December, 1854; 1855
Ca-Ch
1
4
October - December, 1854; 1855
Ch-Co
1
5
October - December, 1854; 1855
Co-Cu
1
6
October - December, 1854; 1855
Da-Do
1
7
October - December, 1854; 1855
Du-Dw
1
8
October - December, 1854; 1855
Ea-Gid
1
9
October - December, 1854; 1855
Gil-Gr
1
10
October - December, 1854; 1855
Ad-Co
2
11
1857
Co-Gl
2
12
1857
Go-Ho
2
13
1857
Ir-La
3
14
1857
La-Ly
3
15
1857
Ma-McKe
3
16
1857
McKi-Mo
3
17
1857
Mu-Pa
3
18
1857
Pa-Pot
3
19
1857
Pow-Ru
3
20
1857
Ru-St
4
21
1857
St-Tu
4
22
1857
Tu-Yo
4
23
1857
Abrams-Davis
5
1
1858
Davis-Ireland
5
2
1858
Jack-Sykes
6
1
1858
Abrams-Frothingham
7
1
1859
Gaither-Procter
8
1
1859
Race-Ziner
9
1
1859
Ad-Be
10
24
1860
Be-Br
10
25
1860
Br-Ch
10
26
1860
Ch-Cu
10
27
1860
Da-Du
10
28
1860
Du-Fr
10
29
1860
Gamble-Owings
11
1
1860
Paddock-Zinck
12
1
1860
Abercrombie-Jones
13
1
1861
Kendall-Young
14
1
1861
Ayres-Williams
15
1
1862
Allen-Williams
15
2
1863
Adams-Guess
16
1
1865-1866
Haber-Murdock
17
1
1865-1866
Neil-Young
18
1
1865-1866
I-J; A-C
19
1
1867
H-L
19
2
1867
M-P
20
1
1867
Q-V
20
2
1867
W-Y
20
3
1867
A-B
21
1
1868
C-F
21
2
1868
G-J
22
1
1868
I-M
22
2
1868
N-R
23
1
1868
S-W
23
2
1868
A-D
24
1
1869
E-J
25
1
1869
K-P
26
1
1869
Q-Y
26
2
1869
A-D
27
1
1870
E-J
28
1
1870
Q-Z
28
2
1870
A-D
29
1
1871
E-L
29
2
1871
M-R
30
1
1871
S-Y
30
2
1871
A-F
31
1
1872
G-O
32
1
1872
P-Y
33
1
1872
A-F
34
1
1873
G-Pal
34
2
1873
Par-Z
35
1
1873
F-L
36
1
1874
M-R
36
2
1874
S-Y
37
1
1874
A-G
38
1
1875
H-O
38
2
1875
P-Y
39
1
1875
A-G
40
1
1876
H-M
41
1
1876
N-Y
41
2
1876
A-E
42
1
1877
F-M
42
2
1877
N-Y
43
1
1877
A-F (not in order)
44
1
1878
H-O
44
2
1878
P-Y
45
1
1878
A-H (I-Z missing)
46
1
1879
A-H
47
1
1880
K-S
48
1
1880
T-Y
48
2
1880
A-H
49
1
1881
I-W
49
2
1881
I-Y (A-H missing)
50
1
1882
A-W
51
1
1883
A-H
52
1
1884
I-Y
53
1
1884
A-H
54
1
1885
K-L
54
2
1885
J-W
54
3
1885
A-H
55
1
1886
I-W
55
2
1886
C-H (A-B missing)
56
1
1887-1888
I-R
57
1
1887-1888
S-Z
57
2
1887-1888
A-C
58
1
1889
D-O
59
1
1889
P-Z
59
2
1889
A-E
60
1
1890
F-P
60
2
1890
R-Z
60
3
1890
A-K
61
1
1891
L-Z
61
2
1891
A-K
62
1
1892
International and Great Northern Railway Company; Houston and Texas Central Railway; Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway.
63
2
1891-1892
L-Z
62
2
1892
Aransas Pass and Houston and Texas Central Railway Companies.
63
1
1889-1892
A-K
64
1
1893
L-Z
64
2
1893
A-K
65
1
1894
L-Z
65
2
1894
A-K
66
1
1895
L-Y
66
2
1895
A-K
67
1
1896
L-Z
67
2
1896
L-Z
68
1
1898
A-K
69
1
1899
L-Z
70
1
1899
Correspondence Concerning Galveston City Railroad: A-Z. Statement of Liabilities, Earnings and Expenses.
71
1
1897-1901
A-H
72
1
1900
I-Z
73
1
1900
A-H
74
1
1901
I-Z
75
1
1901
I-Z
76
1
1902
A-K
77
1
1903
L-Z
78
1
1903
A-G
79
1
1904
H-Z
79
2
1904
A-H
80
1
1905
I-Z
80
2
1905
H-L
81
1
1906
M-Z
82
1
1906
A-H
83
1
1907
I-Z
83
2
1907
Outgoing Correspondence
Indexed.
84
1855, 1870,
(Partial) Indexed.
85
October, 1877-November, 1878; 1880-1881
C.C. and Santa Fe Railroad. Indexed.
86
July 5, 1880-April 8, 1884.
Indexed.
87
December 21, 1899-February 21, 1900; Feb. 21, 1900-May 21, 1900; September 7, 1900-December 24, 1900.
Indexed.
88
December, 1900-March, 1901; March, 1901-May 1901; May, 1901-August, 1901.
Thomas M. League, Incoming legal and personal correspondence
Thomas M. League, Incoming legal and personal correspondence:
89
1836-1837; 1853-1860; 1865.
Willie and Cleveland, Incoming Correspondence
Willie and Cleveland, Incoming Correspondence:
90
1875-1876.