Descriptive Summary
Noble family
E.C. Noble/Bozeman Family Papers
1818-19541890's-1940'sMaterials are
in English.
MSS1298
7 document boxes, 5 photo
boxes
Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public
Library
Biographical Note
Edward Cullen (E.C.) Noble (ca. 1871-1930) was a small businessman, and briefly was Chief of the Houston Police Department. He worked as a deputy sheriff in Kiowa County, Oklahoma Territory; was a claims agent for the Texas and New Orleans Railroad; was involved in the insurance business, as an adjuster and apparently a director of the Great Southern Life Insurance Company; was Sales Manager of the Texas-Arizona Copper Company; and for a time was apparently involved in the oil business. His father, W.F. Noble, worked as a clerk for a number of businesses; Noble's brother, O.E. Noble, lived in Hammond, Louisiana. He also seems to have had a sister, Sallie.
Minnie Bozeman married Noble in 1894. Originally from Rosebud, Texas, she was the daughter of W.E. Bozeman, a former Confederate soldier. Mrs. Noble frequently corresponded with her two sisters, Jessie and Lurlene, as well as with her mother (Sallie?). She had three sons: William Homer, E. Cullen, Jr., and Wiley Bozeman.
The Bozeman family migrated to Texas from Alabama. They were possibly related to a Fiechter family from Virginia, and to a Lyles family.
Scope and ContentsThis collection consists of personal and business correspondence of the Noble family, as well as miscellany related to various financial matters, social interests, and religious involvement. It also contains land indentures and grants dating to 1818. There are several Civil War era letters, and two signed military orders from the Civil War. There are also a number of photographs, both prints and negatives.
While incomplete, this collection does provide a glimpse of a middle class Houston family from the 1890's to the 1940's. By examining what they saved, one can get a sense of what was important to them.
Arrangement
The items in this collection are arranged topically, and then chronologically within topics. The first group consists of E.C. Noble's correspondence, and is subdivided into his personal correspondence, and business and professional correspondence. The second group consists of Minnie Noble's personal correspondence. The third group consists of other correspondence, mostly belonging to E.C. Noble, Jr. and his wife Ethel. The fourth group consists of probate material: Minnie Noble's will, written in 1930, and that of W.E. Bozeman. The fifth group consists of Bozeman family material: letters to Sallie Bozeman dated from 1862-1879, including several from her husband who was serving in the Confederate Army; and various land grants, indentures, and Civil War military orders. The next group consists of miscellaneous financial information of the Noble family, including banking information, insurance materials, information concerning the repayment of loans, and various bills and tax assessments. Following this are various social materials, including wedding invitations and announcements, graduation announcements, and business cards. The next area consists of religious materials. Rounding out the manuscript portion of the collection are a large assortment of miscellany, including old school assignments completed by Minnie Bozeman, materials relating to a correspondence class E.C. Noble, Jr. took, and a general assortment of items.
There are also numerous of photographs in the collection. Unfortunately, most of them are not identified.
Access Restrictions
None.
Use Restrictions
None.
Preferred Citation
E.C. Noble/Bozeman Family Papers. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston
Public Library.
Acquisition Information
Donated by: Junior League of Houston.
Processing Information
Processed by: Andrew Hempe
May, 1998.
Index Terms
Names
Noble family
Bozeman family
Detailed DescriptionE. C. Noble Correspondence
1
1
E.C. Noble, personal correspondence, 1904-1914
1
2
E.C. Noble, personal correspondence, 1916-1925
1
3
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, January-March, 1903
1
4
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, April-December, 1903
1
5
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, 1904-1905
1
6
E.C. Noble, police and law enforcement materials, 1903-1904
1
7
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, November, 1911
1
8
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, December, 1911
1
9
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, January, 1912
1
10
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, February, 1912
1
11
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, March-June, 1912
1
12
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, July-December, 1912
1
13
E.C. Noble, Chief, Houston Police Department, 1912-1913
1
14
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, 1913
1
15
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, September-December 15, 1915
1
16
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence and notes, December 16 - December 31, 1915
1
17
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence and notes,
January, 1916
2
1
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, February-June, 1916
2
2
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence and related materials, July-December, 1916
2
3
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, 1917-1919
2
4
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, January-June, 1920
2
5
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, July-December, 1920
2
6
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, 1921
2
7
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, 1922-1926
2
8
E.C. Noble, business and professional correspondence, unknown dates
Minnie Noble Correspondence
2
9
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1889-1893
2
10
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1894
2
11
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1903-1914
2
12
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1915
2
13
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1916
2
14
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1917-1919
2
15
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1920-1921
3
1
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1922
3
2
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1923
3
3
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1924
3
4
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1925
3
5
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1926-1929
3
6
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1930-1932
3
7
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1934-1940
3
8
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1941
3
9
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1942
3
10
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1943
3
11
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1944
3
12
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1945
3
13
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1946
3
14
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1947
3
15
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1948
3
16
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, 1949-1954
3
17
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, unknown dates
3
18
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, unknown dates
3
19
Minnie Noble, personal correspondence, unknown dates
Other Correspondence
4
1
E.C. Noble, Jr., correspondence, 1928-1940
4
2
E.C. Noble, Jr., correspondence, 1941-1942
4
3
E.C. Noble, Jr., correspondence, 1943-1945, unknown dates
4
4
Miscellaneous correspondence
Probates
4
5
Minnie Noble, probate
4
6
W.E. Bozeman probate
Bozeman Family Material
4
7
"Sallie", correspondence, 1862-1879
4
8
Bozeman family, Civil War orders
4
9
Bozeman Family, deeds and indentures, 1818-1839
4
10
Lyles Family history
4
11
Land Grants
Noble Financial Papers
5
1
Minnie Noble, bank information
5
2
Insurance materials, 1903-1921
5
3
Insurance materials, 1923-1934
5
4
Insurance materials, 1940-1947
5
5
Loan-related materials
5
6
Bills and tax assessments, 1903-1912
5
7
Bills and tax assessments, 1916-1924
5
8
Bills and tax assessments, 1927-1939
5
9
Bills and tax assessments, 1940-1947
Social Materials
5
10
Graduation announcements
5
11
Wedding announcements, invitations
5
12
Business cards
Religious Materials
5
13
Religious miscellany
5
14
Religious miscellany
5
15
Religious miscellany
Miscellaneous
5
16
Minnie Bozeman, school assignments
6
1
LaSalle Extension University
6
2
LaSalle Extension University
6
3-15
Miscellaneous
7
Oversize Items
Photographs
8
Prints: MSS 1298-001 – MSS 1298-067
9
Negatives: MSS 1298-068 – MSS 1298-175
10
Negatives: MSS 1298-176 – MSS 1298-266
11
Negatives: MSS 1298-267 – MSS 1298.375
12
Panoramas: MSS 1298.376 – MSS 1298.378