Mariano Resales y Pina Collection:

An Inventory of Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library

Historical Note

Mariano Rosales y Pina was born in 1893 in Chihuahua, Mexico, and married Esperanza Gutierrez in November of 1918. He departed San Luis Potisi, Mexico, on July 29, 1920 and entered the United States on August 2, 1920 in Laredo, Webb County, Texas. A resident of Houston, Texas beginning in 1921, Mariano was employed by the Southern Pacific Railroad originally in the capacity of a machinist. His brother, Gustavo R. y Pina (also written Gustavy R. Ipina) owned a jewelry sales and repair business located at Preston and Fannin streets in 1931.

Mariano R. y Pina and his wife, along with David Casas and his wife Irene P. Casas, founded the Club Familias Unidas in 1949 for the progress and culture of the Mexican American youth of the community. The club is a social organization that promotes native Hispanic religious, political, social, and economic philosophies by organizing activities such as flag raising ceremonies for Mexican Independence Day and Mothers' Day Galas where they honor a mother of the year. Additionally, the club holds annual dances for graduating students and 15-year-old debutante females.

Scope and Contents

The Mariano Rosales y Pina collection contains newspaper clippings, Club Familias Unidas correspondence, personal and work correspondence of Mariano and his family members, work affidavits and request for residency for family members from 1919 to 1931. Also included are a baptismal certificate for his daughter Anna Laura Rosales and a baptism announcement for his son Federico Lamberto Rosales. The collection contains one folder of photographs dating 1956-1971, 32 postcards and a selection of travel guides and maps for Mexico and Texas from 1961-1975. The largest series in the collection are the greeting cards of which there are 12 folders with cards for various occasions dating from 1920-1978 with the bulk from the period 1953-1978.

Arrangement

The collection has a total of 40 folders arranged into ten series:

• Newspaper Clippings
• Photographs
• Personal Family Records
• Club Familias Unidas
• Correspondence - Work
• Correspondence - Personal
• Publications
• Memorial and Devotional Services
• Greeting Cards
• Household and Financial Affairs

The largest series, Greeting Cards, have been arranged in date order whenever a date could be detected, however, the largest portion were undates. Original arrangement has been adhered to whenever possible.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

None.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish or reproduce materials from the Mariano Resales y Pina Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Mariano Resales y Pina Collection. MSS 130. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library.

Processing Information

Processed by Ranee Clark, 1998.

Detailed Description