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William Marsh Rice Collection:An Inventory of Records at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library
Historical NoteThe life of William Marsh Rice -- cotton merchant, realtor, philanthropist, and entrepreneur extraordinaire -- is intimately connected with the early history and development of the city of Houston, his involvement in Houston's civic life spanning a period of some sixty years. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1816, the enterprising young Rice moved to Houston in 1839 attracted by the wide-open possibilities of the young city, which had been founded only three years before. For the next twenty-five years, Houston served both as Rice's home and as a base for his numerous business interests. Even after Rice moved to New York in 1865, he remained deeply involved with Houston for he continued to maintain business ties with the city and, together with his wife, he made almost annual visits to the city until 1897. In 1891, nine years before his death, Rice completed the formulation of plans for his greatest legacy to Houston, his provisions for the founding of Rice Institute. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentsThe materials in this collection consist primarily of Rice's personal and financial correspondence as well as financial records covering virtually the whole period of his residency in Houston, with the earliest papers dating from 1841. There are some financial records dating to 1869. The collection also contains personal and financial papers of Frederick Rice, Rice's brother, and of John H. Brown, a business associate of Rice and the first husband of Rice's second wife, Julia Elizabeth Baldwin. A grouping of miscellaneous records and correspondence covers the years 1837-1868. This collection is valuable to anyone researching the early history of Houston. Persons interested in Civil War history could also profit from this collection as there are numerous personal letters regarding the war as well as many financial records relating to Rice's struggle to keep his finances solvent in the latter days of the Confederacy. Finally, there are several financial ledgers in the collection which are of importance to social historians as they provide both lists of goods being purchased by Rice's customers as well as the prices which were paid for them. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsNone. Use RestrictionsPermission to publish or reproduce materials from the William Marsh Rice Collection must be obtained from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center or the appropriate copyright holder. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred CitationWilliam Marsh Rice Collection. MSS 140. Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library. Acquisition InformationDonated by Hugo Neuhaus, Jr. Processing InformationProcessed by Steven Strom, 1980. Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description
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