Descriptive Summary
Dillingham Family
papers
1858-1958
1.25 linear
feet
MS 257
Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice
University, Houston, TX
The Dillingham Family
Papers, consisting of approximately 900 items or 1.25 linear feet, follows the
history of a prominent Texas family from 1858 to 1958. Correspondence,
manuscripts, printed material, photographs, journals, poetry, and newspaper
clippings show the life style of a family who moved into Texas during the
prosperous era of the late nineteenth century and played an important role in
developing both the social and economic framework of Houston.
Processed by Kathy Cook, June 1977.
Biographical Note
Three Dillingham brothers "came to Salem with Winthrop in 1630" from
Leicestershire in England. A member of the fourth generation, Paul Dillingham
(1799-1891) lived in Waterbury, Vermont where he was a member of the State Bar,
president of the bank, and later governor of the state. He had four sons and a
daughter by his wife Julia Carpenter Dillingham.
One of their sons, Edwin (1839-1864), a captain in the Union Army, was
killed at the battle of Winchester. Another son, William Paul, became a U. S.
Senator. He served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration for several
years and was an influential member of Congress. A third son, Frank (1848-?),
moved to Texas where he was in the railroad business.
After serving as a colonel in the Union Army, Charles Dillingham moved
to New Orleans where he stayed until 1885. At that time he moved to Houston as
receiver of Houston and Texas Central Railway. When the South Texas National
Bank was formed, he became first vice-president and later was promoted to
president, then chairman of the board. In 1863 Charles married Frances M.
Cutter of Cleveland, Ohio, and they had two children, a son Edwin Kirke, and a
daughter Mary Pauline.
Pauline, or "Pucky" as her friends and family often called her, remained
unmarried and devoted most of her time to her brother's family. She also wrote
both poetry and fiction and had several pieces published. In poor health much
of her life, Pauline usually spent summers at a family home in Camden, Maine
escaping the stifling Houston weather. The rest of the year she lived with
Edwin and his family in Houston and occasionally took trips abroad. In 1959,
she and her brother donated their stately family home on Austin Street to the
Child Guidance Council.
Pauline's brother, Edwin K. Dillingham, married Charlotte (Lottie)
Parker, and they had two children, Elizabeth Randon and Charles. Elizabeth went
to School in the east and married James Hart of New York City where the couple
lived. Charles went to Yale and married Barbara Kibler with whom he had a son,
Charles.
Scope and Contents
The collection of the Dillingham Family Papers, consisting of
approximately 900 items or 1.25 linear feet, follows the history of a prominent
Texas family from 1858 to 1958. Correspondence, manuscripts, printed material,
photographs, journals, poetry, and newspaper clippings show the life style of a
family who moved into Texas during the prosperous era of the late nineteenth
century and played an important role in developing both the social and economic
framework of Houston.
The main portion of the collection is correspondence between various
family members, with most written by the children and grandchildren of Charles
K. Dillingham, who settled in Houston and played an integral part in the
development of a predecessor bank of the Texas Commerce Bank. He, his wife
Frances Cutter Dillingham, and their two children, Edwin K. and Mary Pauline,
were very active socially, and the Dillingham name remains important in
Houston.
Originally from Vermont, some of the members of the Dillingham family
remained there and contributed to the prosperity of that state. Paul Dillingham
was governor of Vermont, and his son William served as a United States Senator
for several years. Both the personal and business papers of these men are
included in the collection.
ArrangementThe papers are arranged chronologically with
respect to the individuals involved. Most letters are filed according to the
person who wrote them, unless there are only one or two from an individual, in
which case the letter is filed according to whom it was sent.
Access RestrictionsThere are no access restrictions; this
material is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish from the Dillingham Family Papers must be obtained
from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.
Preferred Citation
Dillingham Family Papers, 1858-1958, MS 257, Woodson Research Center,
Fondren Library, Rice University
Acquisition Information
The collection was a gift of the Dillingham family on 3 June 1966.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Dillingham family -
Correspondence.
Dillingham, Paul -
Correspondence.
Dillingham, Charles K. -
Correspondence.
Dillingham, William -
Correspondence.
Dillingham, Frances Cutter -
Correspondence.
Subjects (Places)
Houston, Tex. -- Family
histories - Sources.
Vermont - Politics and
government - 20th century.
United States - Politics
and government - 20th century.
Subjects
Banks and banking -
Texas.
Legislators - United
States.
Governors - Vermont.
Formats
Correspondence.
Journals.
Manuscripts.
Clippings.
Photographs.
Detailed Description of the Collection
1 1
1630-1934 Dillingham
Genealogy
1 2
1863-1879 Paul Dillingham
(Gov.), includes 2 photos
1 3
1862-1865 Edwin Dillingham
(Major), Commissions, Military Correspondence (including official
correspondence re: his death; family correspondence)
1 4
1885-1917 William Paul
Dillingham Correspondence, includes 2 Calvin Coolidge letters
1 5
1887-1915 William Paul
Dillingham to Pauline Dillingham
1 6
1890-1916 William Paul
Dillingham to Charles Dillingham
1 7
1900-1923 William Paul
Dillingham - Miscellaneous, includes 2 photos
1 8
1858-1916 Charles Dillingham to
Fannie Cutter Dillingham
1 9
1861-1864 Charles Dillingham to
Edwin Dillingham
1 10
1861-1865 Charles Dillingham to
Paul Dillingham
1 11
1861-1869 Charles Dillingham to
Julia C. Dillingham
1 12
1870-1895 Julia C. Dillingham
to Charles Dillingham
1 13
[?] Dillingham Clipping Book
1 14
n. d. Miscellaneous Clippings
2 1
1861-1917 Charles Dillingham
Miscellaneous
2 2
1863-[?] Charles Dillingham
Photographs (8)
2 3
1879-1911 Charles Dillingham to
Edwin Dillingham
2 4
1883-1912 Charles Dillingham to
Pauline Dillingham
2 5
1896-1915 Charles Dillingham
Business Papers
2 6
1888-1933 Miscellaneous
Imprints - 8th Vermont Association Constitution and By-Laws,
1888; Year Book of Christ Church Parish,
Houston,
1902; The Harvest Carnival Ball Program; Sweeny
& Coombs Opera House Official Program,
21 November 1893; Dedicatory Service First
Presbyterian Church,
31 March 1901;
The Legend of Houston,
1933; Kinkaid Almanac,
5 December 1924
2 7
189[?]-1917 Charles Dillingham
Clippings
2 8
1863-1916 Frances C. Dillingham
to Charles Dillingham
2 9
1863-1925 Frances C. Dillingham
to Various Family Members
2 10
1890-1927 Letters to Fannie
Dillingham from Family and Friends
2 11
1867 Dairy of Frances Cutter
Dillingham
2 12
1886-1912 Frances C. Dillingham
to Pauline Dillingham
2 13
1899 June-Aug Journal of
Frances C. Dillingham
3 1
1899 Sept-Oct Journal of
Frances C. Dillingham
3 2
1906-1907 Journal of Frances C.
Dillingham
3 3
n. d. Recipes - Fannie Dillingham
3 4
1892-[1909] Arthur Cutter to
Fannie Cutter Dillingham
3 5
1889-1893 Arthur Cutter to
Pauline Dillingham
3 6
1891-1893 Various Family
Members to Pauline Dillingham
3 7
1892-1934 Pauline Dillingham to
Various Family Members
3 8
1892-1942 Pauline Dillingham -
Miscellaneous
3 9
1893 Psychology Notebook of Pauline
Dillingham
3 10
1897 Poems of Mary Pauline Dillingham compiled
by Charlotte Dillingham
3 11
1910-1944 Correspondence
Between Pauline Dillingham and Horace Clark
3 12
1914 Songs by Horace Clark
3 13
1926 Pauline Dillingham to Frances C.
Dillingham
3 14
1929 Pauline Dillingham to Charles
Dillingham
3 15
1933-1941 Pauline Dillingham to
Edwin K. Dillingham
3 16
1934-1942 Pauline Dillingham
Business Papers
3 17
1935-1939 Various Poetry
Editors to Pauline Dillingham
4 1
n. d. Manuscripts of Poems and Short Stories by
Pauline Dillingham
4 2
n. d. Pauline Dillingham Clippings
4 3
n. d. Draft of Will of Pauline
Dillingham
4 4
1876 Edwin K. Dillingham to Arthur
Cutter
4 5
1879-1957 Edwin K. Dillingham -
Miscellaneous
4 6
1889-1926 Edwin K. Dillingham
to Various Family Members
4 7
1890-1944 Edwin K. Dillingham
to Pauline Dillingham
4 8
1926-1945 Letters to Edwin K.
Dillingham
4 9
1929 Edwin K. Dillingham to Charles
Dillingham
4 10
1909-1940 Lottie Dillingham to
Pauline Dillingham
4 11
1929 Lottie Dillingham to Charles
Dillingham
4 12
1925-1929 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Lottie Dillingham
4 13
1930-1933 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Lottie Dillingham
4 14
1934-1956 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Lottie Dillingham
5 1
1923-1929 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Edwin K. Dillingham
5 2
1930-1933 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Edwin K. Dillingham
5 3
1935-1955 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Edwin K. Dillingham
5 4
1923-1929 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Parents
5 5
1930-1932 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Parents
5 6
1933-1952 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Parents
5 7
1928-1942 Elizabeth Dillingham
to Pauline Dillingham
5 8
1925-[?] Elizabeth Dillingham
to Charles Dillingham
5 9
[?}-1925 Elizabeth Dillingham
to
Grandma Dillingham
5 10
[?]-1930 Poems by Elizabeth
Randon Dillingham
5 11
1930-1952 James Hart to Mr. and
Mrs. E. K. Dillingham
6 1
1926-1929 Charles Dillingham to
Lottie Dillingham
6 2
1930-1931 Charles Dillingham to
Lottie Dillingham
6 3
1932-1937 Charles Dillingham to
Lottie Dillingham
6 4
1926-1929 Charles Dillingham to
Edwin K. Dillingham
6 5
1930-1933 Charles Dillingham to
Edwin K. Dillingham
6 6
1934-1943 Charles Dillingham to
Edwin K. Dillingham
6 7
1926-1929 Charles Dillingham to
Parents
6 8
1930-1932 Charles Dillingham to
Parents
6 9
1933-1958 Charles Dillingham to
Parents
6 10
1930-1942 Charles Dillingham to
Pauline Dillingham
6 11
19[?]-1929 Charles Dillingham,
includes photo
6 12
1940-1952 From Barbara and
Charles Dillingham
6 13
1948-1958 From
Chuck Dillingham
6 14
[?] Miscellaneous
7 1
1927-1954 Letters to Lottie
Dillingham
7 2
1891-1941 Miscellaneous
Letters
7 3
1886- Miscellaneous Photographs