Descriptive Summary
Walter W. and Ella F.
Fondren Papers,
1838-1973
7.75 Cubic Feet
MS 390
Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice
University, Houston, TX
The Fondren Papers
provide a record of the Fondren family's acquisition and dispersal of money in
Houston and across Texas during the first three-quarters of this century and
offers additional information on the financial workings of several well-known
institutions and corporations. Formats include correspondence and financial
documents.
Processing InformationProcessed by Tony Narkin 1986,
1988-89.
Biographical Note
Walter W. Fondren was born in 1877 in Tennessee, the son of a farmer,
who moved the family to Arkansas in 1883. Orphaned at the age of nine or ten,
W. W. Fondren began working on farms in Arkansas and Texas. Then in 1897 he
worked as a helper on a drilling rig at Corsicana, Texas, developing rapidly
and becoming an independent driller during the first decade of this century.
While he was working at Corsicana, he met and married Ella F. Cochrum.
Born at Hazel, Kentucky, Ella Cochrum was in her mid teens when her
father died, making it necessary for her to quit school to care for her sister
and five brothers. She and Walter Fondren were married on Valentine's Day, 1904
in Corsicana, and soon thereafter moved to Houston, where a son and two
daughters were born to them and where they lived for the remainder of their
lives.
Mr. Fondren was elected a director of the Humble Oil Company, then
controlled mostly by Ross. S. Sterling, in 1912. In 1917 the Humble Oil and
Refining Company was formed, and Walter Fondren was elected vice president. He
assumed responsibility for drilling on the Gulf coast when Humble was
affiliated with Jersey Standard in 1919. When W. S. Farish was elected Jersey
director (1933), while retaining the Humble presidency, W. W. Fondren retired.
After several years of heart trouble, he died suddenly early in 1939.
The Fondren's interest in aiding worthy institutions led to the
establishment of the Fondren Foundation in 1948 to manage the resources of an
estate valued at over thirty-three million dollars at the time of Mr. Fondren's
death. Prominent among the recipients of this generosity have been St. Paul's
Methodist Church, Methodist Hospital, Methodist Homes for Older People and the
YMCA, all in Houston and Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Mrs.
Fondren's concern with health care and the training of nurses led her to
charter the Texas Association of Hospital Auxiliaries in 1943. Over the years
she also provided money for scholarships and awards for nursing students. At
the time of her death in 1982, Ella F. Fondren had devoted much of this century
to local philanthropy.
Scope and Contents
Walter W. Fondren performed a conspicuous part in the development of the
petroleum industry in Texas. The considerable wealth generated by his success
in this field was later, through the agency of Ella F. Fondren and the Fondren
Foundation, made available to several civic, religious, and educational
organizations, predominately in Texas. The Fondren Papers, occupying
approximately 7.75 cubic feet, provide a record of the Fondrens's acquisition
and dispersal of money during the first three-quarters of this century and
offers additional information on the financial workings of several well-known
institutions and corporations.
The Fondren Papers comprise fourteen Hollinger boxes that include
passbooks, ledgers, and other financial records. Books in a tin deed box (ca.
1890-1910) labeled with W. W. Fondren's card were reboxed but the box was
retained. Constituted almost completely by correspondence and documents
concerning financial matters, the collection is arranged in a single alphabet,
the papers in each folder being further arranged in chronological order.
Access RestrictionsThis material is open for research.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish material from the Fondren Papers must be obtained
from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.
The original instructions regarding the use of the Fondren Papers was
governed by an Agreement dated February 23, 1984, which remained in force until
February 24, 1999 and required researchers to sign the "Fondren Collection
Agreement" form.
Index Terms:
Subjects (Organizations)
Humble Oil and Refining
Company (Incorporated in Tex.)
William M. Rice
Institute.
Fondren Library.
Houston YMCA (Houston,
Tex.)
St. Paul's Methodist Church
(Houston, Tex.)
Methodist Hospital
(Houston, Tex.)
Southern Methodist
University.
Subjects
Methodist universities and
colleges--Texas.
Universities and
colleges--Texas.
Academic
libraries--Texas.
Young Men's Christian
associations--Texas.
Methodist
Church--Texas.
Hospitals--Texas.
Charities--Texas.
Petroleum industry and
trade--Texas.
Real
property--Texas.
Farms--Texas.
Ranches--Texas.
Houston
(Tex.)--Education--Universities and colleges.
Texas--Education--Universities and colleges.
Dallas
(Tex.)--Education--Universities and colleges.
Houston
(Tex.)--Libraries.
Texas--Libraries.
Houston (Tex.)--Societies,
etc.--YMCAs-YWCAs.
Texas--Societies,
etc.--YMCAs-YWCAs.
Houston (Tex.)--Churches and
religious affairs--Methodist.
Texas--Churches and
religious affairs--Methodist.
Houston (Tex.)--Medical
affairs--Hospitals, sanatoriums, etc.
Texas--Medical
affairs--Hospitals, sanatoriums, etc.
Houston (Tex.)--Charitable
and social work.
Texas--Charitable and social
work.
Houston (Tex.)--Business,
industries, and trades--Petroleum.
Texas--Business, industries,
and trades--Petroleum.
Texas--Land.
Texas--Agriculture.
Subjects (Correspondents)
Fondren, Ella F.,
1881?-1982.
Formats
Bankbooks.
Correspondence.
Related MaterialFondren Family Collection, MS 340, Woodson
Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University
Preferred Citation
Walter W. and Ella F. Fondren Papers,
1838-1973, MS 390, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice
University
Acquisition Information
The Fondren Papers were given by Doris Ledwidge Fondren, the Fondren's
daughter-in-law, on October 13, 1983. A second lot of papers was given by Mrs.
W. W. Fondren III on December 15, 1988, and integrated into the papers
processed in 1986.
Detailed Description of the Collection
1 1
A: miscellaneous correspondence,
1931-1967
1 2
Abstracts of title,
1899-1909
1 3
Abstracts of title,
1910-1911
1 4
Abstracts of title,
1911-1919
1 5
Abstracts of title,
1928-1931
2 1
Abstracts of title,
1932-1933
2 2
Abstracts of title,
1933-1936
2 3
Abstracts of title,
1949
2 4
Abstracts of title,
1949
2 5
Allday, Edwin: correspondence, deeds, titles,
1956-1963
3 1
B: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles, stock
certificates, accounts,
1903-1965
3 2
Barrett, C. E.: land titles, deeds,
1901-1908
3 3
Baytown Hardware Company: correspondence, accounts,
1948-1956
3 4
Brahman cattle inquiries: correspondence,
1945-1965
3 5
C: miscellaneous correspondence,
1913-1972
3 6
Christian Rural Overseas Program [CROP]: correspondence,
brochure, photos,
1957-1959
3 7
Commerce Street [2301-2307] property, Houston, Texas:
correspondence, titles, notes,
1930-1972
3 8
Curiosities
[n. d.]
4 1
D: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles, stock
certificates,
1910-1965
4 2
Davis Hill Oil Company: correspondence, maps,
1935-1953
4 3
E: miscellaneous correspondence,
1930-1946
4 4
Edwards Family land deal: titles, legal testimony,
correspondence,
1887-1929
4 5
F: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles,
1930-1962
4 6
Farm accounts and correspondence,
1940-1965
4 7
Fondren, A. L.: correspondence, accounts, notes,
1926-1936
4 8
Fondren, E. F.: will,
1939-1956
4 9
Fondren, W. W.: will and estate,
1925-1942
4 10
Fondren Foundation: correspondence, charters,
1955-1967
4 11
Fondren Lectures, Southern Methodist University:
correspondence,
1927-1931
4 12
Fondren Oil Company: correspondence, accounts,
1907-1940
5 1
Fondren Scholarship Fund, Southern Methodist University:
correspondence,
1927-1948
5 2
Fondren Trust [no. 1]: correspondence, charters,
1928-1944
5 3
Forest Park Cemetery: correspondence, deeds, plans, photos,
1939-1961
5 4
G: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles,
1918-1969
5 5
General Hospital Board, Methodist Hospitals: correspondence,
1931-1942
5 6
Gibraltar Savings and Building Association, Houston, Texas:
correspondence,
1931-1938
5 7
Green's Bayou, Harris County, Texas property: county survey
deeds, titles,
1838-1904
5 8
Gulf Coast Gross Production Reports,
1923, 1927
5 9
Gulf Oil Corporation: correspondence,
1943-1968
5 10
H: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles,
1919-1971
5 11
Hammett Oil Company: correspondence,
1924-1928
6 1
Harris County, Texas. Grand Jury
(November term, 1927): report,
1928
6 2
Harris County Flood Control District: correspondence, maps,
1958-1963
6 3
Houston District Board of Missions and Church Extension:
correspondence,
1937-1938
6 4
Houston Lighting and Power Company: correspondence, maps,
deeds,
1939-1962
6 5
Hubbard, Ida Cochrum and Mary Ida: Humble Oil Stocks:
correspondence, accounts,
1939-1964
6 6
Humble Field: titles, deeds,
1902-1966
6 7
Humble Oil and Refining Company: correspondence, deeds,
1914-1971
6 8
Humble Oil and Refining Company: Report on the Power Supply
for the East Texas Field,
1931
6 9
Humble Oil and Refining Company: Valuation … as of
January 5, 1939: charts
7 1
Humble Oil and Refining Company: Valuation … as of
January 5, 1939: narrative and
exhibits
7 2
I: miscellaneous correspondence,
1939, 1961
7 3
Income tax reports,
1922-1940
7 4
Jackson, J. C.: correspondence, titles, deeds,
1943, 1948
7 5
Joint Educational Commission, Methodist Schools:
correspondence,
1933-1937
7 6
Jones, Jesse H.: correspondence bond,
1923, 1931
7 7
K: miscellaneous correspondence,
1930-1962
7 8
L: miscellaneous correspondence,
1922-1964
7 9
Lynd, J. H.: correspondence,
1936-1938
7 10
M: miscellaneous correspondence, titles, deeds,
1906-1971
8 1
Methodist Brotherhood: correspondence,
1937-1962
8 2
Methodist Conferences: correspondence,
1934-1938
8 3
Methodist Home, Waco, Texas: correspondence,
1943-1966
8 4
Methodist Homes for Older People, Houston, Texas:
correspondence, maps, easement, deeds,
1962-1964
8 5
Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas: deeds, titles,
statements, correspondence,
1926-1969
8 6
Montrose Blvd. [3410], Houston, Texas: correspondence,
deeds, accounts, clippings,
1911-1965
8 7
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1926-1932
8 8
N: miscellaneous correspondence,
1926-1958
8 9
National Bank of Commerce, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1926-1943
9 1
O: miscellaneous correspondence,
1913-1957
9 2
Oil Companies, minor,
1902-1943
9 3
Oklahoma tax records,
1922-1939
9 4
P: miscellaneous correspondence,
1903-1973
9 5
Pano Tech Exploration Corporation: correspondence,
1955-1967
9 6
Patents and correspondence concerning W. W. Fondren
inventions,
1918-1927
9 7
Q: miscellaneous correspondence,
1938
9 8
R: miscellaneous correspondence, titles, deeds,
1906-1971
9 9
Rice Institute, Houston, Texas: athletic tickets,
correspondence,
1926-1951
10 1
Rice Institute, Houston, Texas: Fondren Library:
correspondence, plans,
1946-1949
10 2
River Oaks Country Club, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1927-1937
10 3
S: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, bonds, stock
certificates,
1906-1972
10 4
Saint Paul's Methodist Church, Houston, Texas:
correspondence, accounts,
1922-1968
10 5
San Jacinto Trust Company, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1929-1940
10 6
Scarritt College for Christian Workers, Nashville,
Tennessee: correspondence,
1942-1950
10 7
Seaboard Life Insurance Company, Houston, Texas:
correspondence,
1925-1931
10 8
Smith, A. Frank, Bishop: correspondence, accounts,
1931-1937
10 9
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas:
correspondence, deeds, titles, accounts,
1919-1970
11 1
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas: Fondren
Library: correspondence, deeds, titles,
1935-1970
11 2
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas: Fondren
Science Building: deeds, titles, correspondence,
1946-1953
11 3
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas: Kirby Fig
Farm, Algoa, Texas: correspondence,
1926-1937
11 4
Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas: correspondence,
1926-1952
11 5
Sparkman, Lizzie and F. L.: deeds, titles, correspondence,
1912-1939
11 6
Standard Oil Company: correspondence,
1920-1923
11 7
State Building and Loan Association: deeds, titles,
accounts, correspondence,
1923-1936
11 8
Sterett, Camp: correspondence,
1921-1934
11 9
T: miscellaneous correspondence, deeds, titles,
1909-1973
12 1
Tabb's Bay Oil Company, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1938-1958
12 2
Tax receipts (State, county, city):
1907-1939
12 3
Texaco: correspondence,
1921-1972
12 4
Texas A & M College: correspondence, deeds, titles,
1951-1955
12 5
Texas Hotel Supply Company, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
stock certificates,
1928-1933
12 6
Texas Methodist Foundation: correspondence,
1937-1938
12 7
Tidewater Oil Company, Houston, Texas: correspondence,
1923-1938
12 8
Trammell, A., H. L. and W. B.: deeds, correspondence,
1921-1937
12 9
U: miscellaneous correspondence,
1924-1938
12 10
University of Houston: correspondence,
1954-1967
12 11
V: miscellaneous correspondence,
1923-1971
12 12
W: miscellaneous correspondence, volt meter disc, deed,
1925-1964
12 13
Westmoreland Ave. [401], Houston, Texas: construction
contract, builder's account, views,
1905
12 14
YMCA, Houston, Texas: correspondence, photos, accounts,
1921-1943
13
Unfoldered items:
13
Bank Book: The National Bank of Commerce, Houston, Texas [W.
W. Fondren],
1918-1939
13
Bank Book (record of payments): The Union National Bank,
Houston, Texas [W. W. Fondren],
1913-1923
13
Cash Book [W. W. Fondren],
1925
13
Cash Book,
1926-28
13
Journal [W. W. Fondren],
1929-1938
13
S. E. Ledger [W. W. Fondren]
1917-1922
13
S. [E.] Ledger [
Mr. Fondren's Personal Income],
1919-1920
13
S. E. Ledger: W. W. Fondren, San Jacinto Trust Co. Account
[1927-1928]
13
Post binder: W. W. Fondren Income beginning
1923
13
Post binder:
Inactive Ledger [W. W. Fondren
Estate and Ella F. Fondren],
1939-1971
13
Standard Columnar Book [W. W. Fondren],
1929-1932
14
Post binder: [miscellaneous accounts],
1918-1936
14
Post binder:
The Journal and Ledger Accounts of the
Fondren Foundation,
1948-1969