Marvin Delano was born in either Ohio or Essex County, New York. Between August 22, 1836 and May 23, 1837, he served in the Texas Army of the Republic of Texas and settled in what is now Beaumont, Texas, where he owned the first store and hotel. Marvin had four children: Oliver, Charles, Laura, and Esther. Oliver Howard Delano, named after Marvin's brother, Lieutenant Colonel Howard Delano, settled in Orange, Texas. Marvin Delano died near Bevilport, Texas in 1843. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is descended from this same Delano family.
The collection contains correspondence, legal documents, and photographs of the Delano Family. The correspondence is a letter (1862) from Elizabeth Delano in Pamplins Creek, Tyler County, Texas, to her cousin Laura about Oliver having joined the army and camped in Houston County near Crockett, Texas. On the same letter, Elizabeth's brother, O. J. (Oliver) Delano, writes to Laura about joining Burnett's Regiment and receiving marching orders from Jasper, Texas to Fulton, Arkansas.
The legal documents consist of four Photostats concerning the issue and transfer of land deeds. The first is a land certificate issued by the Republic of Texas giving Marvin Delano 960 acres of bounty land in 1838. The second is a written document that states transfer of land from Marvin to his son Oliver Delano also in 1838. The third is a voucher for the transfer of land. The fourth document is an endorsement from the General Land Office in Austin, Texas, dated 1936.
The collection also contains 11 undated photographs taken of members of the Delano family ranging from the mid to late 1800s. They consist of one cased ambrotype of Marvin Delano, four tintypes of Mary Helen Cooper Delano, Oliver Delano, Caswell Adams, and Charles Delano and six photographs including Laura Delano Baker, Esther Delano Martin, Kate Rice, W. E. Martin, Mrs. W. E. Martin, and George Baker.
Organized into three series.
None.
Open for research by appointment.
Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Gift of Mrs. Boyce Andrews, 1952.
Processed by Suellen Denton, 2010.
[Identification of Item], Delano Family Papers, MC104, San Jacinto Museum of History, Houston, Texas.