Medical records are confidential for 100 years and then are available for historical research purposes (V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, Section 159.002(d)). By 2033 all medical records in thee papers will be available for research.
Under the Copyright Law of 1996 as amended in 1998, unpublished manuscripts are protected at a minimum through December 31, 2002 or 70 years after the author's death. Researchers are responsible for complying with the Copyright Law.
Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.
(Identify the item and cite the series), Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Nellie Ward Donnan, born August 10, 1879 in Austin, Texas, was the daughter of longtime Austin businessman John Knox Donnan and his wife MarthaJane (Jennie) Johnson Donnan. After her marriage to Clarence Lincoln Test in 1901, Nellie studied voice culture with Mrs. Jourdan Morris of Austin, eventually studying music and singing in New York and Paris. She wrote several musical compositions, mostly sacred music. Nellie traveled extensively but considered Austin her home. She died in 1975 at the age of 96.
John Knox Donnan, father of Nellie W. Donnan Test, was born in Petersburg, Virginia on June 20, 1848. In 1874 he came to Austin and became prominent in business and in the Masonic Order. On March 14, 1876 he married Jennie Johnson, who until her marriage attended the Austin Female College, established in 1873 at 1100 Lavaca. The two lived in Austin all their married lives in the house they built at 1102 Lavaca. In the 1970s this house, which had also been for 96 years the Austin residence of Nellie Test, was moved to Tanglewood Trail in West Austin by Attorney General John L. Hill, Jr. Restored and enlarged, the house is presently known as the Donnan-Hill house.
John Knox Donnan, Jr. (1893-1967), Nellie W. Donnan Test, Lilla Johnson Donnan Shapard (also known as Sis), Helen C. Donnan (d. December 1899), and Nannie Bell Donnan (d. April 1898) were children of John Knox and Jennie Donnan.
Clarence Lincoln Test was born in Camden, New Jersey in 1873. He moved to Austin about 1900 and engaged in the real estate, cotton and oil industries. On May 1, 1901 he married Nellie Donnan, of the prominent John Knox Donnan family. He served as assistant Austin postmaster under Jefferson Johnson and was a member of the Texas National Guard from its origin.
Test was a veteran of two American wars. At the outbreak of the Spanish American War he enlisted as a private in the 3rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, later transferring to Troop K, 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, also known as Roosevelt's Rough Riders. During World War I he served overseas as adjutant of the 71st Infantry Brigade, 36th Division. In 1923 he was appointed Lieutenant Colonel of the Adjutant General's Officers Reserve Corps, U.S. Army, which rank he held at his death in 1925.
An expert rifleman, Test was a member of the Texas State Rifle Team. His many medals and citations for marksmanship are included in this collection. Test died at Walter Reed Hospital on May 5, 1925 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Papers are correspondence, printed material, memorabilia, and other material of Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test and their families dating from 1776 to 1961 (bulk 1894-1961). The materials mainly document Clarence Test's military involvement and Nellie Test's musical interests. Also included are board minutes and other records of the Children's Home of Austin (Tex.).
The Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers are organized into two subgroups and 17 series:
Jeanne Herman Jacques, April 1982
Accession numbers: 1964/191, 1966/185, 1968/041
These papers were donated to the Texas State Archives by Nellie Donnan Test on May 26, 1965. On June 22, 1967 Mrs. Test supplemented the collection with a second donation, and the remainder was donated October 16, 1967 by her sister-in-law, Mrs. John Donnan.
The bulk of Nellie Test's papers in this collection concern her musical interests, including correspondence, sheet music, programs and clippings relative to her career as a song writer and singer. Other items include a 1900 cookbook, an invitation and program for Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1937 inauguration, an autograph collection including several signed musical programs, and papers and certificates relative to the Donnan family. Included in the correspondence is a personal letter from Eleanor Roosevelt concerning the United Nations Organization. Also included are board minutes and other records of the Children's Home of Austin (Tex.).
This subgroup is organized into five series:
Papers are correspondence, including telegrams and letters of congratulations, of Nellie Donnan Test, dating from 1912 to 1961. Subjects of letters include making recordings, radio performances, and thank you letters for singing. Correspondents include Brunswick Records, NBC, Senator Morris Sheppard and Eleanor Roosevelt.
These papers are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Correspondence, Papers of Nellie Donnan Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are sheet music, a copyright, clippings, reviews, and
programs belonging to Nellie Donnan Test, dating from 1905 to 1952. Sheet music
is included for five compositions written by Nellie Test:
These papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), Musical career, Papers of Nellie Donnan Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are autographs and autographed programs, a 1900 cookbook
entitled
Papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), Miscellaneous, Papers of Nellie Donnan Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series, containing materials dating from 1874 to 1926,
includes Masonic certificates for John Knox Donnan, Jennie Johnson Donnan, and
John Knox Donnan, Jr. dated 1882-1918, and a certificate dated December 15,
1884 certifying that John Knox Donnan served in
These papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), Donnan family, Papers of Nellie Donnan Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Jennie Johnson Donnan was interested in the Children's Home of Austin and served as president of the Board for several decades. The Home, located for many years at 1206 East 11th Street, was a chartered institution formed for maintaining a home for indigent children. The Home was founded in 1893 along with Austin's first charitable organization, the Helping Hand Society, which directed its administration and support. In 1925 the Rotarians assisted Helping Hand in procuring new quarters for the Home. These quarters at West 38th Street and Avenue B are still in use and the home today is officially called the Junior Helping Hand Home for Children.
The material from the Children's Home of Austin is scant, with no material in depth. Minutes are included from November 13, 1902 to November 3, 1905 and several days each of 1910 and 1930. Relevant newspaper clippings are incorporated into the earlier minutes. Correspondence includes letters concerning several wards of the home, personal letters from former residents to Mrs. Donnan and a series of letters about boiler repair in 1930. Legal documents include a paving lien form for 1931 and printed materials include application forms for the State Orphan's Home in Corsicana and the Vashti School for Girls and a 1933 newsletter from the Texas Conference of Social Welfare. Additional materials include certificates of health and admission forms for wards from 1903 to 1910.
These papers are arranged by type of material, then chronologically.
(Identify the item), Children's Home of Austin, Papers of Nellie Donnan Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Medical records are confidential for 100 years and then are available for historical research purposes (V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, Section 159.002(d)). By 2033 all medical records in this series will be available for research.
The bulk of Clarence Lincoln Test's papers consist of correspondence, military orders and certificates pertinent to his career in the National Guard and U.S. Volunteer Forces. Since Test was a member of Roosevelt's Rough Riders, his papers include a history of Troop K, 1st U.S. Cavalry, his Rough Riders Badge, and an assortment of materials about Theodore Roosevelt.
Test's service in Europe during and after World War I is reflected in materials from the Army Staff College 4th Course, France, 1918, guidebooks, maps, theater programs, bus tickets and similar items from France and Germany and invitations and programs from various entertainments provided by the 7th Army Corps, 1918-1919. Included also are over 500 postcards and photographs, mainly of France and Germany.
The remainder of the collection consists of clippings, photographs, memorabilia, including 75 medals, pertinent to Test's military career and expertise in marksmanship, and numerous photographs relative to activities of the early years of the Texas Volunteer (National) Guard. Also included is a small amount of material related to the Test family.
This subgroup is organized into 12 series:
(Identify the item and cite the series), Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are correspondence of Clarence Lincoln Test, dating from 1898 to 1925. The bulk of this series deals with applications for military commissions, including both correspondence between Test and the War Department and numerous letters of recommendation and endorsement from military figures and such prominent Austinites as Alvin M. Owsley and William H. Stacy.
The material is chronologically organized and may be summarized as: 1898-1902, letters pertinent to appointment as Lieutenant in the 1st Texas Volunteer Guard; 1904-1906, letters pertinent to appointment as Captain in U.S. Volunteer Forces; 1916-1919, letters pertinent to appointment as Major AGD, 36th Division, 71st Infantry Brigade and postcards and letters from France; 1919-1920, letters pertinent to receiving Victory medal and application for commission in Adjutant General's Officers Reserve Corps, U.S. Army; 1920-1923, telegrams and letters pertaining to appointment as Captain, Adjutant General's Officers Reserve Corps; 1924-1925, letters, telegrams and papers pertinent to illness, admission into Walter Reed Hospital, death, and interment at Arlington National Cemetery including death certificate.
These papers are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Correspondence, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Medical records are confidential for 100 years and then are available for historical research purposes (V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, Section 159.002(d)). By 2025 all medical records in this series will be available for research.
Papers are military orders and memoranda of Clarence Lincoln Test, dating from 1892 to 1920. This series includes special orders transferring Test to Troop K, 1st U.S. Cavalry (Roosevelt's Rough Riders) in 1898 and orders to ship overseas in 1918, plus various general orders and printed memoranda concerning the Texas Volunteer Guard, the 7th Army Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, and other military bodies.
These papers are arranged by type of material, then chronologically.
(Identify the item), Military orders and memoranda, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are certificates of Clarence Lincoln Test, dating from 1894 to 1923 and [196-]. Included here are Test's appointment papers from 1902, 1917, 1921, and 1923; discharge papers from 1895, 1898, and 1919; certified special orders sending Test to Cuba with Troop K, 1st Regiment, U.S. Cavalry in 1898; passport for Clarence and Nellie Test, 1901; diploma from Army General Staff College, France, 1918; and a certificate honoring the memory of Test signed by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.
These papers are arranged chronologically.
(Identify the item), Certificates, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are a unit history, pass, and membership card relating to Roosevelt's Rough Riders (1st Volunteer Cavalry) and Clarence Lincoln Test's participation in that unit in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Materials date from 1898 and 1907. This series includes the official history of Troop K, 1st Regiment, U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, better known as Roosevelt's Rough Riders; a pass permitting Mr. Test to leave Santiago De Cuba on horseback on August 17, 1898; and Test's membership card in Roosevelt's Rough Riders Association.
(Identify the item), Roosevelt's Rough Riders, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are course outline and examination questions, class notes, and a 1918 Fourth Course class book containing names, dates and photographs for all participants, of Clarence Lincoln Test from the Army General Staff College in France, dating from 1918. In 1918 Test completed the Army General Staff College Fourth Course of the American Expeditionary Forces while stationed in France.
These papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), Army General Staff College, France, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are programs, invitations, guidebooks, maps, and
memorabilia, dating from 1918 to 1919. These items belonging to Clarence Test
relate to the recreational activities of the 7th Army Corps in Europe during
and after World War I. Materials concern recreational activities offered by, or
available to, members of the 7th Army Corps in Europe includes programs and
invitations to sporting events in France in 1919; guidebooks and maps for
various areas of France and Germany, including Alsace Lorraine, Cannes,
Langres, Trier, and the Rhine; and a collection of cultural memorabilia:
invitations, programs, tickets, military passes, club cards, a 1919 French
calendar book, and so forth. Also significant is a large number of photographs
and postcards of Europe, especially France and Germany, and scenes of World War
I which are located in the series of
These papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), 7th Army Corps, Recreational activities, Europe, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series includes certificates of health, rifle match score cards, Senate Bill Number 33, 66th Congress, 2nd Session, an American flag souvenir of the 1st Texas Infantry dated 1898, and a collection of clippings about Test's military career and about establishing the Texas State Rifle Association. Materials date from 1894 to 1925 and undated.
These papers are arranged by type of material and then chronologically.
(Identify the item), Miscellaneous, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Medical records are confidential for 100 years and then are available for historical research purposes (V.T.C.A., Occupations Code, Section 159.002(d)). By 2025 all medical records in this series will be available for research.
Two handwritten essays on the American flag, undated.
(Identify the item), Literary effort, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are clippings, political cartoons, and a program relating to Theodore Roosevelt, gathered by Clarence Lincoln Test, dating from 1901 to 1919. The 1910 luncheon program contains regulations for Colonel Roosevelt's Court of Honor.
(Identify the item), Theodore Roosevelt, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
This series consists of artifacts belonging to Clarence Lincoln Test, including 75 medals, a banner, patches, coins, and a vest pocket map, dating from 1894 to 1919. Medals were received by Test for marksmanship and service; the banner is orange felt with the words "Service Over There;" patches and coins relate to Test's service in Europe with the 7th Army Corps. The map is a Matthews-Northrup vest pocket map of Texas, the Indian Territory, and the Oklahoma Territory, dating from 1895.
These papers are arranged by type of material.
(Identify the item), Artifacts, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Papers are genealogical information relating to the Test, Middleton, Goldson, Ives, Hann, Maul, and Elwell families, dating from 1776 to 1923. Included are a postcard and clipping relative to the Test family history and a 1913 Golden Wedding Anniversary announcement of Test's parents. Two documents relate to the Maul family: a certificate testifying to the proving of the will of Benjamin Maul in 1776 and the will of Benjamin Maule, son of Benjamin Maul, dated 1792.
These papers are arranged somewhat chronologically.
(Identify the item), Test family papers, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Materials are photographs of the Texas Volunteer Guard, Europe, and scenes of World War I, gathered by Clarence Lincoln Test. The few dated photographs range from 1905 to 1929, with many undated photographs taken between 1918 and 1919. There are over 500 images in this series. Photographs and postcards concern the Army career of Clarence L. Test during the early 1900s. There are postcards of Camp Perry, Ohio, photographs of Camp Bowie, Texas, group photographs of officers and soldiers, and pictures of the Seventh Army Corps Headquarters in Wittlich, Germany. Postcards show military life and scenes of Europe. Titles have been either copied directly from the photograph or postcard or adapted from notations and bracketed. Some of the postcards are addressed to Mrs. Goldson Test from Clifford; some are to Nellie Test from Clarence Test.
A more detailed printed finding aid for the photographs is available in the Archives search room as part of the Prints and Photographs Collection.
The photographs are grouped by accession number. Within the first accession, photographs are arranged by location. In the second accession, photographs of identified people are first, followed by photographs and postcards identified by place, then unidentified material and miscellaneous items.
Accession numbers: 1964/191, 1966/185
These photographs were donated to the Texas State Archives by Nellie Donnan Test on May 26, 1965 and June 22, 1967.
(Identify the item), Photographs, Papers of Clarence Lincoln Test, Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.
Autographed to Mrs. Test, 1914.
Autographed, 1910.
Autographed
Autographed to John Donnan
Autographed to John K. Donnan, Jr.
Autographed to John Donnan Jr.
Test has marked his room.