urn:taro:ttu.sw.00096 Benjamin H. Grierson: An Inventory of His Papers, 1827-1941 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library Abel Ramirez The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library Texas Tech University MS 41041 Lubbock, Texas 79409 Phone: (806) 742-3749 Fax: (806) 742-0496 Webpage: http://swco.ttu.edu Contact Person: Reference Archivist
August 2000 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by Apex Data Services, October 2000. Finding aid written in English. Tue Jul 22 15:22:07 CDT 2003 urn:taro:ttu.sw.00096 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). Inventory for the Benjamin H. Grierson Papers, 1827-1941 and undated Abel Ramirez The Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, August 2000 Descriptive Summary Grierson, Benjamin Henry, 1826-1911 Benjamin Henry Grierson Papers, 1827-1941 and undated The papers of Benjamin Henry Grierson, a major general of volunteers who went on to be Superintendent of the General Mounted Recruiting Service in Saint Louis, Missouri from 1873-1874 and later commanded several forts in Texas. S 385.1 Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University 14 boxes (8.0 linear feet) English. Biographical Sketch

Benjamin Henry Grierson was born on July 8, 1826 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the youngest son of Robert and Mary (Shepard) Grierson, who were born and married in Dublin, Ireland. Robert and Mary emigrated to the United States after the birth of their second child. Other children born to Robert and Mary were Louisa, who married Mr. Semple, and John C.

Benjamin attended the Yorktown, Ohio, Academy. In Youngstown, Ohio, he married Alice Kirk on September 24, 1854. Together, they had seven children: Charles Henry, who entered the army and attended West Point; John Kirk; Robert Kirk, who attended medical school and suffered from mental illness at various times; Edith Clare; Benjamin Henry Jr.; George Theodore; and Mary Louisa. After Alice's death in 1888, Benjamin married the widow Lillian Atwood King in 1897.

From 1849-1855, he taught music in Jacksonville, Illinois, and was a partner in a Meredosia store from 1855-1859. During the Civil War, Grierson became a major general of volunteers and was appointed Colonel of the 10th Regiment of Cavalry, U. S. Army, in July of 1866. From 1866-1867, he was stationed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Afterwards, he commanded Fort Riley, Kansas (September 1867-April 1868), Fort Gibson, Camp Wichita, Fort Sill, and Indian Territory (1868-1873) before serving as Superintendent of the General Mounted Recruiting Service in Saint Louis, Missouri from 1873-1874. Grierson also commanded Fort Concho, Texas, and the District of the Pecos from 1875-1881; Fort Concho and sub posts from 1881-1882; the Department of Texas in 1883; Fort Davis, Texas, sub posts and country west of the Pecos River from 1883-1885; and Whipple Barracks, Prescott, Arizona Territory from 1885-1890. In 1890, General Grierson retired to his ranch in Jeff Davis County, Texas, and had a home at Fort Davis. He died on September 1, 1911.

 Scope and Contents

The collection includes correspondence, financial material, genealogical material, legal material, literary productions, military materials, photographs, printed and scrapbook material. It bulks (1827-1941) with Benjamin Grierson's personal correspondence dealing with family matters, special occasions and hunting trips.

The materials are arranged into 5 major sections: Benjamin H. Grierson, 1827-1941; Charles H. Grierson (Benjamin Grierson's oldest son), 1889-1939; Mason M. Maxon (Captain, 10th Cavalry), 1869-1899; Robert G. Smithers (Adjutant, 10th Cavalry), 1862-1922; Henry C. Smithers (son of Robert Smithers), 1914-1922. The Microfilm includes Army Ordinance files, music books, genealogical history, Grierson's Army records, military correspondence, autobiography, two bound books, Lights and Shadows (1892), and a letter copy book by John Kirk, Texas Letters.

Index Terms

The subject headings used by the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library are derived from the Library of Congress and/or locally developed.

Subjects (Persons) Greer family--Genealogy Grierson, Benjamin Henry, 1826-1911 Subjects (Organizations) United States. Army. Cavalry, 10th--History United States. Army--Military life United States. Army--Records and correspondence Places Fort Davis (Tex.)--History Fort Davis (Tex.: Fort) Fort Concho (Tex.)--History Fort Sill (Okla.)--History United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865 Subjects Army life--Southwest, New Frontier and pioneer life--Southwest, New Frontier and pioneer life--Texas Generals--Southwest, New Generals--Southwest, New--Biography Indians of North America--Wars--Texas Indians of North America--Wars--Southwest, New Indians of North America--Wars--1866-1895 Navajo Indians Military bases--Southwest, New Soldiers--Southwest, New Spanish-American War, 1898 Yellow fever--Texas--History Women--Suffrage--Texas

Gift, 1976

 Access Restrictions

Open for research

 Processed by

Abel Ramirez, August 2000

 Preferred Citation

Benjamin H. Grierson Papers, 1827-1941 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

 Additional Sources Wagner, Lavern J., ed. Band Music from the Benjamin H. Grierson Collection. Madison, Wisconsin: A-R Editions, 1998. Brief sketch of General Grierson's Services, with a Few Extracts from Special Testimonials and Recommendations of General Officers and Other Officials. From Records filed in War Department, 1861-1884. Washington, D.C., 1885. Leckie, William H. Unlikely Warriors: General Benjamin H. Grierson and His Family. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1984. Temple, Frank M. Colonel B. H. Grierson's Texas Commands. Thesis (M.A.)--Texas Technological College, 1959. Temple, Frank M. Colonel Grierson in the Southwest. United States: s. n., 1957. Collection Inventory Correspondence, 1827-1938 and undated 1 1 Correspondence, 1827-1954 1 2 Correspondence, 1855-1856 1 3 Correspondence, 1857-1858 1 4 Correspondence, 1859-1862 1 5 Correspondence, 1863-1866 1 6 Correspondence, 1867-1869 1 7 Correspondence, 1870-1871 1 8 Correspondence, 1872 1 9 Correspondence, Jan.-Dec. 1873 1 10 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1874 2 1 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1874 2 2 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1875 2 3 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1875 2 4 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1876 2 5 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1876 2 6 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1877 2 7 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1877 2 8 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1878 2 9 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1878 3 1 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1879 3 2 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1879 3 3 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1880 3 4 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1880 3 5 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1881 3 6 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1881 3 7 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1882 3 8 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1882 4 1 Correspondence, 1883 4 2 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1884 4 3 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1884 4 4 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1885 4 5 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1885 4 6 Correspondence, Jan.-May 1886 4 7 Correspondence, June-Sept. 1886 5 1 Correspondence, Oct.-Dec. 1886 5 2 Correspondence, Jan.-March 1887 5 3 Correspondence, April-June 1887 5 4 Correspondence, July-Sept. 1887 5 5 Correspondence, Oct.-Dec. 1887 5 6 Correspondence, Jan.-March 1888 5 7 Correspondence, April-June 1888 5 8 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1888 6 1 Correspondence, Jan.-June 1889 6 2 Correspondence, July-Dec. 1889 6 3 Correspondence, 1890 6 4 Correspondence, 1891-1892 6 5 Correspondence, 1893-1894 6 6 Correspondence, 1895 6 7 Correspondence, 1896 6 8 Correspondence, 1897-1905 6 9 Correspondence, 1924-1938 6 10 Correspondence, undated 6 11 Correspondence, undated Financial Material, 1850-1939 and undated General, 1850-1939 and undated 7 1 1850-1872 7 2 1873-1875 7 3 1876-1878 7 4 1879-1882 7 5 1883-1887 7 6 1888-1911 7 7 1916-1938 7 8 1939 7 9 undated 7 10 Tax Receipts on Land, 1856-1888 7 11 Genealogical Records, 1879-1898 and undated Legal Material, 1869-1927 and undated 7 12 General, 1869-1941 and undated 7 13 Patent Papers of BHG Jr., 1927 7 14 Literary Productions, 1852-1878 and undated 7 15 Maps, undated Military Material, 1861-1890 7 16 General, 1861-1890 8 1 Financial, 1866-1875 8 2 Photographs, 1892 and undated Printed Material, 1882-1921 8 3 General, 1882-1921 8 4 Annual Reports, Department of Arizona, 1889-1890 Real Estate Material, 1849-1930 and undated 8 5 Legal, 1849-1930 8 6 General, 1891 and undated Scrapbook Material, 1868-1937 and undated 8 7 Miscellaneous, 1877-1937 and undated 8 8 Personal, 1868-1911 and undated Charles H. Grierson, 1889-1939 and undated Correspondence, 1889-1939 and undated General, 1890-1939 and undated 8 9 May-Dec. 1890 8 10 Jan. 1-Jan. 14, 1891 8 11 Jan 1891-Feb. 1893 8 12 1896-1898 9 1 April-June 1899 9 2 July 1899 9 3 Aug. 1899 9 4 Sept.-Oct. 1899 9 5 1900-1909 9 6 1911 9 7 1910 9 8 Letter Press, 1911-1912 10 1 1912-1915 10 2 1923-1927 10 3 undated 10 4 Damaged, undated Letter Press Books, 1889-1911 10 5 I, 1910-1911 10 6 II, 1889 10 7 Literary Productions, 1894 and undated 10 8 Photographs, 1913 10 9 Scrapbook Material, Envelopes, undated Mason M. Maxon, 1869-1899 and undated Correspondence, 1885-1899 10 10 1885-1893 10 11 1899 10 12 Financial Material, 1884-1890 11 1 Legal Material, 1889-1890 Military Material, 1869-1891 Correspondence, 1869-1891 11 2 1869-1879 11 3 1880-1886 11 4 1887-1891 11 5 Financial Materials, 1884-1891 Orders, 1968-1891 11 6 1869-1878 11 7 1878-1879 11 8 1880-1884 11 9 1885-1887 11 10 1888-1891 11 11 Reports, 1878-1885 11 12 Miscellaneous, 1872-1886 11 13 Real Estate Material, 1882-1892 12 1 Scrapbook Material, 1878 Robert G. Smithers, 1862-1922 and undated Correspondence, 1881-1922 and undated 12 2 Letters, 1911-1922 12 3 Envelopes, 1881-1922 and undated 12 4 Literary Productions, 1897 Military Materials, 1862-1924 and undated 12 5 Correspondence, 1881-1916 12 6 Orders, 1867-1917 12 7 Service Records, 1878-1885 and undated 12 8 Uniform Regulations, 1911-1914 12 9 Miscellaneous, 1862-1924 and undated 12 10 Printed Material, 1907-1922 12 11 Scrapbook Material, 1887-1921 and undated Henry C. Smithers, 1914-1922 and undated Military Material, 1914-1922 and undated 12 12 Correspondence, 1921-1922 12 13 Printed Material, 1914-1919 12 14 Miscellaneous, 1921 and undated Charles H. Grierson, undated Correspondence, undated 13 1 Damaged, undated 13 2 Damaged, undated 13 3 Damaged, undated 13 4 Damaged, undated Benjamin H. Grierson, 1880-1914 and undated 14 1 Correspondence, Oversized, 1880-1888 and undated 14 2 Genealogical Material, undated 14 3 Literary Production, Poem, undated 14 4 Printed Material, Newspapers, 1893-1914 and undated