Benjamin H. Grierson:
An Inventory of His Papers, 1827-1941 and undated, at the
Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library
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| Creator | Grierson, Benjamin Henry,
1826-1911 |
| Title: | Benjamin Henry Grierson
Papers,
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| Dates: | 1827-1941 and undated |
| Abstract: | 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. |
| Collection # | S 385.1 |
| Quantity: | 14 boxes (8.0 linear
feet) |
| Language | English. |
| Repository: | Southwest Collection/Special Collections
Library, Texas Tech University |
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.
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.
Access Restrictions
Open for research
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| 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 |
Benjamin H. Grierson Papers, 1827-1941 and undated, Southwest
Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock,
Texas
Gift, 1976
Abel Ramirez, August 2000
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Wagner, Lavern J., ed.
"Band Music from the Benjamin H. Grierson
Collection. "Madison, Wisconsin: A-R Editions, 1998.
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"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.
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Leckie, William H.
"Unlikely Warriors: General Benjamin H.
Grierson and His Family. "Norman: University of Oklahoma Press,
1984.
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Temple, Frank M.
"Colonel B. H. Grierson's Texas Commands.
"Thesis (M.A.)--Texas Technological College, 1959.
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Temple, Frank M.
"Colonel Grierson in the Southwest.
"United States: s. n., 1957.
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Collection Inventory
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Correspondence,
1827-1938 and undated
|
| box | folder |
| 1 | 1 | | Correspondence,
1827-1954 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
1855-1856 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
1857-1858 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
1859-1862 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
1863-1866 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
1867-1869 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
1870-1871 |
| 8 | | Correspondence,
1872 |
| 9 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-Dec. 1873 |
| 10 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1874 |
| box | folder |
| 2 | 1 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1874 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1875 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1875 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1876 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1876 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1877 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1877 |
| 8 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1878 |
| 9 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1878 |
| box | folder |
| 3 | 1 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1879 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1879 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1880 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1880 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1881 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1881 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1882 |
| 8 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1882 |
| box | folder |
| 4 | 1 | | Correspondence,
1883 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1884 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1884 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1885 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1885 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-May 1886 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
June-Sept. 1886 |
| box | folder |
| 5 | 1 | | Correspondence,
Oct.-Dec. 1886 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-March 1887 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
April-June 1887 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
July-Sept. 1887 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
Oct.-Dec. 1887 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-March 1888 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
April-June 1888 |
| 8 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1888 |
| box | folder |
| 6 | 1 | | Correspondence,
Jan.-June 1889 |
| 2 | | Correspondence,
July-Dec. 1889 |
| 3 | | Correspondence,
1890 |
| 4 | | Correspondence,
1891-1892 |
| 5 | | Correspondence,
1893-1894 |
| 6 | | Correspondence,
1895 |
| 7 | | Correspondence,
1896 |
| 8 | | Correspondence,
1897-1905 |
| 9 | | Correspondence,
1924-1938 |
| 10 | | Correspondence,
undated |
| 11 | | Correspondence,
undated |
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Financial Material,
1850-1939 and undated
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| | | General,
1850-1939 and undated |
| box | folder |
| 7 | 1 | | | 1850-1872 |
| 2 | | | 1873-1875 |
| 3 | | | 1876-1878 |
| 4 | | | 1879-1882 |
| 5 | | | 1883-1887 |
| 6 | | | 1888-1911 |
| 7 | | | 1916-1938 |
| 8 | | | 1939 |
| 9 | | | undated |
| 10 | | Tax Receipts on Land,
1856-1888 |
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| box | folder |
| 7 | 11 | Genealogical Records,
1879-1898 and undated |
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Legal Material,
1869-1927 and undated
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| box | folder |
| 7 | 12 | | General,
1869-1941 and undated |
| 13 | | Patent Papers of BHG Jr.,
1927 |
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| box | folder |
| 7 | 14 | Literary Productions,
1852-1878 and undated |
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| box | folder |
| 7 | 15 | Maps,
undated |
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Military Material,
1861-1890
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| box | folder |
| 7 | 16 | | General,
1861-1890 |
| box | folder |
| 8 | 1 | | Financial,
1866-1875 |
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| box | folder |
| 8 | 2 | Photographs,
1892 and undated |
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Printed Material,
1882-1921
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| box | folder |
| 8 | 3 | | General,
1882-1921 |
| 4 | | Annual Reports, Department of Arizona,
1889-1890 |
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Real Estate Material,
1849-1930 and undated
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| box | folder |
| 8 | 5 | | Legal,
1849-1930 |
| 6 | | General,
1891 and undated |
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Scrapbook Material,
1868-1937 and undated
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| box | folder |
| 8 | 7 | | Miscellaneous,
1877-1937 and undated |
| 8 | | Personal,
1868-1911 and undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Charles H. Grierson,
1889-1939 and undated
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Correspondence,
1889-1939 and undated
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| | | General,
1890-1939 and undated |
| box | folder |
| 8 | 9 | | | May-Dec. 1890 |
| 10 | | | Jan. 1-Jan. 14, 1891 |
| 11 | | | Jan 1891-Feb. 1893 |
| 12 | | | 1896-1898 |
| box | folder |
| 9 | 1 | | | April-June 1899 |
| 2 | | | July 1899 |
| 3 | | | Aug. 1899 |
| 4 | | | Sept.-Oct. 1899 |
| 5 | | | 1900-1909 |
| 6 | | | 1911 |
| 7 | | | 1910 |
| 8 | | | Letter Press,
1911-1912 |
| box | folder |
| 10 | 1 | | | 1912-1915 |
| 2 | | | 1923-1927 |
| 3 | | | undated |
| 4 | | Damaged,
undated |
| | | Letter Press Books,
1889-1911 |
| box | folder |
| 10 | 5 | | | I,
1910-1911 |
| 6 | | | II,
1889 |
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| box | folder |
| 10 | 7 | Literary Productions,
1894 and undated |
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| box | folder |
| 10 | 8 | Photographs,
1913 |
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| box | folder |
| 10 | 9 | Scrapbook Material, Envelopes,
undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Mason M. Maxon,
1869-1899 and undated
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Correspondence,
1885-1899
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| box | folder |
| 10 | 10 | | 1885-1893 |
| 11 | | 1899 |
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| box | folder |
| 10 | 12 | Financial Material,
1884-1890 |
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| box | folder |
| 11 | 1 | Legal Material,
1889-1890 |
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Military Material,
1869-1891
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| | | Correspondence,
1869-1891 |
| box | folder |
| 11 | 2 | | | 1869-1879 |
| 3 | | | 1880-1886 |
| 4 | | | 1887-1891 |
| 5 | | Financial Materials,
1884-1891 |
| | | Orders,
1968-1891 |
| box | folder |
| 11 | 6 | | | 1869-1878 |
| 7 | | | 1878-1879 |
| 8 | | | 1880-1884 |
| 9 | | | 1885-1887 |
| 10 | | | 1888-1891 |
| 11 | | Reports,
1878-1885 |
| 12 | | Miscellaneous,
1872-1886 |
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| box | folder |
| 11 | 13 | Real Estate Material,
1882-1892 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| box | folder |
| 12 | 1 | Scrapbook Material,
1878 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Robert G. Smithers,
1862-1922 and undated
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Correspondence,
1881-1922 and undated
|
| box | folder |
| 12 | 2 | | Letters,
1911-1922 |
| 3 | | Envelopes,
1881-1922 and undated |
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| box | folder |
| 12 | 4 | Literary Productions,
1897 |
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Military Materials,
1862-1924 and undated
|
| box | folder |
| 12 | 5 | | Correspondence,
1881-1916 |
| 6 | | Orders,
1867-1917 |
| 7 | | Service Records,
1878-1885 and undated |
| 8 | | Uniform Regulations,
1911-1914 |
| 9 | | Miscellaneous,
1862-1924 and undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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| box | folder |
| 12 | 10 | Printed Material,
1907-1922 |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
| box | folder |
| 12 | 11 | Scrapbook Material,
1887-1921 and undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Henry C. Smithers,
1914-1922 and undated
|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Military Material,
1914-1922 and undated
|
| box | folder |
| 12 | 12 | | Correspondence,
1921-1922 |
| 13 | | Printed Material,
1914-1919 |
| 14 | | Miscellaneous,
1921 and undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Charles H. Grierson,
undated
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Correspondence,
undated
|
| box | folder |
| 13 | 1 | | Damaged,
undated |
| 2 | | Damaged,
undated |
| 3 | | Damaged,
undated |
| 4 | | Damaged,
undated |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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Benjamin H. Grierson,
1880-1914 and undated
|
| box | folder |
| 14 | 1 | | Correspondence, Oversized,
1880-1888 and undated |
| 2 | | Genealogical Material,
undated |
| 3 | | Literary Production, Poem,
undated |
| 4 | | Printed Material, Newspapers,
1893-1914 and undated |
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