urn:taro:utexas.cah.00143 A Guide to the George Washington Littlefield Papers, 1860-1942 Center for American History Original EAD encoding by Evan Hocker, January 2005. Finding aid written in English. Tue Jul 22 15:28:01 CDT 2003 urn:taro:utexas.cah.00143 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (20030505). Descriptive Summary Littlefield, George Washington, 1842-1920 George Washington Littlefield Papers 1860-1942 20 ft., 8 in. Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, account books, newspaper clippings, and printed material document the life of George W. Littlefield (rancher, banker, and philanthropist). Materials are in English. Biographical Note

George W. Littlefield, born in Mississippi on June 21, 1842, moved to Texas as a child and grew up on his family's plantation in Gonzales County. He attended Gonzales College and Baylor University before joining Terry's Texas Rangers at the outset of the Civil War and fighting at Shiloh, Perryville, Chickamauga and finally Mossy Creek. After the war he returned to Texas to work the plantation co-owned with his brother. Early financial losses were followed by successes in livestock and real estate, and by 1881 he sold his sizable ranch and water rights for almost $250,000.

Littlefield continued to expand ranching operations, buying property and water rights in New Mexico and Texas, including the Yellow House Ranch in Hockley and Lamb counties (Texas). He also diversified his business operations by venturing into banking and founding the American National Bank in Austin. The bank was housed in the ornate 9-story Littlefield Building, complete with cast bronze doors. Littlefield also owned the historic Driskill Hotel in Austin.

In 1911 Littlefield was appointed to the University of Texas Board of Regents, and thus embarked on a period of great influence on the state's flagship university. Through a relationship with legendary historian and faculty member Eugene C. Barker, Littlefield sought to strengthen the archival collections of the university, and in 1914 he began what would eventually be well over $100,000 in support to establish the Littlefield Fund for Southern History. Littlefield's work was fundamental in the establishment of the archival resources of the Barker Texas History Center, and, later, the Center for American History. He also gave generously to purchase the John Henry Wrenn Library, and donated the Littlefield home and other important landmarks to the university. Littlefield was the University of Texas' largest single financial supporter in the first fifty years of the institution's existence. After his death on November 10, 1920, George W. Littlefield was buried in Austin.

 Scope and Contents

Correspondence, account books, newspaper clippings, and printed material document the life of George W. Littlefield (rancher, banker, and philanthropist). Included are documents relating to Littlefield's family, Yellow House Ranch, Lamb County, and Terry's Texas Rangers.

 Related Material

The George W. Littlefield Southern History Collection at the Center for American History.

George W. Littlefield, Texan, by Haley, J. Evetts, Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1943.

 Preferred Citation

George Washington Littlefield Papers, 1860-1942, Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 Detailed Description of the Papers Inventory 2E371 Ranch account books 2E372 Ranch account books 2E372 Multiple abstract copies 2E373 Multiple abstract copies 2E374 Multiple abstract copies 2E374 Letters 2E374 Ranch account books 2E374 Autobiography 2R84 Letters: 2R84 Sept. 15, 1860 - Dec. 12, 1888 2R85 Jan. 3, 1899 - March 18, 1919 3A77 Yellow House Land Company, sales: 3A77 1-254 3A78 255-385 3A79 387-459 3A80 460-554 3A81 555-699 3A82 700-894 3A83 895-906 3A83 Company business and sales: 3A83 A-D 3A84 E-L 3A85 L-R 3A86 R-Z 3A86 Miscellaneous, 1922-1936 3A87 Yellow House Land Company, statements, Littlefield lands, 1920-1927 3A87 Littlefield trust number 2, 1926-1934 3A87 Littlefield properties, minutes, 1921-1925 3F166 Littlefield estate records, disbursements, 1920-1923 3F166 Littlefield trust, statements of trustees' meetings, 1921-1923 3F166 Littlefield lands, lease contracts, 1919-1924 3F166 Notes due list, 1920-1921 3F166 Remittances, 1921-1924 3A88 Littlefield properties, cancelled checks, 1920-1924 3A89 Littlefield properties, cancelled checks, 1924-1942 3A89 Checkbook stubs, ca. 1920-ca. 1935 3A90 Littlefield properties, mainly legal documents, ca. 1920-ca. 1935 3A90 Letters to persons named in will, 1920-1923 3A90 Wills of George W. Littlefield and Mrs. George W. Littlefield 3A91 Mrs. G.W. Littlefield, canceled checks: 3A91 1924-1931 3A92 1932-1934 3A92 Deposit books, 1924-1925 3A92 Insurance policies, 1926-1928 3A92 Bill, 1919 3A92 Littlefield Building, 1911-1912 3A93 George W. Littlefield, The University of Texas: 3A93 Littlefield Fund, 1914- 3A93 Wrenn Library, 1918-1919 3A93 Ferguson fight, 1916-1917 3A93 Board of Regents, 1913-1920 3A93 Income tax, 1913-1920 3A94 George W. Littlefield, John B. Hood Camp, UCV: 3A94 Financial papers, 1898-1899 3A94 Correspondence, 1890-1900 3A94 Reports 3A94 UCV printed circulars, 1895-1898 3A94 Terry's Ranger Association, ca. 1905-1918 3A94 Correspondence 3A94 Financial material 3A94 Printed material 3A94 Confederate Masonic Cemetery Association, 1912-1913 3A94 Miscellaneous 3A94 UCV 3A94 UDC 3A94 Medals 3A94 John Claiborne's Terry's Texas Ranger's Muster Roll, 1882 3A95 George W. Littlefield: 3A95 Bennett Young letters, 1916-1919 3A95 Estates of Tom White, Louis Borho, and H.C. Storey 3A95 Autobiography 3A95 Certificates of Appointment 3A95 L.E. Daniel sketch and letters 3A95 Mr. and Mrs. Whitfield Harris Estate 3A95 Family: 3A95 Mrs. Mary Harral 3A95 Victor Harral 3A95 Alice Daniel 3A95 Family financial records, ca. 1910-ca. 1920 3A95 Mary Harral, bills and receipts, 1978-1919 3A96 Land documents, 1868-1920 3A96 Gonzales, Texas 3A96 Austin, Texas 3A96 New Mexico 3A96 American National Bank, 1920 3A96 Luther Burbank Press, 1914-1920 3A96 Miscellaneous business 3A96 Mary Johnston, legal documents, 1919 3A97 Financial papers, 1880-1920: 3A97 Bills, receipts, stocks, bonds, notes, checks 3A98 Checks 3A98 Bank books (personal and business) 3A99 Financial records, ca. 1900-1920 3A99 Checks and bank books (other activities) 3A99 Miscellaneous 3A99 Ranches, other than Yellow House Ranch 3A99 Seth Mabry 3A99 D.H. Snyder 3A99 Lampasas lawsuit 3A99 George T. Littlefield 3A99 W.P. Littlefield 3A99 Littlefield Cattle Company: 3A99 Charter of incorporation 3A99 Agreement, 1880-1885 3A99 Capitol Syndicate, 1901-1903 3A99 J.P. White, 1898, 1913-1919 3A99 Yellow House Ranch 3A100 Yellow House Ranch: 3A100 1920-1927 3A100 1924: 3A100 Bills 3A100 Receipts 3A100 Statements 3A100 Examination 3A100 Yellow House Sheep Company 3A101 J.P. White, manager, bank books, 1899-1920 3A101 Statements 3A101 Income tax, 1913-1920 3A101 Relics 3A102 Littlefield Land Company 3A102 Sales: 3A102 1-74 3A103 75-163 3A104 164-231 3A105 232-302 3A106 303-395 3A107 396-439 3A108 Miscellaneous 3A108 Agents contracts, 1914-1917 3A108 Maps 3A108 Yellow House Ranch, proposed sale, 1915 3A109 Chrononological file: 3A109 1911-1915 (incl. Santa Fe contract, 1912) 3A110 1916-1920 3A110 Ross L. Malone, letterbook, 1919-1921 3A110 Legal documents, 1918 3A110 List of sales, 1916-1917 3A111 Allison contract, abstract 3A111 Ross L. Malone, Del Valle Telephone Company, 1914-1920 3A111 Ross L. Malone: 3A111 Invoices, 1916-1919 3A111 Business letters, 1917-1920 3A111 Stenographers note book 3A112 George W. Littlefield, and Ross L. Malone, letterbooks: 3A112 1917-1919 3A112 1918-1920 3A112 1915-1920 3A112 Bills 3A112 Receipts 3A113 Arthur P. Duggan ledger: 3A113 1912-1915 3A114 1916-1923 3A114 1912-1915 [includes entries for Lizzie Dowell, W.T. Littlefield, J.P. White, J.W. White, and others] 3A115 Ledger: 3A115 1914-1920 [includes entries for Pat Boone, J.P. White, and J.W. White] 3A115 Ranch, J.P. White, manager, 1923-1924 3A115 Mrs. G.W. Littlefied, expenditures, 1921 3A115 Yellow House Land Company, expenditures, book 2, 1920-1923 3A115 Twitchell's survey of Yellow House Ranch, 1913 3A116 Littlefield trust number II, minutes and list of disbursements, 1926 3A116 Littlefield properties, minute book, 1921-1924, 1924-1925 3A116 Bond register (Plains Investment Company) 3A116 G.W. Littlefield, will and codicils 3A116 List of land notes 3A116 Ranch inventories 3A116 Miscellaneous 3A116 Mrs. G.W. Littlefield, cash book, 1924-1925 3A117 Central Bank and Trust Company of Austin, minutes, 1919-1911 3A117 Littlefield Land Company, cash book, 1912-1918 3A117 Checkbook, 1918-1920 4M420 Yellow House Land Company: 4M420 Land sales, 1921-1925 4M392 Bills receivable, sales 801-900, 1925 4M393 Littlefield Properties: 4M393 Journal, 1923-1927 4M394 Cash book, 1923-1942 4M421 Ledger, 1924-1934 4M395 Littlefield Building, receipts and disbursements, 1915-1918 4M396 Capital Bank and Trust Company of Austin, Central Bank and Trust Company of Austin, minutes, 1908-1909 4M397 Littlefield Land Company, land notes, sales, 1-147 4M397 Littlefield State Bank, account, 1912-1917 4M398 Littlefield Land Company, Yellow House Land Company: 4M398 Bills receivable on land sales, 1-800, 1912-1937 4M399 Sales register A-Z, 1912-1922 4M400 Financial papers: 4M400 Inventories 4M400 Yellow House Land Company, notes to Plains Investment Company 4M401 Littlefield Properties, trial balances 4M401 Littlefield Cattle Company, cash account record and journal 4M402 Miscellaneous 3F167 Littlefield lands: 3F167 Bank statements, 1917-1919 3F167 Canceled checks, 1917-1919 3F167 Deposit slips, 1918, 1924, 1925 3F167 Bank books, 1914-1927 3F167 Adding maching tapes 3F167 Bone records, 1920 3F167 Telephone franchise, 1917 3F167 Littlefield estate: 3F167 Income tax record, 1920 3F167 Littlefield miscellaneous, Country Club notes, March 11, 1921 3F167 O.H. Bouchard, invoice, 1936 3F167 John Claiborne's Terry's Texas Rangers, muster roll, 1882 3G364 Littlefield scrapbook 3S185 Blueprints 3S185 Confederate bond 3S185 Newspaper article 3S185 Certificates 3S185 Drawing of tombstone 3S185 Financial papers: 3S185 Ledger sheets 3S185 Trial balance and miscellaneous 3G50 George W. Littlefield letterpress books, 1909-1912, 1917-1918