urn:taro:utexas.cah.00395 A Guide to the Mary Rabb Family Papers, 1823-1997 Original EAD encoding by Evan Hocker according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. March 2005 Finding aid written in English. January 2011 Revised with 2.325/J80 by Laurel Rozema. Descriptive Summary Rabb, Mary Crownover, Mrs. Rabb family Rabb, Mary, family papers 1823-1997 Materials are written in English. 1931; 69-097; 88-028; 92-381; 97-228; 99-198; 2001-196 1 ft., 6 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, genealogical research and reminiscences, business and legal documents, a diary, printed material and ephemera, and photographs comprise the Mary Rabb Family Papers, 1823-1997, which document the history of the Rabb family and their experiences relating to the Texas Revolution, the Civil War, early settlements in Texas, the history of Fayette County, and Spanish Colonial Texas. Biographical Note

Born in North Carolina in 1805, Mary Crownover Rabb married John Rabb and in 1823 settled in Stephen F. Austin's colony in Texas. Mary kept written records of her pioneer experiences living in Texas, including the many hardships endured and activities as a member of the early Methodist Church in Texas. The family became embroiled in the Texas Revolution and lost a child while fleeing Mexican forces during the "Runaway Scrape." Two of the Rabb sons, John and Virgil, later fought for the Confederacy in the Civil War. After amassing a sizeable tract of land in Fayette County, the family moved to Barton Springs, adjacent to Austin, where Mary died in 1882.

Scope and Contents

Correspondence, genealogical research and reminiscences, business and legal documents, a diary, printed material and ephemera, and photographs comprise the Mary Rabb Family Papers, 1823-1997, which document the history of the Rabb family and their experiences relating to the Texas Revolution, the Civil War, early settlements in Texas, the history of Fayette County, and Spanish Colonial Texas. The correspondence includes letters between Rabb family members, including Mary, her husband John, and their children. The genealogical research and reminiscences consists of biographical and autobiographical information, genealogical charts, correspondence, and other documents pertaining to the Rabb, Newman, McCollom, and Young families. The business and legal documents include deeds, land grants, wills, legal transactions, marriage and military records, and tax receipts. The printed material and ephemera contain newspaper clippings, brochures, and booklets about the Rabbs, the Methodist Church in Texas, and other topics. The collection also includes photographs of the Rabb family.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Rabb, Mary Crownover, Mrs. -- Archives. Rabb family -- Archives. Rabb, John. Rabb, Virgil S. Subjects (Organizations) Methodist Church -- Texas. Subjects Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas. Pioneers -- Texas. Women pioneers -- Texas. Places Texas -- Genealogy. Texas -- History -- Revolution, 1835-1836. United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865. Preferred Citation

Mary Rabb Family Papers, 1823-1997, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

Separated Material

Some material has been separated to the Artifact Collection.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Goodrich, May 1970. Subsequent revisions were made by archives staff, 2003, and Laurel Rozema, January 2011.

Inventory 2J457 William Rabb 2J457 John and Mary Rabb 2J457 Correspondence 2J457 Mary Rabb reminiscences, 1823-1922 2J457 Original diary 2D104 Photostat copy of diary 2.325/J80 Photostat copy of diary 2J457 Virgil S. Rabb correspondence, 1861-1885, undated 2J457 Virgil S. Rabb II 2J457 Correspondence, 1900, 1917-1935, undated 2J457 Virgil S. Rabb and Lillian Howard Rabb 2J457 Lillian Bell Rabb 2J457 Correspondence, 1931-1940, 1962-1997 2J457 Gathered correspondence, 1945, 1984-86 2J457 Certificates of membership 2J457 Virgil S. Rabb III 2J457 John W. Rabb correspondence, 1859-1867 2J457 Malissa Rabb Barnett correspondence, 1850, 1861-63 2J457 Malissa C. Rabb Reese and Rev. William Reese 2J457 Correspondence, 1857-1867, undated 2J457 Reese Family postcards, 1907-08, undated 2J457 Zebulon Montgomery Pike Rabb correspondence, 1874, 1877 2J457 George Washington Rabb, 1850-1851 2J457 Correspondence fragment, undated 2D100 Photostats of correspondence 2D104 Photostats of Rabb Papers, 1823-1906 2J457 Genealogy 2J457 Biographical sketches 2J457 Lineages and ancestors charts 2.325/J80 General, 1989, undated 2.325/J80 Rabb family, [ca. 1923-1997] 2.325/J80 John Rabb family, [ca. 1960s-1970s] 2.325/J80 Young/McCollom families, 1990, 1995, undated 2J458 Research material 2J458 Victor C. Wegenhoft 2J458 Correspondence, 1986-1996 2J458 Research on Rabb family 2J458 Newman family 2J458 McCollum and Young families 2J458 Marriages 2J458 Handwritten notes, undated 2J458 Business and legal 2J458 Deeds, wills, legal transactions 2J458 Receipts 2D104 Methodist Church in Texas 2D104 Printed material and ephemera 2.325/J80 Printed material, 1928, 1996, undated 3S382 Photographs