Charles Robertson Byrne was a rancher and real estate agent, who worked in raising, buying, and selling cattle as well as selling land. In 1908, on the Charles Byrne Ranch east of Tilden, Texas, a water well being drilled erupted in a 100-foot-high geyser of gas and water. Seven years later, Byrne’s son discovered an oil seep on the Frio River. These discoveries led to oil entrepreneur William M. Stephenson’s purchase of 300,000 acres of land in McMullen County.
The Charles R. Byrne Papers, 1867-1947, include business correspondence, bank notes, receipts, bank statements, checks, sales records, tax records, ledger books, personal correspondence, insurance, a will, church records, legal documents, and a map. The collection relates to Byrne’s activities as a rancher and real estate agent, specifically to his work in raising, buying and selling cattle, the sale of land as a real estate agent, family business and affairs, and his support of the Catholic Church of Tilden. The papers are arranged into business records and personal records. The business records series contains business correspondence, bank notes and statements, checkbooks, receipts, and material relating to cattle sales and brands. The personal records series includes personal correspondence, poetry, and a will. Furthermore, the papers contain miscellaneous legal documents, state and federal forms and records, and church records.
The collection is open for research.
Charles R. Byrne Papers, 1867-1947, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s