Descriptive Summary
Lenz, Louis, 1885-1967
Lenz, Louis, Collection
1688-1966
Materials are written in English.
68-008; 70-039; 78-065; 83-073; 93-264
10 ft., 2 in.
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin
Materials collected by Lenz after his
retirement concern the early history of Texas and its settlement, particularly by
the Canary Islanders in San Antonio and the Germans in South Texas; the Texas
Revolution; and the Texas Republic. Louis Lenz (1885-1967) was a civil engineer and
Texana collector.
Biographical Note
Louis Lenz (1885-1967) was a civil engineer and Texana collector. He graduated from
Texas A&M University in 1907 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering.
After working for the Southern Pacific Railroad, he helped construct a railroad in
Uruguay in 1912. He served as chief engineer for the Vacuum Oil Company until its
merger with the Magnolia Petroleum Company in 1931, when he became district engineer
for Magnolia in Louisiana until his retirement in 1951. Afterwards he moved to
Houston and began collecting materials on early Texas. He became vice chairman of
the Harris County Historical Survey Committee, a member of the Knights of the Order
of San Jacinto, and an honorary member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. In
1956, he designed the official commemorative medallion for the 120th anniversary of
the Texas Declaration of Independence.
Sources:
Bailey, Clay. Lenz, Louis (1885-1967).
Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/LL/fle30.html
(accessed May 12, 2010).
Scope and Contents
The Louis Lenz Collection, 1688-1966, contains materials collected by Lenz after his
retirement concerning the early history of Texas and its settlement, particularly by
the Canary Islanders in San Antonio and the Germans in South Texas; the Texas
Revolution; and the Texas Republic. Significant features of the collection are
letters from notable persons in Texas history, family papers and government records
of settlers, a daily diary of the Confederate tax collector in Victoria (1862-1864),
and ledgers from several business establishments in Cuero. Other materials included
are financial and legal records, literary productions, certificates, deeds, land
grants, a guest register from the Muti Hotel in Cuero (1880-1883), speeches,
photographs, and newspaper clippings. There are also calendars compiled by Lenz for
some of the materials and a card index for the collection. Many documents are in
German and Spanish, some of the latter with English translations. Some materials are
photostatic copies. Also included are photographs of notable persons and events in
Texas history and of Lenz. Photographs are arranged by persons, places, and
subjects.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research use.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Lenz, Louis, 1885-1967 -- Archives.
Lenz, Louis, 1885-1967 -- Photographs.
Byran, Travis B. -- Pictorial works.
Buchel family -- Pictorial works.
Buchel, Augustus Carl, Family.
Chabot, Frederick C. (Frederick Charles), b.
1891.
De Zavala, Lorenzo, Jr. -- Pictorial
works.
Zavala, Lorenzo de, 1788-1836 -- Pictorial
works.
Flick family -- Pictorial works.
Frobese, William.
Grayson, Benjamin S., d. 1849
Grayson, Thomas Wigg, 1808-1873.
Grimes, Jesse, 1788-1866.
Grimes, Jesse, 1788-1866 -- Pictorial
works.
Houston, Sam, 1793-1863 -- Pictorial
works.
Houston, Sam, 1793-1863.
Howerton family -- Pictorial works.
Isleib, Carl -- Pictorial works.
Kunitz family.
Leinhardt, Henry -- Pictorial works.
Menchaca, Antonio, 1800-1879 -- Pictorial
works.
Navarro, José Antonio, 1795-1871 -- Pictorial
works.
Petty family -- Pictorial works.
Santa Anna, Antonio López de, 1794?-1876 -- Pictorial
works.
Seeligson family -- Pictorial works.
Seguín, Juan Nepomuceno, 1806-1890 -- Pictorial
works.
Smith, Erastus, 1787-1837 -- Pictorial
works.
Straube family.
Talahina, R. -- Pictorial works.
Turner, Amasa, 1800-1877 -- Pictorial
works.
Wade, Houston, 1882-1947.
Whittaker family -- Pictorial works.
Subjects (Organizations)
Cuero (Tex.). Turkey Trot -- Pictorial
works.
Texas Heritage Foundation, Inc. -- Pictorial
works.
Texas. Navy -- History -- Sources.
Yanaguana Society -- History -- Sources.
Subjects
Alamo (San Antonio, Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
Canary Islanders -- Texas.
Cemeteries -- Texas -- Pictorial works.
Church buildings -- Texas -- Pictorial
works.
Clothing and dress -- Texas.
Diaries -- Texas.
Fire extinction -- Pictorial works.
Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas.
Galveston, Battle of, Galveston, Tex., 1863 --
Pictorial works.
Germans -- Texas.
Horticulture -- Texas.
House furnishings -- Texas.
Indians of North America -- Texas.
Memorials -- Pictorial works.
Merchants -- Pictorial works.
Mission Espíritu Santo (Goliad County, Tex.) --
Pictorial works.
Missions -- Pictorial works.
Monuments -- Pictorial works.
Parades -- Pictorial works.
Photography of fires -- Sources
Processions -- Pictorial works.
Recipes -- Texas.
San Jacinto Museum of History -- Pictorial
works.
Ships -- Pictorial works.
Shipping -- Pictorial works.
Slaves -- Texas.
Stores, Retail -- Pictorial works.
Textile fabrics -- Texas.
Veterans -- Pictorial works.
Places
Austin (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Castroville (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Coahuila and Texas (Mexico) --
History.
Confederate States of America -- Finance.
Cuero (Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
Cuero (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
DeWitt County (Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
DeWitt County (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
El Paso County (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Fort Gibson (Okla.) -- Pictorial
works.
Indianola (Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
Indianola (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Mexico -- Pictorial works.
New Spain -- History --
Sources.
San Antonio (Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
San Antonio (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Victoria (Tex.) -- History --
Sources.
Victoria (Tex.) -- Pictorial
works.
Texas -- History --
Sources.
Texas -- Capital and capitol --
Pictorial works.
Texas -- Colonization.
Texas -- Emigration and
immigration.
Texas -- History -- Republic,
1836-1846.
Texas -- History -- Revolution,
1835-1836.
Texas -- Pictorial works.
Texas, South -- History --
Sources.
Preferred Citation
Louis Lenz Collection, 1688-1966, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin.
Separated Material
Some materials have been separated to the Thomas F. McKinney Papers, Baron Felipe
Enrique Neri de Bastrop Papers, and George Washington Davis Papers.
Related Material
See also Lefevre
(Arthur) Collection, Bastrop (Baron
Felipe Enrique Neri de) Papers, Grimes (Jesse) Papers, McKinney (Thomas
F.) Papers, and Davis (George Washington) Papers.
Processing Information
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 “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.
Detailed Description of the Papers
Contact repository for inventory.