Descriptive Summary
Van Zandt, Isaac
Van Zandt, Isaac Papers
1835-1865,
1948
Materials are written in English.
82-106
8 1/2 in.
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin
Papers concern Isaac Van Zandt
(1813-1847) who served the Republic of Texas as Congressional representative from
1840 to 1842 and as charge d'affaires to the United States from 1842 to 1844 and
also authored the Texas Homestead Act.
Biographical Sketch
Isaac Van Zandt (1813-1847) was a general store owner, lawyer, legislator, diplomat,
and founder of Marshall, Texas. Following the 1837 failure of his Coffeeville,
Mississippi, general store, he moved to Texas in 1838 to practice law. Van Zandt
married Frances Cooke Lipscomb in 1833.
Van Zandt served the Republic of Texas as a representative of Harrison County in the
House of the Fifth and Sixth Congresses, 1840–42. In 1842 Sam Houston appointed him
chargé d'affairs to the United States. Furthermore, Van Zandt authored the Texas
Homestead Act and worked in Washington for the annexation of Texas to the Union. He
returned to Texas in time to attend the Convention of 1845. He was campaigning for
the office of governor in 1847, when he caught yellow fever and died in Houston. Van
Zandt County is named after Isaac Van Zandt.
Source: Handbook of Texas
Online, s.v. Van Zandt, Isaac,
http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/VV/fva12.html (accessed May 27,
2010).
Scope and Contents
The Isaac Van Zandt Papers, 1835-1865, 1948, include correspondence, legal
documents, financial papers, newspaper clippings, notes and photostatic copies of
documents, which concern his career, family affairs, and the problems and desires of
his constituents while he was in the Congress of the Republic of Texas. The papers
also relate to political problems between Texas and the United States as well as Van
Zandt's experiences and personal observations on life in Washington, D. C.
In addition, the papers contain the official correspondence of Van Zandt's son,
Khleber Miller Van Zandt (1836-1930), Confederate soldier, banker, and businessman
in Fort Worth, as well as obituaries of Van Zandt’s grandson W. L. Van Zandt
(1875-1948). The papers also relate to activities of Khleber Miller Van Zandt during
and especially immediately following the Civil War.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Index Terms
Subjects (Persons)
Van Zandt, Isaac, 1813-1847--Archives.
Brower, John Hamil, 1801-1881
Butler, Pierce, 1807-1867
Calhoun, John C. (John Caldwell),
1782-1850
Gilmer, Thomas W. (Thomas Walker),
1802-1844
Henderson, James Pinckney, 1808-1858
Jones, Anson, 1798-1858
Miller, W. D. (Washington D.), 1814-1866
Raymond, Chas. H. (Charles H.), b. 1816
Tod, John Grant, 1808-1877
Upshur, A. P. (Abel Parker), 1790-1844
Van Zandt, K. M. (Khleber Miller),
1836-1930
Webster, Daniel, 1782-1852
Subjects (Organizations)
United States. Congress. House
Texas. Constitutional Convention (1845)
Subjects
Cotton trade--Texas
Governors--Election
Political science
Politicians
Reconstruction (U.S. history, 1865-1877)
Constitutions--Texas
Places
Texas--Annexation to the United
States
Texas--Politics and
government
Texas--History--Republic,
1836-1846
Texas--History--To
1846--Congresses
Texas--Foreign relations
Harrison County (Tex.)
Marshall (Tex.)
Washington (D.C.)
Preferred Citation
Isaac Van Zandt Papers, 1835-1865, 1948, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,
The University of Texas at Austin.
Separated Material
Some material has been separated to the Library Unit. See list of separated material
in Box 2Q438.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Sara Clark, November 1983. Subsequent revisions were
made by Sara Clark, September 1985.
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
Inventory
2Q438
W. L. Van Zandt newspaper obituaries,
1948
2Q438
Isaac Van Zandt materials:
2Q438
Calendar
2Q438
Typed transcripts, 1839-1847
2.325/V8
Correspondence with wife Frances (Fannie) Cooke Lipscomb Van
Zandt (originals and photostats),
1835-1847
2.325/V8
General correspondence (originals and photostats),
1838-1841
2.325/V9
General correspondence (originals and photostats),
1842-1847 and undated
2.325/V9
Fragments, undated
2.325/V9
Khleber Miller Van Zandt correspondence, 1861, 1865,
and undated