Caryl Clyde Hill (1874-1962) was born in Angola, New York, to John Welch Hill and Emogene Catherine Covey. He was an avid collector of materials documenting the early history of the Republic of Texas, government and military affairs, and biographies and histories of famous Texas leaders.
The Caryl Clyde Hill Papers, 1823, 1832-1916, 1958, include letters, a proclamation, a bill of sale, clippings, an affidavit, photographs, drawings, a certificate, a promissory note, a bill of lading, a letter-patent, a circular, a newspaper, biographical sketches, historical sketches, a pamphlet, notes, poems, and proverbs collected by Hill. The papers relate to the early history of the Texas Republic, particularly to the business, personal, and domestic affairs of the Austin-Bryan-Perry families, such as the literary career of Mary Austin Holley and the career of Stephen F. Austin, including his imprisonment in Mexico. The papers also pertain to political unrest and discord in Texas, ca. 1835; Ira Randolph Lewis’ 1832 altercation with George Morse Collinsworth, et al., and his mission to the United States; Thomas Jefferson Chambers’ efforts to raise men and money for the Texas Revolution; and Indian depredations in Gonzales County, 1835.
Other topics alluded to in the collection include the siege of Bexar and the death of Benjamin Rush Milam; the Battle of San Jacinto; the independence, recognition, and annexation of Texas; Thomas Jefferson Rusk’s 1838 campaign against the Kickapoo Indians; and the capture of the Santa Fe Expedition. Additionally, the papers pertain to deprivations suffered in Texas during the Civil War; William Howard Taft and Porfirio Diaz’s visit to El Paso, 1909; and garrison life in the Mexican Army and United States Army, ca. 1910, in El Paso, Juárez, Mexico, and New Mexico, including the imprisonment of Victoriano de la Huerta at Fort Bliss.
Furthermore, the papers include biographies of Jesse James and Robert Edward Lee; documents reflecting Texas historiography; and materials dealing with Hill’s professional career.
The collection is open for research.
Caryl Clyde Hill Papers, 1823, 1832-1916, 1958, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Subsequent revisions were made by Lawrence A. Landis, December 1990.
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