Lewis Thompson (1825-1888) operated a farm and store in Portland Mills, Indiana, before moving to McKinney, Texas, with his son, Francis Carl Thompson.
A ledger-scrapbook and a photograph album comprise the Lewis Thompson Papers, 1849-1851, 1886-1891, 1921, and relate to the lives of Lewis and Francis Carl Thompson. The ledger-scrapbook contains the accounts from Lewis’ store in Portland Mills, Indiana, between 1849 and 1851. Following the family’s move to Texas, Francis Carl pasted and pinned newspaper clippings from 1886 to 1891 into the ledger. These clippings include articles concerning Texas history, politics, prohibition, farming, and religion; Lewis’ obituary and memorial; and Francis Carl’s letters to the editor. The photograph album consists of 25 labeled photographs of Melissa, Texas, taken by Francis Carl after a tornado destroyed the town on April 13, 1921.
The collection is open for research use.
Lewis Thompson Papers, 1849-1851, 1886-1891, 1921, 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 “History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light project,” 2009-2011.