urn:taro:utexas.cah.01894 A Guide to the Mary Henrietta Chase Papers, 1710-2000 Original EAD encoding by Megan Mummey according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. August 2010 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Chase, Mary Henrietta Mary Henrietta Chase Papers 1710-2000 Materials are written in English. 2000-070 2 ft. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Correspondence, genealogical materials, financial documents, postcards, news clippings, literary productions, and photographs comprise the Mary Henrietta Chase Papers, 1842-1967, and relate to Chase’s genealogical research on the Chase, Rhodes, and Seeley families of Texas. Biographical Note

Genealogist Mary Henrietta Chase (1908-1997) was born on September 6, 1908, to Jerry and Henrietta Chase of Franklin, Texas. A filer for Gulf Insurance Co. (later Gulf-Atlantic), Chase conducted large amounts of genealogical research on the Chase, Rhodes, and Seeley families of Texas. She wrote an unpublished family history of the Seeleys titled The Saga of the Seeleys from Southern New Jersey to Illinois and Texas. Chase died on August 7, 1997, in Dallas, Texas.

Chase’s great grandmother, Henrietta Seeley Cheek Moore (1842-1926) was born to David S. and Sarah Louise Gray Seeley on August 30, 1842, in Wheelock, Texas. While still young, she moved with her family to Falls County, Texas, where they invested heavily in land and slaves. She married Sylvester Cheek on October 31, 1859, in Franklin, Texas; they had one daughter, Emma Cheek Rhodes (1860-1938). Emma Rhodes was the Chase’s maternal grandmother. After her husband’s death in 1865, Henrietta married Thomas S. Moore on September 5, 1867; they had no children. In 1901, Henrietta went to live with her daughter Emma, the wife of Thomas Jefferson Rhodes, in Franklin. She invested heavily in oil and became suddenly wealthy. Henrietta Moore died in Franklin on April 8, 1926.

Source: “Mrs. Henrietta Moore Is Called by Death.” The Franklin Texas, April 10, 1926.

 Scope and Contents

Correspondence, genealogical materials, financial documents, postcards, news clippings, literary productions, and photographs comprise the Mary Henrietta Chase Papers, 1842-1967, and relate to Chase’s genealogical research on the Chase, Rhodes, and Seeley families of Texas. The genealogical research consists of family trees; page proofs from her family history, The Saga of the Seeleys from Southern New Jersey to Illinois and Texas; photocopies of historical documents, such as birth and death certificates, correspondence, and land records; family photographs; and correspondence with various family members and historical institutions. Additionally, the research materials include the family crests of the Chase and Seeley families. The collection also contains a small amount of Chase’s personal papers, including correspondence, financial documents, and postcards documenting her life in Dallas, Texas. Furthermore, the original correspondence of Henrietta Seeley Cheek Moore from the 1850s to the 1920s composes a large portion of the collection. The correspondence documents her relationships with her husbands and contains marriage proposals tendered to her by various suitors.

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Chase, Mary Henrietta, 1908-1997--Archives. Moore, Henrietta Seeley Cheek, 1842-1926--Archives. Cheek, Sylvester, d. 1865. Moore, Thomas S. Rhodes, Emma Cheek, 1860-1938. Rhodes, Thomas Jefferson. Subjects Genealogy--Texas. Places Wheelock (Tex.) Franklin (Tex.) Falls County (Tex.) Dallas (Tex.) Preferred Citation

Mary Henrietta Chase Papers, 1710-2000, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.

 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 Inventory 2.325/Q100a-100b Personal letters: Letters from her family, 1930-1967 Seeley correspondence with Tompkins’ family members,1961-1975 Daniel H. Gray (1785-1867), 1870-1965 Independence “Vine Dell”, 1962, 1964, undated Miscellaneous clippings, correspondence, and diaries, 1931-1995 Miscellaneous genealogical information: Rhode family genealogy, 1955, 1960, undated Book distribution materials, 1963, undated Henrietta Seeley Cheek Moore - Letters, 1842-1926 Page Proofs and Saga of the Seeleys, 1961-1991 Photographs of Dallas area, [early 20th century] Zanelle Rhodes (1889-1951), 1917, 1927, 1951 Assorted genealogical materials, 1867-2000 Letters to Hazel Chase, 1962-1972 Chase family history and genealogical materials, undated Chase family genealogical materials, 1951-1973 Maps of Robertson County and assorted clippings, 1947, 1972, undated 2.325/Q100b Photocopies of Seeley correspondence, undated Official documents, 1820-1961 Clippings, 1926-1968 Notices of death and wills, 1841-1881 Letters to Mary Chase, 1847-1927 Photographs, 1965 Letters from Maggie Gray, 1867 Seeley family notes, 1964-1966, undated Seeley family genealogical materials, 1710-1974 Seely and Gray genealogical materials, 1962, undated Assorted items used in publishing genealogies, 1860-1984