Dorothy Jane Schiwetz was born on March 16, 1916, to Eugene G. Schiwetz and Mathilda P. Gohmert in Yorktown, Texas. In 1938, she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and two years later, she graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in library science. After graduation, Schiwetz worked as a professional librarian in Corpus Christi, Texas; Oakland, California; Miami Beach, Florida; and El Paso, Texas. From 1954 to 1955, she worked for the U.S. Air Force in Korea and traveled across Asia, which led to her life-long love of traversing the world. Although Schiwetz married Jesse F. Wright, Jr., in 1947, the couple never had children and divorced two years later. She died on February 4, 1999.
The Dorothy Schiwetz Papers, 1780-1880, 1954-1990, consists of biographical material, family genealogy, certificates, correspondence and postcards, research notes, travel documents, pamphlets, maps, newspaper clippings, photo albums, photographs, and negatives. The majority of the collection includes photocopies, typescripts, and notes on family genealogy and research notes, which primarily relate to the Eckhardt family of Yorktown, Texas, the Schiwetzes, Gohmerts, Klebergs, Schmeltzers, and the Roeder and Von Roeder families. Schiwetz’s historical research notes and printed materials focus on Medieval Euopean history, such as feudalism and chivalry, as well as Texas history, including early pioneers, German immigrants, and battles and soldiers in the Texas Revolution and the U.S. Civil War. The correspondence, postcards, travel documents, and photo albums pertain to tours of Asia, Europe, and the United States. The biographical material contains Schiwetz’s handwritten drafts of her obituary, lists of her travels and job experience, and family history.
A portion of these papers is stored offsite and restricted for preservation purposes.
Dorothy Schiwetz Papers, 1780-1880, 1954-1990, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.
Some material has been separated to the Money Collection, Map Collection, Newspaper Collection, and Vertical Files.
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.
This collection contains unprocessed materials.