Born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Benoni and Susan (Chamberlain) Adams, Harvey Alexander Adams (1812-1895) lived in Ohio, before settling in Fayette County, Texas, where he was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1848. Adams also participated in the Somervell Expedition, a failed invasion of Mexico in 1842. In 1851, Adams married Caroline Eliza Barnett (1828-1851), with whom he had one daughter, Caroline Missouri Adams (1851-1921). He later married Caroline McMillan (1826-1914). In 1871, his daughter Caroline married George Alexander Gilmore (1847-1926), with whom she bore two daughters, Frances and Ophelia Arnett (b. 1881).
Correspondence, legal and financial records, photographs, memoirs, and printed items comprise the Adams-Gilmore Family Papers, [ca. 1840s-1900s], documenting the business and social activities of Harvey A. Adams, George Gilmore, and members of their families, particularly in Texas. Correspondence includes approximately thirty handwritten and typed transcripts of letters from and to Adams, [1840s-1880s]; fifteen letters by Adams’ sister Caroline Burroughs Dean and a friend, Caroline A. Stevenson, [1850s-1870s]; and scores of letters from such Adams and Gilmore family members as George Gilmore, Nancy Adams Smith, and Lee Beauregard Adams, concerning everyday familial and social affairs as well as Civil War battles [1850s-1900s]. The ledger of Harvey Adams, 1839-1847, describes his participation in the Somervell Expedition and contains an index of legal cases from Judge William Pinkey Hill. Additionally, manuscript and typescript copies of Adam’s memoirs discuss his activities in 1830s Coahuila y Texas and the Republic of Texas. A typed family genealogy details the history of the Adams-Gilmore family and contains related documents, newspaper clippings, and biographical research materials on Harvey Adams. The collection also includes the 1851 marriage certificate of Harvey Adams and Caroline Barnett; a stock certificate for the Washington County Rail Road Company; a Photostat of a War of 1812 service record; the 1871 pension for George Gilmore; a funeral card for Adams; the visa, Bible, and letters of Frances Gilmore; and an autograph album.
This collection is open for research use.
Adams-Gilmore Family Papers, [ca. 1840s-1900s], 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.
This collection contains unprocessed materials.