urn:taro:utexas.cah.02321 A Guide to the Samuel P. and Susan E. Newcomb Diaries, 1865-1873 Original EAD encoding by Laurel Rozema according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. February 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Newcomb, Samuel P., 1839-1870. Newcomb, Susan E., b. 1848 Newcomb, Samuel P. and Susan E., diaries 1865-1873 Materials are written in English. 1936 1 vol. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin One volume contains typescripts of the Samuel P. and Susan E. Newcomb Diaries, 1865-1873, which document the lives of the Newcombs in Texas. Biographical Note

Born in Connecticut, Samuel Pierce Newcomb (1839-1870) moved to Missouri in 1855 and then Texas the next year. As an organizer of Stephens County in 1860, Samuel served as the first county clerk. In 1862, he married Susan Emily Reynolds (b. 1848), with whom he had one child. Samuel fought for the Confederate Army during the Civil War, and in 1864, he joined the state militia to protect the frontier from Native Americans raids. The Newcombs moved to Fort Davis in Stephens County, where Samuel helped establish the school at which he taught in 1865. Following the war, the family built a home near Stone Ranch, where they had lived with Susan’s family. Samuel founded a general store near Fort Griffin before dying of measles in 1870. Following her husband’s death, Susan lived with her parents in Weatherford and traveled to Missouri.

Source:

Hunt, William R. Newcomb, Samuel Pierce. Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed February 17, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fne33.

 Scope and Contents

One volume contains typescripts of the Samuel P. and Susan E. Newcomb Diaries, 1865-1873, which document the lives of the Newcombs in Texas. The diaries describe life at Fort Davis, Stone Ranch, and Stephens County; problems with Native Americans; buffalo hunting; and family news. The diaries also discuss Samuel’s work establishing and teaching at a school near Fort Davis as well as Susan’s life after Samuel’s death while living with her parents in Weatherford and traveling by rail to Missouri.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Newcomb, Samuel P., 1839-1870 -- Archives. Newcomb, Susan E., b. 1848 -- Archives. Subjects Railroad travel -- Missouri -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Indians of North America -- Texas -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Frontier and pioneer life -- Texas -- History -- 19th century -- Sources Places Texas -- Description and travel. Fort Davis (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Stephens County (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Stone Ranch (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Weatherford (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century -- Sources. Preferred Citation

Samuel P. and Susan E. Newcomb Diaries, 1865-1873, 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 2R127 Samuel P. Newcomb diary, 1865-1866 2R127 Susan E. Newcomb diary, 1865-1873