urn:taro:utexas.cah.02370 A Guide to the George D. Shortridge Family Papers, 1846-1902 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. February 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Shortridge, George D., 1814-1870 Shortridge, George D., Family Papers 1846-1902 Materials are written in English. 80-021 5 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Composed of correspondence, poetry, newspaper clippings, and legal documents, the George D. Shortridge Family Papers, 1846-1902, chronicle the experiences of the Shortridge family in Selma, Alabama, and Austin, Texas. Biographical Note

Jurist and circuit court judge George David Shortridge (1814-1870) was the son of Judge Eli Shortridge. Raised in Alabama, Shortridge became a licensed attorney in 1838 and was elected to the Alabama Legislature in 1844. In 1836, he married Elizabeth King, with whom he had six children: George D., Jr., Louisa, Eli (1843-1862), Frank (1846-1864), Leila, and William Webb. After his defeat as the Know-Nothing candidate for governor in 1855, Shortridge became a member of the State Convention that passed the Ordinance of Secession in 1861. His sons George, Eli, and Frank served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, though only George did not perish in battle.

 Scope and Contents

Composed of correspondence, poetry, newspaper clippings, and legal documents, the George D. Shortridge Family Papers, 1846-1902, chronicle the experiences of the Shortridge family in Selma, Alabama, and Austin, Texas. Correspondence primarily relates to familial affairs and the life in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, especially for George, Eli, and Frank Shortridge. Additional correspondence concerns Lelia Shortridge Gaines’ travels through Austin and Paris, Texas, and New York City. The collection also contains poetry written by a member of the Shortridge family, an International Order of Odd Fellows certificate, a land grant for Red River County, Texas, and newspaper clippings from the Selma Weekly Reporter memorializing Frank Shortridge.

 Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

 Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Shortridge, Eli, 1843-1862 Shortridge, Elizabeth King Shortridge, Frank, 1846-1864 Shortridge, George D., Jr. Shortridge, George D., 1814-1870 -- Archives Shortridge family -- Archives Subjects (Organizations) Confederate States of America. Army -- Military life. Subjects Land grants -- Texas -- History -- 19th century Poetry -- Texas -- History -- 19th century Places Austin (Tex.) -- Description and travel New York (N.Y.) -- Description and travel Paris (Tex.) -- Description and travel Red River County (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century Selma (Ala.) -- History -- 19th century United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 Preferred Citation

George D. Shortridge Family Papers, 1846-1902, 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 3N146 Family correspondence, 1846-1902 3S139 Land grants, 1852