A Guide to the Pat Ellis Taylor Papers, 1975-1983

Biographical Note

The daughter of a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, freelance writer and editor Pat Ellis Taylor was born on June 23, 1941, in Bryan, Texas. Taylor traveled extensively with her family prior to attending the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), earning a B.A. in 1969 and M.A. in 1976. In addition, she pursued a doctoral study at the University of Utah from 1976 to 1978. Pat married Chuck Taylor and later changed her name to Pat LittleDog.

While at UTEP, Taylor became familiar with the Big Bend and Trans-Pecos regions of Texas, recording the oral history of Jewel Babb (b. 1900) of Valentine, Texas. Their conversations about the region’s people, its folklore, and Babb’s healing powers became the basis of Babb and Taylor’s books, Border Healing Woman: The Story of Jewel Babb (1981) and Goat-lore: a Book of Folklore and Folklife from the Rio Grande (1980).

Return to the Table of Contents

Scope and Contents

Comprised of correspondence, manuscripts and drafts, notes, tape transcripts, illustrations, and photographs, the Pat Ellis Taylor Papers, 1975-1983, documents Taylor’s work with Jewel Babb. Arranged chronologically by Taylor, correspondence primarily from Babb to Taylor and her husband Chuck discuss stories from Babb’s life in Valentine, Texas. Manuscripts, typescripts, tape transcripts, and notes chronicle the publication process for Border Healing Woman, while a 1980 article by Taylor for the Dallas Morning News discusses Babb’s work. In addition, the collection contains copies of linoleum-cut prints executed by Hal Marcus for the book Goat-lore and photographs depicting Babbs, her goats, and the Big Bend region of Texas.

Archivist’s note: A more in-depth paper finding aid is available in the Briscoe Center reading room.

Return to the Table of Contents

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish photographs must be obtained from the copyright holder, Ann Savino.

Return to the Table of Contents

Return to the Table of Contents

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Pat Ellis Taylor Papers, 1975-1983, 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.

Return to the Table of Contents

Detailed Description of the Papers

Return to the Table of Contents