A Guide to the William A. Waugh Diary, 1858-1900

Biographical Note

Born in Ohio, William A. Waugh (1832-1901) traveled to California during the Gold Rush. After procuring considerable wealth as a gold miner, Waugh settled in northern Bexar County, Texas in 1856. Waugh established a cattle ranch in what would become La Salle County, though abandoned it and moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 1858. From 1859 through 1860, he joined the Texas Rangers, fighting in the Cortina War. Following his service, Waugh returned to his ranch in La Salle County in 1861, became active in the cattle trade, and eventually acquired more land, including the El Sordo Ranch in Starr and Zapata counties in 1883.

Source:

Casto, Stanley D. "William A. Waugh." La Salle County Historical Commission. Accessed March 14, 2011. http://www.historicdistrict.com/Genealogy/lasalle/waugh.asp.

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Scope and Contents

Comprising three diaries and a transcript, the William A. Waugh Diary, 1858-1900, chronicle Waugh’s experiences as a rancher in La Salle County, Texas. The diaries discuss cattle drives, cattle purchases, the El Sordo Ranch, as well as familial and personal affairs. In addition, the collection includes descriptions of travel throughout Texas, most notably of San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley area.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

William A. Waugh Diary, 1858-1900, 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.

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Detailed Description of the Papers

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