urn:taro:utexas.cah.02651 A Guide to the George Rogers Clarke Papers, 1858-1862, 1959 Original EAD encoding by Bethany Anderson according to TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions. May 2011 Finding aid written in English. Descriptive Summary Clarke, George Rogers, b. 1828 Clarke, George Rogers, Papers 1858-1862, 1959 Materials are written in English. 78-069 1 item Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin Comprised of a typescript of a journal, correspondence, and a photograph, the George Rogers Clarke Papers, 1858-1862, 1959, document Clarke’s cattle drive from Indianola, Texas, to the Santa Anna River in California, and his family history. Biographical Note

Born in New York, George Rogers Clarke (b. 1828) moved to California and New Mexico as a young man, seeking a drier climate to alleviate his poor health after contracting tuberculosis in his youth. Following his service in the U. S. Army during the Mexican War, Clarke lived briefly in Galveston, Port Lavaca, and Powderhorn, Texas, engaging in the cattle trade. In 1858, he drove cattle from Indianola, Texas, to the Santa Anna River in California, though eventually found the enterprise unprofitable. An amateur inventor, Clarke crafted printing press machinery and breach loading guns, among other inventions. After Clarke’s service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War, he married Elizabeth M. Moran, with whom he had two daughters.

Scope and Contents

Comprised of a typescript of a journal, correspondence, and a photograph, the George Rogers Clarke Papers, 1858-1862, 1959, document Clarke’s cattle drive from Indianola, Texas, to the Santa Anna River in California, and his family history. The journal describes the cattle drive, various locations in Texas, and weather conditions (1858), while correspondence concerns Clarke’s inventions (1862) as well as his family history (1959). Additionally, the collection contains a photograph of Clarke.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Index Terms Subjects (Persons) Clarke, George Rogers, b. 1828 -- Archives. Clarke family. Subjects Cattle drives -- Texas -- History -- 19th century. Inventors and inventing -- Texas -- History -- 19th century. Places Indianola (Tex.) -- History -- 19th century. California -- Description and travel -- 19th century. Texas -- Description and travel -- 19th century. Preferred Citation

George Rogers Clarke Papers, 1858-1862, 1959, 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 3D122 Journal, correspondence, and photographs, 1858-1862, 1959