Author: Brown, George William [d. 1847]
Title: ARCHIVE Of BROWN / SMITH FAMILY LETTERS & PHOTOGRAPHS, Primarily from Texas, Beginning in 1845
Description: : , 1983. The overall number of letters in the collection is 60, the inclusive dates are 1845 to 1983. Some of the letters have enclosures (usually accounts) pinned to them. One 1886 letter and its enclosures (a set of bills and accounting sheets) is torn, and one letter, also from Lyne Jr. dated February 29, 1936, has some insect damage. The bulk of the letters (28) date from the 1870s. Also included are three clippings, one funeral card, one lock of hair, six drawings or notes that do not appear to have any context that can be identified, one modern handwritten genealogy of the Lyne family, and six 19th century portrait photos. The collection consists primarily of letters to Elizabeth Brown Glenn, [nee Hinch, 1828-1884]. The earliest letters are from her husband George William Brown [1818-1848]. Brown was born in Henrico County, Virginia apparently in about 1820. Also in the collection are various items, mostly letters, pertaining to the Smith family, and some material pertaining to the Lyne family. The Smith family and the Lyne family appear to be related to Elizabeth Brown Glenn's second husband, Edward Musgrove Glenn [1818-1873]. The earliest letters in the collection date from the 1840s and are from George William Brown to Elizabeth Brown. In one letter, dated July 15, 1845, George addresses Elizabeth as "My Dear Girl," perhaps indicating that they are not yet married. The letter is from Austin, Texas, where George is a delegate to the state constitutional convention. He has little to say about the convention itself, his mostly assuring Elizabeth of his love and fidelity. In four letters from 1846 and 1847 George addresses Elizabeth as "My Dear Wife." On October 14 in a letter from San Felipe, Texas, he mentions the death of "Capt. Gillespie," evidently and acquaintance in the Battle of Monterey (September 21-24, 1846) and writes that he provides an enclosure describing the battle, which is unfortunately missing. In a letter dated the next day, he discusses a lawsuit in which he appears to be the plaintiff, and complains of a cough, which he says was relieved by his use of a patent medicine. It appears the cough was far more serious than George realized; he died of tuberculosis in 1848. Elizabeth remarried in 1851to Edward Musgrove Glenn. There are no letters to or from Edward Musgrove Glenn in the collection. The only letter from that decade is from Ed Brown, presumably George's brother, who addresses Elizabeth as "Dear Sister." The letter is dated July 18, 1850. He thanks her for a miniature she has sent, and promises her miniatures of his own children, but not immediately. Two of them, he says, ".. had sores on their faces which would have caused them to appear badly." The stationery on which he writes his letter has a lithograph of Whig politician Henry Clay at the top of the sheet. One letter and one deed (probably an enclosure with the letter) from the 1860s pertain to a parcel of land usually referred to as the "Pace Tract. This was a parcel of 640 acres that George W. Smith, evidently a relative of the Glenn family, had an interest in. A letter from Smith himself, dated September 27, 1862, explains the cause for litigation over the tract, and his efforts to secure title to it. Legal actions regarding land - perhaps this parcel, but that is not clear - occur throughout the collection, mostly in the 20th century. The only other letter from that decade is from Shelly Smith [1858-1880] to "Dear Pa," it is dated April 27, 1868, and Shelly writes about his visit to Galveston, and his riding on streetcars. There are some doodles on the verso of the letter. Letters from the 1870s are almost all from Shelly Smith to "Dear Aunt," or "Aunt "Lizzy" - that is, Elizabeth Brown Glenn. On April 23, 1873, Shelly writes to his aunt on Texas House of Representatives letterhead that he hopes to become a page at the Texas State Senate in Austin. By May, his ambition is realized, and he writes to Elizabeth about life in Austin, his duties ("..what I hafter do.."), attractions like the circus, and his interest in the city's fire engines. He also hints at the darker side of city life in his letters to Elizabeth, like an outbreak of meningitis at his school, the attempted suicide of a man who cut his own throat, and a Dutchman who killed himself taking Laudnam (sic). One recurring theme in his letters home during his tie in Austin is his concern for his dog, who has run away, and his pleas to his aunt to take care of his "pupies." Shelly stays on in Austin after his duties in the Senate end, and attends the Taxes Military Institute (TMI) as a cadet. Most of his correspondence during this period is to persons who are not family members, and concern things like prospective roommates, friends he made on visits elsewhere, and finally, in a letter dated September 5, 1879, Shelly writes to a merchant house, W.D. Cleveland & Co. asking for a job as a clerk. It is unclear if he was hired; the last letters from Shelly are to his aunt from Ford's Hotel in San Antonio. He tells her he is being treated by a physician, and mentions his use of "Wizard Oil," evidently a patent medicine. Shelly Smith appears to have died in 1880. 20th century material consists almost entirely of letters to and from lawyers concerning land ownership, and specifically the ownership of mineral rights as oil companies seek permission to drill. Most of this material, the latest letter dating from 1983, seems to have to do with the Pace Tract. One letter, from April 9, 1936, from Lyne Smith Jr. at Harvard Law School, gives a detailed recapitulation of a lecture made by Senator Gerald Nye about the findings of a Senate Committee, chaired by Nye, about U.S. involvement in World War I. This interesting familial archive, documenting the everyday life of a family over the course of over a century, is jointly offered by Tavistock Books & Swan's Fine Books.

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