Crawford Family Papers
Scope and Content Note
This collection consists of title abstracts and corporate stocks pertaining to land and businesses located in Jefferson, Hardin, Galveston, and Liberty Counties as well as correspondence by and to Walter Joshua Crawford for the years between 1905 and 1924.
Dates
- 1905-1924
Creator
- Crawford, Walter Joshua, 1873-1924 (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Access Restrictions
Some restrictions may apply.
Copyright
The Tyrrell Historical Library does not hold copyright for most of its collections. The researcher must secure permission to publish. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to the Tyrrell Historical Library. The researcher assumes full responsibility for complying with copyright, literary property rights, and libel laws.
Biographical Note
Walter Joshua Crawford was born in Mount Vernon, Franklin County, Texas on February 25, 1873. His parents, distinguished citizens who settled in Texas before the Civil War, moved to Austin where Walter completed his education in public schools and went on to graduate from the University of Texas. He obtained a law degree and, after graduation, moved to Beaumont to open a law office. Walter gained respect and admiration for his eloquent and powerful presentations both in court and in the public sector as a champion of political movements and civic causes. Although he was never a candidate for public office, Crawford served on numerous committees in the Democratic Party and held several party offices. He was a member of the Board of Regents of the State Normal Schools.
Moving to Beaumont in the early days of the Spindletop Oil Boom allowed Crawford to take an active role in the development of the city. He helped found several civic organizations including the Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club and worked on various private business ventures and was considered one of the city’s leading citizens. In addition to his law practice, Walter Crawford became a director of the First National Bank and Vice President of the Hotel Beaumont Company.
Walter married Cora Schultz of Dallas on December 12, 1901, and they had two children, Alexine and Walter, Jr. His unexpected death at age 51 following a short illness prompted front page coverage of his life and achievements in the Beaumont Enterprise.
Extent
5 Cubic Feet (5 cubic feet in three boxes)
Abstract
This collection contains correspondence to and from Walter Joshua Crawford during the 27 years he practiced law in Beaumont, Texas, as well as title abstracts and corporate stocks for land and businesses located in Jefferson, Hardin, Galveston, and Liberty Counties. Mr. Crawford was born in Mount Vernon, Franklin County, Texas, in 1873. He attended the University of Texas and after obtaining a law degree, he began practicing law in Beaumont. Mr. Crawford was active in politics throughout the state and served on several committees for the Democratic Party. Walter J. Crawford was an honored and respected citizen of Beaumont because of his dedication to civic improvement. He was a member of several civic organizations and upon his death several government offices and private businesses closed in his honor. The letters in the collection cover a wide range of topics including legal matters, politics, letters of recommendation and advice, and personal matters.
Organization of Collection
This collection is organized into 3 series.
- Correspondence
- Land Title Abstracts
- Corporate Stocks
Acquisition Information
Donated by Lea Anne Harney, 2011 March.
Accruals
No further acrruals are expected.
Separated Material
None.
Processing Information
Processed by Tyrrell Historical Library staff, 2015 June.
Finding aid revised and encoded by Tyrrell Historical Library staff, 2015 July.
- Associations
- Beaumont (Jefferson county, Texas : inhabited place) Subject Source: Searslocal
- Business enterprises Subject Source: Searslocal
- Business letters Subject Source: Searslocal
- Commercial correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Democratic Party (U.S.)
- Elections Subject Source: Searslocal
- Galveston (Texas, United States : county) Subject Source: Searslocal
- Hardin (Texas, United States : county) Subject Source: Searslocal
- Jefferson (Texas, United States : county) Subject Source: Searslocal
- Land subdivision Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Land surveys Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Lawyers Subject Source: Searslocal
- Liberty (Texas, United States : county) Subject Source: Searslocal
- Litigation Subject Source: Searslocal
- Political participation Subject Source: Searslocal
- Political parties Subject Source: Searslocal
- Political parties
- Politics Subject Source: Searslocal
- Real estate Subject Source: Searslocal
- Stock certificates Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Teachers colleges
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Crawford Family Papers, 1905-1924
- Author
- Tyrrell Historical Library Staff
- Date
- 2015 August 10
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Tyrrell Historical Library Archives Repository
