Texas State Library & Archives WWI Resources

The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (https://www.tsl.texas.gov/) recently provided a list of resources to the Texas WWI Centennial team summarizing their holdings in the Texas State Archives relating to World War I. The collection includes personal papers, manuscripts and photos – many available online. The Library also has a committee planning a WWI exhibit in 2017. Special thanks to Tonia Wood, Senior Reference Archivist for assembling this following list research resources:

Descriptions of the following manuscript collections which focus on World War I are available online:

• William Deming Hornaday Transcripts of World War I Letters and Personal Accounts (A-L and unknown) www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40076/tsl-40076.html
• William Deming Hornaday Transcripts of World War I Letters and Personal Accounts (M-Z) www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40106/tsl-40106.html
• General John A. Hulen Papers www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/90012/tsl-90012.html
• Clarence Lincoln and Nellie Donnan Test Papers www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40051/tsl-40051.html
• Frank S. Tillman Collection www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/20044/tsl-20044.html

The three manuscript collections listed below include a small amount of materials on World War I, and have descriptions available online:

• Maurice H. Dowell Family Papers www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40052/tsl-40052.html
• George A. Feris Family Papers www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/20192/tsl-20192.html
• Thomas P. Martin Collection www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/80024/tsl-80024.html

The state agency records listed below include information concerning World War I, though the extent of the coverage varies. Reviewing the finding aids online will help pinpoint relevant material:

• Texas Adjutant General’s Department, Texas National Guard military rolls www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30078/tsl-30078.html
• Texas Adjutant General’s Department departmental correspondence www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30095/tsl-30095.html
• Texas Adjutant General’s Department Texas National Guard records www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30025/tsl-30025.html
• Texas Adjutant General’s Department, Service records, Texas National Guard service records, 1901-[ca. 1929] (bulk 1903-1911), 58.75 cubic ft. www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/30007/tsl-30007.html#series16
• Texas Governor James Edward Ferguson records www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40028/tsl-40028.html
• Texas Governor William Pettus Hobby records www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40029/tsl-40029.html

• Texas House of Representatives Special Committee to Investigate Charges Against Representative H.J. Neinast records www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/70031/tsl-70031.html
• Texas Legislature Records of the Central Investigating Committees of the House and Senate www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/50066/tsl-50066.html
• Texas Veterans Commission records www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40001/tsl-40001.html

Photograph collections that contain images from World War I include the following:

• Frank Tillman Collection [1/142]
• The collection consists of photographs taken during World War I and World War II. Images include portraits of President Herbert Hoover, General Pershing, Brig. General Douglas McArthur, General Mangin, Colonel Arthur F. Schernerhaur, Colonel Thomas Fairservis, Brig. General Jacob Walters, and other generals, along with images of battle scenes in France and group portraits of soldiers. Identified images are from Wide World Photos and the Associated Press. Unnumbered images at the end of the collection are described briefly and include military preparation and soldiers in San Antonio, Kerrville, and Laredo, Texas; portraits of Governor Coke Stevenson and military personnel; military maneuvers and training exercises at Fort Polk, Louisiana and Camp Bullis, Texas; and army libraries in Camp Travis. A larger group of panoramas is included in this collection but unavailable for viewing due to conservation concerns. [17.5 cubic ft. (approx. 3200 photographs)]
• Company M, 142^nd Infantry, 36^th Division, 1917 [1964/238]
• One panoramic portrait of the soldiers of Company M, 142nd Infantry of the 36th Division in December 1917. The men are posed standing and sitting on a parade ground at Camp Bowie, Texas near Fort Worth, Texas.
• Harkrider Collection [1966/086]
• Collection consists of photographs and photographic postcards collected by Ernest C. Harkrider during his time in the U.S. Army in France and Germany immediately after the First World War, 1918-1919. The collection is primarily snapshots of the Western Front area, including nearby villages.
• William Deming Hornaday collection [1975/070]
  • Described online at: www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/60011/tsl-60011.html
• Images on Flickr Commons at: www.flickr.com/photos/texasstatearchives/albums/
• Eugene J. Le Blanc collection [1991/078]
• Two panoramic photographs of Camp Travis, Texas created in 1918 by San Antonio photographer Charles Stead. In the images some buildings and site features are identified on both images, including barracks for the various companies of the 35th Infantry.
• Nellie Test Collection [1966/185]
• Collection consists of photographs and postcards that were collected by Major Clarence L. Test during the First World War, in both the United States and Europe, 1900-1920. The photographs are of people and army camps in the United States and of the Seventh Army Corps headquarters in Wittlich, Germany. The postcards show military life and scenes of Europe. Image description is included in the finding aid at: www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tslac/40051/tsl-40051.html.
• U.S. Army Signal Corps Photographs, World War I [1/168]
• Four photographs taken in France by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War I in July 17-19, 1918. The images include group portraits of soldiers in Vaux, Soissons and Chateau Thierry, France. Images show troops moving on horseback, camouflaged artillery, and troops going into action.

These additional manuscript collections do not have descriptions available online. Brief descriptions have been included when available:

• American Legion Collection, 1918-1944, 10 inches
• Records include division histories, war publications, correspondence, camp histories, information from 1918 on the Texas State Council of Defense, Adjutant General orders. It is not clear how much information dates to World War I. [Call numbers are 2-22/867 thru 869.]
• Black (Charles) Poem
• Item is a poem about World War I. [Call number is Box 2-23/1051.]
• Camp Funston, Texas, History, 1917
• Item is “Officers’ Training Camp: Official History and Review,” Leon Springs. [Call number is Box 2-22/211.]
• Crenshaw (Dave W.) Collection, 1918, 5 items
• Collection includes maps of France, 1918, printed “Grenades” and “Organization of ‘A’ Company;” World War I. [Call number is Box 2-23/636.]
• Dallas, Texas Military Units in All Wars,
• Item is a carbon copy of typescript list of military units from the Mexican War through World War II. [Call number is Box 2-23/1055.]
• Henderson (Harry McCorry) Literary Effort, 1947, 4 volumes
• “Texas Fights,” 1836-1940, Texans fighting in Texas Revolution, Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War II, National Guard. [Call number is Box 2-23/822.]
• King (A.K.) Literary Efforts, 1940, undated
• Writings concern the life of James F. Ferguson, World War I, and biographical sketches. [Call numbers are Boxes 2-23/760, 776, 919.]
• Arthur A. King collection
• Collection contains correspondence, photographs, artifacts and ephemera, including family items, from the Spanish-American War and World War I period. [Call number is Box 2014/090.]
• London Daily Mail, 1918
• Item concerns World War I and events leading to armistice. [Call number is Box 2-22/601.]
• Thirty-Sixth Division Association Papers, 1857-1964 and [19–], 13 ft., 2 in.
• Material identified as dating from World War I includes circulars and memos, 1917; Hulen correspondence, 1857-1941; printed material, 1918-1937; and clippings, 1917-1947. [Call numbers are 2-22/803 thru 836, 2-7/1336 thru 1343 and 1349, 2-22L/14.]
• Walthall (Melvin C.) Manuscript, post 1945, 154 pgs.
• Manuscript is titled “We Can’t All Be Heroes,” with additional section on the 144th Infantry and is a military history of the 50 infantry regiments in World War II. [Call number is Box 2-22/975.]
• Whittington Collection, 1918-1919, 5 items
• Items are military correspondence regarding American Expeditionary Forces, World War I. [Call number is Box 2-23/1076.]