The Daughters of The Republic of Texas: 105 Years of Alamo Custodianship

Last week marked the 105th anniversary of the legislation that granted The Daughters of The Republic of Texas custodianship of the Alamo. The act, entitled “Providing for the Purchase, Care, and Preservation of the Alamo,” passed the Texas House of Representatives on January 23 and the state Senate on January 24th before being signed by Governor Lanham on January 26th, 1905.

Clara Driscoll, who, with Adina De Zavala, led the DRT's efforts to acquire the Alamo. (SC96.002)

The legislation appropriated $65,000 to Clara Driscoll, who had advanced that amount in personal funds to cover a DRT fund-raising shortfall and to purchase the Alamo convento (today the Long Barracks museum) in her own name. The act also placed title to the convento in the name of the State of Texas; turned custody of the property to The Daughters of The Republic of Texas; and transferred custody of the Alamo church, which the state had purchased in 1883, from the City of San Antonio to the DRT.

The legislation stated, in part:

Section 3: Upon the receipt of the title to said land [the convento], the Governor shall deliver the property thus acquired, together with the Alamo Church property already owned by the State, to the custody and care of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, to be maintained by them in good order and repair without charge to the State, as a sacred memorial to the heroes who immolated themselves upon that hallowed ground.

Several months after the Act was approved – on September 5, 1905 – Clara Driscoll transferred the title to the convento building to Texas; one month later, Governor Lanham conveyed it and the Alamo church to the DRT.

Alamo Plaza looking south, circa 1907. The Alamo church, on the east side of the plaza, is beyond the photograph on the left. It is obscured by the old mission convento, which merchants Charles Hugo and Gustav Schmeltzer purchased in 1880 and operated as a wholesale warehouse and grocery. (SC8317.4)

The 1905 legislation followed decades of efforts to preserve the Alamo and a five-year campaign on the part of The Daughters of The Republic of Texas, led by Adina De Zavala and Clara Driscoll, to raise money for the preservation of the Alamo. Development of downtown San Antonio began in earnest following the Civil War. Photographs (like the one above) and maps (like this 1904 Sanborn map of Alamo Plaza, available as a PDF document) show the Alamo surrounded by commercial structures by the late 1800s and early 1900s. Additionally, the Alamo church was in deplorable condition following years of being repurposed, neglected, and damaged. San Antonians feared that the site would eventually be demolished altogether.

The Alamo church and the Hugo & Schmeltzer building (the old mission convento) in an undated photograph, circa 1877-1912. (SC95.044)

A photograph from the late 1800s showing a saloon immediately to the south of the Alamo church. (SC13523)

At the fourteenth annual meeting of The Daughters of The Republic of Texas – held in La Grange, Texas, in April 1905 – Second Vice-President Cornelia Branch Stone of Galveston described the Daughters’ efforts in the weeks prior to the passage of the “Alamo Purchase Bill.” Speaking on behalf of the absent Clara Driscoll, Stone reported that

the committee were [sic] well received by the Senate and House of Representatives, where they found many warm supporters of the measure. Miss Driscoll and Mrs. Stone addressed the Committee on State Affairs in both houses, and Miss De Zavala spoke to the House Committee on State Affairs, as the Alamo Purchase Bill has been referred to this committee. Every courtesy was shown by the two committees, and unanimous endorsement was given to the bill. The Senate was unanimous in support of the bill, and while there was some opposition in the House, the bill had so many strong supporters it was passed by a large majority. Those who most conspicuously advocated this measure were Speaker Seabury, Messrs. Kyle, Glen, Blount, Brelsford, Onion, Robertson, Hudspeth, Judge Terrell and others. [Sam Ealy Johnson, father of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was another supporter of the bill.] Mrs. Looscan and Miss De Zavala were present at the final passage of the bill. Mrs. Stone and Miss Driscoll, having been assured of its safety, left Austin after having spent a week there. The committee did good work, and were [sic] constantly advised by Judge Clarence Martin, whose wise counsel was of great value.

Adina De Zavala in 1924. (SC95.316det)

In another address to the Daughters assembled in LaGrange, Cornelia Branch Stone asserted that the legislation would “require renewed activity on our part to meet [the] demand” placed on them. This, indeed, has proven to be the case in the 105 years since the state granted custodianship of the Alamo to The Daughters of The Republic of Texas.

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

For further reading, DRT Library:

The general collections of the DRT Library contain books, annual meeting proceedings, vertical files, photographs, and other materials that document the history of the DRT and its custodianship of the Alamo. Additionally, the library also has several archival collections of personal papers and scrapbooks by, to, and about women who held leadership positions in the organization. Additional information about these materials can be found by searching the library’s online catalog. A few resources that describe the context of the DRT’s early preservation efforts and custodianship are listed below.

Preservation Pioneers: The Daughters of the Republic of Texas compiled by Laura T. Beavers

90 Years of the Daughters: History of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas by The Daughters of The Republic of Texas

Saving San Antonio: The Precarious Preservation of a Heritage by Lewis F. Fisher

A Line in the Sand: The Alamo in Blood and Memory by Randy Roberts and James S. Olson

100 Years of Custodianship by Madge Thornall Roberts

“Alamo History Chronology,” a timeline compiled by the staff of the DRT Library

For further reading, other institutions:

Several other Texas repositories contain archival collections of personal papers by, to, and about early leaders of The Daughters of The Republic of Texas. Many of these collection, such as the Adina De Zavala papers at the University of Texas at Austin, can be found by searching Texas Archival Resources Online (TARO). Others, such as the Adele Briscoe Looscan papers at the Albert and Ethel Herzstein Library and the Adina De Zavala papers at the University of the Incarnate Word, can be found through Internet search engines.

DRT Library to be Featured on “Texas Country Reporter”

Crew members from the television show "Texas Country Reporter" adjust lighting and cameras in the reading room while Cecilia Cheever, Alamo Mission Chapter DRT and Library Committee member, looks on.

Yesterday, Bob Phillips and a two-person crew spent much of the day at the DRT Library for an upcoming segment on the television show Texas Country Reporter. Library staff members pulled particularly unique, significant, and/or interesting materials from the collections; many of these items, as well as interior and exterior areas of the library, were photographed or filmed for the show. Additionally, Bob Phillips, the show’s host, interviewed Library Committee Chairman Elaine Milam Vetter, who spoke about the library and its collections as well as the DRT’s custodianship of the Alamo and its Native Texan license plate project. The show’s crew also filmed part of oral history interviews conducted by Rosemarie Gregory (Ferdinand Lindheimer Chapter DRT) with Armandina Sifuentes (Alamo Couriers Chapter DRT) and Lois McCarthy (Alamo Heroes Chapter DRT); all three women are members of the 2009-2011 Library Committee.  The interviews highlight a larger project, recently started by the Library Committee, to record Daughters’ personal recollections, family histories, and stories about their involvement with The Daughters of The Republic of Texas. Finally, the show’s crew filmed areas of the Alamo grounds and the interior of the main chapel and spoke with Dr. Bruce Winders, Alamo historian and curator, about current restoration work occurring inside the shrine.

The segment about the library will purportedly air in late February, which coincides with the anniversary of the 1836 siege and battle of the Alamo. We will post additional information on the blog when an airdate has been confirmed, so be sure to check back!

Crew members prepare to film an oral history interview of Armandina Sifuentes (right) conducted by Rosemarie Gregory (left).

Bob Phillips and a crew member examine a letter written by Alamo defender Daniel William Cloud.

Meet the DRT Library Staff: Rusty Gamez

This is the third installment in a series of “meet the staff” entries that share information about each member of the DRT Library’s team. Having been at the library since 1988, Library Assistant Rusty Gamez knows a great deal about its institutional history. Here he shares some of his favorite memories of his time at the Alamo.

*****

Rusty Gamez, Library Assistant.

On January 14, 2010 I completed twenty-two years of employment at the DRT library. As a library assistant, my duties are many. I staff the reading room floor, help library patrons with their research, and assist Alamo visitors who may need directions or another public service. I also help organize the patron registration forms, which track who comes to do research and how long they stay in the library. Additionally, I maintain the vertical (or clippings) files by adding materials to the folders and checking them monthly to ensure they are in good order. Finally, I help set up most audiovisual equipment for presentations and take photographs of library or Alamo functions as needed.

As I look back on my twenty-two years at the library and the Alamo, I remember many of my wonderful colleagues and friends. Two that come to mind are the late Bernice Strong, former library archivist, and the late Charles J. Long, former Alamo curator. Bernice was the first person I met at the library; she greeted me at the gates when I came for my job interview. Bernice would go on to become my mentor and a trusted friend. As an archivist and a noted historian she made sure I was well-educated in all aspects of history and library work. Her professionalism and vast knowledge earned her much respect.  I miss her dearly. Mr. Long was a kind and gentle soul. He would come to the library at 11:00 on the dot every Friday. Even though he was retired, everyone would come in to ask him questions related to his time as Alamo curator. He was a walking “Alamo encyclopedia.” He and I shared our religious faith and a love of photography, the Alamo, and Burger King hamburgers.

I am a proud “native-born Texan” and a lifelong resident of San Antonio. Reared on the south side, I graduated from South San Antonio High School and attended San Antonio College. I have many hobbies, including camping; fishing; hunting; reading; listening to contemporary Christian music; following the Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Astros, and San Antonio Missions; and watching movies. The good Lord has blessed me with a beautiful wife (Judi) and two wonderful sons (Matthew and Stephen). My mother Alicia Besa Gamez is still living, although my father, the late Charlie Gamez, passed on in 2002. My family and I are active members of St. Leonard Catholic Church. If I am not at work or at home, chances are you will find me at church or on an ACTS retreat.

I am fortune to work at a job I love, at a place I hold sacred, and for a wonderful organization, The Daughters of The Republic of Texas.

DRT Library Receives Donation of Beckmann Family Papers

Archivist Caitlin Donnelly with donors David and Myrna Langford.

On December 31, 2009, Library Director Leslie Stapleton and Archivist Caitlin Donnelly were pleased to receive a collection of archival materials relating to the Beckmann family of San Antonio. The collection was donated by David and Myrna Langford of Comfort, Texas.

The sizeable collection complements several other archival collections at the DRT Library, namely

• Beckmann family materials donated between 1999 and 2001.

• Collections such as the John Herndon James papers and the Ernst F. Schuchard papers that document the histories of families and individuals related to the Beckmann family, usually through marriage.

• Materials that document the history of Germans in San Antonio; such collections include the records of the city’s German-English School as well as a letterpress copybook and register of visitors maintained by the Casino Association.

A portrait of members of the Guenther, Beckmann, Schuchard, Pape, and Wagner families, 1893.

Based on an appraisal report and a preliminary assessment, it appears that the majority of items in the collection are to, from, or about Adolph Guenther Beckmann and his wife Mary Milby Giles Beckmann, Mr. Langford’s maternal grandparents. Adolph Beckmann’s grandfathers were John Conrad Beckmann and Carl Hilmar Guenther; his father was Albert Felix Beckmann. Milby Giles was the daughter of San Antonio architect Alfred Giles; her maternal grandfather was John James. The collection contains information about other members of the extended Beckmann family, particularly their Guenther relatives, as well as their friends, social acquaintances, and business associates.

A page from John C. Beckmann's business ledger showing blacksmith work undertaken for and payment owed by Drs. Ferdinand Herff and Adolphus Schloemann (also Schlomann or Schloman).

The collection contains a variety of materials including personal correspondence and cards, financial records, scrapbooks, art, certificates and diplomas, architectural plans, newspaper and magazine clippings, books, and genealogy charts and reports. One of the oldest and most interesting documents is a ledger book maintained by John C. Beckmann to document business he conducted at his blacksmith shop between roughly 1859 and 1866; the shop was located on the Alamo grounds where the DRT Library now stands. Additionally, the collection contains a large number of photographs that roughly date to the late 1800s and early 1900s. While some of the photographs document San Antonio’s built landscape – particularly Pioneer Flour Mills – the majority show members of the Beckmann and Guenther families. Almost all of the individuals shown in the images have been identified. One striking image shows a young Ernst Schuchard (whose mother was a Guenther). He is standing with an unidentified woman and a young girl identified as Mietze; she is believed to be his younger sister, Mary (or Marie).

Ernst and Mietze Schuchard as children.

The new acquisition will be made available to researchers upon the completion of processing by library staff.

Thank you, David and Myrna, for your generous donation to the DRT Library!

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

Meet the DRT Library Staff: Lydia Cuellar

This is the second installment in a series of “meet the staff” entries that share information about each member of the DRT Library’s team. Read on to learn more about Lydia Cuellar, who started working at the library in December 2007.

*****

Library Assistant Lydia Cuellar.

As one of two Library Assistants, I assist my colleagues in any way they need. If you’ve ever called the library, chances are you heard my voice on the other end of the line; one of my primary responsibilities is to answer the phone and assist callers with their questions. Some of my other usual duties include going to the post office every day to collect the library’s mail; creating and printing labels for library materials, each one containing the item’s call number and a barcode; covering books with protective Mylar enclosures; shelving materials used by patrons; and helping patrons with their research. I have also worked on larger projects at the library; specifically, I created barcode labels for approximately 800 boxes in the archival collection and inventoried all items in the library’s collections in order to identify missing materials.

I especially enjoy helping patrons who visit the library to conduct genealogy. It gives me great satisfaction when I help them find an ancestor they were looking for and to see their excitement.  Genealogy is also a personal passion of mine because I believe family history helps defines us.

I have an Associate of Applied Science degree through Palo Alto College’s Teacher Assistant/Aide program; I also earned a Library Assistant Certificate through the program and I currently serve on its Advisory Board. Before coming to the DRT Library, I worked as a library intern at the George Ozuna Jr. Learning Resource Center at Palo Alto College, where I helped organize the Children’s Summer Program. My previous employment included various positions at several different companies including USAA, TETCO, and my home daycare business. I have enjoyed each and every job I’ve had, and for that I feel very fortunate.

Born and raised in Kenedy, Texas, I have lived most of my life in San Antonio. Currently, my husband, Salvador, and I live in Floresville. We appreciate the peace and quiet, especially being able to watch deer and hear birds singing as we drink our coffee in the morning. Our experience of living in South Africa several years ago helped us appreciate nature more and contributed to our decision to move to Floresville. My relationship with God and being with my family – which, besides my husband, includes my son Jason, his wife, his daughter Selah, and my daughter Jillian – are priorities for me. I also enjoy camping out and being outside.

“My Dear Wife”: Abishai Dickson’s Last Letter Home on His Way to Texas

One of the treasures in the library’s archival collections is an 1835 letter written by Abishai Dickson to his wife. Like Alamo defender Daniel William Cloud, Dickson wrote his letter in late December 1835 while in Louisiana on his way to Texas to join the struggle for independence.

Dickson was a member of the Alabama Red Rovers, a unit organized by Jack Shackelford and named for the red uniforms of its members. Joining James Fannin’s regiment in Texas and participating in several engagements of the Texas Revolution, the Red Rovers surrendered to the Mexican army with the rest of Fannin’s force following the Battle of Coleto. Dickson, along with more than 300 others, was executed in the Goliad Massacre on March 27, 1836.

The first page of Abishai Dickson's letter to his wife.

The second page.

A transcription of the letter is included below. Please note that original punctuation and spelling has been maintained and remains uncorrected.

New Orleans 29th Decr 1835

My Dear Wife

We arrived here yesterday morning and having a good oppertunity of writing by Mr Sevier who goes up shortly: – We had a tedious time coming down. the Capt of the Steam Boat was sulkey & unaccomodating — but we had to bare with him — We are all still on board his boat and will remain until the vesel is ready to start — which will be day after to morrow — We have just heard from Texas the Americans have whiped the Spaniards and taken St Antonio & killed Genl. Coss & at this time there is not an armed Spaniard in Texas — The first 2 or 3 days after I started I was very sick Dr Shackleford gave me some medicine which operated very well Since that time I have fattened every day and I have now a better apetite than I have had for the last 12 months, the doctor is & has been like a Father to me ever since I started, the company agrees very well Francis has been quite sick for the last few days but is mending — I have met with several of my acquaintances here Mr Roper – Sevier – Gist. Cooper. B. McKernan & several others I have nothing more to write you at this time – I will write you again when I land in Texas – I am in hopes that we will all return Soon – I want you to write as soon as you get this and direct your letter to me at this place to the care of K & Roper who will take it out and send it me as also all letters that I may write they will forward them to you — Kiss all the dear children for me & tell Puss to kiss you 10 times for Pa — My Dear my lips have not been wet with spirits of any description since I left you & I do hope they never will again — & I think this trip will not only wean me entirely from it but will give me a new constitution

I have some hopes yet of making a little fortune I feell more anxious than I ever did — dont fail to write and direct your as I have written it below — Give my love to all

I am Dear Wife your

Affectionate Husband

Abishai Dickson

We sail this morning on board of an armed schooner

Mr. Abishai Dickson

Care of Kirkman & Roper

New Orleans

According to genealogical materials in the library’s Dickson family papers, Abishai Mercer Dickson was born on January 19, 1803 at or near Reynoldsburg, Tennessee. He and his family – his father Michael Dickson (1777-1859), mother Sene Williams Dickson,  and eleven siblings – were the first Anglo-American settlers in Tuscumbia, Alabama, a town in the northwestern part of the state near its borders with Mississippi and Tennessee.

Abishai Dickson married Ann Margaret Lucas (1809-1862) in 1825 in Franklin County, Alabama. The couple had four children: Louisa McIntosh (1826-1898), Eliza Josephine (1829-1843), Richard Hoge (1831-1931), and Ellen Edwards (1834-1840). In the twentieth century, descendants recorded Richard Hoge Dickson’s recollections, which he documented in 1911 at the age of eighty years old:

The first thing I can recall was riding in my Father’s lap down the Cumberland Mountains, going from Russellville to Tuscumbia, Alabama, where we lived. I must have been about fours years of age. I well remember when my Father joined the Red Rovers, under Dr. Shackelford, and started for Texas, to aid her in getting her independence. They were all dressed in red suits and were called Red Rovers. When Mother made Father’s suit I recollect how she cried. When they started to Texas they were all dressed in their red uniforms and passed close by the house where he bid us all Goodbye. It was a crying time for us all. My mother took her children and went to Grandpa Lucas’s to live, till Father came back – but he never came. One morning I was awakened by my mother crying over me in my bed, and calling me her ‘orphan boy.’ She told me my Father was killed.

Ironically, it was in death that Abishai Dickson found the “little fortune” he sought in Texas, as his widow received a 640-acre donation land grant due to his execution at Goliad. Ann Margaret later married John Sutherland, who claimed to have been at the Alamo garrison before its fall.

For Further Reading:

The  San Jacinto Monument and Museum near Houston, Texas, has several items relating to Abishai Dickson and his family. The site’s Herzstein Library has a collection of archival materials relating to the Dickson family; a finding aid, or guide to the collection, is available online. The museum also has a portrait of Abishai Dickson, which can be viewed on its website.

The Sons of DeWitt Colony Texas provide detailed information about the Goliad Massacre, which is published on the website of Texas A & M University. Included is an account of the event written by Jack Shackelford, who was spared due to his skills as a doctor.

The John W. Lilly Family Papers at the DRT Library also contain archival materials relating to the Dickson family; an online finding aid to the collection is available.

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

Saturday, December 12, 2009: Alamo Special Event

The Daughters of The Republic of Texas and the Alamo invite you to Bexar: December 1835–Prelude to the Alamo, a special after-hours event to be held this coming Saturday, December 12th. During this program, visitors will be escorted through the Alamo grounds to view a series of historical vignettes that tell the story of the Siege and Battle of Béxar and the events that led to the second battle for San Antonio, the Battle of the Alamo.

From October until early December 1835, an army of Texan volunteers laid siege to a Mexican army in San Antonio de Béxar. After five days of fierce house-to-house fighting throughout the town’s streets (December 5-10), the Texans succeeded in forcing General Martín Perfecto de Cos to surrender .  However, it was a victory that president and general Antonio López de Santa Anna could not let stand.  The “Napoleon of the West” arrived on February 23, 1836, ready to take his revenge.

The Saturday event will run from 6:30 pm until 10:30 pm. Groups will leave from the Alamo gift shop every ten (10) minutes, and each will spend approximately forty-five (45) minutes viewing the vignettes.

Space is limited, so purchase your tickets early. Individual ticket price is $10.00 each; children under twelve years old can attend the event for free. To order tickets or receive additional event and ticket information, contact Assistant Curator Ernesto Rodriguez by email at erodriguez@thealamo.org or by phone at 210-225-1391, ext. 28.

We hope to see you there!

Some information for this entry was provided by Ernesto Rodriguez.

November 21, 1963: President Kennedy in San Antonio

Last September, we posted an entry about John F. Kennedy’s visit to the Alamo in 1960 as part of his presidential campaign. This visit, however, was not Kennedy’s only visit to San Antonio; rather, he and his wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, were in the Alamo City on November 21, 1963, the day before he was assassinated in Dallas.

President John F. Kennedy in San Antonio. (SCElicson.09.003)

A photographic negative in the DRT Library’s Joseph Elicson Photograph Collection, above, captures one moment of the President’s time in San Antonio. It shows him sitting in an open Lincoln convertible next to First Lady Jackie Kennedy, just as he was the following day in Dallas. The image also shows then-Governor John Connally, barely visible, in front of the First Lady and his wife, Nellie Connally, in front of the president. Significantly, in Dallas the two reversed positions, and Gov. Connally was wounded by one of the bullets that hit President Kennedy. Research by former DRT Library intern Amy Canon revealed that the the Elicson photograph was taken in front of the Beneficial Finance & Thrift Co. Consulting a 1963 city directory, Canon discovered that the company was located at 202 Broadway in San Antonio.

A map of President Kennedy's motorcade route through San Antonio, printed in the Express-News on November 20, 1963.

San Antonio was the first stop of a planned two-day, five-city tour of Texas, which was held in preparation for Kennedy’s 1964 presidential campaign. While in the city, the President spoke at the dedication of four buildings in the complex that housed the United States Air Force Aerospace Medical Division at Brooks Air Force Base. According to the Handbook of Texas and other sources, Kennedy’s speech at this event was his final official act as president. On November 20, 1986, the San Antonio Express-News reported on the festivities occurring the next day at Brooks. The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 1:45 p.m., with President Kennedy scheduled to arrive at 2:25 p.m. “An open house at the aerospace school will begin at 11 a.m.,” the newspaper article stated. “Guided tours will begin at noon, and visitors may expect to see such facilities as the high-altitude simulation chambers, space suits and the gravity-simulating centrifuge. At 1 p.m., the Air Force Band of the West, from Lackland, will begin a band concert.” Furthermore, the article described the scene of the dedication, stating that “on either side of the speaker’s platform will be the shell of an X15 [aircraft] and a model of the X20 Dynasoar spacecraft.”

An aerial photograph of the Aerospace Medical Division, circa 1970.

The front cover of a pamphlet describing activities conducted at the Aerospace Medical Center, circa 1961.

For Further Research:

The website of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has contextual information about the president’s 1963 trip to Texas and his assassination in Dallas. Of particular interest are a recording and a transcript of the speech given by President Kennedy at the dedication at Brooks Air Force Base, which can be accessed from the top of the page.

Users can also access archival footage of President Kennedy in San Antonio that has been posted to YouTube. The film was originally shot by Navy commander Thomas Atkins, who was the official White House photographer at the time and who later compiled some of his Texas footage into a nineteen-minute film entitled “The Last Two Days.”

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.

DRT Library Welcomes Two New Volunteers

The DRT Library is pleased to welcome Kay Garsnett and Shannon Keith as its newest volunteers. Both Kay and Shannon  work with archivist Caitlin Donnelly on a variety of projects pertaining to the library’s archival collections, including developing and staffing special programs and updating information about the archives on the DRT Library’s website. Future projects will include researching the families, individuals, and organizations that have donated materials to the library as well as arranging and describing new and/or unprocessed collections.

Volunteer Kay Garsnett.

San Antonio native Kay Garsnett, above, has a Bachelor of Science degree in geography from the University of Maryland at College Park and a Master of Library and Information Studies degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She has almost twenty years of experience as an academic librarian, primarily in the area of reference services, at various institutions including Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley in Missouri. She is currently an adjunct reference librarian at Northeast Lakeview College in San Antonio. Seeking to take her career in a new direction, Kay is currently working on a Certificate of Advanced Study in Archives and Records Administration, an online program through the School of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. During the last couple of years, she has also completed several archival continuing education courses, primarily through the Society of American Archivists; in June 2009 she attended the Modern Archives Institute at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Kay is an experienced genealogist and has been an active member of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Volunteer Shannon Keith.

Shannon Keith, above, is a recent graduate of the Graduate School of Information at the University of Texas at Austin, where her coursework focused on various components of archival work and where she served as the secretary of the student chapter of the Society of American Archivists. A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Shannon also graduated from Wellesley College in 2003 with a double major in art history and Italian studies. Shannon’s most recent archives experience was an internship she completed this past summer with the Arkansas History Commission (AHC), a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Collaborating with the Lawrence County Historical Society, the AHC is in the process of planning the Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA), a branch archives to be built at Powhatan Historic State Park. The three thousand square foot facility will house historic northeast Arkansas county records and provide regional access to historical and genealogical research materials. Shannon’s task was to help the Commission develop a furniture and equipment layout plan that took into account the comfort and work processes of researchers and staff, space limitations, lighting, power, American Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design, and archival workflows. Shannon is currently the Special Collections Librarian at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

We are thrilled to have Kay and Shannon join the DRT Library team!

Volunteer Improves Access to German-Language Materials

Volunteer Lore A. Senseney.

For the past year, Lore A. Senseney has been volunteering at the DRT Library with Assistant Director Martha Utterback and Archivist Caitlin Donnelly, working to translate German-language materials held in the library’s archival collections into English. Thus far, Ms. Senseney has translated almost 200 documents, primarily letters, in the Beckmann family papers and the general correspondence series of the Conrad A. Goeth papers. The translations are being filed with the original document so they will be accessible to researchers. Lore will next be translating documents in the Frances Drennon Shaughnessy family papers.

Translating the documents requires a special and rather unique skill: the ability to read the old Sütterlin German script that is no longer used. Today, Germans cannot read this script. However, Ms. Senseney, a native of Germany, learned it during her first two years of school, as Sütterlin was commonly taught in German schools during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The first page of a letter to John C. and Regina Muller Beckmann, presumably written by Felix Muller, Regina's father.

Lore's translation of the above letter, which Felix Muller began by writing "I have waited for seven years for (a response from you) in vain, and had given up all hope to receive a letter from you ever again."

The rest of Lore's translation of the above letter.

Lore’s journey to San Antonio was an interesting one. She started learning English in 1945 when school resumed following the end of World War II. Three years later, she escaped from East Germany with her mother and joined her father in Frankfurt, West Germany. There, Lore continued her English studies as an apprentice; a student at a school of business for industrial merchants and banking; and a student in the last class of industrial interpreters at the Berlitz school. Ms. Senseney arrived in the United States on August 5, 1959, landing in New York on the USS Buttner with her husband – a career non-commissioned officer (NCO) in the U.S. Army who had been stationed in West Germany and was newly stationed at Fort Sam Houston – and their two-year-old daughter. Lore and her husband later had two more children and at various times lived in San Antonio and Germany.

Ms. Senseney has been a member of the San Antonio Needlework Guild (SANG) and the Embroiderers’ Guild of America (EGA) since 1976. She has been particularly interested in whitework embroidery, a technique in which the stitching is the same color as the foundation fabric, traditionally white linen. Lore researched this type of embroidery during trips to Germany and began teaching about the technique in San Antonio. Since 1982, Lore has been volunteering at the Witte Museum, using her expertise to help in the conservation of its textile collection.

Throughout her time at the Witte, Ms. Senseney has periodically been asked to translate German texts. Her skills have been increasingly utilized since 2006, when she began undergoing treatments for breast cancer that left her hands numb, making it difficult to hold a needle and continue her textile conservation work at the Witte. However, Lore has found the work of translating historic documents to be equally rewarding, stating “I love it. It is something I can do that I enjoy and is as much fun as restoring an old textile, so it can live another 100 years.”

Of the letters she has worked with from the DRT Library’s collections, Lore writes that they have had “the most diverse content and challenging handwriting styles.” In the course of the project, she has also “researched and learned about the Germans who arrived in Texas in the 1840s and founded a lot of the businesses in San Antonio.”

Thank you, Lore, for all of your hard work!

Click here for a full citation of the documents and images included in this entry.