Walter Meek, Liza Duis meek and Walter Meek, Jr.
27 linear feet
A1981-040; A1989-021
1890-1945 (unknown)
Walter Wilson Meek was born in 1849 to Sarah Poole Wilson Meek and Jeremiah Lee Meek of Richmond, IN. The Meeks also had four other children named Ernest Lee (b. 1851), Kate Corbit (b. 1853), Wilburn Poole (b. 1858), and Horace Ratty (b. 1862). Walter, like his father who went to California to seek his fortune during the gold rush, went west to seek his fortune at an early age. Also like his father, he returned to Indiana when he found not great fortune. But, unlike his father the wild west lured him back again and he ultimately settled in San Diego (Duval County) Texas where he grew to be a prosperous rancher, merchant and banker. While in San Diego Walter he courted Lida V. Duis of Wheelersburg, Ohio and an impressive amount of correspondence describing each of their lives in different parts of the country is preserved. Ultimately the couple was married in 1888 and made their lives in San Diego, TX where they had three children, Walter Wilson Meek, Jr., Duis Meek, and daughter Mildred who died in childhood. Walter, Jr. grew up to be an engineer and later Duval County Auditor. As auditor of the controversial county where George Parr was labeled the Duke and had a political empire made notorious by the controversial election that sent Lyndon Johnson to the Congress, both Meeks managed to stay out of jail when the political boss’ kingdom failed. Each of the Meeks was well educated and exceedingly literate so that correspondence is vivid and brings to life a long past era in a county that many study. The hardships, the joys, the notoriety and the generosity of the family are clearly seen in the papers.
The Walter W. Meek Jr. Papers span from 1845 to 1981. The vast majority of the papers from the 19th century are the correspondence between Walter W. Meek Sr., in Texas, and Eliza (Lida) Duis, in Indiana and Ohio, the parents of Walter W. Meek Jr. These have been arranged by Meek Jr. and retain his organization. All of this correspondence has been microfilmed. The bulk of the remaining materials are from the 1920's through the 1970's. These materials represent all facets of the life of Walter W. Meek Jr. There are childhood school related papers, personal and business correspondence, financial and legal documents, diaries, genealogical compilations, military records, photographs and printed materials. All of it representative of living and working in and around South Texas over the last century and a half.
The papers were arranged by Walter Meek, Jr. The Finders Guide has been arranged in eleven series as follows:
Series I – Correspondence
Sub-Series 1 – Family
Sub-Series 2 – General
Sub-Series 3 – Business, Financial and Legal
Sub-Series 4 – Southern Pacific R.R. Co.
Sub-Series 5 – J.G. Mackay Co.
Sub-Series 6 – Duval County
Series II – Biographical
Sub-Series 1 – Robye Jean
Sub-Series 2 – Jeremiah Meek
Sub-Series 3 – David Wilson
Sub-Series 4 – Croft Family
Sub-Series 5 – Wright Family
Sub-Series 6 – Meek Family
Series III – Diaries, Scrapbooks, and Logs
Sub-Series 1 – E. Duis Meek
Sub-Series 2 – Robye Jean
Sub-Series 3 – Autograph
Sub-Series 4 – Trip Logs
Sub-Series 5 – University
Sub-Series 6 - Calendars, Names and Address Books
Sub-Series 7 - Verse Scrap
Sub-Series 8 - Cartoons
Sub-Series 9 - Sheep Info.
Sub-Series 10 - Historical Data
Sub-Series 11 - Warrant Book
Sub-Series 12 - Duval County
Sub-Series 13 - News Clippings
Sub-Series 14 - Ex Libris
Sub-Series 15 – Planner
Sub-Series 16 - Manuscripts
Series IV – Legal
Sub-Series 1 - Certificates, Registrations, Licenses
Sub-Series 2 - Contracts
Sub-Series 3 - Insurance Policies
Sub-Series 4 - Oil and Gas Leases
Sub-Series 5 - Joel Ferdinand Wilbern
Sub-Series 6 - Social Security
Sub-Series 7 - Abstracts of Titles and Deeds
Sub-Series 8 - J.G. Mackay Co.
Sub-Series 9 - Duval County
Sub-Series 10 - Death of Walter Meek, Sr.
Sub-Series 11 – Resolution to Impeach
Series V – Financial
Sub-Series 1 - Bank Statements
Sub-Series 2 - Canceled Checks
Sub-Series 3 - Check Stubs
Sub-Series 4 - Bills and Receipts
Sub-Series 5 - Loans and Discounts
Sub-Series 6 - Meek Family
Sub-Series 7 - Eliza D. Meek Estate
Sub-Series 8 - Earnings Statements
Sub-Series 9 - Tax Receipts
Sub-Series 10 - Crude Oil Statements
Sub-Series 11 - Ledgers
Sub-Series 12 - J.G. Mackay Co.
Sub-Series 13 - Duval County
Sub-Series 14 - Expenses
Series VI – Literary Productions
Sub-Series 1 - Plays by Ernest D. Meek
Sub-Series 2 - Writings by Ernest D. Meek
Sub-Series 3 - Election Day
Sub-Series 4 - Reports
Sub-Series 5 - San Diego, Texas
Sub-Series 6 - Poetry
Sub-Series 7 - Forgotten Legions
Sub-Series 8 - Las Hermanitas
Sub-Series 9 - Eldon Journal
Sub-Series 10 - Notes on Writings
Sub-Series 11 - Duval County
Series VII – Printed Materials
Sub-Series 1 - King Ranch
Sub-Series 2 - Forgotten Legions
Sub-Series 3 - Buckley Family
Sub-Series 4 - Maps
Sub-Series 5 - Timetables
Sub-Series 6 - House Plans
Sub-Series 7 - Patterns for Decorative Metal Work
Sub-Series 8 - Magazine Excerpts
Sub-Series 9 - Crossword Puzzles
Sub-Series 10 - Duval County
Sub-Series 11 - News Clippings
Sub-Series 12 - Catalog Collection
Sub-Series 13 - Book Collection
Sub-Series 14 - Manuals
Sub-Series 15 – Tickets, Cards
Sub-Series 16 - Symbols
Sub-Series 17 – Conversion Tables
Sub-Series 18 – Drawings
Series VIII – Maps
Sub-Series 1 - Southern Pacific Railroad
Sub-Series 2 – United States of America
Sub-Series 3 – North America
Sub-Series 4 – The World
Series IX – Military
Sub-Series 1 - Correspondence
Sub-Series 2 - Engineer Board Memos and Reports
Sub-Series 3 - Reserve Officer File
Sub-Series 4 - Records
Sub-Series 5 - Commedations and Certs.
Sub-Series 6 - Diary
Sub-Series 7 - Reports
Sub-Series 8 - Lessons
Sub-Series 9 - Training Manuals
Sub-Series 10 - Memoranda Books
Sub-Series 11 - Printed Material
Series X – Personal, General and Miscellaneous
Sub-Series 1- Instructions
Sub-Series 2 - Correspondence
Sub-Series 3 - V.W. Lehmann
Sub-Series 4 – Dave Shannon
Sub-Series 5 – Edmond A. Turner
Sub-Series 6 – Financial
Sub-Series 7 – Maps
Series XI – Photographs
Sub-Series 1 – Picture Frames
Sub-Series 2 – Portraits
Sub-Series 3 – Buildings
Sub-Series 4 – Unidentified
Sub-Series 5 – Family
Sub-Series 6 – Alpha Omicron
Sub-Series 7 – Newspapers
Sub-Series 8 – School
Sub-Series 9 – Military
Sub-Series 10 – Modeling
Sub-Series 11 – Miscellaneous
Sub-Series 12 – Aerial
Sub-Series 13 – Mexico
Sub-Series 14 – Drawings
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Walter W. Meek Jr. Collection, A1981-040.XXXX; A1989-021.XXXX, South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A1981-040 donated by Val Lehman, executor of the estate and a close family friend of Walter W. Meek, Jr. on June 17, 1981 upon the death of Walter Meek, Jr.
A1989-021 donated by Mrs. Val Lehmann
A1997-036 was a file transfer from Conner Museum
In 1981 the collection was processed and a finding aid created by Patricia Scott. In 2017 and 2018 records were created in the database and photos digitized by Juan Duran, finding aid was updated by Lori Atkins, EAD document created and uploaded by Daniel Thacker.