Lillian and Mrs. Percy House
9.3 linear feet.; 34 Photos; 101 Negatives; 38 Maps; 17 Postcards; 2 Audio Cassettes
A1972-027; A1976-008; A1981-044; A1982-014; A1982-031; A1982-115; A1983-010; A1983-019; A1984-005; A1984-038; A1985-001; A1985-008; A1985-052; A1986-016; A1987-007; A1989-001; A1989-017; A1989-052; A1990-008; A1991-022; A1994-023; A1995-037
1890-1945 (unknown)
The House family moved to Texas from Illinois in 1905. At first John Salisbury House, his wife Ellen Victoria Comeau, his sons Edmund Walter and Charles Percival and his daughter Clara Comeau settled on a farm near the town of Alfred in South Texas. The family soon discovered that the work involved with starting a farm in South Texas was tremendous.
So when the new railroad line from Galveston to Brownsville opened J. S. House took a position as train dispatcher for the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railroad and moved to Kingsville. J. S. House resigned his position with the railroad to become Kingsville's postmaster in 1907 and served in that capacity until 1913. In 1913 he was elected to the position of city treasurer and held that position until his death on June I, 1924. During his time in Kingsville J. S. House and his sons were prominent land speculators in both residential and farming/commercial properties.
Edmund Walter House moved with the family to Kingsville and after a brief time working for the railroad. He took a position with the Kleberg Bank and became a stockholder in the company when it became R. J. Kleberg & Co., Inc. in 1909. He was vice-president of the bank from 1909 till 1921 when it incorporated with the First National Bank. Walter House was very active in the community development of Kingsville. He was a city commissioner from 1911 to 1921. Walter served on the board of directors of the Kleberg County Hospital from its creation until his death and he was director and treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce for over twenty years. His community involvement also encompassed helping with the establishment of the South Texas State Teachers College, the starting of the Dairy Products Creamery, activities with the Episcopal Church and the local Masonic lodge. He died on October 7, 1947 at the age of sixty-five.
Charles Percival House moved to Kingsville in 1906. He went to work for the railroad for a short time before joining the staff of the Kleberg Town and Improvement Company. Percy House worked in the real estate business until 1912 when he became a cashier for the R. J. Kleberg & Co, Bank, eventually making partner he retired thirty-eight years later. Involved in civic affairs Percy was a member of the first local baseball team, a member of the volunteer fire department and the town band. He was the first secretary of the Kingsville Commercial Club (which became the Chamber of Commerce), Director of the Housing Authority and either a trustee or secretary of the Public School Board for over thirty-five years. He was active in the Republican Party, the Masonic Order, the Episcopal Church and the Kleberg County Historical Commission. He died on January 25, 1972 at the age of eighty-eight.
The House Family Collection is comprised of 25 different accessions. The collection covers the personal and business records of John Salisbury House (father), Edmund Walter House (son), Charles Percival House (son), Lillian House (spouse of C. P. House), and Clara Comeau House (daughter) totaling 20.25 linear feet and spanning from 1869 to 1990. The bulk of the materials follows the financial dealings of the House family and where created between 1905 and 1950. These financial papers show the many types of businesses that the House family members were involved in, mostly real estate transactions, The remaining materials are comprised of personal correspondence, educational records, photographs, maps, oral history audiotapes and newspaper clippings. These records compliment many different family and business collections. These records add to the historical context of the development of South Texas and Kingsville starting in 1905.
The House family Collection is arranged into seven series. The series are arraigned in no particular order and is as follows: Series I: Personal Records Series II: Business Records Series III: Oral History Recordings Series IV: Graphic Materials Series V: Newspaper Clippings, Brochures and Flyers Series VI: Printed Materials Series VII: Maps
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.
House Family Collection, A1972-027.XXXX; A1976-008.XXXX; A1981-044.XXXX; A1982-014.XXXX; A1982-031.XXXX; A1982-115.XXXX; A1983-010.XXXX; A1983-019.XXXX; A1984-005.XXXX; A1984-038.XXXX; A1985-001.XXXX; A1985-008.XXXX; A1985-052.XXXX; A1986-016.XXXX; A1987-007.XXXX; A1989-001.XXXX; A1989-017.XXXX; A1989-052.XXXX; A1990-008.XXXX; A1991-022.XXXX; A1994-023.XXXX; A1995-037.XXXX South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A1972-027 – Lillian House A1976-008 – Lillian House A1981-044 – Lillian House A1982-014 - Lillian House A1982-031 - Lillian House A1982-115 – Lillian House A1983-010 – Lillian House A1983-019 – Lillian House A1984-005 - Lillian House A1984-038 – Lillian House A1985-001 – Lillian House A1985-008 - Lillian House A1985-052 – Lillian House A1986-016 – Lillian House A1987-007 – Nan Bayliss Ashdown A1989-001 – Lillian House A1989-017 – Lillian House A1989-052 - Lillian House A1990-008 – Lillian House A1991-022 – Lillian House A1994-023 – Mrs. Allen C. Wilson A1995-037 – Unknown
Original processors are unknown. Matthew Tallant reprocessed the collection in 2017/2018 and updated the finding aid. Daniel Thacker encoded the EAD document and uploaded all files to the STA website.