Related Collections

Kenedy Family Collection
The Kenedy family contributed in the settling of South Texas and introducing large scale ranching to the coastal plains. Mifflin Kenedy, a Quaker from Pennsylvania, ferried supplies up the Rio Grande in a steamboat to the Texas troops during the Mexican-American and Civil Wars. Captain Mifflin Kenedy and Captain Richard King became friends and partners in acquiring huge tracts of land in South Texas where immense herds of wild horses roamed the plains. In 1875 Kenedy and King became chief supporters and financial backers of Colonel Uriah Lott in building a railroad from Corpus Christi to Laredo which became known as the Corpus Christi, San Diego & Rio Grande Narrow Gauge Railroad Company. During the last half of the 19th century Mifflin Kenedy created a huge fortune and left a legacy to his family and South Texas.

Armstrong Family Photograph Collection
The Armstrong Family is one of South Texas' oldest and outstanding pioneer families. This collection of approximately 200 negatives and photographs cover the years from 1890 to 1930 but focus on the early Armstrong family around the 1920s and 1930s.

Kathryn Fugate Evans Collection
Kathryn Roberts Fugate Evans came to Kingsville in 1926. She was instrumental in preserving the history of Kingsville writing articles and her book “Come Aboard’ and her involvement with the preservation of historic buildings in town and service organizations. Materials cover her research into railroads, Chamberlain Cemetery, and papers/articles and speeches. Her work on the Kleberg County Historic Commission includes documenting historical events and places resulting in the placement of Official Texas Historical Markers.

Dr. Z.T. Scott Family Collection
Dr. Zachary Thomson Scott was the director of the Texas Tuberculosis Association in Austin, Texas. This collection contains 46 photographs of the Mary Kleberg’s maternal family (Masterson), publications, books, genealogical information, and one soil map of Corpus Christi. The genealogical information are on various members of the Scott family and their lineage, along with biographical information on members of the King, Kenedy and Kleberg families.

John Rollo’s Collective Research of South Texas Pioneer Ranching
John Rollo, a citizen of Australia, donated his collection of digital files relating to the pioneer ranching families of South Texas. These include materials on the King Ranch in Australia, images of newspaper clippings, and publications concerning the activities of the King Ranch in the United States. Materials also cover Mr. Rollo’s genealogical work on important families of the South Texas region including the James Bryden Family, the King Family, the Kenedy Family, the Chamberlain Family, and the Chapman Family. Included in the collection is the background leading to the litigation of Chapman vs. King Ranch Inc. concerning the Rincón de Santa Gertrudis property which involved James Bryden. The genealogical timelines for the various family connections, though not complete, are their footprints from the past and add another dimension to the historical context of the area.John Rollo complied genealogical information of the James Bryden Family, the Chapman Family, and background of the Chapman vs. King Ranch Inc. ligation over the Rincón de Santa Gertrudis property which James Bryden had a part in. The collection also has some nonrelated series about Chet Downs estate sale that includes King Ranch items, Australian sales catalogs from the King Ranch, a King Ranch 1950’s era slideshow and other materials on the King Ranch in Australia.