Inventory of the Mildred Watkins Mears Papers: 1946-1963

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Inventory of the Mildred Watkins Mears Papers: 1946-1963

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/tamucush/00138/00138-P.html

Mildred Watkins Mears (25 August 1888- 7 October 1975), known as was the daughter of a pioneering family who, in 1867, settled in Pidcoke Texas, a small town in Coryell County, Texas. In 1894, after the death of Mildred Mears' father, her mother, Rosa Belcher Watkins, remarried and, in 1902, the family moved to nearby Mound, Texas. In Mound, Mears' interest in the historic past of the area was nurtured, as she spent time during her childhood exploring the ruins of the old Fort Gates. The Mears family relocated to Gatesville after Mildred Mears' step-father won a seat in the State legislature, and sold the farm in Mound. Thus, though Mears began her formal education in a one-room school in Pidcoke, she ultimately graduated valedictorian of the Gatesville High School class of 1909. After graduating from the University of Texas, Watkins returned to Gatesville to teach mathematics, a position she held from 1910 to 1925. Very active in civic life, Mears was a representative from Coryell County to the Texas State Centennial Board in 1936, and later, in 1954, served as advisor to the Coryell County Centennial Council. Mears served for many years in the Gatesville Historical Society and, in 1963, published the 253-page published in Waco at the Texian Press. Mildred Watkins was married to lawyer and legislator, Thomas Robert Mears, who died in 1967. The Mildred Watkins Mears Papers (1947-1963) consist of some correspondence, a significant number of mostly typed manuscript drafts, both published and unpublished, and a printer's galley for her book, , published in 1963 by Texian Press of Waco, Texas. Also present are a few newspaper clippings, as well as handwritten and typed research notes for her published book. The manuscript drafts reveal an engaging blend of scholarship, personal recollection, and anecdotal history chronicling the development of Coryell county from when the area was part of Coahuila, Mexico, through to its formal organization as a county in the state of Texas in 1854. Stories recount Indian skirmishes with pioneering settlers, deeds of cattle rustlers and trail drivers, as well as events surrounding prohibition and various political rivalries. The early days of Fort Gates, now Gatesville, and the later development of Camp Hood, now Fort Hood, one of the nation's largest military installations, are described. Interspersed among the political and economic accounts of the county's progress are more personal stories of weddings, births, parties, church events, legendary horses, dogs, local heroes, and even the county's centennial celebration in 1954. Minnie, Coryell County Scrapbook Coryell County Scrapbook

eng,

Cushing Memorial Library,

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SNAC Resource ID: 6639989

Related Entities

There are 15 Entities related to this resource.

Mears, Thomas Robert.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d38dvs (person)

Texas State historical association

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The Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) was organized in 1897 with the general objectives of promoting historical studies, particularly the discovery, collection, preservation and publication of historical material pertaining to Texas. TSHA publishes the "Southwestern Historical Quarterly," the "Handbook of Texas," and the "Junior Historian," and holds educational programs dedicated to the field of Texas history. The TSHA's permanent quarters are in the Center for American History, on the ...

Robert Davis

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Texas Centennial Commission

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Commission appointed by the legislature to commemorate the Texas revolution and advertise Texas. The state fair grounds in Dallas were chosen as the site for the 1936 celebration. From the description of Texas Centennial Commission press releases, 1935-1936. (Texas Woman's University Library). WorldCat record id: 60696444 ...

Coryell County Historical Association.

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Texian Press

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w66v74w8 (corporateBody)

Mears, Mildred Watkins

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6pm6z5b (person)

Mildred Watkins Mears (25 August 1888- 7 October 1975), known as Minnie, was the daughter of a pioneering family who, in 1867, settled in Pidcoke Texas, a small town in Coryell County, Texas . In 1894, after the death of Mildred Mears ' father, her mother, Rosa Belcher Watkins, remarried and, in 1902, the family moved to nearby Mound, Texas . In Mound, Mears ' interest in the historic past of the area was nurtured, as she spent time during her childhood exploring the ruins of the ol...

John Banta

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6x22q9c (person)

Scott, Zelma.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f6455r (person)

Gatesville Methodist Church

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6n46f4j (corporateBody)

Coryell County Centennial.

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Gatesville High School.

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Watkins, Rosa Belcher.

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w685085k (person)

James Day

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Zelma Scott

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62q1j7t (person)