Sanders and Elliott Family Papers

An Inventory of the Collection

Biographical Note

The Sanders-Elliott Family Papers are an accumulation of materials created by the families of Martyn and Jane Elliott and Thad Bailey Sanders and Pelham Elliott Sanders. Martyn Elliott (1871-1936) married Jane Pelham McCaw (1871-1955), a native of South Carolina whose family history can be traced to the American Revolution, in Dallas in 1902. The couple moved to Austin and opened a photography studio called, "The Elliotts, Makers of Pictures" at 814 Congress. The Elliotts, as they preferred to be called, had the contracts for the University of Texas's annual and the official portraits for the Texas State Legislature. Jane, who is sometimes referred to as Jean or Jeannie, was a recognized partner in the business, a practice that was rare during the early 20th century. Both Martyn and Jane were active in local and national organizations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Confederacy, the Texas Fine Arts Association, the Ben Hur Shrine Temple (Martyn was a 32nd degree Mason), the National and State Photographers' Association, the Woman's National Federation of Photography, and were listed in Who's Who Section of the 1920, the Standard Blue Book of Texas. During the Great Depression, the Elliotts sold their studio and negatives to Jensen Studios and Student Publications, partially due to the poor economy, but mostly because of Martyn's failing health.

Jane Elliot's step-brother, Charles Pelham Wheeler, came to live with his sister in Austin several years after returning from working on the Panama Canal. Much of what Jane knew about photography, she learned from her step-father, William Wheeler.

The Elliotts had one daughter, Sarah Pelham Elliott (1908-1989). Pelham, as Sarah preferred to be called, attended the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with a BA in Stenography in 1929. Pelham briefly taught stenography at the Nixon-Clay Business College in Austin. In 1935, Pelham got a job as a stenographer at the Texas Relief Commission. In 1933, Pelham married Thad Bailey Sanders. They had one son, Charles Elliott Sanders (b. 1947).

Thad Bailey Sanders (1907-1992), the son of Tellie B. and Lily Bailey Sanders, was born and raised in Elgin, Texas. He attended the University of Texas at Austin from 1924 to 1928, majoring in Pre-Med. He also attended the UT Medical Brach in Galveston, lacking only one semester for a B.S. in Medicine. Thad married Sarah Pelham Elliott, also a student at UT, He worked for the State Health Department, where he was sent to Vanderbilt University to take a three month special course in sanitation before moving to San Angelo. In 1937, he joined the United States Employment Service, working there as a Training Supervisor until 1940 when he joined Taylor-Byrne-Briggs Contractors as the Director of Sanitation. Thad volunteered for the Navy in November 1943. He spent most of the Second World War in charge of a ward at the Naval Hospital in San Diego, but he also spent time in North Carolina and Abilene, TX. For the duration of his service, Thad and Pelham corresponded on a near daily basis, and Thad also wrote letter to his mother-in-law, Jane Elliott, who had moved in with Pelham shortly after Martyn passed away. In 1949, the Sanders moved to Houston where Thad landed a job working for the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Corporation. Thad's job required him to travel all over the United States as evidenced in his correspondence with Pelham and Charles.

Charles Elliott Sanders was raised in Houston, and like his parents and grandparents expressed an interest in theater. Charles attended Vanderbilt University, majoring in theater and art. He would pursue a graduate degree in theater from Tufts University. Charles married a young actress named Joy, who was also from Houston. The couple traveled to London and spent several years there trying to break into the theater scene.

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Scope and Contents

The Sanders and Elliott Papers is composed of correspondence, clippings, biographical information, legal records, ephemera, printed material, photographs, negatives, naval records, writings, membership records, drawings, and oversize documents. Spanning the years 1861-1973, the collection bulks from 1943-1945 when Thad Sanders and his wife Pelham corresponded almost daily. Pelham retained Thad's correspondence to her, and transcribed many of the letters written between the bulk dates. Thad Sanders wrote about his day-to-day activities in the Navy as well as his business activities. Of note are letters from Thad talking about the end of the Second World War and his desire to return home. The majority of the correspondence is from Thad Sanders to Pelham, but there is correspondence from and to other family members as well. Pelham Sanders corresponded with several friends during and after the Second World War and kept the letters sent to her from her parents. A 1939 letter from Jane Elliott to her daughter Pelham discussed the selling of the Elliotts' photography studio to Jensen Studios and Student Publications. Charles Sanders wrote his parents frequently during his first few years at Vanderbilt and during his time in London. He often wrote about plays he was engaged in or about his budget.

Other than the 1939 letter mentioned above, the only other item which may relate to the Elliotts' photography business is a small scrapbook in Jane and Martyn's series. It contains various printed information and handwritten notes, primarily in Jane's hand, related to the technical aspects of producing photographs. Biographical information mostly pertains to the avid genealogy activities by Jane Elliott and her daughter Pelham. The photographs include pictures of First lady Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the San Diego Naval Hospital. The bulk of the photographs are from Thad Sanders's time in the Navy. Several of the photographs are of the Naval Hospital or of people Thad worked with in San Diego. There are small photographs that appear to be from India or elsewhere in the Pacific and are thought to have been sent by Joe Root, a friend of Sanders and who corresponded with Pelham during the war. Several photographs are undated and have unidentified people, but many are thought to be of family members. There are also childhood photographs of Thad, Pelham, and Charles Sanders. Legal files and certificates include marriage certificates and deeds of property owned by Jane Elliott.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open to all users

Use Restrictions

The Austin History Center (AHC) is the owner of the physical materials in the AHC collections and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the AHC before any publication use. The AHC does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

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Related Material

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Separated Material

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donor #: DO/1993/073

Donation Dates: October 2007/April 2008

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared and encoded by Mark Firmin/2011. Revisions and final encoding by Susan Rittereiser/2011.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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