TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary
Historical Note
Scope and Contents
Restrictions
Index Terms
Separated Material
Administrative Information
Description of Series
Inventory
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A Guide to the Woman's Commonwealth Archive, 1760-1993
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Creator: |
Woman's Commonwealth |
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Title: |
Woman's Commonwealth Archive |
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Dates: |
1760-1993 |
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Abstract: |
Correspondence, ledgers, photographs,
journals, company records, newspaper clippings, membership lists, account books,
legal documents, financial records, greeting cards, and miscellaneous printed
material relating to the history, development, membership, and activities of the
Woman’s Commonwealth and to Martha McWhirter, organization president, during its
years in Belton, Texas, and Washington, D.C. (ca. 1860s-1920s). |
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Accession No.: |
88-179; 92-204; 95-073; 97-038; 2015-243 |
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OCLC No.: |
707927352 |
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Extent: |
5 ft. |
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Language: |
Materials are written in English. |
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Repository: |
Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The
University of Texas at Austin |
The Woman’s Commonwealth originated in Belton, Texas, in the 1860s, as the Belton
Woman’s Commonwealth, a commune founded on the principles of religious
perfectionism, celibacy, and Wesleyan sanctificationism. The Commonwealth was
primarily composed of middle-class Protestant women. Martha McWhirter, who founded a
Methodist woman’s study and prayer group, had a religious vision and proclaimed that
she was sanctified and encouraged other women to seek divine revelations. Many of
these women had to deal with controlling husbands prone to drinking and physical
abuse. McWhirter counseled these women to complete their domestic duties, but to
limit social and sexual interactions with their unsanctified husbands. Eventually an
alternative communal life developed, which involved women living apart from their
husbands and making a living by selling eggs and dairy products, doing laundry,
working as domestic servants, and running a boarding house/hotel. The Commonwealth’s
membership averaged around thirty people, mostly women and their children.
The Belton Woman’s Commonwealth became administratively and financially independent
by the early 1880s. Though initially the Belton community blamed Martha McWhirter
for various separations and divorces, the Woman’s Commonwealth became more popular
and accepted during the next two decades. In 1899 the women retired from their
various business ventures in Belton, and purchased lands in Washington D. C. and
Maryland. They incorporated in 1902 as the Woman’s Commonwealth of Washington. When
Martha McWhirter died in 1904, Fannie Holtzclaw became the Commonwealth’s leader.
The Woman’s Commonwealth endured until 1983 when their last member passed away.
Source: Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "Belton Woman’s
Commonwealth," http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/BB/vib1.html
(accessed May 19, 2010).
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Correspondence, ledgers, photographs, journals, company records, newspaper clippings,
membership lists, account books, legal documents, financial records, greeting cards,
and miscellaneous printed material compose the Woman’s Commonwealth Archive
(1760-1991), which documents the history, development, membership, and activities of
the Woman’s Commonwealth during its years in Belton, Texas, and Washington, D.C.
(ca. 1860s-1920s). Furthermore, the archive pertains to the Commonwealth’s founder
and first president Martha McWhirter. The collection primarily consists of
correspondence and records, dealing with the Commonwealth’s economic situation and
legal issues. Additionally, the collection contains Martha McWhirter’s
correspondence and a small amount of unidentified tintypes and photographs.
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Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research use.
Use Restrictions
Copyright restrictions apply. Some literary rights are restricted.
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Subjects (Persons) |
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McWhirter, Martha, 1827-1904--Archives. |
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Holtzclaw, Fannie--Archives. |
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Subjects (Organizations) |
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Woman's Commonwealth (Belton,
Tex.)--Archives. |
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Woman's Commonwealth (Belton,
Tex.)--History. |
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Subjects |
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Collective settlements--United
States--History. |
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Methodists--United States--History. |
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Places |
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Belton (Tex.)--History. |
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Washington (D.C.) |
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Mount Pleasant (Md.) |
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Some materials have been separated to the Artifact Collection and the Library Unit. |
Return to the Table of Contents
Woman's Commonwealth Archive, 1760-1993, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,
The University of Texas at Austin.
Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the
National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe
Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to
Light" project, 2009-2011.
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Inventory |
box |
3F1 |
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Correspondence |
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W. T. Davidson to Martha McWhirter and Fannie
Holtzclaw 1899-1904, undated |
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Battle and Stone, pertaining to Waco Real Estate 1885-1905 |
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Miscellaneous correspondence, printed material 1903-1949, undated |
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Miscellany, 1904, undated |
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Pension records, financial and legal records, McWhirter,
Holtzclaw, Pratt, etc. 1877, 1891-1908, 1923, 1926, 1958, undated |
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Financial records |
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1892-1911 undated |
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Receipts, White family and G. M. McWhirter 1809-1847, 1864-1889, undated |
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Clippings, obituary of Mrs. McWhirter 1893, 1897, 1898, ca.1904, undated |
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Deeds 1854-1901 |
box |
3F2 |
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Financial and legal records, insurance policies 1875-1913 |
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Wills and indentures 1817-1818, 1865, 1875, 1889-1902 |
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Miscellany 1909, undated |
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Printed material 1900, 1904, undated |
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Legal documents 1800, 1808, 1842 |
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Correspondence |
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Early history 1836-1867, undated |
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Dr. J. Kappel 1887, 1888, undated |
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Property related correspondence and financial records 1890-1904 |
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Fannie Holtzclaw correspondence 1904-1910, undated |
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James E. West correspondence 1904-1916 |
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W. T. Shannon, Stone and Battle correspondence 1902-1906 |
box |
3F3 |
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1437 Kenesaw, Washington, D. C. 1898-1899 |
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Florida property, correspondence and legal documents 1945-1949 |
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Maryland property, deeds and correspondence 1903, 1945-1946, 1963-1966 |
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Kenesaw property, correspondence, legal documents,
miscellaneous 1895-1900 |
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Yarrell Savings Bank, Wholesale Grocer 1902-1905 |
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Legal and financial documents 1879-1912, 1945, 1971-1973 |
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Correspondence: Tyler, Rumfield, Long, Duncan,
miscellaneous 1898-1911 |
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Property and taxes 1899-1904 |
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Correspondence, legal and financial documents 1893-1908, 1929-1934, 1945-1952, undated |
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Colesville, Maryland, house 1947-1948 |
box |
3F4 |
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Correspondence related to legal matters 1898-1916, 1934, undated |
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Correspondence, and legal documents 1833-1866, 1895-1906, 1934-1935 |
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George W. Tyler correspondence 1899-1903 |
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Property; Fisher and Hammersmith; Letters to
Holztclaw 1881-1917, 1946-1952, undated |
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Financial documents 1893-1907 |
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Lee Peyton correspondence 1902-1909 |
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Allen Dow, Holman, Monteith, Fisher, Belton Club, Becker and
Barlow correspondence 1894-1906 |
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Ledger page 1898-1899 |
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Yarrell Savings Bank, correspondence 1900-1911 |
box |
3F5 |
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Legal documents and literary productions by Mrs. McWhirter and
Henry Johnson 1852, 1874-1912, 1945, undated |
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W. T. Shannon correspondence 1901-1910, undated |
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Clippings 1893-1898, 1947, undated |
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Journal 1901-1902 |
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Corporation Record 1891-1899 |
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Central Hotel Company account book 1902-1903 |
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Notebooks 1889-1891, 1921-1929, 1934-1937, 1971-1980 |
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Miscellaneous fragments undated |
box |
3F6 |
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Tyler and Rutherford correspondence 1903 |
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Miscellaneous receipt 1898 |
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Central Hotel correspondence 1899-1904 |
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Deeds from Texas properties and related documents; The Belton
Club 1851-1904, 1934 |
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Literary production, “Soldiers” undated |
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“The Dream,” "The Diary of the Dream," diary and literary
productions 1893-1903, undated |
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Correspondence 1896, 1903, 1932-1933, 1949, undated |
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Shakers, correspondence and printed material 1874, 1892-1903 |
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Religious pamphlets |
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"The Heartease Circle" April 1903 |
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"Facts Worth Knowing" ca. 1903 |
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Membership lists and minutes 1896-1903 |
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Literary production, "Are the Majority of Men Better Than
Christ?" undated |
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Feminist material 1892, 1901-1906, undated |
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Koreshan correspondence 1882-1901 |
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Fragments 1897-1898, 1909, 1912, undated |
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Correspondence from Mexico 1897 |
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Death and burial information relating to various
member 1899-1904, 1935, 1941, 1952-1956 |
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Post-it notes removed from various documents |
box |
2.325/G267 |
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Financial documents 1888-1983 |
box |
4Aa6c |
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Clippings, correspondence, articles and research
materials 1974-1993 and undated |
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Thumb drive undated |
box |
2.325/D35a |
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Oversized materials |
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Newspapers and clippings 1883-1904 |
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Miscellaneous |
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Deeds, 1852-1903 |
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Letter August 8, 1898 |
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The Woman's Tribune March 28, 1903 |
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Central Hotel ledger 1894-1898 |
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Ledger 1880s, 1896-1897 |
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Cash ledger 1880's, 1896-1898 |
box |
2.325/V60 |
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Deeds, grants, and legal documents 1760-1768, 1812-1818, 1848, 1877-1879, 1913 |
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Military commission 1848 |
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“Decoration Day” 1903 |
box |
3T89 |
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Photographic materials |
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Three tintypes, unidentified undated |
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Miscellaneous, unidentified undated |
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Unidentified children 1904 |
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Commonwealth Winter Guest House undated |
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Cental Hotel 1884-1885 |
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Color photo showing unprocessed collection 1988 |
box |
3S129a |
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Banquet at Central Hotel for 2nd Texas Volunteer
Infantry October 5, 1898 |
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Three unidentified undated |
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Group portrait ca. 1901 |
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Susie Carter portrait ca. 1904 |
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Central Hotel, Belton, Texas June 30, 1898 |
box |
3S36 |
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Photos of George and Martha McWhirter house and McWhirter
family undated |
box |
3E507 |
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Classified files (Literary rights are restricted on the following
material) |
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Robert 1898-1901 |
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Robert 1902-1935 |
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Sam McWhirter, correspondence and property 1892-1900 |
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Sisters letters 1890-1898 |
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Ada Haymond 1888-1898 |
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J. B. Barlow 1895-1904 |
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Emma Haymond 1896-1898 |
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Hattie Haymond Weatherford 1898-1901 |
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Family to McWhirter 1897-1903 |
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Letters to McWhirter 1895-1904 |
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Letters by McWhirter 1888-1904 |
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Hattie prior to 1898 |
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Nannie Davenport and family 1891-1903 |
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Agatha Pratt 1898-1910 |
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Ada Pratt 1893-1910 |
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Robert prior to 1898 |
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Martha Scheble and Gertrude 1889-1904, 1952-1955 |
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