A Guide to the Charles L. Stevens Papers, 1862-1991

Biographical Note

Charles Lewellen Stevens was born in 1873 in Cuba, New York. He was a musician, bandleader and vaudeville performer, and played with a number of musical groups including the San Antonio Band and the Beaumont Concert Band (he was also director). In addition, he served as Secretary-Treasurer of the San Antonio Musicians' Society, Local 23 of the American Federation of Musicians. From 1918 to 1943, Stevens worked for the San Antonio Police Department. He died in San Antonio in September 1946.

Stevens was married twice. His first wife, the former Minna Antoinette Erbe, performed in vaudeville shows with him. Minna Stevens was also an authority on home building, decoration and furnishing. Before her death in 1953, she worked as a secretary for H.C. Thorman, the developer of Olmos Park Terrace and President of both the San Antonio Real Estate Board and the San Antonio Home Builders' Association. Charles and Minna Stevens had two children before they divorced in 1922. Mr. Stevens' second wife's name was Katherina (Katie).

Other members of the Stevens family also played music. Mr. Stevens' sister Lucy Stevens Silby was an accomplished pianist. Stevens' son, Barton, and daughter, Dorothy, both performed on stage. However, the activities of the Stevens family in San Antonio went beyond music and show business. Stevens' daughter, Dorothy Stevens Chamberlain, pursued a career at the Brooks Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston, where she was singled out for superior performance.

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Scope and Content Note

The Charles L. Stevens Papers consist of photographs, musical scores, news clippings and other ephemera. Most of this material dates from 1873 to 1946, the lifetime of Charles L. Stevens. It is divided into three series: Personal, Scores and Photographs. The Personal series contains clippings, notes and correspondence that concern the family history of Charles Stevens and his relatives. The Score series contains scores of mostly band music from the early 20th century. These scores were used by Charles Stevens while he was a musician with several bands. Many have notes and names inscribed on them. The Photographs series has a large number of family photographs. These photographs show several generations of the family of Charles L. Stevens as well as the family of his first wife Minna Erbe Stevens. There are also photographs of some of the bands with which Charles Stevens played and riverboats on which Charles and Minna Stevens performed.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

This collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

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Related Material

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Charles L. Stevens Papers, MS 45, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

Papers were received in 1991 (Acc. #1991-002).

Processing Information

Processed by Eric Hartmann, Processing Archivist, July 1999.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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