A Guide to the Sebron Sneed Wilcox Papers, 1749-1968

Biographical Note

Sebron Sneed Wilcox was born to Nathan Miles and Minnie Genevieve (Sneed) Wilcox, on December 9, 1884, in Burnet, Texas. He attended schools in Georgetown, Texas as a young boy. At the age of fifteen he entered Southwestern University.

Wilcox married Stella Marie Jones on October 27, 1907. He worked for the Houston and Texas Central Railway Company in Houston, then the attorney general's office in Austin, and the law firm of Pierce and Hawkins in Brownsville. In September 1911 Wilcox was appointed court reporter for the Forty-ninth District in Laredo, and he remained in this position until he retired in December 1958.

Wilcox, an ardent student of Texas history, was the main factor in preserving the Spanish Archives of Laredo (dating from a 1749 document, but predominantly 1768 to 1846, and miscellaneous papers up to 1875)."He assisted the Texas Historical Records Survey in seeing that the documents were copied correctly, and copies of those completed portions of the typescripts were placed in the Archives Division of the Texas State Library, the University of Texas at Austin Library, the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and in Laredo, Texas."

Wilcox wrote several articles based on the Laredo Archives, which were published in the Southwestern Historical Quarterly. He was one of the founders of the Laredo Historical Society and a member of the Texas Historical Commission for Webb County. Wilcox died in Laredo on May 12, 1959, and was buried in the Laredo Catholic Cemetery.

Source:

"Wilcox, Sebron Sneed,"The Handbook of Texas Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/WW/fwi11.html.

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Scope and Contents

The Sebron Sneed Wilcox papers span the years 1749 through 1968 and consist of his collected and written documents regarding the history of Laredo, Texas. The papers consist of correspondence, written histories, speeches, memorabilia, and documentation on the various celebrations held in Laredo. Included in the materials is information about Laredo governing bodies and segments of its military, Spanish, Texan, and U.S history. These papers also contain Wilcox's transcriptions of pages of the Laredo Archives. Transcriptions are in Spanish. The papers are arranged into six series: History, Lawsuits and Trials, Celebrations and Speeches, Correspondence, Memorabilia and the Laredo Archives.

The History series includes papers describing the lives of the early settlers in Laredo, Indian affairs, and information about a variety of public personas. Included in the History series are the Lamar Papers and related military information.

The Lawsuits and Trials series include papers that Wilcox collected and organized during his time as a law clerk. These cover Texas land disputes, sales and claims. This series also includes criminal cases, divorces and murder trials, and a variety of miscellaneous cases ranging from railroad company issues to recent attempts to reclaim land.

The Celebrations and Speeches series consists of various Laredo celebratory events and speeches collected by Wilcox. This series includes the centennial celebration in Laredo (1936), the International Bridge dedication ceremony (1922) and a span of ten years of Washington's Birthday celebrations (1939-1940, 1946-1949). The speeches encompass such topics as education, public funding, political and celebratory.

The Correspondence series is a collection of letters written or collected by Wilcox. Many are letters to and from the different historical societies dealing with Laredo history. These records encompass topics such as judges and politicians, land disputes and land surveys.

The Memorabilia series consists mainly of articles, dating 1839–1971, with topics concerning the times and lives of the people in Laredo. Also included in this series are photo albums, souvenir collections and papers relating to various historical foundations.

The largest series is the Laredo Archives. Wilcox transcribed some of the documents in the Laredo Archives. The transcriptions are in Castilian Spanish. Wilcox perhaps planned to publish his typewritten notes and transcriptions, but never did, however; this is categorized in what is believed to be Wilcox's original volume order, 1-37.

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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], Sebron Sneed Wilcox Papers, MS 25, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Acquisition Information

The papers in this collection were left to Patricia Wilcox Hammond in 1989. She had them inventoried and appraised by Dorothy Sloan Books in Austin Texas, then donated the collection to University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections.

Processing Information

Prepared by Joel A. Blanco-Rivera, Archives Intern, Summer 2002, and Eva Sansone, Archives Intern, Summer 2003.

Alternative Form Available

Typescript copies of The Laredo Archives were made from the original documents, and portions of these copies were placed in the Archives Division of the Texas State Library, the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and in Laredo, Texas. A microfilm record was made for Texas Tech University, and that copy was placed in the Texas Tech Library.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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