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Guide to the Robert Hanks Brister Papers 6.85 linear ft. Collection Number: AR434 Prepared by Brenda S. McClurkin and Hollace Ava Weiner CITATION: Robert Hanks Brister Papers, AR434, Box number, Folder number, Special Collections Division, The University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. Table of Contents Biographical Sketch Robert Hanks Brister was born on August 24, 1890, to Burleson pioneers Moses Andrew Brister and Sudie Clark Brister, the fifth of their nine children. He was a World War I Army veteran, a central Texas public school superintendent, a Baptist deacon, and, in his later years, a Waco-based insurance agent. A 1912 graduate of Decatur Baptist College (now Dallas Baptist University), Brister began his public school career as a math teacher in Miles, Texas. He continued teaching in Ennis where, in 1914, he was promoted to high school principal, serving until June, 1916. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1917 from Baylor University where he was elected senior class president. Upon graduation, Brister enlisted in the Army, trained with the 32nd "Red Arrow" Division at Camp MacArthur, Waco, and served in Nevers, France, as a baker with the Quartermaster Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces. After the Armistice, he studied for four months at the University of Montpellier, France. During his stint in France, Brister traveled extensively, taking photographs that he compiled into a wartime album. Returning to Texas and to teaching in 1919, Brister taught math in the Taylor Public Schools. He became Taylor High School principal in 1920 and served as school superintendent from 1922 to1935. In that position, Brister encouraged vocational training, instituted off-campus tutoring for the physically handicapped, and brought health professionals into the schools to screen students for ailments from tuberculosis to dental decay. While in Taylor, in 1928, Brister completed his Master of Arts degree at the University of Texas, Austin. In 1935, Brister was appointed superintendent of Waco Public Schools. He was elected president of the Texas State Teachers Association in 1938, serving a one-year term. As a leader among Texas' public educators, he lobbied for teacher pay commensurate with educational degrees and endorsed federal free lunch programs, particularly for African American schools. He continued as Waco superintendent until 1944, when he resigned due to political differences with the elected school board. Brister worked from 1944 to1947 at the Veterans Administration's Vocational Rehabilitation Service as an occupational specialist. In 1950, he became an underwriter for Fidelity Union Life Insurance Company and qualified for the firm's Million Dollar Roundtable. He later worked for Southwestern Life Insurance Company. Robert Hanks Brister died in Waco on June 5, 1965. Brister married Ruby Irene "Bob" Neal in Georgetown, Texas, on April 23, 1921. Ruby was a native of Weatherford, Texas, born June 19, 1892, the daughter of Augustus Warner Neal and Bettie Eddleman Neal, both of pioneering Parker County families. Widowed in 1898, Ruby's mother took her family to Memphis, Texas, where Ruby finished high school in 1909. She spent two years at the Conservatory of Music in Amarillo, and later attended Toby's Business College in Waco. Ruby was a bookkeeper at the First National Bank of Taylor when she met her future husband. "Rob "and "Bob" Brister had two children: a daughter, Katharine "Toots" Brister, born December 11, 1921, and a son, Robert Andrew Brister, born July 29, 1929. Katharine married Shirley Maurice "Pete" Lockhart in 1952, and following his death, wed her brother-in-law, Cecil Lockhart. She resides in Hearne. Robert Andrew Brister married Mary Ann Mullen in 1951 and after living in several Texas and New Mexico locales, settled in Arlington. Ruby Brister passed away in Waco on October 16, 1966. Robert Andrew Brister died December 14, 1998. Mary Ann Brister continues to reside in Arlington. Robert Hanks Brister came from a close-knit, well-educated family of nine brothers and sisters who frequently gathered for family reunions and birthdays. His parents, Moses Andrew Brister (1856-1936) and Sudie Catherine Clark Brister (1859-1955), both emigrated to Texas from Mississippi in the 1870s, settling in Johnson County. They married January 9, 1883, and spent the first nine years of their life together on the Clark family farm. In 1892, the growing family moved to a Brushy Mound farm between Burleson and Crowley. Moses A. Brister supported his family in agriculture, but his heart was in the Baptist Church where he long served as a deacon and Sunday School superintendent. Most of the Brister children were affectionately referred to by nicknames: Flora Adeline "Toto" Brister Haskew, Guy Clark Brister, Ethel Eunice "Ethie" Brister Ramby, Iva Hall "Honey" or "Hop" Brister Sewell, Robert Hanks "Rob" Brister, Ruth Mae Brister Norman, Silas Andrew "Bud" Brister, Miller Morrison "Mit" Brister and Willie Marie "Reed" or "Reedie" Brister Stevens. Miller Brister was an aide to New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. Ruby Irene Neal Brister found her roots in the pioneering Neal and Eddleman families of Parker County. Little is known of her father, Augustus Warner "Gus" Neal (1867-1898), except that he was born in Georgia, married Bettie Elvira Eddleman in Weatherford in 1888, was Sunday School superintendent of the Bethel Methodist Church, and was the first to be buried in the Bethel Cemetery in 1898, adjacent to the church he so loved. His father, William Kennedy "Billy" Neal (1835-1928), was a Tennessee native who, in 1883, found his way from Georgia to the Bethel Community south of Weatherford, Texas. Billy Neal, a Confederate veteran, served as a Parker County commissioner, a member of the Masonic Lodge, and a church officer for seventy years. He and his wife Matilda Shropshire Neal (1840-1918) retired from their Bethel farm to 113 West Lee, Weatherford, at the time of their 50th wedding anniversary in 1913. They lived at this location until their deaths, hers in 1918, his in 1928. Like her daughters, Bettie Eddleman Neal (1869-1963) lost her father early in life. Not much is known about Alfred G. Eddleman (1840-1870). He was the son of Rev. Reuben A. Eddleman (1812-1891) and Mary Crane, married Rosetta A. Jones in Texas in 1861, died shortly after the Civil War in 1870, and is buried in Spring Creek Cemetery south of Weatherford. His father was a circuit riding Methodist minister who brought his family from Georgia through Arkansas to the Spring Creek community south of Weatherford in October, 1854. In addition to preaching, he had mining interests and operated a cotton gin and flour mill in Parker County. R.A. Eddleman fathered 16 children by three wives. He died in Mineral Wells in 1891 and is buried in City Greenwood Cemetery in Weatherford. Sources:
The Robert Hanks Brister Papers are arranged in twelve series; eight series are divided into subseries. Series I. Correspondence, 1908-1966, n.d. .8 linear ft. (2 document boxes). Arranged in three subseries: Robert Hanks Brister Correspondence, 1908-1965, n.d., .6 linear ft. (31 folders), arranged chronologically, is the largest subseries and contains letters predominantly to, rather than from, R.H. Brister; Robert Hanks Brister Correspondence, By Subject, 1917-1964, n.d., .08 linear ft. (8 folders), arranged alphabetically by subject headings designated by Brister, deals primarily with family, church, class reunions, and the Texas State Teachers Association; and Other Family Correspondence, 1922-1966, n.d., .12 linear ft. (9 folders), arranged alphabetically by name, is correspondence to and from other Brister and Neal family members. Series II. Personal Records, 1900-1935. .02 linear ft. (5 folders). Arranged alphabetically by type of record. Contains academic records, household inventory, hunting license, soldier pay records, and teacher grade book. Series III. Business, Financial and Legal Records, 1913-1965, n.d. .14 linear ft. (13 folders). Arranged in three subseries: Financial, 1913-1964, n.d., .04 linear ft. (5 folders), arranged alphabetically by type of record, includes bank records, savings bonds, teacher retirement records, teaching contracts and a U.S. income tax return; Real Estate, 1926-1947, .06 linear ft. (3 folders), arranged alphabetically by legal description, includes contract and correspondence files relating to a land purchase in McMullen County and Brister's personal residences in Taylor and Waco; and Insurance, 1916-1965, n.d., .04 linear ft. (5 folders), arranged alphabetically by topic, contains items relating to Brister's personal insurance coverage and his insurance business, including policies, contracts, correspondence, licensing, agent production records, annual reports, and public relations materials. Series IV. Writings, [1910]-1964, n.d. .24 linear ft. (9 folders). Arranged in two subseries: Student Papers and Thesis, [1910]-1928, .12 linear ft. (4 folders), arranged chronologically by date of the work, contains college papers, a French notebook dating from his Army service, and his University of Texas master's thesis; and Diary, Speeches, Reports, and Notes, [1935]-1964, n.d., .12 linear ft. (5 folders) arranged alphabetically by institution or genre, contains church teaching notes, handwritten and typed notes for radio addresses and sermons, typescripts of speeches, and addresses given regarding Waco schools. Series V. Subject Files, [1919]-1965, n.d. .24 linear ft. (14 file folders). Arranged in four subseries based on Brister's own filing system: First Baptist Church, Waco, 1940-1965, n.d., .04 linear ft. (5 folders), arranged alphabetically by type of record, contains by-laws and policies, class rosters, deacon records, financial statements and a self-study; Taylor and Waco Public Schools, [1919]-1941, n.d., .08 linear ft. (4 folders), arranged alphabetically by topic, contains Taylor school budgets and list of school board members, and Waco financial reports, budgets, reports, teacher salary studies, teacher policies, rosters, and statistics; Texas State Teachers Association, 1937-1938, .09 linear ft. (3 folders), arranged alphabetically by type of record, includes convention scrapbook, convention program, presidential campaign materials, and reports of business meetings and the executive committee; and Other Subjects, 1925-1941, .03 linear ft. (2 folders), arranged alphabetically by topic, contains Ancient and Beneficent Order of the Red, Red Rose roster of initiates and list of officers, Rotary International national convention materials and Waco Rotary Club membership lists and programs. Series VI. Publications, 1895-1981, n.d. 1.76 linear ft. (4 document boxes plus 3 folders). Arranged in seven subseries: Bibles, 1895, n.d., .16 linear ft. (3 folders), arranged alphabetically by name of owner, contain two Brister Bibles and photocopies from a Neal Bible; Books by Subject, 1916-1981, n.d., .4 linear ft. (6 folders), arranged alphabetically by topic, includes an Army manual, French dictionaries, city, county and military unit histories, Texas Centennial publications, and Texas law summaries; Yearbooks, 1912-1949, .4 linear ft. (6 folders), arranged alphabetically by institution, includes elementary, high school, college and university yearbooks from schools with which Brister was affiliated; Publications, by Genre, 1919-1941, n.d., .02 linear ft. (3 folders), arranged alphabetically by genre, includes advertisements, broadsides, memorials and tributes to others; Publications, by Institution, 1911-1966, n.d., .38 linear ft. (17 folders), arranged alphabetically by the name of the institution, contains periodicals, pamphlets, programs, reports, manuals, and maps from religious, fraternal, educational, professional and commercial organizations with which Brister was affiliated; Educational Publications, 1905-1958, n.d., .2 linear ft. (18 folders), contains pamphlets, reports, studies, brochures, articles, handbooks, regulations, and forms gathered by Brister from professional organizations, federal agencies and school districts around the state of Texas; and Publications, by Subject, 1903-1965, n.d., .2 linear ft. (8 folders), contains pamphlets, speeches, reports, periodicals, poems, prayers, and Bible studies reflecting Brister's social concerns, religious convictions, business interests, and family history. Series VII. Keepsakes, 1898-1996, n.d. .4 linear ft. (1 document box). Arranged in three subseries: Certificates, 1912-1960, .16 linear ft. (10 folders), arranged alphabetically by organization or certificate type, contains professional, religious, educational, honorary, membership and medical certificates received by Brister; Ephemera, 1914-1965, n.d., .14 linear ft. (19 folders), arranged alphabetically by institution or genre, includes Army leave slips and orders, tickets, commencement, theatre and banquet programs, invitations, menus, calling cards, professional and membership cards, postcards, poll tax receipts, class schedules, entrance exam questions, and gas ration coupons collected by Brister, plus Brister memorials and funeral service tape recording; and Ephemera of Other Family Members, 1898-1996, n.d., .2 linear ft. (10 folders), arranged alphabetically by the name of the Brister or Neal family member, contains academic records, medical records, technical drawings, certificates, membership cards, scrapbook, a marriage announcement, a funeral pamphlet, a memorial card, memorial obituaries, a family recipe and a poem. These items pertain to Brister's wife, children and Brister and Neal extended family members. Series VIII. Photographs, [1880s]-1996. 1.6 linear ft. (4 document boxes). Arranged in two subseries: Photographs, [1880s]-1996, n.d., 1.2 linear ft. (88 folders), arranged alphabetically by the name of the individual or place, contains formal portraits, candid snapshots, galley proofs and commercially produced loose photographs of R.H. Brister, his family and friends and their activities; unidentified photographs are grouped by topic at the end of this subseries; Photograph Albums, 1907-1920s, n.d., .4 linear ft. (5 folders), arranged chronologically with some overlapping of dates, contains five albums into which snapshots and a few formal portraits are assembled. Series IX. Clippings, [1888]-[1996], n.d. .24 linear ft. (35 folders). Photocopied newspaper clippings and articles clipped from magazines comprise this series. Items are arranged in two subseries: Individuals [1888]-[1996], n.d., .22 linear ft. (29 folders), filed alphabetically by the name of the individual, and Subjects, [1915]-1955, n.d., .02 linear ft. (5 folders), filed alphabetically by subject. Series X. Family History/Genealogy, 1786-1996, n.d. .16 linear ft. (10 folders). Arranged alphabetically by family surname. Genealogies and family histories incorporating pedigree charts, family group sheets, and descendant charts; recollections, and copies of original documents. Series XI. Artifacts, 1899-1938, n.d. .3 linear ft. (1 oversize box). Arranged in two subseries: Robert Hanks Brister, 1899-1938, n.d., in three oblong boxes and two individually wrapped items, includes a camera, dog tags and Army insignia, spyglass, signaling mirror, jewelry, gavel, rubber stamp, engraving plate, and desk nameplate; Other Brister Family Members, 1909-[1919], n.d., in one oblong box, contains jewelry belonging to [Ruby Irene Neal Brister] and [Sudie Brister], Silas Brister's possessions: a wooden top, jewelry, and World War I items such as dog tags, Army insignia, silk American flag, silk scarf, and Miller Brister's wooden top. Series XII. Oversize Materials, [1890]-1965, n.d. .95 linear ft. (4 oversize boxes). Arranged in four subseries: Oversize Publications, 1917-1941, .1 linear ft. (5 folders), arranged alphabetically by title or name of institution, contains issues of religious, high school and university newspapers; Oversize Keepsakes, 1910-1934, .02 linear ft. (1 folder), contains Brister's college, university, and Sunday School diplomas, filed by date; Oversize/Special Photographs, [1890]-[1919], n.d., .12 linear ft. (7 folders, one case housing two photographs, and three panoramic views adhered to glass), folders are arranged alphabetically by subject and contain galley proofs, French panoramas, family and group portraits; the two photographs in a leather case and three Neal family photos adhered to glass are housed in a separate box; and Oversize Photograph Album, [1900]-1965, n.d., .24 linear ft. (1 oversize box) contains snapshots and some portraits that highlight Brister's adult life, his parents, wife and children, extended family members, friends, and travel. The Robert Hanks Brister Papers consist primarily of materials accumulated during the subject's years as a college student, soldier, Texas teacher and school superintendent, and Waco businessman. Correspondence, keepsakes and photographs relating to R.H. Brister's immediate and extended families are also found in the collection. Genealogical information and family histories from the Brister, Clark, Eddleman, Neal, and Norman families assembled by various family members after R.H. Brister's death are included as well.. Fourteen manuscript boxes and five oversize boxes house the collection. Items range in date from 1786 to 1996, with the bulk of the collection covering the dates 1911 to 1965. The earliest document is a photocopy of a South Carolina Brister family land grant. Several 1996 documents are found in the collection, including a John Hunter Pearson obituary; a Brister family photograph at the funeral of John Hunter Pearson; an annotation that Mary Ann Brister made to a typescript of Moses Andrew Brister recollections of Burleson; and a Norman family history penned that year. Not only do these papers represent the life of Robert Hanks Brister, they speak to early years at Decatur Baptist College and Baylor University; Texans' contribution to and experiences in World War I; education and social issues of the 1920s to the 1940s; the history of Burleson, Texas; and the family histories of the Brister, Clark, Eddleman, Neal and Norman families. The collection arrived in good condition. Some preservation problems do exist. Photograph album pages are generally very fragile and are crumbling. Entire issues of and clippings from acidic newspapers have been photocopied. Three panoramic Neal family photographs are adhered to the glass that long protected them. The collection is divided into twelve series: correspondence; personal records; business, financial and legal records; writings; subject files; publications; keepsakes; photographs; clippings; family histories/genealogies; artifacts; and oversize materials. A chronology of the life of R.H. Brister is included as an appendix. Series I, correspondence files, is divided into three subseries: R.H. Brister correspondence, by date; R.H. Brister correspondence, by subject; and correspondence of other family members. R.H. Brister correspondence files are predominantly letters written to Brister rather than letters written by him and reflect personal and business interests. Among the early correspondence are wartime letters from girlfriends, including a French sweetheart, and several dozen letters, written in pencil, from his mother, Sudie Brister. These pages chronicle news of family and friends, trace his vocational interests and document his employment over the years. Issues that he faced as a school superintendent, both political and professional, are also addressed. Perhaps the most poignant grouping of letters is a flurry of correspondence in 1943 revealing Brister's plan to resign as Waco school superintendent and his search for another job. Subject correspondence files include letters written on behalf of his children, estate settlements, and reunions of classes he taught at Ennis and Taylor High Schools. Correspondence relating to his position as deacon at the First Baptist Church, Waco, and as president of the Texas State Teachers Association is also found in these subject files. Letters written to his children, wife, mother, and extended family are found in the third subseries. Series II contains five folders of personal records, arranged alphabetically by record type, including academic records, a household inventory, a hunting license, a military pay record book, and a teacher's grade record book. Series III represents business, financial and legal records. The series has been divided into three subseries: financial, real estate and insurance papers. Financial records include checks, World War II savings bond program, teacher retirement, teaching contracts and Brister's last full year's U.S. income tax return. Real estate records represent contract and correspondence files relating to a 160 acre McMullen County land purchase, and his personal residences in Taylor and Waco. Insurance files trace his career as an insurance agent that surprisingly dates to 1916. All of these records have been arranged alphabetically within each subseries by record type, legal description, topic or name of company. Series IV contains Brister's writings. These have been organized into two subseries: student writings; and diaryand speeches, reports and notes. Brister's student writings have been organized chronologically and include college papers, a French student notebook dating from his World War I years, and his 1928 University of Texas master's thesis. His diary, speeches, reports and notes are organized alphabetically by institution or genre. They include a manuscript diary with brief jottings of noteworthy family, personal and business events; and handwritten and typed thoughts and comments on religious and educational topics that were delivered as radio addresses, speeches, sermons, religious instruction, or school reports. Series V contains subject files maintained by Brister arranged in alphabetical order. Materials from First Baptist Church, Waco, cover the time span 1940 to 1965, and reflect his work as a deacon and a longtime Sunday school teacher. Educational topics represent his years with Taylor and Waco Public Schools. The Waco files are more extensive and include studies on teachers' salaries, studies of white and "colored" students, personnel policies, lists of teachers, and a plan to extend an eleven year program to twelve years. Series VI contains publications and has been divided into seven subseries: Bibles; books by subject; yearbooks; publications by genre; publications by institution; educational publications; and publications by subject. This series includes printed materials that Brister assembled in the course of his careers as a student, soldier, church deacon and an education professional. Each subseries is arranged alphabetically. Among the Bibles are Brister's personal Bible and that of his mother, Sudie Brister. The Neal Family Bible was so fragile that it has been deaccessioned. Photocopies of the cover, title page, and dedication are included, as has a list of Neal and Eddleman family letters, keepsakes and clippings found within the Bible that have been dispersed to correspondence, keepsake and clipping files. Books by subject incorporate an Army baking manual and French dictionaries pertaining to his World War I service, and histories of Burleson, Texas, the 36th Texas Infantry Division, and Williamson County, Texas. Yearbooks from educational institutions that Brister attended include Decatur Baptist College, Baylor University, and the American Students University of Montpellier, France. Yearbooks from schools in Ennis, Taylor and Waco are also represented. Significant among these are 1927 and 1940 editions of the Moore High School annual, The Lion, reflecting African American education in Waco. Publications by genre include advertisements, broadsides, memorials and tributes to men other than Brister. Institutional publications span his adult life and were no doubt collected in the course of his education career and public service to his church and civic organizations. The earliest are documents from the Philo Confederation of Texas, 1911-1914, and an encampment program for the Baptist Young People's Federation of Texas held at Palacios in 1916. Other organizations represented in this subseries include First Baptist Church, Waco, the Masonic Lodge, Texas Society of Crippled Children, Waco Chamber of Commerce, and the Y.M.C.A. Although educational publications span the years 1905 to 1958, the bulk of this subseries falls within the years that he was school superintendent in either Taylor or Waco. It would appear that Brister gathered these items to help shape policies or programs he was developing in his own district. This subseries begins with general educational publications, and is followed by files arranged alphabetically by the name of the organization or the location of the school district issuing the study, report, handbook, or policy manual. School districts represented are scattered across Texas and include Beaumont, El Paso, Fort Worth, Hempstead, Kerens, Port Arthur, San Antonio, Taft and Taylor. Publications by subject provide some insight into special interests of R.H. Brister, the man. These pamphlets, reprints, poems and prayers primarily date from the 1930s through the 1940s and are filed alphabetically by subject. They cover topics as diverse as anti-Communism, child labor, drug abuse, prohibition and religious Bible studies. Of particular interest are a single issue of a Dallas prohibition newspaper, The Texas Citizen, an undated pamphlet, The Beer Humbug, published by Dallas based United Forces for Prohibition, and an article on "The Cost of Liquor to Waco." Please see Series XII, oversize materials, for church and school newspapers. Series VII includes keepsakes gathered over Brister's lifetime and those of his immediate and extended families. Keepsakes have been divided into three subseries: certificates, ephemera, and ephemera from other family members. Certificates cover a period from 1912 to 1960 and range in purpose from authorizing Brister to teach; the granting of a Baylor University debating letter; Army registration, promotion and discharge papers; documenting vaccinations; and marking lifetime membership or honoring meritorious service to several organizations including the United War Chest, 1943. These certificates are organized alphabetically by subject or granting entity. Although ephemera span the full range of Brister's professional life to his death in 1965, most items fall in the years 1914 to 1919 representing Brister's early teaching career, years at Baylor University and his Army service stateside and abroad. Filed alphabetically by topic or genre, other ephemera include a 1927 Governor Dan Moody inaugural ball ticket; membership and professional cards; poll tax receipts; Brister memorials and a tape recording of his funeral service. Ephemera from other family members include items pertaining to the following individuals: Katharine Brister, Robert Andrew Brister, Ruby Irene Neal Brister, Sudie Clark Brister, LaMoine and Greta Langston, William and Leona Mullen, Bettie Eddleman Neal, the Neal Family and John Hunter Pearson. The oldest item is a memorial card for A.W. Neal, 1898; the most recent item is a funeral program for John Hunter Pearson in 1996. In addition, this subseries contains academic records, awards, membership cards, marriage announcements, and Aunt Lena's Sunday morning breakfast cake recipe. The most charming item in this series, and perhaps the entire collection, is the undated fantasy scrapbook, Probable History of Ruby Neal, made for the future Mrs. Brister by her friend, Frances. Please refer to Series XII, oversize materials, for Brister's college, university, and Sunday School diplomas. Series VIII represents photographs, encompassing the years [1880s] to 1996. Housed in four document boxes, photographs represent one of the largest series in the collection and have been divided into two subseries: photographs and photograph albums. An estimated two-thirds of the loose photographs are candid snapshots, the remainder being formal portraits or commercially produced images. The earliest photograph is believed to be an [1880s] vintage tintype that captures the visage of a youthful Sudie Clark Brister. The most recent image was that of Brister family members taken at the funeral of John Hunter Pearson in 1996. The bulk of the photographs pertain to the life of Robert Hanks Brister. In fact, he probably took many of them as he traveled Texas, the United States and Europe in the course of his military, education and insurance careers. They portray country outings, the fellowship of friends and family, reunions, life at college, military life, and souvenir photos of new vistas and old landmarks. Also documented are the courtship of Ruby Irene "Bob" Neal and the "growing up" of the Brister children, Katharine and Robert Andrew. The family of Moses Andrew Brister and Sudie Clark Brister, Robert Hanks Brister's parents, is well documented in photographs from this collection, as is the extensive network of Brister cousins. Life at Decatur Baptist College is well covered with candids of student activities, portraits of classmates, and hand tinted images of the 1912 fire in the Boy's Dormitory. Galley proofs from the 1912 Decatur Baptist College yearbook and the 1915 Ennis High School yearbooks are included in Box 11. Please refer to oversize/special photographs subseries of Series XII for more Decatur Baptist College galley proofs, French, Neal family and Taylor images. Among the more memorable photos in the collection are the hand colored photo of the Decatur Baptist College boys' dormitory fire in 1912; the portrait of [Ruby Irene Neal Brister] dressed as an Indian in Memphis, Texas; various views of the Square, churches and ranch land in Memphis, Texas; the aged William Kennedy Neal asleep in his rocking chair; the 1911 postcard photo of Bettie Eddleman Neal and her beautiful daughters Mae and Ruby (in Neal Family folder); the turn of the century baptism of Ethel Eunice Brister Ramby and others in the waters of Little Booger Creek, Burleson; and two unidentified groups of school children, one with a milk and cookies snack, the other celebrating Halloween. At the time the Brister collection came to UT Arlington, family members had made a concerted effort to identify the multitude of family photos. Many, however, remained unidentified. UT Arlington archivists continued this effort, comparing snapshots to those pasted in albums and identifying formal portraits by browsing the albums, Decatur Baptist College and Ennis High School yearbooks. Any images thus identified have been noted in brackets. Many loose candid photographs duplicated in albums were kept and sorted into their respective archival folder for ease of access by the researcher. The photographs are organized alphabetically by subject. Those subjects, such as Robert Hanks Brister, for whom an array of photos exist, have been subdivided by date or by events in his life, e.g. "senior years" or "U.S. Army, France." Large family groups or reunions have been placed under a "Brister Family" or "Neal Family" heading. Unidentified photographs remain in the collection in hopes that a future researcher will be able to identify them. Photograph albums total six in number. The five smaller albums date from 1907 through the [1920s]. Names have been assigned to each album such as "School Days Album," "Army Album," or "Neal Family Album" to denote content to the researcher. The photographic images contained therein are primarily snapshots with a few portraits intermingled. The subjects of the three Brister photo albums are social life while attending Decatur Baptist College, working in Miles, Texas, attending Baylor University, army life stateside and in France, sightseeing across the United States, friends and colleagues in Ennis, Texas, and a few photos from Taylor, Texas, including a view of Dan Moody relaxing on a porch. The two Neal family albums depict family, the family home near Weatherford, life on the farm, social occasions, and a few World War I soldiers and military camp scenes. Photos in all five albums have been glued to black or grey pages. Brister captioned in white ink the three albums he created representing his college, army, travel and early education career in Ennis and Taylor. The Neal family albums are not formally captioned. Family members subsequently identified some of the Brister and Neal album images. This was usually done with a "post-it" note. Archivists have photocopied these notes with their accompanying image and placed this copy near the original image in the album. The pages of the "Travel, Ennis and Taylor" and "Army" albums are very fragile and brittle. The pages of three albums were removed from their covers. All album pages have been numbered in pencil on the outside corners to maintain original order. Please see Series XII for the sixth photograph album. Series IX includes newspaper and magazine clippings that chronicle primarily biographical information about Brister and Neal family members and friends. Clippings have been divided into two subseries: individuals and subjects. Folders containing clippings about individuals are organized alphabetically by the name of the person. Information in the four folders dealing with the life of Robert Hanks Brister has been divided by date. Of unusual note is the obituary of Richard Rice "Rux" Eddleman, brother of Bettie Eddleman Neal, who died in Estelline, Texas, in 1944. The clipping goes into great deal documenting his life as a late 19th century trail driver in north and west Texas. The 1900 obituary of Ann E. Shropshire is not immediately obvious as that of Ruby Irene Neal Brister's great grandmother. Clippings grouped by subject are filed alphabetically, and include education and inspirational topics, Ennis High School, the history of McLennan County, and an undated snakebite cure! All original newspaper clippings have been photocopied onto acid free paper. Series X represents family history and genealogies pulled together by Brister and Neal family members other than Robert Hanks Brister and his wife, Ruby Irene Neal Brister. These materials have been grouped alphabetically by family name. Items in this series represent the earliest and latest documents found in the collection: a photocopy of a 1786 South Carolina Brister land grant and a 1996 recollection of the Norman family history. The largest file in this series is the Brister Family genealogy compiled by Dennis Boswell in 1991. Beginning with Edmond Brister (1806-1882), this 216 page genealogy is comprised of a descendants chart and family group sheets. A second Brister family genealogy is that of Silas Andrew Brister and his antecedents, compiled by an unknown genealogist and containing pedigree charts, family group sheets and family history notes. Photocopies of original Brister family documents ranging from 1786 to 1853 feature land grants, surveys and estate records. Other family names found in the Brister family histories include Coats, Bright, Miller, and Walker. Moses A. Brister's recollections of 19th and 20th century family history in Mississippi, and Brushy Mound and Caddo, Texas, provides insight into the more recent generations of the Brister family. Clark and Norman family histories complete the Brister family information. A list of the children of Reuben A. Eddleman is included in this series. Among them are Alfred G. Eddleman, grandfather of Ruby Irene Neal Brister, and his half-brother, William H. Eddleman, prominent in Weatherford and Fort Worth banking and social circles. The last folder in the series contains fragmentary names and addresses of Brister and Neal family members that family historians may wish to consult. Series XI represents artifacts that have been collected and cherished by Brister and other members of his immediate family. Although placed in one large box, four smaller boxes hold the bulk of these items. They have been divided into two subseries: Robert Hanks Brister artifacts (3 boxes and two loose items), and those belonging to other Brister family members (one box). Brister's possessions date from 1899 to 1938, with many items undated. The earliest is a Baylor button patented in 1899, although probably obtained during Brister's tenure at the University, 1913 to 1917. The most recent dated item is a wooden gavel commemorating Brister's term as president of the Texas State Teachers Association in 1938. Many items relate to Brister's World War I army service, including a leather cased autographic camera, spyglass, signaling mirror, dog tag, insignia, cigarette case style locket with "pages" of soldier photos inside, and a Veterans of Foreign Wars pin. While a Decatur Baptist College Class of 1912 pin is included, most of the remaining items relate to his professional career and civic interests, such as a desk plate, engraved letter opener, signature rubber stamp, engraving plate and a Masonic ring. Among the artifacts of other Brister family members, most are undated and relate to brother, Silas Brister. These include a wooden top inscribed "Bud," World War I Army dog tags, insignia, silk American flag and scarf, and Lions' Club and Masonic jewelry. A Woodmen of the World pendant is attributed to his mother, Sudie Clark Brister, and a "MHS '09" pin is thought to have belonged to his wife, Ruby Irene Neal Brister. The remaining wooden top is inscribed with the nickname "Mit," that of his brother Miller Brister. Series XII was created to accommodate oversized items that could not be housed within their proper series. These materials range in date from [1890] to 1965, and have been divided into four subseries: oversize publications, oversize keepsakes, oversize/special photographs, and an oversize photograph album. Oversize publications are filed alphabetically by institution or title and represent newspapers of high schools and universities with which Brister had an affiliation. These include a Baylor University Lariat of April, 1917 highlighting Brister's debating skills. Student high school newspapers are found from Taylor High School (1931-1932), Waco High School (1935-1936) and the African American Moore High School in Waco (1941). The only exception to these school newspapers is a Texas Centennial issue of the Baptist Standard published in Dallas in 1936. Oversize keepsakes are Brister diplomas received between 1910 and 1934. Filed chronologically, they document his graduation from Burleson High School, Decatur Baptist College, Baylor University, University of Texas at Austin, and two Southern Baptist Sunday School courses. Oversize photographs have been arranged alphabetically by subject and are largely galley proofs from the Decatur Baptist College inaugural edition of The Summit, 1912. These oval portraits were identified by consulting the yearbook. Other oversize subjects include World War I panoramic vistas of French seacoast towns and landscapes. Two 19th century Neal family portraits are among these oversize images, the W.K. Neal family and A.W. Neal. An undated photo of a Taylor men's church group includes our subject, R.H. Brister. Special photographs have been grouped together in their own box due to their format. These include images of A.W. and Bettie Eddleman Neal housed together in a small leather case, and three Neal family reunion panoramas adhered to glass. The oversize album is one in which R.H. Brister interspersed new photographs among the old, highlighting the events of his life. Most of these photographs are undated snapshots, but they range in date from [1900] to 1965. Numerous photos of his parents, his wife and children, siblings and cousins were assembled here to commemorate this close-knit family. The Robert Hanks Brister Papers were donated to the Special Collections Division of the University of Texas at Arlington, by Robert A. and Mary Ann Mullen Brister. Gerald Saxon, Director of Special Collections, received the materials from the Bristers at their home, 3412 Lynwood Circle, Arlington, Texas, on February 26, 1996. Additional materials were transferred to the Special Collections Division on March 7, March 11, March 15, and April 21, 1996. The papers were accessioned as number 96-13. Permission to publish, copy, reprint, digitize, orally record for transmission over public or private airways, or use material from the Robert Hanks Brister Papers in any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures, must be obtained in writing from the Special Collections Division of the University of Texas at Arlington Libraries. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. The researcher may wish to consult the Robert Hanks Brister Papers' holdings file maintained by Special Collections for supplemental information on Brister and the Neal and Eddleman families. This file includes excerpts from History of the Waco Public Schools (1976) pertaining to the years R.H. Brister was superintendent, including background on Moore High School for African-American students; photocopy from the front page of the Waco News-Tribune, January 11, 1944, reporting R.H. Brister's resignation as school superintendent; 2001 photographs of Brister family graves at Burleson Cemetery, Johnson County, Eddleman family graves at Spring Creek Cemetery and Neal family graves at Bethel Cemetery, both in Parker County, Texas, south and southwest of Weatherford; and photocopies of the Neal family pages excerpted from the History of Parker County (1980). An exhibit booklet from A View from the Porch: A Glimpse into the Lives and Homes of the Eddleman and McFarland Families of Parker and Tarrant Counties, held at the Heritage Gallery of the Weatherford Public Library, Weatherford, Texas, in the Fall, 1999, highlights biographical information on Rev. Reuben A. Eddleman, an itinerant Methodist minister, and his sons, John A. Eddleman, Wiley J. Eddleman, William H. Eddleman, Newton H. Eddleman, and Dudley E. Eddleman. The researcher should be careful to maintain the chronological order of letters within the correspondence files as the order is difficult to reconstruct. Care must also be used when handling photograph albums due to their fragile, crumbling pages. Some of the artifacts in Series XI, Box OS364 are quite small. Be aware that the special photographs in Series XII, Box OS367 must be carefully handled. The leather case containing photographs is flaking, and the three Neal family panoramic photos are adhered to glass. Continue to browse the Finding Aid Table of Contents Biographical Sketch Series Description Scope & Content Note Finding Aids List Special Collections Home Page Special Collections
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