Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Title
Date(s)
- 1916 (Creation)
Extent
1 volume, 120 pages; 1 folder of loose leaves.
Name of creator
Biographical history
John William Sansom was born in Dallas County, Alabama, on February 5, 1834. His family moved to the Republic of Texas in the winter of 1838-1839. Sansom joined the Texas Rangers in 1855, and rose to the rank of captain in 1856. During the Civil War Sansom was a staunch Union supporter, and joined the Union Loyal League, an underground militia. After the Battle of Nueces River, where the Unionist militia was attacked by Conferederate soldiers, Sansom escaped and joined the First Texas Cavalry, a Union regiment made up of Texan soldiers. In 1905, Sansom authored "Battle of Nueces River in Kinney County, Tex., Aug. 10, 1862," considered the authoritative account of the battle. After the Civil War, Sansom continued military service in the Texas Rangers until 1883. He spent the remainder of his career ranching, before retiring in 1904.
Sansom married Helen Victoria Patton in 1860. They had one daughter, Elizabeth. Sansom died on June 19, 1920 in San Antonio.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
Typewritten manuscript of the "Memoirs of John W. Sansom, 1834-1916." Written several years before Sansom's death, this volume includes his first person accounts of his childhood, Union support during the Civil War, involvement in the Battle of Nueces River, and career in the Texas Rangers.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
This collection is open and available to the public for research in the Special Collections & Archives reading room. The materials are non-circulating.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
The materials in this collection may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The materials are available for personal, educational, and scholarly use. It is the responsibility of the researcher to locate and obtain permission from the copyright owner or his or her heirs for any other use, such as reproduction and publication.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Believed to have been purchased by Coates Library as part of the Beretta Texana collection in the 1980s.
Immediate source of acquisition
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Click on the thumbnail at the top of finding aid to download a pdf of this document.
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: John W. Sansom Manuscript. Coates Library Special Collections & Archives, Trinity University (San Antonio, Texas).
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
DACS
Sources used
Archivist's note
Finding aid created by Colleen Hoelscher, February 1, 2019.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Sansom, John William, 1834-1920 (Subject)