Katie A. Stewart Collection, 2011.37.001

KAS ~ Manuscript | 5/20/2024

Category: Communication Artifact
Subcategory: Documentary Artifact
Accession #: 2011.37.001
Received As: Donation
Received Date: 09/16/2011
Source: Clark, Ron

Credit Line: —

Home Location:
Smith County Historical Society → Archive/Reading Room → Center of Room → Metal Shelf

Identity Statement

Title: Katie Albert Stewart Collection
Extent: 6 grey archival boxes (approx. 2 linear feet of shelf space)

Scope & Content / Abstract

The collection documents the lives of Albert T. Stewart and family—including his wife Garthelia, daughter Katie Albert Stewart, and relatives Edgar T. Stewart, Katie Harris (mother of A.T.), and extended kin.

It covers many aspects of the educational history of African Americans in Smith County, Texas.
The folders consist primarily of letters, personal papers, teaching materials, and organizational records that reflect their involvement in education, church life, and community development.

Folder Contents (selected highlights):

1. Rev. A.T. Stewart at Butler College
2. Butler College development
3. Katie Harris’ property letters (Helena, Arkansas)
4. Personal papers of A.T. Stewart
5. Papers of Katie Stewart
6. Family correspondence (Katie & parents)
7. Texas Baptist Convention correspondence
8. “Come Preach for Us” invitations
9. Marital correspondence (Albert & Garthelia Stewart)
10. National Baptist Convention correspondence
11. Property ownership legal papers
12. “Dear Uncle” family letters
13. Edgar T. Stewart & Annie correspondence
14. Professional associates’ letters to A.T. Stewart
15. Insurance policies and payment records
16. Legal documents: deeds, poll & property tax receipts
    17. Katie Stewart lesson plan & grade books
17. Katie Stewart’s English teaching notes (1953–1957)
18. Typewriter certificate & receipts (1905)
19. Ebony Fair documents (1982)
20. Links, Inc. membership papers (1962–1984)
21. Newspaper obituaries collected by Katie Stewart
22. Tyler Junior College teaching materials
23. Principal Joan Brooks (John Tyler High School) papers
24. Emmett Scott High School teaching materials
25. Rosenwald pamphlets on Jewish contributions to Negro Welfare
26. Utopia Club items
27. Child Welfare Board records
28. North Tyler Day Nursery materials
29. North Tyler YMCA connection
30. Black History Month programs
31. Texas College teaching records
32. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority membership papers
33. True Vine Baptist Church records (1940–1990)
34. Portraits of Katie Stewart (2)
35. Plaque for Continuous Meritorious Teaching (1923–1969)
36. Certificates of Award (10)
37. Black History Month community service plaque (A.T. Stewart Middle School)
38. MVP Committee School Reunion plaque (1985)
39. Golden Life Member plaque, Delta Sigma Theta

Additions (as of 05/02/2024):
42. Texas Interscholastic League of Colored Schools & newsletters
43. Rev. A.T. Stewart typewriter receipts
44. East Texas Teacher’s News, March 1963 (Garfield Hill, Pres.)
45. American Teachers Association Bulletin, March 1964
46. Beautillion programs (1976, 1986)
47. Black Excellence magazine (Summer 1977)
48. National Notes magazine (Jan–Apr. 1982)
49. MLK Day program, The Dream Lives On (1986)
50. Novella Nelson in Concert program, Emmett Scott Auditorium (1972)

Context

Creator: Stewart, Katie Albert (1901–2006)
Biographical Note: Born in Helena, Arkansas (Dec. 27, 1901), Katie Albert Stewart dedicated her career to education in Smith County, Texas. She passed away in Tyler, Texas on Feb. 17, 2006 at the age of 104. She was the only child of Albert T. Stewart and Garthelia Willis Harris Stewart.

Custodial History:

• Donated by Ron Clark, who discovered items in an auctioned storage locker (Sept. 2011).

• Initial processing: Sherry Kidd (archives manager), with assistance from volunteers Romola Clark, Melanie Leath, Tiffany Wright, Vicki Betts, and Carol Kehl.

• Used for SCHS publications and external research (including TAAM acquisitions).

• Rehoused into 6 archival boxes in 2024 for improved accessibility.

Structure

Arrangement: Folders organized by school, association, or event.

Conditions of Access & Use

• Access: By appointment. Researchers must provide topic/questions in advance.

• Reproduction: Some items (newsletters, magazines, programs) may be under copyright. Researchers are responsible for securing reproduction rights if publishing.

• Finding Aids: Original Sherry Kidd typed list (binder P–Z).

Notes

• Scope & Content originally compiled by Sherry Kidd.

• Additional descriptions and photographs noted by Tiffany Wright (2024).

Cataloged by: Tiffany Wright (04/30/2024)
Updated by: Tiffany Wright (05/02/2024, 01:07 PM)