Thomas Wentworth Peirce, Jr. Papers

The Thomas Wentworth Peirce, Jr. papers were donated to the Benson Latin American Collection in 1988 by John W. Peirce. The papers were described by the Benson's Mexican Archives Project in May 1994.

The physical extent of the papers is 11 inches. They are in English.

The suggested citation for the papers is "Thomas Wentworth Peirce, Jr. Papers, 1900-1923, Benson Latin American Collection, General Libraries, University of Texas at Austin."

Thomas Wentworth Peirce, Jr., son of developer of Texas railroads, Thomas Wentworth Peirce, was a member of the board of directors of the Corralitos Company from 1903 until his death in 1923. He also served as a director of the Candelaria Mining Company and the León Mining Company, which were associated with the Corralitos Company. The companies operated mining and ranching interests in the northern part of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

1880	"Corralitos Company's property ... in Mexico was acquired by the present owners about the year 1880, from the Mexican owners." (Houghton, 30 Apr 1919, to the Nat. Assoc. for the Protection of American Rights in Mexico)
1883	Francis Holbrook ingeniero en jefe de las minas de Cía. Corralitos
1895	E.C. Houghton first employed [on ranch]
1900	Edwin D. Morgan first became responsible for ranch
18 Feb 1902	Compañía Ramos Sociedad Anónima organized in Mexico City; to consolidate title to properties belonging to Corralitos in the Prohibited Zone; entire capital stock of Ramos owned by Corralitos.
18 Feb 1902	Compañía de San Pedro Sociedad Anónima organized in Mexico City; to consolidate title to properties belonging to Candelaria Mining Company in the Prohibited Zone; entire capital stock of San Pedro owned by Candelaria.
4 Dec 1903	E.D. Morgan is president of Candelaria; C.I. Reeves is Sec/Treas; Britton Davis is General Manager, El Paso
c. 1904	"About the year 1904 the Corralitos Company undertook extensive improvements ... " (Houghton, 30 Apr 1919)
12 Apr 1904	T. W. Peirce notified of election on 10 Apr as director on boards of both Corralitos (Colorado) and Candelaria; (on 26 he acknowledged this as re-election)
11 Apr 1905	TWP elected director of Candelaria and Corralitos
11 Apr 1905	Candelaria officers: Morgan, pres; Reeves, sec; E. [Edmund] DeGoncer, Resident Director, El Paso; N. C. Thompson, Manager, El Paso.
11 Apr 1905	Corralitos officers: Morgan, pres; Reeves, sec/treas; E. DeGoncer, Resident Director; E.C. Houghton, Manager.
9 Apr 1907	TWP elected director Corralitos and Candelaria
30 Mar 1908	León Mining Company organized [in New York]; mentioned on Candelaria letterhead
July 1908	Thompson resigned
30 July 1908	TWP director of León Co.
11 Jan 1909	TWP sent check for $12,000 to León Mining Co. as loan
18 Feb 1909	Candelaria NJ to purchase Candelaria, Colorado
13 May 1909	TWP purchased stock in León Co.; Reeves said it would be Candelaria stock, but the León Co. could endorse the check.
17 Jan 1911	resolution to dissolve León Co. to be voted on January 23
11 Feb 1911	Reeves to Peirce: "We will shortly call in the León Mining shares and issue Candelaria Mining Co. in its place."
May 1911	Walter P. Bliss became president of Corralitos
9 Apr 1911	TWP elected director Corralitos
Apr 1913	Reeves lost place on board to E. H. Wright? (letter of Apr 11)
4 Jun4 1914	TWP elected director Corralitos
10 Oct 1915	p.3 refers to Candelaria: drugs left at mines; must have been closed already
4 June 1916	Raynal Bolling president Corralitos
27 Oct 1916	"Going to lose Bolling; Oct 27 Shearson mentioned.
1917	"In 1917 the Punitive Expedition ... was withdrawn, and with [it] all of the American and foreign settlers from the northwestern part of Chihuahua abandoned their properties. This was the case with the Corralitos Company." (Houghton, 30 Apr 1919)
20 Jan 1917	Shearson to become president of Company (doesn't say which); Morgan to retire form active management but remain on board of directors
10 Apr 1917	TWP elected director Corralitos
18 June 1917	Candelaria adjudged insolvent by Court of Chancery of the State of New Jersey; Charles I. Reeves appointed Receiver.
9 May 1920	León Co. still alive: "holds the Candelaria stock in its treasury"
1921	Edward Shearson is president of Corralitos
10 Apr 1923	TWP elected director of Corralitos Company (April 12).
30 Oct 1923	E. Townsend Irvin is president, The Corralitos Company
1927	La Candelaria Mining Co. se vió obligada suspender sus actividades en la época revolucionaria y hasta ahora no las ha reanudado (Boletín Minero)
May 1927	The National Agrarian Commission obtained a writ expropriating Corralitos lands [Corralitos Cattle Company] for ejidos. Ignored writ of injunction and were to take over property on July 31, 1927.

Correspondence, minutes, reports, financial documents, legal documents, and miscellanea pertaining primarily to the Corralitos Company, the Candelaria Mining Company, and the León Mining Company. The main body of correspondence relates to the general business of the three companies. Principal correspondents are officers of the companies Edwin D. Morgan, Arthur S. Dwight, Charles I. Reeves, Edward Shearson, and Peirce. Letters from E. C. Houghton, manager of the Corralitos ranch, describe ranch business and activities, while those from George A. Laird, manager of Candelaria and León Mining Companies, detail mining operations; both men described events related to the Mexican Revolution and the effects upon their operations. Some items reflect the companies' dealings with the Ferrocarril Noroeste de México. Subseries of correspondence relate to the Corralitos Company Voting Trust and to the activities of Ben P. Converse as agent in Texas for the Thomas Wentworth Peirce Estate. A series concerning the Corralitos Company's contract with E.D. Morgan as general agent contains correspondence and legal documents.

Also present in the papers are minutes of the boards of directors of the Corralitos Company and the León Mining Company; financial documents, including treasurer's and operating reports; reports by Morgan to the directors of the Corralitos Company; and a few legal documents, notes, clippings, and maps.

The Thomas Wentworth Peirce, Jr. Papers were arranged into series by the staff of the Mexican Archives Project, which completed the processing of the collection in May 1994. Documents are arranged chronologically within folders. The series are:

I. Correspondence

1. Subseries, General correspondence, 1903-1923.

2. Subseries, "Laird's letters," January 30, 1909-March 5, 1910 and December 26-28, 1910. Laird correspondence after 1910 is integrated with the subseries, "General correspondence."

3. Subseries, Voting Trust, Corralitos Co., January 28, 1916-January 13, 1923.

4. Subseries, Ben P. Converse.

   i. Corralitos stock owned by Zimpleman, 1907-1908.

   ii. Land holdings in Texas, June 6, 1914-October 20, 1922.

   iii. Land holdings in Coryell County, Texas, May 22, 1918-April 29, 1919.

1. Subseries, Correspondence.
   
2. Subseries, Legal documents.
   
3. Subseries, Clipping, July 23, 1913. Oversized.

III. Minutes of the board of directors.

1. Subseries, Corralitos Co., 1909 and 1920-1923.
   
2. Subseries, León Mining Co., 1909 and 1911.

IV. Reports.

1. Subseries, Reports of E. D. Morgan to the president and stockholders of the Corralitos Co., December 6, 1910-March 2, 1921.

2. Subseries, Report on the property of the Candelaria Mining Co., no date.

V. Financial documents.

1. Subseries, Treasurer's reports of receipts and disbursements, Corralitos Co., 1911-1913.
2. Subseries, Monthly reports of operation, Corralitos Co., May 1917-December 1919.
3. Subseries, Analyses of interest, taxes, and rents, August-December 1917.
4. Subseries, Corralitos - miscellaneous financial, 1900-1917.
5. Subseries, Candelaria and León - miscellaneous financial, 1908-1909.

VI. Legal documents, 1909 and 1911.

VII. Miscellanea. Notes, clippings, and a sketch map of New Mexico.

Box	Folder	Folder Title	Dates
1	1	General correspondence	1903
1	2	General correspondence	1904
1	3	General correspondence	1905
1	4	General correspondence	1906
1	5	General correspondence	1907
1	6	General correspondence	1908
1	7	General correspondence	1909
1	8	General correspondence	1910
1	9	General correspondence	1911 (Jan. 3 - Feb. 19)
1	10	General correspondence	1911 (Feb. 20 - Mar. 25)
1	11	General correspondence	1911 (Apr. 12 - Nov. 13)
1	12	General correspondence	1912
1	13	General correspondence	1913
1	14	General correspondence	1914
1	15	General correspondence	1915
1	16	General correspondence	1916
1	17	General correspondence	1917
1	18	General correspondence	1918 (Feb. 6 - July 31)
1	19	General correspondence	1918 (Aug. 20 - Nov. 29)
1	20	General correspondence	1919 (Jan. 27 - July 10)
1	21	General correspondence	1919 (Sept. 23 - Dec. 22)
1	22	General correspondence	1920
1	23	General correspondence	1921
2	1	General correspondence	1922
2	2	General correspondence	1923
2	3	"Laird's letters"	Jan. - Feb. 1909
2	4	"Laird's letters"	March 1909
2	5	"Laird's letters"	April 1909
2	6	"Laird's letters"	May 1909
2	7	"Laird's letters"	June 1909
2	8	"Laird's letters"	July 1909
2	9	"Laird's letters"	August 1909
2	10	"Laird's letters"	Sept. - Dec. 1909
2	11	"Laird's letters"	January 1910
2	12	"Laird's letters"	February 1910
2	13	"Laird's letters"	March 1910; Oct. 26, 1910; Dec. 26 - 28, 1910
2	14	Voting Trust, The Corralitos Company	Jan. 28, 1916 - Jan. 13, 1923
2	15	Ben P. Converse, Corralitos stock owned by Zimpleman	1907-1908
2	16	Ben P. Converse, Land holdings in Texas	June 6, 1914 - Oct. 20, 1922
2	17	Ben P. Converse, Land holdings in Coryell County, Texas	May 22, 1918 - April 29, 1919
2	18	Contract between Corralitos Company and E.D. Morgan	June 20, 1910 - Apr. 29, 1911
2	19	Contract between Corralitos Company and E.D. Morgan	Aug. 30, 1912 - Oct. 7, 1916
2	20	Minutes, board of directors of the Corralitos Company	1909, 1920-1923
2	21	Minutes, board of directors of the León Mining Company	1909, 1911
2	22	Reports of E. D. Morgan to the president and stockholders of the Corralitos Company	Dec. 6, 1910 - Mar. 2, 1921
2	23	Report on the property of the Candelaria Mining Company
2	24	Corralitos Company, treasurer's reports of receipts and disbursements	1911-1913
2	25	Corralitos Company, monthly reports of operation	May 1917 - Dec. 1919
2	26	Analyses of interest, taxes, and rents	Aug. 1917 - Dec. 1917
2	27	Corralitos Company, misc. financial	1900 - 1917
2	28	Candelaria and León Mining Companies, miscellaneous financial	1908 - 1909
2	29	Legal documents	1909, 1911
2	30	Notes
2	31	Clippings
2	32	Sketch map of New Mexico

Bliss, Walter P.
Bolling, Raynal	President, Corralitos Co., 1916
Dana, Charles A.	brought suit against Morgan contract; director
Davis, Britton
De Goncer, Edmund	Resident Director, El Paso, Candelaria and Corralitos
Thompson, N. C.	Manager, Candelaria, El Paso
Warner, James Harold	brought suit against Morgan contract

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