The Schott family of Nacogdoches, Texas was headed by Frank Sebastian Schott who was born January 20, 1871, in Chicago Illinois, and his family came from the Rhine area of Germany. The collection itself is named for Anna Mary Schott, the wife of Frank Sebastian Schott, who was born in Nacogdoches on June 2, 1876. Her grandfathers were William Clark and Charles S. Taylor, both of whom were signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836.

Frank and Anna married on New Years Eve of 1907. Frank Schott was a successful traveling salesman for Nunn-Busch Shoes. The couple had three children, Francis Joseph (Buck) Schott (b. 1912), Anna Mary Schott (b. 1914), and Eugene Edward Schott (b. 1916). Frank Schott passed away July 16, 1939, and Anna Mary on February 29, 1964. They are buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery, Nacogdoches, Texas.