Arthur Weaver Collection

Collection

Identifier: A-0292

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Arthur Weaver Collection consists of correspondence, photographs, legal documents, ledgers, notebooks, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and case files dating from 1940 to 2005. The geographic area covered in the collection is mostly the city and county of Nacogdoches, but does contain material from other East Texas counties including San Augustine, Shelby, Cherokee, Rusk, Angelina, and Polk. The collection provides information about all stages of Arthur Weaver’s life from birth until approximately 2005 when he moved from his home into assisted living. The bulk of the collection is comprised by case files of people who Weaver helped with accusations of discrimination, police brutality and harassment, false arrest, wrongful death, and medical malpractice. He also helped people file for Veteran’s Administration benefits, home loans, small business loans, and Social Security disability and benefits. A couple of land dispute cases are also in the case files section.

Dates

Creation: 1940-2005
Event: Donated 2/10/2013

Creator

Weaver, Arthur (Person)

Language of Materials

The collection is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research.

Biographical / Historical

Arthur Weaver, the son of J. W. and Aslee Weaver, was born on November 30, 1915 in the Richardson Chapel Community in Nacogdoches, Texas. While Weaver lived at home, the family moved between town and the rural areas outside of Nacogdoches. He began school at the Richardson Chapel Community Church when they lived in the county and attended E. J. Campbell School (the African American school) when they lived in town. He only attended school through the eighth grade. After his father suffered an incident in 1930, Weaver had to work chopping cotton to help support the family, as he was the oldest child. He had one older sister, Jessie May, who died in 1924, four days shy of her eleventh birthday from typhoid fever, two younger sisters, Dorothy Lee and Rena, and two younger brothers, Frank and Alree. Weaver married Tomie (spelled Tommie prior to 1943) Lee Johnson in 1935. From their union, they had four children, Charles Ray born in 1936, Charlotte Ann born in 1938, Winfred Earl born in 1940, and Robert Lee born in 1943.

In 1943, after an incident at work and receiving a death threat, Weaver moved to Bremerton, Washington with his wife and children. He worked at the U. S. Naval Ship Yard cleaning grease and oil out of tanks. In 1946, his wife’s mother grew ill and they moved back to Nacogdoches.

While in Washington, Weaver ran a mail order business and brought the business back to Nacogdoches. In addition to his mail order business, he opened a general store.

Extent

31.00 Cubic Feet

Additional Description

Arrangement

There are 19 Gaylord boxes and one oversize box. The records are arranged in five series, one of which has been further arranged in subseries. The contents of each series or subseries are arranged hierarchically to reflect the organizational structure of the collection. The series and subseries arrangement of the records is as follows:

> Series 1, Personal, 1939-2004

> Series 2, Business, 1940-2004

> Series 3, Community Involvement, 1939-2004

----Subseries 1, NAACP, 1968-2003

----Subseries 2, Nacogdoches County Voters League, 1968-1993

----Subseries 3, Other Community Programs

----Subseries 4, Case Files

----Subseries 5, Newspaper Clippings and Other Research Material

> Series 4, Media, c.1970-2000

> Series 5, Oversized Items, 1946, 1970-1982