Elizabeth Howard West Papers

The Elizabeth H. West Papers contain copies of documents spanning three centuries with a focus on the Spanish colonial period in Florida and the era of Texas independence. More than half of the collection consists of reproductions of documents in handwritten Spanish, some translated by West, along with typed transcriptions of documents in English, a few copies of handwritten English documents, and some typed transcriptions of documents in French. Subjects include early Spanish settlement in Florida, the Indian trade in the Southeast with specific focus on the operations of the Panton Leslie and Company trading firm, along with notes on the events leading up to Texas independence and life in Texas during the 1830s. There is also material on the Democratic National Convention of 1844, related to West's interest in the political career of Martin Van Buren. Folders include West's personal correspondence regarding her research in the aforementioned areas. With respect to Florida, most documents pertain to Spanish relations with the Creeks, correspondence with Alexander McGillivray, and papers pertaining to Panton Leslie, including a typescript of the 1802 suit filed against the firm for monopolizing the Indian trade in Florida. The final box in this collection consists of West's personal notes about numerous aspects of Texas history in the early nineteenth century.

The first box consists of Photostats of legajos from Papeles de Cuba related to Florida. Some Photostats are nearly illegible and this is noted where necessary. An index to the legajos is included in the first folder of Box 1. The collection contains duplicates of some legajos, as well as translations or transcriptions, and the Department of Special Collections also has many of the same legajos on microfilm. Boxes 2-8 are primarily typewritten transcriptions or translations. Box 9 contains additional typewritten material and West's handwritten correspondence.