The letters in this collection present a snapshot of the lives of Major J.N. Coleman of the Third Texas Cavalry and his fiancée, Virginia E. "Jennie" Adkins. John’s letters from the field provide readers with a unique insight into the horrors, excitement, and day-to-day monotony of a soldier’s life in the Confederate army, while Jennie’s letters detail life on the home front in Marshall, Texas.

Richard Loyal Farr was born in Fayette County, Georgia, on 1839 April 6, to the farming family of Jesse H. and Elizabeth Nixon Farr (both of whom were born circa 1804). Around 1858, Richard married Elizabeth K. (circa 1837-?). Together they had at least six children. On 1893 June 29, presumably after Elizabeth’s death, Farr married Minerva Eliza Lovvorn (1869-1918). Together they had at least four children.

This collection contains materials from numerous sources in and around Independence, Texas. Located in Washington County, the village of Independence was the original home of Baylor University, founded by Texas Baptists in 1845. Materials in this collection present various aspects of life in 19th and early 20th century Independence. Correspondence, photographs, maps and other forms of documentation are included.

This collection features materials related to the life of Henry ("Harry") Arthur McArdle, an Irish-born painter whose works depicting major events in Texas history - including the battle of San Jacinto and the Alamo - are considered important contributions to the state's artistic heritage. McArdle studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, served under Robert E. Lee in the American Civil War and was Baylor University's first professor of art.

The Morgan letters are primarily from Alexander Morgan, a Confederate soldier, to his wife during the American Civil War. Additionally, one letter is written from Fanny in Mansfield, Louisiana to her cousin. The bulk of the letters were written during Morgan’s time in Mobile and Bridgeport. The earliest letter is from April 9, 1862, and the latest is from January 29, 1865, with two undated portions of letters.

"The Plain Democrat" is a curated digital exhibit consisting of speeches, campaign flyers and literature, lantern plates, photographs, and correspondence from the Pat M. Neff papers housed at The Texas Collection at Baylor University. The exhibit focuses on Neff's gubernatorial campaigns and two terms as governor of Texas from 1921-1925.

This collection documents the lives of George Harper Prestridge and his wife, Mary Ann Rebecca Frost Prestridge. According to Herman Prestridge Sandford, a descendant of the letter writers, “The letters tell of the love George and Rebecca shared amid the horrors of the Civil War. They reveal the courage and the suffering of the soldiers. They disclose, to a degree not found in history books, the hardship of women, widows in particular, and the sufferings and the joys of the children of those fatherless families.”

This collection presents materials related to the Historic Old Independence Cemetery in Independence, Texas, the first home of Baylor University. The collection includes geospatial records of the cemetery, the last resting place for many early Texians, including the son of Sam Houston and the grandson of Moses Austin.

Items in this collection document the history of Liberty Community Cemetery in Independence, Texas. Each object presents an image of the marker, monument or headstone, relevant biographical information (date of birth, death, inscriptions) and a link to the marker's precise location on a Google map.