Howard, Jr., Paxton H. Papers

Relative of Bess W. Truman

The papers of Paxton H. Howard, Jr. include two Holy Bibles of the Howard and Hope families with genealogical information, press clippings, photographs, and memorabilia concerning the family and their relationship by marriage to the family of Bess Wallace Truman.

Size: 2.5 linear inches (about 100 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Paxton H. Howard, Jr. gave his copyright interest in this collection, and in any other collection of papers at the Harry S. Truman Library, to the U.S. Government. Documents created by U.S. Government officials in the course of their duties are also in the public domain. The copyright interest in other documents in this collection presumably belongs to the creators of the documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Mary Horn (2017) as part of the Truman Library Internship Program.
Supervising Archivists: Randy Sowell and David Clark.

Paxton H. Howard, Jr. is a distant relative of Bess Wallace Truman. Bess Wallace Truman's great-uncle, Thomas Wallace, had a granddaughter, Hollis Hope, who married Everette Burgess (E. B.) Howard, the grandfather of Paxton H. Howard, Jr.

E. B. Howard was born in Morgantown, Kentucky in 1873. He married Hollis Hope of Independence in 1895. Their son, Paxton Hope Howard, Sr., was born in Independence in 1901. E. B. Howard later served three terms as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Oklahoma.

The papers of Paxton H. Howard, Jr. include two Holy Bibles of the Howard and Hope families with genealogical information, press clippings, photographs, and memorabilia concerning the family and their relationship by marriage to the family of Bess Wallace Truman. Most of these items were found within the pages of the two family Bibles.

The two Bibles contain family birth, death, and marriage records as well as a temperance pledge signed by various members of the family. Press clippings found within the pages of the Bibles highlight family accomplishments, marriages, travel plans, births, and deaths. Photographs of unidentified individuals, most likely family members, are also included. Memorabilia, such as locks of hair, postcards, handwritten notes, and pieces of fabric are included and suggest that the Holy Bible was a place of safekeeping for sentimental family items as well as written family records.

The collection includes a chart of Wallace family genealogy which illustrates the relation between Hollis Hope and Bess Wallace Truman. Pages of a typed genealogical booklet supplement this information by providing information on both the Hope and Howard family ancestries.

More information on Wallace family genealogy can be found by searching under the surname "Wallace" on the Harry S. Truman Library website.