Center for Glenwood Archival Collection

This bound volume contains records of board and shareholder meetings for the Houston Cemetery Company, later known as the Glenwood Cemetery Association, spanning nearly a century. The entries, which were initially recorded by hand in ink and later typed, date back to July 21, 188, to June 16, 1977. The documentation includes financial reports, maintenance policies, and administrative decisions. The meeting minutes are recorded from 1886 to 1976. Some contents are not available in digital format due to the condition of the bound volume. Notably, on page 135, the Board of Directors of Glenwood Cemetery approved the "Catholic Hill" section at Glenwood Cemetery.

In 1888, Thomas Howe Scanlan executed a deed from the Houston Cemetery Company, which was officially named Glenwood Cemetery. This deed includes the contract signed by Thomas Howe Scanlan, J. C. Hutcheson, E. L. Coombs, and John A. Cameron. Additionally, the deed outlines the Rules and Regulations of the Houston Cemetery Company. Letter transcription: Page 1: The Houston Cemetery Co. to. T. H. Scanland Lot No "One." Sec D Page 2: THE HOUSTON CEMETERY COMPANY, In consideration of the sum of One-Hundred Dollars paid by T. H. Scanlan the receipt of which is hereby acknowledged and confessed, has granted, bar- gained, sold and releasedm and by these presents do grant, bargain, sell and release unto the said T. H. Scanlan Lot No. One in Section D. according to the map of the Houston Cemetery filed in the office of the Dirstric Court of Harris County. To have and to hold the same, unto the said T. H. Scanlan his heirs and assigns forever. And the said T. H. Scanlan accepts this Deed, and holds the said Lot, subject to all the Rules and Re- gulations of the Cemetery. In Witness Whereof, THE HOUSTON CEMETERY COMPANY has caused this Deed to be signed by its President and Secretary, and its corporate deal affixed, at its office in the City of Houston, this Eleventh day of January 1888 J. C. Hutcheson President E.L. Coombs Secretary Page 3: State of Texas, Harris County, } ss. Before me John A. Cameron a Notary Public within and for Harris County, Texas duly commissioned and qualified, on this day personally appeared J. C. Hutcheson President, and E. L. Coombs Secretary, of the HOUSTON CEMETERY COMPANY, known to me to be the persons whose names are subscribed to the foregoing instrument, and acknowledged to me that they executed the same for, and that the same is the act of said HOUSTON CEMETERY COMPANY, for the purposes and considerations therein expressed. Given under my hand and seal office, this 11th day of January A.D. 1888 John A. Cameron Notary Public Harris County, Texas Page 4: RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE HOUSTON CEMETERY COMPANY 1. The Company will convey the use of the Lots designated on the map of the grounds, for burial purposes, subject to the following Rules and Regulations, which are to be made a part of the Deed, and subject to any amendments that may be made by the Assciation at any future time. 2. No sale, transfer, or assignments of any Lot shall be valid without the consent of the Company, endorsed on the conveyance. 3. All enclosures of Lots must be placed entirely on the Lots themselves, except where adjoining owners unite in the same enclosure. No brick walls, iron, or wooden fence, can be erected as an enclosure of Lots. Coping must not exceed one foot in thickness, and eighteen inches in height above the surface. Hedges must not exceed three fee in heights. 4. No disinternment shall be allowed without permission being obtained a the office of the Company. 5. The proprietor of each Lot shall have the right to erect any proper stones, monuments, or sepulchral statues, thereone, except that no vault shall be erected, and that no monument shall be other material than cut sont, granite, marble, with- out the consent of the Company. The proprietor of each Lot shall have the right to cultivate trees, shrubs and plants in the same, but no tree growing within the Lot or border shall be cut down and destroyed without the consent of the Company. Proprietors of Lots are required to keep them in good order, or pay the Superintendent for doing same; provided, however, that owners of Lots may, at their own options, deposit in trust with the Trustees of the Houston Cemetery Company a sum of money, the interest of which shall perpetually be applied to the care and improvement of their respective Lots. 6. That an annual assessment of $5.00 for each Lot of 20x20, and pro rata, shall be made of each Lot Holder, which shall be appropriate for the purpose of keeping the Lots and grounds in order. 7. If any tree or shrub, situated in any Lot, shall, by means of its roots, branches, or otherwise, become detrimental to the adjacent Lots or Avenues, or unsightly, or inconvenient to passengers, it shall be the duty of said corporation, and they shall have the right, by their proper officers, to enter the said Lot and remove said trees and shrubs, or such parts thereof as are det- rimental, unsightly, or inconvenient; and if any Lot, or any structure thereon, shall, by the neglect of the proprietory thereof, become unsightley, it shall be the duty of the corporation, and they shall have the right, by their proper officer, to enter upon said Lot and put the same in proper order and repair, and make a reasonable charge fr the same. 8. All earth, or rubbish of any kind, accumulated by proprietors of Lots, or their agents, must be carefully removed as soon as possible, and deposited wherever the Superintendent of the Cemetery may direct. 9. If any monument, effigy, or enlosure, or any structure whatever, or any inscription, be placed in or upon any Lot, which shall be determined by the major part of the Directors, or Managers of the Company for the time being, to be offensive or improper, or injurious to the appearance of the surrounding Lots of ground, the said Directors or Managers, or a major part of them, shall have the right, and it shall be their suty, by their proper officers, to enter upon such Lot and remove the said offensive or improper object or objects. 10. It shall be the duty and right of the Directors, from time to time, to lay out and alter such avenues and walks as do not interfere with the limes of Lots as surveyed, and to make such Rules and Regulations for the government of the grounds as they may deem requisite and proper to secure and promote the general object of the institution. 11. The proprietors of Lots, and their families, shall be allowed access to the grounds at all times, observing strictly the Rules which are, or may be, adopted for the regulation of visitors.

This large-format linen boundary map, created by the Houston engineering firm Whitty & Taylor in March 1904, illustrates Glenwood Cemetery and its surrounding landscape. The map outlines Glenwood's official property lines, adjacent roads, and nearby burial grounds, including the Catholic Division and the German Lutheran Cemetery, as well as areas designated as "Forest Mound," "Hillside," and "New Strangers Rest." The detailed inkwork captures topographical features, including Buffalo Bayou, roadways, and elevation contours, providing a view of the cemetery's natural landscape and constructed divisions during the early 20th century. Handwritten annotations indicate section letters and landmarks that correspond with Glenwood's earliest lot maps.

The documents include the bylaws governing the Board of Trustees of Glenwood Cemetery, which were adopted on July 25, 1904. These regulations detail the acquisition by the Glenwood Cemetery Association of all property dedicated to cemetery purposes previously owned by the Houston Cemetery Company. Furthermore, the by-laws outline a deed from T. W. House to W. D. Cleveland and other trustees, dated January 7, 1904, which rededicates the property above to the cemetery.

The item contains the memorandum of sale and burial permits for the Christ Episcopal Church Plot from 1909 to 1958. The item includes: 1. Front: Printed burial authorization for Clarice Turville dated 1909 July 27. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Clarice Turville is buried, showing that Turville is the fifth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 2. Front: Printed burial authorization for Fanny Archer Sears dated 1927 November 4. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot where Fanny Archer Sears is buried, that Sears is the sixth internment in the plot, and provides information about the interred. 3. Front: Printed burial permit for Fanny Archer Sears dated 1927 November 4. Back: A handwritten note discussing dues is included. 4. Front: Printed burial authorization for R. Thad Harwell dated 1937 November 11. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot where R. Thad Harwell is buried, showing that Harwell is the seventh internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 5. Front: Printed burial authorization for Peter Gray Sears dated 1942 January 26. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot where Peter Gray Sears is buried, showing that Sears is the eighth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 6. Front: Printed burial permit for Emily Rawlings dated 1958 May 25. Back: Includes typed information about the legality of the burial permit for the registrar, funeral director, and sexton. 7. Front: Printed burial authorization for Emily Rawlings dated 1958 May 28. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot where Emily Rawlings is buried, that Rawlings is the ninth internment in the plot, and provides information about the interred. 8. Printed internet slip containing information about Emily Rawlings 9. Memorandum of Sale to Christ Church by Houston Cemetery Company dated 1965 June 29. The memorandum includes a note, "Give to M. Bennett."

The Big Book for the Sections of Old Strangers Rest, St. Patrick's Rest, and St. Luke's Rest provides insights into the sequence in which the denominational sections were recorded and developed. Notably, the term "Catholic section" refers to the area on the east side of Glenwood. The earliest burial records identify St. Luke's Rest and St. Patrick's Rest as the Catholic section, with burials beginning in 1887. However, this practice sharply declined after 1904, when Holy Cross, a new Catholic cemetery, opened. The last burial in St. Luke's and St. Patrick's Rest at Glenwood occurred in 1915. This suggests that the area may have been designated as the Catholic section because it served as a burial site for Catholics between the closure of St. Vincent's Cemetery and the opening of Holy Cross.

The item contains burial permits and authorizations for the Scanlan family from 1906 to 1950. The items are listed as follows: 1. Front: Printed burial authorization for T. H. Scanlan dated 1906 November 11. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit includes a drawing of the lot where T. H. Scanlan is buried, indicating that T. H. Scanlan is the first internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 2. Front: Printed burial authorization for Mary Ellen Scanlan dated 1915 May 4. Features ornamental borders and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Mary Ellen Scanlan is buried, showing that Mary Ellen Scanlan is the fifth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 3. Front: Printed burial authorization for Caroline Scanlan dated 1918 April 8. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit includes a drawing of the lot showing where Caroline Scanlan is buried, showing that Caroline Scanlan is the sixth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 4. Front: Printed burial permit for Charlotte Scanlan, dated 1926 January 18. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Charlotte Scanlan is buried, showing that Charlotte Scanlan is the sixth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 5. Printed burial authorization for Alberta Scanlan, dated 1928 May 2. Features a simple border and script. 6. Printed burial permit for Alberta Scanlan, dated 1928 May 4. Features a simple border and script. 7. Printed burial permit for Kate Scanlan, dated 1936 April 28. Features a simple border and script. 8. Front: Printed burial authorization for Kate Scanlan, dated 1928 April 28. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Kate Scanlan is buried, showing that Kate Scanlan is the ninth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 9. Front: Printed burial authorization for Lillian Scanlan, dated 1947 September 25. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Lillian Scanlan is buried, showing that Lillian Scanlan is the tenth internment in the plot, along with information about the interred. 10. Printed burial permit for Stella Scanlan, dated 1950 January 10. 11. Front: Printed burial authorization for Stella Scanlan, dated 1950 January 10. Features a simple border and script. Back: The permit shows a drawing of the lot, where Stella Scanlan is buried, showing that Stella Scanlan is the eleventh internment in the plot, along with information about the interred.