Lewis A. Ketring, Jr. collection of Lincoln County research
Collection
Identifier: Ms-0529
Content Description
Research collection of Lewis Alvin Ketring Jr. containing largely photocopies of documents pertaining to Lincoln County and the Lincoln County War. Much of the material was copied during the 1960s and 1970s from documents held in the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder's Office. A portion of the original materials subsequently disappeared from the clerk's office, making the photocopies the only extant record of the material. The collection also contains original papers of Mr. Ketring, including research notes, correspondence and photographs pertaining to Lincoln County War. Also included in the collection are the research papers of Robert N. Mullin, also a noted researcher and author on the topic of the Lincoln County War.
Dates
- 1876 - 2017
Biographical / Historical
Lewis Alvin Ketring, Jr was born in Los Angeles, California, September 9, 1939. In 1955, he began collecting Lincoln County War material after completing an assignment for a high school class. His report, "History of Pinkerton's National Detective Agency," piqued his interest in the Lincoln County War. Box 32 contains an original copy of Ketring's 1955 high school report with handwritten corrections. This assignment began his lifelong interest in collecting information on the topic. In 1958, while still in high school, Lewis started a magazine with Ronald Smith. They worked from his garage to produce "Good Ole' Days." A copy of the first volume is in the Special Collections at the University of Nevada. No other copies are known. Lewis married Eva J. Yrsalovich in February of 1960.
Ketring made very few visits to New Mexico during his lifetime, but this did not slow down his research. He became adept at writing to librarians, county clerk offices, and the National Archives. Besides his passion for Billy the Kid and Lincoln County War, he was interested in many hobbies, including railroads, photography, and old west history. Following in the Military footsteps and career choices of his father and grandfather, Lewis served in the military and then worked for the Santa Fe Railway and BNSF Railway Company for 42 years.
Over many years, he acquired copies of the bulk of Lincoln County records dealing with the Lincoln County War, much of which came from the county courthouse. He also carried on an extensive and prolonged correspondence with descendants of participants in the Lincoln County War and with leading researchers of Lincoln County, including Robert Mullin, Maurice Fulton, Eve Ball, and Robert McCubbin. The correspondence forms a big part of the collection. Also included are Ketring's original research notes, biographies of Lincoln County characters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and more. Many historians consulted him for his research on James Dolan, John Tunstall, Emil Fritz, and lesser-known key players of the Lincoln County War.
The material from the Lincoln County Clerk's office, photocopied by Ketring during the 1960s and 1970s, fills in a gap of documents that subsequently disappeared from the courthouse. Ketring collected his research material in binders, and more than 20 linear feet of material was given to NMSU by Ketring's son. Lewis died on March 2, 2017, in Tucson, Arizona. Upon his death, the collection was in the care of his son, Lewis Alvin Ketring III of Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Ketring III passed the materials on to the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder's Office to evaluate them and determine if there were copies of some of the missing documents. Historian Roberta Haldane, working with former Lincoln County Clerk Rhonda Burrows, inventoried the collection before passing it on to the NMSU Archives and Special Collections.
Ketring made very few visits to New Mexico during his lifetime, but this did not slow down his research. He became adept at writing to librarians, county clerk offices, and the National Archives. Besides his passion for Billy the Kid and Lincoln County War, he was interested in many hobbies, including railroads, photography, and old west history. Following in the Military footsteps and career choices of his father and grandfather, Lewis served in the military and then worked for the Santa Fe Railway and BNSF Railway Company for 42 years.
Over many years, he acquired copies of the bulk of Lincoln County records dealing with the Lincoln County War, much of which came from the county courthouse. He also carried on an extensive and prolonged correspondence with descendants of participants in the Lincoln County War and with leading researchers of Lincoln County, including Robert Mullin, Maurice Fulton, Eve Ball, and Robert McCubbin. The correspondence forms a big part of the collection. Also included are Ketring's original research notes, biographies of Lincoln County characters, photographs, newspaper clippings, and more. Many historians consulted him for his research on James Dolan, John Tunstall, Emil Fritz, and lesser-known key players of the Lincoln County War.
The material from the Lincoln County Clerk's office, photocopied by Ketring during the 1960s and 1970s, fills in a gap of documents that subsequently disappeared from the courthouse. Ketring collected his research material in binders, and more than 20 linear feet of material was given to NMSU by Ketring's son. Lewis died on March 2, 2017, in Tucson, Arizona. Upon his death, the collection was in the care of his son, Lewis Alvin Ketring III of Tucson, Arizona. Mr. Ketring III passed the materials on to the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder's Office to evaluate them and determine if there were copies of some of the missing documents. Historian Roberta Haldane, working with former Lincoln County Clerk Rhonda Burrows, inventoried the collection before passing it on to the NMSU Archives and Special Collections.
Extent
24.75 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Research collection of Lewis Alvin Ketring Jr. contains photocopies of documents about Lincoln County and the Lincoln County War. Much of the material was copied during the 1960s and 1970s from documents held in the Lincoln County Clerk and Recorder's Office. A portion of the original materials subsequently disappeared from the clerk's office, making the photocopies the only extant record of the material. The collection also contains original papers of Mr. Ketring, including research notes, correspondence, and photographs pertaining to the Lincoln County War. Also included in the collection are the research papers of Robert N. Mullin, also a noted researcher and author on the topic of the Lincoln County War.
Separated Materials
Two books were removed from the collection and were cataloged and added to Special Collections:
Lieutenant Colonel N.A.M. Dudley Court of Inquiry, Fort Stanton, New Mexico 1879 by R. M Barron. (four- volumes)
Murders, Hangings, Homicides, Lynchings and More in Graham County from 1877 to Present, by Danny Haralson
Processing Information
Teddie Moreno and Isabel Lopez
- Title
- Guide to the Lewis A. Ketring, Jr. collection of Lincoln County research
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Teddie Moreno
- Date
- February 15, 2022
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the New Mexico State University Library Archives and Special Collections Repository