Pennington Funeral Home ledgers

Collection

Identifier: 100.100-Pennington

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Materials in this collection consist of business records, including one cemetery ledger (1888-1900) and multiple funeral registers dating from 1902 to the mid-1940s that detail deaths in the Hays County and San Marcos, Texas area. Also included are a book titled Record and Bill of Items (1937-1944) and a Bureau of Vital Statistics Standard Certificate of Death (July – October 1924). Arranged chronologically by type of record.

Dates

1888-1944

Creator

Pennington Funeral Home (San Marcos, Tex.) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restriction. Because of the fragile nature of these ledgers, researchers should use digital surrogates in the Digital Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright may apply. The researcher has full responsibility for determining copyright status, obtaining permission to publish from copyright holders, and abiding by current copyright laws when publishing or displaying copies of Special Collections and Archives material in print or electronic form.

Biographical note

Pennington Funeral Home is a family-owned business in San Marcos, Texas, that began over a century ago with Mr. A.B. Rogers. The Pennington family purchased the funeral home in 1943 and three successive generations have run the business since.

The business was established in 1897 when Mr. A.B. Rogers opened A.B. Rogers Furniture and Coffins. In 1907, Rogers moved into a building at the corner of Hopkins and LBJ Drive and renamed the business as Undertakers and Furniture Store.

In the early 1930s, Rogers hired Willard A. Pennington, who married Edra Collier, the furniture store’s bookkeeper. The Penningtons purchased the funeral home business from Rogers in 1943, initially changing the name to Rogers-Pennington Funeral Home. After five years, the business was renamed Pennington Funeral Home and in 1956 it moved to its present location at 323 North Comanche.

In 1961, Willard and Edra’s son, Bill Pennington, joined the business as a Funeral Director and Embalmer. Ten years later, Bill and his wife, Linda, acquired the business. In 1998, Kristin Pennington Wingard joined her parents as a Funeral Director and pre-need counselor.

Source: Pennington Funeral Home website, History page

Extent

1.67 Linear Feet (Two half Hollinger boxes, 3 Hollinger boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Pennington Funeral Home is a family-owned business in San Marcos, Texas. This collection consist of business records, including one cemetery ledger (1888-1900) and multiple funeral registers dating from 1902 to the mid-1940s that detail deaths in the Hays County and San Marcos, Texas area.

Physical Location

Original materials may be stored off-site. Advance notice may be required for use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Acquisition of the Pennington Funeral Home records is a joint effort between the Pennington family and the University Archives to preserve the original materials and provide public access to the information contained within. Donated 2014 January.

Physical Description

Some ledgers are missing pages. For ledgers with damaged binding, pages were unbound prior to scanning and then individually sleeved to prevent further damage.