79th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, House Concurrent Resolution 9 (open access)

79th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, House Concurrent Resolution 9

Concurrent resolution introduced by the Texas House of Representatives and Senate honoring Green Acres Baptist Church in Tyler on its 50th anniversary.
Date: May 5, 2005
Creator: Texas. Legislature. House of Representatives.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
79th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, Senate Joint Resolution 40 (open access)

79th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, Senate Joint Resolution 40

Joint resolution introduced by the Texas Senate and House of Representatives proposing a constitutional amendment clearing land titles by relinquishing and releasing any state claim to sovereign ownership or title to interest in certain land.
Date: May 11, 2005
Creator: Texas. Legislature. Senate.
Object Type: Legislative Document
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car Axle Box. (open access)

Car Axle Box.

Patent for a new and improved car-axle box. This design "consists in an improved cap for the box, a dust guard or plate, and packing for the same, the object being to render the axle-box dust and oil tight" (lines 14-17).
Date: May 30, 1882
Creator: Scott, James O.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Apparatus for Filling Bottles. (open access)

Apparatus for Filling Bottles.

Patent for an "apparatus for filling bottles with crude petroleum, turpentine, and other liquids; and its object is to provide an improved construction which shall possess superior advantages with respect to efficiency in operation" (lines 14-19).
Date: May 5, 1896
Creator: McKay, Felix Early
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton Chopper. (open access)

Cotton Chopper.

Patent for a new and improved cotton cutter. This design consists in "the combination [of] the two-part shaft having bearings in the frame and supported on the wheels of [a] removable wheel, secured upon the end of [a] portion and having the spokes and cups at the ends thereof, arranged to operate between the adjustable plows" (lines 62-68).
Date: May 31, 1881
Creator: Smith, Joseph F.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Vehicle-Brake. (open access)

Vehicle-Brake.

Patent for improved vehicle brakes, and the "object is to arrange the brake shoes so that when applied they will bear on the wheels slightly below a point on a line drawn horizontally through the center of the wheel, whereby a greater brake power is obtained with less force exerted, and further, to so construct and arrange the brake shoes that during the backing of a team for any purpose the brakes will automatically release themselves and not bear upon the wheels to interfere with said backing." (Lines 21-31) Includes instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 7, 1895
Creator: Christian, John R.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Process of Obtaining a Lubricant From the Cactus- Plant (open access)

Process of Obtaining a Lubricant From the Cactus- Plant

Patent for as a new article of manufacture gelatinous material or product obtained from the cactus-plant suitable for use as a lubricant.
Date: May 4, 1886
Creator: Marshall, Edward, S. & Savage, Robert W.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Attorney General Opinion: V-1456 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: V-1456

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Price Daniel, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Legality of using County Permanent Improvement Funds to erect a livestock building at East Texas Fair grounds on land owned by the City of Tyler.
Date: May 14, 1952
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Texas Attorney General Opinion: JC-506 (open access)

Texas Attorney General Opinion: JC-506

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, John Cornyn, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Smith County Commissioners Court violates the Open Meetings Act, chapter 551 of the Government Code, if it permits the Smith County Auditor to attend a meeting closed to consult with the county's attorney regarding pending litigation or settlement options, and related questions (RQ-0470-JC)
Date: May 24, 2002
Creator: Texas. Attorney-General's Office.
Object Type: Text
System: The Portal to Texas History
Car-Door Cleat. (open access)

Car-Door Cleat.

Patent for certain new and useful improvements in car door cleats or guards, including instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 30, 1899
Creator: Miller, William M.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Buckle (open access)

Buckle

Patent for an improved buckle that will hold straps in place, particularly those straps with irregularly sized and spaced openings.
Date: May 29, 1901
Creator: Pool, Robert C.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Animal-Trap (open access)

Animal-Trap

Patent for a foot trap for catching animals known for their furs that will prevent the animal from gnawing the trap or his foot off.
Date: May 9, 1911
Creator: Roberson, Elige L.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Burial Apparatus (open access)

Burial Apparatus

Patent for improvements in burial apparatus, relating particularly to linings and coverings for graves, which are designed to do away with all appearance of earth or dirt in the placing of caskets or coffins in the ground.
Date: May 7, 1901
Creator: Spear, William
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Spring Support For Vehicle Tops (open access)

Spring Support For Vehicle Tops

Patent for a spring support for vehicle tops. Illustration included.
Date: May 31, 1904
Creator: Martin, Edward Gale; Miller, Joseph Sherman & Hurt, William Hurt
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Nutcracker. (open access)

Nutcracker.

Patent for a nut cracking device.
Date: May 13, 1913
Creator: Gradick, Wiley N.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Cotton-Boll Picker (open access)

Cotton-Boll Picker

Patent for an improvement to cotton ball harvesters.
Date: May 11, 1915
Creator: Hewitt, Daniel
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Automatic Time-Check for Oil-Presses and Other Machines (open access)

Automatic Time-Check for Oil-Presses and Other Machines

Patent for a device that records the time in which a machine is in operation and in which it is idle to check the efficiency of the workmen and the work plant as a whole.
Date: May 11, 1915
Creator: Bell, Thomas
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Type-Writer Line-Shift. (open access)

Type-Writer Line-Shift.

Patent for line shifter attachment for typewriter which makes it possible for the typewriter to print characters above or below the standard line of print. This attachment makes the typewriter useful for taking stenographic notes.
Date: May 30, 1916
Creator: Byrne, Henry E.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Fender. (open access)

Fender.

Patent for a device "to be secured to the prow of a ship or vessel and which projects forwardly therefrom for the purpose of protecting the vessel against injury from a collision" (lines 13-16) including instructions and illustrations.
Date: May 4, 1915
Creator: Barton, Charles H.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Adjustable Flat Die. (open access)

Adjustable Flat Die.

Patent for improved adjustable flat dies which provide different sizes of cutting dies to the cutting device.
Date: May 10, 1921
Creator: Wright, John G.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Combination Lock and Jack. (open access)

Combination Lock and Jack.

Patent for a combination lock and jack to prevent automobile theft. The jack locks the operating levers of an automobile to prevent them from moving, and the lock prevents its removal. The jack can also be detached and collapse for easy storage.
Date: May 5, 1919
Creator: Brittain, William Franklin
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Ink-Bottle (open access)

Ink-Bottle

Patent for an ink bottle with screw threads allowing it to be screwed and unscrewed into a holder or desk; ink bottle can also be removed for cleaning or filling.
Date: May 10, 1921
Creator: Kayser, Mary Louise
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History
Locomotive Driving-Box. (open access)

Locomotive Driving-Box.

Patent for improvements in locomotive driving boxes. Designed to "eliminate the necessity of removing the driving wheels" (lines 13-14) to replace the crown brasses, "eliminate the necessity of removing the driving box" (lines 16-17) to avoid lateral wear, and eliminates the necessity of expensive machine work.
Date: May 4, 1920
Creator: Simmons, Arthur, W.
Object Type: Patent
System: The Portal to Texas History