Bessie Owen Collection

Bessie Owen Collection The Bessie Price Owen collection is the result of a long life animated by curiosity about the past and its effects upon the present and therefore the future, as well as a deep love of the local community. Catherine Elizabeth (Bessie) Price Owen was the product of two Texas pioneer families with deep roots in the American experience which grounded her respect for heritage and faith. She was born on the family farm in 1913, the oldest child and only girl of Morgan Grigsby Price, a third generation Montgomery County farmer, and Linda Abernathy Paine Price a well-educated local schoolteacher. Bessie was educated in the Montgomery school system and then Texas Women's University where she earned her bachelor's degree and then later an MA from Sam Houston State University. She taught in Dobbin and later Montgomery from 1933 until 1979. She married R. Smith Owen, a local rancher and business owner in 1935 and they built a home on property purchased from her parents. Her enthusiasm as a teacher ignited an interest in Texas and local history within generations of students in both school districts. She was active in the Methodist church and Eastern Star as well as many local history groups. Her interest in history coupled with her experience in research, writing and public speaking naturally resulted in her becoming a great resource concerning particularly local Montgomery history. She collected pictures, documents and antiques related to local events, families, buildings, and industries as they concerned the development of the community. All the while sharing her discoveries with a wide network of family, friends, and colleagues and so digitizing and sharing her information to a wider audience via the internet is just a logical next step. Her love and enthusiasm for local history continues in a new age


 * Box 2 Bessie Owen Collection
 * History Taskforce Website
 * History Taskforce facebook page

Texas, United States Genealogy Montgomery County, Texas Genealogy