Oversize Items

The papers document the life of Warren Barrios Wilson, attorney and former CEO of Thomas Bros. Maps in Oakland, California.  The papers encompass 3.0 linear feet of personal papers, items from his legal career, as well as collected items from Thomas Bros. Maps and the Thomas Bros. Maps Educational Foundation.

The personal papers include writings, journals, correspondence, photographs, audiovisual materials, and collected news clippings. Of particular note, the portraits and photographs of family members in the provide visual aids for Wilson's writing about his family history and Creole heritage. His writing discusses his family's migration from New Orleans, Louisiana, and Pensacola, Florida, to Oakland, California.  Apart from writings about his family history, there are collected poems, including his published work, entitled The Triad: Touch Stones in Poetic Verse. Also of interest are collected items that highlight the success of Warren Wilson's brother, Lionel Wilson, who was a judge and the first African American Mayor of Oakland, California.

The papers from Warren Wilson's legal career primarily discuss a trip he took to Magnolia, Mississippi, in 1965 with a group of attorneys from San Francisco to collect testimony for a case by the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party that challenged the election of several Congressmen.  The documents include a summary of disposition that summarizes the testimony of several residents of Magnolia who became a target for white residents because of their attempts to register to vote and their commitment to organizing and educating others how to register to vote.  Of particular note, Warren Wilson's "Mississippi Diary" includes collected news clippings, correspondence, and his personal reflection on his trip to Mississippi.

Additionally, a large portion of the papers includes collected items from Thomas Bros. Maps and the Thomas Bros. Maps Educational Foundation, with which Warren Wilson served as the Corporate Executive Officer.  In relation to Thomas Bros. Maps, the materials include biographical materials about Warren Wilson, as well as organizational documents, including the history of the company, the company's mission, newsletters, and lists of employees and board members.  The papers also include items from the Thomas Bros. Maps Educational Foundation. The items include correspondence to the Executive Director, Beth Cantrell, as well as incoming correspondence from elementary school students thanking the Educational Foundation.  The majority of the materials from the Foundation include publications from their urban geography project called "Community Treasures," which sought to involve school and youth groups across the state of California to create pride and promote urban geography around important locations and features of local communities across California.

The Warren Wilson papers are valuable in expanding understanding of Creole heritage and diaspora within the United States.  A particular strength of the collection is the bound diaries created by Wilson, which present his personal reflections on monumental events that influenced his life and career.  Although his bound diaries pull together important documents and correspondence, the correspondence is limited throughout the papers.  Additionally, the legal papers are primarily limited to his involvement in the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party case and do not expand on his broader legal career in Oakland.