The William Aloysisus Keleher Papers have, more or less, covered almost all the memorable events and celebrations of William Aloysius Keleher and his family, ranging from 1714 to 1999. The main source of this information was William himself. Therefore, it is pretty safe to opine that the papers are authentic, and does not contain any false information whatsoever.



The collection contained different kind of materials belonging to the history of New Mexico. William A. Keleher, a historian himself, conducted extensive research on the territorial era of the state and came up with impressive findings. As a high profile citizen of the state in his time, William A. Keleher's sincere efforts and deeds helped shape the modern condition of the particular area. A big chunk of the documents pertaining to his research, career and various interests have been included in this impressive collection. The collection is tagged as MSS 742 BC and it comes in 40 boxes that are just over twenty five cubic feet. The languages used were English and Spanish.

Regarding the restrictions, it has been mentioned that the collection is open to all for research purposes. However, the copy restrictions are a little stringent. Only limited duplication of the manuscript and print materials are permitted for research. The Keleher family still owns every right to the writings of W.A. Keleher and his successors. For all copyright compliance, the user and researcher will be held responsible.

The collection mainly includes documents engendered or gathered by William A. Keleher and his predecessors/successors. A big chunk of the material belongs to his business and civil activities in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The W.A. Keleher collection is categorized into two series, 1) W.A. Keleher papers and 2) Keleher Family Papers.

The literary works within the William A. Keleher papers include edited manuscripts, related materials, drafts/revisions and correspondence with publishers regarding editing tasks. The sub-series include documents like scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, drafts, invoice etc. that were related to William A. Keleher's literary works. The files have important information from the highly acclaimed Keleher books (Violence in Lincoln County, Memoirs, The Fabulous Frontier etc).

There are also miscellaneous short writings and speeches in the collection: William A. Keleher not only made his point of view known through his full length manuscripts, but also through the short writings and speeches. Being the golden son of New Mexico, he used to speak for groups throughout the state on a regular basis. The topics that were involved in the discourse ranged from historical issues to patriotism. His short-length writings included lengthier essays and newspaper articles, several of which were directly related to New Mexico history.

The Keleher Family Papers divulge information about Loretta Barrett (William A. Keleher's second wife) and their four sons (Thomas, John, Michael and Will). Furthermore, information about William A. Keleher's parents, siblings and other relatives are also found there. The materials include clippings, correspondence and genealogy information on the Keleher and Barrett families. Special invitation cards give us a brief idea about the social lifestyle in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Kelehers' level of participation in the community and affiliation with elite citizens from 1950 to 1990 are also known from there. The Keleher Family Papers confirm that the family owns several properties in the Albuquerque area, most notably – Mandell Business Addition, Buena Vista Addition and Huning Castle Addition.

The William A. Keleher papers are indeed an asset. Not only to the family members, researchers or historians, but also to the state since William A. Keleher was inextricably related to Albuquerque, New Mexico all his life. The papers have opened new dimensions to the historian, who will now be able to unearth invaluable information regarding Keleher and early 1900s history, social culture, lifestyle etc. The papers have faithfully served as a solid proof of W.A. Keleher's outstanding deeds and achievements. Not only that, they have revealed many interesting facts about New Mexico, hundred years back. In a nutshell, the William Aloysius Keleher Papers have been a resourceful collection that helped researchers to get a better understanding of the person, his family and New Mexico about a hundred years ago. It is really a matter of great surprise how the papers have managed to remain intact after hundreds of years.