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Nesbitt Memorial Library

The Nesbitt Family

Lee Quinn Nesbitt, daughter of William Lawrence and Ludell (Quinn) Nesbitt, was born October 14, 1894 and died June 24, 1986. She never married, and was rarely photographed. She was buried in Harris County, Texas.

She spent her life teaching school, and, especially after her father died, helping to run the family's pharmacy. She became devoted to researching and recording local history and genealogy, and to collecting dolls. After her sister died in 1952, she fell heir to a substantial fortune. Nonetheless, she lived so frugally that most people believed her to be impecunious. In her later years, she decided to use her money to construct a new library for the city.
William Lawrence Nesbitt, son of Joseph Burton and Margaret (Sheriff) Nesbitt, was born March 7, 1869 and died March 4, 1944. His wife, the former Ludell Quinn, was born December 22, 1869 and died April 29, 1943. Her parents were Charles D. and Jamima (Green) Quinn. They are both buried in Harris County, Texas. They had two children, both daughters: Lee Quinn Nesbitt and Laurie Dell Nesbitt.

Laurie Dell Nesbitt, sister of Lee Nesbitt, was born November 5, 1900 and died October 28, 1952. Like her sister, she never married and was buried in Harris County, Texas.

Nesbitt's Drug Store was on Milam Street in downtown Columbus.
Facts about the Nesbitts:

Joseph Burton Nesbitt was born July 29, 1833 and died July 16, 1905. Margaret (Sheriff) Nesbitt was born in 1849 and died in 1936. Both are buried in Fort Bend County, Texas

Joseph Burton Nesbitt served as a private in Company A, 10th Texas Infantry, a unit of the Confederate States Army.

William Lawrence Nesbitt operated a drug store in Richmond, Texas, before moving to Columbus.

Lee Quinn Nesbitt was elected to membership in the Institute of American Genealogy in 1934.

On January 8, 1979, Lee Nesbitt was given a lifetime membership on the board of the Nesbitt Memorial Library by the City of Columbus. After the library opened, two months later, and for the next few years, she worked at the library as a volunteer on Saturday mornings.