Columbia Manuscript Collections

Autobiography of a lawyer, U.S. senator from Missouri, radical Republican, and principal author of the Missouri State Constitution of 1865, the "Draconian Code."

Correspondence, receipts, estate papers of Benjamin Ely, and military papers of Joshua S. Ely of Ralls County, Missouri.

Business correspondence and miscellaneous papers of Coffin and Weld, merchants in Boston, Massachusetts. Most letters are from the Franklin and Perry mercantile firm in St. Louis.

Correspondence, family papers, miscellaneous legal papers, accounts, and record books of Thomas Fristoe, a Baptist clergyman in Chariton, Missouri. Tax receipts of Jordan Bentley, 1848-1871. Record book of marriages performed by Thomas Fristoe, 1827-1871.

The Guitar collection is comprised of correspondence, military papers, account books and ledgers, and a scrapbook generated by Union Army General Odon Guitar.

Ledger and account books of a Columbia, Missouri, merchant.

Business accounts and receipts, tax receipts, correspondence, legal papers, deeds, and church repair pledge lists.

Reports on historic landmarks and events, obituaries of deceased members, records, and correspondence of the association.

Land records, correspondence, and miscellaneous papers of James Keyte, a Methodist preacher, merchant, and founder of Brunswick and Keytesville in Chariton County.

Correspondence, diaries, and papers of Charles B. France, a St. Joseph, Missouri, banker, and his family. Includes references to the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gold Rush, and travel to the West and East Coast. Contains letter book of Overland Stage Lines.

The papers contain the personal and business papers of the Leonard family of Fayette, Missouri, including correspondence, deeds, legal cases, bills, accounts, receipts, and Missouri Militia correspondence. Abiel Leonard was a lawyer, farmer, landowner and prominent Whig, who served on the Missouri Supreme Court.

Letters to wife from California gold fields and while on duty with Missouri State Militia during the Civil War, describing encounters with guerrilla forces, battles, and personal relations with fellow soldiers; letters about his dismissal from job with Railway Mail Service and about his Civil War pension claim.

Correspondence, bills, accounts, and business and legal papers about the printing and newspaper business in Missouri.

Correspondence (several letters in German with translations); business and legal papers; and receipts.

Family letters and business correspondence concerning real estate in Utica, Missouri; memoranda; personal accounts; and legal papers of Willard J., John C., and Lucius McCoy.

Correspondence, legal papers, bills, receipts, and other miscellaneous items of the McGready Family of Potosi, Missouri.

Receipts, legal papers, business and personal correspondence of J.P. McGuire.

Personal and business correspondence of a merchant in Appleton and Clinton, MO, who also served as a representative in the Missouri General Assembly, curator of the University of Missouri, deputy U.S. marshal, and colonel in the Civil War.

Correspondence and miscellaneous personal and business papers of a Saline County, Missouri, farmer, businessman, lieutenant governor, and governor of Missouri.

Records created by the Captain and 1st lieutenant, including invoices of ordnance or equipment, reports of quartermaster's property received or lost, special requisitions and legal papers issued to and by Company K of the 1st Missouri Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army.

Correspondence and papers of Henry T. Mudd of Kirkwood and St. Louis, MO. Mudd was a businessman; politician, member of the Missouri General Assembly, delegate to the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1875, and a curator of the University of Missouri.

Correspondence and papers of Paul Paquin, Missouri state veterinarian and founder of the pathology and hygiene laboratories in the Missouri State University before the main building burned in 1892. Includes letters to and from his assistants, stock-raisers, and business acquaintances.

Business and personal correspondence, miscellaneous papers, and genealogical material.

The papers of James S. Rollins, a Boone County, Missouri, lawyer, politician, businessman, and curator of University of Missouri include correspondence with family, business and political associates, and George Caleb Bingham and other friends. The papers cover state, national, and Whig party politics from 1830 through the 1880s, the Civil War in Missouri, internal improvements and the North Missouri Railroad, and education at University of Missouri.

The papers of John Sappington consist of correspondence and miscellaneous papers, largely concentrating on Sappington’s anti-fever medicine business. The collection also includes correspondence and papers of William B. Sappington, Erasmus D. Sappington, and Claiborne Fox Jackson.

The papers of George R. Smith contain correspondence, miscellaneous personal and business papers, and speeches of a Sedalia, Missouri, lawyer and businessman. Smith was influential in the establishment of the Missouri Pacific Railway.

Correspondence, letterbooks, and official papers of a professional soldier, who served in Florida and on the Canadian front and later was commander of the 9th Military Department at Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, MO. From 1818 to 1829 Smith was receiver of public monies at the land office in Franklin, MO.

Civil War memoir, correspondence, business and legal papers, family genealogies, and miscellaneous papers of M. Jeff Thompson. Thompson was a civil engineer, a railroad and real estate promoter, mayor of St. Joseph, MO, and a brigadier general in the Confederate Army.

The papers contain correspondence and legal papers of Philip R. Van Frank, a resident of Murphysboro, Illinois.

The papers of Robert Thompson Van Horn contain correspondence and miscellaneous papers of a Kansas City journalist who served as a lieutenant colonel with the 25th Regiment of Missouri Volunteers, as mayor of Kansas City, and as a U.S. congressman.

The papers of Eugene Morrow Violette contain papers collected by a professor of history in Missouri and Louisiana concerning land claims in the Louisiana Territory, 1806-1808; transcript of the inquest of the 5th Circuit Court of Missouri into charges against Joseph Smith, Jr., and other Mormons in Missouri, 1838; papers concerning the Missouri and Mississippi Railroad; and miscellaneous note cards.

The papers contain oaths of loyalty, 1862-1866, and miscellaneous papers, 1819-1905.

The papers contain the correspondence and business papers of a Bowling Green, Missouri, school teacher, county official, postmaster, and civil engineer.

The papers of the St. Louis businessman, writer, and historian contain correspondence, scrapbooks, book sale announcements, and miscellaneous materials, with an emphasis on St. Louis and Missouri history.

Family correspondence, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous typed notes on Breckenridge genealogy and the Breckenridges' historic role in early American and Missouri history. Related families, Presbyterian Church history. Majority of correspondence between Adella B. Moore, Herman F. Harris, and James M. Breckenridge.

Correspondence and miscellaneous papers concerning the contested gubernatorial election of 1940. Candidates were Lawrence McDaniel and Forrest C. Donnell.

Papers of a U.S. district attorney, receiver for the Kansas City Railways Company, and Democratic nominee for governor of Missouri in 1928 and 1932, who died a month before the election of 1932. Also papers concerning his father, R.P.C. Wilson, I.

Correspondence and papers of a doctor who specialized in the treatment of the "feebleminded" and epileptic who was superintendent of the Missouri State Colony for the Feeble-Minded and Epileptic in Marshall, Missouri, from 1912-1920, 1933-1940, and 1949-1953. The institution is now called the Marshall Habilitation Center.

Papers of a Springfield, MO, lawyer active in Democratic Party politics, who served as assistant secretary of commerce in Franklin Roosevelt's first administration. Material concerns family affairs, law practice with emphasis on county indebtedness, Ozark land speculation, and Democratic politics on the state and national levels.

Annual reports of county and district agents of the Extension Service, 1912-1969, and annual reports of extension activities of UMC, UMKC, Lincoln University, UMR, UMSL and university-wide offices, 1960-1979.

Congressional papers and correspondence of Philip Allen Bennett (1881-1942) and his son and successor, Marion T. Bennett. M.T. Bennett served from 1943 to 1948. His committees were Census, Territories, Veterans, and Foreign and Interstate Commerce.

Records and papers from the office of the College of Arts and Science.

Papers of Raymond L. Weeks containing primarily correspondence regarding his academic career in Romance languages, philology, and phonetics at the universities of Michigan, Missouri, and Illinois; and Columba University in New York City. Royalty statements, postcards, poetry, photographs, newspaper clippings, and articles and scholarly writings concerning languages make up the rest of the collection.

Correspondence and other papers of judge advocate general who administered Selective Service in World War I, served as ambassador to Cuba, and, after his retirement from public life, advised sugar interests.

The collection contains a history of Germans in the state of Missouri. Also included are miscellaneous letters and programs.

The collection contains an invoice book of a general store in Austin, Texas, and one unidentified photograph of a farm scene.

The letter book contains correspondence of a general store in Boonville, Missouri.

The ledger contains the records of the W.G. Boney and I.O. Goddard, dealers in hardware, tinware, stoves, and harness and farm implements in Jacksonville, Randolph County, Missouri.

Submitted and transcribed by Gard Lathrop, 21 July 1866, for John F. Baker, sheriff, Boone County, MO.

Hotel registers listing names of guests, their residence, destination and remarks about those registering.

Typescript photocopy of diary of a woman from Miami, Missouri, including descriptive observations on the themes of home, family, and religion, as well as the impact of the Civil War on life in her own community and region.

Translated by William G. Bek from the second edition, Leipzig, 1884. Heinrich Bornstein resided in Germany and Austria, where he was a theatre director and European correspondent for American newspapers. His memoirs were written in 1879-1880, and first appeared in serial form in the Sunday supplement of ILLINOIS STAATSZEITUNG, Chicago, IL.

John S. Phelps (1814-1886) served in the Missouri state legislature, 1840-1841, in Congress, 1845-1863, and as governor of Missouri, 1877-1881. Collection contains two volumes of notes and a typescript volume (74 pp.).

A record of 373 marriages solemnized by C.H. Briggs, primarily in Pettis and Greene counties, MO.

Papers of Paul J. O'Gorman who served in the 128th Missouri Field Artillery, Battery B, 60th Brigade, 35th Division during World War I. The papers consist of correspondence, a pocket diary, a paybook, and a 1919 photograph of O'Gorman.

Vol. 1 Dutchess County, NY, 1861. Vol. 2 Calhoun County, MI, 1868-1869. Brown moved to Hamilton, Caldwell County, MO, in 1873.

Henry J. Brown, son of George I. Brown, was a farmer near Hamilton, Caldwell County, MO. Vol. 1 Battle Creek, MI, 1871. Vol. 2 Battle Creek, MI, and Caldwell County, MO, 1873. Vol. 3 Battle Creek, MI, 1874.

Personal experiences of William Bull during his military career, 1860-1880, especially the period of the Civil War.

Reminiscences of life in Virginia, Kentucky, and Clinton County, MO.

Abstract of oaths filed in conformity with requirements of 7th section of 2nd article of the new constitution.

Description of stray cattle with no markings, appraised, valued, signed by justices of the peace, and recorded by deputy clerks for those claiming the cattle.

St. Louis Hotel, Jefferson City, MO, George W. Capell, proprietor.

Minutes of meetings of the mayor and board of councilmen of Carrollton, Carroll County, MO, 9 May 1860-11 May 1861.

Record of a general store located in Fayette, MO.

Registers and membership lists. Vol. 1, 1888-1927. Vol. 2, 1927-1945.

Record of a Farmington, MO, merchant.

Records of a Spring Garden, Miller County, MO, merchant.

Lists consist of property, enslaved people, cash, and notes held by those assessed.

Records of the church from its beginning as the South St. Louis Mission (German Methodist) in 1844 to 1981. Includes quarterly conference reports and minutes; membership, baptism, and marriage records; church board and organization meeting minutes; Sunday School records; some financial records; and photographs.

Information pertaining to cases presented in the court, including the names of the parties involved; date of judgment; nature of action; amounts of debts, damages, and costs; and the manner of satisfaction. Cases are listed alphabetically, and chronologically within, for the most part.

Temperance society organized in 1878. Vol. 1, Constitution and signers, 1878;
Vol. 2, Record book, 1878-1879.

Set of formulae prepared by Robert Patterson of Philadelphia for Lewis to use in determining geographical locations by astronomical observation. Also includes a "sketch given us by Yallept, the principal chief of the Wollah-wollah nation," and a drawing, probably by Lewis, Microfilm copy available for loan.

Notes on Clark's second journey to New Orleans from a starting point in Ohio, 9 March to 16 June 1798, thence from New Orleans to Kentucky, arriving 24 December 1798. Notebook also includes memorandum of distances and expenses on a journey from Kentucky to Philadelphia and back, 1801, and a map of the Mississippi River. Microfilm copy available for loan.

Journal of a trip from St. Louis, MO, to Washington, D.C. It contains the list of debts due by Clark; the trip expenses from St. Louis, MO, and Louisville, KY; a memorandum of instruction by Meriwether Lewis with a list of private debts; and memoranda of drafts and transactions with Indian agencies. Microfilm copy available for loan.

A public account book of William Clark's, April 1819-1 March 1825, used while he was governor of Missouri Territory and U.S. Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Microfilm copy available for loan.

This book contains rules for Indian agents and lists of 134 drafts drawn between 5 April 1826 and 6 June 1831. Microfilm copy available for loan.

List of free people of color who lived in Clay County, Missouri, during the period 8 February 1836 to 7 January 1856.

Contains miscellaneous notes and clippings of political and historical interest, with a few scattered accounts.

Allen V. Cockrell resided in Washington, D.C., where he wrote a weekly column published in various Missouri newspapers.

Vol. 1, Correspondence with Senator J.W. Fulbright, Governor Sid McMath and interested citizens about establishment of a national military park on the battlefield site of Pea Ridge, and a history of the battle. Vol. 2, Correspondence and materials relating to the Battle of Pea Ridge.

Family reports listing name, age, occupation, weekly earnings and color of husband, wife, children, married children at home, and others living with the family. Reverse side lists date and/or age at marriage, deaths within the year, property owned, amount owed, housing and sanitary conditions, education, family expenditures, and previous residence. Most questions were answered in full. Arranged alphabetically by family name.

Vol. 1, District No. 1, J.C. Kooby, assessor. Vol. 2, District No. 2, Thomas E. Rochester, assessor. Vol. 3, District No. 3, Jesse McFarland, assessor. Vol. 4, District No. 5, James L. Bell, assessor.

Court docket includes a roll of attorneys and dates admitted.

The collection contains a description of stray cattle with no brands, appraised, valued, signed by justices of the peace, and recorded by deputy clerks for those claiming the cattle.

A schoolteacher's record of personal expense while attending college. Records he kept at the various schools where he taught and notes on the weather and subjects taught.

Record book contains information related to early church history and membership, including names of members and dates for marriages and deaths. Other entries include an extensive list of those who became members after S.M. Martin's 1890 revival meeting and the church's position in an adultery case. Church minutes for 1879 to 1903.

The collection contains accounts of a general merchandise store in Utica, Missouri.

The collection contains arithmetic problems filled in by David Lynch in 1824.

Register of guests at the Arrow Rock Tavern and index of names in alphabetical order. Copied from original by Elizabeth Benton Chapter, D.A.R., Kansas City, MO.

Includes proceedings of the Board of Trustees, 1840-1875, poll records, accounts, assessment of real estate, and expenditures.

Obadiah Ashbrook of St. Louis, MO, and James P. Harris of Boone County, MO, established a stock dealers' firm August 8, 1865. The partnership was dissolved January 1, 1868.

Baird was assignee of H.G. Brunt, Boonville, MO. Book contains his accounts for May-June 1857, and the Cooper County, MO, grand jury records, March Term 1869-October Term 1872.

Minutes of the recorder of land titles. Frederick Bates served as recorder until his election as governor of Missouri, 1824. Copied from original book obtained from St. Louis city hall.

Certified by Joseph N. McGee, clerk of the county court of Daviess County, 10 October 1857, and filed in his office by the assessor.

Diary, September 30-October 25, 1825, of a member of the party appointed by President John Quincy Adams to survey and mark a road to Santa Fe. Gives account of return trip from the Mexican border. Negative and positive copies.

Record of personal expenses and business transactions of a Jefferson City, MO, doctor, 1870-1879. Also letters to his brother Willie, 1881-1887.

A book to indicate receipt of goods freighted to various towns away from the river. DeHaven, Wing & Co., a Boonville, MO, firm, shipped goods to numerous towns in Missouri.

Records of an organization founded for the relief of children with disabilities.

Diary covers a trek from the Big Blue River to the California gold fields by a Canton, MO, man.

Original diary in possession of Mrs. Gus Condo, Marion, IN.

Personal account books kept by James Madison Faris (1823-1904) and James William Faris (1852-1928), of Carrollton, MO; also records of marriages, births, and deaths and muster rolls of Captain D. Hoover's company of Carroll County Provisional Militia, 1864-1865.