Columbia Manuscript Collections

Diaries kept by Lillian Bradford Dowler, a farm wife who grew up and lived in the Birch Tree community area in Shannon County, Missouri, her whole life. The diaries date from 1928 to 1995 and document family life and daily activities on the farm. Collection also includes transcriptions.

Papers of a University of Missouri School of Journalism graduate who spent much of her career working for NBC's Meet the Press from 1956-1998. She held several positions at Meet the Press and retired from the show as executive producer.

Collection of folklore oral histories done by students of MU English instructor Raymond Summerville includes transcripts and audio of oral history interviews. Also included in the collection is an ethnography of the Broadway Diner, Columbia, MO.

A color 16mm film produced by Shelter Insurance depicting Sidney Larson painting a mural on the history of insurance at the company's headquarters in Columbia, Missouri, 1958-1959. Use DVD copy.

Audio tapes largely consisting of oral history interviews concerning the last hanging in Texas County and bootlegging. Also includes songs of Nancy Pittman.

Papers of an author, columnist, and landlord from Columbia, Missouri. Collection largely consists of material pertaining to his writings, including research, correspondence, and drafts. Also includes some family material, including correspondence and miscellaneous papers of Walter William Dalton.

Papers contain material pertaining to Schroeder's work with Missouri place name surveys involving Adolph E. Schroeder and Don Lance, as well as the founding of the Missouri Board of Geographic Names.

Papers of an employee of Service Pipeline Company from Odessa and Carrollton, Missouri, largely consist of personal account ledgers detailing daily expenses. Also included is a small amount of Service Pipeline and Standard Oil material and miscellaneous material.

Addition of two scrapbooks of the state organization. See also C3584.

Scrapbook of the state organization includes programs, clippings, and photographs.

Collection of sheet music largely from the Tin Pan Alley and early jazz eras. Also includes a few songs published by Missouri publishers and reprints in St. Louis newspapers.

The papers of V. Corinne Jackson, a schoolteacher from Arrow Rock, Missouri, include correspondence, programs, speeches, photographs, poems, diaries, scrapbooks, plays, audio cassettes, radio broadcasts, school and professional papers, and miscellaneous material from her life and work.

Newsletters, emails, correspondence, photographs, and miscellaneous administrative material of an organization for retirees and surviving spouses of the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Conservation Credit Union, and the Conservation Federation of Missouri.

The papers of a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and investigative reporter who worked for the Arizona Daily Star, Denver Post, and Santa Barbara News-Press. The papers include research for Weyermann's books The Gang They Couldn't Catch and Answer Them Nothing, as well as news articles, interviews on audiocassettes, and miscellaneous professional material.

Family and business papers of the Morrison family of Howard County, Missouri. Largely concerns Alfred Williams Morrison (1802-1883), as well as his sons, James P. and Preston E. Morrison.

The papers of a Brookfield, Missouri, businessman and developer include materials concerning the Consumer Public Services Company and the development of Markham Estates. The collection also includes numerous glass plate negatives documenting life at the turn of the twentieth century, likely in the Brookfield, Missouri, area.

The records of an organization devoted to promoting literacy throughout the state of Missouri include scrapbooks, minutes, yearbooks, president's notebooks, and miscellaneous material.

Glass color slides featuring cartoon advertisement for the Missouri Theatre, c. 1920s.

Addition of Lavinia Lenoir Nifong’s wills and material concerning the establishment of the Lenoir Memorial Home. See also C3656.

Addition of photographs taken at the 1996 fiddle camp and contest in Bethel, Missouri. Includes negatives, contact sheets, and digital scans on a computer disc. See also C3715.

Records of the school include note cards with student and instructor information, as well as course titles and the students enrolled in the course. Course titles include "Peace Tactics," "Beginning Crochet," "Hitchhiking Discussion," "Mysticism," and "Community Radio," among a variety of other counterculture subjects.

Papers of the Farrelly family of Allenton and St. Louis, Missouri, include correspondence, business papers, genealogy, photographs, poetry, religious material, and miscellaneous papers. The papers include material concerning Thomas Farrelly's life as a monk in Kentucky, Utah, and Israel. Also included is genealogical material concerning the related Linton and Gross families. The family farm in Allenton was called "Pinook."

Scrapbooks of Ruth Jones Scurlock who attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater and later lived in Columbia, Missouri.

Scrapbook of a woman from Palmyra, Missouri, concerning World War I and Russia, 1910s-1920s.

Photographs, awards, certificates, and miscellaneous papers of the director of the State Historical Society of Missouri (1960-1985). Includes some family material.

Music collection of Dan B. Hoagland consisting of spiral notebooks and musical scores composed by Hoagland, including "Black and Gold" and "Bengal Bandsman." Also includes an audio recording of "The Norseman" by the Hickman High School Band, 1970.

Collection of newspapers, clippings, reminiscences by former staff members, and miscellaneous material concerning the Overseas Weekly, an independent tabloid newspaper for American enlisted men. The newspaper was started in Germany in 1950 and later had a Pacific Edition during the Vietnam War, as well as a Stateside Edition in the 1970s.

Papers of a lawyer and state representative from Osceola, Missouri, largely consist of material concerning Harris's time in the state legislature in the 1960s.

Collection of family research files and obituaries of a professional genealogist from Marceline, Missouri, largely concerns Chariton, Linn, and surrounding counties.

Papers of a theatre professor at the University of Missouri largely concern his efforts to establish the Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.

Addition of poetry. See also C3899.

Addition of military research material, photographs, and miscellaneous material.

The papers of an artist, teacher, and curator of the State Historical Society of Missouri's art collection include newspaper clippings, correspondence, and research on Thomas Hart Benton, as well as records of Larson's restoration work on various Missouri murals. Also included are slides from Larson's art and art history lectures as a professor at Columbia College.

Structural drawings of a St. Louis structural engineer who worked with Frederick C. Taxis includes drawings mostly of Mid-Missouri buildings, including buildings at Stephens College and the University of Missouri. Also included are drawings done by Morris F. Marks. Many of the buildings were designed by the architects Jamieson and Spearl of St. Louis.

The papers of a non-fiction writer and poet include her writings, correspondence with Missouri literary figures, and research material, as well as material pertaining to her work within the Missouri literary community and her efforts to establish a Missouri Poet Laureate. Also includes the papers of her husband, Richard Hanson, who worked much of his career in Missouri state government, retiring as commissioner of administration, along with Hall and Hanson family papers and genealogical material.

Addition of family photographs and slides. Locations include Missouri, Colorado, New York, New Jersey, India, Thailand, and Europe. Includes World War II Navy photographs. Also includes scans of most images along with descriptions, publications, and personal and professional material of Louis G. Geiger and Mark Geiger.

Records of a bank in Bland, Missouri, include ledgers, journals, and a minute book.

The papers in this collection are a genealogical history of the Sappington family who were largely located in central Missouri with likely origins in Maryland, Georgia, and Mississippi.

Addition of yearbooks, programs, and miscellaneous material. See also C1172 and CA6745 preliminary inventory.

Speeches, clippings, biographical information, and miscellaneous material of a lawyer from Jefferson County who served as a Democratic U.S. Representative in the late 1920s to the early 1940s.

Records of the Lamine School in Cooper and Pettis Counties. The school was consolidated into the Smithton School District in 1952, at which point the community purchased the building and it became a community center. The records include minutes of the Lamine Community Club.

Addition of photographs, largely of airplanes and trains. See also C3004.

Scrapbook of a married couple who took an around-the-world trip in 100 days in 1937. Scrapbook includes notes, letters, photographs, brochures, Japanese newspapers (in English), and miscellaneous material. Also included are scans of the scrapbook and a video tour of artifacts collected by the Wellses. Lemen Wells taught anatomy at the University of Missouri in the 1930s and Elsie Burton Wells was a graduate of the university and wroked as a secretary for the YWCA.

Memory books belonging to a resident of Hannibal, Missouri, contain autographs, poetry, and notes from friends and family.

Correspondence, political material, and miscellaneous material of a family from Carroll and Randolph Counties, Missouri. Largely concerns Ralph F. Lozier, a U.S. Congressman, and his son, Lue Lozier, an attorney and judge.

The papers of Kenny Hulshof, an attorney and U.S. Representative, contain congressional papers from his time serving Missouri's 9th district from 1997-2009. The papers include subject files, committee files, constituent mail, schedules, photographs, audiovisual material, and some campaign material.

The papers of a journalist who worked for several newspapers, including the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Kansas City Star, Philadelphia Daily News, and Wisconsin State Journal, includes articles, correspondence, school papers, and miscellaneous professional material. Foley also founded the Violence Against Women Coalition (VAWC) after the death of her sister, Mary Foley, in 1988. The collection contains records of the organization.

Introduces and defines folk music, presenting examples from important periods in American history. The film was produced by Coronet Films, an educational film company.

The papers of a family from Boone County, Missouri, include photographs, greeting cards, a scrapbook, diary, school papers from Wade School in Boone County, and miscellaneous papers. Virgil West and Nadine Johnson were married in 1939 and had two children: Anita and Sherman.

Records of an honor society for women educators include membership materials, newsletters, yearbooks, a history of the chapter, and miscellaneous material.

The records of Missouri CAN, a statewide association of community action agencies, allies, and supporters who work to end poverty in Missouri, include newsletters, reports, correspondence, brochures, training materials, new releases, and project material. The organization was originally called Missouri Association for Community Action (MACA).

Records of a charcoal company operating in Argyle, Missouri, from 1949 to 1971 include correspondence, financial records, and insurance information.

Records of the organization include correspondence, reports, event files, space planning materials, photographs, materials on the National Women and Media Collection, and miscellaneous administrative material.

Scrapbooks and diploma of a student who graduated from Ashland High School in Boone County, Missouri, in 1931. Scrapbooks include photographs, report cards, commencement programs, and other material concerning Sapp's senior year.

Bottle labels largely for alcoholic beverages manufactured by Missouri businesses, including Stark Distillery Company in St. Louis and Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri.

The papers of a University of Missouri architectural professor and historian, who served as the director of the MU Museum of Art and Archaeology and was involved with historic preservation efforts, largely contain professional material, along with some personal material.

Two scrapbooks compiled by a resident of St. Joseph, Missouri, documenting his career in the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Volume 2 includes a 1930 photograph of the crowd and burning school building at the lynching of Raymond Gunn in Maryville which Wilson witnessed. The event inspired him to go into law enforcement.

Addition of annual meeting minutes, 1986-2015; board of trustee minutes, 2010-2016; sisterhood minutes, 1935-1986; and miscellaneous material. See also C3914.

The papers of Donald W. Reynolds, a journalist and founder of the Donrey Media Group, include correspondence, photographs, articles, biographical material, and audiovisual material. Reynolds was a University of Missouri alumni and the Reynolds Journalism Institute was named after him after the university received a grant from his foundation.

The records of MIDTESOL include newsletters, photographs, conference and business files, reports, and miscellaneous material.

Family Bible, photographs, correspondence, and miscellaneous geneological material of a family from St. Louis, Missouri, and Iowa. Includes photographs of James B. Eads and letters from Susannah Leonard to William Eads, Jr.

Tax lists include taxes assessed on both residents and non-residents of Ste. Genevieve County.

Interviews conducted with Harvey Wertz, an early graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and a long-time newspaperman.

The papers of a publishing family from Fulton, Missouri, who owned the Ovid Bell Press, contain correspondence, photographs, clippings, business records, family genealogy, and miscellaneous material. The collection largely pertains to Ovid K. Bell and his son, Ovid H. Bell.

Photographs, correspondence, and miscellaneous papers of the Gallaher family, largely of the Warrensburg, Missouri, area, 1880s-1960s. Contains material pertaining to related Bullion and Crawford families.

The papers of the Turner, Yates, and related families of Macon and Randolph Counties, Missouri, include genealogical research, photographs, publications, and miscellaneous material.

Handwritten and typed minutes of the association, as well as lists of lot sales for the Columbia Cemetery.

Documentary film produced by the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia featuring footage from the television program, "Dialogue With Litton." Collection includes the final product as well as raw footage from interviews conducted for the project.

Audio recordings of radio airchecks, station IDs, promos, and broadcasts collected by the Missouri Broadcasters Association as part of a pilot program for the Library of Congress’ Radio Preservation Task Force. The collection contains audio digitized by Missouri radio stations, along with some original recordings and other miscellaneous material.

Visitors' register for Missouri's dairy exhibition, 25 June-1 December 1904.

The papers of a UPI bureau chief in Jefferson City, Missouri, contain material from Missouri political campaigns on which Wolf served as press secretary.

Newsletters, photographs, clippings, company history, and miscellaneous material of a manufacturing plant that produced wheels and brakes.

The papers of a Methodist minister from Troy, Missouri, contain a transcription of his journals, along with correspondence, photographs, and miscellaneous material. Schroeder served churches in Georgia, Ohio, and Illinois, as well as Warren, Lincoln, St. Charles, and St. Louis Counties, Missouri. The collection also includes family material, including papers concerning his father, John Ernst Schroeder, a chiropractor who served in WWI.

The papers of a visual artist and poet who taught art at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, contain photographs, artwork, publications, business records, and miscellaneous material.

The records of the Missouri Century Farm Program contain applications, programs, clippings, and miscellaneous material. The program was created in 1975 to celebrate the U.S. Bicentennial. Beginning in 1986, the program was administered by the University of Missouri Extension. The Missouri Farm Bureau became a co-sponsor in 2008.

The papers of an historian specializing in Missouri history who attended the University of Missouri contain correspondence, scrapbooks, speeches, postcards, and miscellaneous material. Parrish taught at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, before becoming a professor at Mississippi State University.

Journals and miscellaneous material of a psychiatric nurse therapist and writer from Saline County, Missouri. The journals cover Raynor's frequent travels to London and include photographs, drawings, postcards, and ephemeral material.

Family papers, photographs, and illustrated biographical sketches concerning members of the Wright and related families of Boone County, Missouri, including J. Kelly Wright II, Rebecca Wright Crighton, and Paul Morris Wright.

Diaries and scrapbooks of a teacher and minister from Union, Missouri, and Lincoln, Nebraska.

The records of the organization include newsletters, meeting minutes, conference materials, financial records, membership records, slides, photographs, and miscellaneous administrative material.

Addition of papers of a prominent family from St. Louis and central Missouri includes correspondence, news clippings, genealogical material, and miscellaneous material.

Collection of photographs, films, awards, clippings, and miscellaneous material of the first State Forester of Missouri.

The records of Missourinet, a radio broadcasting network based in Jefferson City, Missouri, providing state news and sports coverage, largely contains sound recordings and material concerning the impeachment of Missouri Secretary of State Judith K. Moriarty. Also includes content from the organization’s Missouri Death Row website.

Schedules of Free Inhabitants, Slave Inhabitants, Mortality, Agriculture, Industry, and Social Statistics, 1860.

The papers of the Harris and Petrie families of Fayette, Missouri, largely contain photographs, along with a scrapbook and miscellaneous papers. The majority of the photographs date from the 1890s-1910s.

The papers contain a scrapbook largely concerning the Missouri Consitutional Convention of 1943-1944 and a certificate signed by Gov. Henry S. Caulfield naming the Missouri candidates to the Electoral College in 1932.

Letters, cards, clippings, drawings, photographs, and miscellaneous material documenting a decades-long pen pal friendship between the family of Diane Berry O'Hagan of Versailles and Columbia, Missouri, and the family of Hu Keng-Seng of China. The two became pen pals after World War II and reconnected in 1979 after more than 30 years.

Minute book of a local barber union, 1958-1980, along with a constitution and miscellaneous records. The union transferred membership to St. Louis in 1980 before merging with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 655.

Photographs and material related to the death of a World War I soldier from Cooper County, Missouri. Includes a larged framed portrait of Langkop and a copy of List of Mothers and Widows of American Soldiers, Sailors and Marines Entitled to Make a Pilgramage to the War Cemeteries in Europe.

The records of the Missouri School of Religion contain board meeting materials, newsletters, photographs, promotional material, and miscellaneous material.

The papers of a U.S. Senator include senatorial office files, correspondence, photographs, press material, memorabilia, and audiovisual material.

Addition of Bruner-Dixon family photographs. Primarily pertains to Columbia, Missouri. See also C4137.

Addition of a Civil War diary of a soldier from Sedalia, Missouri, who writes about his experiences in Kentucky and Virginia (now West Virginia). Includes the original diary and a transcript, as well as news clippings about Samuel C. Gold. See also C3653.

Material concerning German Methodist congregations in Missouri collected by a German Methodist minister.

The papers of a Methodist minister who worked in various locations throughout Missouri include funeral programs; sermons for funeral and weddings performed; presentations on the circuit rider Jacob Lanius; and work with the United Methodist Rural Fellowship and Town and Country Ministries. The collection also includes a small amount of material concerning the nursing career of his wife, Ellen Olmsted Kottwitz, as well as material concerning the Missouri Heifer Project and the International Farm Youth Exchange.

The collection contains research material, articles, photographs, and miscellaneous material largely concerning the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad collected by railroad enthusiast Jerry Pitts.

Images of various Missouri locations, including many in the St. Louis area, taken by an amateur photographer.

Photocopied memoirs of an immigrant who moved to Jefferson City, Missouri, from Germany in 1881. He became a music professor and co-founded the Jefferson City Conservatory. He later taught in Chicago and Virginia, before returning to Cole County, Missouri.

The papers of a Missouri state senator from Joplin contain correspondence, speeches, photographs, materials concerning inductions into the Hall of Famous Missourians, and audiovisual material.

The collection contains genealogies compiled by Ruth Stumpe Brent Tofle on the Stumpe family of Franklin County, Missouri, and related Horstick and Wagner families. Includes Dale Carnegie course material; information on Myrtle Wagner, Ruth Tofle, and Lester Stumpe; and miscellaneous material, 1908-2019.