Franklin

Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service Aerial Photographs, 1938-1979 (P0335)
107.5 linear feet

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

Missouri county aerial photographs produced by the Agriculture Stabilization and Conservation Service.

American Revolution Bicentennial, Missouri Committee for Agriculture Papers, 1974-1976 (C4276)
1.2 cubic feet (42 folders), 1 audio tape

 Finding Aid

The papers of the committee contain correspondence, newsletters, reports, updates, events awards programs, lists of elected members, historical information on “Centennial Farms” and “Liberty Trees,” meeting minutes, announcements, newspaper clippings, and audiovisual material for a slide presentation entitled “The Spirit of ’76.”

R. Dean Andrae Photographs, 1962 (P0584)
6 photographs

Photos of the Edgewater Mansion, built 1834-1839 as the home of Dr. Elizah McLean. The mansion is located at W. Main & Jefferson in Washington, MO.

Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company Records, 1876-1877 (R1288)
(1 oversize volume)

 Finding Aid

This Atlantic and Pacific Railroad volume is a register of warranty and quitclaim deeds by the for lands
sold by the company in Barry, Franklin, Gasconade, Greene, Lawrence, McDonald, Newton, Phelps,
Pulaski, Stone, and Webster Counties in Missouri.

Baltzer Photograph Collection, 1890-1920 (S1223)
0.25 cubic foot

 Finding Aid

The Baltzer Photograph Collection contains approximately 450 photographs and negatives chronicling the lives of two brothers who were born in St. Louis, Victor and Arwed Baltzer.

Beatty Family Papers, 1930s-1997 (CA6634)
1.0 cubic feet, 3 oversize volumes, 1 oversize item

 Finding Aid

The papers of the Beatty family of Franklin County and St. Louis, Missouri, include scrapbooks, photograph albums, diplomas, diaries, and miscellaneous material.

Franz R. Beinke Photograph Collection, 1870-1903 (P0585)
12 photographs

Photos of Washington, MO, including the Washington Cave Club, mills, and stereographic street scenes, ca. 1870s-1900s

William G. Bek Photograph Collection, 1874-1903 (P0586)
40 photographs

Photos of and relating to German immigrants in Missouri, including the Frederick Steines home and family, St. Albans, MO, the Muench family, the Goebel family, Bethel Colony, Charles Wulfing, and assorted followers of Duden.

John F. Bradbury, Jr. Postcard Collection, 1889-2022 (R1551)
4 cubic feet (122 folders, 4,432 postcards)

 Finding Aid

The John F. Bradbury, Jr. Postcard Collection contains postcards collected by Bradbury, containing images from the Ozarks and Southern Missouri. The postcards consist of real photograph, commercially printed, and illustrated postcards. The images mainly feature Missouri towns, railroads, Route 66, resorts, and rivers.

Catholic Union of Missouri, 17th State Convention, HISTORICAL SOUVENIR, 1909 (C2137)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Ralph Gregory's translation from German of excerpts from the HISTORICAL SOUVENIR of the 17th State Convention of the Catholic Union of Missouri. Arrival and names of the first German Catholics in Washington, MO, 1833. The church, mission and school of St. Francis Borgia Parish.

Champion City United Methodist Church (Champion City, Mo.) Diamond Jubilee Papers, 1970 (C3186)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The collection contains a historical compendium of the church published for its Diamond Jubilee celebration on 31 May 1970, a bulletin for the Jubilee Service of Song and Sermon, and the Covenant Service. A short history of the church, its pastors, long-time members, and building improvements are included.

Cooperation of Christian Churches of Boone County, Missouri, Records, 1908-1966 (C4273)
0.4 cubic feet (17 folders)

 Finding Aid

The records contain minutes, programs, church reports, histories of some individual churches, correspondence, financial records, resolutions, and newsletters. The material largely concerns churches located in Boone County, but also includes other Missouri counties as well.

Martha Ann Veach Dicus Scrapbook Collection, 1896-1930 (R1290)
(4 oversize volumes)

 Finding Aid

This collection consists of four scrapbooks of newspaper clippings compiled by Martha Ann Veach Dicus
of Steelville, Missouri. The scrapbooks include wedding notices, birth announcements, death notices, obituaries, and items of local interest in Crawford, Franklin and Washington Counties and the communities of
Cuba, Palmer, Steelville, and Sullivan.

Edward Charles Dixon Papers, (R1496)
0.25 cubic foot (10 folders, 11 photographs)

 Finding Aid

The Edward Charles Dixon Papers contain the business papers of Edward Dixon, a self-trained geologist and mine owner from St. Clair, Missouri. The papers include land records, correspondence, survey reports, photographs, mine leases, and newspaper articles pertaining to his mining concerns mostly in Franklin and Washington counties, Missouri.

BIll Dobkins Collection, 1968-1995 (R1505)
2 cubic feet (58 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Bill Dobkins Collection contains genealogical publications and research regarding the Dobkins, Compton, Harmon, Blanton, Edward, Williams, Byrd, Cook, White, Dawson, and Bailey family lines. The materials focus mainly on Crawford, Franklin, and Washington counties in Missouri with supplemental materials tracing family lines back to Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Georgia.

Waldemar M. Dressel Papers, 1946-1986 (R1490)
0.5 cubic foot (19 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Waldemar M. Dressel Papers contain publications, photographs, and maps from his years working for the U.S. Bureau of Mines based in Rolla, Missouri.

Dyson-Bell-Sans Souci Papers, 1845-1880 (S0016)
0.2 cubic foot, 1 microfilm roll

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The papers contain 83 letters written by or to Absalom Roby Dyson (1832-1864) and his wife, Louisa Johnson Dyson (1833-1898), between 1850 and 1880 regarding their life in Steelville and Franklin County, Missouri, before the Civil War and Absalom Dyson’s service as a Confederate soldier. Also included are various teaching contracts, business and employment records, and other documents related to Absalom Dyson’s work as a farmer, postmaster, and teacher.

Robert L. Elgin Photograph Collection, circa 1950s-1990s (R1015)
0.75 cubic foot (44 folders)

 Finding Aid

These are black and white photographs, color slides, plans, and detail drawings of historic structures in the northern Ozarks of Missouri. Several counties are represented, but especially Crawford, Franklin, Gasconade, Maries, Phelps, Osage, and Washington. The primary topics are vernacular architecture, log structures, churches, and cemeteries.

Robert L. Elgin Research Collection, 1960-1993 (R1261)
2.1 cubic feet (65 folders)

 Finding Aid

These are the research files of a civil engineer, surveyor, and historian from St. James in Phelps County, Missouri. The colletion includes reports, scale sketches, and photographs concerning the restoration of various historic sites in Missouri, charcoal iron furnace sites in Missouri, and prehistoric petroglyphs and pictograph sites in the Missouri Ozarks.

Essman Family Papers, 1896-1928, 1987 (C4336)
0.4 cubic feet (5 folders)

 Finding Aid

The papers contain “Our Essman Heritage,” a genealogical story of the Essman family, written by John H. Essman, Jr., and four merchandise, account, and school assignment ledger books belonging to John H. Essman Sr. The cash books describe family credits and debits for their personal household.

Farrar-Caldwell Family Papers, 1823-1859 (C2093)
0.08 cubic feet (4 folders)

 Finding Aid

Correspondence and receipts of a Franklin County, MO, family. The majority of the correspondence is between Josiah Harrison Farrar in the California gold fields and his wife, Lucretia Jane, at home, 1852-1853. Also included are letters from other Farrar-Caldwell relatives in the gold fields. The letters describe California's climate, the crops grown, and contain news of Franklin County neighbors also in California.

William P. Fitzgerald Papers, 1843-1894 (C1919)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Papers pertaining to Franklin County land. Land grant to Thomas Maupin; warranty deed and quit claim deed between the heirs of Washington Fitzgerald and William P. Fitzgerald.

Franklin County, Missouri Postcard Collection, circa 1910s (R0628)
0.01 cubic foot (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

The Franklin County, Missouri Postcard Collection contains two postcard views of scenes along Indian Creek near Saint Clair in Franklin County, Missouri. One postcard shows an iron truss bridge over the creek, the other is a view of the farm of William E. May.

Franklin County, Missouri, Photograph Collection, 1895-1920 (P1127)

An artificial collection of photographs of Franklin County, Missouri.

Franklin County, Missouri, Tutor's Notes, 1882 (C1105)
0.16 cubic feet (1 volume)

 Finding Aid

Collection of historical and geographical facts used by a private tutor in Casco, Franklin County, MO. The sheets were mounted on cloth and placed in a frame which hung on the wall.

"The Development of Missouri," Gert Goebel, 1879 (C1109)
0.1 cubic feet (1 volume)

 Finding Aid

English translation of "Langer als ein Menschenleben in Missouri," with some changes from the work published in 1877.

Ralph Gregory Photographs, 1956-1961 (P0604)
0.125 linear feet

Photos of Franklin and Warren counties, ca. 1959, especially historic homes and churches. Photographs of the Hearst family. Postcards of Mark Twain Shrine

Sarah Guitar Collection, no date (C3391)
1.5 cubic feet (5 card files), 2 rolls of microfilm

 Finding Aid

Sarah Guitar Papers, 1931-1944 (C3563)
1.2 cubic feet (87 folders, 1 card file)

 Finding Aid

Correspondence and miscellaneous information on Missouri compiled by Sarah Guitar during her employment, under the direction of Floyd C. Shoemaker, as Reference Librarian for the State Historical Society of Missouri.  Includes one card file of reference notes.

David A. James Papers, 1790-2008 (C4126)
5 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The research material of a hotel management instructor, whose work resulted in the publication Historic Hotels of Missouri: Hotels, Inns, and Taverns of 19th Century Missouri.

Iola Allen Jasper Papers, 1827-2020 (S0573)
8.25 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Iola Jasper Papers contain correspondence, photographs, histories, greeting cards, and a diary related to Jasper's interest in family history. Materials of interest include the correspondence and business papers of her Great-Grandfather, William Sumner Jewett, a Jefferson County entrepreneur who shipped fruit and sand to companies in St. Louis and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Dorris Keeven-Franke Papers, 1988-2014 (S0548)
0.5 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Dorris Keeven-Franke Papers contain correspondence, meeting minutes, brochures, and newsletters documenting her career as a public historian, including her involvement with the St. Charles County German Heritage Club and Washington Preservation, Inc. 

George A. Maston Papers, 1873-1901 (CA6509)
0.1 cubic feet, 1 roll of microfilm

 Finding Aid

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

Meramec Basin Association Records, 1965-1978 (S0362)
0.01 cubic foot, 3 folders

The Meramec Basin Association Records contain brochures, maps, position papers, reprints concerning the proposed Meramec Dam near Sullivan, Missouri, on the Meramec River. This organization favored construction and worked to convince the public of its advantages.

Meramec Basin Resources Committee Collection, 1950 (R0777)
(1 folder)

 Finding Aid

This is "A Shameless Sham": The Army Engineer "Plan" for the Meramec Basin, published by the Meramec Basin Resources committee in cooperation with the Conservation Federation of Missouri and the Ozark Protective Association. The groups opposed plans by the Army Corps of Engineers to build three multiple purposes high dams on the Meramec, Bourbeuse, and Big Rivers in Missouri.

James L. Miller Interview, 1965 (C3397)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders), 1 audio tape

 Finding Aid

Audio tape and transcription of an interview with the editor of the Washington Missourian.

Missouri Architectural Collection, 1903-2003 (K0009)
48.53 c.f.

 Finding Aid

Architectural drawings and other items from various donors relating to buildings designed by Kansas City architects and/or in the Kansas City area.

The Missouri Collection, 1771-2024 (C3982)
18.6 cubic feet (854 folders, 893 photographs), 37 oversize items, 9 audio cassettes, 7 audio discs, 9 CDs, 1 computer disc, 1 film, 6 film strips, 9 DVDs, 3 video cassettes, 583 MB of digital files

 Digitized Materials

 Finding Aid

The Missouri Collection is an artificial collection combining miscellaneous small acquisitions related to Missouri places, individuals, organizations, and events.

Missouri Extension Homemakers Association, Inc., Sacred Stones and Stained Glass Windows Project Records, 1977-1980 (C3723)
7.1 cubic feet (334 folders)

 Finding Aid

Statewide documentation of local churches by county. Includes cultural arts reports, church histories, floor plans, architectural details, clippings, slides, photographs, and miscellany.

Missouri Forestry Records, 1929-1994 (R1341)
2.25 cubic feet (53 folders)

The records of Missouri Forestry contain materials from the administration of directors George O. White, Osal B. Capps, and Jerry Presley. This includes materials related to Smokey Bear, fire safety, and the promotion of science, practice, and standards of forestry.

Missouri German Heritage Corridor Oral History Project, 2018 (C4354)
0.4 cubic feet (6 folders), 9CDs

 Finding Aid

A collaborative project between the State Historical Society of Missouri and the Missouri Humanities Council, this collection emphasizes the past and present influence of German heritage in Missouri, including historic sites, past people, notable conflicts, religious influence, agriculture, music, art, and architecture. The German Heritage Corridor will focus on the counties north and south of the Missouri River, from St. Charles and St. Louis, to Chariton, Saline, and Lafayette. This corridor includes several distinct German communities, including New Melle, Herman, Dutzow, and Westphalia.

Missouri. Franklin County. Tax Lists, 1824 (C2597)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Tax lists from Franklin County.

Missouri United States Highway 66 Collection, 1930-2017 (SP0080)
.5 cubic foot (10 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Missouri United States Highway 66 Collection is an artificial collection consisting of multiple acquisitions related to Missouri’s U.S. Highway 66. The collection contains brochures, maps, photographs, postcards, newsletters, and ephemera.

Morisse Family Papers, 1854-2023 (S0269)
22.3 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Morisse Family Papers contain correspondence, photographs, reel-to-reel tapes, and citizenship papers of the Morisse, Zimmerman, Walter, and Rosenthal families of St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as well as Quincy, Illinois. Materials of interest include photograph albums compiled by Herbert Ernest Morisse, documenting the Morisse families' involvement with Boy Scout Troop 21 of the Ethical Society of St. Louis and their outings at Herb Ella cabin along the Black River. The albums also contain photographs chronicling Herbert Ernest Walter Morisse's years as a student at Washington University in the early 1930s. Other materials of interest include correspondence between Marian Morisse and her brothers, Walter and Henry Hoener, during World War II.

Lynn Morrow, Johnboats & Riverways Collection, 1809-2012, bulk 1871-1930 (R1523)
2.5 cubic feet (109 folders)

 Finding Aid

The Lynn Morrow, John Boat & Riverways Collection contains research, correspondence, maps, photographs, slides, newspaper clippings, published articles, interviews, and memoirs about the Missouri Ozarks with a particular emphasis on the origins of the John Boat, including the name itself and the emergence and lasting popularity of float fishing and hunting/fishing clubs at the turn of the 19th century in Missouri. This collection also includes a large selection of postcards and ephemera related to boating, hunting and fishing in Missouri.

Lynn Morrow Papers, 1804-2015 (R1000)
24 cubic feet (1051 folders, 5 oversize folders, 11,170 photographs, 852 negatives)

 Finding Aid

The Lynn Morrow papers contain correspondence and research papers, with an additional significant collection of late twentieth-century promotional and advertising items. The papers reflect major areas of Morrow’s research on the southwest Missouri region; Iron, Shannon, and Washington counties; Theodore Pease Russell and his writings; and the writings of Silas C. Turnbo. The collection also includes a large selection of promotional publications and ephemera associated with late 20th century tourism in Missouri and Arkansas.

National Park Service, Missouri Historic Sites Photographs, 1884, 1947-1956 (P0214)
0.16 linear feet

Photos of historic sites and properties in Missouri, especially St. Joseph.

Henry Naumann Account Book, 1869-1892 (C3340)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)

 Finding Aid

Account book of H. Naumann of Gray's Summit, of general merchandise sold each year. Also included are records of oats and wheat thrashed by Ernest Walters.

Oliver and Oliver Law Firm Records, 1760-2004 (CG0010)
296 cubic feet

 Finding Aid

The Oliver and Oliver Law Firm Papers contain case files and correspondence of the firm from the 1880s to 1980s. This collection also includes the genealogy of the Oliver and Watkins families, family correspondence, and civic involvements with the Boy Scouts of America, Rotary Club, Sons of the American Revolution, and Presbyterian Church. In addition, this collection contains material related to the Little River Drainage District, Oliver Land and Development Company, and Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.

Ozark Rivers Oral Histories Collection, 1981-1983 (R1430)
0.25 cubic foot (7 folders, 7 cassettes, 7 CDs)

 Finding Aid

The Ozark Rivers Oral History collection consists of interviews done by Alex Primm of eight individuals living in Crawford, Franklin, Phelps and Washington counties in Missouri and their corresponding newspaper articles.