Rolla Manuscript Collections

The Janis & Valle daybook contains a microfilm copy of one volume for the Janis & Valle general mercantile in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Entries in the volume, date from 1856 to 1858 include account entries, listing purchasers, and items purchased.

This collection is a chronological account of daily transactions, with neither index nor pagination. The entries begin on June 4, 1873 and end in December 1874. Entires for items on account to May 20, 1874 are listed by date, name of buyer, and description and prices of items purchased; after that date entires are monthly rather than daily.

The American Iron Mountain Company Records contain the shipping records for the American Iron Mountain Company located in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Included are accounts of pig iron received from Iron Mountain and shipments to buyers, and a tally book of ore delivered to the company over the plank road.

The Sainte Genevieve, Missouri Municipal Records contain the meeting minutes of the boards of trustees and alderman of the city of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The meetings include discussion and resolutions on various items of city business, including payments for services rendered, the hiring and firing of city officials, public works, and proposed ordinances.

The Sainte Genevieve, Missouri Municipal Ordinances contain the civil and criminal ordinances for the city of Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Included are the regulations set forth for municipal offices and the duties of the city's officials.

The Harris and Janis Business Ledger is a standard banking ledger of individual accounts from a firm at Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Credits and debits are enumerated and dated, with the earliest being in 1874 and the latest in 1876. Also included are nineteen Harris and Janis printed checks signed by Janis and Cox.

The Cresswell Family Papers contain the personal, legal, and business papers of the Cresswell family of Washington County, Missouri. The papers include correspondence, land documents, legal papers, slave documents, tax receipts, account books from the furnace and store owned by the family, miscellaneous business papers, local school records, and personal papers.

The Paul A. Wobus Papers contain the personal and professional papers of Reverend Paul A. Wobus of Manchester, Missouri. The papers include Wobus’s uncompleted and unpublished memoirs, photographs, correspondence, materials concerning Mount Zion Community Church and the Ozark Community Council, historical notes concerning Wobus’s avocational interest in the mills and railroads in the regions, miscellaneous newspaper clippings and other printed materials, narrative accounts of many of his trips into the Ozarks. Also included are 89 small notebooks, dated from 1938-1972, in which he kept records of his mileage, routes, schedules, expenses, and places and person visited.

The Fruitville Farm Collection contains a pamphlet promoting the Fruitville Farm in Howell County, Missouri. The pamphlet includes a panoramic view of the farm, endorsements from the leading citizens of Howell County, and testimonials by agricultural experts as to the excellent productivity of the land.

The American, Lead and Smelting Company (commonly known as "American Zinc") was a large nonferrous metals firm which mined, processed, smelted, and marketed basic zinc and lead products. It had major mining and milling operations in Missouri, Wisconsin, and Tennessee, smelters in Kansas and Illinois, and interests in ore processing machinery. Founded in 1899, the company became a leader in the zinc industry.

The Karl L. Koelker Papers contain the negative photocopies of the mining pages form the Sunday issues of the Joplin Daily Globe (later the Joplin Globe), dated from 1896 to 1948. They contain news and production figures for the lead and zinc mining region in southwestern Missouri.

The Saucier Family Genealogy Collection contains a photocopy of "A List of Descent from Marie Jeanne Saucier by Her Marriages to Antoine Decelle Duclos and Jean Baptiste du (des) Martin," compiled in part by Walter J. Saucier. The compilation includes all of the Duclos/Declue family of Washington County, Missouri through the nineteenth century.

The Phelps County, Missouri Ledger Collection contains photocopies of a ledger possibly kept by Johnathan Marber. The ledger was possibly contains the records for a mill and/or general store. Entries include sales of goods and payments for services and labor. Some entries an identified as being from Phelps County, Missouri and entries from Wellsville and Frankfort, Kansas in the 1880s.

The Leland J. Farley Collection contains a land grant deed for land in Texas County, Missouri, Texas County maps, and documents describing the Intercounty Electric Cooperative.

The Shannondale Community Church-Center Collection contains copies of nine scrapbooks with printed material, letters, and photographs from the Shannondale Community Church-Center in Shannon County, Missouri. The materials detail the establishment of Shannondale and of various religions and social projects.

The Jasper County, Missouri Tax Assessment Records contain a microfilm copy of a volume with the tax assessment list and property assessments for Jasper County, Missouri in 1861. The property assessments include records of acreage, slaves, and town lots.

The Jasper County, Missouri Tax Book Collection contains a microfilm copy of a volume that includes property valuation and taxes for Jasper County, Missouri. The taxes listed are only for land holdings.

The Albert Lee Evans Medical Records contain a photocopy of an individual account book for medical services. Albert Lee Evans, a Bonne Terre, Missouri, physician who began practice in Saint Francois County in 1900.

The William E. Brinkerhoff Papers contain the family correspondence of William E. Brinkerhoff, a banker in Carthage, Missouri. The letters include descriptions of Carthage and Jasper County, and observations on financial trends and the business panic of 1907.

The Sainte Genevieve Academy Records contains microfilm copies of two volume from the Sainte Genevieve English and Classical Academy. The volumes include lists of expenses incurred by the school, and accounts of tuition and school supplies charged to the students.

The Sainte Genevieve, Missouri School Board Records contain a microfilm copy of the minutes of the Board of Directors of Schools in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The minutes include discussions and resolutions on settlements of adverse claims to land owned by the school board, and also records the establishments of the first public schools in Sainte Genevieve.

The August Kreilich Papers contain a photocopy of a contract with instructions for August Kreilich regarding being lighthouse keeper. Kreilich was the keeper of the lights at the Saline Rocks on the Mississippi River in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. The contract was issued on March 27, 1886 by the U.S. Light House Establishment.

The Moses Lax Papers contains photocopies of Moses Lax's service record. Lax served in the 62nd Regiment, United States Colored Troops during the American Civil War.

The collection contains a typescript of Zula R. Price's, "Bear Creek Community." The reminiscence and history of Bear Creek, Cedar County, Missouri. The village was originally named Paynterville.

This collection contains a photocopy of Gertrude Scott Hall's article, "History of Mine La Motte." Hall compiled this history using both primary and secondary sources.

The collection contains a photocopy of Ferris H. Van Sickle's term paper, "History of Mine La Motte." The history was written as a term project for a class in history at Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau.

The Mine La Motte, Missouri Land Records contains a photocopy of a typescript compilation of the abstract of tile to the property at Mine La Motte in Madison County, Missouri. The abstract was excerpted from the official records of Madison County.

The Hazard Dressing Mill Collection contains a photocopy of a typescript that describes the mill and milling process for lead ores at Mine La Motte.

The collection contains a photocopy of Betty Lou Gale's article, "Fredericktown, Missouri." The article is a history of Fredericktown, in Madison County, Missouri.

The Koetting Store Records contains microfilm copies of daybooks and individual account ledgers from the Koetting's store in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. Koetting's handled dry goods, groceries, and hardware.

The collection contains a photocopy of Cyrus T. McCormick's paper, "The Missouri Indian Trails." The paper describes Indian trails and the earliest roads in Missouri, with an emphasis on the southeastern portion of the state.

The Brickey’s Landing Store Records contains a microfilm copy of an account ledger for a general merchandise operation at Brickey’s Landing on the Mississippi River in Sainte Genevieve, Missouri. John Compton Brickey Jr. operated the business.

The William A. Ruyle Papers contain a transcript of a letter written by William A. Ruyle to his father, describing his wartime experiences with the 5th Regiment, Missouri Infantry. It includes accounts of the Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas, and events prior to the surrender of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

The Mine La Motte, Missouri Collection contains a photocopy of a pamphlet published by the proprietors of Mine La Motte to publicize to potential capitalist interested in investing. Also included are excerpts from a speech given to the citizens of Fredericktown, Missouri by Thomas Green Clemson, geologist and mineralogist.

The Harry C. Hood Collection contains photocopies of an unpublished manuscripts by Harry C. Hood, Sr., on lead and zinc mining in southwestern Missouri and the Southwest Missouri Railroad. There are also clippings of local histories written by Hood for the Webb City Sentinel.

The Phelps County, Missouri Financial Collection contains a photocopy of a detailed statement of the financial affairs of Phelps County, Missouri in 1901. Prepared by the county clerk, B.H. Rucker, it was published by public subscription for general distribution.

The John Tlapek Papers contain business correspondence addressed to John Tlapek, as general manager of Louis Houck's Chester, Perryville, Ste. Genevieve, and Farmington Railroad. Also included are correspondence for Tlapek regarding his work as a partner in the Southeast Missouri Telephone Company.

The John J. Watts Papers are notebooks of genealogical records kept by a circuit-riding Baptist minister in the northern Ozarks. The records cover Phelps, Pulaski, Texas, and parts of Maries, and Dent counties in south-central Missouri.

The John Wesley Matthews Papers contain photocopies of letters written by John W. Matthews to his family relating his experiences in the 32nd Regiment, Missouri Volunteers. The letters contain descriptions of provost duty in St. Louis, and the condition of the regiment after the surrender of Vicksburg. There is also a poem describing the Vicksburg campaign.

These are photocopies of miscellaneous city and county documents. Included are tax records, a census of school-age children, loyalty oaths, and ballots from the elections of 1876. There are also pamphlets containing a report on mining and manufactures to the Missouri legislature, 1881, and an address by Gov. Thomas T. Crittenden, printed in German, 1883.

The Walter W. Dyer Papers contains photocopies of fourteen letters written by Walter W. Dyer during his military service in World War I. Dyer was an Army teamster at Camp McArthur and Waco, Texas.

The T.B. Jeffery Collection contains a photocopy of a brochure, "Descriptive Circular of T.B. Jeffery's Railroad Velocipede or Speeder." The brochure is an advertisement for a manually powered railroad handcar patented in August 1883.

The Warren Cook Collection contains photocopies of papers of the Smith, Havins, Roseberry, and Cook families of southwestern Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas. The collection includes correspondence, estate papers, and genealogical records. Also included are two farm diaries from 1875-1876.

The Mabel Reed Collection contains letters of the Dace family in Missouri from relatives in Texas and Wisconsin.

The Ruth Capehart Collection contains two journals collection by Ruth Capehart. The first journal was written by J.W. Henderson regarding his trips from New York to the pottery manufacturing district in England. The second journal was written by Louisa Raff, a young girl living in Orange Grove, Mississippi.

The St. Joseph Lead Company Annual Report contains a photocopy of the annual report of the trustees of the St. Joseph Lead Company in Saint Francois County, Missouri. There is also a special report by geologist, J.W. Foster.

The Henry C. Thompson Papers contain the original and microfilm copy of papers of a trustee of the State Historical Society of Missouri, genealogist, and a historian of mining in St. Francois County and the operations of the St. Joseph Lead Company. The collection includes research notes and correspondence, and a group of lead company records, 1884-1902.

hese are business records from mining concerns in Missouri's "Old Lead Belt." The collection
includes records from the St. Joseph Lead Company, the Doe Run Lead Company, the Bonne
Terre Farming and Cattle Company, and the Mine La Motte Corporation.

The Downing and Whinrey Families Papers contain photocopies of receipts and correspondence of the Downing and Whinrey families of southwestern Missouri. Both families had members who went to California to mine gold in the 1850s, some of whom remained to settle in the West. Most of the collection consists of letters written to relatives in Missouri.

The Washington Zinc and Lead Company Collection contains a prospectus of the Washington County, Missouri based firm.

The William Recklein Papers contain copies and originals of family photographs and correspondence. Included in the correspondence are news of family, friends, and daily life.

The Southwest Missouri Railroad Company Records contains microfilm copies of corporate minute books of the Southwest Missouri Railroad Company and its predecessors, the Joplin and Galena Electric Railway Company, and the Southwest Missouri Electric Railway Company. There is also one folder of miscellaneous correspondence between A.H. Rogers and Edgar Z. Wallower regarding financing of the road.

The Archibald McIntyre Robertson Papers contain an original and typescript journal that records Archibald Robertson's journey through Europe, the Mediterranean, Egypt, the Sinai, and Palestine in 1856-1857.

The Joshua Rucker Records contain photocopies of the daybook from Joshua Rucker's store in Franklin County, Georgia.

The T.J. Norman Records contains an account ledger of a general store operated by the Norman family, probably in Winona, Shannon County, Missouri.

The Ozark Republican Club of Winona Records contains a minute book for the Ozark Republican Club of Winona, Shannon County, Missouri. Included in the volume is a list of charter members.

The Wallower papers consist primarily of materials connected with his unfinished autobiography,
"A Review of Sixty Years," which he began writing after his retirement. There are three
separate versions of the autobiography in this collection, each containing both original pages and
carbons. Each version is incomplete and differs slightly from the others. Taken as a whole, they
provide a composite of the intended form of the autobiography

These are records of the acquisition and disposition of lands in a speculative industrial development scheme in Jefferson, Ste. Genevieve, Perry, Cape Girardeau, and Madison Counties in Missouri.

The Springfield Wagon Company Records contain microfilm copies of twelve volumes and fifty folders of records for the Springfield Wagon company. These records include account books and ledgers, correspondence from travel agents, dealers, supplies and customers. Also included is the master's thesis documenting the history of the company written by Steven L. Stepp in 1972.

The United Confederate Veterans, Campbell Camp No. 488 Records contains a microfilm copy of a volume with the records of the United Confederate Veterans, Campbell Camp No. 488 in Springfield, Missouri. The volume includes the constitution and bylaws, minutes of meetings, lists of the members, and miscellaneous papers.

The Attie Zelpha Mitchell Shanks Genealogy Collection contains a photocopy of genealogical materials for southeastern Missouri compiled by Attie Shanks. The records cover the ‘Upper Hog Creek’ area of eastern Bollinger and western Cape Girardeau counties.

The Reverend William W. Megee Marriage Records contain a typescript copy of extracts from the marriage records of William W. Megee, a general Baptist circuit rider. The records are of marriages performed by Megee in Ozark County from 1874 to 1920.

The August Sander Papers contain a photocopy of the last will and testament of August Sanders of Bollinger County, Missouri.

The Grand Army of the Republic, Lutesville, Missouri Records contain record books and miscellaneous papers of the Grand Army of the Republic Franklin Shanks Post No. 100 in Lutesville, Missouri. The volumes include meeting minutes, treasurer’s report, communications addressed to the post, and a history of the Grand Army of the Republic.

The Logan Club Records contain photocopies of the financial records of a political club in Marble Hill, Bollinger County, Missouri. The group supported the Benjamin Harrison and Levi P. Morton national Republican ticket in the presidential election of 1888.

The Palmore Chapel Records contain a typescript of records for the Palmore Chapel in Bollinger County, Missouri. The records include lists of pastors, members, baptisms, marriages, and deaths.

The Marble Hill Bands Collection contains photocopies of two records books of the community bands of Marble Hill in Bollinger County, Missouri. The records include constitutions, membership lists, minutes of meetings, and financial accounts of the Quartette String Band, the Marble Hill Cornet Band, and the Marble Hill Silver Cornet Band.

The Moark Land and Timber Company Records contain the financial records of a timber exploitation and lumber business in southeast Missouri. The records include account ledgers, cashbooks, a daybook, and journal detailing the day-to-day running of the business. Headquartered in Pemiscot County, Missouri, the business was managed by Franklin Johnson Cunningham.

The Lucy Russell Knapp Papers contains a letter from Lucy Knapp in Rolla, Missouri to Asa Stoddard of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1903. The letter contains a general description of Rolla and information about members of the Knapp family.

The Mothers and Patrons Club of Flat River, Missouri Records contain a microfilm copy of a record book for the Mothers and Patrons Club in Flat River, Missouri. The records include meeting minutes, lists of officers and members, and miscellaneous documents.

The Springfield Ladies Saturday Club Records contains a microfilm copy of a minute book of a women's club in Springfield, Missouri. The volume includes meeting minutes and lists of members.

The Bollinger County, Missouri School Records contain photocopies of records for two rural school districts. The records include meeting minutes, school censuses, and other data kept by local officials.

The Sarah Ann Reed Sturgeon DeForest Collection contains photocopies of a scrapbook of genealogical information on residents of Phelps and Texas counties in Missouri collected by DeForest. The scrapbook includes newspaper clippings of obituaries, wedding announcements, and biographical notes from the Rolla and Licking newspapers.

The John Elisha Phelps Collection contains the military history of John Phelps. The records include excerpts from official records, and letters from Eugene A. Carr and John B. Sanborn.

The Johnathan Fairbanks Papers contain a microfilm copy of correspondence and notebooks of Johnathan Fairbanks an educator and businessman who came to Springfield, Missouri in 1866. The correspondence consists primarily of letters received from friends and family in Massachusetts and Ohio. The notebooks generally concern personal business and financial matters.

The Saint Francis Levee District of Missouri Records contains a microfilm copy of ledgers, minute books, and financial records of the Saint Francis Levee District.

The Galilee Association of General Baptists Records contains a microfilm copy of the proceedings of the annual sessions of the organization of General Baptist congregations in southeastern Missouri. Also included are Old Liberty Association proceedings, Liberty Association proceedings, and a reprinted sermon of Benoni Stinson.

The Samuel Aaron Harrison Collection contains a photocopy of "Samuel Aaron Harrison, 1842-1940: His Ancestors and Descendants," by S. Claude Null. It is an account of the life of Harrison, with detailed genealogical information. Included is an "Insert on the Ancestry of Presidents Harrison," and a general history of the surname Harrison.

The Stewart Funeral Home Records contains a microfilm copy of records of funerals conducted by the Stewart Funeral Home at Lebanon in Laclede County, Missouri. The entries include vital statistics and genealogical information, the cause of death, the date and place of burial, and the cost of the funeral.

The Hickory Valley Cumberland Presbyterian Church Records contains photocopies of a petition by members of the church to be admitted as a congregation into the Springfield, Missouri Presbytery in 1868.

The Grand Army of the Republic, George G. Meade Post No. 48 Records contains a microfilm copy of ledgers, minute books, and miscellaneous papers of the George G. Meade Post No. 48 at Lebanon in Laclede County, Missouri.

The George B. Phillips Papers contain photocopies and typescripts of letters written by George Phillips to his sister, Mary E. Phillips in Cortlandville, New York. The letters describes his life in Fairfax County, Virginia.

The collection contains a photocopy of the illustrated promotional pamphlet, "The Ozarks of Missouri, the Eden of the Future," by R.E. McArron. The pamphlet extols the productivity of the Ozarks region and predicts a land boom in the area. It contains testimonials by residents of Long Lane in Dallas County, Missouri.

The Philip A. Reilly Papers contains photocopies and annotated typescripts for the Civil War letters written by Philip A. Reilly and Dr. Samuel M. McAnally. Reilly served in operations at Jackson and Vicksburg, Mississippi, and was captured at Ringgold, Georgia. Dr. Samuel M. McAnally describes conditions in southeast Missouri in 1870.

The Frederick Hauenstein Papers contains a photocopy of Frederick Hauenstein's autobiography. An engineering graduate of the Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri University of Science and Technology), he worked as a surveyor and engineer in the western United States, and was the last president of the Pine Belt Lumber Company in Oklahoma.

The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company Records contains a microfilm copy of the records for the company. The records include indexed accounts of operating expense and revenue.

The Joplin Railroad Company Records contains a microfilm copy of a construction ledger for the Joplin Railroad Company.

The Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis Railroad Company Records contains a microfilm copy of the company's financial records and its corporate predecessors. The line became part of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railway Company in 1901.

The Memphis, Kansas, and Colorado Railway Company Records contain a microfilm copy of construction and operating journals. The Memphis, Kansas, and Colorado Railways was a narrow gauge branch line of the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad.

The Kansas City and Memphis Railway and Bridge Company Records contain a microfilm copy of financial records. Organized in 1887 to bridge the Mississippi River at Memphis, Tennessee, this company was controlled by the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis Railroad system.

The Kansas City, Clinton, and Springfield Railway Company Records contains a microfilm copy of a cash book and journal. The Kansas City, Clinton, and Springfield Railway was an independent line with close ties to the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Memphis system. The Clinton line came under control of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company in 1898.

The Bollinger-Dolle Mill and Store Records contain microfilm copies of journals, ledgers, and miscellaneous material from the Bollinger-Cole mill and store on the Big Whitewater River near Sedgewickville, Missouri. The mill was built in the early 1800s and operated until the 1930s.

The John P. Finkel Papers contains a photocopying of the diary of J.P. Finkel a farmer in Fairfield County, Ohio. Diary topics include agriculture, animal husbandry, family affairs, and rural life.

The Pyle's International Transcontinental Foot Race Collection contains photocopies of programs from Charles C. Pyle's first and second annual transcontinental foot races. The 1928 race was from Los Angeles to New York; the 1929 race was from New York to Los Angeles. Through Missouri the runners followed United States Highway 66.

The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company Records contains photocopies of a quitclaim deed by which the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company sold fort acres of land in Dallas County, Missouri to William Miller. The deed was executed on December 29, 1870 and was filed for record on January 12, 1904.

The Sapulpa and Oil Field Railroad Company Records contain a microfilm copy of a monthly record of revenues and expenses for the Sapulpa and Oil Field Railroad. The nine-mile long branch ran from a junction with the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway at Depew, Oklahoma, to Shamrock, Oklahoma.

The Morning Shade School Records contain photocopies of the district clerk's records and teacher's class records for the rural Morning Shade School in Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri. The collection includes nine volumes that contain minutes of annual meetings, school censuses, financial data, and teachers' contracts.

The Kansas City, Memphis, and Birmingham Railroad Company Records contain a microfilm copy of a ledger with records of lease and income payments made by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad Company. The Kansas City, Memphis, and Birmingham Railroad operated between Memphis, Tennessee, and Birmingham, Alabama. It was created by consolidation in 1887, and was leased to the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad in 1903.

The Harrison and Hooker Store Records contain a microfilm copy of a daybook/journal from one of the earliest general stores in Lebanon, Missouri. The proprietors were John B. Harrison and Joseph Thomas Hooker.

The Ritter and Howard Families Papers contains correspondence, legal records, business papers, and miscellaneous materials of the Ritter and Howard families of Jasper County, Missouri. Included are mining lease and drill records, and records of the Stone School District. Three generations of two families are represented in this collection.