Frontier and Pioneer Life
A
Clayton Abbott Collection, circa 1958-1976 (R0581)
0.3 cubic foot (20 folders)
The Clayton Abbott Collection contains research materials on Cedar County, Missouri, compiled by local Stockton historian and author Clayton Abbott. The material includes newspaper clippings, transcripts of letters and documents, and drafts of Abbott’s writings.
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"Across the Plains in 1844: Reminiscences of Oregon," B.F. Nichols, 1906 (C2794)
1 volume
Newspaper articles describing trip by wagon train from St. Joseph, MO, to Willamette Valley, OR. Articles from LAIDLAW (Oregon) CHRONICLE, 1906, describe organization of wagon train and experiences on journey. Also photographs of Laidlaw, OR, ca. 1905.
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James R. Alderman Papers, 1838-1876 (C3153)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders)
Miscellaneous documents and notes, largely concerning real estate transactions, licensing of lawyers and preachers, indentures, government appointments, and elections, and railroad charters. Arranged chronologically.
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William R. Allen Letter, 1851 (C0545)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Dr. Allen describes a trip from Missouri to Oregon City: cholera plague on Great Plains, loss of possessions in blizzard, difficulty in keeping order in wagon train, and rescue by Oregon City citizens. Cost of housing, food, and farm products. Description of land, farming, gold mining, lumbering, and other industries and businesses.
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Allison-Ingram Family Papers, 1840-1873 (C3593)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The papers of the Allison-Ingram family contain letters relating family news and telling about life in Montana, and a power of attorney (in Spanish and translation) to Thomas Allison from Owen Ruble.
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William James Anderson, Jr. Westport Scrapbook, 1820-1960 (K0396)
0.1 c.f.
Newspapers clippings and notes pertaining to the history of the town of Westport, MO, now part of Kansas City.
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William James Anderson, Jr. Papers, 1840-1965 (K0058)
10 c.f.
Diaries, letters, business ledgers and records, manuscripts, photographs, and other materials created and collected by Anderson and his family which relate to the history of the Kansas City metropolitan area. Anderson was a local historian and descendent of Thomas Johnson and John Wornall
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John Appleby Letter, 1848 (C0498)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Typescript copy of a letter to his parents, Berlin, Tennessee, from Dade County, Missouri, January 2, 1848. The letter describes local prices of land, enslaved persons, stock, and grain; national and local politics. Sketch of Appleby by his great-nephew, A.B. Appleby.
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Lisbon Applegate Collection, 1819-1903 (C0996)
2 cubic feet, 18 volumes
Correspondence and business papers of Lisbon and Lewis M. Applegate of Keytesville, MO. Letters from George W. Applegate in California, 1848-1873, describing prospects for ranching, gold mining, and wine-making ventures; politics; and impact of Civil War and abolitionists. Civil War in Missouri; politics in Missouri and Chariton County; economic conditions and opportunities in Chariton County.
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William Henry Ashley Letter, 1825 (C1939)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Letter relating to Ashley's Rocky Mountain explorations. Apparently draft of letter sent. Also typed copy.
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Aull Family Business Papers, 1841-1843 (C0592)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
List of merchandise bought from James Aull by Woodson Manion, 1837-1842. Article of agreement on the sale of land signed by Robert Aull, Samuel Owens, I.S. Allen, Wm. H. Russell, S.W. Waddell, and Alexander M. Ramsey. I.O.U. blanks. A deed of Robert Aull, 1841.
Edward Everett Ayer Reminiscences, 1924 (C2694)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains reminiscences of his first trip away from home, and itinerary across the plains to California, and descriptions of people met, work in the mines, enlistment in the army and subsequent service, and the return home in 1864.
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David Bailey Land Grant, 1804 (C0535)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Grant of tract of land in Botetourt County, Virginia, to David Bailey by John Page, governor of Virginia.
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Kenzie Kenneth Baker Scrapbooks, 1882-1934 (C1380)
0.1 cubic feet (2 volumes)
The collection contains scrapbooks of newspaper clippings on the history of New Madrid; biographical sketches of the first European American settlers to the area and their descendants; and information on historical events, including an account of the earthquake of 1811-1812, and descriptions of Baker’s archaeological discoveries.
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Amos Bargdoll Letter, 1851 (C0543)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Typescript copy of a letter describing a gold mining town in California, with mention of cholera, prices, and friends.
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Sarah Holcomb Randleman Barnes Reminiscence, 1909 (C3167)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains an account of pioneer life in Dallas and Polk Counties, MO.
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Moses Bates Deed, 1812 (C0485)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
For land in Ste. Genevieve District, Missouri, near Mine at Breton, October 1, 1812.
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Samuel W. Beall and Ira Town Agreement, 1859 (C2065)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Agreement between Beall and Town covering financing of trip by Town to mining region.
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Bedford Family Papers, 1849-1870 (C2610)
0.2 cubic feet
Letters of an Andrew County family, Southern sympathizers during the Civil War. Early letters from Thomas Bedford describe the gold rush, travel, and life in California, abolitionist agitation and prejudice against the North. Letters from A.M. Bedford, Johnson's Island, describes life as a prisoner of war. Later letters describe Reconstruction life. 141 letters.
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Ovid K. Bell Papers, 1808-1923 (C2507)
0.4 cubic feet (28 folders)
Papers pertaining to the early history of Callaway County, MO. Included are personal accounts of the settlement of the Cote Sans Dessein area and later proceedings and reports of commissioners of the court.
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J. Calvin Berry Letter, 1842 (C1461)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Berry, immigrant to Missouri from Illinois, wrote his brother about a tour of Missouri and compared opportunities in Missouri and Illinois. Countryside, markets, Southern market route to Europe, fertility of soil, Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, administration of land in Missouri, and business affairs in Illinois.
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Berry-Thomson-Walker Family Papers, 1830-1893 (C0074)
0.2 cubic feet
Biography of David Thomson, founder of Georgetown and Sedalia, MO; correspondence of his son, Milton T. Thomson, in Pettis County and California gold fields; James T. Walker and Charles W.C. Walker in Boonville, KY, and North Carolina; William and Thomas Berry's California gold mining expense accounts; and miscellaneous papers.
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Bird Family Papers, 1831-1959 (R0170)
0.1 cubic foot (5 folders)
The Bird Family Papers contain photocopies of miscellaneous correspondence, estate papers, land records, business records, and biographical materials pertaining to the Bird, Byrd, Moore, and Hunter families of southeastern Missouri. The papers concern the business and estates in Mississippi, New Madrid, and Scott counties in Missouri and the Bird estate in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
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Z.C. Bishop Letters, 1850-1851 (C3782)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains typescripts of two letters from Bishop in the Oregon Territory to his brother Thomas, Warsaw, Missouri. The letters discuss weather, prices for supplies, and a meeting of the territorial legislature. In connection with the latter, he mentions a disagreement between the legislature and the governor over the location of the capital.
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Blumenhorst Family Papers, 1586-1959 (S0442)
1.2 cubic foot, 117 folders
The Blumenhorst Papers contain correspondence, bills of sale, wills, and a diary, chronicling the histories of the Craig, Lewis, Watts, Wallace, and Woodson families from 1586 to 1959.
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Bode Family Papers, 1754-2010 (C3999)
7.0 cubic feet (228 folders), 1 audio cassette, 2 audio tapes
The collection contains the personal and professional papers of four generations of the Bode family, many of whom were ministers in the Evangelical Church Society of the West (Evangelischer Kirchen Verein des Westens), now the United Church of Christ. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, sermons, publications, and publicity clippings.
"Books, Newspapers, and Libraries in Pioneer St. Louis (1808-1842)" , 1961 (C3519)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Thesis prepared for Library School of the University of Wisconsin. Gives description of books brought to St. Louis by European-American settlers, and acquisition of materials in early schools and libraries.
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Albert Gallatin Boone Papers, 1836-1857 (K0475)
0.1 c.f.
The papers of Albert Gallatin Boone contain legal documents regarding property and business transaction, primarily involving Boone and other resident of Westport.
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Daniel Boone Affidavit, no date (C1467)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains Daniel Boone's affidavit that his son, Daniel Morgan Boone, claimed 600 arpents of land in St. Charles, Missouri, granted by Zenon Trudeau, September 1, 1797, inhabited and cultivated before October 1, 1800.
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Peter L. Branstetter Diary, 1850-1851 (C2983)
1 roll of microfilm
The collection contains an account from an overland trip from Pike County, MO, to California taken by Peter L. and Adam J. Branstetter in 1850. The diary describes the trip, the weather, the route taken, and the land along the route. It also lists the miles traveled each day, accounts of purchased supplies, and the money made in California from gold mining. The return trip to Missouri in 1851 is also described, but in much less detail.
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Thomas E. Breckenridge Papers, 1894, 1950 (C0691)
0.1 cubic feet (5 folders)
The papers contain Breckenridge’s petition for a pension in 1894; "The Breckenridge Memoirs,” consisting of a typed account of Breckenridge’s expeditions with John C. Fremont, and a term paper by University of Missouri history student, John Mitchell, in 1950, where he argues the importance of the Breckenridge manuscript.
Brenneman Family Letters, 1849-1888 (C0220)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)
Letters written by members of a Mennonite family. Family news, trip from Rocking County, Virginia, to Jasper County, Missouri, news of the community and rules for church converts.
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Jefferson Bridgford Letters, 1850 (C3793)
0.04 cubic feet (2 folders)
Letters of Jefferson Bridgford to his wife in Missouri while on the Oregon Trail and working in California during the gold rush.
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"A Brief History of the Six Mile Territory," Mary Sue Chiles, no date (C0759)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
An account of the early history of Six Mile Territory in Jackson County, MO, from 1804 through the Civil War.
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George Washington Brouster Letters, 1850-1851 (C1832)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Letters written by Brouster to his family in St. Louis County, MO, while on an overland trip to the California gold fields in 1850 and while mining for gold in various parts of California.
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Andrew Theodore Brown Collection, 1960-1963 (K0011)
6.25 c.f.
Personal incoming and outgoing correspondence of a historian and educator, including that related to Wilson's work on the Kansas City History Project, proposals for a history of the J.C. Nichols Company, and progress on his dissertation on the City Beautiful Movement. Also included are research notecards and early printed material related to the Kansas City Terminal Railway Company
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Lawrence Robert Brown Papers, 1949 (C3214)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Draft of master's thesis entitled "Frontier Dramatic Criticism, St. Louis, 1835-1838," submitted to the University of Wisconsin speech department. A history and analysis of the theater in St. Louis, 1835-1838. Letter from Brown to William G.B. Carson about his project.
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Nellie Fisher Brown Papers, 1831-1874 (C0212)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Land deeds, 1861-1874; address from Hannibal Gazette; postcard; deed of correction, 1874; theme; authorization for layout of public road, 1835; announcement of school examination, 1831.
John Bryson Articles of Agreement, 1817-1819 (C1585)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Articles of agreement of John Bryson, Joel Shaw, and Sam K. Caldwell, April 3, 1817, and January 12, 1819, concerning land on which Louisiana, MO, is located.
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Besse Belle Buckeridge Papers, 1911-1960s (R1312)
(4 folders)
This collection consists of correspondence to Besse and her mother from friends, Besse's letters and postcards from travels in Europe in the 1920s, and miscellaneous papers and postcards. There is also a reminiscence of early days in the Lycoming Valley of Pennsylvania by her grandfather, J. W. Heylmun, circa 1911.
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James Bullard Diary, 1876-1878 (C0219)
0.06 cubic feet (3 folders)
Transcript of a diary kept by Bullard on a trip from the Dakotas to Mexico. Subjects include prospecting, weather, game, Native Americans, ranches, and Mexicans.
S.G. Bundy Autobiography, 1912 (C2985)
1 roll of microfilm
The collection contains an autobiography of a farmer, pioneer, rural school teacher, Union soldier, and Methodist missionary and minister.
George William Burke Papers, 1850-1857 (C3796)
0.16 cubic feet (8 folders)
Collection of fifty-eight letters written between June 1850 and March 1857 by George W. Burke of Saline County, Missouri, to his parents William and Lurany Thornton Burke, brothers and sisters, and grandparents, all of Saline County, describing his journey west and life in the gold-producing area of northern California until his death there in 1857.
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Mattie P. Burton Papers, 1958 (K0144)
0.01 c.f.
A letter, undated and unsigned, presumably by Miss Burton's mother describing her experiences as a pioneer in Indiana and Nebraska; a biographical statement on Mattie Burton, owner of the Burton Publishing Company in Kansas City; and drafts by Mattie Burton of Westport Branch of the National League of American Pen Women activities.
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Bush Family Papers, 1819-1923 (C3887)
0.2 cubic feet (2 volumes, 4 folders), 1 roll of microfilm
Journals, farm records, and correspondence of a Boone County, Kentucky, family who settled in southeastern Arkansas. The papers detail 1819-1820 steamboat trips up the Missouri River from St. Louis to Council Bluffs, and farm operations in the 1850s and 1860s.
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John Boyd Caldwell Family History, no date (C2172)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The collection contains biographical sketches of John Boyd Caldwell and family, describing their trip from Kentucky to Callaway County, MO, in 1826, establishment of the first pottery business in Missouri, and pioneer life.
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"California in 1849," John Hudgins, no date (C2189)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Reminiscences of a wagon train trip from Missouri to California in 1849. The route, weather, and a cholera epidemic.
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Campbell-Hill Family Papers, 1819-1863 (C0320)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
The papers contain typed copies of the following items: deed, 1819; notice of public sale, 1845; and letter of James Hill to his daughter-in-law, 1863.
Carpenter Family Papers, 1796-1851 (C0237)
0.02 cubic feet (1 folder)
Israel Grant's will, 1796; Davis Burton's will, 1815; deed for Missouri land, 1830; and trustees' report to Boone County, MO, school board, 1851.
Carr School/Cook Station, Crawford County, Missouri Records, 1873-1927 (R1338)
0.5 cubic foot (4 oversize volumes)
The collection includes the records of School District No. 79. It consists of four volumes, including the Public School Register, District Clerk's Record and two volumes of attendance records.