Givens, Spencer H., Collection, 1816-1911 (C106)

.2 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

This collection consists of documents collected by Spencer H. Givens: the Levin Cropper Papers and historical documents. The Cropper papers contain business and personal correspondence with his brother in New York, his children in Illinois, and other family members in Louisiana and Mississippi. The historical documents include miscellaneous land grants and indentures, estate documents, business correspondence, naturalization and emigration documents, handbills, newspapers and advertisements.

DONOR INFORMATION

Spencer H. Givens deposited the Givens Collection at the University of Missouri on 14 January 1953 (Accession no. 3152).

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Spencer Hollingsworth Givens was born at Gallatin, Missouri, 29 December 1904, to Nathaniel S. and Martha (Hollingsworth) Givens. After graduating from the University of Missouri School of Journalism in 1928, he became news editor for the Boonville (Missouri) Advertiser from 1928-1933. Givens then served as secretary for the Missouri Workmen's Compensation Commission (1934-1942), and director of the Missouri Division Workmen's Commission and served on various boards and commissions.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Levin Cropper settled in Cooper County and is listed as a voter in 1819. He was County Assessor from February 1822 to February 1823, and Justice of the Peace in 1824. The documents in the Cropper Section are too fragmented to form a complete picture of the family, Cooper County, or the times. However, the correspondence does contain a great deal of information about isolated events. There is a strong concentration on the subjects of health, death, crops and making money. Levin and Mary Cropper were the parents of five children who appear through correspondence with their parents: Sarah Rader, Jacintha Simonton, Vincent, Levin, and Mary Stephens.

Sarah and John Rader, living in Illinois, wrote of their children, crops, cholera and business interests. Jacintha was divorced from Adam Simenton in 1832, through a settlement of $1.00 paid to Levin Cropper. Son Vincent worked for several years with a cousin, Norbert Cropper, who owned a cane plantation in Louisiana. He then spent time in an insane asylum in Illinois before being moved to his father's home. Levin remained with his father to assist with farming and business in Missouri. Mary and Brantley Stephens lived in California, Missouri.

There are also letters from grandchildren and nieces and nephews. Levin Cropper came to Missouri from New York, where his brother Vincent remained, writing of marital problems, economic conditions and health. Included is a trip journal through southern Missouri and northern Arkansas noting land, accommodations, prices, rivers and waterways, settlements, and general impressions.

A relationship between the historical documents in the second section and Levin Cropper cannot be determined, although many date from the time of his public service and most active business dealings. Other documents in this section clearly date from a later period and were collected by Mr. Givens solely for their historical value. The historical documents section contains an "EXTRA" edition of the Capital News, Vol. 2, No. 5, dated Monday, 6 February 1911, Jefferson City, Missouri, giving details of the capitol fire. There are also naturalization papers for emigrants from Switzerland, Germany, and Great Britain and Ireland.

FOLDER LIST

Levin Cropper Papers

f. 1Correspondence, n.d., c.1820s-1839
f. 2Correspondence, 1843-1849
f. 3Correspondence, 1850-1851
f. 4Business Papers, 1816-1842

Historical Documents

f. 5Civil Suits and Business Correspondence, 1840-1860
f. 6Estate Documents: Robert Hutchison
f. 7Estate Documents: Asa Morgan
f. 8Estate Documents: Stephen Cole; James Taylor
f. 9Naturalization and Emigration Documents, 1831-1856
f. 10Naturalization and Real Estate Documents: Keiser, Joseph and Haver
f. 11Land Grants and Indentures, 1816-1859, 1870
f. 12Appointments and Commissions, 1820-1898
f. 13Handbills, Notices, Newspapers, n.d., 1833-1911

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

  • Apprentices
  • Arkansas--Description and travel, 1838
  • Cholera
  • Civil suits--Missouri
  • Cole, Stephen--Estate settlement, 1830s
  • Collecting of accounts, 1830s
  • Cropper, Levin
  • Cropper, Mary
  • Cropper, Norbert
  • Cropper, Vincent
  • Divorce, 1832
  • Estate settlements
  • Family--Correspondence
  • Hutchison, Robert--Estate
  • Illinois
  • LaFayette, Marquis de (1757-1834)
  • Land Grants, 1810s-1870s
  • Land transactions
  • Legal actions--Insolvent debtors
  • Louisiana, Iberville
  • Medicines, Patents
  • Mexican War--Opinion
  • Missouri, Boonville
  • Missouri, Cooper County
  • Missouri, Description & travel, 1838
  • Missouri, Land grants
  • Missouri. Capitol Fire, 1911
  • Missouri. Circuit Courts
  • Missouri. Great Seal
  • Morgan, Asa, Estate settlement, 1818-1822
  • Naturalization records
  • New York, NY
  • New York, Nyack
  • Rader, John
  • Rader, Sarah Cropper
  • Slavery
  • Slavery, Louisiana
  • Slaves, Cholera
  • Stephens, Mary
  • Stone, Wat
  • Taylor, James, Estate settlement, 1840s-1950s
  • Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut, 1859