Pioneer & Frontier Life Collection Descriptions
Letters, diaries, and other papers associated with exploration, the westward movement, overland travel, the gold rush, homesteading and settlement, and daily life on the frontier in the U.S.
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Alderman, James R., Papers, 1838-1876, (C3153)
3 folder(s)
Miscellaneous documents and notes, largely concerning real estate transactions, licensing of lawyers and preachers, indentures, government appointments, and elections, and railroad charters. Arranged chronologically.Allen, William R., Letter, 1851, (C0545)
1 folder(s)
Dr. Allen describes 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.Allison-Ingram Family, Papers, 1840-1873, (C3593)
1 folder(s)
Includes letters relating family news and telling about life in Montana, and power of attorney (in Spanish and translation) to Thomas Allison from Owen Ruble.Appleby, John (1814-1852), Letter, 1848, (C0498)
1 folder(s)
To his parents, Berlin, TN, from Dade County, MO, January 2, 1848. Local prices of land, Negroes, stock, and grain; national and local politics. Sketch of Appleby by his great-nephew, A.B. Appleby. Typed from a copy in the possession of L. Grimes.Applegate, Lisbon (1803-1875), Collection, 1819-1903, (C0996)
2 linear feet
18 volume(s)
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.Ashley, William Henry, Letter, 1825, (C1939)
1 folder(s)
Letter relating to Ashley's Rocky Mountain explorations. Apparently draft of letter sent. Also typed copy.Aull Family, Business Papers, 1841-1843, (C0592)
1 folder(s)
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.Ayer, Edward Everett (1841-1927), Reminiscences, 1924, (C2694)
1 folder(s)
Reminiscences of first trip away from home, itinerary across the plains to California, people met, work in the mines, enlistment in the army and subsequent service, and return home in 1864.Baer, Eleanora A., Books, Newspapers, and Libraries in Pioneer St. Louis (1808-1842), 1961, (C3519)
1 folder(s)
Thesis prepared for Library School of the University of Wisconsin. Gives description of books brought to St. Louis by settlers, and acquisition of materials in early schools and libraries.Bailey, David, Land Grant, 1804, (C0535)
1 folder(s)
Grant of tract of land in Botecourt County, VA, to David Bailey by John Page, governor of Virginia.Bargdoll, Amos, Letter, 1851, (C0543)
1 folder(s)
Description of gold mining town in California, with mention of cholera, prices, and friends. Original in possession of Irene Conway, Chillicothe, MO.Barnes, Sarah Holcomb Randleman, Reminiscence, 1909, (C3167)
1 folder(s)
Account of pioneer life in Dallas and Polk Counties, MO.Bates, Moses, Deed, 1812, (C0485)
1 folder(s)
For land in Ste. Genevieve District, MO, near Mine a Breton, October 1, 1812.Beall, Samuel W., and Ira Town, Agreement, 1859, (C2065)
1 folder(s)
Agreement between Beall and Town covering financing of trip by Town to mining region.Bedford Family, Papers, 1849-1870, (C2610)
0.25 linear 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.Berry, J. Calvin, Letter, 1842, (C1461)
1 folder(s)
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.Berry-Thomson-Walker Family, Papers, 1830-1893, (C0074)
0.2 linear 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.Bishop, Z.C., Letters, 1850-1851, (C3782)
1 folder(s)
Typescripts of two letters from Bishop in the Oregon Territory to his brother Thomas, Warsaw, Missouri. Discusses weather, prices for supplies, meeting of the territorial legislature. Mentions disagreement between the legislature and the governor over the location of the capital.Bode Family, Papers, 1754-2004, (C3999)
7 linear feet
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, now the United Church of Christ. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, sermons, publications, and publicity clippings.Boone, Daniel (1734-1820), Affidavit, (C1467)
1 folder(s)
Daniel Boone's affidavit that his son, Daniel Morgan Boone, claimed 600 arpents of land in St. Charles, MO, granted by Zenon Trudeau, September 1, 1797, inhabited and cultivated before October 1, 1800.Branstetter, Peter L., Diary, 1850-1851, (C2983)
MICROFILM
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.Breckenridge, Thomas E. (1825- ), Memoirs, 1894, (C0691)
5 folder(s)
Breckenridge was with the Topographical Corps led by J.C. Fremont in 1845; participated in the Mexican War in California; returned in 1847 to St. Louis on an official mission for Fremont; was on the 1848 Fremont expedition, survived, and went to Los Angeles with the remainder of the party. Petition for pension, 1894. Family notes. "The Breckenridge Memoirs" by John Mitchell, 1950.Brenneman Family, Letters, 1849-1888, (C0220)
2 folder(s)
Letters written by members of a Mennonite family. Family news, trip from Rocking County, VA, to Jasper County, MO, news of the community and rules for church converts.Bridgford, Jefferson, Papers, 1850, (C3793)
2 folder(s)
Letters of Jefferson Bridgford to his wife in Missouri while on the Oregon Trail and working in California during the gold rush.Brouster, George Washington (1830-1887), Letters, 1850-1851, (C1832)
1 folder(s)
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.Brown, Lawrence Robert, Papers, 1949, (C3214)
1 folder(s)
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.Brown, Nellie Fisher, Papers, 1831-1874, (C0212)
1 folder(s)
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.Bryson, John, Articles of Agreement, 1817-1819, (C1585)
1 folder(s)
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.Bullard, James (1848-1925), Diary, 1876-1878, (C0219)
3 folder(s)
Kept by Bullard on a trip from the Dakotas to Mexico. Prospecting, weather, game, Indians, ranches, and Mexicans.Bumgardner, James, Jr. (1835- ), Reminiscences, (C1061)
1 volume(s)
Reminiscences of life in Virginia, Kentucky, and Clinton County, MO.Bundy, S.G. (1836- ), Autobiography, 1912, (C2985)
MICROFILM
Autobiography of a farmer, pioneer, rural school teacher, Union soldier, and Methodist missionary and minister.Burke, George William, Papers, 1850-1857, (C3796)
8 folder(s)
Collection of fifty-eight letters written between June 1850 and March 1857 by George W. Burke of Saline County, MO, 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.Burris, Edith S., Patsy the Pioneer, (C2947)
1 folder(s)
Life of Rebecca Gregg, Missouri pioneer. Impact of War of 1812 and Civil War, and incidents of pioneer life.Bush Family, Papers, 1819-1923, (C3887)
MICROFILM
0.2 linear feet
Journals, farm records, and correspondence of a Boone County, KY, family who settled in southeastern Arkansas. Details 1819-1820 steamboat trips up the Missouri River from St. Louis to Council Bluffs, and farm operations in the 1850s and 1860s.Caldwell, John Boyd (1822-1870), Family History, (C2172)
1 folder(s)
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.Carpenter Family, Papers, 1796-1851, (C0237)
1 folder(s)
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.Carter, William A., Letter, 1850, (C0542)
1 folder(s)
To his wife Mary, from Hangtown or Placerville, CA, Aug. 11, 1850. Work, prices and conditions in gold fields around Placerville.Chilton, Octavia Blackwell, Letter, 1842, (C2059)
1 folder(s)
To Betsey Blackwell, Warrenton, VA, from Boonville, MO, Nov. 3, 1842. Letter to mother giving family news and greetings and discussing merits of life in Missouri.Chouteau, Auguste A. and Constance, Deed, 1818, (C1491)
1 folder(s)
Deed to Fenton F. Goss for a lot in Florissant, MO.Christopher, Adrienne Tinker, The Story of Daniel Yoacham, (C2927)
1 folder(s)
Traces the Yoacham family of Westport, Missouri, through three generations, and discusses fur trading in Missouri. Includes anecdotes and legends of fur traders of the 1820s and 1830s.Clarkson Family, Papers, 1810-1870, (C1705)
0.2 linear feet
This collection contains Clarkson family correspondence primarily between Colonel Charles S. Clarkson, his wife, Charlotte, and their children, originating from Ohio, Kentucky, St. Louis, and other locations, concerning family news and business matters. Correspondence from friends and extended family members is also included.Cleghorn, Daniel B., Family, Papers, 1848-1892, (C0252)
6 folder(s)
Diary kept by Cleghorn, 1863, on prospecting trip from McGregor, IA, to Black Hills of Dakota Territory; accounts in back. Letters, accounts, receipts, mining claims. Correspondence concerning "Cleghorn Springs," Rapid City, Dakota Territory.Cockrell, Ethlyn, Collection, 1846-1859, (C0254)
1 folder(s)
Letter from Trenton, MO, tells of journey from Kentucky, staking claims for homesteads, putting in crops; 300-400 Mormons in north Missouri on their way to California, and Missourians' feelings toward them; food prices. Land grant issued in 1859 to War of 1812 veteran for military services. Family history.Coles, Edward, Papers, 1818-1866, (C0258)
1 folder(s)
Deeds and will pertaining to a tract of land in Pike and Lincoln Counties, MO.Colman-Hayter Family, Papers, 1839-1900, (C0084)
0.2 linear feet
Correspondence and miscellaneous material of a northwest Missouri family. Includes letters from family members while in the Mexican War, in Oregon, traveling down the Mississippi River, and serving in the Confederate Army.Colt, Miriam Davis, Diary, 1856, (C2755)
1 folder(s)
Typewritten copy with handwritten insertions of Miriam Davis Colt's diary as edited by J. Christian Bay for Friends of the Torch Press, Cedar Rapids, IA, 1941. Introduction by Bay. Description of journey from New York to Kansas Territory; failure of attempt to establish a homestead.Cooley, Polly, Letter, 1851, (C0838)
1 folder(s)
Letter to her husband, N.G. Cooley, who was in Idaho prospecting for gold. Reprinted in CARROLLTON DEMOCRAT, 1935.Crain, Ada (1904-2003), Papers, c. 1860-2003, (C3067)
1.3 linear feet
Correspondence, genealogical material, photographs, 1878 diary, yearbooks, and a manuscript detailing the first half of Crain's life and teaching career in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Michigan.Crutcher, Spencer, Letter, 1847-1917, (C0242)
1 folder(s)
Written from Jassamine County, KY, to William N. Crutcher, Frankfort, KY, concerning national politics, farming, and family life. 1886 letter about a gold prospecting trip to California. Miscellaneous items.Culp, Henry C. (1844- ), Diary, 1874-1879, (C3736)
4 folder(s)
Diary of a West Virginia man who came to Missouri with his family in the 1870s and settled in Webster and then Pettis Counties. Primarily an account of Culp's travels from West Virginia to Missouri and Kansas, with some record of daily events over a span of five years. Also included are financial accounts, prices for food and supplies, family history, some home remedies, and three hand-drawn maps of a small section of Webster County.Daniels, Agnes Powell (1827-1894), Letters, 1876-1899, (C0302)
1 folder(s)
Letters from relatives in Wales, New Zealand, and the U.S. to Daniels, who was living in Morgan County, MO. Daniels was first married to Richard Williams, who died shortly after they emigrated from Wales. She next married Francis Jones, who died in 1855. Letters primarily discuss family news.Davis, Joseph (1804-1871), Diary, 1825, (C1096)
1 folder(s)
Diary, September 30 - October 25, 1825, of a member of the party appointed by President Adams to survey and mark a road to Santa Fe. Gives account of return trip from the Mexican border. Also xerox copy.Davis, Winchester, Deed, 1871, (C0517)
1 folder(s)
Howard County land deeded to Winchester Davis by his parents, Joseph and Sarah E. Davis.Defoe Family, Papers, 1840-1867, (C0309)
1 folder(s)
Primarily land grants and deeds.Denslow, William R., (1916- ), Collection, 1841-1929, (C0822)
0.4 linear feet
Materials collected by Denslow, including his father's memoirs, articles on local history, letters (1859-1861), written by a young boy working on a whaling ship, and a typescript copy of an 1898 diary describing the Yukon gold fields.Doble-Lucas Family, Letters, 1856-1865, (C0305)
MICROFILM
Letters from locations in New York, Ohio, Indiana, and California.Doniphan, Alexander W. (1808-1887), Letters, 1859, (C3520)
1 folder(s)
Letters introducing Robert G. Gilmer to Sam Houston and Asbell Smith of Galveston, TX.Dowell, Samuel, Military Land Grant, 1819, (C0486)
1 folder(s)
Grant of 160 acres of land in Missouri, signed by James Monroe.Draper, Lyman Copeland (1815-1891), Collection, 1735-1815, (C2964)
RESTRICTED
MICROFILM
Microfilm copy of the Draper Collection of manuscripts. Originals located at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.Draper, Lyman Copeland (1815-1891), Nathan Boone Interview, 1851, (C1212)
1 folder(s)
Draper's notes and comments on his interviews of Nathan Boone, Daniel Boone's son. Recollections of Daniel Boone's life and of other pioneers in Kentucky and Missouri.Draper-McClurg Family, Papers, 1838-1981, (C3069)
MICROFILM
0.2 linear feet
Correspondence, Civil War information, and stories from the Philander Draper and Joseph W. McClurg families. Correspondence, Civil War information, and stories from the Philander Draper and Joseph W. McClurg families. Information on Missouri politics; California gold rush; lead and iron works; orchards; farming; education; the Dakota Territory; housekeeping in a soddy; clothing; and economic conditions, work, and travel in the American West is also included in this collection. Photographs of farm life, vacationing, school, and of family are also included in this collection as well as various playbills for the Elk Minstrels.Dresser, Thomas, Letter, 1839, (C2067)
1 folder(s)
To Mr. and Mrs. Comfort C. Dresser, Chester, VT, from St. Louis, MO, Jan. 29, 1839. Climate of Missouri, river estate, prospects of parents coming to Missouri.Duncan, Henry Timberlake, Papers, 1838-1844, (C0304)
1 folder(s)
Three land grants issued in Vandalia, IL, for tracts nearby.Dunlap Family, Papers, 1780-2002, (C4004)
1.9 linear feet
The papers of the Dunlap family include genealogical records, a Civil War journal, photographs, maps and land surveys, and other research materials compiled to produce histories of the Dunlap and Kofahl families of Licking, Missouri.Elliott, Sidney S., Letter, 1850, (C2644)
1 folder(s)
To his parents from California, April 5, 1850. Experiences in the gold rush.Estes, Minerva, Land Titles, 1854-1859, (C0570)
1 folder(s)
One military land grant to Minerva Estes of Jackson, MO, and two land titles to Minerva Estes of Wayne County, MO.Evans, James W., Letter, 1850, (C1872)
1 folder(s)
To Ellis G. Evans, Crawford County, MO, from Frenchman's Bar, Yuba County, CA, Oct. 27, 1850. Letter to his brother describing the hardships of the journey across the plains to the California gold mines. Tells of Indian attacks, shortages of water and food, and difficulties along the Humboldt River.EVENING STAR Records, 1867, (C0903)
1 folder(s)
Log book of trips on the Missouri River, giving financial account, conditions, and distances of trips. Advertisement of trips to the Idaho gold fields. Negative photostats and typed copies.Eversmann Family, Papers, 1810-1982, (C3743)
RESTRICTED
0.2 linear feet
Family history and genealogy of the Eversmann family in Germany. Biographical sketches of Alexander, Ludwig, and Julius Eversmann. Correspondence, financial and legal records of Ludwig Eversmann and Gottfried Duden of Warren County, MO. Also poems, home remedies, and other miscellaneous items. Mostly in German with some English translations.Farrar, John C., Diaries, 1852-1859, (C2580)
MICROFILM
2 folder(s)
Diaries of a California miner from Perryville, Perry County, MO. Covers overland journey and mining ventures at Hangtown and Tuttletown, CA. Notes daily events, profits, roads, and other miners in the vicinity.Farrar-Caldwell Family, Papers, 1823-1859, (C2093)
4 folder(s)
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.Faurot, Don (1902-1995), Papers, 1920-1996, (C2971)
0.6 linear feet
The papers of Don Faurot, University of Missouri football coach and athletic director, consist of correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, and publications documenting his career at the University of Missouri.Ferguson, Russell, Letters, 1855-1856, (C0316)
1 folder(s)
Two letters to Russell Ferguson in California from his parents, James and Elizabeth Ferguson, Spring River, Lawrence County, MO, mentioning rumors of gold in the Wichita Mountains. One letter from Julia Sutton, also of Spring River. Originals in the possession of Mr. and Mrs. C. Kendall.Field, Gabriel, Journal, 1819, (C1891)
1 folder(s)
Journal of a trip from Camp Missouri to Chariton kept by Gabriel Field from October 31 to November 27, 1819, for Colonel H. Atkinson. Journal includes detailed directions and observations of the area. Two maps of route.Fitzpatrick, James M., Letters, 1848-1857, (C2711)
2 folder(s)
Twenty-one letters to and from James Fitzpatrick of Lexington, KY, concerning family news, the California gold rush, farming, and cholera epidemic.Fogle, Daniel, Letters, 1867, (C2613)
1 folder(s)
Six letters from Daniel Fogle to his wife while he was on an exploratory expedition to western Missouri and Kansas.Fort D'Orleans Photographs, 1933, (C0786)
1 folder(s)
Annotated stereoscope photos of the probable sight of Fort D'Orleans. Four photos with duplicates.France, Charles B., (1835-1895), Papers, 1856-1890, (C1012)
9 folder(s)
Correspondence, diaries, and papers of Charles B. France, a St. Joseph, MO, banker, and his family. Includes references to the Civil War and Reconstruction, the Gold Rush, and travel to the West and East Coast. Contains letterbook of Overland Stage Lines.Fresh, James, Letters, 1833, (C0491)
1 folder(s)
Letters from Fresh, Baltimore County, Maryland, to L. Shepherd, Palmyra, MO, about purchasing land in Lewis County, and to Urel Wright, Palmyra, MO, about a mill seat on the Bafias to be condemned.Fresh, John H., Letter, 1851, (C0501)
1 folder(s)
To Mary Fresh, Hannibal, MO, from Chastey Valley, CA, July 6, 1851. Letter to his wife discussing lack of success in the gold fields and plans to get a job before moving elsewhere.Fry, A.P., Papers, 1828-1883, (C0497)
1 folder(s)
Land grants and warranty deeds signed by Presidents Zachary Taylor, James Buchanan, and Millard Fillmore.Gallaher, William Houston (1840- ), Journal, 1865, (C3924)
1 folder(s)
The 1865 journal of William H. Gallaher, kept during his journey from St. Charles, MO, up the Missouri River to Montana Territory, and while living in southeast Montana.Garr, Mary Elizabeth "Mollie" Slusher (1844-1927) and Alice (1866-1957), Papers, 1875-1896, 1991, (C3987)
0.2 linear feet
The Mollie and Alice Garr Papers consist mostly of letters written from 1875 to 1896 by a mother and daughter from Lafayette County, Missouri, to relatives in Virginia -- primarily to William Benjamin Plunkett of Greene County. Also included are photocopies of various explanatory materials, such as obituaries, death certificates, printed articles, and genealogical lists of the Garr and Slusher families, compiled by the donor of the papers in 1991.Gentry, William R., "Robert Levi Todd," n.d., (C0697)
1 folder(s)
The major events in the lives of the family of Robert Levi Todd from the family's settlement in Missouri in 1816 to the death of Robert Levi Todd, Jr., in 1891.Gillespie, Robert, Diary, 1849, (C1101)
1 folder(s)
Diary covers a trek from the Big Blue River to the California gold fields by a Canton, MO, man. Original diary in possession of Mrs. Gus Condo, Marion, IN.Goodwin, J., Letter, 1837, (C1542)
1 folder(s)
To Charles Custer, Madison, IN, from Jefferson City, MO, June 16, 1837. Goodwin settled in Jefferson City and opened a grocery. He wrote Custer about life in Missouri, climate, job opportunities, land prices, commodity prices, construction of state capitol, Missouri River, soil, and his grocery business.Graves, David William (1837-1918), Autobiography, 1916, (C0158)
3 folder(s)
Autobiography of a Montgomery County, MO, farmer, schoolteacher, and Baptist missionary and minister. Donor-compiled index included.Grinstead, William, Papers, 1850-1924, (C2921)
1 folder(s)
Diary of wagonmaster's 1850 trip to California. Article by Francis Grinstead, "Boone County Citizens Help Settle West."Gunther, Charles, Papers, n.d., (C0695)
1 folder(s)
Reminiscences of incidents of his father's trips West in search of gold and return trips, once via Panama and once via Cape Horn. Incidents recalled in connection with the family house in Lexington, MO, during the Civil War. Poem by Gunther, "The Cat Came Back."Haley Family, Papers, 1864-1867, (C0337)
1 folder(s)
Letters from Wade Hampton Haley in Oregon, to relatives in Missouri, telling hazards of Oregon travel and travel in Missouri during the Civil War and describing mill and life in small settlement around mill.Hall, John, Abstract of Title, 1836-1876, (C1547)
1 folder(s)
Statement of transfers of land in Callaway County, MO, October 27, 1836-November 30, 1867.Hamilton, Henry W., Papers, (SUNP2633)
1 linear feet
Correspondence, 1930s-1950s, concerning Missouri archaeology, Spiro (a middle Mississippi mound), and the Committee for Recovery of Archaeological Remains, 1957-1973.Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, Land Promotion Circular, 1860, (C0904)
1 folder(s)
Advertisement of New England Colony located in Daviess and Caldwell Counties, MO. Descriptions of crops, minerals, soils, climate, lumber, and price of land.Hardeman, Glen O. (1825-1905), Collection, 1777-1922, (C3655)
3.6 linear feet
Papers of the Hardeman family, who moved to Howard County, MO, from Tennessee, developing Fruitage Farm and a botanical showplace called Hardeman's Garden on the Missouri River. Correspondence includes letters from such prominent persons as Henry Clay and Thomas Hart Benton.Harrison, Thomas, Sr. (1765-1840), Letters, 1831, 1835, (C1553)
1 folder(s)
To Joseph Barnett, Christiansburg, Montgomery County, VA, from Callaway County, MO, June 20, 1831 and October 7, 1835. Harrison wrote his son about Missouri climate, settlement of a friend, William Pauley, on Barnett's place. Land prices, crops, l ivestock, weather, ill health of people, fevers. Growth of county seat, Fulton. Business, news of family and friends. Includes a typescript of the 1835 letter.Harvey Family, Papers, 1834-1873, (C0338)
2 folder(s)
Correspondence and estate papers of the Thomas H. Harvey family of Saline County, MO. Letters describe the area, give prices for land, slaves, and products, and mention family news. Estate records include a will and an estate inventory, 1852. Collection is arranged chronologically.Harvey, Thomas, Jr., Papers, 1852-1865, (C0336)
2 folder(s)
Letter to Harvey from a friend, describing happenings and dangers of a trip from New York to California by way of Isthmus of Panama, conditions in California, and advantages of working there. Letters from relatives concerning family matters. Letter from brother Richard to brother Warren commenting upon attitude of Texans toward the Confederate Army.Headen, Ben F., Letter, 1853, (C0546)
1 folder(s)
To Mr. And Mrs. Winchester Payne, Cass County, MO, from Santa Clara, CA, Sept. 16, 1853. Dr. Headen tells of crops, prices, local conditions, and family affairs. Reports what some emigrants had told him about their trips to California. Typed from a copy in the possession of Mrs. Ida C. Bates.Herndon Family, Letters, 1859-1879, (C0669)
1 folder(s)
Letters written from the gold fields and from Texas, describing living conditions and discussing politics.Hill Family, Papers, 1819-1863, (C0320)
1 folder(s)
Deed, 1819, notice of public sale, 1845, and letter of James Hill to his daughter-in-law, 1863.Hitt, William Y., Santa Fe Trail Memories, n.d., (C0698)
1 folder(s)
Journey by Hitt's father, probably after 1831, from the Franklin-St. Joseph area to Taos, NM, and back to Topeka, KS, and St. Joseph. Number of wagons, people, and detailed account of hardships encountered.Horton, R.F., Papers, 1903-1910, (C0330)
1 folder(s)
Two letters concerning the activities of the Mexican-Nevada Exploration Company and an account of the author's travels and work in Arizona and Mexico. Stay at Guaymas, Mexico; birds at Playa Beach at the mouth of the Sinaloa River; mention of massacre by Indians.Howell, Elijah Preston, Diary, 1849, (C1675)
MICROFILM
1 folder(s)
Diary, May 6-September 24, 1849, of a journey across the plains from Athens, Gentry County, MO, to the Sacramento Valley during the California gold rush. Members of company, description of wagon trains, countryside, wild game, vegetation, provisions, Indians, cholera, travel guides, landmarks, defense, wagon train problems, Mormons.Hudgins, John, "California in 1849," n.d., (C2189)
1 folder(s)
Reminiscences of a wagon train trip from Missouri to California in 1849. The route, weather, and a cholera epidemic.Hughes, Sarah F. Hickman (1857- ), Reminiscences, 1942, (C1889)
1 folder(s)
Family history, Civil War, and a journey west by wagon train in 1865.Hull, Laban, Letters, 1850-1851, (C2737)
1 folder(s)
Two letters written from Sacramento, CA, containing descriptions of mining camps and information about other men from Callaway County who attempted to find gold on the West Coast.Hutchinson-Salisbury Papers, 1843-1867, (C3779)
9 folder(s)
Papers of Harriet Newell Hutchinson (1824-1908) and Lucius Salisbury (1824-1904), founder of Salisbury, MO. Correspondence, typescripts, and miscellaneous items are in the collection. Many of the letters center around Hutchinson's and Salisbury's courtship.IDAHO STATESMAN Story, 1876, (C3278)
1 folder(s)
Story of the life of Captain J. Keeney, an early pioneer in Oregon. Keeney was born and raised in Independence, MO. Presumably copied from newspaper.Irwin, William Laird, Letter, 1859, (C2099)
1 folder(s)
To J[ohn] W. Simonton, [Mifflinburg, PA], from Richwoods, [MO], June 9, 1859. A recent immigrant from Pennsylvania, Irwin wrote his brother-in-law about Missouri. He discussed the prices of land, grain, stock, and provisions, the abundance of game and water, neighbors and friends, education, and religion.Jefferson, Brooker S., et al., Contract, 1849, (C1808)
1 folder(s)
Contract between Jefferson and three colleagues to make a party to go to California and search for gold. Outlines specific responsibilities to one another.Jones, Carlton (1817-1899), Papers, 1820-1850, (C0348)
1 folder(s)
Diary of a trip from Salt Lake to Ringgold, CA, 1850; map of trip; two letters written from gold fields; deed to military bounty land in Missouri, and obituary.Jones, Hezekiah, Land Grant, 1835, (C0493)
1 folder(s)
Grant of 40 acres in Palmyra, MO, by order of Andrew Jackson.Judson, Phoebe Newton Goodell (1832-1926), Travel Note, n.d., (C2770)
1 folder(s)
Note about the route of the Judson family from Ohio to Washington Territory in 1853.Kasson, Archy, Letter, 1831, (C1880)
1 folder(s)
To Isaiah and John Townsend, Albany, NY, from St. Louis, Jan. 17, 1831. Letter describing his steam saw mill, and giving information about St. Louis and state of Missouri in general.Keith, Clayton, "Judge Thos. J.C. Fagg," 1905, (C0682)
1 folder(s)
Biographical sketch of a Pike County pioneer.Kelley, Henry S. (1832- ), Autobiographical Sketch, n.d., (C0681)
1 folder(s)
A description of pioneer life in the community of Marion, IN, in 1846 and later.Kensinger Family, Papers, 1856-1910, 1920, (C3712)
0.2 linear feet
Correspondence between members of the Kensinger family who came to Missouri to homestead in the early 1850s and those who stayed in Ohio, presenting the full range of the western settlement experience, from homesteading on the prairie to an urban existence.Keyes, Willard (1792-1861), Journal, 1817-1855, (C2748)
3 folder(s)
Travel to Wisconsin and Illinois from Newfane, Windham County, VT, 1817-1820; occupations and experiences on frontier; description of Indians, wilderness, logging operations on Mississippi and Black Rivers; travel from Quincy, IL, to New England by stage, boat, and train with itemized account of expenses, 1852.King, Elijah, Papers, 1873-1888, (C0351)
1 folder(s)
Letters written to King in Iowa from Munn and Farwell, land agents in Grant City, MO, giving prices and description of land. Broadside advertising cheap western homes in the Grand and Platte River country of northeast Missouri, and a genealogy of the King, Munn, and Farwell families.Kunkel, G.S. (1836-1926), Autobiography, 1918, (C0463)
1 folder(s)
Memoirs of G.S. Kunkel of Oregon, Holt County, MO. Mentions milling, Brigham Young, a trip to Pike's Peak, the Black Hills, Indian and Mormon massacres, California, Chinese inhabitants, gold mining, Virginia City, Mark Twain, patents, and his family.Lannan, Thomas C., Letters, 1849, (C2205)
1 folder(s)
Two letters (April 20 and June 18) from a schoolteacher in Saline County, MO, to George Peter of Darnestown, MD, describing life in central Missouri, including a cholera epidemic, opportunities for purchasing land and farming, politics, and teaching.Lazear, Bazel F. (1823-1894), Papers, 1851-1904, (C1014)
15 folder(s)
Letters to wife from California gold fields and while on duty with Missouri State Militia during the Civil War, describing encounters with guerrilla forces, battles, and personal relations with fellow soldiers; letters about his dismissal from job with Railway Mail Service and about his Civil War pension claim.Lea, Ashley, Letters, 1839-1884, (C0354)
1 folder(s)
Letters of a pioneer Missouri family discussing conditions on the journey to the California gold fields, family news, and crop conditions in Mississippi in 1857.Leonard, Abiel (1797-1863), Papers, 1782-1910, 1932, n.d., (C1013)
16.4 linear feet
Personal and business papers of the Leonard family of Fayette, MO, including correspondence, deeds, legal cases, bills, accounts, receipts, and Missouri Militia correspondence. Leonard was a lawyer, farmer, landowner and prominent Whig, who served on the Missouri Supreme Court.Lewis, Ethelbert Wallis (1815-1855), Letters, 1837-1851, (C1674)
1 folder(s)
To his brother, William W[alker] Lewis, Culpepper County, VA, from Missouri. Lewis emigrated from Virginia in 1836. Howard County; 1837 Missouri legislature; comparison of Missouri and Virginia; and Missouri life in general.Lewis, Meriwether (1774-1809), Astronomy Notebook [1805], (C1074)
1 volume(s)
Set of formulae prepared by Robert Patterson of Philadelphia for Lewis to use in determining geographical locations by astronomical observation. Also includes a "sketch given us by Yallept, the principal chief of the Wollah-wollah nation," and a drawing, probably by Lewis, Microfilm copy available for loan.Litton, Solomon (1820-1904), Letter, 1850, (C2181)
1 folder(s)
To his wife from Nevada City, CA, Nov. 30, 1850. Description of a trip to California during the Gold Rush. Explanation of the process of "washing out" gold. Health, weather, and living conditions.Lobenstine, William C. (1831- ), Diary, 1852-1858, (C0525)
2 folder(s)
Photocopy of privately printed edition of diary kept while traveling to California to mine gold in 1852. Includes scattered entries for years Lobenstine was in Volcano and Camp Secco, CA, as a miner and, later, a merchant. Entries from 20 April to 1 July 1858 describe his return to the East via the Isthmus of Panama and his intent to settle in Leavenworth, KS.Logan Family, Papers, 1836-1866, (C0363)
6 folder(s)
Family letters concerning business, family matters, and health. Letter, 1836, from Philadelphia about purchases and shipment of goods. Letters also written from Kentucky, Missouri, and California. Diary of Martha Logan describes the route taken to California in 1864.Long, William C., Papers, 1859-1891, (C2624)
8 folder(s)
Nineteen Civil War letters; letters to and from Irwin Walley, Long's son-in-law; miscellaneous family papers; and photographs of the opening of the Oklahoma Territory, 1891.Mahan, Garland Jefferson, Diaries, 1864-1873, 1961, (C2586)
3 folder(s)
Diaries detailing a trip taken by ox train in 1864 from Cole County, MO, to Virginia City, MT. Also chronicled, although to a lesser extent, is the return trip by steamboat down the Missouri River in 1866. Diaries also include drafts of letters, notes, and lists of students. A typescript of the diaries, plus photos of some of the sites along the route taken in 1961, complete the collection.Mahan, James F., Authorizations, 1851, (C1594)
1 folder(s)
Mahan authorized B.B. King to receive payment for an abstract of lands sold at the Palmyra, MO, land office, from March 1845 to February 1846. Allen M. Richardson, register, certified he received abstract of lands. Receipt to auditor of public accounts to B.B. King.Manchester, David, Letter, 1819, (C2064)
1 folder(s)
To Lydia, Washington County, NY, from Chariton, MO, Apr. 19, 1819. Writes his sister about land and corn prices, and admission of Missouri Territory as a state.Marmaduke, Mary C., Clippings, n.d., (C0791)
1 folder(s)
Newspaper clippings on Marmaduke and Sappington families and Arrow Rock Tavern.Marsh, Elias Joseph, Diary, 1859, (C2599)
3 folder(s)
Account of a journey to the northern reaches of the Missouri River. Describes the departure, route, passengers, river currents, fur trappers, Indians, prairie country, Mormon camp, Sioux City, the wilderness, Fort Pierre Chouteau, hunting and wildlife, Fort Berthold, Fort Union, and Yellowstone River.McCanne, Hugh (1805-1865), Diary, 1850, (C1932)
1 folder(s)
Diary kept by McCanne of his trip from Randolph County, MO, to California in the spring and summer of 1850.McCormack Family, Papers, 1777-1873, (C2338)
10 folder(s)
Letters from John Burgoyne to Horatio Gates about treatment of wounded and noncombatants during the Revolutionary War, 1777. Correspondence about immigration to Texas from Missouri, 1842-1844, economic conditions, politics, J. Cox estate in Jefferson County, MO. 1841-1852 business accounts, weather and farm labor journal, marriage and death records, and diary of James McCormack.McDaniel Family, Diaries, 1836-1843, (C2628)
1 folder(s)
Reuben E. McDaniel diary of a trip from Virginia to St. Louis, MO, 1836. Delia Richerson McDaniel diary of a trip from Caroline County, VA, to Boonville, MO, 1841. Also her diary of a trip from Boonville to Virginia in 1843.McKinney, Hayes, Papers, 1789-1897, (C0146)
6 folder(s)
Six land grants, 1824-1836, signed by John Q. Adams and Andrew Jackson. Also several pamphlets, annual catalog of Bellevue Collegiate Institute and Episcopal Methodist College, 1873-1874, and two surveying textbooks.Meeter, William, Letter, 1827, (C2200)
1 folder(s)
To John McClure, Greenville, Augusta C[oun]ty, VA, from Callaway County, MO, Dec. 20, 1827. "A Virginia Youth's Impressions of Missouri." Description of trip from Virginia to Missouri, appearance of the country, people, water, industry, prices, and marriageable women.Mellon, Jesse, Letter, 1839, (C1730)
1 folder(s)
To Mary Ewers, Philemont, VA, from Columbia, MO, May 24, 1839. Mellon brought his family from Virginia to Missouri. He wrote his mother about the trip, arrival in Columbia, health, rent, soil, land and commodity prices. He purchased a 160-acre farm with improvements. Inquiries about family and friends.Merrill, Julius Caesar (c. 1843- ), Diary, 1864, (C0371)
3 folder(s)
Gives account of trip from Milwaukee to Boise City, ID, in 1864. Describes the journey over the old Oregon Trail, storms, severity of weather, shortage of food and water for their livestock, scarcity of firewood and wild game food for themselves, difficulties in fording rivers, fear of Indian attack, encounters with Indians wanting to trade, and other problems of wagon train life.Miller, L.C., "Memoirs of the Life of Lee Caruth Miller, M.D.," 1903, (C2718)
1 folder(s)
A personal history relating his trip west for the California gold rush and back to Missouri by boat, and his experiences with Quantrill's raiders.Missouri, Gayoso, Farmers' Flood Relief Petition, 1898, (C0528)
1 folder(s)
Petition signed by thirteen Gayoso, MO, farmers requesting supplies from Merchant's Exchange, St. Louis, MO, because of flood conditions. They suggest supplies be sent by Jasper Landers, Gayoso wharfmaster.Missouri, Hermann, Clippings, 1945, (C0836)
1 folder(s)
Clipping reprinting section of journal of the Reverend William A. Helffrich of the early Reformed Church, describing river trip from Pennsylvania to Hermann, MO, in 1848, and the social life among pioneer settlers. From THE ADVERTISER COURIER, Hermann, MO, 27 April 1945.Missouri, St. Charles. Leases, 1831-1835, (C1688)
1 folder(s)
Leases to lots in the city commons to Sarah Ann Cole, 1831, and John Lilly, Jr., 1835.Missouri, Village-A-Robert, Plat, 1794, (C1667)
1 folder(s)
Surveyed by M[onsieur] Bouvet, under the command of Captain F. Dunegan of St. Ferdinand, by order of Zenon Trudeau, lieutenant-governor at St. Louis. Includes names of landholders.Missouri. Land Office, Ironton, Letter Book, 1867-1871, (C1278)
1 volume(s)
Letter book of receiver of lands.Missouri. Treasurer, Receipts, 1840-1841, (C1536)
1 folder(s)
Receipts to John Rea, Joseph H. Reynolds, Leonard H. Rennick, John M. Clark, and Marturin Latimer for land purchases and payment of property taxes, from Abraham McClellan, Missouri state treasurer.Montgomery, John, Letter, 1851, (C0544)
1 folder(s)
To William Montgomery, Carrollton, MO, from Weberville, CA, Mar. 11, 1851. Written to his brother by a young miner in the California gold fields, concerning his returning home.Morgan, Wick, Journal, 1854, (C3817)
1 folder(s)
Journal of Wick Morgan describing his trip to California from Dade County, MO, with a wagon train. The notes detail the availability of food, the conditions of the roads, and the mileage traveled daily by the group.Morrow, W.I.I. (1802-1876), Papers, 1839, 1852, (C2051)
1 folder(s)
Positive photostat copy of a day by day account of the journey of Morrow, attending physician to a party of emigrating Cherokee Indians, c. 20 February-24 March 1839. Two typescript copies of a diary also included. Copy of 1852 letter from Morrow regarding use of liquor among Seneca Indians near Enterprise, MO.Murphy, Andrew Lopp, Diary, 1849, (C2723)
2 folder(s)
Detailed diary of overland trip to California from Missouri during the Gold Rush. Describes scenery, weather, and gives number of miles traveled each day.Neill, John H.B., Papers, 1850-1860, (C1778)
1 folder(s)
Letters to his wife describing his overland journey to California in 1850, military land warrant in the name of Nancy Neill, and document explaining J.H.B. Neill's ownership of certain land, 1860.Newkirk, Coleman Shelton, Travel Account, n.d., (C3166)
1 folder(s)
Account of the Newkirk family who moved from Mexico, MO, to the Sacramento River in California in 1862, and eighteen years later moved from Scott's Valley, CA, to Dayton, WA.Nichols, B.F. (1825-1920), Across the Plains in 1844: "Reminiscences of Oregon," 1906, (C2794)
1 folder(s)
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.Offutt, Robert J., Diary, 1898, (C3755)
1 folder(s)
Extract from the diary of a Callaway County, MO, man who went to Alaska with a large party to prospect for gold. Entries mention travel, but nothing about the gold fields themselves.Oklahoma, Vinita, Article, n.d., (C3431)
1 folder(s)
"Downingville, Vinita or The Junction." Excerpt from the book, VINITA, I.T., THE STORY OF A FRONTIER TOWN OF THE CHEROKEE NATION, 1871-1907. Contains references to Vinita Ream.Overland Diary, 1857, (C0413)
1 folder(s)
Personal diary kept by an unidentified girl as she and her family left Concord, KY, in October 1857 and traveled by covered wagon to a place near Brunswick, MO. Describes traveling conditions, roads, bridges, the land, the people they met, and the fun they had. Describes coal mines in Illinois, the Hoosier country of Indiana, and crossing the Mississippi.Overland Mail Centennial Scrapbook, 1958, (C3457)
1 volume(s)
Clippings, photographs, brochures, and miscellaneous records which marked the hundredth anniversary of the first overland stage route in the U.S.Overland Trail to California, Panorama Notice, 1850, (C2857)
1 folder(s)
Notice of panorama exhibition of scenes of the overland route to California by the south pass of the Rocky Mountains.Patee, John, Deed, 1860, (C1868)
1 folder(s)
Deed of John Patee to Bela M. Hughes of the Pony Express stable sites in St. Joseph, MO, May 5, 1860. From the Buchanan County, MO, recorder's office.Patton-Scott Family, Papers, 1836-1983, (C3710)
1.2 linear feet
Correspondence, financial and legal documents, genealogy, poetry, prose, and miscellaneous volumes of the Patton and Scott families. Describes agriculture, economic conditions, overland travel, daily life, family activities, and tragedies. Firsthand accounts of the Civil War's influence on civilian life in Missouri, Mississippi, and Indiana.Pearson, Richmond and Elizabeth A., Warranty Deed, 1873, (C1577)
1 folder(s)
Warranty deed to land in Audrain County sold to Amos Ladd, Audrain County, MO, for $15,000.Phillips, John, Letter, 1793, (C0534)
1 folder(s)
To Samuel Gray, Windham, from Boston, Nov. 28, 1793. Letter concerns a deed for land purchased by Jeremiah Clark, Jr.Philpott, Charles H., ed., "Letters of a Missourian Who Died in the Gold Rush," n.d., (C1206)
1 folder(s)
Synopsis of letters written between 1848 and 1850 by Alexander M. Philpott, the editor's uncle. A.M. Philpott was a medical student in Jefferson City when he left for the gold fields. He died in Sacramento in 1850.Philpott, Charles H., ed., "Letters of a Missourian Who Died in the Gold Rush," n.d., (C0387)
1 folder(s)
Synopsis of letters written between 1848 and 1850 by Alexander M. Philpott, the editor's uncle. A.M. Philpott was a medical student in Jefferson City when he left for the gold fields. He died in Sacramento, 1850. Also genealogical information.Pike, Z. (1779-1813), Account, 1812, (C2776)
1 folder(s)
An account for $36 for transportation of baggage from Washington to New York.Plummer, Samuel C. (1821-1900), Papers, 1850, (C2750)
1 folder(s)
Excerpts from letters written by Samuel C. Plummer, physician, on an overland trip to California. Conditions on trail and business endeavors in Placerville, CA. Letter from Samuel C. Plummer, II, describes his father's return from California.Pomeroy, E.W., Letter, 1847, (C2042)
1 folder(s)
To Robert Aull, Mexico, MO, from Santa Fe, May 29, 1847. Doniphan's expedition and Santa Fe trade.Pony Express Commemorative Envelope, 1950, (C1883)
1 folder(s)
Envelope addressed to Floyd C. Shoemaker on the 90th anniversary of the Pony Express, St. Joseph to Sacramento.Pope, Elizabeth Lar (1773- ), Letter, 1875, (C1627)
1 folder(s)
To Daniel Sullivan, St. Joseph, MO, from Plattsburg, MO, Aug. 16, 1875. Mrs. Pope regretted she could not attend the Old Settlers' reunion. Sketch of her life; early settlers in Kentucky; Daniel Boone and Abraham Lincoln; and Indian difficulties in Kentucky.Post, Justus, Letter, 1817, (C1976)
1 folder(s)
To John Post, Addison, VT, from St. Louis, MO, Dec. 5, 1817. Land speculation, weather, and crops. Encourages brother to move to Missouri.Powell, William, Letters, 1839-1840, (C2035)
1 folder(s)
Letters written by William Powell of Huntsville, MO, to his brother, Henry A. Powell, in Yanceyville, NC. Prices of land, food, grain crops and livestock; abundance of wild game; and richness of the land. Begs the rest of the family to join them in Missouri.Prince, William R., Papers, 1850-1851, (C2691)
1 volume(s)
Three letters from Sacramento, CA, to Charlotte Prince and Mrs. L.D. Foot of Flushing, NY, describing gold mines and Sutter's Fort, and one express company receipt for 37 ounces of placer gold.Quirk, Patrick J. (1845-1921), Diary, 1865, (C3943)
1 folder(s)
The diary of Patrick J. Quirk, relates the details of a trip made in 1865 by railroad and steamboat from Springfield, MA, to Yankton, SD, on the way to the Montana Territory.Rea, Peter Goodman (1819- ), Papers, 1838-1845, 1896-1899, (C0152)
6 folder(s)
Letters to a pioneer Presbyterian minister, containing early church history, and autobiography giving account of a trip on horseback to Texas in 1849-1850.Rector, William, and Angus L. Langham, Document, 1819, (C1631)
1 folder(s)
Instrument signed in St. Louis, Missouri Territory, 3 May 1819. States that William Rector and Angus L. Langham sold land for a town at the confluence of the Osage and Missouri rivers to Thomas C. Rector and Richard Gentry.Rice, Edwin Stanton, Papers, 1851-1947, (C0397)
1 folder(s)
John Dubois' membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church, April 7, 1851; Little Miami and Columbus and Xenia Railroad Company, freight ticket, 1863; letter, 1900, concerning Springfield, MO, freight office; and letter to a Springfield daily newspaper from Rice, 1947, with early Missouri historical notes.Richards, William A., Letters, 1841-1854, (C1759)
1 folder(s)
Letters from Missouri to his brothers in Richmond, VA, and New York City.RoBards, John Lewis (1838-1925), Papers, 1832-1922, (C3609)
0.2 linear feet
Papers and genealogy of a prominent lawyer, writer and orator of Hannibal, MO. Includes incomplete journal of overland trip to California in 1849.Rogers, Isaac W., Diary, 1865, (C0897)
1 folder(s)
Diary of a merchant of Virginia City, Montana Territory, records the weather, business, gold fields, and local conditions.Ross Family, Papers, 1844-1888, (C0392)
1 folder(s)
Documents concerning land transactions in Missouri. Four deeds, five checks, and two memorial poetry cards.Rowland Family, Papers, 1844-1893, (C2244)
1 folder(s)
Includes letters from Robert A. Rowland to his wife Olive in Howard County, MO, while he was enroute (1849) and in California (1850) and during his imprisonment and banishment to Illinois during the Civil War. Also includes miscellaneous letters from other family members and newspaper article describing death of and memorial services for I.N. Rowland (1893).Sawyer, Samuel L., Papers, 1838-1849, (C1833)
1 folder(s)
Letters of a young lawyer from New Hampshire who settled in Missouri. Describes traveling to Missouri, establishing himself, working the court circuits and growth of his family. Also a letter from his father-in-law about the family.Schermerhorn, John Freeman (1787-1859), Papers, 1809-1909, (C0160)
0.4 linear feet
Letters and papers of Schermerhorn and his heirs, located in New York (1809-1840), Indiana (1840-1858), and Missouri (1858-1909). Schermerhorn was a frontier preacher, peacemaker with the Indians, and landowner.Seiter, Ernestine Ernst, Collection, (SUNP2711)
2 linear feet
1 volume(s)
INVENTORY. Cash book, 1842-1843; ledger, 1870s, correspondence regarding Aull family materials, transcriptions of Aull letter books, 1830s-1840s; Robert Aull Day Book, 1839, transcriptions; clippings; and notes.Seymour, Robert B., Military Land Grant, 1853, (C0504)
1 folder(s)
Grant of 40 acres of land near Fayette, MO, by order of Franklin Pierce.Sheppard, Thomas, Papers, 1854-1860, (C0950)
1 folder(s)
Two land deeds, one dated 1854 and signed by President Franklin Pierce, and the other dated 1860 and signed by President James Buchanan.Simmons, Joseph R., Diary, 1849-1850, (C1259)
2 volume(s)
Journal of trip from Westport, MO, to Los Angeles, CA, 29 May 1849-13 January 1850. Vol. 1 Original Vol. 2 Expanded version compiled at a later date.Smith, Thomas Adams (1781-1844), Papers, 1798-1864, (C1029)
MICROFILM
1 linear feet
Correspondence, letterbooks, and official papers of a professional soldier, who served in Florida and on the Canadian front and later was commander of the 9th Military Department at Fort Bellefontaine near St. Louis, MO. From 1818 to 1829 Smith was receiver of public monies at the land office in Franklin, MO.Smith, Thomas Adams (1858-1919), Papers, 1852-1919, (C0166)
0.2 linear feet
1 volume(s)
The papers of a Saline County, Missouri, doctor and landowner include family correspondence, clippings, miscellaneous bills and papers, and a copy of a slave record book providing the births, deaths, and sales of slaves belonging to the Smith Family.Sortore, Abram, Memoirs, 1909, (C2357)
1 folder(s)
Sortore describes trips west from Scio, NY, to Keokuk, IA, 1845; from Keokuk to California, 1850; and back to Iowa via South America, Jamaica, and New York, 1851-1852. There are comments on Mormons, Indians, cholera, weather, the Black Hills, alkali water, Brigham Young, gold rush, mining, religion, U.S. mint, and railroads.Spalding, Thomas A., Letters, 1855-1858, (C0548)
1 folder(s)
Two letters from Thomas A. Spalding to his brother in Missouri, written from California during the gold rush.SQUATTER SOVEREIGN, Atchison, Kansas, 1855-1857, (C0800)
MICROFILM
Paper published by J.H. Stringfellow and R.S. Kelley as a pro-slavery weekly advocating that "the squatter claims the same sovereignty in the Territory that he possessed in the States." In 1857 ownership passed to S.C. Pomeroy and O.F. Short and the policy became pro-free state.St. Gem, Gustavus, Papers, 1901-1904, (C1642)
1 folder(s)
Speeches, essays, and songs about the St. Gem family, Ste. Genevieve, MO, and the Louisiana Territory. Settlement of Missouri, Kaskaskia, IL, Louisiana Purchase, pioneer conditions, and holiday celebrations.Standley Family, Papers, 1852, 1996, (C3432)
1 folder(s)
Letter from James Standley, Carrollton, MO, to his son, Milton in Sacramento, CA, 1852. Also a transcription of the letter, a genealogy of James Standley, and other miscellaneous records of James Standley transcribed by Anne Standley Brunt.Standley, William, Papers, 1852-1853, (C2717)
1 folder(s)
Excerpts from four letters from the Oregon Territory. Mention of Indians, typhoid fever, and living conditions.Starr, Frederick, Jr. (1826-1867), Papers, 1850-1863, (C2073)
20 folder(s)
Starr was a colonizationist, free soiler, and Presbyterian clergyman in Weston, MO, 1852-1855. Correspondence, broadsides, pamphlets, and clippings on settlement of the Kansas-Nebraska Territories, border conflicts, abolitionism vs. slavery, local politics, Indian affairs, public land sales, claims, and prices, popular sovereignty, squatters' rights, and religion on the frontier.State Historical Society of Missouri, Typescript Collection, (C0995)
RESTRICTED
MICROFILM
The State Historical Society of Missouri Typescript Collection consists of typescripts of articles and manuscripts donated over the years to the Historical Society.Stauder, John A., Diary, 1850, (C0459)
1 folder(s)
Diary of a trip from LaGrange, MO, to the California gold fields. Route; condition of grass, water and wood; prices of articles on the way. Entries also mention number of miles traveled, streams and rivers crossed, graves, other wagon trains, weather conditions, and seeing Indians. Describes Salt Lake City.Sterett, Smith A. ( -1887), Papers, 1861-1899, (C2074)
5 folder(s)
Sterett was a Montana Territory prospector, Helena, MT, merchant, and Nevada, MO, hardware merchant. Collection includes letters from business associates, friends, and family; business papers; Sterett's Confederate Army discharge; and an elementary spelling book.Summers, Joseph R., Letter, 1850, (C2746)
1 folder(s)
From Dry Town, CA, Oct. 30, 1850. Letter describes trip to California from Indiana; Salt Lake City in 1850; and mining, prices, cholera, and prospects of a fortune in California.Tate Family, Papers, 1786-1871, (C0174)
7 folder(s)
Accounts, family letters, and deeds to land of John, James, and Isaac Tate and their families, who lived in Callaway and Ralls Counties, MO, and Greensburgh, KY. Diary of a trip to California in 1849. Papers of the Thespian Society of Greensburgh, KY.Tate, James A. (1795-1849), Diary, 1849, (C2720)
1 folder(s)
Travel by wagon train to California gold mines. Diary records agricultural conditions, mileage, and travel conditions. Few place names or comments. Little mention of the gold rush itself. Biographical material in information folder.The Missouri Collection, (C3982)
12 linear feet
The Missouri Collection is an artificial collection combining miscellaneous small acquisitions related to Missouri places, individuals, organizations, and events.Thompson, Mary and Eliza, Quietus for Delinquent Taxes, 1852, (C0502)
1 folder(s)
Document of the Randolph County register of lands office for a 39-acre tract of land: quietus granted for $9.16.Toler Family, Papers, 1856-1882, (C0949)
1 folder(s)
Contains four deeds conveying property in Arkansas and Missouri. 1856, Polk County, MO 1861, Benton County, AR 1876, Independence County, AR 1882, Izard County, ARTravel Account of Journey from Indiana to Washington, ca. 1850, (C3415)
1 folder(s)
Copy of an unidentified woman's account of journey from Indiana to Washington. Copy was made about 1925-1930. Record of weather, environment, illnesses, encounters with Indians, territory covered each day. Lists of provisions, charges and expenses kept by George Royse.Trudeau, Zenon, Decree, 1796, (C1653)
1 folder(s)
Decree in French to the inhabitants of St. Charles, MO, settling a land and boundary line dispute as recommended by the arbitrators.Tucker, Dennis, Deeds, 1860-1864, (C0509)
1 folder(s)
For Knox County, MO, land, originally in the possession of Eber H. Tucker and sold at auction by Amos Poe to D. Tucker and Zachariah Lear, 27 October 1860. For Knox County, MO, land sold by Tucker to Zachariah Lear, 25 February 1864.U.S. General Land Office, Grants, 1869-1873, (C1562)
1 folder(s)
Grants to land in Missouri, to Moses Garrett and to Andrew J. Croy.U.S. General Land Office, Papers, 1859-1869, (C1282)
1 volume(s)
Copies of land grants, certificates and assignments for services in the War of 1812.U.S. States of the United States, Records, Missouri, 1762-1870, (C2968)
RESTRICTED
MICROFILM
Documents relating to the early history and development of Missouri which were located during the WPA Historical Records Survey. Only the rolls containing Missouri materials are in this series.U.S. Superintendency of Indian Affairs, St. Louis, Records, 1807-1855, (C2969)
RESTRICTED
MICROFILM
Correspondence, account books and treaties with various Indian tribes. Much of the material is to and from Indian agents at the area agencies. The bulk of the material is from the period when William Clark was superintendent. Also included are records of the Missouri Fur Company, 1812-1817. Originals at Kansas State Historical Society.U.S. Superintendency of Indian Affairs, St. Louis, Records, 1824-1851, (C2970)
RESTRICTED
MICROFILM
Papers pertain to surveying of Indian lands, expenses of agencies, establishment of trading posts for the Indians, policy for emigrating Indians west of the Mississippi, depredations by Indians and estimates of costs accrued, negotiations and expenses involved with treaties, transcriptions of various chiefs' speeches and reports on the conflicts between various tribal groups.Van Meter Family, Papers, 1834-1968, (C3242)
9 folder(s)
Correspondence, financial and legal documents, diaries, and account books of a Saline County, MO, family. The papers deal, for the most part, with the family business, primarily accounts for goods and food sold. There is some material dealing with family matters, including a diary of a trip taken to Montana in 1865 by Abel J. Van Meter.Vantine, Thomas Jefferson (1837- ), Memoirs, 1860, (C2378)
1 folder(s)
An account of Valentine's experiences during a Texas scouting trip, April-October 1860. Mentions Wichita River, Cimarron River, Old Adobe Fort, North Canadian River, Fort Belnap, Indians, and hunting for food and water. Vantine was born in Huntington County, IN, and moved to Collin County, TX, in 1854.Warnock, John, Papers, 1846-1850, (C0420)
1 folder(s)
Letter to John Warnock, Columbia, MO, from his brother, describing New York City. Two letters from Warnock to his wife in Columbia while en route to California in 1850 describing conditions of road, water, grain, number of miles traveled, and Indians.Wayland, Jeremiah, Accounts, 1837-1851, (C2937)
1 folder(s)
Household accounts, 1837-1839; medical expenses, 1849-1851; and accounts for outfitting a covered wagon trip to California, 1849.WESTERN CENSOR AND EMIGRANTS GUIDE, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1823, (C3202)
1 folder(s)
Issue for 7 March 1823 giving speech by Thomas M. Allen and national and local news.Wiggins, Eliza Johnston, "John Brown, 1855-1858," n.d., (C0775)
1 folder(s)
Sketches of John Brown's activities in Kansas from 1855 to 1858, compiled from writings of G.W. Brown, M.D. Also a description of Pottawatomie massacre.Williams, Walter (1864-1935), Santa Fe Trail Scrapbook, 1911, (C1443)
1 volume(s)
Series of newspaper articles on the Santa Fe Trail, written by Walter Williams.Willis Family, Papers, 1843-1908, (C0419)
3 folder(s)
Correspondence between A.F. Willis on a trip to the West and his wife in Fayette, MO. He spent several years in California, working in the gold fields and other jobs. Also letters from A.J.'s brother, W.F. Willis, from Alabama and miscellaneous letters and papers.Wilson, Samuel S. ( -1850), Letters, 1849-1852, (C2692)
1 volume(s)
Six letters written from steamboat on Missouri River, camp on Blue River, and Sacramento, California, to family describing overland travel, gold mining, and camp life. Also resolutions by friends to the memory of Wilson, who died enroute home, and copy of "The California News," 14 February 1852, with letter from George B. [ ].Wisconsin Company of Gold Seekers, Roster, 1849, (C3512)
1 folder(s)
List of 26 men who left St. Joseph, MO, on 19 April 1849 to seek gold in California.Wolff, Theodore H. (1905-1999), Papers, 1865-1979, (C3057)
0.8 linear feet
Manuscripts, correspondence, and research materials used by Reverend Theodore Wolff in his writings. Also information on the Methodist movement in Missouri and other religious sectors.Wood, Grace, Papers, 1859-1895, (C0441)
1 folder(s)
Land patents and other documents.Woods-Holman Family, Papers, 1805-1906, (C0191)
0.25 linear feet
Letters, documents, notebooks, accounts, and receipts of two southeast Missouri families. Papers concern family news, business, farming, livestock, religion, teaching, Indians, fur trade, economics, politics, Gold Rush and Civil War and descriptions of California, Iowa, Kansas, and Texas.Woolf, John Marion, "Navigators of the Old West," n.d., (C2125)
1 folder(s)
Excerpts from brochure, giving short biographies of Orson Pratt, Steven Kearny, John C. Fremont, J.N. Nicollet, and Silvestre Escalante.Yates, William, Diary, 1859-1860, (C0460)
1 folder(s)
Account of a trip to Pike's Peak, 18 April to 6 July 1859; and a trip to the Cherokee country, 25 February to 12 March 1860. Original in the possession of Mr. Yates.