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John Brown Papers, 1826-1948

John BrownMicrofilm Rolls MS 1245 - MS 1247

 

Introduction

The papers of John Brown, noted abolitionist, of Ohio; Osawatomie, Kansas; North Elba, New York; and Charlestown, Virginia (now Charles Town, West Virginia), were given to the Kansas State Historical Society by many donors; contributors of major components of the collection include Sarah Brown on behalf of the Brown family, 1881; John T. Cox, 1883; R. J. Hinton, 1905; and Elizabeth Huxtable, 1977. Copies of documents in subgroup 2 relating to John Brown held by other repositories have been acquired from those depositories or previous owners of the papers.

Biography

1800 May 9 Born at Torrington, Connecticut
1804 Moved to Hudson, Ohio
1820 Married Dianthe Lusk
1825 Moved to Randolph (now New Richmond), Pennsylvania
1832 August Dianthe (Lusk) Brown died
1832 Married Mary Ann Day
1835
Moved to Ohio where Brown was a farmer, merchant and wool dealer
1849 Moved to North Elba, New York
1855 October Moved to Miami County, Kansas
1856 May 20-2 Pro-slavery raid on Lawrence, Kansas
1856 May 24 Massacred pro-slavery forces on Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas
1858
Chatham (Ontario) Convention where Brown planned his provisional government
1858 autumn
Brown returned to Kansas under the alias Shubel Morgan, freed slaves in Missouri, and took them to Canada
1859 Oct. 16 Raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia)
1859 Oct. 19
Taken to Charlestown, Virginia (now Charles Town, West Virginia) prison
1859 Oct. 27-31 Tried
1859 Dec. 2 Executed

Many biographies have been written of John Brown. Some of these (with Kansas State Historical Society Library call numbers) are:

  • Filler, Louis. The Crusade Against Slavery, 1836-1860. 1960
  • Hinton, Richard J. John Brown and His Men. 1894 (K B B81hi)
  • Malin, James C. John Brown and the Legend of Fifty-six. 1942 (K B B81ma)
  • Redpath, James. The Public Life of Capt. John Brown. 1860 (K B B81re)
  • Sanborn, F. B. The Life and Letters of John Brown. 1885 (K B B81sl)
  • Villard, O. G. John Brown. 1910 (K B B81v)
  • Warren, Robert Penn. John Brown: The Making of a Martyr. 1929 (K B B81wa)

Scope and Content

This collection contains a number of letters to and from John Brown; many letters by and directed to other family members; and a large quantity of letters about Brown and his comrades by biographers, the Kansas State Historical Society, and other interested persons.

There is a small quantity of business records at the beginning of the collection. Most of these documents pertain to Brown’s various unsuccessful commercial ventures in Ohio and New York, particularly in land and wool.

The undated personal letters preceding the dated documents include a typewritten copy of Brown’s account of the Battle of Black Jack, a newspaper article of Luke F. Parsons’ story of John Brown, documents relating to objects related to Brown, J. K. Hudson’s “The John Brown League,” a bibliography of Brown’s writings, a stock certificate, and other documents.

John Brown’s personal correspondence for the decades of the 1830s and 1840s contains letters to and from the Brown family and a phrenological description of John Brown.

Most of the letters for the years 1850 through 1859 were written by John Brown. There is a certificate from an emigrant-aid company; letters to and from the Brown family; federal Court documents; a copy of John Brown’s account of the Battle of Black Jack and a casualty list from the battle; a circular “To the Friends of Freedom”; a contract; letters to John Brown; a photocopy of a Bible message by John Brown; “Old Brown’s Farewell”; documents relating to the Underground Railroad; John Brown’s “Parallels”; a reminiscence “Rescue of the Missouri Slaves, December 1858, by John Brown” with a 1901 biographical sketch of its author, James Townsend, by his son, J. R.; various letters and documents written prior to the Harper’s Ferry raid; John Brown’s last letters (originals and facsimiles) to his family; and letters of sympathy to Mrs. Brown after his execution.

Documents for the decade of the 1860s include items such as song lyrics in tribute to John Brown, personal letters, essays critical of Brown, a letter from the French John Brown Committee and copies of the presentation letter from Victor Hugo and company accompanying the John Brown medal (now in the Kansas State Historical Society’s museum collection).

Correspondence from the 1870s includes lengthy letters from H. L. Jones, a resolution for a John Brown statue in the United States Capitol, and literature relating to John Brown memorials.

Papers for the period 1880 through 1889 contain a statement of Edmund H. Chambers; correspondence of F. G. Adams, secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, about John Brown; the “John Brown Resolutions”; a lengthy letter from John Brown, Jr., to a newspaper; a letter from Sarah Brown, John Brown’s daughter, concerning her mother; correspondence of F. B. Sanborn; letters from John Brown, Jr., to Adams discussing the transfer of the French medal; letters to Sanborn; and correspondence between H. N. Rust and Sanborn.

Documents from the 1890s include correspondence from Sanborn to H. J. Holmes; more letters of Rust; a “John Brown’s Fort” card; a lengthy letter from John Brown, Jr.; a letter from Charles Green; and letters to Adams and Sanborn.

Items from the beginning years of the twentieth century include a copy of George Washington Brown’s editorial on Brown; letters from O. E. Morse, August Bondi, E. J. Partridge, M. V. Jackson, and O. G. Villard; and letters to G. W. Martin and Sanborn.

The collection includes receipts issued by the National Kansas Committee for goods and funds disbursed to needy Kansans during the drought year of 1857.

Records relating to John Brown Memorial Park at Osawatomie, Kansas, contain copies of speeches made at its opening and a report by the Board of Trustees.

There is also a brief history of the Battle of Black Jack by Joel Goodin.

The collection also includes copies and descriptions of documents to, from, and about John Brown and his family in the Boyd B. Stutler Collection in the West Virginia Department of Archives and History; letters and documents at the Atlanta University Center Archives from F. B. Sanborn to Brown and from the latter to Seth Thompson; and John Brown letters owned by the University of Iowa and several other institutions.

Oversized items filed separately include a letter and map of property by John Brown, Jr.; a statement by E. S. Coleman; and “Articles of Agreement for Shubel Morgan’s [John Brown’s alias] Company.”

Parts of this collection have been microfilmed on rolls MS 137, MS 225, and MS 799.03. The latter roll also contains pages of The Lawrence Daily Journal from 1879 featuring a debate about John Brown, much of which was written by G. W. Brown. MS 799.03 contains a number of typewritten transcripts of John Brown letters, some of which are a part of this collection. These rolls are available from the Kansas State Historical Society through interlibrary loan.

Other John Brown documents microfilmed by other repositories are on rolls MS 61 (Memoranda book, 1839 - 1859, at the Boston Public Library), and MS 204 and MS 212 - 219 (John Brown, Jr., papers collected by Boyd B. Stutler and filmed by the Ohio Historical Society, Columbus). This microfilm is available for use in the Reference Room of the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) but is not available for interlibrary loan from the KSHS.

Other collections containing significant quantities of John Brown material include those of Richard Josiah Hinton, Charles & Sara T. D. Robinson (microfilm MS 640 - MS 652), Samuel Lyle & Florella Brown Adair (microfilm MS 1230 - MS 1237), and George L. & Mary Stearns (microfilm MS 171). The microfilm may be borrowed from the Kansas State Historical Society through interlibrary loan.

Other repositories holding significant John Brown collections (with National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections entry numbers in parentheses) include Allegheny College Library, Meadville, Pa. (MS 66-1013); Atlanta University Center Archives (formerly at Atlanta University) (MS 65-1); Chicago Historical Society Research Center (MS 62-1410); Library of Congress, Manuscripts Division (MS 62-4553); and Ohio Historical Society Archives / Library, Columbus (MS 62-4899).

A list of published John Brown documents in the Kansas State Historical Society Library is in the Appendix.

Contents List

This collection has been arranged to the item level, listed to the file-unit (folder) level, and cataloged to the subgroup level; the entire collection, with the exception of copies of originals held by other institutions, has been microfilmed on microfilm rolls MS 1245 - MS 1247, available through interlibrary loan.

Subgroup and Series Descriptions

Subgroup 1: Originals Held by the Kansas State Historical Society. 1835 - 1924. 1 ft. (760 items)

(Folders 1.01 - 4.03)

This subgroup contains original documents given to the Kansas State Historical Society. Included are a few copies of documents in which the owners have given permission for additional copies to be made for research use.

Series A: John Brown. Business Records. 1835 - 1860. 16 items (1 folder)

(Folder 1.01)

Receipts and other documents from Brown’s careers as a surveyor and a merchant of woolen goods. Most of this material relates to his activities in Ohio and New York. Several documents pertain to legal judgments against Brown; several others relate to land owned by the Brown family.

Arranged chronologically.

Series B: John Brown. Personal Papers. 1839 - 1924. 1 ft. (608 items)

(Folders 1.02 - 3.27)

Correspondence of John Brown with family, friends, and supporters. Following his execution in 1859, much of the correspondence is that of his wife, Mary Ann (Day) Brown, and his son, John Brown, Jr. Late-nineenth and early-20th century correspondence may also be that of supporters, biographers, and the Kansas State Historical Society as the latter attempted to secure information on Brown’s activities from his friends and acquaintances.

Arranged chronologically with letters from unknown authors and undated items at the beginning of the series.

Serice C: John Brown. Autographs. [undated] 2 items (1 folder)

(Folder 3.28)

Two autographs of Brown cut from letters or other documents not in the collection.

Series D: National Kansas Committee. [Receipts.] 1857 - 1858. 0.1 ft. (110 items)

(Folders 3.29 - 3.34)

Receipts for goods and funds furnished drought-stricken Kansas settlers at Moneka, Osawatomie, Ottumwa, and Pottawatomie, Kansas, by the National Kansas Committee, a free-state relief and defense organization of which John Brown served as an agent. These receipts were actually notes to be repaid within one year, and some of the documents contain endorsements or other annotations signifying that the value of the loaned goods was repaid.

Arranged by location of agency, thereunder by series and/or receipt number.

Series E: Kansas State Historical Society. Correspondence with Principal Correspondents of John Brown. 1882 Jan. - June. 18 items (1 folder)

(Folder 4.01)

Correspondence between F. G. Adams, secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society, and various participants in John Brown’s activities in Kansas and early Kansas history. Most of the correspondence is with postmasters and other officials as Adams attempted to contact some of Brown’s contemporaries at their last known locations.

Arranged chronologically.

Series F. John Brown Memorial Park. Records. 1909 - 1912. 10 items (1 folder)

(Folder 4.02)

Minutes of meetings and presentations and clippings of addresses given at the dedication of John Brown Memorial Park in Osawatomie, Kansas, and at other commemorations at the park. Some of these items appear to have been originally bound into a scrapbook.

Arranged chronologically with numbered items from the scrapbook arranged together numerically.

Series G: Joel K. Goodin. The Battle of Black Jack. [undated.] 2 items (1 folder)

(Folder 4.03)

Brief, narrative description of the Battle of Black Jack near Baldwin, Kansas, in 1856.

Subgroup 2: Copies of Originals in Other Institutions. 1826-1948. 0.2 ft. (81 items)

(Folders 4.03 - 4.10)

These documents were copied from collections in other institutions and furnished to the Kansas State Historical Society for research use. Researchers wishing copies of any of these documents should contact the institution holding the originals.

Series A: Boyd B. Stutler, collector. John Brown Letters and Documents in the Boyd B. Stutler Collection, Brown Family Letters (1849 - 1882). 1849 - 1948. 10 items

(Folder 4.04)

Calendar of John Brown letters and documents in the Boyd B. Stutler collection, now at the West Virginia Department of Archives & History (Charleston) and transcripts (typewritten) of 9 letters of Mary A. Brown and Ruth (Brown) Thompson, 1849 - 1882. The letters discuss family matters, the effect of John Brown’s execution upon the family, and the abolitionist cause.

Arranged chronologically.

The individual letters do not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Series B: John Brown. Letters to Seth Thompson. 1826 - 1847. 0.1 ft. (50 items)

(Folders 4.05 - 4.06)

Photocopies of 47 letters in the custody of the Atlanta University Center Archives, and a summary of their contents. The letters primarily concern joint business ventures of Brown and Thompson, particularly land speculation in Franklin, Ohio. One letter (1831 August 13) was written within a week of Brown’s first wife’s death and discusses his state of mind at that time.

Arranged chronologically.

The individual letters do not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Series C: John Brown. [Letter to Mary Ann (Day) Brown.] 1854 Nov. 6. 1 item

(Folder 4.07)

Photocopy of a letter owned by the University of Iowa Libraries (Iowa City) from John Brown at Vernon, New York, to his wife in Akron, Ohio. Brown instructs his wife when to have their sons sort potatoes and what the current price of oxen is. He also gives various directions for handling necessary duties at home.

The letter does not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Series D: Benjamin Franklin Sanborn. Letters to John Brown. 1857-1858. 18 items

(Folder 4.08)

Photocopies of eighteen letters in the custody of the Atlanta University Center Archives, and a calendar summarizing their contents. The letters contain information in affairs in Kansas, the Kansas territorial government, efforts in Massachusetts to aid the anti-slavery cause, and action taken or being considered in Kansas.

Arranged chronologically.

The individual letters do not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Series E: John Brown. Letter to His Wife, Sons, and Daughters. 1859 Nov. 30. 1 item

(Folder 4.09)

Photocopy of one of John Brown’s final letters to his family from Charlestown Prison, Jefferson County, Virginia (now West Virginia). He asks for his wife to visit him if she receives the letter before his execution and is equal to the task, sends her money, describes his state of mind, and emphasizes the justice of the abolitionist cause. He admonishes his children to remain loyal to the Bible and the Christian faith and to abhor slavery. The original is owned by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).

The letter does not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Series F: Luke F. Parsons. Letter to John Redpath. 1922 Aug. 13. 1 item

(Folder 4.10)

Photocopy of a letter in the Chautauqua Collection of the University of Iowa Libraries (Iowa City). In it, Parsons discusses recent coverage of John Brown in the New York Herald and the Topeka Capital, James Redpath, and what he remembers of a skirmish with pro-slavery men near Baldwin, Kansas.

The letter does not appear on the Kansas State Historical Society microfilm.

Microfilm / Box List

NOTE: To view the desired microfilm roll(s), request the KSHS Film # (in bold type). This microfilm is available through interlibrary loan. Researchers in the Kansas State Historical Society’s Research Room may pull the desired roll(s) themselves.

ABBREVIATIONS: Bx. = box, Fo. = folder, It. = items, KSHS = Kansas State Historical Society, R = roll, S = series, SG = subgroup, SS = subseries, SSS = sub-subseries

R

KSHS
FILM #

SG
S.SS.SSS
BX.FO
DESCRIPTION
DATES
# IT
   
1
 
 
Originals held by the Kansas State Historical Society
1835 - 1924
760
1 MS 1245
1
A
1.01
Business records
1835 - 1860
16
   
1
B
 
Personal papers
1839 - 1924
608
1
MS 1245
1
B.1
1.02
Personal papers : authors unknown
[undated]
8
 
 
1
B.2
1.03
Personal papers : authors known
[undated]
19
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.04
Personal papers : authors known
[no year]
12
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.05
Personal papers : authors known
1839
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.06
Personal papers : authors known
1840
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.07
Personal papers : authors known
1842
2
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.08
Personal papers : authors known
1843
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.09
Personal papers : authors known
1844
2
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.1
Personal papers : authors known
1846
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.11
Personal papers : authors known
1847
2
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.12
Personal papers : authors known
1849
3
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.13
Personal papers : authors known
1850
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.14
Personal papers : authors known
1854
1
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.15
Personal papers : authors known
1855
11
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.16
Personal papers : authors known
1856 Jan. - June
10
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.17
Personal papers : authors known
1856 July - Dec.
16
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.18
Personal papers : authors known
1857 [undated]
2
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.19
Personal papers : authors known
1857 January
4
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.20
Personal papers : authors known
1857 February
3
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.21
Personal papers : authors known
1857 March
16
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.22
Personal papers : authors known
1857 April
19
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.23
Personal papers : authors known
1857 May
6
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.24
Personal papers : authors known
1857 June
11
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.25
Personal papers : authors known
1857 July
5
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.26
Personal papers : authors known
1857 August
8
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.27
Personal papers : authors known
1857 September
6
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.28
Personal papers : authors known
1857 October
14
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.29
Personal papers : authors known
1857 November
3
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.30
Personal papers : authors known
1857 December
2
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.31
Personal papers : authors known
1858 Jan. - June
24
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
1.32
Personal papers : authors known
1858 July - Dec.
12
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
2.01
Personal papers : authors known
1859 Jan. - Feb.
9
1
MS 1245
1
B.2
2.02
Personal papers : authors known
1859 Mar. - Apr.
9
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.03
Personal papers : authors known
1859 May - June
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.04
Personal papers : authors known
1859 Sep. - Oct.
4
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.05
Personal papers : authors known
1859 Nov - Dec
22
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.06
Personal papers : authors known
1860 Jan. - June
24
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.07
Personal papers : authors known
1860 July - Dec.
9
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.08
Personal papers : authors known
1861
2
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.09
Personal papers : authors known
1862
3
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.10
Personal papers : authors known
1863
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.11
Personal papers : authors known
1864
3
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.12
Personal papers : authors known
1865
3
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.13
Personal papers : authors known
1866
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.14
Personal papers : authors known
1869
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.15
Personal papers : authors known
[187-]
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.16
Personal papers : authors known
1871
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.17
Personal papers : authors known
1872
2
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.18
Personal papers : authors known
1874
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.19
Personal papers : authors known
1875
4
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.20
Personal papers : authors known
1877
5
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.21
Personal papers : authors known
1878
10
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.22
Personal papers : authors known
1879
10
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.23
Personal papers : authors known
[188-]
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.24
Personal papers : authors known
1880
2
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.25
Personal papers : authors known
1881
5
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.26
Personal papers : authors known
1882
23
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.27
Personal papers : authors known
1883
5
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.28
Personal papers : authors known
1884
10
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.29
Personal papers : authors known
1885 Jan. - Apr.
21
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.30
Personal papers : authors known
1885 May - Aug.
7
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.31
Personal papers : authors known
1885 Sep - Dec
2
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
2.32
Personal papers : authors known
1886
21
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.01
Personal papers : authors known
1887
16
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.02
Personal papers : authors known
1889
4
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.03
Personal papers : authors known
1890
3
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.04
Personal papers : authors known
1892
22
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.05
Personal papers : authors known
1893
12
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.06
Personal papers : authors known
1894
3
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.07
Personal papers : authors known
1895
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.08
Personal papers : authors known
1897
6
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.09
Personal papers : authors known
1898
1
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.10
Personal papers : authors known
1900
4
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.11
Personal papers : authors known
1901
5
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.12
Personal papers : authors known
1902
4
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.13
Personal papers : authors known
1903
2
2
MS 1246
1
B.2
3.14
Personal papers : authors known
1904
11
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.15
Personal papers : authors known
1905
21
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.16
Personal papers : authors known
1906
1
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.17
Personal papers : authors known
1907
2
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.18
Personal papers : authors known
1908
4
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.19
Personal papers : authors known
1909
10
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.20
Personal papers : authors known
1910
2
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.21
Personal papers : authors known
1911
3
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.22
Personal papers : authors known
1912
1
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.23
Personal papers : authors known
1913
8
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.24
Personal papers : authors known
1916
2
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.25
Personal papers : authors known
1919
4
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.26
Personal papers : authors known
1920
1
3
MS 1247
1
B.2
3.27
Personal papers : authors known
1924
1
3
MS 1247
1
C
3.28
Autographs
[undated]
2
3
MS 1247
1
D
 
National Kansas Committee. [Receipts]
1857- 1858
110
3
MS 1247
1
D.1
3.29
Moneka, Kan.
1857 Nov. 10 - 13
13
3
MS 1247
1
D.2
3.30
Osawatomie, Kan.
1857 - 1858
22
3
MS 1247
1
D.3
 
Ottumwa, Kan.
1857 Nov. - 1858 Jan.
46
3
MS 1247
1
D.3.a
3.31
Ottumwa, Kan. : no. 1 - 24
1857 Nov. 2 - 24
23
3
MS 1247
1
D.3.b
3.32
Ottumwa, Kan. : no. 25 - 48 ; [N1?]
1857 Nov. - 1858 Jan.
23
3
MS 1247
1
D.4
 
Pottawatomie, Kan.
1857 May - Nov.
29
3
MS 1247
1
D.4.a
3.33
Pottawatomie, Kan. : May sub-subseries
1857 May
5
3
MS 1247
1
D.4.b
3.34
Pottawatomie, Kan. : October / November sub-subseries
1857 Oct. - Nov.
24
3
MS 1247
1
E
4.01
Kansas State Historical Society. Correspondence with principal correspondents of John Brown
1882 Jan. - June
18
3
MS 1247
1
F
4.02
John Brown Memorial Park. Records
1909 - 1912
10
3
MS 1247
1
G
4.03
Goodin, Joel K., 1824-1894. The Battle of Black Jack
[undated]
2
               
3
MS 1247
2
 
 
Copies Of Originals From Other Institutions
(Due to copyright restrictions, the photocopies of the following letters are not actually on the microfilm.)
1826 - 1948
81

3

MS 1247
2
A
4.04
Stutler, Boyd B. (Boyd Blynn), 1889-1970, collector. John Brown letters and documents in the Boyd B. Stutler collection ; Brown family letters (1849 - 1882)
1849 - 1948
10
3
MS 1247
2
B
 
Letters : to Seth Thompson
1826 - 1847
50
3
MS 1247
2
B
4.05
Letters : to Seth Thompson
1826 - 1834
25
3
MS 1247
2
B
4.06
Letters : to Seth Thompson
1835 - 1847
25
3
MS 1247
2
C
4.07
Letter : to Mary Ann Day Brown
1854 Nov. 6
1
3
MS 1247
2
D
4.08
Sanborn, F. B. (Franklin Benjamin), 1831-1917. Letters : to John Brown
1857 - 1858
18
3
MS 1247
2
E
4.09
Letter : to his wife, son, and daughters
1859 Nov. 30
1
3
MS 1247
2
F
4.10
Parsons, Luke F. Letter : to John Redpath
1922 Aug. 13
1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3
MS 1247
 
 
5
Oversize Folder
 

6

Related Records or Collections

Appendix: Published Documents by John Brown in the Kansas State Historical Society Library

Brown, John. Address of John Brown to the Virginia Court at Charles Town, Va. . . . Nov. 2, 1859.

-. Autobiography; family record & other papers. 1899.

-. Copy of letter to Zenas Kent, dated April 29, 1835 from Randolph, Pa.

-. Court of appeals of Virginia. Richmond. Commonwealth v. Brown. 1859

-. Final Speech-November 2, 1859.

-. The John Brown Letters. Found in the Virginia State Library in 1901.

-. John Brown writes to Blacks, edited by Benjamin Quarles.

-. John Brown’s Parallels.

-. Letter. (“John Brown’s last letter,”-dated Dec. 2, 1859.)

-. A letter from John Brown. (dated Nov. 9, 1859, Charlestown, Va.)

-. A letter from John Brown never before in print. Dated Springfield, Mass., April 16, 1857.

-. Letter from Old John Brown. Jan., 1859.

-. Letter of John Brown (written at White Hall, N.Y., May, 1851).

-. Letter. . . to George Kellogg (dated Hudson, Summit Co., Ohio, 1840).

-. Letter to his cousin Rev. Luther Humphrey. . . (dated Nov. 19, 1859).

-. Letter to Rev. Luther Humphrey-dated November 13, 1859.

-. Letter of John Brown on the wool trade. (dated Springfield, Mass. March 12, 1849).

-. Parallels.

-. Provisional Constitution and Ordinances for the People of the United States. (Drawn up at the Provisional Constitutional Convention, May 8, 1858.) (in documents of U.S. 36th Congress, 2d Session, Senate).

-. Provisional Constitution and Ordinances for the People of the United States. . . (Reprint of the 1858 edition.)

-. Testimonies of Capt. John Brown, at Harper’s Ferry. . .

Sanborn, Franklin Benjamin. The Life and Letters of John Brown. New York: Negro Universities Press, 1969.

-. Memoirs of John Brown, with Memorial Verses by W. E. Channing. Concord, 1878.

Additional Information for Researchers

Suggested Citation

[name of document], [date of document], [folder title, if applicable], [series], John Brown ms. collection, Kansas State Historical Society microfilm MS [roll number].

Box and folder numbers are not necessary but often can help archivists locate materials more quickly.

Some examples of specific citations:

John Brown to his wife and children, 1 Feb. 1856, Personal papers, folder 1.16, John Brown ms. collection, Kansas State Historical Society microfilm MS 1245

National Kansas Committee, Receipt no. 2, 10 Nov. 1857, Moneka, Kans., folder 3.29, John Brown ms. collection, Kansas State Historical Society microfilm MS 1247.

John Brown to Mary Ann (Day) Brown, 6 Nov. 1854, folder 4.07, John Brown ms. collection, Library and Archives Division Kansas State Historical Society, Topeka. Copy of original in Iowa State University Libraries. [citation to photocopy in the collection but not on the microfilm]

Restrictions

There are no restrictions on access to these papers. In accordance with copyright law (Title 17, U. S. Code) and Kansas State Historical Society policy, those wishing copies of documents in subgroup 2 must contact the institutions holding the originals.

The subject of literary rights was not addressed at the time of donation, consequently copyright is presumed to belong to the heirs of John Brown or other authors of documents. Documents old enough to no longer be covered by copyright are in the public domain.

Linear feet of shelf space occupied: 1.464
Number of items: 847

Processed by

[Lela Barnes?], [193-?]

Reprocessed by

Lee Benaka, intern / Bob Knecht, 1988