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Title | Creator | Date Made Visible | None
James M. Hunter to Thomas Nesbit Stinson
Hunter, James M.
James M. Hunter, writing from Westport, Missouri, informed Thomas N. Stinson about a joint land speculation deal involving lots in Tecumseh, KT. Hunter alluded to Governor Andrew Reeder's involvement in the speculative venture.
previewSettlers on Little Sugar Creek
Stewart, John E
This listing of the settlers along Little Sugar Creek includes information about each settler, the resources in the area, and local buildings. It also includes an account of an attack by the Missouri ruffians in which a number of men were carried off to Westport, Missouri. It was most likely compiled by John E. Stewart at the request of Thaddeus Hyatt, president of the National Kansas Committee.
previewCyrus Kurtz Holliday to Mary Dillon Holliday
Holliday, Cyrus Kurtz, 1826-1900
Having long wished to be joined in Topeka, Kansas Territory by his wife, Mary Holliday, and daughter, Lillie, Cyrus K. Holliday instructed them not to leave Meadville, Pennsylvania, until he wrote again. Alarmed by recent killings, arrests, and home evictions of free state men, Cyrus, usually optimistic, foresaw continued unrest. He also mentioned receiving money Mary had sent. In a post script, he emphasized that their journey was necessarily, though undesirably, delayed.
previewCyrus Kurtz Holliday to Mary Dillon Holliday
Holliday, Cyrus Kurtz, 1826-1900
During a lull, Cyrus K. Holliday reported from Topeka, Kansas Territory to his wife, Mary Holliday, in Meadville, Pennsylvania that Colonel Edwin V. Sumner had forced proslavery troops back to Missouri and camped on the border. Two free state men from Wisconsin had killed proslavery supporters near Osawatomie. Governor Wilson Shannon had resigned. A "large mass convention" was planned for July 2nd and 3rd, with a meeting of the free state legislature on the 4th. Cyrus advised Mary and Mr. Nichols to wait until after the 4th to travel to the territory.
previewCyrus Kurtz Holliday to Mary Dillon Holliday
Holliday, Cyrus Kurtz, 1826-1900
Cyrus K. Holliday, soon to return to Topeka after a productive territorial legislative session in Lawrence, wrote to his wife, Mary Holliday, in Meadville, Pennsylvania. He wrote about a festival held at the Eldridge House, and reported on several other incidents of note: the arrest of John W. Doy, captured by Missourians while helping former slaves travel to Iowa; John Brown's avoidance of capture by [John P.] Woods (at the Battle of the Spurs on January 31, 1859); and Charles Fischer's escape after being twice arrested as "a fugitive slave." Holliday also wrote that the legislature had passed and Governor Samuel Medary would approve a bill granting Josephine Branscomb a divorce. Despite Holliday's efforts, the constitutional convention would be held at Wyandotte in July. He had refused [Alfred L.] Winans' request for a recommendation.
previewHiram Hill to Charles A. Wright
Hill, Hiram, 1804-
Hiram Hill wrote from Williamsburg, Massachusetts, to Charles Wright in Kansas Territory. Hill expressed disbelief at the reports of violence and destruction that crossed his ears, but accepted them to be true based on his experiences in Missouri the previous winter. To Hill, it appeared that they would have to "take the field to Regain our Liberties that have been struck down". He also referred to actions of the National Republican Convention in Philadelphia (which named John Fremont as their presidential candidate) and dubbed the nomination "their only hope -- short of a Bloody Revolution".
previewJohn S. Brown to William Brown
Brown, John S.
This letter, written from Lawrence, Kansas Territory, by John Stillman Brown, was addressed to his son, William Brown, who was studying at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. The letter included information about their local church meetings and the talk surrounding the murder of Gaius Jenkins by James Henry Lane over a land dispute. Brown also mentioned a sermon he'd preached, which outlined the beliefs of the Unitarians. He admonished his son to immerse himself in the Scriptures, and to stop drinking tea and other stimulants. The letter concluded with a discussion of politics, particularly the Lecompton and Leavenworth Constitutions.
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