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Western University, Quindaro, Kansas
Title
Western University, Quindaro, Kansas
Description
A photograph of Ward Hall and Industrial Building, Western University, once located in the now abandoned town of Quindaro, Wyandotte County, Kansas. This image is included in the 1911 publication of "History of Wyandotte County, Kansas, and its people". Western University opened in 1865 as an exclusively African American college.
Object Type
Image
Amos Adams Lawrence
Title
Amos Adams Lawrence
Description
Portrait of Amos A. Lawrence, namesake of Lawrence, Kansas.
Object Type
Image
Second Inaugural Address
Title
Second Inaugural Address
Description
This is a copy of the inaugural speech President Lincoln delivered at the start of his second term, on March 4, 1865. In his speech, Lincoln attributes the cause of the Civil War to slavery: “To strengthen, perpetuate and extend this interest was the object for which the insurgents would rend the Union by war.” He expresses hope for the future of the country, while emphasizing that his fight against slavery is not over. He concludes with a plea for “a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
Object Type
Speech
Date
March 4, 1865
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description
On September 6, 1860, Florella Brown Adair writes from Grafton, Ohio to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella says that her friends think she should spend the winter in Ohio instead of returning to Kansas, and that “if you & Emma were out of Kansas I should be glad & we would not return there until things are better in temporal prospects.” Florella shares a rumor about a Methodist preacher in Osawatomie, Kansas, who was seen several times with “colored emegrants” on their way to Canada. “I am inclined to think he has been falsely accused by free state men in Kansas” she concludes.
Date
September 6, 1860
From Thomas Hart Benton to Unknown
Title
From Thomas Hart Benton to Unknown
Description
In this letter ca. 1856-1858 to an unknown recipient, Senator Thomas Hart Benton provides evidence to prove his place of residence in St. Louis in order to run for office in Missouri. He states that he first arrived in St. Louis in 1815, “bringing with me slaves.” Benton relates details of his family’s connections to St. Louis, asserting that he “never thought of quitting the state.” He gives the names of three witnesses who can verify that St. Louis is his place of residence.
From J. Locke Hardeman to George R. Smith
Title
From J. Locke Hardeman to George R. Smith
Description
On June 10, 1855, J. Locke Hardeman writes from Saline County, Missouri to George R. Smith in Georgetown, Missouri. Hardeman asserts that he differs "very widely" from Smith in his opinion on the Kansas question. "If Kansas be settled by Abolitionists," Hardeman asks, "can Missouri remain a slave state? If Missouri goes by the board what will become of Kentucky[,] Maryland, Virginia?...I know that Abolition & Union can not stand together."
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 10, 1855
Indenture of Robertson Moore and David L. Cavanagh
Title
Indenture of Robertson Moore and David L. Cavanagh
Description
This April 1864 document declares the upcoming sale of the late John C. Cavanagh’s real estate and his three slaves, Abe, Lucy, and Eliza. Robertson Moore, Sheriff of Chariton County, announces that he will auction off Cavanagh’s property outside of the courthouse in Keytesville, Missouri.
Object Type
Legal Document
Date
April 1864
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Title
From John A. Bushnell to Eugenia Bronaugh
Description
On February 11, 1864 John A. Bushnell writes from Calhoun, Missouri to Eugenia Bronaugh in Hickory Grove, Missouri. John writes that he has been suffering from a cold he caught on a recent trip to Sedalia, Missouri. He plans to visit Eugenia during the upcoming weekend. John states, "I have not succeeded yet in getting a house for my contrabands,” presumably referring to recently freed slaves.
Object Type
Letter
Date
February 11, 1864
Office of the Freedmen's Bureau, Memphis, Tennessee
Title
Office of the Freedmen's Bureau, Memphis, Tennessee
Description
Harper's Weekly illustration of the Freedmen's Bureau Office in Memphis, Tennessee. The Freedmen's Bureau provided support for African Americans’ transition from slavery to freedom.
Object Type
Image
Date
June 2, 1866
From Orville Chester Brown to Friend Pomroy
Title
From Orville Chester Brown to Friend Pomroy
Description
These are two drafts of a letter written by Orville Chester Brown to his friend Pomroy on December 12, 1861. Brown decries the evil of slavery, declaring that it has “poisoned and demoralized not only the social and political system, but the most sacred fountains of justice.” Congress will be meeting soon to discuss slavery, Brown says, and he hopes that they will end “the barbaric institution.” If slaves are legal property, he reasons, and if Congress has passed laws confiscating the property of rebels, then the rebels’ slaves should be confiscated and set free.
Date
December 12, 1861
From Leigh R. Webber to Miss Brown
Title
From Leigh R. Webber to Miss Brown
Description
Leigh R. Webber writes a letter from Lawrence, Kansas to Miss Brown on October 22, 1859. He reports on recent events in Kansas politics, mentioning that Charles Robinson was nominated for Governor and James Henry Lane plans to run for Senate if Kansas is admitted to the Union. He reports that John Brown has caused "quite a row in the East" and criticizes Brown's "insane madness against the Slave Power."
Date
October 22, 1859
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
Title
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
Description
This is a copy of Abraham Lincoln's speech, "A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand", delivered on June 16, 1858 at the Republican State Convention in Springfield, Illinois. This speech is preserved here in its entirety with original italics as part of a 1936 publication that includes an introduction by Douglas C. McMurtrie.
Object Type
Speech
Date
June 16, 1858
From Frederick Starr to My Dear Father
Title
From Frederick Starr to My Dear Father
Description
On March 19, 1855, Frederick Starr writes from Weston, Missouri to his father. Starr transcribes a recent article from the local newspaper “Liberty Platform,” in which he is accused of being a “political priest” in charge of a “gang” of abolitionists. Starr believes the article makes unjust and false statements about him, but admits “it may be the impression which has fixed itself upon the minds of the fire eating part of the community. If so I would not have it otherwise.” The article also describes the nomination of Gen. Whitfield as the Kansas Territory delegate to Congress.
Date
March 19, 1855
Claim of Rias Lewis against Jonah Moore
Title
Claim of Rias Lewis against Jonah Moore
Description
This is the legal claim of Rias Lewis, “a free man of color,” against Jonah Moore for $40 in unpaid wages. The claim is dated September 26, 1854 and is signed by a justice of the peace, a public administrator, and two witnesses in Chariton County, Missouri. A note on the back indicates that the debt was settled in court on August 10, 1855. Attached to the claim is the original agreement for Lewis to work for Moore, signed by both parties and dated February 12, 1850.
Object Type
Legal Document
Date
February 12, 1850-August 10, 1855
William D. Matthews
Title
William D. Matthews
Description
Sepia carte de visite of William Dominick Matthews, Captain of the First Kansas Colored Volunteers, posing in uniform with cavalry saber.
Object Type
Image
From G.A. Parsons to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From G.A. Parsons to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This dispatch, dated December 8, 1860, is from G.A. Parsons, Adjutant General of the Missouri Militia, to Missouri Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Parsons reports that a “band of marauders of Kansas Territory” murdered a Missouri citizen for capturing a fugitive slave. The 300 mounted and armed marauders, under the command of James Montgomery and Charles Jennison, have also captured slaves and threatened the lives of Missouri citizens. Parsons asks Stewart to send troops to the border to protect citizens “threatened with arson plunder and death.”
Date
December 8, 1860
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Title
From Hamilton R. Gamble to Abraham Lincoln
Description
On September 8, 1862, Missouri Gov. Hamilton R. Gamble writes from St. Louis to President Lincoln. Gamble states that Gen. Lane and Col. Jennison are raising a military force and plan to invade Missouri. Gamble declares that if the invasion is carried out, "I will resist it with all the force I can command and…shall find myself obliged to give the people of Kansas a taste of the evils of war in their own territory." Gamble asks Lincoln to forbid U.S. troops from entering Missouri without permission.
Object Type
Government Document
Date
September 8, 1862
From David M. Fox to Robert M. Stewart
Title
From David M. Fox to Robert M. Stewart
Description
This letter, dated November 27, 1860, is from David M. Fox in Fredericktown, Missouri to Gov. Robert M. Stewart. Fox complains about violent guerrilla attacks launched by James Montgomery and John Brown. He claims that the people in his town have neither arms nor militia for defense, and he asks Stewart to send somebody to organize a militia. Fox also complains that the election of President Lincoln has “thrown a gloom over our people.”
Date
November 27, 1860
From J.D. Kirk to Dear Sister
Title
From J.D. Kirk to Dear Sister
Description
This is a handwritten copy of a letter from J.D. Kirk in California to his sister on March 3, 1863. Kirk writes about the debate over slavery, criticizing "this bogus, free-negro, puritan congress" and explaining that his father opposes abolition of slavery in parts of the country "where the economy depends solely on its continuation." He also mentions the recently adopted Conscription Act, and predicts an imminent end to the Civil War.
Date
March 3, 1863
Statement of the Citizens of Bates Co. Concerning Border Troubles
Title
Statement of the Citizens of Bates Co. Concerning Border Troubles
Description
This statement, dated June 5, 1858, was written by Joseph Clymer and signed by Adj. Gen. G.A. Parsons and 11 citizens of West Point in Bates County, Missouri. The statement describes the invasion of West Point and the robberies and attacks on Missouri citizens committed by James Montgomery and his band. The citizens state that Montgomery’s men have threatened to destroy West Point, and that a number of citizens have fled their homes in fear. The citizens request assistance from the Missouri government.
Date
June 5, 1858

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