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From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Title
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description
On December 15, 1864, Abishai Stowell writes from Fort Smith, Arkansas to his sister. Stowell declares that "the day of restoration has already dawned & soon the sun of peace (not copperhead peace) will shine again on this once happy land of ours as in times of old (only slavery will be abolished & suffering beyond description will be ended)."
Date
December 15, 1864
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Title
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description
On August 1, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from camp in Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that "the times seem to be peaceable in this section there is no fighting except a little brush with bushwhackers now & then." He says that Gen. Blunt "had a fight with the Rebels in the Cherokee Nation & defeated them." Stowell predicts that the war will end within three months because "the North is just beginning to open their eyes & see the true state of affairs."
Date
August 1, 1863
From Florella Brown Adair to Emma Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Emma Adair
Description
This letter was written on December 14, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her daughter Emma Adair. Florella encourages Emma to study and write to increase her knowledge, and also advises her on proper behavior: “I feel very anxious to have you very particular & circumspect in your conversation with Rockwell or any young man you may be in company, and things like familiarity or immodesty in company of the boys is always noticed & will lead to remarks or suspicions…Young ladies & married ones too cannot be to particular, in what they do or say.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
December 14, 1860
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Title
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description
Eugenia Bronaugh writes a letter, dated January 12, 1864, to John A. Bushnell in St. Louis. She tells him that a few friends recently visited her in Hickory Grove, Missouri, and sang patriotic songs. She describes them as “devoted and faithful friends to the Government” and wishes that everyone “were so true!” She updates him about other mutual acquaintances, and expresses a wish for peace and safety.
Object Type
Letter
Date
January 12, 1864
Contract for Hire
Title
Contract for Hire
Description
In this document, dated December 30, 1859, T.F. Prewitt promises to pay Lisbon Applegate $50, plus interest, for “the hire of a negro girl named Ellen.” Prewitt promises to take care of her, pay the requisite taxes, and to return her on December 25, 1860.
Object Type
Legal Document
Date
December 30, 1859
From A.J. Sexton to Catherine
Title
From A.J. Sexton to Catherine
Description
This letter was written on March 18 and 19, 1862, by A.J. Sexton in camp at Fort Scott, Kansas, to his wife Catherine. He describes the area around Fort Scott as “good farming country,” though thinly settled. A.J. asserts that his company is the largest and best drilled in camp, noting that his regiment “is favored with good health” in comparison to the Kansas regiments, who “have buried from one to four a day.” Part of the letter is written on the back of a printed roster for the 12th Wisconsin Volunteers, which lists A.J. as a private in Co. E.
Date
March 18, 1862-March 19, 1862
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Title
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description
On December 29, 1863, Eugenia Bronaugh of Hickory Grove, Missouri writes a letter to John A. Bushnell in St. Louis. She tells him that she had planned to travel to Deepwater, Missouri, but was unable to go because of the "Kansas Raid." She writes, in reference to Bushnell’s recently freed slaves: “I had hoped that your blacks were giving you no trouble . . . I often wish that ours were as far away.”
Date
December 29, 1863
From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Title
From Edward and Sarah Fitch to Dear Mother
Description
Edward Fitch, along with his wife Sarah, writes a letter to his mother in Massachusetts on December 8, 1861. They describe their family’s Thanksgiving celebration in Lawrence, Kansas, where they served a baked turkey and twenty-five pies. Edward goes on to criticize James Henry Lane and accuses him of stealing money. He also expresses disappointment about the removal of John Fremont from military command: “He has been grossly abused by men in high places because they thought he was getting to be more popular than they themselves were.”
Date
December 8, 1861
"An Abolition Trick Exposed!" Eh?
Title
"An Abolition Trick Exposed!" Eh?
Description
This broadside was published by H. Miles Moore, a writer for the Weston Reporter in Platte County, Missouri, on August 12, 1854. Moore responds to B.F. Stringfellow’s accusations that he is a Freesoiler and “the secret tool of abolitionists.” He angrily denies the charges and claims to despise abolitionists. He includes a letter, signed by 17 other Platte County citizens, that accuses Stringfellow of publicly stating that “all who labor for their daily bread . . . are slaves” and “all females who labor for their daily bread are whores.”
Object Type
Broadside
Date
August 12, 1854
From E.R. Brawner to Sue Brawner
Title
From E.R. Brawner to Sue Brawner
Description
This letter, dated November 10, 1861, is from E.R. Brawner in Linneus, Missouri, to her sister Sue Brawner. E.R. Brawner writes that her friend Greg is recruiting for a cavalry company. Greg is also making plans with another man known as “Jack the Jayhawker” to “go down to Lexington and clear it out.” E.R. Brawner notes that she tried to dissuade Jack from this plan, but he is a “dare devil” and would not listen.
Object Type
Letter
Date
November 10, 1861
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Title
From Eugenia Bronaugh to John A. Bushnell
Description
Eugenia Bronaugh writes a letter from Hickory Grove, Missouri to John A. Bushnell, a merchandiser who is away on business; she believes he is in Clinton, Missouri. In the letter, dated May 11, 1863, Eugenia expresses her love for John and her fears for his safety. She mentions rumors of Rebel soldiers in the area, and pleads with him to return, as “this portion of our country too has been the theatre of many a tragic scene.”
Date
May 11, 1863
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description
This letter was written between February 28 and March 8, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair in Grafton, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes that she plans to go to Oberlin, Ohio the next day and then travel to Xenia, Ohio the following week. She says that Marian’s ill health is slowly improving; Marian “feels that she has been sorely afflicted but trusts that it has been for her spiritual good & advancement in the Christian life.” Florella also refers to Lincoln's recent inauguration.
Date
February 28, 1861-March 8, 1861
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description
This letter was written ca. November 1862 by Florella Brown Adair to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes about the activities of friends in the area, including paying taxes; she does not know how much their taxes will be, but suggests that Samuel send at least $10.00 to pay them. Florella adds that she is very anxious to hear from their son Charles and asks Samuel to notify her if he gets word from Charles.
From T.W. Trego to Dear Sister Alice
Title
From T.W. Trego to Dear Sister Alice
Description
This letter, dated September 24, 1862, is from T.W. Trego of Chicago to his sister-in-law Alice in Kansas. He decries the “anxieties of the War” and praises Alice and other women in Kansas for their bravery: “we think very, very often of your exposed situation and believe you must be perfect heroines.” He also commends President Lincoln for announcing that he will issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Date
September 24, 1862
From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Title
From Edward Fitch to Mr. Editor
Description
This letter, dated July 4, 1856, is from Edward Fitch of Lawrence, Kansas to the editor of the Hopkinton (MA) Patriot. Fitch states that the Free State Legislature was supposed to convene that day in Topeka, but Colonel Sumner arrived with armed troops and, under orders from Washington, commanded everyone to leave. Fitch declares that “unless the North awakes and men (not fools) are placed in the Presidential chair this fall, Civil War must follow.” He also discusses a group of women who, in response to local rum selling, "took possession of the Liquor, which they spilled without mercy." He signs the letter “Yours for Free men, Free speech, Free Kansas, and Fre-mont.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
July 4, 1856
From William Nelson to Kate Newland
Title
From William Nelson to Kate Newland
Description
William Nelson, a Union soldier, writes a letter from Fort Riley, Kansas to Kate Newland on June 1, 1862. Nelson regrets that his regiment is stationed in Kansas, and admits that “My career as a soldier certainly does not seem destined to be a brilliant one.” He writes that he would prefer to serve in the South, despite rumors of rampant illness there, because he feels that his place is “where the danger is most threatening.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
June 1, 1862
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Title
From Abishai Stowell to "Dear Sister"
Description
On October 14, 1863, Abishai Stowell writes from Springfield, Missouri to his sister. Stowell reports that he was recently home on furlough, and says the family wants to move away from their home. He thinks this is unnecessary: "Our folks live in a place where there is no danger from the Indians & but little from the Guirilas." Stowell believes that many girls are so "afraid that the men will all be killed off before this war ends...they marry men that they would not think of speaking to 4 years ago."
Date
October 14, 1863
State vs. Thomas Brown
Title
State vs. Thomas Brown
Description
These documents, created between 1855 and 1856, relate to the Jackson County, Missouri court case State vs. Thomas Brown. Brown is accused of attempting to take four slaves out of Missouri with the intention of procuring their freedom. The slaves were caught in DeKalb County, Missouri in November 1855; a witness recounts that “Brown stated he took those Negroes for the love he had for them.” In a signed statement dated November 28, 1855, Thomas Brown pleads guilty to the charges.
Object Type
Legal Document
Date
November 25, 1855 - March 11, 1856
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair
Description
This letter was written on December 13, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella writes that she has been reading in the papers about “the troubles in Kansas,” and that she occasionally reads Samuel’s letters to relatives who are interested in events in the Territory. She adds that Lincoln’s election has caused “great excitement” in Hudson, where “every kind of business seems to be out of joint & in a depressed state.”
Date
December 13, 1860
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Samuel Lyle Adair and Emma Adair
Description
This letter was written on April 8, 9, and 10, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair in South Salem, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella writes that she continues to have difficulty collecting money for Kansas, and declares “I hope there will be not one cent given to those who will not work, as hard as I have to get the little I have for their benefit.”
Object Type
Letter
Date
April 8, 1861-April 10, 1861

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