Kansas

Biography of Abraham Lincoln Barner

Some of the most substantial people of Kansas today, well able to ride about over the improved highways in their automobiles, came into the state in the early days with the slow and tedious method of the prairie schooner or the mover’s wagon. Such an emigrant party arrived in Sumner County in 1873. They had come overland from Central Illinois, being twenty-six days on route. Three wagons comprised the train, and the driver of one of those wagons, then thirteen years of age, was Abrabam Lincoln Barner, who is now living retired at Belle Plaine in Sumner County, and for … Read more

Biography of John G. Haskell

John G. Haskell, who made a reputation both as a soldier and an architect, was born in Chittenden County, Vermont, February 5, 1832, and was educated at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Massachusetts, and Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island. In 1855 he entered an architect’s office in Boston, and two years later settled at Lawrence, Kansas. During the Civil war Captain Haskell served as assistant quartermaster general of Kansas, as quartermaster of the Third Kansas and the Tenth Kansas Volunteers, as captain and assistant quartermaster on the staff of Gen. James G. Blunt, and chief quartermaster of the Army of the Frontier. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Richard Ll. D. Cordley, Rev.

Rev. Richard Cordley, Ll. D., during a period of nearly forty years minister of the Plymouth Congregational Church at Lawrence, a victim of the Quantrill raid and somewhat known in public life, was born at Nottingham, England, September 6, 1829. When he was about four years of age he came with his parents to America, the family locating on a tract of Government land in Livingston County, Michigan, where Richard attended the pioneer public schools. In 1854 he graduated from the University of Michigan and in 1857 from the Andover Theological Seminary. On December 2, 1857, he preached his first … Read more

Biography of Samuel N. Wood, Col.

Col. Samuel N. Wood, long a resident of Lawrence and a leader of the free-state party in Kansas, was prominent as one of the founders of the republican party, as a legislator in both houses, as an editor and one of the original stockholders of the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. He was born at Mount Gilead. Ohio, December 30, 1825. the son of Quaker parents, from whom he imbibed his anti-slavery sentiments at an early age. In 1844, although too young to vote, he was chairman of the liberal party central committee of this county. Four years later … Read more

Biography of Fred A. Sowers

A career marked by specially varied activities had been that of this venerable and honored citizen of Wichita. Mr. Sowers is consistently to be designated as one of the veteran members of the Kansas bar, as a pioneer newspaper man of this commonwealth and as one of the oldest citizens of Wichita in point of continuous residence. As a man of affairs his productive sctivities have been always benignant and though he is near the age of four score years he is still found vigorously concerned with business affairs, as one of the representative citizens of Wichita. He served as … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Lawrence D. Bailey, Judge

Judge Lawrence D. Bailey, long a resident of Emporia and the pioneer lawyer of Southwestern Kansas, also accomplished much in forwarding the agricultural interests of the state. He was a New Hampshire man, born at Sutton, Merrimack County, August 26, 1819. He was of an old Euglish manufacturing family, and his American ancestors are said to have built the first woolen factory in America at what is now Georgetown, Massachusetts. The judge was educated in Pennsylvania, read law and was admitted to the bar in July, 1846, and after practicing three years in New Hampshire started for California, by way … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Andrew T. Still, Dr.

Dr. Andrew T. Still, founder of the American School of Osteopathy at Kirksville, Missouri, was a resident of Kansas for over twenty years, during which he farmed, practiced medicine and fought in the Civil war. He was a native of Lee County, Virginia, born in 1828, and the family moved to Tennessee when he was a young boy. He was educated in that state, for nearly three years attending Holston College, at Newmarket. As his father and older brother were physicians, he decided to take up the study of medicine himself. When qualified to practice he was of great assistance … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Albert G. Patrick

Albert G. Patrick, of Jefferson and Calhoun counties, Kansas, was one of the free-state leaders and, although he finally died full of years and honor, had a most narrow escape from death in the most exciting period of the border troubles. He was an Indiana native, born at Salem, Washington County, in 1824, and a settler at Leavenworth, February 18, 1856. He wrote an account of the robbery and stuffing of the ballot box in the Currler-Beck contest for a seat in the Council, which was published in an Indiana paper and aroused the men of the town. In the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of John Speer

John Speer is best known as one of those able and brave editors and free-state men who made Lawrence his headquarters, and, after the times were fairly settled, his home. He was prominent as an editor, public printer and a legislator. Mr. Speer was a Pennsylvanism, born in 1817, learned the printer’s trade in his native state, and in 1839 established a whig newspaper at New Castle that supported Harrison for president. He was also connected with various whig and free-soil newspapers in Ohio from 1840 to 1854. In September, 1854, accompanied by his brother Joseph, Mr. Speer located in … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Albert H. Horton, Judge

Judge Albert H. Horton was identified with the State of Kansas for a period of more than fifty years in the most important phases of its civil and judicial development. His great influence extended from the year of its birth in 1861 to the time of his own death in 1902. For nearly twenty years of that period he served as chief justice of its Supreme Court. Judge Horton was born near Brookfield, New York, March 12, 1837, his ancestors being of an anceient English family, the first American representatives of which settled in New England. Albert received his preparatory … Read more

Slave Narrative of Clayton Holbert

Interviewer: Leta Gray Person Interviewed: Clayton Holbert Location: Ottawa, Kansas Place of Birth: Linn County, Tennessee Age: 86 THE AMERICAN GUIDE TOPEKA, KANSAS EX SLAVE STORY OTTAWA, KANSAS BY: Leta Gray (interviewer) “My name is Clayton Holbert, and I am an ex slave. I am eighty-six years old. I was born and raised in Linn County, Tennessee. My master’s name was Pleasant “Ples” Holbert. My master had a fairly large plantation; he had, I imagine, around one hundred slaves.” “I was working the fields during the wind-up of the Civil War. They always had a man in the field to … Read more

Biographical Sketch of James S. Emery

James S. Emery was one of the stalwart pioneers of the free-state cause, who bravely and ably assisted the struggling territory and commonwealth to firmly lay their foundations. A son of the Pine Tree State, he was born in Franklin County, July 3, 1826; graduated from Waterville College in 1851; was admitted to the bar in New York City in January, 1854, and in the following September came to Lawrence with the second party of free-state immigrants to make the venture into the danger zone. He was a member of the Big Springs convention and in September, 1855, made a … Read more

Slave Narrative of Morris Sheppard

Person Interviewed: Morris Sheppard Location: Fort Gibson, Oklahoma Date of Birth: November, 1852 Age: 85 Old Master tell me I was borned in November 1852, at de old home place about five miles east of Webbers Falls, mebbe kind of northeast, not far from de east bank of de Illinois River. Master’s name was Joe Sheppard, and he was a Cherokee Indian. Tall and slin and handsome. He had black eyes and mustache but his hair was iron gray, and everybody liked him because he was so good-natured and kind. I don’t remember old Mistress’ name. My mammy was a … Read more

Slave Narrative of Joanna Draper

Person Interviewed: Joanna Draper Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Place of Birth: Hazelhurst Mississippi Age: 83 Most folks can’t remember many things happened to ’em when they only eight years old, but one of my biggest tribulations come about dat time and I never will forget it! That was when I was took away from my own mammy and pappy and sent off and bound out to another man, way off two-three hundred miles away from whar I live. And dat’s the last time I ever see either one of them, or any my own kinfolks! Whar I was born was at … Read more

Slave Narrative of Phoebe Banks

Person Interviewed: Phoebe Banks Location: Muskogee, Oklahoma Date of Birth: October 17, 1860 Age: 78 In 1860, there was a little Creek Indian town of Sodom on the north bank of the Arkansas River, in a section the Indians called Chocka Bottoms, where Hose Perryman had a big farm or ranch for a long time before the Civil War. That same year, on October 17, I was born on the Perryman place, which was northwest of where I lived now in Muskogee; only in them days Fort Gibson and Okmulgee was the biggest towns around and Muskogee hadn’t shaped up … Read more

Slave Narrative of Charley Williams

Person Interviewed: Charley Williams Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma Date of Birth: Jan. 11, 1843 Age: 94 Iffen I could see better out’n my old eyes, and I had me something to work with and de feebleness in my back and head would let me ‘lone, I would have me plenty to eat in de kitchen all de time, and plenty tobaccy in my pipe, too, bless God! And dey wouldn’t be no rain trickling through de holes in de roof, and no planks all fell out’n de flo’ on de gallery neither, ’cause dis one old nigger knows everything about making … Read more

Slave Narrative of Harriet Ann Daves

Interviewer: T. Pat Matthews Person Interviewed: Harriet Ann Daves Location: 601 E. Cabarrus Street, Raleigh, North Carolina Date of Birth: June 6, 1856 My full name is Harriet Ann Daves, I like to be called Harriet Ann. If my mother called me when she was living, I didn’t want to answer her unless she called me Harriet Ann. I was born June 6, 1856. Milton Waddell, my mother’s marster was my father, and he never denied me to anybody. My mother was a slave but she was white. I do not know who my mother’s father was. My mother was … Read more

Treaty of February 18, 1867

Articles of agreement made and concluded this eighteenth day of February, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, between the United States, represented by Lewis V. Bogy, Commissioner of Indian Affairs; William H. Watson, special commissioner; Thomas Murphy, superintendent of Indian Affairs for Kansas; and Henry W. Martin, United States Indian agent, duly authorized, and the tribes of Sacs and Foxes of the Mississippi, represented by Keokuk, Che-kus-kuk, Uc-quaw-ho-ko, Mut-tut-tah, and Man-ah-to-wah, chiefs of said tribes. Article 1.The Sacs and Foxes of the Mississippi cede to the Government of the United States all the lands, with the improvements thereon, contained in … Read more

Treaty of March 6, 1861

Articles of agreement and convention made and concluded at the office of the Great Nemaha agency, Nebraska Territory, on the sixth day of March, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, by and between Daniel Vanderslice, U. S. Indian agent, on the part of the United States, and the following-named delegates of the Sacs and Foxes of Missouri, viz: Pe-ta-ok-a-ma, Ne-sour-quoit, Mo-less, and Se-se-ah-kee; and the following-named delegates of the Iowa tribe, riz: No-heart, Nag-ga-rash, Mah-hee, To-hee, Tah-ra-kee, Thur-o-mony, and White Horse; they being duly authorized thereto by their respective tribes. Article I.The Sacs and Foxes of Missouri hereby … Read more

Treaty of October 1, 1859

Articles of agreement and convention made and concluded at the Sac and Fox agency, in the Territory of Kansas, on the first day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, by and between Alfred B. Greenwood, commissioner on the part of the United States, and the following-named chiefs and delegates, representing the confederated tribes of Sacs and Foxes of the Mississippi, viz: Ke-o-kuk, Mack-a-sah-pee, Sha-bah-caw-kah, Mat-tah-tah, My-ah-pit, Kaw-ah-kee, Kah-sha-moh-mee, Maw-mee-won-e-kah, and Che-ko-skuk, they being thereto duly authorized by said confederated tribes. Article 1. The Sacs and Foxes of the Mississippi having now more … Read more