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From John Ordway to Dear Friend
Title
From John Ordway to Dear Friend
Description
This letter, dated January 19, 1856, was written by John Ordway in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to a friend, presumably in Missouri. John inquires about the progress of the railroads in Missouri, explaining that the newspapers choose to focus on “the Kansas troubles” instead of Missouri’s “internal improvements.” Of political sentiment in Massachusetts, John writes: “The extreme men here are few but an antislavery feeling is universal and the Kansas difficulties have rather tended to give it deeper root.”
Date
January 19, 1856
From Florella Brown Adair to Unknown
Title
From Florella Brown Adair to Unknown
Description
This undated letter was written ca. April 15, 1861 by Florella Brown Adair, presumably to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair. Florella reports that she plans to start for home on April 21, arriving home on the following Saturday. Florella says that Samuel’s father’s health is poor, and that she may attend a family wedding before she leaves Ohio. She writes that Charles and Ada are both well.
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, dated November 8, 1860, was written by Florella Brown Adair in Hudson, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair in Osawatomie, Kansas. Florella writes that she just returned to Hudson after a trip to Ashtabula, Geauga, and Portage Counties. She says that she will come home if necessary, but is reluctant to because of the present difficult times in Kansas. Florella adds that she came to Ohio “hoping to enjoy the society of my friends once more after being so long shut up in Kansas and I have so far not been disappointed.”
Date
November 8, 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 August 19, 1860 by Florella Brown Adair in Grafton, Ohio, to her husband Samuel Lyle Adair and daughter Emma Adair. Florella describes her journey to Grafton via boat and train with her son Charles and daughter Ada. She says there will soon be a great gathering in Oberlin but expresses reluctance to attend: “I have been so long away from such refined & stilish society that I feel a shrinking from it. Marian thinks I have grown old very fast.”
Date
August 19, 1860
From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Lizzie
Title
From A.J. Huntoon to My Dear Lizzie
Description
A.J. Huntoon writes a letter from Williamsport in Shawnee County, Kansas to his wife Lizzie, announcing that the country is “in a state of great political excitement” following the seizure of Fort Sumter. The letter, dated April 19, 21, and 22, 1861, states that Confederate supporters tried to raise a Palmetto flag in St. Joseph, Missouri, but Union supporters stopped them. Huntoon informs his wife that militia companies are organizing in Kansas, and he asks her if she objects to him becoming an assistant surgeon for the army. He also relays the news that Gen. Lane has been placed in command of 1,000 men in Washington.
Date
April 19, 1861-April 22, 1861
From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Title
From George Collamore to G.L. Stearns
Description
This letter was written on May 2 and 7, 1861 by George Collamore in Leavenworth, Kansas to G.L. Stearns in Boston. Collamore writes that Kansas is under threat of attack from Missouri and the Cherokee and Osage Indians, and that Kansas’s defenses are weak. He reports that Gov. Robinson offered him the position of Quartermaster General of the Kansas Militia, which he temporarily accepted. Collamore asks Stearns to send “thick colored blankets” and other items to Kansas, urging Stearns to keep his activities secret and to be cautious about what he writes in future letters.
Object Type
Letter
Date
May 2, 1861 and May 7, 1861
From O.H.P. Craig to A.M. Bedford
Title
From O.H.P. Craig to A.M. Bedford
Description
This letter, dated April 25, 1861, is from O.H.P. Craig in St. Joseph, Missouri to Alex M. Bedford in Savannah, Missouri. Craig announces, “We have nothing here, but War! War!” He reports that local business has stagnated and that everyone is eager for news about the war. He also mentions that he recently returned from a trip to St. Louis and that residents there are full of “excitement and alarm.”
Date
April 25, 1861