William Elsey Connelley papers, 1878-1931
Kansas State Historical Society
Manuscripts Collection 16
Finding aid by Michael L. Keil
July, 1998
Descriptive Identification
Administrative Information
Biography
Scope and Content
General Comments
General Arrangement
Contents
Descriptive Identification:
Connelley, William Elsey, 1855 - 1930
Papers, 1878 - 1931
50 boxes (19 ft.)
This collection contains the papers, 1878 -1931, of William Elsey Connelley, author and secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society from 1914 to 1930. The collection contains personal papers, manuscripts, and research materials collected and used by William Connelley in his published works. Included are manuscripts by Wiley Britton, E. D. Smith, Thomas Gunnell, Horatio Cushman, Col. Henry Inman, and others. This collection is not the entire body of the Connelley papers. Other collections may be found at the University of Oklahoma; University of Texas; University of Kansas; University of Missouri-Kansas City; the Wyandotte County, Kansas, Historical Society; the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Library; and the Denver Public Library.
Administrative Information:
The Kansas State Historical Society purchased the collection from Eldora Farley in 1969.
Biography:
William Elsey Connelley (March 15, 1855 - July, 1930), was educator, businessman, author, president of the Kansas State Historical Society (1912), and secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society from February, 1914, until his death in July, 1930. He married Julia Frances Witten in 1873 (d. 1881), and had two children. In 1885 he married Sarah A. Fife and they had two daughters, one of whom lived to adulthood. Connelley was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from Baker University in 1911. He also served as president of the Mississippi Valley Historical Society, the Kansas Sons of the American Revolution, and was a member of numerous other civic organizations and a Mason.
Connelley was born in Johnson County, Kentucky, on March 15, 1855, the oldest of five children. During the Civil War his father served in the Union army with the 45th Kentucky Mounted Infantry. His mother died in 1862, leaving Connelley to care for his siblings until his father returned from the war in 1865, “ruined in property and health.” Connelley’s educational opportunities were limited and he was primarily self-educated. Despite his limited formal education, at the age of seventeen he became a school teacher in Johnson County, Kentucky, where he remained for ten years.
In 1881 Connelley moved to Wyandotte County, Kansas, where he taught school until 1882. From 1883 to 1887 he served as the Wyandotte County clerk. Connelley became involved in the wholesale lumber business in Springfield, Missouri, from 1888 to 1892. He was in the banking business in Kansas City, Kansas, and in the land, title, and abstract business in Beatrice, Nebraska. He worked for the Topeka publishing house of Crane & Company until 1902, when he was appointed special pensions examiner. By August of 1903, Connelley was involved in the oil industry in southeast Kansas, around the Chanute area. In 1905 Connelley wrote a call for a meeting of independent oil men in Kansas which resulted in the organization of the Kansas Oil Producers Association. Connelley was an active participant in the crusade against the Standard Oil Company in Kansas, leading eventually to the dissolution of the Standard Oil Trust by the United States Supreme Court.
Connelley authored fourteen major books. From 1899 through 1900 he contributed five volumes to Crane’s Twentieth Century Classics: Provisional Government of the Nebraska Territory, James Henry Lane, Wyandot Folk-lore, Kansas Territorial Governors, and John Brown. Other works include: Overland Stage to California with Frank A. Root (1901), Life of John J. Ingalls (1903), An Appeal to the Record (1903), The Heckwelder Narrative (ed., 1907), Doniphan’s Expedition (1907), Quantrill and the Border Wars (1909), Ingalls of Kansas (1909), Eastern Kentucky Papers (1910), and Life of Preston B. Plumb (1913). Connelley also compiled a five volume History of Kansas (1917, 1918, and 1929) and a five volume History of Kentucky with E. M. Coulter, edited by Judge Charles Kerr (1922).
Connelley contributed numerous articles to journals and magazines. Included in these were articles to scientific journals on the folklore and ethnology of the Wyandot tribe. He is credited with compiling the first ever written vocabulary of the Wyandot language and made extensive investigations into the history and language of the Delaware, Shawnee, and other native American tribes. It was said of Connelley that he “understood the American Negro and the American Indian perhaps better than any other resident of Kansas.” In addition to his pioneering work in the area of Native American studies, Connelley’s work on John Brown, Quantrill, the Civil War on the Border, the Doniphan Expedition, and the Overland Stage were considered by many to be significant contributions to the study and understanding of these subjects.
Although he was not a scholar or a professional historian, Connelley’s writings incorporated many of the now acknowledged principles of historic research. His analysis and conclusions were based on careful research of the documentary evidence as well as extensive interviews with many of the individuals involved in the events under investigation. This style often led him to conclusions that were frequently at odds with the ones currently accepted, as well as with their proponents. Not interested in “waving the bloody flag” or in perpetuating or destroying myths, only in recording what the documentary and oral evidence demonstrated, Connelley frequently found himself embroiled in disputes with various individuals concerning the conclusions he reached. Of course, Connelley was not immune from his own prejudices, which often found their way into his writing, but this is the bane of many writers. One of his unfulfilled goals was to edit a volume of John Brown’s papers because “the time has come when the student demands to see important documents as they were written, and they will tolerate no editing and correcting of important papers and letters.”
Connelley is probably remembered best for his sixteen year tenure as secretary of the Kansas State Historical Society. It was during this time that the Society and museum moved into the then newly constructed Memorial Building at 10th and Jackson in downtown Topeka. He wanted the Society to maintain a reputation as a significant repository of artifacts and records, and worked to continue the growth of the collections and membership. One area he devoted much attention to was the relation between the Society and educators. Connelley attempted to extend the influence of the Society throughout the state through the public school system, and devoted much time and effort to this.
Anyone wanting more information about William Elsey Connelley should search the catalogue of the library of the Kansas State Historical Society Center for Historical Research at Topeka, Kansas. Numerous references to and about Connelley are listed, as well as contained within the manuscript collections of other of his contemporaries.
Scope and Content:
This collection can be broken into three major groupings; manuscripts, research material, and personal. The bulk of the material focuses on the areas in which Connelley was interested and did the majority of his writing: the American West, Territorial Kansas and the Border Wars, Preston B. Plumb, John J. Ingalls, and Native Americans. Much of the material is not original, rather it is typed copies of material which Connelley used, shared with others, or that others shared with him. The exceptions to this are the handwritten interview notes that Connelley compiled during his research, and, of course, the letters.
General Comments:
Manuscripts:
Connelley accumulated various manuscripts on a range of topics over the years. Some of these were sent to him by the authors as an aid to his research while others were sent for him to read and comment on before they went to the publisher. The Inman manuscripts were obtained by Connelley as security for loans of money which Connelley made to Col. Inman over a period of years. Inman died before Connelley secured the publishing rights for the manuscripts, and a dispute with Inman’s heirs over ownership of them ensued (see General Correspondence, box 42, folder 390)
In addition to Connelley’s manuscripts, manuscripts by the following are contained in the collection:
E. D. Smith – box 2
Wiley Britton – boxes 2 and 48
John Stewart – box 3
Thomas Gunnell – box 4
Horatio Cushman – boxes 14 to 16
Col. Henry Inman – boxes 23 and 30
William D. Street – box 31
S. C. Turnbo – boxes 32 to 35
Thomas Ingalls – box 44
Clyne Manuscript – box 22
Research:
A large portion of the collection is material related to Connelley’s research on various topics. This includes material he copied from both original and secondary sources (much of which is typewritten). There are many handwritten interviews with individuals who were eye-witnesses to events, as well as narratives by others. The bulk of these items relate to Territorial Kansas and the Border Wars. Finally, there is a large accumulation of letters with individuals who Connelley corresponded with during the course of his research, as well as correspondence with others who were conducting research of their own. Much of this material is identified under the broad headings in the box and folder list, but the researcher should carefully study the list as the material is scattered throughout this collection. Significant blocks of research contained within this collection are related to the following:
Quantrill, the Civil War in Kansas and Missouri, and Territorial Kansas.
Preston B. Plumb.
Native Americans
Doniphan Expedition.
John J. Ingalls.
Jedediah Strong Smith.
Correspondence:
As mentioned above, there is a large block of correspondence related to the research of Connelley and others. And, as noted, the correspondence is located throughout the collection. Most of the remainder is best described as general correspondence. Much of this is concerned with the business of publishing and distributing Connelley’s books, replies to individuals seeking information regarding various topics and concerns, and some personal letters. Of particular interest (besides those mentioned above) are:
The Standard Oil files - boxes 38, 39, and 44
The “Call of Kansas” controversy - box 41
Ownership and disposal of Inman Manuscripts controversy - box 42
General Arrangement of the Connelley Collection:
Biography:
The biography portion of the collection contains information relating primarily to individuals who have some sort of a Kansas connection. Also included are manuscripts as noted above, along with a collection of letters of Eugene F. Ware to Connelley. Of particular interest are the following:
A. Manuscript of John Stewart, an African American missionary to the Wyandot mission in Ohio.
B. Manuscript of Wiley Britton – concerns western and southwestern Missouri up to the Civil War.
C. Manuscript of Thomas A. Gunnell – Gunnell was a country doctor in Missouri prior to the Civil War, and then a doctor with the Union Army. Contains his reminiscences of this period, including some accounts of treating slaves who had been punished by their masters. Also has some material relating to the early Indian Wars, early Kentucky, the Mexican American War, and the Border War between Kansas and Missouri.
Preston B. Plumb:
The material contained in this section was accumulated while Connelley was researching and writing his book on P. B. Plumb. The bulk of this material is collected in twenty-two volumes of notes which Connelley compiled doing the research for the book. Volumes nineteen and twenty of the notes are missing from the collection, and their location is unknown. The remainder of the material in this section is correspondence and related materials connected to the book. Other material relating to P. B. Plumb may be found in Box 19, folder 157; Box 43, folder 404; Box 44, folder 430; and Box 48, folder 459.
Civil War:
Material gathered by Connelley that relates to the Civil War in Kansas and Missouri, the Border War, Bleeding Kansas, and the Quantrill raids. Other related material may be found in Boxes 1, 24, 35, 37, 42, 43, 44, and 46. The researcher may also want to consult the files on Preston B. Plumb and John J. Ingalls as these two were active in Kansas during this same period.
Horatio B. Cushman:
Cushman’s original manuscripts of his History of North American Indian Tribes. The manuscript numbering system appears to be one that Cushman used, and has, therefore, been maintained in this collection, along with the descriptors.
Doniphan Expedition:
Materials collected by Connelley while researching this topic. Other related materials may be found in Boxes 3, 4, 36, 40, 41, 44, 46, and 48.
John J. Ingalls:
Materials related to the research for Connelley’s work on Ingalls.
Indians:
Native American folklore, stories, correspondence, missions, and the Clyne manuscript.
See also Boxes 1, 3, 14 - 16, 23, 24, 36, 37, 40 - 43, 44, 45, and 48.
Inman:
Manuscripts of Col. Henry Inman which Connelley had possession of as security for loans made to Inman. Inman passed away before being able to repay Connelley and before Connelley could secure the rights for publication from Inman. See Box 30 for a draft of Inman’s “The Cruise of a Prairie Schooner”, and Box 42, folder 390, for correspondence relating to the dispute with the Inman heirs about the possession, disposal, and settlement of the debt owed Connelley.
Kansas:
A wide variety of material related to different events and individuals related to Kansas history. Related items may be found in most of the boxes of the collection.
Jedediah Strong Smith:
Articles, correspondence, manuscripts, and other material related to and accumulated during research about Smith. See also Boxes 36 and 42.
S. C. Turnbo:
The stories and reminiscences (“Ozark Stories”) of Turmbo plus his “History of the 27th Arkansas Confederate Regiment.” Stories about southeast Missouri and northwest Arkansas. Turnbo was an early settler in this area and wrote these stories for Connelley.
The West:
Primarily material collected as research by Connelley. Covers a wide range of topics and related items can be located throughout the collection.
Correspondence Collections:
Primarily correspondence of Connelley, but many interesting subjects covered. One of the important collections is the correspondence between Connelley, Edith Connelley Ross, and Grace Raymond Hebard. Hebard wrote and published an important work about Sacajawea, the Indian guide of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Edith Connelley Ross was one of Hebard’s researchers, and both conferred with Connelley on matters relating to their research and the book. Another important body of correspondence is that of L. V. McWhorter of Yakima, Washington, who was an authority on the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. As mentioned earlier, this collection contains the Standard Oil fight files of Connelley.
Connelley corresponded with many people who played an important role in Kansas history. Among those represented in this collection are F. B. Sanborn, D. W. Wilder, and Walt Mason, just to mention a few. Also included here is a copy of a letter to G. W. Brown in which Connelley answers Brown’s criticisms of his John Brown. (see footnote no. 5 of the biography). Within this correspondence collection are also narratives, life sketches, drafts of Connelley’s Quantrill and the Border Wars, and other items.
Miscellaneous Speeches and Writings by W. E. Connelley:
Contains a wide assortment of material, including more narratives, statements, articles, life sketches, and other research in addition to the odd assortment of speeches and writtings. Of particular interest may be the two files of materials on the Mormon Troubles in Missouri and the Mormon Trail (Box 48, folders 465 and 466).
Boxes 49 and 50 contain account books, business books, and reminder books of Connelley. It is important to note that within the pages of the various books are notes that are related to some of the previously mentioned topics. It would be advisable to thumb the pages of these books for material that may be useful to the researcher. Some of this also relates to Connelley’s oil business and the expenses and income from that enterprise.
Organization and Arrangement:
The collection was organized under twelve broad topic headings which have been retained and identified above. In most instances the material is arranged in a more or less alphabetical order. There is much material related to similar topics located throughout the collection. As much as possible these have been indicated and/or identified for the convenience of the researcher.
Contents:
I Biography Boxes 1 - 4
II Connelley’s Notes on Preston B. Plumb Boxes 5 - 12
III Civil War Box 13
IV Cushman, Horatio B. Boxes 14 - 16
V Doniphan Expedition Boxes 17 - 18
VI Ingalls, John J. Boxes 19 - 20
VII Indians Boxes 21 - 22
VIII Inman Box 23
IX Kansas Box 24-25
X Smith, Jedediah Strong Boxes 26 - 31
XI Turnbo, S. C. Boxes 32 - 35
XII The West Box 36
XIII Correspondence Collections Boxes 37 - 43
XIV Misc. Speeches, notes, writings, and personal records of W. E. Connelley Boxes 44-50
BOX AND FOLDER LIST
Box 1 Biography
Folder no.
1 Finding Aid
2 Bender, Bloody Bender Family
3-4 Brown, George W. (Indian Fighter)
5-8 Brown, John
9 Curtis, Charles
10 Denver, James W.
11 Gilpin, William
12-14 Lane, James H.
15 Lee, Thomas A.
16 Lincoln, Abraham
17-20 Ware, Eugene F.
21 Misc., Tom Stauth and the Battle of Adobe Walls, Skeletons on Coon Creek
Box 2
Smith, E. D. – Milly, vols. 1 & 2
Britton, Wiley – Pioneers of the Ozarks
Ware, Eugene F. – letters to Wm. E. Connelley, 1899-1916
Box 3
Folder no. 22-25
Connelley, Wm. E. – Shelby’s Expedition to Mexico
Lane, James H. – Documents relating to the dispute with and killing of Gaius Jenkins, 2 vols.
Stewart, John – The Missionary Pioneer
Box 4
Gunnell, Thomas A. [et al.] – “A Spartan Band of Heroic Men,” 2 vols.
Sublette, William – material relating to trial and property dispute of the heirs of Sublette, 1902
Folder 26
Whitley, Colonel William – re: William Sublette
Box 5 Connelley’s notes on Preston B. Plumb
Index; vols. 1-4
Box 6 Connelley’s notes on Preston B. Plumb
vols. 5-10
Box 7 Connelley’s notes on Preston B. Plumb
vols. 11-15
Box 8 Connelley’s notes on Preston B. Plumb
vols. 16-18, 21, 22
Box 9 Drafts of Connelley’s Life of Preston B. Plumb
Box 10 Drafts of Connelley’s Life of Preston B. Plumb
Box 11 Correspondence relating to P. B. Plumb and the writing of Life of Preston B. Plumb
Folder no.
27-8 F. G. Brown and Co., Publishers
29 Cauby, Cora B.
30 Chandler, William E.
31 Curtis, Charles
32-33 Edwards, Mabel H.
34 Plumb family
35-36 Plumb, A. H.
Box 12
Folder no.
37 Plumb, A. H.
38 Misc. correspondence
39 notes
40-41 Biographic materials
42 Clippings
Box 13 Civil War (Interviews and correspondence relating to Quantrill and Border War)
Folder no.
43 Anderson, Bill
44 Dryden, H. C.
45 Battle of Independence, Sterling Price, Burning of Osceola
46 Jennison, Col. Charles R.
47 Sanborn, F. B.
48-53 Quantrill, William Clark
54 Quantrill and the second raid on Lawrence
55 Battle of Rock Creek
56 Wilson, Hill P. , letter
57 Lincoln, Abraham, notes
58 Price, Sterling
Box 14 Cushman, Horatio B., 1822-1899 (Original manuscripts – “History of North American Indian Tribes.”)
Folder no.
59 Inspector Wright’s speech to the Cherokee at Talequah Dec. 10, 1898
60 Clippings, misc. items
61 Introduction
62 MSS. 1st – Seminole
63 MSS. 1st – Cherokee
64 MSS. 2nd – Pasqual, Yuma chief, History, Characteristics
65 MSS. 3rd – Cheyenne
66 MSS. 3rd – Choctah, Creek, Seminole, Chickasah, Cherokee, summary
Box 15 Cushman (continued)
Folder no.
67 MSS 4th – Kansas, Black Kettle, Sheridan, Custer
68 MSS 4th – Indian frauds, Lewis B. Gunkel’s report, Seminole, Creek, Cherokee, summary
69 MSS 5th – Report of the Dawes Commission Dec. 2, 1894, Cherokee summary
70 MSS 5th
71 MSS 5th – Choctah, Treaties and Exodus
72 MSS 5th – Choctah, Reports of the Labors of the Missionaries East of the Mississippi River
73 MSS 6th
74 MSS 7th
75 MSS 7th – The Nestorians, or the Lost Tribes of the House of Israel, Cherokee
Box 16 Cushman (continued)
Folder no.
76 MSS 7th – The Nestorians, or the Lost Tribe of the House of Israel
77 MSS 9th
78 MSS 10th
79 MSS 11th
80 MSS 12th
81 MSS 18th
82 MSS – Traditions
83 Statistics of tribes in Indian Territory, 1872
84 letters to H. B. Cushman
85 letters of Harry C. Revercomb
Box 17 Doniphan Expedition
Folder no.
86 “Col. Alexander W. Doniphan – His Life and Character” by D. C. Allen
87 Bent and St. Vrain, letters of Thomas F. Dawson
88 Articles by James H. Birch
89 letters of George Boone
90 letters and statement of Edward J. Glasgow
91-94 letters and statements of Merideth T. Moore
95 letters of C. R. Morehead
96 letters of Selma Mullins and Margaret Yount, La Salle clipping
Box 18 Doniphan Expedition (continued)
Folder no.
97 New Orleans Picayune, letters from Jim Augustus
98 D. C. Allen, letters and notes
99 letters of Rollin J. Britton
100 Alexander Doniphan, copies of official reports Mar. - Dec., 1847
101 Doniphan statue at Richmond, Mo., correspondence
102 Max Frost, Interview with Alexander Doniphan, 1880
103 Oden Guitar, letters, story, interview
104 letter of Mrs. Fannie Frazee Hamilton
105 Information about Harper who killed Meredith
106 Heatherly War
107 Stephen W. Kearny, copy of letterbook June 7, 1846, to Feb. 22, 1847
108 James Kirker, Deserters, James T. Hughes, Joseph Faust, Robert Barnett, Yount, Sacramento
109 Correspondence of James W. Magoffin 1846-48, letter of W. E. Connelley to Charles Curtis about publishing of papers
110 letters of Milton Moore, Roland Hughes, and O. P. Ray
111 letters of Selma Mullins about the Mexican Veteran’s Pensions, Teamsters (Traders) Battalion
112 Traders Battalion, Maj. Samuel Owens
113 letters of Mrs. Rush Campbell Owens about Maj. Campbell
114 Interview with James Peacock, “Slayer of ‘Jim Crow’ Chiles, badman, retires from Office”
115 Life Sketch of Sterling Price
116 John Smith story
117 letter of R. P. C. Wilson
118 Interviews with William H. Woodson, F. M. Cockrell
119 Gen. Wool’s mistake, Expedition of Wool and Taylor, Capt. Reid’s fight at El Paso
Box 19 Ingalls, John J. (biography)
Folder no.
120 Life Sketch
121 letters to his father
122 copies of letters to his father Oct, 5, 1858, to May 15, 1861, as printed in the Kansas City Journal, 1904 to 1905
123 letters to his wife and children
124 letter to Gov. St. John Feb. 15, 1879, and letter to Gov. Martin Feb. 6, 1885 regarding credentials
125 letters to E. F. Ware Apr. 30, 1874 to (?) 1879 (copies)
126 letters to D. W. Wilder
127 Misc. letters of J. J. Ingalls
128 Eulogy for Tarleton Pendleton, black servant of the Ingalls family
129 Statement of Frank Root, statement of W. J. Buckhorn on how Ingalls was nominated to succeed Pomeroy
130 Speech of A. M. York that defeated Pomeroy
131 N. B. Stevens “Lincoln Predicted the Future for Ingalls”
132 C. S. Gleed “Both Sides of Ingalls”
133 “Ingalls and the Women”
134 Ingalls on Socialism
135 Told of Ingalls
136 John J. Ingalls “The Immortality of the Soul”
137 Reply to Bishop McCabe
138 Ingalls on anarchy, a letter to Edwin M. Marsh Feb. 1, 1890
139 Two Ingalls Scenes
140 E. C. Manning “The Passing of Ingalls”
141 Extract from Society in Washington: Its Noted Men, Accomplished Women, Established Customs, and Notable Events by Randolph Kein, 1887
142 Ingalls - Voorhees encounter
143 “The Kansas Senator Discusses the Recent Alliance Victory” from the Kansas City Star, Dec. 11, 1890
144 “A Photographic Interview” from The (New York) World, Apr. 13, 1890 (no photos)
145 Ingalls on Leland
146 Tale of Topekas First Hanging (Ike Edwards)
147 Plagarism controversy over the poem “Opportunity,” letter to W. E. Connelley, clipping, “Ingalls is Defended”
148 letters of Samuel Young Lum to Mrs. J. C. Wood
149 Death of his mother
150 Misc. clippings
151 Misc. items
152 “A Literary Masterpiece by Capt. King”
153 Notes by W. E. Connelley (includes information about Lane and Jennison)
154 W. E. Connelley “Lane and Ingalls”, letters, notes
155 W. E. Connelley “Mrs. Mary Ingalls: The First White Woman in Kentucky”
156 W. E. Connelley on Walt Mason
157 W. E. Connelley notes about John J. Ingalls, rumored affairs with married women and illegitimate children, notes about P. B. Plumb and rumored affairs with married women
158 Article about “Ingalls Book”
159 letters about Memoirs of John J. Ingalls
Box 20 Ingalls, John J. (continued)
Folder no.
160-2 MSS and notes, Memoirs of John J. Ingalls
163 letters of Sheffield Ingalls to W. E. Connelley
164 letters of Margaret Hill McCarter
165 W. E. Connelley misc. correspondence re: Memoirs
166 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Mrs John J. Ingalls
167 Ralph Ingalls criticism of the manuscript
Box 21 Indians
Folder no.
168 Algonquin stories and notes
169 Cherokee, Sam Houston
170 Chickasaw, correspondence
171 Delaware tombstone inscriptions at White Church, Wyandotte Co., Ks.
172 Osage and Kansa camping circles
173 Potawatomie allotment rolls, letters
174 Potawatomie MSS., notes
175 Sacajawea (Bird Woman), paper by Dr. Grace Raymond Heber, copies of interviews, correspondence with W. E. Connelley
176 Shawnee, notes, information about Techumseh and The Prophet
177 Shawnee, old deeds, other documents on Shawnee land
178 Shawnee, railroad through Shawnee lands
179 The Old Shawnee Mission
180 Shawnee Mission Memorial Foundation
181 Draft of folklore, Pawnee, Manabohzo, Chichasaw
182 The Red Swan
183 Hiawatha, or Manabohzo
184 Significance of the name of the capital of Kansas (Topeka)
185 Historical background of Wyandotte Co., Ks.
186 W. E. Connelley correspondence
Box 22 Indians (continued)
Folder no.
187-9 languages and vocabulary
190 Wyandot, MSS., religion
191 Wyandot, How the Sun was Made
192 Wyandot, Miss Clyne’s manuscript
193 Wyandot, Methodist Episcopal Church, Thomas Johnson
194 Diary of John Thompson Peery, copy
195 The Indian Leader, Dec. 20, 1929, to Jan. 10, 1930
Box 23 Inman (MSS. of Col. Henry Inman held by W. E. Connelley)
Folder no.
196 “Pick” Smith, the Scout
197 “California” Joe’s First Elk
198 Fables and Jingles of a Modern “Mother Goose”
199 The Ruins on the Rio Pecos in New Mexico
200 The St. Clair’s and Capt. Frazier
201 My Bear Hunt
202 John Randolph of Roanoke
203 The Miners Revenge
204 Account of Tobacco
205 Fort Larned, KS
206 Marguerite
207 Winona
208 An Arkansan
209 Stories
210 Short Stories
211 The Colonel’s Daughter
212 MSS. The Rescue
213 The Rescue
214 Western Sportsmen and Recreation Pointers
215 The Last of the Buffalo
216 Drawings and Photos (?)
Box 24 Kansas
Folder no.
217 George W. Bebee, Last territorial governor of Kansas
218 R. G. Elloitt, The Big Springs Convention
219 Biographical sketches – Thomas Carney, Charles Gleed, Arthur Capper, John McDonald, Nicholas Smith
220 W. E. Connelley notes on interview with G. W. Brown
221 G. W. Brown letter to Mrs. Robinson about the exclusion of materials from the Kansas State Historical Society archives, letter of Mrs. Brown to Mrs. Robinson
222 W. E. Connelley – Statement of William Crutchfield about the first Lawrence raid
223 Milton Tabor, The First Administration of Gov. Jonothan M. Davis
224 Old Kansas Forts
225 letter of Charles F. Scott about the 1873 Bond Scandal
226 William L. Huggins and the Kansas Industrial Act and the Court of Industrial Relations
227 Gen. Joseph E. Johnson, copies of his diary relating to Kansas, 1857
228 W. E. Connelley, location of historic sites around Lawrence
229 Lewis L. Littlefield, copy of speech “Kansas and its Defenders”
230 Joel Moody “A Brochure of Kansas History: The Marais des Cygnes Massacre”, letter of John N. Rice to Moody
231 The Missouri Republican, Jan. 1, 1854, to 1856 and 1861 to 1862, copy
232 D. O. McCray “Administration First Term of Gov. Ben S. Paulen”
233 John Speer, Robinson’s Puritan Ancestry
234 Robinson’s Meeting to Denounce Lane
235 F. B. Sanborn, the early history of Kansas, letter to W. E. Connelley, letter about Frank Elwell, Francis Preston Sterns, and the Alcotts (family of Louisa May Alcott)
236 W. E. Connelley interview with Ben F. Simpson
237 S. N. Simpson, memorial building at Lawrence
238 John Speer, United States v John Speer, collections of Internal Revenue for Kansas
Box 25 Kansas (continued)
Folder no.
239 The First Homicide of the Territorial Kansas Troubles
240 Pamphlet – “The Border Ruffian Code in Kansas”
241 Territorial Kansas, misc. materials
242 Spanish Exploration of Kansas – Our Earliest Knowledge of Kansas, Coronado’s March to Quivera, Gov. Onates’ Explorations in Kansas, Juan Padilla: The Pioneer Missionary of Kansas
243 Indians – W. E. Connelley conclusions on maps, letter of Mark E. Zimmerman to W. E. Connelley
244 Medicine Lodge Treaty of 1867
245 Address of Gov. Clyde M. Reed, Oct. 11, 1929
246 75th Anniversary of Lawrence celebration, “The Lamp of Experience”
247 Ceora B. Lanham, Kansas War Worker (WW I)
248 W. E. Connelley letter to George W. Reed, removal of a totem pole
249 Misc. Kansas items
Box 26 Smith, Jedediah Strong
Folder no.
250-6 W. E. Connelley’s Maps, #1 - 17, of the route of Smith’s explorations
257-61 W. E. Connelley correspondence with E. D. Smith, 1911-1918
262 W. E. Connelley misc. letters and correspondence
263 Correspondence of W. E. Connelley, E. D. Smith, Prof. Harrison C. Dale, and F. S. Dellenbaugh
Box 27 Smith, Jedediah Strong (continued)
Folder no.
264 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Robert B. Stanton265 W. E. Connelley Correspondence with Thomas F. Dawson
266 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Isaac H. Russell
267 Autobiography of E. D. Smith
268 letter of Harold C. Short to E. D. Smith about a survey party killed by Cheyenne in 1874
269 copies of Smith, Jackson, and Sublette papers, portion of the journal of Col. J. J. Warner, “Jedediah Smith” by William Waldo
270 Contract of Jacob H. Pritchett with William Sublette and Robert Campbell
271 “The Pegleg Mine” copied from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat, Oct. 18, 1891
272 copy of the Harrison G. Rogers Journal of the Southwest Expedition, 1826
273 W. E. Connelley statement of George W. Martin concerning the William Beggs article about the James White journey through the Grand Canyon
274 Stories of Smith’s early life, misc. documents
275 Misc. documents and letters
276 “The Old Santa Fe Trail: Some Aspects of the Santa Fe Trail, 1848 - 80" by Ralph P. Bieber
277 Copy of a letter of Capt. L. B. Dougherty to his father, Aug. 29, 1854, re: Report of old Massacre
278 General Ashley
279 “A Terrible Voyage” by John Frank, Lippincott’s Magazine, vol. 2, 1868
280 “Jedediah S. Smith” from The Illinois Monthly Magazine, date unknown
281 Copy of Last Will and Testament of Jedediah Strong Smith, inventory of personal property, letter of Mary Edith Buhler.
282 letters of (?) T. J. Elliot to E. D. Smith about Jedediah Smith’s route through Pend Orielle Valley and map
Box 28 Smith, E. D., Drafts of his Life of Jedediah Strong Smith
Vol. I and II originals, copy of MSS. before final revision
Folder 283 MSS. of Life of Jedediah Strong Smith
Box 29 Smith, E. D.
Drafts of his Life of Jedediah Strong Smith
Box 30 Inman, Henry
Drafts of his “The Cruise of a Prarie Schooner”
Box 31 Street, William D.
“Twenty Years Among the Indians and Buffalo,” 3 vols.
Box 32 Turnbo, S. C.
Folders 284-296 Typewritten stories and reminiscences of Turnbo
Box 33Turnbo, S. C.
Ozark Stories, Index, vols. 1-3
Box 34 Turnbo, S. C.
Ozark Stories, vols. 4-7
Box 35 Turnbo, S. C.
Folder 297 “History of the 27th Arkansas Confederate Regiment”
MSS. and drafts of same
Box 36 The West
Folder no.
298 Battle of North Platte Bridge, correspondence of W. E. Connelley with G. M. Walker and Major T. J. Anderson
299 The Old Santa Fe Trail, the Baird Correspondence
300 Beckwourth, “What Moore Saw of James P. Beckwourth” from The Daily Kansas City Journal of Commerce, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 1859
301 William Bent, The Siege of Fort Atkinson
302 William Bernard “Westport and the Santa Fe Trade”
303 Buffalo, W. E.Connelley correspondence with L. C. Fouquet, M. S. Garretson, and S. A. Coffman
304 W. E. Connelley correspondence with F. M. Lockwood about Comstock, E. F. Ware and the affair of the daughter of Spotted Tail
305 Cowboy Poems
306 Covered Wagon Centennial of 1930.
307 “The Great Plains Trade” copied from the Kansas State Record, Oct. 27, 1860
308 Billy Dixon, W. E. Connelley correspondence with Mrs. Olive Dixon, clipping
309 Dr. Josiah Gregg
310 Indian captives, “James Moore Narrative, 1784" and “Captivity and Escape of Mrs. Ingalls, 1756"
311 Lost mines and related materials
312 Pawnee Capital
313 letter of J. J. Peale about Pond City (or Pond Creek)
314 Capt. Phillip St. George Cooke, Journal of the annual caravan to Santa Fe, May 27 to July 21, 1873. Detachment of U. S. Dragoons led by Cooke
315 “‘California’ Joe, Scout and Indian Fighter” by Josiah M. Ward
316 Capt. Clifton Wharton, copies from order and letter book, 1834
317 Maj. Clifton Wharton, copy of journal, 1844
318 Wild Bill, discards of W. E. Connelley, including:
- Appendix
- Notes to chapter VIII
- Note 4
- A tribute from a neighbor
- Discards from chapter II
- Discards from chapter IV
- Discards from chapter V
- Discards from chapter VI
- Discards from chapter VII
- Discards from chapter X
- Wild Bill, by John E. McCann
- Pages 9-11 [of Connelley's manuscript?]
- Discards from chapter I
- Discards re Wild Bill's marksmanship
- Discards from chapter VIII
- [Fragments of chapter V, pages 3-4]; notes to chapter V
319 misc. items
Box 37 Collections of Correspondence
Folder no.
320-2 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Edith Connelley Ross and Grace Raymond Hebard. Also contains typed copies of interviews and other materials related to Hebard’s book on Sacajawea.
323 Eugene Bandel letters (copies), 1856 - 1860, relating to Territorial Kansas
324 Eugene Bandel diary (copy), 1857
325 Olga Bandel correspondence
326 letters of David Boyle (Ontario, Canada, Historical Society) to W. E. Connelley
327 letters of J. E. McDowell to W. E. Connelley
328 letters of F. B. Sanborn to W. E. Connelley
329 “Our Boston Literary Letter”
330 letter of W. H. Sproul to W. E. Connelley
331 letters of S. F. Tappan to W. E. Connelley
332 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Judge Samuel M. Wilson about the 150th Anniversary of Lexington, KY
333 letters of D. W. Wilder to W. E. Connelley
334 “Daniel W. Wilder, The Father of Kansas History and Literature”
335 D. W. Wilder Life Sketch by W. E. Connelley
Box 38 General Correspondence
Folder no.
336 Documents relating to the Wyandotte Co., Ks., Republican Convention, Apr. 11, 1896
337 letters of F. G. Adams to W. W. Scott
338 General Correspondence
339 General Correspondence, 1897.
340 General Correspondence, 1898
341 General Correspondence, 1899
342 General Correspondence, 1900
343 General Correspondence, 1901
344 General Correspondence, 1902
345 General Correspondence, 1903
346 General Correspondence, 1904 (also contains much material relating to Connelley’s oil interests)
Box 39 General Correspondence (material relating to the Standard Oil Fight)
Folder no.
347 General Correspondence, 1905
348 General Correspondence, 1906
349 Standard Oil Fight file
Box 40 General Correspondence (continued)
Folder no.
350 General Correspondence, 1907 Jan.-Mar.
351 General Correspondence, 1907 Apr.-Dec.
352 General Correspondence, 1908
353 General Correspondence, 1909
354 W. E. Connelley correspondence with D. C. Allen (Doniphan Expedition)
355 W. E. Connelley correspondence with L. V. McWhorter (Indians)
356 letters of George R. Peck to Mary Clark, 1908-09
357 W. E. Connelley correspondence with Walt Mason
Box 41 General Correspondence (continued)
Folder no.
358 General Correspondence, 1910
359 General Correspondence, 1911
360 General Correspondence, 1912
361 General Correspondence, 1913
362 General Correspondence, 1914
363 W. E. Connelley correspondence with D. C. Allen
364 The “Call of Kansas” authorship controversy, 1914, correspondence
365 W. E. Connelley correspondence with L. V. McWhorter, 1910-12
366 W. E. Connelley correspondence with L. V. McWhorter, 1913-14
Box 42 General Correspondence (continued)
Folder no.
367 General Correspondence, 1915
368 General Correspondence, 1916
369 General Correspondence, 1917
370 General Correspondence, 1918
372 General Correspondence, 1919
372 General Correspondence, 1920
373 General Correspondence, 1921
374 General Correspondence, 1922
375 General Correspondence, 1923
376 General Correspondence, 1924
377 General Correspondence, 1925
378 General Correspondence, 1926
379 General Correspondence, 1927
380 General Correspondence, 1928
381 General Correspondence, 1929
382 General Correspondence, 1930
383 General Correspondence, 1931
384 General Correspondence, undated
385 W. E. Connelley correspondence with W. E. Barton, Lincoln in Kansas, Delahay and Hanks family
386 Letters of C. F. Collins, U. S. army regulations of 1842, Ft. Riley, KS
387 W. E. Connelley correspondence with G. M. B. Hawley, Quantrill and his marriage
388 W. E. Connelly, Grace Raymond, and Edith Connelley Ross
389 Letter of C. Ross Hume, 2 letters of H. Shanklin, Indian Agent, July, 1866 and May 31, 1867
390 W. E. Connelly correspondence relating to the possession and disposal of the Inman manuscripts, Inman’s indebtedness to Connelley
391 Letters of L. V. McWhorter
392 Letters of Mark E. Zimmerman
393 Telegrams of George Ross to Esther M. Clark
Box 43 General Correspondence (miscellaneous)
Folder no.
394 W. E. Connelley to F. C. Adams, 1896-98
395 W. E. Connelley to G. W. Brown, Jan. 21, 1903 pertaining to Brown’s criticism of Connelley’s book on John Brown
396 W. E. Connelley to D. W. Wilder, June 7, 1900, biographical in nature
397 W. E. Connelley correspondence about “Buffalo” Bill and “Wild” Bill
398 W. E. Connelley misc. correspondence
399 Biographical sketches, Isaiah and Joel Walker
400 Biographical sketches, Russell and Charles B. Garnett
401 Biographical sketches, Abelard and Quindaro Nancy (Brown) Guthrie
402 Misc. articles about Kansas
403 The Snake Clan of the Wyandot
404 Narratives about Preston B. Plumb and bribes
405 Narratives on Quantrill and the Border War, Civil War
406 Quantrill and the Border Wars, first draft of book
407 Portion of Quantrill book published in 1910
Box 44 Miscellaneous Speeches and writings by W. E. Connelley
Folder no.
408 Speech – DAR, April 19, 1901, and Mar. 30, 1926
409 Speech – Kansas City, Ks., High School, Nov. 12, 1901
410 Speech – Retiring KSHS President’s address, 1913
411 Speech – Hanover, Washington Co., KS, Sept. 25, 1913
412 Speech – Kansas State History Teachers Ass’n., Nov. 13, 1914
413 Speech – Old Settlers Meeting, Dec. 5, 1914
414 Speech – Wyandotte Co., KS, Historical Society, Apr. 4., 1918
415 Speech – Westside Forestry Club, June 31, 1918
416 Speech – Kansas Baptist Convention (1929?)
417 Speech – Kansas City, MO, Ministerial Alliance, Dec. 10, 1928
418 Speech – Shawnee Mission Cemetery, June 7, 1930
419 Watkins Memorial History of Kansas
420 “Kansas and its Defenders”
421 Kansas and Standard Oil
422 Abraham Lincoln’s Visit to Kansas
423 W. E. Connelley writings about Kansas
424 Lost Mines and Treasures
425 Kansas Authors Club
426 W. E. Connelley biographical and genealogical materials
427 W. E. Connelley writings relating to Eastern Kentucky Papers
428 Thomas Ingalls manuscript
429 Life sketch of H. E. Valentine
430 Statements of Curley Harrison and Capt. Alfred C. Pierce re: P. B. Plumb
431 Statement of Jacob Ephrim re: early Kansas
432 “Characters and Incidents of the Plains” and “Folk-lore of the Bible”
Box 45 Miscellaneous Papers and Writings by W. E. Connelley
Folder no.
433 Poems and writings of Edith Connelley Ross
434 Origins of the Indian names of States and Rivers
435 Indian – Folk-lore
436 Misc. Writings and papers
Box 46 Miscellaneous Notes and Writings
Folder no.
437 Sketches – Gen. Stephan W. Kearny, James Magoffin, Thomas Hart Benton, Hugh Fife family, John Reed family
438 “A Curious Sermon” from the Brandon, Miss., Register
439 R. I. Holcombe article about Massacred Soldiers and Todd’s Bushwhackers
440 Jim Lane, Lane’s Trail, Uncle Chester Thomas
441 “The Killing of Archie B. Clements” by G. N. Moses
442 Statements of A. J. Phillips, James Christian, George W. Martin, J. B. Edwards, B. F. Simpson, Valentine Gunselman, Mrs. Wade, and William Rogers (Kansas history)
443 Order Book, Co. D, 5th Reg., Kansas Brigade, 1861
444 Hager family in America
445 Hughes Pension Claim
446 R. M. Snyder and Hahatonka, MO
447 Documents and Records of Charles and W. H. Clift
448 “Whither are we Drifting?” by Samuel Garner Isett
449 Materials relating to KSHS and the GAR
450 Misc. notes and materials
451 Doniphan Expedition, George R. Gibson
Box 47 Miscellaneous Notes and Personal Records
Folder no.
452 W. E. Connelley Personal Records
453 A. Reeder and J. Armstrong
454 Property inventories and descriptions
455 Annual Report of the Sons of Veterans, 1915
456 Contract for sale and publication of the Standard History of Kansas
457 Documents and statements relating to the Wyandotte Co., KS, Republican Primary election of 1896
Box 48 Miscellaneous Notes and Personal Records
Folder no.
458 Misc. notes – B. F. Simpson, F. M. Parker, Eva Harding, G. N. N. Yates, Mark W. Delahay
459 Misc. notes – re: Plumb
460 Misc. notes – re: Indians
461 Misc. notes – The Humboldt Placer Mining Claims
462 Misc. notes – “Wild” Bill Hickok, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea
463 Life Sketches – Rev. Jacob Spencer,William Carpenter, Rev. charles Bluejacket, Mrs. M. J. Peery, Rev. N. Scaritt, Silas Armstrong
464 MSS – Wiley Britton
465 Mormon Troubles in Missouri – copies of documents and papers
466 Misc. notes – Mormons, Mormon Trail
467 Misc. notes and Personal records
468 Misc. letters
Box 49 Account books, Reminder books, Business records
Box 50 Account books, Reminder books, Business records