Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Schader Family Papers, MS.000190

The Schaders were German immigrants who settled in Pulaski County, Arkansas. They operated a family grocery store at 1600 Cross Street in Little Rock from the late 1800s until 1968, when the store closed.

This collection contains correspondence, legal records, financial papers, and grocery business records of the Joseph Conrad Schader family of Little Rock.

• Personal correspondence
  
  • 1. 1853 March 18: Katarina Schahner, Bensheim, Germany, to "Aunt and Uncle" [Conrad Joseph and Francis Schader], in German, with translation (Box 1)
  • 2. 1854 January 15: Joseph Boos, St. Marie, Illinois, to "Brother-in-Law and Sister," in German, with translation
  • 3. 1857 March 26: Joseph Boos, St. Marie, Illinois, to "Brother-in-Law and Sister," in German, with translation
  • 4. 1859 April 18: Joseph A. Schader, Napoleon, Arkansas, to "Friend Merkel, Mother, Brothers and Sister"
  • 5. 1859 April 20: Joseph A. Schader, Napoleon, Arkansas, to "Mother, Brothers and Sister," New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 6. Undated: Joseph A. Schader, Napoleon, Arkansas, to unknown
  • 7. 1859 November 25: Joseph Boos, St. Marie, Illinois, to "Brother-in-Law and Sister"
  • 8. 1864 March 26: Joseph A. Schader, Little Rock, to "Mother, Brothers and Sisters"
  • 9. 1865 February 2: Joseph A. Schader, Little Rock, to "Mother, Brothers and Sisters"
  • 10. 1865 February 6: Joseph A. Schader, Little Rock, to "Mother, Brothers and Sisters," St. Louis, Missouri
  • 11. 1865 May 4: Joseph A. Schader, Little Rock, to "Mother, Brothers and Sister"
  • 12. 1868 March 24: "Niece," Napoleon, Arkansas, to "Aunt"
  • 13. 1870 November 15: Mary Boos, St. Marie, Illinois, to "Cousin"
  • 14. 1894 September 22: Bertie, Georgetown College, to "Grandma"
  • 15. 1913 September 1: Postcard, Oliver, Cedar Grove, Indiana, to Mrs. Schader, Little Rock
  • 16. 1918 June 20: Josie and Pete, Cincinnati, Ohio, to "Friends"
  • 17. 1918 August 16: L. Becker, Oakley, Ohio, to Eugene Schader, Little Rock
  • 18. 1925 August 7: Unknown, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Coyne, Little Rock
  • 19. 1925 August 14: Postcard, unknown, New Orleans, to Mrs. Schader, Little Rock
  • 20. 1925 October 13: Paralee Donald, Toledo, Ohio, to "Friend"
  • 21. 1926 February 9: Postcard, Dot, Amarillo, Texas, to Viola Coyne, Little Rock
  • 22. 1926 October 21: Mrs. Charles Sutter, Alexander, Arkansas, to Charles Schader, Little Rock
  • 23. 1926: Marguerite, St. Louis, Missouri, to "Little Mother"
  • 24. 1936 August 26: Lottie, Little Rock, to Charles Schader and Viola Coyne, Little Rock
  • 25. 1936 October 28: Postcard, "Your daughter," to George F. Porbeck, Little Rock
  • 26. 1941 August 6: Postcard, C.W. Smith to Francis Coyne, Little Rock
  • 27. 1942 February 11: Postcard, "Chick" Eleanor, Cheyenne, Wyoming, to Edward Schader
  • 28. 1942 June 28: Postcard, Laura B. Eudy, Los Angeles, California, to Mrs. J.C. Coyne, Little Rock
  • 29. 1943 February 13: Postcard, Elroy Martin, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, to Schader Grocery Company, Little Rock
  • 30. 1944 November 3: Willie Williams, India, to E.D. Schader, Little Rock
  • 31. 1945 April 23: Postcard, Irma McCloud, Washington, D.C., to Schader Grocery
  • 32. 1948 July 8: Postcard, Dot Masterman, Biloxi, Mississippi, to Viola Coyne
  • 33. 1961 September 5: Dorothy "Dot" Masterman Valle, Mission, Texas, to Viola Coyne
  • 34. 1969 October 14: Postcard, Ella Turley, Dallas, Texas, to Mrs. Coyne
  • 35. 1969 October 15: Postcard, Ella Turley, Dallas, Texas, to Mrs. Coyne
  • 36. 1969 October 16: Postcard, Ella Turley, Dallas, Texas, to Mrs. Coyne
  • 37. 1969 October 16: Postcard, Ella Turley, Dallas, Texas, to Mrs. Coyne
  • 38. Undated: Postcard, Louise to Viola Schader
  • 39. [?] May 25: Postcard, John, Franklinton, Louisiana, to Mrs. J. [Genden], Little Rock
  • 40. Undated: "Mamma, Viola" Oakley, Ohio, to unknown
  • 41. Undated: Sophia L. Schader to "Ma"
  • 42. [?] May 24: Postcard, John Hoffman, Franklinton, Louisiana, to Mrs. Charles Schader
  • 43. Undated: postcard, John Hoffman, Vicksburg, Mississippi, to Mrs. C.A. Schader
  • 44. Undated: Postcard, H.J., Colorado, to Schader Grocery
  • 45. Undated: Postcard, Harriet Vick, New York, New York, to Ed Schader, Little Rock
  • 46. Undated: Postcard, John, New Orleans, Louisiana, to Mrs. C. Schader, Little Rock
  • 47. Undated: Postcard, Lookout Mountain, Colorado, to Bus Schader, Little Rock
• Personal items
  
  • 48. Undated: Information, birthplace of Conrad Joseph Schader (Box 2)
  • 49. 1831: Baptismal record of Conrad Joseph Schader, Latin
  • 50. 1840 April 18: Marriage license, Conrad Joseph Schader to Frances Boos
  • 51. 1842 May 26: Naturalization record, Conrad Joseph Schader
  • 52. 1854 May 22: Bill of sale, slave and child
  • 53. 1855 October 6: Will, Conrad Joseph Schader
  • 54. 1918: Appointment, Ellen Barry Schader as guardian of Louis Barry
  • 55. 1936: Court case records, death of Eugene Schader
  • 56. 1936: Funeral service records, Eugene Schader
  • 57. 1921-1943: Emma Merkle estate
  • 58. 1944: Funeral service records, Emma Merkle
  • 59. 1946: Funeral service records, Viola Frances Coyne
  • 60. 1961: Funeral service records, Earl Schader
  • 61. 1968: Funeral service records, Robert Schader
  • 62. Undated: Schader estate
  • 63. Undated: Knights of Columbus activities
• Schader Grocery
  
  • 64. 1868: Schader and brother, partnership agreement (Box 3)
  • 65. 1891-1894: Invoices and statements, A.L. Schader, grocer
  • 66. 1895-1901: Invoices and statements, A.L. Schader, grocer
  • 67. 1924-1961: General operations
  • 68. 1964: Financial summary
  • 69. 1968: Financial summary
• Legal documents
  
  • 70. 1845: Deed, Chester Ashley to Conrad J. Schader (Box 4)
  • 71. 1845: Deed, Roswell Beebe to Conrad J. Schader
  • 72. 1846: Deed, City of Little Rock to Conrad J. Schader, Mount Holly Cemetery lots
  • 73. 1859-1900: Deeds and mortgages
  • 74. 1901-1904: Deeds and mortgages
  • 75. Undated: Abstracts
  • 76. Undated: Miscellaneous legal documents
• Tax records
  
  • 77. 1853-1869 (Box 5)
  • 78. 1870-1879
  • 79. 1880-1889
  • 80. 1890-1899
  • 81. 1900-1909
  • 82. 1910-1919
  • 83. 1920-1929
  • 84. 1930-1939
  • 85. 1940-1949
  • 86. 1950-1959
• Financial records
  
  • 87. 1901-1911: Notices to vacate rental property, from Schaders (Box 6)
  • 88. 1955-1957: Rents received
  • 89. 1914-1951: Insurance documents
  • 90. 1919-1940: Stocks
  • 91. 1907-1939: Miscellaneous bank statements and banking records
  • Invoices and Receipts
    
    • 92. 1846-1849 (Box 7)
    • 93. 1850-1859
    • 94. 1860-1869
    • 95. 1870-1879
    • 96. 1880-1889
    • 97. 1890-1899
    • 98. 1900-1909
    • 99. 1910-1913
    • 100. 1914-1919
    • 101. 1920-1929
    • 102. 1930-1939
    • 103. 1940-1949
    • 104. 1950-1959
    • 105. 1960-1968
    • 106. Undated
• Miscellaneous
  
  • 107. Miscellaneous personal items (Box 8)
  • 108. Miscellaneous personal items
  • 109. Miscellaneous
  • 110. Miscellaneous newspaper clippings (Box 9)
  • 111. 1888-1897: Ledger, Knights of Columbus (Box 10)
  • 112. 1912: Grammar school certificate, Viola Schader
  • 113. 1919: First communion certificate, Eugene Schader
  • 114. 1920: Broadside, campaign poster, Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge

Closed New Years Day

The Arkansas History Commission will be closed Thursday, January 1st for New Year's Day.  We will open again on Friday, January 2nd with regular hours. 

AHC Digital Collections

The Arkansas History Commission has a number of digital collections online. Our Doc a Day collection highlights Arkansas during the Civil War and the collections contains hundreds of documents and photographs that currently span 1861-1864. We will continue to add 1865 documents and photographs to this collection through April. To access that collection, please visit: http://www.ark-ives.com/doc-a-day/ .

The Arkansas Digital Ark-Ives is another collection of online digital material. This project currently contains all five of Arkansas's constitutions, historic maps, resource guides, educational lesson plans, World War I material, Arkansas postcards, the history of the Arkansas state flag and music from the Ozark Folk Life and Culture collection. The Arkansas Digital Ark-Ives project is ongoing and we are currently working to add several more collections in the coming months, including a collection highlighting Arkansas's multicultural history, women's history and in celebration of our 110th birthday in 2015, we will be adding a collection that will showcase a variety unique material picked by our staff. We're excited about our upcoming additions! To view our current online collections, please visit http://cdm16790.contentdm.oclc.org/ .

Closed for the Christmas Holidays

The Arkansas History Commission will be closed from Wednesday, December 24 through Saturday, December 27 for the Christmas holidays.  We will reopen on Monday, December 29 with regular business hours.  We will also be closed on New Years Day. 

December Issue of the Arkansas Archivist

Thank you for subscribing to The Arkansas Archivist!

Look inside the December issue for these and other features.

Erasing Boundaries: Lawrence County at 200

In November, the Arkansas Humanities Council awarded a program grant to the Arkansas History Commission and its Northeast Arkansas Regional Archives (NEARA) branch. The grant in part supports a public program on January 15, 2015, at Powhatan Historic State Park. The program, Erasing Boundaries: Lawrence County at 200, will feature a variety of speakers presenting research on the political, social, and economic history of territorial Arkansas, and the early archaeology of the region. For more information or to register for the program, contact the Arkansas History Commission at tatyana.oyinloye@arkansas.gov or call 501-682-6892.

Conservation Corner

Conservation of Arkansas’s constitutions, Quapaw treaty, and secession document — the statehood documents — spanned a number of decades, and the conservation work performed reflects changing views on appropriate treatments for paper.

Black History Commission News

Garland Martin Taylor is excited about getting started on “His Birdseye View: Henry Jackson Lewis’s Arkansas Years. 1866-1888,” a research project recently funded by the Curtis Sykes

Memorial Grant Program. This project will result in the compilation of biographical research on Lewis, a well-known African American artist and land owner from Pine Bluff in the late 1800’s. The Curtis H. Sykes Memorial Grant Program offers grants to fund projects related to African American history in Arkansas, and is currently accepting applications. Potential applicants should note that the deadline for submitting applications to be considered during the next funding cycle is 4:30 p.m. on Friday, January 2, 2015.

From the Director

If you were a child growing up in Arkansas in the 1970s, there’s a good chance that the first cartoon characters you got excited about meeting at an amusement park weren’t wearing mouse ears or princess costumes. The AHC has decided to start a Pinterest board on Dogpatch to share some of the more interesting finds from our collection. We also would like to invite members of the general public to share your pictures or memorabilia of Dogpatch with us and our Pinterest followers.

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - John E. Knight Papers, MS.000136

John E. Knight was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, in 1816. In 1843 he married Hannah Donnell in New York, and came to Little Rock, Arkansas, that same year.  Knight was editor of the Arkansas Democrat from 1846 to 1850. He was also associated with the Arkansas Gazette. He had one daughter, Elizabeth Knight, who married James S. Pollock, a banker in Little Rock. Knight died in Little Rock, Arkansas, on October 28, 1901, and was buried in Mount Holly Cemetery. Elizabeth Knight Pollock died in 1910.

This collection contains correspondence, deeds, certificates, plats, fieldnotes, contracts, power of attorney papers, leases, and other papers related to land grants, titles, and claims in the settlement of Little Rock, Arkansas, and surrounding areas.

John E. Knight collected documents about the settlement of Little Rock, Arkansas. The majority of these papers are from William Russell to Chester Ashley, pertaining to pre-emption claims in and around Little Rock. Other material concerns the 1819-1822 dispute related to the the New Madrid Certificate and pre-emption claims of James Bryant, Stephen F. Austin, and William M. O'Hara.

• Personal papers
  
  • Correspondence
    
    • 1. 1822 January 22: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas, to Isaac Watkins, Little Rock, Arkansas (Box 1)
    • 2. 1835 November 5: B.W. Lee, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 3. 1838 April 15: Joseph Desruisseaux, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 4. 1838 May 18: Frederick Notrebe, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 5. 1839 December 27: Joseph Scull, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 6. 1840 March 15: B.W. Lee, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 7. 1840 May 12: Charles F. Notrebe, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 8. 1840 September 7: Charles F. Notrebe, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 9. 1841 January 3: Terrance Farrelly, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 10. 1841 July 15: Frederick Notrebe, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 11. 1842 August 24: John J. Kinney, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to John B. Notrebe, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 12. 1844 April 30: B.W. Lee, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 13. 1845 February 15: Odile Vaugine, Jefferson County, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 14. 1845 August 1: Terrance Farrelly, Mound Grove, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 15. 1845 October 24: Terrance Farrelly, Mound Grove, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 16. 1846 January 21: William Bledsoe Scull, Jefferson County, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 17. 1847 February 8: A.B.K. Thetford, South Bend, Jefferson County, Arkansas, to Louis C. Thetford, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 18. 1848 February 1: A.B.K. Thetford, South Bend, Jefferson County, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 19. Undated: [Jelicane...], Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 20. Undated: Joseph Scull, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
    • 21. Undated: James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Frederick Notrebe, Arkansas Post, Arkansas
  • Legal
    
    • 22. 1817 August 12: Amos Wheeler, Saint Louis County, Missouri, to Justus Post, transcript of will
    • 23. 1825 June 4: John Jones, Washington County, Missouri, to witness the agreement between Henry Elliott and James Bryan
    • 24. 1848 May: Lieutenant A.M. Woodruff, 12th U.S. Infantry, pertains to Thomas Cooney, Private, who died in Guenervaca, Mexico
    • 25. 1850 March 18: Major D. Hunter, Pay Department, U.S. Army, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, bank draft awarded to Samuel P. Johnston for military services
    • 26. 1855 January 6: Elias N. Conway, Governor of Arkansas, to John E. Knight, certificate for being elected alderman
    • 27. 1855 June 18: Charles P. Bertrand, Mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, to J.E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, deed #285, Mount Holly Cemetery
  • Accounts
    
    • 28. [1797]: Joseph Knight, Hall Knight, Newburyport, Massachusetts, record book for purchasing family goods
    • 29. 1836 March 4: H.B. [Cenas], New Orleans, Louisiana, to Frederick Notrebe, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, bank draft
    • 30. [1836 January-1837 December]: James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, account papers and quarterly returns
    • 31. [1838 October 28-1839 August 8]: T. Farrelly account papers concerning the Academy Sacred Hearts, Saint Louis, Missouri
  • Miscellaneous
    
    • 32. [1821 February-1821 May]: William M. O'Hara, Little Rock, Arkansas, list of relatives owning land in Little Rock and Crystal Hill areas
    • 33. Undated: Envelope, Batesville, Arkansas, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas
    • 34. Undated: Notice, for sale by E. Stedman, Newburyport, Massachusetts
• Financial correspondence
  
  • 35. 1826 February 23: William Russell, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, concerning Francis Imbeau land claims
  • 36. 1826 February 24: William Russell, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning rental of land
  • 37. 1826 March 10: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, papers concerning Francis Imbeau land claims
  • 38. 1826 March 21: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, agreement to purchase a certain land
  • 39. 1826 March 28: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, document concerning Quapaw lands
  • 40. 1826 April 1: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning A.H. Sevier for 600 arpents in Spanish grant
  • 41. 1826 April 14: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, memorandum
  • 42. 1826 April 19: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley and Wright Daniel, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerns pre-emption claims to Cherokee lands
  • 43. 1826 April 19: William Russell, no address, to W. Daniel and C. Ashley
  • 44. 1826 April 20: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Isaac Watkins, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning Cherokee pre-emption claims of James Curran
  • 45. 1826 April 22: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Benjamin Desha, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, pre-emption claims to Cherokee lands
  • 46. 1826 June 7: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning papers sent to A.H.Sevier for 600 arpents in Spanish grant
  • 47. 1827 February 5: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning pre-emption claims of James Curran
  • 48. 1827 February 22: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, letter concerning Spanish grants by Carlos DeVilemont
  • 49. 1827 February 24: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerning purchase of real estate by A.H. Sevier
  • 50. 1829 February 12: William Russell or Chester Ashley, William Russell's attorney in faith, to Register of Land Offices, Lawrence District, Arkansas, protest against locations of Quapaw lands
  • 51. 1833 April 5: William Russell, no address, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, memoranda about certain lands
  • 52. 1837 December 30: William B. Wait, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, to Frederick Notrebe, Post of Arkansas, note against Thomas T. Tunstall, Prairie County, Arkansas Territory
  • 53. 1838 March 10: Bennett Morrell and Company, Desha County (Mouth White River), Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, South Bend, Arkansas, receipt from Marcus B. Desha
  • 54. 1839 February 12: Antoine Barraque, New Gascony, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Post of Arkansas, mention of payment to W.E. Woodruff for $200 from A. Barraque
  • 53. 1839 February 26: J. Scull, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, pertaining to $350 check paid to Tucker
  • 54. 1839 April 13: T. Farrelly, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, St. Louis, Missouri, pertains to claims by Fowler and general business
  • 55. 1839 April 13: T. Farrelly, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri
  • 55. 1839 July 5: T. Farrelly, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to Charles Notrebe, Saint Louis, Missouri, pertains to the balance of daughter's school term
  • 56. 1839 July 5: T. Farrelly, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, instructions on selling negroes
  • 57. 1839 July 7: T. Farrelly, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, in reference to property settlements
  • 58. 1839 August 18: Charles F. Notrebe, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, expecting payment from Hibbard of Napoleon, Arkansas
  • 59. 1839 September 30: C. K. Gardner, Washington, District of Columbia, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, a balance due
  • 60. 1839 November 6: Charles F. Notrebe, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, business deal with Lucas and partners, [William B.] Wait and C.F. Notrebe
  • 61. 1840 August 14: T. Farrelly, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, received [William B.] Wait's check, to inquire about Caldwell
  • 62. 1841 July 14: T. Farrelly, no address, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, sending the balance to Lucas
  • 63. 1842 May 14: Frederick Notrebe, New Orleans, Louisiana, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, pertains to balance due
  • 64. 1842 November 12: T. Farrelly, Arkansas Post, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, general business around Arkansas Post concerning Lucas
  • 65. 1843 May 30: Frederick Notrebe, Post of Arkansas, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, pertains to lands in Chicot County, Arkansas
  • 66. 1844 March 12: Hewes Scull, Jefferson County, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, pertaining to borrowing some money for the children to go to school
  • 67. 1844 September 28: Frederick Notrebe, Post of Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, pertains to land
  • 68. 1849 March 1: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, bank drafts for land warrants
  • 69. 1849 February 14: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, sending land certificates and warrants of Stephen Crain 46604, and William Jones 47181
  • 70. 1849 March 6: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 48726 of Charles L. Parrish
  • 71. 1849 March 15: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 145 of J.H. Johnson
  • 72. 1849 March 17: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 1286 of L.J. Beall
  • 73. 1849 March 20: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 7484 of Mrs. Eagle
  • 74. 1849 June 15: Solon Borland, Hot Springs, Arkansas, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, people already mentioned in the claims who need to be paid
  • 75. 1849 September 6: Wiley Patterson, Rockport, Arkansas, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, pertaining to "Temperance Salin," who died in the war with Mexico
  • 76. 1849 October 5: Lorenzo Gibson, Rockport, Arkansas,to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, receipt on "Salin" land warrant
  • 77. 1849 November 6: P. Clayton, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, pertains to Albert Pike's pension
  • 78. 1849 December 19: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim of William H. Cherry 2277
  • 79. 1850 February 25: J. J. Crowley, Washington, District of Columbia, to Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, military land claims, Stephen Red, 38,332, and 33,665 for Job Broughton
  • 80. 1850 March 1: N. Butterfield, Washington, District of Columbia, to Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, military bounty land claim 33,665 for Job Broughton
  • 81. 1850 March 1: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, in reference to military bounty land certificate of S. Red and J. Broughton
  • 82. 1850 March 2: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 3144 of May D. Hunters, 1850 February 27
  • 83. 1851 February 4: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 14944 of Isaac Russell
  • 84. 1851 February 14: Solon Borland, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 72414 of Elizah Russell
  • 85. 1864 August 13: R.C. Reed, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to Harris Flanagin, Washington, Arkansas, resignation of the officers of Company B, 1st Battalion Mounted Volunteers
  • 86. 1879 June 12: James Scull, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to James H. Lucas, Saint Louis, Missouri, payment to Eugene [?]
• Land deeds and leases
  
  • 87. 1815 May 4: Antoine Gamelin, New Madrid County, Missouri Territory, to Mary L. Ledue, Saint Louis, Missouri Territory, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 88. 1815 May 8: Francis Lesieur and wife, New Madrid County, Missouri Territory, to Mary L. Ledue, Saint Louis, Missouri Territory, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 89. 1816 October 28: Henry Cockerham, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Rufus Easton, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under the New Madrid Act
  • 90. 1819 February 6: Stephen R. Wiggins, Saint Louis, Missouri, to W.M. O'Hara, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under the New Madrid Act
  • 91. 1819 February 6: Nicholas Jarrot and wife, Cahokia, Illinois, to W.M. O'Hara, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted by New Madrid Act
  • 92. 1819 February 24: Certificate of land pre-empted to Eloy Dejarbois under New Madrid Act to United States Land Surveyor for Illinois and Missouri Territory
  • 93. 1819 February 26: Certificate of land surveyed for John B. Langlois, under New Madrid Act
  • 94. 1819 March 5: William M. O'Hara and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Stephen F. Austin, Washington, Missouri, deed to land
  • 95. 1819 June 19: Rufus Easton and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Amos Wheeler, Saint Louis, Missouri, transcript of deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 96. 1819 November 30: Certificate of land surveyed for Francis Lesieur under New Madrid Act
  • 97. 1820 January 31: Certificate of land surveyed for Eloy Dejarbois under New Madrid Act, to United States Land Surveyor for Illinois and Missouri
  • 98. 1820 January 31: Certificate of land surveyed for Peter Porier under New Madrid Act
  • 99. 1820 February 9: Lewis Bartholomew, on Arkansas River, Arkansas Territory, to William Russell, Saint Louis County, Missouri Territory, deed for pre-emption rights
  • 100. 1820 March 9: William M. O'Hara and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri Territory, to James Bryan, St. Genevieve County, Missouri Territory, deed
  • 101. 1820 April 19: Certificate of land surveyed for Eloy Dejarbois under New Madrid Act
  • 102. 1820 April 30: Certificate of land surveyed for Francis Lesieur under New Madrid Act
  • 103. 1820 May 1: Certificate of land surveyed for Peter Porier under New Madrid Act
  • 104. 1820 May 17: Pryor Quarels and wife, St. Louis, Missouri, to William M. O'Hara, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 105. 1820 August 20: William M. O'Hara and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri, to James Bryan and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed
  • 106. 1820 August 20: James Bryan, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Henry Elliott, Saint Genevieve, Missouri, deed to lands pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 107. 1820 October 30: William M. O'Hara, Saint Louis County, Missouri, a statement and claim to Little Rock giving official surveys and designating the locations
  • 108. 1821 March 28: Henry Elliott, Arkopolis, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to Joseph Thornhill, Arkopolis, Pulaski County, Arkansas, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 109. 1821 April 24: Francis Imbeau, Cherokee Nation, to Lewis Rouse, Little Rock, Arkansas, title to Quapaw lands
  • 110. 1821 July 12: Pierre "Caddy" Caussatt, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 111. 1821 August 13: William M. O'Hara, Little Rock, Arkansas, to James Debaun, Arkopolis, Arkansas, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 112. 1821 September 12: Nathaniel [Thilbrooke], Little Rock, Arkansas, to Thomas Collit, receipt for certain New Madrid claims
  • 113. 1821 October 15: Jacob Jones and his wife, Arkansas Territory, to Henry Elliott, Saint Genevieve, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 114. 1821 November 26: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Robert Crittenden and William Trimble, Arkansas Territory, deed to land located in Little Rock area
  • 115. 1822 March 10: James Bryan and wife, Jefferson County, Missouri, to Jacob Jones, Jefferson County, Missouri, deed to land pre-empted under New Madrid Act
  • 116. 1824 July 14: Martin Imbeau, Arkansas Territory, to Thomas W. Newton, Arkansas Territory, deed to land claimed about three quarters of a mile below Little Rock in the Quapaw purchase
  • 117. 1825 February 14: Justus Post, Arkansas Territory, Robert Simpson, Arkansas Territory, and Chester Ashley, Arkansas Territory, an agreement between and by the above for certificate #156
  • 118. 1825 March 10: James DeBaun, Arkansas Territory, to William Russell, Saint Louis County, Missouri, deed for improvements on certain real estate
  • 119. 1825 March 10: Francis Imbeau, Arkansas Territory, to Wright Daniel, Arkansas Territory, deed for improvements on certain real estate
  • 120. 1825 April 16: I. Brown, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, to Isaac Watkins, Arkansas Territory, lease of school house
  • 121. 1825 April 16: John Mobile, Arkansas Territory, to Isaac Watkins, Arkansas Territory, lease of real estate
  • 122. 1825 April 22: William Russell and Wright Daniel, to Holly Hardin and Jackson Saffold, Arkansas Territory, lease
  • 123. 1825 April 22: William Russell and Wright Daniel, Arkansas Territory, to H. Hardin and Jackson Saffold, lease
  • 124. 1825 April 30: Francis Imbeau, Arkansas Territory, to Wright Daniel, Arkansas Territory, deed for improvement of real estate
  • 125. 1826 February: William Russell, Saint Louis County, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, sketch and designated areas to be purchased
  • 126. 1826 February 25: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, giving Chester Ashley power of attorney to buy, sell, or lease in William Russell's name
  • 127. 1826 February 28: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, agreement for land purchases relating to Quapaw lands
  • 128. 1826 March 17: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Wright Daniel, Arkansas Territory, Benjamin Johnson's locations of deed titles for Cherokee pre-emption # 49
  • 129. 1826 March 20: William Russell, Saint Louis County, Missouri, to William Thurber, Arkansas Territory, lease
  • 130. 1826 April 19: William Russell, Batesville, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, concerns pre-emption claims
  • 131. 1827 February 8: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, power of attorney to collect rents, and pay taxes
  • 132. 1827 December 25: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to John Caruthers, South Bend, Arkansas Territory, lease of real estate near Little Rock
  • 133. 1828 January 10: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Robert Young, Arkansas Territory, lease of real estate near Little Rock
  • 134. 1828 June 6: Wright Daniel, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, to Thomas Dennis, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, lease
  • 135. 1830 May 20: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Robert A. Calloway, Arkansas Territory, lease
  • 136. 1830 November 29: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to Isaiah Palmer, Arkansas Territory, lease
  • 137. 1832 April 5: Robert A. Calloway, Arkansas Territory, to Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, deed
  • 138. 1833 April 4: Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas Territory, to William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, receipt for titles from John Pope for lands below Little Rock
  • 139. 1833 April 4: William Russell, Saint Louis, Missouri, to John Pope, Territory of Arkansas, agreement about claim
  • 140. 1834 April 11: Joseph Tappan, Newbury, [Massachusetts], to Edmund and Daniel H. Knight, Newburyport, [Massachusetts], lease
  • 141. 1838 September 2: Justice Post, Robert Simpson and Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas, agreement concerning land claims
  • 142. 1839 July 25: William M. O'Hara and wife, Saint Louis, Missouri, to James Bryan, Saint Genevieve, Missouri, transcript of quit claims
  • 143. 1845 October 25: William B. Borden, Sheriff, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to Joseph T. Donnell, [Maine], deed to land sold for taxes
  • 144. 1845 November 6: William B. Borden, Sheriff, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to Joseph T. Donnell, Maine, deed to land sold for taxes
  • 145. 1845 November 6: William B. Borden, Sheriff, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to Joseph T. Donnell, Maine, deed to land sold for taxes
  • 146. 1845 November 17: William B. Borden, Sheriff, Pulaski County, Arkansas, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, deed to land sold for taxes
  • 147. 1847 September 1: Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas, to George Donner, Little Rock, Arkansas, deed
  • 148. 1851 October 9: J.E. Heath, Department of Interior, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim #16830 of John Buster 2 items
  • 149. 1852 July 14: J.E. Heath, Department of Interior, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 29503 of John Henry 2 items
  • 150. 1856 April 30: J. Minot, Department of Interior, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, military bounty land claim 70793 of Joel Edwards 2 items
• Financial and legal papers
  
  • Financial papers
    
    • 151. 1849 January 31: [William McCalla], Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, for pay due Oliver H.P. Bilby, deceased
    • 152. 1849 March 19: [William McCalla], Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, for pay due Joseph Eagle
    • 153. 1851 February 3: P. Clayton, Washington, District of Columbia, to John E. Knight, Little Rock, Arkansas, for pay due Elijah Russell, deceased
  • Field notes
    
    • 154. 1823: Survey field notes; Township 6 and 7 North, Range 6, East
    • 155. 1824: Survey field notes; Township 6, 7, and 8 North, Range 8 East
  • Miscellaneous
    
    • 156. 1814 May 20-1821 July 10: List of land deeds in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area
    • 157. 1836 April: William Marcus, Little Rock, Arkansas, to Roswell Beebe, Little Rock, Arkansas, land sales in April and May
    • 158. 1844 February 21: Newsclipping and sketch of the "Seminary Lands" to be sold at auction, 1844 July 6
    • 159. Undated: Chester Ashley, Little Rock, Arkansas, list of land sales

Our New Pinterest Board - Memories of Dogpatch

Memories of Dogpatch

The AHC has created a new Pinterest board about Dogpatch USA and is inviting the public to participate. We'd like you to share your scanned photos and memorabilia on our board and help us create an online archive dedicated to the history of Dogpatch.

Located on Hwy 7 between Harrison is Jasper, Dogpatch was a well-loved Arkansas theme park that was popular during the 1970s and 1980s. Many Arkansans have wonderful memories of time spent there and we look forward to seeing what our patrons have to share.

We have 2 ways in which to participate. You can pin directly to the Dogpatch Memories board or you can email us your images and we will pin them for you (credit will be given to anything shared). If you'd like to contribute to the board, please send us an email at history.commission@arkansas.gov with the Requesting Pinterest Invitation in the subject line. We'll send you an invite directly from the board which will allow you to pin to it. If you'd rather email us images, you can send us an email to the same email address with Dogpatch Contribution in the subject line.

We've already pinned some images from our own collection onto the board. To view our pins, please visit us at: http://www.pinterest.com/arkansashc/memories-of-dogpatch-usa/

We look forward to your participation!!

Online AHC Resource Guides

We often get questions about specific subjects and whether or not we have something related to that subject in our collections. In our research room, we're able to hand out printed resource guides that help answer those questions and guide researchers through our collections.

We're excited to announce that we are now offering those resource guides online! We've added our current resource guides to our online digital collections. Topics include the Civil War, World War I, Arkansas governors, state parks, African Americans in Arkansas, immigration and the history of Arkansas foodways.

Just click the link below to view the guides. We'll be adding a new resource guide next week that highlights multicultural resources in our collection and in March, we're adding a women's history resource guide. We hope this helps you, our patrons, in your research!

http://cdm16790.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p16790coll13

Jeff's Corner - Almeda Riddle

The Ballad of Almeda Riddle, Part One

A Woman of the Ozarks

For most of her life, Almeda James Riddle lived a normal, productive life of a mother and grandmother in the Arkansas Ozarks – except for one thing. Music was even more important to her than it was to most of the people around her; and music played an important role in everyone’s lives in the Ozarks, whether it was church singing or singing lullabies to their children. In the book, A Singer and Her Songs: Almeda Riddle’s Book of Ballads, she introduced the first chapter by stating:

                “I don’t remember when I began singing. About the time I began talking, I suppose.

                Never learned how to stop either, and I guess I won’t ever. The first ballet [ballad]

                I remember learning was the “Blind Child’s Prayer.” I saved it and this was the real

                beginning of my collecting ballads and songs. This was 1905.”

A tornado struck the Riddle’s home on November 25, 1926, and Almeda lost her husband and one child.

                “After the cyclone, my two little sons and one daughter and I came back to my father’s

                farm in the foothills of the Ozarks. But I always sang the ballads as did they. We all loved

                them. I still collected and from memory wrote some down. But until 1949 or 1950 after

                the children were married and I had three grandchildren, I never had time to really sit down

                and write all I remembered.”

Almeda’s treasury of songs was first discovered by John Quincy Wolf in 1952. He began field recordings of her songs and stories, and word began to spread about this invaluable and untapped resource in the Ozarks. Alan Lomax, the famous folklorist, recorded Almeda Riddle in 1959 and brought her into the world of professional folk singing and lecturing after Almeda’s mother died in 1960. It was always her goal to put the song before the performance. In other words, the lyrics and stories told in the ballads were more important than any showmanship brought by the singer. Almeda spent many years appearing around the country at universities and folk festivals. Almeda also would frequently perform at the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View, singing her ballads and telling her stories.

Before Almeda passed away at the age of 87 on June 30, 1986, she worked with George West on a half-hour documentary entitled, “Now Let’s Talk About Singing.”

                “My goal was to get out as many of the old songs as possible

                because people had quit singing them and I didn’t want to see them die down.”

Almeda Riddle’s performances at the Ozark Folk Center can be heard in the recordings donated to the Arkansas History Commission. The book, A Singer and Her Songs – Almeda Riddle’s Book of Ballads can be found in the book stacks at the History Commission. George West’s obituary of Almeda Riddle can be found in the Folk Music Journal Sing Out!, which can be found at the Arkansas History Commission with the journals and periodicals.

The next blog entry in this series will discuss one of the more famous ballads Almeda Riddle performed, “Lady Margaret and Lord William.”

Wednesday's Wonderful Collection - Stone-Askew Papers, MS.00281

Stephen K. Stone, 1819-1909, was the son of Parker F. Stone and Kindness Hicks Stone. Stephen K., a Fayetteville, Arkansas, merchant and capitalist, came to Arkansas in 1840. He began his career as a clerk in a dry goods store and later became a farmer. In 1845 he opened his own dry goods store, which he operated until his death. Stone was a leading citizen of Fayetteville and invested in construction and land improvement in the area. On September 23, 1842, he married Amanda M. Brodie. Stephen and Amanda were the parents of seven children: Mary Albright, Stephen R., Benjamin H., William C., Ludowick, Amanda M., and Albert Brodie.

• I. S.K. Stone correspondence
  
  • 1. 1842 April 27: S.K. Stone, Fayetteville, Arkansas, to "Dear Amanda" (photocopy)
  • 2. 1852 March 21: S.K. Stone, Philadelphia, to "Dear Wife" (photocopy)
• II. S.K. Stone legal documents, deeds, and tax receipts
  
  • 1. 1860 August 15: John Datesen deed
  • 2. 1866 June 1: S.K. Stone license, collector of internal revenue
  • 3. 1866 January 1: S.K. Stone tax receipt, United States Internal Revenue
  • 4. 1866 November 8: S.K. Stone tax receipt, United States Internal Revenue
  • 5. 1867 August 25: S.K. Stone tax receipt, United States Internal Revenue
  • 6. 1868 June 15: S.K. Stone tax receipt, United States Internal Revenue
  • 7. 1868 October 20: S.K. Stone tax receipt, United States Internal Revenue
• III. Lucy Keblinger Stone miscellaneous material
  
  • 1. Undated: Certificates of academic status, Albemarle Female Institute, to Lucy M. Keblinger
  • 2. 1853 August 27: John W. England, Newfork, to A.A. Keblinger
  • 3. 1855 July 10: Testimonial for "widow's son," Grand Lodge of Virginia, on behalf of Adam Keblinger
  • 4. 1901 April 7: Funeral notice, Alice Keblinger
• IV. Lucy Askew Thompson family history papers
  
  • 1. Anthony family material, 4 items
  • 2. Askew family material, 4 items
  • 3. Brodie family material, 15 items
  • 4. Hicks family material, 5 items
  • 5. McLean family material, 1 item
  • 6. Miscellaneous, 9 items
• V. Stone family photographs
  
  • 1. S.R. Stone, 4 photographs
  • 2. Ben Stone, 1 photograph
  • 3. Lucy K. Stone, 2 photographs
  • 4. S.K. Stone and unidentified individual
  • 5. Mr. and Mrs. Stone
  • 6. S.K. Stone, S.R. Stone, Mary Askew, and daughter, Lucy
  • 7. S K. Stone family group
  • 8. Stone home
• VI. Askew family photographs
  
  • 1. George Askew, 3 photographs
  • 2. Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Askew
  • 3. Mrs. G.A. Askew and daughter
  • 4. Mr. and Mrs. G.A. Askew and daughter, Lucy
  • 5. Undated: University of Arkansas student group
• VII. Miscellaneous photographs
  
  • 1. Unidentified, 10 photographs
  • 2. "Uncle Sam" and "Uncle Nick," former slaves

New Blog Series - Mystery of the Month

The AHC is going to be kicking off a new monthly blog series called Mystery of the Month.  Each month, our own Brian Irby will be researching and writing about some of Arkansas's little known mysteries and presenting them here. To kick off Mystery of the Month, Brian has written an intro for our new series.  

Many of us have come to history from the oddest of angles.  For instance, when I was a kid, my grandmother had a lot of books on the bookshelves in the living room.  My grandparents had a habit of leaving money, usually a dollar or two, or even a ten dollar bill, in the books and then forgetting the hidden treasure.  So, I discovered that one could easily find cash by exploring the bookshelves.  But, aside from the obvious joy of treasure hunting, there were some interesting books.  Among them was a book called Ozark Tales and Superstitions.  I read that book cover to cover, absorbing its tales of buried treasure, ghosts, and folklore.  I read them so many times that I could probably recite the stories from memory.  If I try hard enough, I can even recall the illustrations that went with the stories.  Did I believe the stories?  You bet I did.  I was quite certain that Jesse James faked his death and lived out his days as J. Frank Dalton in Oklahoma.  It was in a book, after all.  They couldn’t print it if it wasn’t true, right?

Now that I am much older I am less inclined to accept those folktales as being true.  I had forgotten about the book until I was here at work at the Arkansas History Commission and found the volume on the shelves next to other books on Ozark folklore.  Instantly, I remembered the story that, above all other stories in the book, so gripped my imagination at the age of eight.  The story goes that a man was on the run from the law near War Eagle, Arkansas, when he stumbled into a cave called Peter Bottom Cave.  What he saw so horrified him that he fled from the area and got caught by law enforcement.  He said there was a monster in Peter Bottom Cave.  Not much more was said on the matter, the fugitive was sent to prison, and his monster tale was quickly forgotten.   Years later, a couple of young men also claimed to have seen the monster.  According to the men, it was a tall humanoid figure with white fur and a musty smell.  To top it off, the monster also emitted a beeping noise.  Supposedly people still see this monster from time to time, but like Big Foot, he is incredibly camera shy, so no photographic evidence is available.  

So, upon becoming reacquainted with the book on folklore, I was propelled back into the world of the strange, the mysterious, and the downright odd.  It occurred to me that we have a number of resources that can be used to research these mysteries.  So, in the next few months I will be sifting through our newspapers, books, and manuscripts to bring you a fresh perspective on some of Arkansas’s most enduring mysteries.