Agreement, Construction of Office Building in Leavenworth
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: September 29, 1855
A. H. Reeder enters into an agreement with H. M. Hook for the latter to "erect" an office building on lot #8, block #3 of Leavenworth, Kansas Territory. Hook agrees to build the structure, "16 feet by 32 feet similar to the office of M. I. Parrot" (perhaps, Marcus J. Parrott) for $400. Hook is to be paid out of the rent received on this property when finished, as well as from what rent he receives on three other properties he has leased from Reeder.

Alson C. Davis to John A. Halderman
Creator: Davis, Alson C.
Date: June 19, 1857
Alson C. Davis, a Democrat legislator and party leader from Leavenworth (later Wyandotte) County, writes from Wyandotte that he strongly favors "the establishment of a first class democratic paper" in Leavenworth, Kansas Territory. Davis believes this was vital "to the Cincinnati Platform Democracy," and is willing to pledge an additional $400 to the cause. A Mr. Beach had previously offered to give John Halderman "a bonus of two thousand dollars" with which to start such a newspaper.

Andrew H. Reeder's instructions about his land claim in the Wyandotte Float
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: [1857]
This document, obviously written by Andrew H. Reeder either to the surveyor or to Reeder's attorney, John A. Halderman, is undated but was most likely composed in 1857. It addresses issues related to the location of Reeder's claim to land in the Wyandotte Float in the Kansas Territory.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Haldeman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: August 11, 1856
In this letter to John A. Haldeman, Andrew H. Reeder discusses the "sacking of Lawrence," the loss of papers related to the sale on lands that once belonged to Indians, and the use of Haldeman as his agent for his lots in Leavenworth, Kansas. As Reeder's letter indicates, the transition of Indian lands into the hands of white settlers was often quite difficult and added to tension levels in Kansas in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Haldeman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: October 06, 1855
In this letter to John A. Haldeman, Andrew H. Reeder informs Haldeman that he has been told that "a new assessment of $5 per share to pay for a Wyandot float of 640 acres has been laid on the town of Tecumseh."

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Halderman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: October 6, 1855
This 1855 letter to John A. Halderman from former territorial governor Andrew H. Reeder of Westport, Kansas Territory, describes a new assessment of $5 per share for the town of Tecumseh's 640 acre Wyandot Float. Reeder also discusses the erection of a court house with bricks that had been intended for a hotel.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Halderman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: January 9, 1857
From the National Hotel in Washington, Andrew Reeder advises John Halderman on the disposition of some business matters, especially those related to his Leavenworth lots. He comments on a variety of subjects including his desire "to return to Kansas in the spring," and to have some long-term impact on the growth and development of Leavenworth. Reeder also mentions his influence with "some of the men who will probably control the Pacific [Rail] Road when it is built," his desire to help Leavenworth secure the eastern Kansas terminus, and his activity with the National Kansas Committee. Although he had no interest in the rival town of Quindaro, he intends to "help build up" that city if he is not "fairly dealt with" in Leavenworth.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Halderman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: August 11, 1856
The former governor writes this letter from Easton, Pennsylvania, to his former secretary and attorney, John A. Halderman, in order to secure Halderman's services to retrieve some personal papers and settle some matters of business pertaining to town lots and shares. According to Reeder, "the Sheriff posse at the sacking of Lawrence broke open my trunk and stole the contents. The clothing is probably by this time worn out," and he is not concerned about other contents, with the exception of "some private papers" that someone had informed him could be retrieved. He asks Halderman to get the papers, which included "certificates of stock in Leavenworth, Tecumseh, Lecompton, Lawrence, Easton, Pawnee" etc., and then take care of business matters that are reflected therein. Reeder also asks Halderman "to attend to my Leavenworth lots" and explains in considerable detail about these matters.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Halderman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: January 14, 1857
In this letter from Washington, D.C., dated January 14, 1857, Reeder writes at length of a visit with W. H. Russell of Leavenworth (William H. Russell of Russell, Majors & Waddell), who believed the business climate was improving and that Reeder's lots were safe. Russell advises Reeder not to sell anything until value increases and volunteers to help Reeder reclaim the personal papers he lost during the sack of Lawrence.

Andrew H. Reeder to John A. Halderman
Creator: Reeder, Andrew H. (Andrew Horatio), 1807-1864
Date: October 22, 1856
Former Kansas Territory Governor Andrew H. Reeder writes to John Halderman from Easton, Pennsylvania, regarding his business affairs and his desire to have Halderman act as his attorney and agent. Reeder also gives brief attention to the political situation in Kansas Territory and the nation, mentioning the congressional committee investigating the Kansas affairs, the "horrible state of things . . .in our unfortunate Territory," and his belief that, although James Buchanan would win the presidential contest in 1856, "the Republican party is bound to sweep the North within the next four years."

Andrew J. Mead to John A. Haldeman
Date: July 12, 1856
In this letter to John A. Haldeman, Andrew J. Mead asks if he knows of a portion of the Wyandotte Float that was available for sale. The Wyandotte Floats were originally set aside for the Wyandotte Tribe. However, the flexible nature of the Floats allowed them to be more easily transferred to white settlers once the U.S. Government decided to remove Native Indians from the newly created territories of Kansas and Nebraska.

Andrew J. Mead to John A. Halderman
Creator: Mead, Andrew J.
Date: March 14, 1859
In a letter marked "Confidential" and dated March 14, 1859, Andrew J. Mead of Manhattan, Kansas Territory, writes to enlist John Halderman's help to get Russell, Majors, and Waddell to use a new Blue River ferry at Manhattan, called Johnstons ferry, when they begin hauling freight over the "Great Central Route via Smoky Hill" to the gold mines. Mead is "deeply interested" in this ferry and wishes to negotiate a contract with the freighters for its use.

Christopher C. Andrews to John A. Halderman
Creator: Andrews, Christopher C.
Date: June 27, 1854
From Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, C. C. Andrews writes a short letter to inform John Halderman that "nothing has transpired" at that location during the past week or so, but he is certain "that the territory will be populated with a rapidity unparralleled [sic] in the rise of states." Andrews also is sure that men in the legal profession, such as Andrews and Halderman, would do quite well financially.

Findley Patterson to John A. Halderman
Creator: Patterson, Findlay
Date: April 4, 1860
Findley Patterson, the land office receiver at Junction City, Kansas Territory from May, 1858, to April, 1861, writes John Halderman with regard to problems within the Kansas Democratic Party. Recent differences between members over participation in the party's national convention at Charleston, South Carolina, had been aired in the press, and Patterson thinks this is unfortunate since "the future prosperity of our country depends upon the success of that party. Democrats should, he contends, not let relatively small policy issues overshadow the fundamental principles they share. Patterson pledges his support for the nominee of the convention, whomever it was, but favors "Judge Douglass [Stephen Douglas] . . .as we have been intimate personal, as well as political friends for several years."

George W. Brown to John A. Halderman
Creator: Brown, George W. (George Washington), 1820-1915
Date: November 19, 1859
In a brief note, something of a follow-up to his letter of November 1, 1859, George W. Brown writes Halderman that 150 copies of "to-days" (November 19) "Herald of Freedom" had been sent by "Express" and that another 150 would go out the next day. "I think your friends will be pleased with the present number," writes the editor, "as it more than sustains all I have said in the past in regard to old John Brown, besides it gives some raps at Conway which will be difficult to overcome."

George W. Brown to John Halderman
Creator: Brown, George W. (George Washington), 1820-1915
Date: November 1, 1859
George W. Brown, the editor of the Herald of Freedom, writes John Halderman from Lawrence, Kansas Territory, concerning the next issue of the paper which was to be "an awful one for Conway." He is probably referring to Martin F. Conway, an active free state partisan who was to be elected the first U.S. congressman to represent Kansas on December 6, 1859. Obviously, the newspaper had less impact than Brown anticipated, as John A. Halderman, the Democratic nominee, lost decisively to Conway, 7,674 to 5,567. Brown believes that his forthcoming issue should be widely distributed and is seeking additional orders from Halderman.

Greenwood Town Association
Creator: Brewster, W.L.
Date: May 05, 1856
This item dates from the early territorial period of Kansas, and it indicates that one share of the town property belonging to the Greenwood Town Association was transferred to A.G. Otis. Once a part of the lands set aside for the settlement of Indians, Greenwood was established by white settlers shortly after the creation of the Kansas and Nebraska territories in 1854.

John Adams Halderman correspondence
Date: 1860-1869
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Major John Adams Halderman (1833-1908) helped recruit and then lead the troops of the First Kansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment, who saw considerable action at the Battle of Wilson's Creek (August 10, 1861), near Springfield, Missouri. This folder contains a series of letters for the years 1860-1862. Included in this correspondence are letters from Governor Charles Robinson, among others. Some of the letters focus on the defense of the border between Kansas and Missouri.

John A. Halderman to editors of the "Constitution"
Creator: Halderman, John Adams
Date: June 6, 1860
While in Washington, D. C., John A. Halderman followed the congressional debate regarding Kansas admission and informs the "Constitution" editors that Senator Louis T. Wigfall, a Texas firebrand, has reportedly "assailed the character of the people of Kansas Territory." Halderman regrets that, since he was not "privileged" to take the floor of either house, he could not officially denounce these "unwarranted accusations" and writes that he fears if he and others are silent the accusations might be accepted as truth.

John N. Dyer to Andrew H. Reeder
Creator: Dyer, John N.
Date: November 7, 1854
John N. Dyer of Pawnee, Kansas Territory, writes Governor Reeder to say that the Pawnee Town Association, which had been formed in November, 1854, and of which Dyer was secretary, had voted to admit the governor "as a member with equal rights, and responsibilities, as the original members." The letter, written on the 7th, describes a meeting on the 6th of November; perhaps the association's first meeting, since they reportedly organized sometime in November.

John W. Whitfield to John A. Halderman
Creator: Whitfield, John W. (John Wilkins), ca. 1826-1879
Date: February 25, 1855
John W. Whitfield was a proslavery supporter from Tennessee who would subsequently move to Texas to fight for the Confederacy. He was a congressional delegate for Kansas Territory when he wrote this letter to John A. Halderman from Washington, D.C., regarding pending legislation "regulating town sites." It had been difficult to build a consensus for this law, but Whitfield hoped it would pass the current session.

John W. Whitfield to John A. Halderman
Creator: Whitfield, John W. (John Wilkins), ca. 1826-1879
Date: February 1, 1857
John W. Whitfield, the Kansas Territory's delegate to Congress until March 3, 1857, writes John Halderman from "Washington City" regarding the "H__l of a fight" they had had "over Lecompte." Whitfield thinks it likely that it will be left to "Old Buck" (President-elect James Buchanan) to settle things. He also writes concerning his own political prospects and what he was accomplishing for Kansas (e.g., railroad legislation). Samuel D. Lecompte was chief justice of the Kansas Territory from December 1854 to March 1859. President Pierce had appointed James O. Harrison to replace Lecompte in December 1856 but Congress refused to confirm Harrison.

Leavenworth Association, One Town Share
Creator: Leavenworth Association,
Date: October 18, 1854
This certificate was identical was issued to C. A. Williams for "one share of the Town property of Leavenworth Association," and on the reverse side it was transferred to Andrew H. Reeder on November 11, 1854. It was signed by Charles Mundee, secretary, and D. P. Wallingford, a proslave partisan from Weston, Missouri. At the top, the document was signed, "With Greetings: John A. Halderman."

Leavenworth Association, Town Shares Certificate
Creator: Leavenworth Association,
Date: October 9, 1854
This certificate is "five shares of the Town property of Leavenworth Association" for Andrew H. Reeder, the first governor of Kansas Territory. The certificate is signed by H. Miles Moore, secretary, and George W. Gist, president. Gist and two other men had laid claim, according to Andreas's "History of Kansas," to the land that would become Leavenworth city on June 12, 1854, the first land claimed in the territory by U. S. citizens after passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Leavenworth Association town shares memorandum
Creator: Leavenworth Town Association
Date: June 25, 1855
Tlhis legal document is signed by three trustees of the Leavenworth Town Association (Oliver Diefendorf, William S. Yohe, and J. M. Day). This contract sells lot #19 in block #17 to John A. Halderman for $175.00. The specific terms of the agreement are contained in this document.