Agent, State: Samuel J. Crawford
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1879-1883: Glick)
Date: 1883-1885
These letters are from Samuel J. Crawford, also the third and previous governor of Kansas, to Kansas Governor G. W. Glick. The letters cover various topics on Kansas land, specifically the Santa Fe land grant, "Indian" reservations, military reservations, and school lands. Crawford's correspondence is from Washington D.C. where he moved after his governorship.

Alphabetical correspondence, A-B
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1879-1883: Glick)
Date: 1883-1885
These letters are from Kansas citizens as well as out-of-state reporters and organizations to Kansas Governor G. W. Glick. The correspondents discussed various topics including coal, congress (i.e.- bills and elected officials), land and road issues, farming, events in Kansas, making appointments to meet, publications (i.e.- Emporia Gazette and The Herald) and giving thanks/congratulations. Due to the large amount of correspondence Kansas Governor G. W. Glick received from the public, the letters are divided and listed in alphabetical order.

Attorney General's Office
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1865-1868 : Crawford)
Date: 1867
These letters, spanning 1867, are from George H. Hoyt, Attorney General, and other individuals regarding the Attorney General office's general affairs to Kansas Governor Samuel Crawford. They wrote about passed resolutions, applications for patents, and the illegality of an election. Specifically, Reuben Middleton and J. F. Broadhead's applications were discussed.

Attorney General's Office
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1869-1873 : Harvey)
Date: 1869 - 1872
The documents in this file pertain to matters of the Attorney General Office. A letter from the A. Danford, Attorney General in 1861, gives his opinion to the Governor regarding him being able to appoint officers for new counties. A separate letter from A. L. Williams, Attorney General in 1871, answers questions from Governor Harvey concerning unpatented lands and if they are taxable. A letter from Williams provides Governor Harvey with his opinion declaring the eligibility of women in the office of Notary Public in Kansas.

Bluemont Central College records
Date: 1855-1869
Series of records in the Isaac T. Goodnow collection relating to Bluemont Central College and its successor, the Kansas State Agricultural College, in Manhattan, Kansas. Goodnow was a land agent for the college from 1867-1873.

Bounty Land Grant for Franklin Loomis Crane
Creator: United States. General Land Office
Date: June 1, 1860
A bounty land grant was originally issued to Oliver Brown, a private during the War of 1812. This document declares that the tract of land described has been turned over to Franklin Crane, a resident of Topeka, who most likely purchased it from the original owner. This was done in accordance with an act of Congress passed on March 3, 1855, entitled "An Act in addition to certain Acts granting Bounty Land to certain Officers and Soldiers who have been engaged in the Military Service of the United States." It was signed by President James Buchanan.

East Abilene Town Company records
Date: 1887-1900
The East Abilene Town Company was organized and incorporated in 1887 with L. A. Bigger of Hutchinson, Kansas as its president. M. A. Low was principal stockholder. The company originally purchased 445 acres of land which was platted into the first addition of the Kansas Town and Land Company to Abilene, Kansas. Mr. Bigger was also President of the Reno Town Company in which the Kansas Town and Land Company owned controlling interest. Materials include the company charter and bylaws, director's minutes, general correspondence, leases and land contracts, treasurer's statements and expense accounts, tax lists and certificates, legal documents, and ledger books.

Frank W. Chase Land Grant from Wichita, Kansas
Creator: United States. Wichita Land Office (Wichita, Kan.)
Date: 1877
This is a land grant in Wichita, Kansas made out to Frank W. Chase in September 1877. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

Golden Belt Town Company records
Date: 1886-1897
The Golden Belt Town Company was incorporated in 1886. It was chartered to buy and sell land on the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway in south-central Kansas, including the communities of Waldeck, Durham, Tampa, Ramona, Lincolnville, Furley, and Peck. The company also owned an undivided one-half interest in the Lost Springs, Aulne, Elbing, Whitewater, and Gladys townsites. Mr. F. H. Kollock of Peabody, Kansas, was named president and served until his death in 1895, at which time Samuel T. Howe assumed the position. G. H. Blackwelder of Wichita was secretary, G. W. Hurd of Abilene was treasurer, and A. Clark of Peabody was general agent. These company records include director's minutes, correspondence, financial statements, land contracts and deeds, and several books containing applications for lots and price lists.

Henry Kuhn collection, record [and recipe] book
Creator: Kuhn, Henry, 1830-1900
Date: 1856-1859
This record book includes a territorial map of Shannon township, Atchison County, Kansas, drawn by Henry Kuhn, county surveyor of Atchison County from 1856-1858. It also includes a registry of voters of Atchison and Shannon townships printed in 1859 and signed by Kuhn as township clerk. It also includes an alphabetical list of section owners. Later the book was used to record cooking and baking recipes. Henry Kuhn was born in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on February 2nd, 1830. In 1854 he moved his family to Atchison County, Kansas Territory, where he was the first superintendent of public instruction, county surveyor, and helped organize the First National Bank. Kuhn enlisted in the Eighth Kansas Infantry in September 1861. He served under Colonel John A. Martin (Kansas Governor 1885 - 1889) until the end of the war. His last active rank was commissioned Captain. From 1865 to 1891 he resided at Fort Leavenworth where he organized the German Savings Bank, built the city's first railroad, and was chief clerk and acting agent for the Indian agency in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Then he moved to Marion County where he farmed and raised stock. In 1890 he began publishing the "Marion Times." In February 1899 he moved back to Atchison and published the "Atchison Champion." In the autumn of 1899 he moved to Topeka where he died June 11th, 1900.

Isaac T. Goodnow property records
Date: Between 1858 and 1895
Series of personal property records belonging to the Isaac T. Goodnow collection. Isaac Goodnow was an early resident of Manhattan, Kansas, and was a free-state supporter. He was a delegate to the Leavenworth Constitutional Convention and was one of the founders of Bluemont Central College. Included in these documents are land deeds, mortgages, assessment lists, and lot lists.

J.H. Aley Land Grant from Wichita, Kansas
Creator: United States. Dept. of the Interior
Date: 1873
This land patent was made out to J. H. Aley of Wichita, Kansas on July 1, 1873. The amount is for 140 acres. "Osage Indian Land" is handwritten in upper left corner above the certificate number. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

John Carrolien Land Grant from Wichita, Kansas
Creator: United States. Dept. of the Interior
Date: 1873
This land patent was made out to John Carrolien for a quarter section near Wichita, Kansas on September 1, 1873. "Osage Indian Land" is handwritten in upper left corner. Funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission through the Kansas State Historical Records Advisory Board.

July 1887
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: July 1887
These letters, spanning July 1887, are from individuals, organizations, companies, and state officials regarding Kansas affairs to Kansas Governor John Martin. The letters cover various topics including personal matters/opinions, soldiers, military affairs, prohibition, newspaper/publication articles, legislation, criminal cases, Kansas counties, patents, railroads, and the appointment to positions. Martin was fortunate to have acquired upon his inauguration, in 1885, a state of affairs that was persistent in prosperous economic growth, and city and town expansion. But, all that boom and extravagance changed in his last year of office, 1888, when conditions gave way to severe drought and an economic recession.

June 1885
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1885-1889 : Martin)
Date: June 1885
These letters, spanning June 1885, are from individuals, companies, and state officials regarding Kansas affairs to Kansas Governor John Martin. The letters cover various topics including finances, personal matters/opinions, patents, the appointment to positions, newspaper/publication articles, aid/endorsement, legislation, requesting information, and railroads. Martin was fortunate to have acquired upon his inauguration, in 1885, a state of affairs that was persistent in prosperous economic growth, and city and town expansion.

Kansas land survey plats
Creator: U.S. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1855-1861
The U.S. Surveyor General began surveying Kansas after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Plat maps were created at that time to document the surveys. The plats show public lands within the territory divided by range, township and section. Townships were measured in six mile increments starting from the Kansas-Nebraska border. Ranges were numbered in six mile increments east and west from the Sixth Prime Meridian, which crosses through present day Wichita, Kansas. This system is still the basis for legal land description in the state. The Kansas Historical Society acquired a collection of these original plats previously held by the Kansas Secretary of State. The National Archives and the Bureau of Land Management also hold copies of the plats. The sixteen plats presented here are from the Kansas Historical Society collection but are not included in the National Archives copies. These plats cover portions of Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties. Kansas land surveyors are the most frequent users of these maps. They use them to verify section corners when surveying land. A complete collection of the original plats is available in the Society's Center for Historical Research. The plats are also available on microfilm (AR 137-143). For more information on these plats and the accompanying field notes, click on the Land Survey Maps link below.

Kansas land survey plats
Creator: U.S. Surveyor General of Kansas and Nebraska
Date: 1857-1861
Six land survey plat maps showing townships 11 through 15 south, range 16 east. The U.S. Surveyor General began surveying Kansas after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Plat maps were created at that time to document the surveys. The plats show public lands within the territory divided by range, township and section. Townships were measured in six mile increments starting from the Kansas-Nebraska border. Ranges were numbered in six mile increments east and west from the Sixth Prime Meridian, which crosses through present day Wichita, Kansas. This system is still the basis for legal land description in the state. The Kansas Historical Society acquired a collection of these original plats previously held by the Kansas Secretary of State. The National Archives and the Bureau of Land Management also hold copies of the plats. Kansas land surveyors are the most frequent users of these maps. They use them to verify section corners when surveying land.

Kansas Land Survey Plats
Date: Bulk 1857-1861
These eighteen land survey plat maps show townships 18 through 23 south, ranges 23 through 25, east of the 6th principal meridian. The U.S. Surveyor General began surveying Kansas after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Plat maps were created at that time to document the surveys. The plats show public lands within the territory divided by range, township and section. Townships were measured in six mile increments starting from the Kansas-Nebraska border. Ranges were numbered in six mile increments east and west from the Six Prime Meridian, which crosses through present day Wichita, Kansas. This system is still the basis for legal land description in the state.

Kansas Town and Land Company agent's statements
Date: 1888-1891
Lots lists and correspondence, arranged by townsite, relating to the business activities and sales of each townsite agent of the Kansas Town and Land Company. The Kansas Town and Land Company was chartered in 1887 to buy and sell lands on the right of way of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company. Townsites in Kansas include Agra, Aiken, Arkalom, Athol, Bonham, Brewster, Clayton, Dana, Dresden, Edson, Goodland, Groveland, Herington, Horton, Jasper, Jennings, Kanorado, Keats, Kensington, Liberal, Mahaska, Minneola, Narka, Neva, New Lebanon, Phillipsburg, Prairie View, Rexford, Selden, Severn, Smith Center, and Stuttgart. Townsites in Colorado include Arriba, Claremont, Limon, New Burlington, Peyton, and Siebert. Townsites in Nebraska include Murdock and Nora. Agents include G. A. Spaulding, F. O. Marshall, T. A. Scales, J. W. Weyand, G. B. Ohle, L. L. French, R. M. Day, Albert Harris, A. B. Montgomery, F. H. McClellan, Monroe Davis Herington, W. H. Kemper, George W. Ragon, R. M. Day, Hazen C. Ladd, E. W. Sandison, John S. Gillett, Edward Stone, E. W. Hall, W. J. Clark, P. C. Glenn, Ira Thompson, S. G. Hopkins, G. W. Buckley, Daniel W. Relihan, William A. Clute, R. S. Newell, C. A. Beery, J. H. Slater, C. G. McGhee, H. F. Hendricks, and Jacob Ritterbush.

Kansas Town and Land Company U. S. land patents
Creator: United States. General Land Office
Date: 1874-1896
Land patents issued by the United States General Land Office to Albert O. Baldwin, William O. Alphin, Nora B. Asher, Samuel Bayne, James R. Blades, William H. Blood, John W. Brownlee, Robert L. Butts, Martha A. Davidson, Erving M. Davis, Chesley W. Jones, A. B. Montgomery, Seymour S. Rogers, Ada E. Scates, Isaac D. Smith, James Smith, Herbert H. Springer, George H. Storch, John Sheppard, and Alfred O. Yeatman. Also included is a declaration from the federal government, referencing the June 28, 1862 treaty that established the Kickapoo Indian Reservation, which grants O-Ketch-Kum-Me a designated forty acres.

Land contract between the Union Pacific Railway Company and Alice Moore
Date: January 12, 1893
Land contract made between the Union Pacific Railway Company and Miss Alice Moore of Arapahoe County, Colorado. Moore bought 160 acres in Wallace County, Kansas, from the railroad for $880.

Land matters : Railroad
Creator: Kansas. Governor (1879-1883: Glick)
Date: 1883-1885
These letters are from various individuals in regards to railroad land matters to Kansas Governor G. W. Glick. The topics of the letters, on the matter of railroads, include Native American lands, land grants, cases of residents versus railroad companies, and requesting information on railroad lands. By 1883, Kansas had three major railroad companies: the Union Pacific Railway; the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway; and the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad.

Land Office, Kickapoo, Kansas Territory, notice
Creator: United States. General Land Office
Date: June 12, 1858
Issued by John W. Whitfield, land office register and former proslavery territorial delegate to Congress, on June 12, 1858, this one-page notice informed Sol Miller of a counter claim made against some preemption land in which Miller (referred to as "an adverse claimant") apparently held an interest. The notice was also signed by Daniel Woodson, receiver, who had served as the first secretary of the territory of Kansas and on several occasions in 1855 and 1856 as acting governor.

Land Patent to Francis Doran
Creator: United States. General Land Office
Date: 1864
This is a land patent issued to Francis Doran for the purchase of 160 acres on the Kansas Indian Trust Lands. The property was located in the southeast quarter of Section 14 in Township 15 South, Range 8 east, Morris County, Kansas.

Land patent transferring property from Benjamin Hendley Miller to Fannie [Fanny] Wiggins
Date: April 01, 1861
This is a land patent transferring property from Benjamin Hendley Miller to Fannie [Fanny] Wiggins. He received the land for his service in the United States Flotilla during the War of 1812. Miller received 159 acres in the northeast quarter of Section 6, Township 23, Range 18 in Anderson County, Kansas. Fannie [Fanny] Wiggins received the property on April 1, 1861. She married Josiah S. Kelly and settled near Geneva, Kansas. In 1864, the Kellys decided to move to Idaho. While on the trip, they encountered a band of Sioux. She was captured and several members of their party were killed; however, Josiah was able to escape. After nine months as a captive, she escaped. Fanny and Josiah returned to Kansas and started a hotel in Ellsworth. In 1867, Josiah contracted cholera and died. Later, she married William F. Gordon and lived in Washington, D.C. until her death on November 15, 1904.