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This informative twelve-page letter, written by John P. St. John, Governor of Kansas, details how the Freedman's Relief Association has been assisting the black refugees fleeing from the South. St. John was well acquainted with the workings of this association, being a board member himself, and therefore he gave specific details about how many emigrants have found employment. He also discusses the barracks in Topeka that housed around 200 emigrants in need of shelter. Many of these Exodusters were suffering during the cold winter, and St. John mentioned that the association needed lumber to build additional barracks and houses for some of the emigrants. Toward the end of the letter, St. John implored Rust to discover if Illinois (Rust's home state) would be able to accept any of these refugees.
Creator: St. John, John Pierce, 1833-1916
Date: January 16, 1880
For students who cannot read the whole letter, the first five pages are the most interesting and informative. This source gives specific information about the refugees' experiences shortly after arrival in the state and works with other documents describing aid societies, as well as the Harper's Weekly sketch of the barracks.
KS:7th:3.5:Exodusters (2005)
Item Number: 210538
Call Number: 326.8 R92 H. N. Rust Scrapbook
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 210538
Collections - Library
Community Life - Clubs and organizations - Charitable - Relief - Freedmen's Relief Association
Curriculum - 7th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1860s to 1870s (Benchmark 3) - Exodusters (Indicator 5) - Emigrant aid organizations
Curriculum - 7th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1860s to 1870s (Benchmark 3) - Exodusters (Indicator 5) - Emigrants' daily life in Kansas
Date - 1880s - 1880
Government and Politics - State Government - Governors - St. John, John Pierce
Home and Family - Clothing
Home and Family - Daily life - Health and Hygiene
Home and Family - Daily life - Settlement
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Letter
People - African Americans - Discrimination
People - African Americans - Exodusters
People - Notable Kansans - St. John, John Pierce, 1833-1916
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Places - Counties - Wabaunsee
Places - Other States - Illinois - Chicago
Places - Other States - Iowa
Places - Other States - Nebraska
Thematic Time Period - Immigration and Settlement, 1854 - 1890
Type of Material - Unpublished documents - Letters
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/210538