N. P. Selee, presumably an acquaintance of Isaac Goodnow, and a fellow New Englander, wrote to Goodnow from the East Coast, describing to Goodnow his desire to settle in Kansas. Selee asked Goodnow to respond to what may have been typical emigrant concerns about the trip, which from Selee, included questions about Kansas' future as a free state, the business prospects for raising cattle, and whether or not he ought to "look for a wife" before coming to Kansas, or if he would be likely to find quality companionship in the Territory.