James Griffing wrote from Topeka, Kansas Territory, to his wife J. Augusta (Goodrich) Griffing. Mrs. Griffing was visiting her family in New York for the first time since her arrival in the Kansas Territory in 1855. Griffing described his daily activities, including his efforts to protect his chickens from "polecats," to gather wild grapes, and to prepare his own meals.
Kansas Memory
Kansas Historical Society
James Griffing to J. Augusta Goodrich Griffing - p. 2