1859 MO Ltr/Cover: Baptist preacher/land speculator w/rare Kansas Terr Bus Card

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Marvelous 1859 frontier Missouri letter from Baptist preacher Jeremiah Farmer, Harrisonville, Missouri to G.M. Cooper, St. Francisville, Missouri. Included with Farmer's advice about land in the Kansas Territory is a rare business card from E.W. Robinson, County Clerk and Recorder of Lykins County, Kansas Territory [county is now defunct]. Cover has stamp with line cancel and "Harrisonville Mo July 27" postmark. Harrisonville, founded in 1837 is the county seat of Cass County, on the border with Kansas. Addressed to "Mr. G.M. Cooper St. Francisville MO" St. Francisville in extreme northeastern Missouri was founded in 1833 on the Des Moines River and is now an unincorporated community in Clark county. Recipient G.M. Cooper was born in 1807 and lived in Vermillion County, Illinois moving to Clark County in the 1850s. Author Jeremiah Farmer (1810-1881) [see #3 from internet] was born in Anderson County, Tennessee and lived in Knox County [1815-1818], and Roane and Meigs counties, all in Tennessee while his father ran a mill and iron works while doing a little preaching at the local Baptist church. Its important to note that many rural ministers received no ministerial salary and had to provide for themselves and family by farming, teaching or running a store or mill. Farmer left school in 1828 to superintend his father's business and then received an interest in it, running it until 1834. He felt called to go west and moved to the Missouri frontier in 1837 and began preaching in 1838. Over a 40 year career, he served numerous churches in western Missouri and was Moderator of the Baptist Blue River Association. He also worked as a traveling evangelist reporting for one six month period that he preached 150 sermons, participated in six protracted meetings, received 60 into the church and raised $53.62 1/2. In 1838, he participated in the Missouri Mormon War that resulted in the expulsion of most Mormons from Missouri who then settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. Farmer was also a friend to William Quantrill, the future Confederate guerilla and when Abraham Lincoln asked for a day of prayer and fasting in 1862, he closed his church until 1866. "Harrisonville July 26th/59 Mr. G M Cooper Dear Sir I have delayed answering your letter in order to ascertain the facts in regard to the taxation of lands in Kansas. I have not yet learned all I wished to the lands However are taxed both for last year & this and very high at that I have been told the taxes amount to 24$ to the quarter section regardless of [quality?] but for the truth of the statement I cannot vouch I do not know who collects taxes [The tax code of the Kansas Territory had changed in 1858 reflecting the tax code of Wisconsin rather than Missouri as "Free-Staters" had taken control of the legislature. Apparently Farmer felt the changes made taxes too high] I think you had better write to Dr. Lykins [Dr. David Lykins (1821-1864) for whom Lykins County was named would have been someone known to Farmer. See #4 for charcoal sketch of Lykins leaning against his wife's tombstone in the Wea Indian cemetery from internet. Lykins came to Kansas from Vigo, County, Indiana in 1843 to establish the Wea Baptist Mission [see #5 from internet] Trained as a doctor, he opened the Mission about a mile east of today's Paola, Kansas. In 1856, he was made "General Superintendent of all Baptist Missions in the Kansas Territory" A southern sympathizer, he served in the Kansas Territorial legislature as Senator from the 4th District, 1855-1858. He left the area in 1861 and died in Colorado. Lykins County was renamed Miami County in 1861] he is there yet. I have not been in the territory for a great while I have sold my land there on account of the taxes yours Respectfully Jeremiah Farmer" Enclosed with letter is this rare Kansas Territory business card from E.W. Robinson. [Ezra W. Robinson 1830-1922 was born in Erie County, New York, raised in Illinois and became a carpenter working all over the West and South. He returned to Illinois, was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Circuit Court and studied law.... read more

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