William Kincaid Newman collection

This small collection pertains to ancestors of the donor, William Kincaid Newman; this includes Newman's grandfather, William Kincaid, and Newman's great-grandfather, Daniel Chapman. The collection includes an 1889 map of Guthrie, Oklahoma, Indian Territory, printed by C. P. Spining & Co. shortly after the incorporation of Guthrie after the Land Run of 1889. The map is inscribed "compliments of Rock, Clevinger & Hays Attorneys at-Law Guthrie" and includes some annotations on the map to clarify changes in land use since the publication of the map. Typescript letters by Lemuel Jones written in November 1889 from Guthrie describe the negotiation of land between the United States and the Cherokee, observations of migrants to Oklahoma, a description of the land, the pronunciation of "Oklahoma," the first marks of settlement, the division of lots in Guthrie, a population comprised mostly of cowboys and Texans, transportation in and out of the area, and the U.S. Marshals arresting a few men for the unauthorized sale of alcohol. These letters, combined in a single typescript document, were likely transcribed from handwritten letters shortly after they were received, and they include some handscript corrections.

Also included is a typescript autobiography of Daniel Chapman (1806-1890), which describes his childhood, school years as a student at Oberlin College, Civil War service, and his work as a Congregational Minister in Illinois from 1842 to 1884. He also writes about his experience lecturing on the topics of temperance and slavery. Chapman was an abolitionist who maintained an affiliation with the American Missionary Association.