Beverly Watkins Collection (KC246)

Native Sons Archives (NSA)

James Anderson is regarded as one of the prominent Kansas City Historians of the 1950's and 1960's.  During those years, Anderson was the Archivist / Historian for the Native Sons of Kansas City. And much of his work with them consisted of compilations of historical information -- indexes and bibliographies − for use as reference tools.  One of the many projects that he contributed information to is the Kansas City History Project.

A. Theodore Brown directed the Kansas City History Project (circa 1955-1960) at the University of Kansas City.  The goal of the project was to write a comprehensive history of Kansas City from the early frontier days.  A part of this project dealt with the French settlement and community in Kansas City, Missouri.  Mr. Anderson compiled a series of reference-scrapbooks from the information used for the project.  The scrapbooks are now part of the collection held by the Native Sons of Kansas City.

Beverly Watkins was also involved in the Kansas City History Project.  And in gratitude for her contribution, she was given a duplicate of one of Anderson's scrapbooks.  It is this duplicate that Ms. Watkins donated to the Western Historical Manuscripts.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PAPERS:

One large scrapbook of clippings (1934-1953) and historical research compiled by James Anderson concerning the French Settlement and Community in Kansas City, Missouri, ca. 1776-1870.  This includes intensive biographical data regarding the settlers. 1934-ca. 1983.

18 folders

© WHMC-KC, University of Missouri

updated: Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Kansas City
(816) 235-1543 WHMCKC@umkc.edu