Here's another article that mentions a rare "Daniel Boone, Sr." signature: Posted on Thu, Oct. 13, 2005 Unearthed documents shed new light on Missouri history JIM SALTER Associated Press ST. CHARLES, Mo. - The elaborate cursive penmanship has a distinct early 1800s look, but the signature on a brown, crumbling document is clear: Daniel Boone Sr. St. Charles County director of administration Steve Ehlmann, also a local historian, was bored one day a couple of years ago and decided to dig through some old boxes in the basement of the administration building. What he found sheds new light on life here in the early 19th century: About 1,650 court documents, ranging from property disputes to slave dealings and involving Boone and other noted figures from the days when Missouri was still a territory into early statehood. "As Missourians, we can take pride in the rich history of our state - from its role in westward expansion to its legacy as a center of commerce and industry," Secretary of State Robin Carnahan said Thursday in announcing the find. "These case files provide new insights into that great heritage." The documents, long believed to have been destroyed, were written before St. Charles County even had a courthouse, then survived moves to the first building in 1848, a second courthouse that opened in 1903, and the new building that opened about a decade ago. Ehlmann used information from them for a book he wrote on the county's history, then called the state archivist in January. Now, the documents will be preserved, placed on microfilm, and made available to historians and the public, including through the secretary of state's Web site. "They're in remarkably good shape," State Archivist Kenneth Winn said. "Considering the migration from place to place, it's really stunning." Bob Sanford, a St. Charles County historian, said information found in the documents will alter the understanding of early history in this part of the state. St. Charles was a prominent port on the Missouri River, served as a starting point for the Lewis and Clark expedition, and housed Missouri's first state capitol. St. Charles in the early 1800s was a rowdy town, many of its residents French-speaking. In fact, some of the documents are written in French on one side, English on the other. Some of the litigation involves the same topics that courts deal with today - divorce, property disputes, debts. Documents also cite arguments over land claims stemming from the great earthquakes of 1811 and 1812; claims from the War of 1812; freedom suits and other legal matters concerning slaves. One document outlines explorer William Clark's unsuccessful bid for governor in 1820 - 14 years after his westward expedition with Meriwether Lewis. Others provide information on Missouri's little-known first governor, Alexander McNair. Winn said the most significant finds are probably documents signed by Boone, who added the senior tag at the end of his signature to differentiate himself from his son with the same name. "There are a lot of Abraham Lincoln signatures, as lawyer as president," Winn said. "Daniel Boone by comparison is a much rarer signature." Carnahan said archivists are still reading through the more than 7,000 pages. "There are many, many hidden treasures," she said. ON THE NET Missouri Secretary of State: http://www.sos.mo.gov. From: Debbi Geer <dgirth@yahoo.com> Date: 2005/10/13 Thu PM 04:30:36 EDT To: BOONE-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [BOONE-L] Daniel and his brother Squire It appears that there are some old documents in Missouri which were discovered in the basement of the St Charles Co MO courthouse by one of the judges which include the names of Daniel and his brother Squire Boone. Below my sign-off is the news article which was released shortly after 1pm (CDT) regarding the documents. Debbi Geer St. Charles judge finds historical treasures By Valerie Schremp Hahn ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH 10/13/2005 About two years ago, when history buff Steve Ehlmann was a St. Charles County Circuit Judge, he decided to poke around a storage room in the courthouse basement to see what he could find. He spotted some old boxes sitting on a lower shelf. He opened one and pulled out a yellowed document. It was dated 1826, the last year St. Charles was the capital of Missouri. Ehlmann knew the documents were important, but he didn’t necessarily know he had stumbled across a historical treasure that would later make state archivists beam and researchers nationwide scramble for a look. Ehlmann, Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and representatives with the St. Charles County Historical Society and the Missouri State Archives showed off some of those documents Thursday at the St. Charles County Courthouse. They included a petition Daniel Boone signed recommending a man from Kentucky to be constable of the St. Charles District, documents about trade with the southwest from before the time of the Santa Fe Trail, and a lawsuit that Boone’s brother, Squire Boone, filed against a man who allegedly stole his cow and calf. There are about 7,000 pages of documents representing about 1,650 cases and administrative actions, and archivists haven’t had time to go through them all. “When we go through these, discoveries are going to be made for the next several years,” said Ken Winn, a state archivist. “We’re going to make one discovery after another.” Archivists plan to restore the documents, catalogue them, and make them available online for anyone to see. They expect to complete their project in about two years. __________________________________ Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 http://mail.yahoo.com ============================== Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx