Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

Cite as: John Ashcroft Collection, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0058
Ashley, Grace.
Scrapbook, 1936-1947. 1 volume; 1 oversize folder
Grace Ashley was also known by her married name, Mrs. Harry S. Papin, Jr. She was a St.
Louis dress designer, model, saleswoman and manufacturer, known for her original shirt stud
dress registered as the "Grace Ashley Jewelstud Frock." Scrapbook contains clippings,
photographs, and dress advertisements from numerous newspapers.
Cite as: Grace Ashley Scrapbook, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0059
Ashley, William Henry (1778-1838).
Collection, 1811-1975. 2 boxes; 2 oversize folders
William H. Ashley was born in Powhatan County, Virginia, in 1778. He came to Ste.
Genevieve, Missouri, in 1803 and engaged in the manufacture of gunpowder. In 1819, he moved
to St. Louis and established himself in the real estate business. He served as lieutenant governor
from 1820 to 1824 and was defeated for the governorship in 1824. By this time he was also a
brigadier general in the state militia. For several years he was engaged in the fur trade business
with Andrew Henry, the Sublette brothers, Robert Campbell, James Bridger, and Thomas
Fitzpatrick. He organized several expeditions into the Green River country, dealing exclusively
with white trappers and hunters along the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains. He withdrew
from the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1826 after making his fortune. In 1831, Ashley was
elected to Congress to fill the unexpired term of Spencer Pettis and was reelected in 1832 and
1834. In 1836, he ran unsuccessfully for governor against Lilburn W. Boggs. He died of
pneumonia on March 26, 1838, and was buried on the family farm on the Lamine River in
Cooper County, Missouri. He had no children and was survived by his fourth wife, Elizabeth
Moss Wilcox. No records survive of his first marriage. His second wife, Mary Able, died
November 7, 1821. Eliza Christy, his third wife, died June 12, 1830.
The papers relate to Ashley's interest in the fur trade, the manufacture of gunpowder, and
mining; improvement in navigation on the Mississippi River in the vicinity of St. Louis; land
speculation and real estate in St. Louis; politics; Indian trade; and the West. Correspondents
include James P. Beckwourth, James Bridger, Robert Campbell, Thomas Fitzpatrick, David E.
Jackson, Etienne Provost, Jedediah S. Smith, William L. Sublette, and Samuel Tulloch. The
papers also include Ashley's diary dated March 25-June 27, 1825 (his trip to the Great Salt Lake)
(diary is published in Dale L. Morgan, editor, The West of William H. Ashley [Old West
Publishing Co., 1964], pages 104-117), and the diary of Harrison G. Rogers regarding the
expedition to the Pacific coast with Jedediah S. Smith (entries from August 15, 1826-January 27,
1827; May 10, 1828-July 1828).
Indexed in the archives card catalog.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: William Henry Ashley Collection, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0060
Ashley-Cabell Family.
Papers, 1843-1861. 4 folders
Elizabeth Moss Ashley was a well-known socialite with property in St. Louis. She was
married to a Mr. Wilcox who was a senator in the Missouri legislature. She was also married to