Guide to the Archival Collections.pdf - Missouri History Museum

September 11, 1873, in St. Louis. During a trip to Paris in 1892, he saw a horseless carriage for
the first time, and decided to build one of his own. In 1893, he built the first motor car west of
the Mississippi River, and became the first person to drive a car in St. Louis. He worked for
several automobile sales companies before he formed the Lewis Automobile Company in 1912.
He remained in the automobile business until 1928, when he became an insurance salesman. He
married Sallie E. Turner on January 19, 1897, and they had three children. Lewis died from a
heart attack on June 8, 1939.
Collection consists of notes written by Lewis, circa 1910, which seem to be for a speech or
article. The notes include: Lewis’s reminiscenses about the first automobile drive in St. Louis in
1893; various facts about early automobiles, which also mention the location of the first gas
station in St. Louis at the southeast corner of Washington and Walton avenues; and a one-page
list of names with some of the first motorists in St. Louis. The collection also includes a
reproduction of a portion of a New York Times article, dated August 9, 1901, about a planned
automobile trip from St. Louis to New York by Oscar L. Halsey and Lewis.
Cite as: J.D. Perry Lewis Notes, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0897
Lewis, Meriwether (1774-1809).
Collection, 1776-1960 (bulk 1791-1820). 4 boxes; 2 oversize folders; 2 rolls microfilm (2 sets)
Collection is an amalgamation of original documents, photostats, photo reproductions and
typescripts of documents from other collections, newsclippings, postcards and other ephemeral
material that was apparently gathered from a variety of sources in an attempt to form a collection
related to the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Indexed in the archives card catalog.
Finding aid available.
Cite as: Meriwether Lewis Papers, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0898
Lewis, William J.
Account book, 1860-1868. 1 volume (112 pages)
Wholesale tobacco manufacturer, commission merchant, and receiver and president of
Atlantic and Mississippi Steamship Co., St. Louis.
Record of business and personal accounts. Includes records related to the steamers Marcella,
Izatta, and Wm. J. Lewis.
Cite as: William J. Lewis Account Book, Missouri History Museum Archives, St. Louis.
A0899
Lewis-Robertson Family.
Papers, 1837-1955 (bulk 1837-1851; 1955). 3 folders
Franklin Selden Robertson was born March 27, 1828, in Cumberland County, Kentucky, the
son of Richard Cary and Nancy McGlasson Robertson. The family moved to Pike County,
Illinois, near the little village of Milton in 1834. In 1850, Franklin Selden Robertson migrated to
the town of Miami, Saline County, Missouri. In 1852, he married Miss Ann Merry Rucker. His
wife died around 1858. During the Civil War he served as 2nd lieutenant of the Saline Mounted
Rifles, Missouri State Guard, and later enrolled in the Confederate army. In 1865, he married
Catherine Ann Merry Lewis, widow of Henry Latimer, and daughter of Ethelbert Wallis Lewis.
Their children were Samuel Arthur, Merry Mildred, Frank Selden, Jr., William Walthall, Henry
Turpin, Richard (died in infancy), and Robert Emmet. Franklin Selden Robertson died February