Rough draft of letter signed John F. Darby, 222 Pine Street, St. Louis, Missouri, to Hon. Thos. J. Crittenden [Thomas J. Crittenden], Warrensburg, Mo. In 1825 after studying the classics at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Darby went to Frankfort, Ky., to read law. He was in the office of Patrick H. Darby, no relation, whose troubles and violence in politics made it most unpleasant. Darby quit him, and he and Tom Marshall took a room together and read, getting books from the office of John J. Crittenden, who was Darby’s devoted friend from that time till his death. Darby took a deep interest in Thomas Crittenden’s nomination, not for the name alone but because of his ability and public service. He would be honored to have Crittenden call on him. [filed in 1880 July-Nov], 1880 Aug 6

Item — Box: 5, Folder: 3

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

This collection consists largely of the papers of John F. Darby and his wife Mary F. Darby, and relates mostly to the political, social, and business history of St. Louis. The papers also include family correspondence with relatives in North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri, and correspondence regarding legal and business matters. Of special note are the minute books of the Jefferson Society and the St. Louis Debating Club (1827-1828), both regional debating societies of which Darby was a member; letters of Mary F. Darby; correspondence with Montgomery Blair, William T. Sherman, and George Caleb Bingham; and fragments of a history of the Mormons by John Corrill, dated 1839.