Letter signed S. Mason, Philadelphia, to My Dear Brother [Henry von Phul], St. Louis. A few days ago I had the satisfaction of receiving a check from Siter Price & Co. for $300. The shocking affray in which Lovejoy was killed caused almost as great a sensation here as the stoppage of the banks. There have been regular meetings appointed and eulogies pronounced upon him in most of the Presbyterian churches. The Abolitionists are building a large house in this city for the express purpose of having a hall for their meetings. The front is built of immense blocks…with a view to resist any attack upon it., 1837 Dec 12

Item — Box: 2

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection contains family correspondence, mainly letters of Anna Maria von Phul, Sarah von Phul (Jordan) Mason, and Graff von Phul to Henry von Phul in St. Louis. The letters mention family news, Anna Maria von Phul’s artwork, soldiers in Lexington just prior to the War of 1812, Henry's business affairs, an 1819 flooding in St. Louis from Chouteau's Pond when the dam gave way, the murder of Elijah Lovejoy, and the Civil War. The collection also contains Graff von Phul's extracts from the first lecture of Sir Joshua Reynolds, delivered at the opening of the Royal Academy on January 2, 1769; a deed of emancipation of Richard, dated August 30, 1844; a bill of sale of an enslaved girl dated November 2, 1858; poems, newspaper clippings kept by Anna Maria von Phul, land surveys, Von Phul family genealogy, and a detailed biography and accounts of Henry von Phul.