Cherokee Strip

Is an area in Kansas that was disputed between the Indians and the United States. It was the Southern boarder of the state. Cherokee Outlet was the Northern part of Oklahoma also involved in the dispute.

This land was in dispute since 1825 - 1866, at which time the Treaty of 1866 selling the land for not less than $1.25 an acre. In 1871 the land was surveyed and found to be off by 2.46 miles.

Here's a link to a web page with a Map of the area: http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ok/state/outlet/strip.html There are also some great books out there regarding the history of this area.

U. S> Public Debt is Zero

In 1835 it was the only time in the history of our country. I stumbled upon this little tidbit and thought with our current federal debt this was an interesting tidbit. In 1835 Andrew Jackson was president, his nickname was Old Hickory. He has since been praised for his stance and protection of Individual Liberties and democracy. However, he's equally rebuffed for his position on Indian Removal and Slavery.

I don't know enough as to why the government was able to propose a zero balance on the public debt but it could make for an interesting comment or two for our characters set in 1835. Also, this budget was set on Jan. 8, 1835.

Warm Springs Toll Bridge North Carolina 1879

Below you'll find the actual writing of the portion of the act of the North Carolina General Assembly allowing the Warm Springs Toll Bridge Company to charge for tolls across the bridge. As an author I'm always looking for the actual costs of items or services during the time period I'm writing.

Sec. 5. That the company shall be entitled to receive Rates of ton. the following toll, to-wit: Six-horse wagons seventy-five cents, four-horse wagons fifty cents, three-horse wagons forty cents, two horse wagons twenty-five cents, one horse wagon fifteen cents, man and horse ten cents, loose horses and mules five cents each, cattle, sheep and hogs two and one-half cents each, pleasure carriages four horse one dollar, two horse fifty cents, horse and buggy twenty-five cents.

Ratified the 5th day of March, A. D. 1879.

Louisiana Purchase Significant Dates

Treaty was signed April 30, 1803
Jun 20th Jefferson wrote a letter to Lewis to "explore the Missouri River...
Announced to the American people on July 4th by Thomas Jefferson.
Ratified by the Senate Oct. 20th
Oct. 31 Congress made temporary provisions for local civil government to continue
New Orleans was turned over by France on Dec. 20th
March 10, 1804 formal ceremony for the transfer of ownership was held in St. Louis
Oct. 1, 1804 the territory was organized as "Territory of Orleans"

Currency & Finance

Back in 1846 a law was formed regarding the treasury department. I thought with all the political discussions going on and with the current economy on the mind of most Americans, I thought this might spark a little interest. This information is taken from Extracts of the United States relating to currency and finance. ©1879

LEGISLATION
CURRENCY AND FINANCE.
I....August, 1846. — An Act to provide for the better Organization of the Treasury, and for the Collection, Safe-keeping, Transfer, and Disbursement of the public Revenue.
Whereas, by the fourth section of the act entitled " An Act to establish the Treasury Department," approved September two, seventeen hundred and eighty-nine, it was provided that it should be the duty of the Treasurer to receive and keep the moneys of the United States, and to disburse the same upon warrants drawn by the Secretary of the Treasury, countersigned by the Comptroller, and recorded by the Register, and not otherwise ; and whereas it is found necessary to make further provisions to enable the Treasurer the better to carry into effect the intent of the said section in relation to the receiving and disbursing the moneys of the United States : Therefore,

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the rooms prepared and provided in the new treasury building at the seat of government for the use of the Treasurer of the United States, his assistants and clerks, and occupied by them, and also the fire-proof vaults and safes erected in said rooms for the keeping of the public moneys in the possession and under the immediate control of said Treasurer, and such other apartments as are provided for in this act as places of deposit of the public money, are hereby constituted and declared to be the Treasury of the United States. And all moneys paid into the same shall be subject to the draft of the Treasurer, drawn agreeably to appropriations made by law.

[By sections 2, 3, and 4, and by subsequent acts, the Mint at Philadelphia, and the Branch Mints, the Assay Office at New York, the offices of the Assistant Treasurers at New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Chicago, St. Louis, and San Francisco, and the Depositaries at Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Galveston, Santa Fd, and Tucson, are made " places of deposit."]

Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the Treasurer of the United States, the Treasurer of the Mint of the United States, the treasurers, and those acting as such, of the various branch mints, all collectors of the customs, all surveyors of the customs acting also as collectors, all assistant treasurers, all receivers of public moneys at the several land offices, all postmasters, and all public officers of whatsoever character, be, and they are hereby, required to keep safely, without loaning, using, depositing in banks, or exchanging for other funds than as allowed by this act, all the public money collected by them, or otherwise at any time placed in their possession and custody, till the same is ordered, by the proper department or officer of the government, to be transferred or paid out; and when such orders for transfer or payment are received, faithfully and promptly to make the same as directed. . ..

[Section 9 requires that all collectors and receivers of public moneys shall pay over the same, as often as may be directed by the Secretary of the Treasury or the Postmaster-General, to the Treasurer, assistant treasurer or depositary in their respective cities; and it is made the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury and of the Postmaster-General to direct such payments to be made as often as once in every week.]

Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That on the first day of January, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and thereafter, all duties, taxes, sales of public lands, debts, and sums of money accruing or becoming due to the United States, and also all sums due, for postages or otherwise, to the general post-office department, shall be paid in gold and silver coin only, or in treasury notes issued under the authority of the United States: Provided, That the Secretary of the Treasury shall publish, monthly, in two newspapers at the city of Washington, the amount of specie at the several places of deposit, the amount of treasury notes or drafts issued, and the amount outstanding on the last day of each month.

Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That on the first day of April, one thousand eight hundred and forty-seven, and thereafter, every officer or agent engaged in making disbursements on account of the United States, or of the general post-office, shall make all payments in gold and silver coin, or in treasury notes, if the creditor agree to receive said notes in payment. . . .
[By the Act of March 3, 1857, every officer or agent having money of the United States intrusted to him for disbursement, is required to deposit the same with the Treasurer, or with some Assistant Treasurer or depositary, and to draw for it only in favor of the persons to whom payment is to be made; but money required for payment in sums under twenty dollars can be drawn for by such officer or agent in his own name. 11 Statutes at Large, 249.]

[Approved, August 6, 1846. 9 Statutes at Large, 59.]

Immigration in the 19th Century

Immigration in America started with the landing of Jamestown, it's been a part of our country since day one. However, after the Revolutionary War we've had a migration of immigrants to the United States. I mention this because there seem to be pockets of time and place where several from one country would settle here in the states.

On a website for Laiden University there's an interesting article about who came when and why. Here's the link

I bring this up because I've used several ethnic groups while writing my historical fiction novels, Corduroy Road to Love is one such example. When researching an area to set a novel in, research the emigration into that community. You might just stumble across some interesting information.

Currently I'm researching the Dutch and German migration to a section of New York where my husband's family find some of their roots. Most of them came as farmers when the opportunity to have their own farm, approximately 100 acres of land, to build their home and futures on.

Below is a short list of some of the Emigrations to America it is not exhaustive but just to give you a quick overview.
British throughout most of the century
European Immigrants to Antebellum US 1840-1860
Irish (Potatoe Famine) 1845-1851
Chinese (Gold Rush California) 1850-1882
Italian 1876 thru 1976
Germans 1830 largest years 1854-1894

Filibusters

Taken from the book "Things Not Generally Known" by John Timbs, David Ames Wells. ©1857

FILIBUSTERS.

The title of Filibusters is a mere corruption of the English word freebooters—a German term imported into England during the Low-Country wars of Elizabeth's reign. It has been erroneously traced to the Dutch word/r/JoaJ; but the Jesuit traveller Charlevoix asserts that, in fact, this species of craft derived its title from being first used by the Flibustiers, and not from its swiftness. This, however, is evidently a mistake, as Drayton and Hakluyt use the word; and it seems to bo of even earlier standing in the French language. The derivation from the English word freebooter is at once seen when the * in Flibustier becomes lost in pronunciation.—C. W. Thorribury.
End Quote

The term was revised in the mid 19th century to describe the actions of adventurers who tried to take control of various Caribbean, Mexican and Central-American terrorists. (According to Wikipedia)

The first well known political filibuster was U.S. Senator Henry Clay with regard to a bank bill he was in favor of. This filibuster took a month in 1841 and ended on March 11th.

Filibusters continued in the Senate's history during the rest of the 19th century by the end of the century the term was in common usage.

1888 Political Cartoons

Below are half a dozen political cartoons taken from an 1888 publication called "The Public." Politics were talked about during the 19th Century as often as they are today.