John Sibley Papers

Papers in this section are transcripts. Scans of the originals will be uploaded (whenever possible) at a future date. Transcripts were created by Lindenwood University undergraduate students and historian Kate Gregg.

While the folks that transcribed these papers had every intention of being accurate, oftentimes there ARE errors. If you intend on citing a particular letter, it is recommended that you look at the original first before quoting from them!

History

John Sibley (1757-1837) was the father of George Champlin Sibley. John Sibley had a wide and varied life. Initially living in Massachusetts, Sibley served as a surgeon's assistant during the Revolutionary War. Later, he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where he started a newspaper, the Fayetteville Gazette. He made one final move, to Louisiana, slightly before the U.S. purchase of the Louisiana Territory.

It was Sibley's time in Louisiana that was notable because President Jefferson appointed him as a U.S. agent to the Native Americans in the area. Sibley gave lengthy descriptions of the early settlement of Louisiana, Texas, Native Americans, and the Mexican Revolution.

Warning

Certain language choices and themes found within uploaded files are indicative of other times and views. We realize that some material here could be harmful and/or triggering to encounter. The items are shared not without care, but out of a desire to engage with any potential value the material has as a historical item that helps us understand past contexts, assists us in the study of changes and progress over time, and a hope that by learning from our history we gain insight into attitudes that may still have impact today.

Our current values and work for standardizing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Lindenwood University can be found on the webpage of our Center for Diversity and Inclusion.