Very, very interesting. Thank you very much.
I had family in all four states that join in that region, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Iowa. Almost certainly on both sides of the conflict that was growing.
I have a whole lot of forebears buried in Sidney, Iowa, including one veteran of the War of 1812. That area has an amazing history as the gateway for abolitionist-minded Yankees into bleeding Kansas. Several of my great-great grandparents passed through there on their way to Fort Scott, Kansas, where they died young-in 1857, I think. I’ve never been able to find out whether they died via violence or disease. Could have been either, since both were rampant.
Fort Scott, Osawatomie, Mapleton, Fort Scott and Fulton were all south of Lawrence and the hot-bed of action against an aggressive anti-Free State settler movement. John Brown added a violent action force from the Free State side that started Bleeding Kansas in 1856. Two raids on Osawatomie, Two or more on Lawrence, the Pottowatomie Creek killings all were in that era of 1856-57.
My great-great grandfather was from Mapleton and was involved with it all but was not on the Pottowatomie raid. He was made postmaster by Lincoln during the war.