Early processing confirms the richness of the files to provide new insights into economic and social issues related to the war.  The case files, for example, reveal complications involving the legal standing of debts incurred for the commerce of slavery, litigation among former slaves and freedmen, issues involving the legality of slave marriage prior to emancipation, disputes involving African American militia soldiers, and African American litigation in real estate. 

The legal decisions by provost marshals were called into judicial question, business partnerships dissolved over resistance to the U.S. government, lawyers argued over issues in the St. Louis-Alton area prisons, and domestic relations were strained to the breaking point. The litigation does not merely document the war and its aftermath in St. Louis.  Due to changes of venue and long distance trading, the suits reach across geography – whether the events transpired in Phelps, Iron, or Washington Counties, Missouri; Van Buren, Arkansas; New Orleans, Memphis, and Vicksburg; or in Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Montana Territory. 

The archivists have found a great deal of documentary evidence concerning the role of steamboat commerce on the Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Rivers – those in government service and other arrangements among merchants in St. Louis and several states in the 1860s.  This is a particularly rewarding result of this work. 

Archival Processing

Preservation and access are the goals of the project.  Conservators provided training for the newly hired archivists, and the staff works cooperatively to establish procedures and meet project goals.

Conservators conducted a training session for
the new archivists and worked with them
to finalize procedures for the project.

The tri-folded case files had been stored in metal till drawers and are covered with over a hundred years worth of dirt, coal dust, and other grime. They are cleaned with hake brushes, dry cleaning sponges and/or vinyl erasers. 

Some case files require humidification in order to be flat enough for archival processing. 

Fasteners – such as straight pins, grommets, ribbons, wax, thread, and starch wafers – are removed to allow for proper arrangement and microfilming.  

Fragile documents or those with minor damage are placed in protective polyester sleeves. Those with more significant damage are sent to the Archives' conservation lab in Jefferson City.

All case files are arranged by year, term of court, and case number.  Documents within each case file are reviewed for content and arranged chronologically by date filed.

To date, this is the longest document
that has been found in the collection.

Oversized records are removed from the case files and stored separately in appropriate-sized folders and boxes to permit flattening, provide proper safe storage and handling, and access.  Cross-references to the separated material are printed on alkaline paper and placed in the folders from which documents are removed.

Cases are verified against existing original court indices and record books.  Each folder is labeled with the following information: record group, court type, series, year, term of court, case file number, plaintiff(s), defendant(s), cause of action, attorneys, notes (verdict, judgment, or final resolution, etc.), box and folder numbers.

All case files are housed in archival folders and document cases.

Conservation Treatment 

Glued documents are immersed in a bath of
deionized, alkaline water until the
adhesive begins to soften.

A large number of documents in this collection have been glued together along the top of the sheets, and in many cases the glue was applied in a way that obscures text. Since this restricts the archivists' ability to analyze the case and prevents satisfactory microfilming or digitization, all such documents are being treated in the lab. 

The conservators use wheat paste and handmade
Japanese paper to mend tears.

They are first immersed in a bath. After the adhesive is softened, the sheets are separated carefully with a palette knife and the conservators mechanically reduce the adhesive. The sheets are washed again, then dried in stacks between blotters.  After treatment, they are returned to St. Louis for archival processing.

Badly damaged documents are transferred to the Archives’ conservation lab, as are those that also contain significant historical information and are valuable as artifacts.  The typical course of treatment includes testing and analysis, dry surface-cleaning, washing, removal of old mends (such as tape), and mending.  Depending on the document's fragility and anticipated research use, the conservators may encapsulate it between Melinex or Mylar polyester sheets.  

Improving Access

Until recently, the only access to the cases was through the original direct and inverted indexes.  While usable, these volumes are often in poor physical condition and provide only the most basic information: plaintiff and defendant names(s), year, term of court, and case file number.

After archivists arrange and process the
collection, assistants input the information
into an Access database.

Archivists are significantly enhancing access to the records through the creation of a comprehensive database index that contains a unique entry for each of the processed case files.  In accordance with Dublin Core metadata standards, and following the Missouri State Archives established procedures, this information includes provenance, a description of each case, and access information taken directly from the processed file folder.

Archivists also produce series descriptions that meet basic Encoded Archival Description (EAD) requirements and finding aids for related records series.

The NEH-funded archivists celebrated completion
of the first box of records in the project.

The project is on schedule, and the archivists take every opportunity to celebrate each benchmark. 

Once the grant project is complete, the State Archives will microfilm the case files and make them available for research.

The State Archives plans to release database finding aids and microfilm at its locations in Jefferson City and St. Louis, Missouri, in summer 2009.