Paul Davis Riley, 1936-1981 [RG0949.AM]

HISTORY NEBRASKA MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID

RG0949.AM:  Paul Davis Riley, 1936-1981

Papers:  1866-1982, mostly 1870-1900

Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska:  Research Associate, Nebraska State Historical Society

Size:  6.5 cu.ft.; 7 boxes + oversize

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Paul Davis Riley was born May 2^nd, 1936, in Trenton, Nebraska, to William E. and Grace Davis Riley. After graduating from Trenton High School in 1954, Riley attended the University of Nebraska and began working for the Nebraska State Historical Society. Riley was an active member of such organizations as the Western History Association and the Western Writers’ Guild. Riley died in Lincoln, Nebraska, on August 9, 1981.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Riley collection contains large amounts of material related to the history of Nebraska and its people. There are four series: 1) Research Materials; 2) Correspondence, 1973-1975; 3) Vertical File Materials; and 4) Miscellaneous Materials.

Series 1, Research Materials, encompasses over half of the entire collection. Included here are mainly transcriptions of newspaper clippings organized by subject. Substantial material can be found specifically relating to Webster County history, Willa Cather, cattle ranching, various forts, the Pawnee tribe, and the genealogy of many pioneering families.

Series 2, Correspondence, 1973-75, is a small series of Riley’s letters to and from individuals regarding research he had helped them with or vice versa.  The last folder of the series contains letters written by Riley to friend and former colleague, John Irwin.  The letters to Irwin document activities at the Nebraska State Historical Society.  A number of the letters also provide a detailed description of gay life in Lincoln.  An introduction to the letters and reminiscences about Paul Riley and the Nebraska State Historical Society staff by John Irwin are also included.  Paul Riley’s mother wrote the last letter in the folder from 1982 after Paul’s death.

Series 3, Vertical File Materials, contains newspaper clipping transcriptions Riley had kept chronologically organized in binders. The bulk of the articles originate from the 1870s-80s. Riley appears to have cross-referenced these files with an index card collection also included in this series. The index cards are alphabetized by subject. See also Box 7.

Series 4, Miscellaneous Materials, consists of additional materials regarding the Cather family, research papers written by Riley, a copy of his obituary, and scrapbooks of political material from the 1950s.

INVENTORY

Series 1 – Research materials

Box 1

Folder

1. 1. Cather Family Materials

1. 1. Webster County History pt. 1

1. 1. Webster County History pt. 2

1. 1. Webster County Pioneer History pt. 1

1. 1. Webster County Pioneer History pt. 2

1. 1. Webster County Records pt. 1

1. 1. Webster County Records pt. 2

1. 1. Driftwood Creek Flood

1. 1. Frontiersman Materials

1. 1. Alaska Wanderers

1. 1. Anderson, John Foster

1. 1. Arapahoe, Nebraska

1. 1. Assault Crimes

1. 1. Ballantine, David and John

1. 1. Battle of the Arickaree, 1868

1. 1. Beauvais Family History

1. 1. Black Hills

1. 1. Blizzards

1. 1. Bookwalter, John Wesley

1. 1. Boyd, James

1. 1. Buffalo Bill and Texas Jack

1. 1. Buffalo and Buffalo hunting

1. 1. Buffalo Hunters

1. 1. Buck, Nelson

1. 1. Buck, Royal

1. 1. Bridgeport, News-Blade articles

1. 1. Brouhard Family

1. 1. Burlington Railroad

1. 1. Burress Family

1. 1. Butler, John Paul

1. 1. Byfield, John and William

1. 1. Camp Red Willow

1. 1. Carter Family

1. 1. Cass County

1. 1. Cather, Willa

1. 1. Cattle Ranching pt. 1

1. 1. Cattle Ranching pt. 2

1. 1. Cattle Ranching pt. 3

Box 2

Folder

39. 39. Cattle Ranching pt. 4

39. 39. Census materials, 1860

39. 39. Cheyenne Indians

39. 39. Cheyenne, Wyoming

39. 39. Clifford Family

39. 39. Coad/Coe Family

39. 39. Cody, Buffalo Bill

39. 39. Colorado

39. 39. Coolidge Manuscript

39. 39. Corruption

39. 39. Cotton Wood Springs

39. 39. Cram Family

39. 39. Crawford, Captain Jack

39. 39. Crimes, misc

39. 39. Dauchy Family

39. 39. Daugherty, William E.

39. 39. Didier, John

39. 39. Dillard, George

39. 39. Disorderly Conduct

39. 39. Doc Middleton

39. 39. Dodge-McGuire case

39. 39. Dorsey, Stephen

39. 39. Druery Family

39. 39. Dundy County

39. 39. Early Nebraska Towns

39. 39. Elwood, Nebraska

39. 39. Estey Family

39. 39. Executions

39. 39. Fighters

39. 39. Forts-General Info

39. 39. Fort Kearney/Lowell

39. 39. Fort Laramie

39. 39. Fort McPherson

39. 39. Fort Niobrara

39. 39. Fort Omaha

39. 39. Franklin County

39. 39. Freighting

39. 39. Frontier County

39. 39. Furnas County

39. 39. Gammil Family

39. 39. General Brisbin

39. 39. Gillett Family

39. 39. Gold Rush Trails

39. 39. Grand Island, Nebraska

39. 39. Grant Family

39. 39. Green Family

39. 39. Guerrier, Edward

39. 39. Harlan County

39. 39. Harmon, William J.

39. 39. Harvey Family

39. 39. Hayes, Edward

39. 39. Hitchcock County

39. 39. Hoel, Aaron

39. 39. Homan, Henry

39. 39. Horse Thefts

39. 39. Hunter, Gallant

39. 39. Ilgenfritz Family

39. 39. Indians

39. 39. Indianola, Nebraska

39. 39. Ireland Family

39. 39. Jefferson Territory

39. 39. Julesburg, Kansas

39. 39. Kearney, Nebraska

39. 39. Kennison, David

39. 39. Lambert, Martha E.

39. 39. Loomis Family

39. 39. Lynch Family

39. 39. Lynchings

39. 39. McCook, Nebraska

39. 39. McDonald, Charles

39. 39. Marshall, Francis

39. 39. Matlock Family

39. 39. Massacre Canyon

39. 39. Meinhold, Charles

39. 39. Metcalf, George

39. 39. Miles, Lorena Wellman

39. 39. Military pt. 1

39. 39. Military pt. 2

39. 39. Military pt. 3

39. 39. Minden Murders

39. 39. Morris, B.P.

39. 39. Morrow Family

39. 39. Murders

39. 39. Mushroom

Box 3

Folder

123. 123. Nemaha County

123. 123. Nichols Family

123. 123. North Platte, Nebraska

123. 123. Old Settlers

123. 123. Overland Trails

123. 123. Pawnee Agency pt. 1

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 2

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 3

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 4

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 5

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 6

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 7

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 8

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 9

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 10

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 11

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 12

123. 123. Pawnee Agency Pt. 13

123. 123. Paxton, William

123. 123. Phillipsburg, Kansas

123. 123. Pine Ridge Reservation

123. 123. Plains

123. 123. Plattsmouth, Nebraska

123. 123. Pioneer Stories

123. 123. Powell Family

123. 123. Plum Creek Massacre

123. 123. Prostitution

123. 123. Rainmaking

123. 123. Red Cloud Spotted Tail

123. 123. Red Willow County

123. 123. Reid, William A.

Box 4

Folder

154. 154. Relief aid for disasters

154. 154. Republican River pt.1

154. 154. Republican River pt. 2

154. 154. Republican Valley

154. 154. Richardson County

154. 154. Robberies

154. 154. Roper Family

154. 154. Royal Buffalo Hunt

154. 154. Sanders Family

154. 154. Schwatka Family

154. 154. Shelly Family

154. 154. Sioux Indians

154. 154. Sidney, Nebraska

154. 154. Speer, Olive Baldwin

154. 154. Stearns Family

154. 154. Suicides

154. 154. Sun Dance

154. 154. Surveying pt. 1

154. 154. Surveying pt. 2

154. 154. Surveying pt. 3

154. 154. Suspicious Characters

154. 154. Sutton, Everette S.

154. 154. Sweitzer Family

154. 154. Sydenham, Moses

154. 154. Taylor, William Z.

154. 154. Texas Jack

154. 154. Thayer County

154. 154. Umland-Wimberly

154. 154. Vigilantes

154. 154. Waits Family

154. 154. Ward, Aaron

154. 154. Warner Family

154. 154. Webster County

154. 154. Whistler Murder

154. 154. Williams-Castleman Journey Cake

154. 154. Williams, Robert H.

154. 154. Wood Family

154. 154. Yager, James Pressley

154. 154. Yake, James

154. 154. Wyoming Territory

154. 154. Misc. Clippings

Series 2 – Correspondence

Box 4

Folder

1. 1. Correspondence, 1973

1. 1. Correspondence, 1974

1. 1. Correspondence, 1975

1. 1. Correspondence to John Irwin, 1971-1982

Series 3 – Vertical file materials from Riley binders

Box 4

Folder

1. 1. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1866-1870

1. 1. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1870-1871

1. 1. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1872

1. 1. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1873

Box 5

Folder

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1874, pt. 1

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1874, pt. 2

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1875, pt. 1

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1875, pt. 2

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1876, pt. 1

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1876, pt. 2

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1876, pt. 3

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1876, pt. 4

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1878

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1879-1880

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1881-1882

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1883-1885

5. 5. Newspaper Article Transcriptions, 1885-1910

5. 5. Red Willow County Federal Land Office Records

5. 5. Hitchcock County Court Case Transcriptions

5. 5. Article Index Note cards by alphabetized subjects (see also Box 7)

Series 4 – Miscellaneous

Box 6

Folder

1. 1. Event Programs

1. 1. Local Political Material

1. 1. Miscellaneous Material regarding Willa Cather

1. 1. Transcriptions of Cather Family Correspondence, 1870s-1890s

1. 1. Willa Cather Pioneer Memorial Newsletters

1. 1. Photocopy of My Mother’s Story

1. 1. Miscellaneous, pt. 1

1. 1. Miscellaneous, pt. 2

Box 7   Article Index Note cards alphabetized by subjects

Volume 1 – Scrapbook of political materials, 1950s (see oversize)

Volume 2 – Scrapbook of political materials regarding Dwight Griswold (see oversize)

Volume 3 – Scrapbook of political materials regarding Eva Bowring (see oversize)

Subject headings:

Anderson, John Foster

Ballantine, David Coulter, 1876-1959

Ballantine, John

Bookwalter, John Wesley, 1839-1915

Bowring, Eva Kelly, 1892-1985

Boyd, James Edward, 1834-1906

Brisbin, James Sanks, 1837-1892

Buck, Nelson, -1869

Buck, Royal, 1820-1890

Butler, John Paul

Byfield, John

Byfield, William

Cather, Willa Sibert, 1873-1947

Cody, William Frederick “Buffalo Bill,” 1846-1917

Crawford, John Wallace “Captain Jack”

Daugherty, William E.

Didier, John B.

Dillard, George

Dorsey, Stephen

Griswold, Dwight Palmer, 1893-1954

Guerrier, Edmund, 1840-1921

Harmon, William Julius, 1849-1921

Hayes, Edward

Hoel, Aaron

Homan, Henry

Hunter, Gallant V.

Irwin, John

Kennison, David

Lambert, Martha E.

Marshall, Francis

McDonald, Charles

Meinhold, Charles, 1812-1877

Metcalf, George Stephen, 1900-1975

Middleton, David Cherry “Doc”, 185?-1913

Miles, Lorena (Wellman)

Morris, B.P.

Omohundro, John Baker “Texas Jack,” 1846-1880

Paxton, William A., 1837-1907

Reid, William A.

Riley, Paul Davis, 1936-1981

Speer, Olive N. (Baldwin), 1870-1965

Sutton, Everette Samson, 1893-1987

Sydenham, Moses Henry, 1835-1907

Taylor, William Z., 1845-1913

Ward, Aaron

Williams, Robert H.

Yager, James Pressley

Yake, James K., 1845-1902

Arapahoe (Nebraska) — History

Battle of Arikaree, 1868

Beauvais family

Blizzards — Nebraska

Brouhard family

Buffalo hunting

Burlington Railroad

Burress family

Camp Red Willow

Carter family

Cass County (Nebraska) — History

Cather family

Cattle ranching — Nebraska

Cheyenne Indians

Clifford family

Coad family

Coe family

Cottonwood Springs (Nebraska) — History

Cram family

Crime — Nebraska

Dauchy family

Drury family

Dundy County (Nebraska) — History

Elwood (Nebraska) — History

Estey family

Fort Kearny

Fort Laramie

Fort Lowell

Fort McPherson

Fort Niobrara

Fort Omaha

Franklin County (Nebraska) — History

Freighting — Nebraska

Frontier County (Nebraska) — History

Furnas County (Nebraska) — History

Gammil family

Gays — Nebraska — Lincoln

Gillett family

Grand Island (Nebraska) — History

Grant family

Green family

Harlan County (Nebraska) — History

Harvey family

Hitchcock County (Nebraska) — History

Homosexuality

Ilgenfritz family

Indianola (Nebraska) — History

Indians of North America — Reservations

Indians of North America — Wars

Ireland family

Julesburg (Kansas) — History

Kearney (Nebraska) — History

Loomis family

Lynch family

Massacre Canyon, Battle of

Matlock family

McCook (Nebraska) — History

Minden (Nebraska) — History

Morrow family

Murders — Nebraska

Nemaha County (Nebraska) — History

Nichols family

North Platte (Nebraska) — History

Overland trails

Pawnee Agency

Phillipsburg (Kansas) — History

Pine Ridge Reservation

Plattsmouth (Nebraska) — History

Plum Creek Massacre

Powell family

Red Willow County (Nebraska) — History

Republican River (Nebraska)

Richardson County (Nebraska) — History

Roper family

Royal Buffalo Hunt

Sanders family

Schwatka family

Sexual minorities — Nebraska — Lincoln

Shelly family

Sidney (Nebraska) — History

Sioux Indians

Stearns family

Sweitzer family

Thayer County (Nebraska) — History

Waits family

Warner family

Webster County (Nebraska) — History

Webster County (Nebraska) — History

Wood family

Revised TMM        12-26-2006; 12-23-2021