Papers of an Equine Research Specialist on the staff of the Missouri State Museum and former horse breeder. The papers consist of research materials gathered for a history of Missouri livestock, the bulk of which concern horses. A small quantity of personal papers is included.
The Jack S. Harrison Papers were loaned to the University of Missouri by the Missouri Department of Resources and Development on May 22, 1945 (Accession No. 234).
Jack Harrison was born on May 28, 1866 in Audrain County, Missouri. The Harrison family had relocated to Callaway County, Missouri, from Virginia in 1817. Having been stock breeders in their native state, the family continued the business in Missouri. Until 1899 the Harrisons bred horses for racing, show, and farm work at the Montrose Stock Farm near Auxvasse. Jack Harrison continued in the family business, showing horses and earning the reputation as a reliable dealer. He also became an authority on saddle horses and authored Famous Saddle Horses and Distinguished Horsemen, which was published in 1933. Mr. Harrison was researching a comprehensive history of Missouri livestock at the Missouri State Museum at the time of his death in 1941.
A Research series comprises the bulk of the papers with a short Personal series completing the collection.
The Research series reflects Harrison's concentration on the horse section of what was to be a state-published history of all Missouri livestock, and consists of correspondence, research notes, newspaper clippings, photographs, and miscellaneous research materials. Similar but far more limited materials are included for cattle, mules, pigs, sheep, and general Missouri history; and are arranged into those general categories. The project was discontinued after Harrison's death in 1941.
The correspondence section is concerned primarily with gathering information from breeders and historical agencies relating to the history and breeding of thoroughbreds and saddle horses in Missouri, although other types of livestock, Missouri history, and Harrison family history are touched upon. The material is arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent, and dates from 1934 to 1941.
Research notes comprise the bulk of this series and are arranged by type of livestock. The horse section contains extensive excerpts copied from primarily nineteenth-century horse breeding and racing periodicals. Comprised of pedigrees and race results, most of the material has some connection with animals bred in Missouri and is arranged by name of periodical. The horse section also contains miscellaneous notes arranged by breed of horse, and includes a copy of Famous Saddle Horses and Distinguished Horsemen, written by Jack Harrison in 1933; a bibliography; photographs of Missouri animals; and a rough layout of the horse segment of the book.
Similar research materials concerning other types of livestock are far less extensive and probably represent the initial stages of research. Several volumes of the American Short Horn Herd Book are included in the cattle section.
The general Missouri history section contains a substantial selection of stories and advertisements concerning livestock from various central Missouri newspapers during the period from 1819 to 1893. Excerpts from published histories of Missouri detail the history of various counties and lives of prominent individuals. Included in the section are notes from Missouri State Board of Agriculture annual reports, 1865-1914, and departmental correspondence which Harrison used to establish contact with livestock breeders in Missouri.
The Personal series consists of correspondence of Jack Harrison with family members and friends from 1935 to 1939, a small quantity of assorted financial papers, and unidentified nineteenth- and twentieth-century photographs of individuals and families. It's probable that some of the photographs are of members of the Harrison family.
| f. 1 | A |
| f. 2-5 | B |
| f. 6-13 | C |
| f. 14-15 | D |
| f. 16 | E |
| f. 17 | F |
| f. 18-19 | G |
| f. 20-24 | H |
| f. 25 | I |
| f. 26 | J |
| f. 27 | K |
| f. 28 | L |
| f. 29-34 | M |
| f. 35-36 | N |
| f. 37 | O |
| f. 38-39 | P |
| f. 40 | R |
| f. 41-47 | S |
| f. 48-49 | T |
| f. 50 | U |
| f. 51 | V |
| f. 52-53 | W-Z |
| f. 54-54a | Miscellaneous |
| f. 55-76 | Thoroughbred Horse volume layout |
| f. 77-78 | American Saddle Horse Register, 1892-1894 |
| f. 79-98 | American Saddle Horse Register, 1900-1916 |
| f. 99-107 | American Saddle Horse Register, 1929-1936 |
| f. 108-109 | American Stud Book, c.1878 |
| f. 110-113 | American Stud Book, c.1880-1889 |
| f. 114-122 | American Stud Book, c.1890-c.1900 |
| f. 123-128 | American Turf Register, 1829-1830 |
| f. 129-134 | American Turf Register, 1830-1831 |
| f. 135-140 | American Turf Register, 1831-1832 |
| f. 141-146 | American Turf Register, 1834-1835 |
| f. 147-151 | American Turf Register, 1835-1836 |
| f. 152-163 | American Turf Register, 1837-1844 |
| f. 164-173 | American Turf Register, Racing and Trotting Calendar, 1845-1860 |
| f. 174 | Clark's Horse Review, 1890 |
| f. 175 | Racing Calendars, 1861-1869, 1901 |
| f. 176-179 | Wallace's Monthly, 1875-1882 |
| f. 179a | Breeds of Livestock in America, 1931 |
| f. 180 | Arabian |
| f. 181 | Draft |
| f. 182-183 | Morgan |
| f. 184-194 | Saddle |
| f. 195-197 | Thoroughbred |
| f. 198 | Trotter |
| f. 199-211 | Miscellaneous horse notes |
| f. 212-213 | Bibliography |
| f. 214-215 | Newspaper clippings |
| f. 216-222 | Photographs |
| f. 223 | Illustrations |
| f. 224-225 | Miscellaneous |
| f. 226-228 | American Short Horn Herd Book, 1875-1877 |
| f. 229-239 | American Short Horn Herd Book, 1882-1888 |
| f. 240-247 | American Short Horn Herd Book, 1898-1901 |
| f. 248 | History and Handbook of Hereford Cattle and Hereford Bull Index, 1936 |
| f. 249 | Miscellaneous notes |
| f. 250 | Photographs |
| f. 251Photographs |
| f. 252-253 | Duroc-Jersey Swine Record, 1913 |
| f. 254 | Photographs |
| f. 255 | Photographs |
| f. 256-271 | Missouri Newspapers, 1819-1893 |
| f. 272-273 | Campbell's Gazetteer of Missouri, 1875 |
| f. 274 | Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri, 1901 |
| f. 275-276 | A History of Missouri, 1908 |
| f. 277-278 | A History of Northeast Missouri, 1913 |
| f. 279-280a | Miscellaneous notes |
| f. 281-282 | Missouri State Board of Agriculture, annual reports, 1865-1872 |
| f. 283-284 | Missouri State Board of Agriculture, annual reports, 1878-1881 |
| f. 285-286 | Missouri State Board of Agriculture, annual reports, 1890-1895 |
| f. 287-290 | Missouri State Board of Agriculture, annual reports, 1903-1921 |
| f. 291-303 | Missouri State Board of Agriculture, correspondence, 1914 |
| f. 304 | Missouri State Museum |
| f. 305 | Correspondence, 1935-1936 |
| f. 306 | Correspondence, 1937 |
| f. 307 | Correspondence, 1938-1939 |
| f. 308 | Financial papers |
| f. 309 | Harrison family, miscellaneous |
| f. 310-311 | Photographs |
These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at The State Historical Society of Missouri-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.