Kenneth Spencer Research Library Blog » Photograph Collection Feature: Todd Family Photographs

Inside Spencer: The KSRL Blog

Welcome to the Kenneth Spencer Research Library blog! As the special collections and archives library at the University of Kansas, Spencer is home to remarkable and diverse collections of rare and unique items. Explore the blog to learn about the work we do and the materials we collect.

Photograph Collection Feature: Todd Family Photographs

The Todd Family Photographs collection consists of thirty-seven photographic reproductions donated by Loretta Estelle Carraher. They depict three generations of her family, the Todds.

After they were freed from enslavement to a family in Platte County, Missouri, Adam and America Todd moved to Kansas with the Payne family, also freed from slavery. They raised six children, settling first in Leavenworth and then moving to Oskaloosa. Adam Todd died at the age of 98. America Todd died in 1920.

Below are a few images from the collection for you to enjoy.

America Todd, undated. Todd Family Photographs. Call Number: RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 37. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Black-and-white photograph of an older African American man in sitting in a chair. — Adam Todd, undated. Todd Family Photographs. Call Number: RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 36. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Black-and-white photograph of an African American couple standing together next to a chair and behind a table with books. — Tom Todd (son of Adam and America Todd) and Eliza Walton Todd, undated. Todd Family Photographs. Call Number: RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 8. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Black-and-white photograph of a man standing in front of a two-story wood frame house with a front porch. — Unknown man in front of farmhouse, undated. Todd Family Photographs. Call Number: RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 35. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Black-and-white photograph of thirty-five students and teachers kneeling and standing in four rows. — Norman Estelle’s class at Lincoln School in North Lawrence, Kansas, undated. Todd Family Photographs. Call Number: RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 28. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Black-and-white photograph of a young African American man standing in a military uniform. — Soldier Bruce James, undated. Todd Family Photographs. RH PH 74, Box 1, Folder 7. Click image to enlarge (redirect to Spencer’s digital collections).

Kathy Lafferty
Public Services

Tags: Adam Todd, African American Experience, African American Experience Collections, African American families, African American life, African Americans, America Todd, Kansas Collection, Kansas History, photographs, Todd family

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024 at 5:23 pm and is filed under Kansas Collection. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.