Speaker and Author

My passion is sharing history! Sharing the difficult stories that help people connect with their heritage. Their culture, ancestry and history of the places they lived. Whether its’ found in a cemetery, a courthouse, or a cabin in the woods, there is a story. Contact me and lets’ talk about how I can share a story with you. Below are some programs and stories that deserve their own blogs …

Dorris Keeven-Franke is an award-winning author that has been writing Missouri history for over thirty years. She is currently working on the biography of Archer Alexander. Awarded the German American Friendship Award by the Federal Republic of Germany in 2016, she currently serves as the President of the German American Committe and Executive Director of Missouri Germans Consortium. She is Head Archivist at Bellefontaine Cemetery and Arboretum. As a public historian she shares either virtually or in person, and her blogs below…

Available Presentations

DORRIS KEEVEN FRANKE ON FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/Authordorriskeevenfranke

Get in touch

Don’t hesitate to reach out by using the form.

BLOGS WRITTEN BY DORRIS KEEVEN-FRANKE

Sharing the story of Archer Alexander   https://archeralexander.

Sharing Missouri’s German heritage is the mission of the Missouri Germans Consortium http://mo-germans.com

Sharing the history of St. Charles County which began OVER 250 years ago   http://stcharlescountyhistory.org

Sharing the stories of African Americans buried at Sage Chapel Cemetery https://sagechapel.com/

DORRISKEEVENFRANKE.COM

Freedom comes to Missouri

On this date, January 11, 1865, Missouri declared “All men are born free and independent and have certain inherent rights; among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is therefore, declared, that slavery and involuntary servitude shall cease to exist in Missouri”

Don’t lose those precious photos

Get the water-logged paper and photos into a freezer immediately. The freezing process not only stops the mold that begins to grow and damage the items but also draws the moisture out of it as it works as a dehydrator. I was able to salvage everything except for…

Archer Alexander

What would you do? Imagine yourself enslaved in a state that is caught between two hostile forces. On a cold winter’s night in Missouri in January 1863, Archer Alexander overheard his enslaver Richard Pitman holding a secret meeting in the back room of the local Postmaster and storeowner James Naylor, in his mercantile on the…

News

Missouri Historical Society recently shared the story of Archer Alexander American Hero on their History Happens Here blog…

Lincoln

Cordelia Ray, an African American poet would put her feelings into words with her poem Lincoln, at the dedication of the Emancipation Monument on April 14, 1876…

What Makes a Hero

Archer overheard the area men talking about how the work was going on the railroad bridge. Any day now, with the weight of the next Northern Missouri engine bearing down and over that steep gorge filled by Peruque Creek, their mission would be accomplished. They had been stealthily working at sawing the wooden timbers. And,…

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4 responses to “Speaker and Author”

  1. Dorris my Name is William Brock. My great,great grandfather is Jefferson Sage and I saw your story about him. But was wondering if you had any more information on him to help me understand some more about him.

    1. Did you see the post entirely about him, his family and where he served?


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