William H. Engels (1830-1917) was a farmer, miller, and postmaster in Farmington, Arkansas. Born in Batesville, Independence County, William left home in 1852 to seek work in Fort Smith were he clerked for the firm of Sutton, Griffith & Co. In 1854 he drove a herd of cattle overland to Stockton, California, following in the footsteps of his brother, Abraham Allen Engels, who had removed to Oregon two years previous. By 1856 William had returned to Arkansas where he married Isabella Kinnibrugh (variously spelled Kinnibrough, Kinnebrew, or Kinebrough) and they settled in Farmington. Isabella also came from pioneer Arkansas stock, being the daughter of James Kinnibrugh and Jane Moore Kinnibrugh who had come to Washington County in 1833. William Engels earned his living as a miller and farmer, although he also laid out the original townsite of Farmington, operated the post office for a time, and became active in the local Methodist Church. The Engels children figure prominently in the correspondence, especially James Henry Engels who looked after family business concerns in Alma; Jennie E. Engels who died within ten days of Henry in 1880; Mary Engels, who married John P. Smith and became the mother of one of the collection's donors, Catherine Smith; and Alice Engels, who married James F. Broyles and was mother to Russell Broyles, the other collection donor. Other correspondents include friends and relatives in Texas, Oregon, and Washington.