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This collection contains papers, publications, and information concerning the Harris family and Milling Company.

This collection contains papers, publications, and information concerning the Harris family and Milling Company. Boxes 1-2 include legal-size materials and Box 3 includes letter-size materials. There are three series in this collection; Harris business, personal, and Minnie Vroman Papers. Most of the materials were produced or collected by Richard O. Harris. The materials include adverting materials, inventories, price lists, product information, company publications, photographic materials, insurance and stock information, board of directors meeting minutes, correspondence, and company records and ledgers. The collection is organized by size, alphabetically and chronologically. Both boxes are legal-size.

Of special note are the Articles of Merger and Merger Agreement detailing how the Harris Milling Company was subsumed by the Nebraska Consolidated Mills Company, a badly damaged daguerreotype of an unknown white woman with a broach, who may be Jane Daniel Fulbright (see the last letter in Personal Correspondence folder), and papers for a milling course Richard O. completed.

Also in the collection are illustrative materials, including photographs and sketches of plans for transport trucks with the Harris Milling Company/FAMO logo in watercolor.

Related family materials include: miscellaneous items documenting Richard O. Harris’ daughter Mary Jane Harris (later Waterhouse)’s involvement with local stage events; papers of Minnie Vroman including a 1909 Chicago x-ray receipt and bills related to a week spent at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in 1917 for gastic issues. There are also papers and a photograph (with unidentified people, probably a Boy Scouts troop and leader) atop a submarine at the Beacon Institute of U.S. Submarine Base New London, Connecticut to which an unknown member of the Harris family was affiliated.

A 2019 addition (Box 3) includes a 1938 Central State Teachers College (CSTC) football schedule of home games on a football shaped program, and a CSTC lecture course season ticket for Kathleen Ordway. Mount Pleasant High School materials include: a 1925 student and staff photograph by T. T. Mock, Battle Creek, Michigan, outside the old high school (photocopy 8 pp.); a 1925 commencement program, a black and white photograph of the 50th reunion of the class of 1925 in 1975; and acidic blue line revision drawings (4 pp.), each of which measures 18x24 inches, of the new Mount Pleasant High School by Louis C. Kingscott and Associates, Inc, Kalamazoo (architects and engineers), April 20, 1953 including a presentation drawing, floor plans for the English, Social Science and Language unit, a floor plan for the science unit with a sectional view of the unit, and a floor plan of the commercial unit (in 1 Oversized Folder). Also included is the October 27, 2000 invitation to the historic marker dedication for Harris Mill. Last is John A. Harris materials including his Civil War service records (copies, 10 pp.), a photograph (copy), presentation reading notes of Anne Harris Hunnewell for the Pasadena Civil War Round Table about John Harris (4 pp.), and letter and envelope (copy) about the John A. Harris materials from Anne Harris Hunnewell to her Grandpa Richard. Also included are 1999 copies from the Internet of a list of John’s unit members (4 pp.), and a map of Eureka, Michigan (1 p.).

Processing Note:

Much of this collection was heavily damaged and was infested with stinkbugs. The archivist and processing student met with the university insect exterminator and determined these bugs were not a threat to the collection. All stinkbugs were contained and removed from the collection. Items with mold, mildew, water, or fire damage, as well as acidic papers were photocopied and withdrawn from the collection during processing, about 1 cubic foot total. Also, during processing one general Mount Pleasant item was added to the Vertical Files.

Three-dimensional items transferred to the CMU Museum in February 2019 where they can receive expert curatorial care include: keychain, patch, matchbooks, product cards, dog food and flour bags, Harris Milling Company FAMO Dairy Feed 100 lbs Bag Sketches (24% and 16%, each measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Broiler Ration 25 lbs Bag Sketches (1 is 20%, the other has no % indicated), each measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO 16% Dairy Feed 100 lbs White Bag Sketch, measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Cloth 10lbs Bag, stamped “Emergency Quality Milled Under Gov’t. Order W.F.O. 144,” measures 16.5x10 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Cloth 10lbs Bag, measures 17x10 inches, undated; Martha White’s FAMO Self-rising Enriched Bleached Flour .5lbs Bags, (1 plain, 1 with images), each measures 11.5x5.5 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Paper 10lbs Bag, stamped “Emergency Quality Milled Under Gov’t. Order W.F.O. 144,” measures 19.25x10 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company Hi-Value Dog Food Paper 25lbs Bag, measures 31x11 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Beef Builder Paper 50lbs Bag, measures 34.5x16 inches, undated; Harris Milling Sample Bag (linen) and Harris Ranch Almond Bag (cotton), undated; and a booklet: Michigan. Dept. of Agriculture. Selection…, 1961.

The collection includes a wide variety of business records, lumbering records, financial and shipping records, legal and tax records, estate records, and personal correspondence, diaries, and accounts.

Formats include a variety of paper and photographic materials. The account books have been inventoried only.

Please Note: 19 of the 78 volumes are moldy, are so indicated in the finding aid, and should be use with care by patrons.

A finding aid is available to assist patrons. It is divided into five units for each processor who processed the collection, and the last, sixth, unit includes volumes and oversized drawings. This collection was processed from January 2011-through January 2012 by Archivist M. Matyn and a series of supervised student volunteers and interns. Each student created a separate finding aid, minus the biography, of his/her work. R. Rodriguez’s finding aid was the first and includes the preliminary biography. A more complete biography is noted in the biography section of this finding aid. All of the images are in boxes processed by Veronica Rohr. This was a great effort and the students did a wonderful job. One Oversized folder of drawings and maps was found after processing in 2013 and processed by M. Matyn.

Rodriguez section Scope Notes: This collection, Boxes 1-4 and 1 Oversized folder, 1880-1881, 1895-1896, and undated, 2 cubic feet, consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s lumber and salt company business correspondence and related materials divided into the following series: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, shipping slips, salt inspection slips from the Michigan Salt Inspector, various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, post card advertisements, and other business correspondence. This series is divided into the following years, 1880, 1881, 1894, May-December 1895, January-March 1896, 1896, and undated. Personal Correspondence, which includes letters and bills from Helmouth Ladies College, London, Ontario for Jessie Boyce. Archie Boyce dental work bill, dental work bill. A letter to Mrs. Boyce from a Grand Rapids, Michigan tailor, 1896. Advertisements and Business flyers, 1895-1896. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. The oversized file is an advertisement for a saw company which includes pictures. Inventory, Paylogs undated, and other unnamed and undated receipts. Shipping Records-Lewis C. Slade May-October 1895. Western Union Telegrams, 1896. Treasurers of Osceola County 1895-1896. Letters from Sarah MacDonald, 1896. The letters from MacDonald are addressed to J. Boyce or J. Boyce and Sons and all ask for money, although it is unclear as to why.

Grose section Scope Notes: This collection, Boxes 5-9, 1891, 1897, 1899, 1914-1930, and undated, 2.5 cubic feet, consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s business, legal, and financial correspondence and personal financial correspondence divided into the following series: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, shipping slips, various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, post card advertisements, and other business correspondence. This series is divided into the following years, 1897, 1899, and undated and is organized alphabetically within each year. Boyce Personal Financial Correspondence, which includes letters, bills, receipts, cancelled checks and bank books, 1898, 1914-1930. These materials are organized into two alphabetical runs as per their original order. There are materials here related to Jessie Boyce, 1914-1928. There are also several bank accounts, materials relating to Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids organizations booklets in which the Boyces are listed. Of particular note is a Hauptman and Bradley branches of Michigan Central railroad map, 1891. Also of interest is an American Red Cross World War I Bureau of women’s Work, Knitting Instruction for wristlets, scarves, etc. for army men in the trenches, [1914-1918]. A “Petite Calendar” book for 1928 is found in Box 9 in the Grand Rapids National Bank folder.

Rohr section Scope Notes: This collection, Boxes 10-32 and 1 Oversized folder, 1872, 1947, and undated, 11.5 cubic feet (23 boxes), consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s lumber and salt company business correspondence and related materials divided into the following series: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, salt inspection slips from the Michigan Salt Inspector, shipping slips and various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, which is organized in the shipping records, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, and other business correspondence. Personal Correspondence, which includes sales slips, receipts, bank statements, grocery receipts, newspaper receipts, and insurance related letters. Various business advertisements and flyers, post card advertisements, some are very detailed. Business Receipts, Inventory, Pay logs undated, and other unnamed and undated receipts, Lumber Camp Records and Correspondence, Miscellaneous, Shipping Records are included. Of particular interest are: Box 1: Germain Piano Company, personal correspondence- 1899 Stallman Dresser Trunk, personal correspondence- 1899; Box 2: Shakespeare advertisement for window shades- undated Grand Rapids House- 1897, 1898; Box 3: Grand Rapids House- Arthur Sovereign, contractor- 1897; Box 4: Grand Rapids House- Arthur Sovereign, contractor- 1895; Box 5: Schooner George J. Boyce Trip Logs- 1895 Steamer Isabella J. Boyce Trip Logs- 1892 Roscommon Land taxes and county map- undated Grand Rapids House- Arthur Sovereign, contractor- 1897 Houghton Lake Lumber Company, Articles of Association- 1875 Michigan Central Railroad Ticket- 1897 Personal correspondence, Love Letter from Hellmuth College, London, Ontario- 1895; Box 6: “Topical Studies in American History” by John G. Allen- 1887 International Order of Odd Fellows correspondence- 1898, 1899 Knights of Pythias correspondence- 1895, 1899 Masonic Temple Association correspondence- 1898, 1900, undated Modern Woodmen of America correspondence- 1898, 1899, 1900 Family pictures- 1927, 1929, 1930, 1931, undated; Box 7: Family Finances- Celia Monseau, George Monseau- 1905, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, undated Family Finances- Josephine Monseau, Academy of the Sacred Heart- 1908, 1909, undated; Box 10: Jonathan Boyce Travel Information to England- 1894; Box 14: Jonathan Boyce Estate Papers- 1902, 1903- undated Houghton Lake Lumber Company, Finances- 1883; Box 16: Checkbook- 1881-1892 Inventory and Appraisal of Purchased Farm Land- undated Property and County Maps- Pine Timber from Missaukee County- undated Property Descriptions, Bay County- 1872, 1891; Box 18: Survey of Osceola County Trees, Map- undated; Box 23: Boyce Photographs- 1895- 1947, undated Oversized Folder, 1 of 1, Land and Property Maps, County of Roscommon, Land with River shown, undated

Martin section Scope Notes: This collection, Boxes 33-59, 1873-1937, and undated, 13.5 cubic feet (27 boxes), this collection consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s lumber and salt company business correspondence and related materials divided into the following series: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, salt inspection slips from the Michigan Salt Inspector, shipping slips and various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, which is organized in the shipping records, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, and other business correspondence. Personal Correspondence, which includes sales slips, receipts, bank statements,This collections 1-27 grocery receipts, newspaper receipts, and insurance related letters. Various business advertisements and flyers, post card advertisements, some are very detailed. Business Receipts, Inventory, Pay logs undated, and other unnamed and undated receipts, Lumber Camp Records and Correspondence, Miscellaneous, Shipping Records are included. Of Particular Interest are: Box 1: An undated letter to Mr. Boyce from Mr. Bauman in which it states that bodies have been removed from Mr. Boyce’s father’s lot in a Muskegon cemetery. Another letter to Mrs. Boyce from a R. A. Christian complains about the cost of rent being raised a whole dollar, July 19, 1900. Box 2: An undated letter of particular interest to Mr. Boyce from C. Sheck, in which it discusses Sheck’s dislike for the climate and people of the Southern States, as well as his racist views. Box 3: A letter from Curphey Lumber discussing a possible outbreak of yellow fever in August 1899. A letter from R.C. Winslow, M.D., dated August 2, 1899, explaining to Boyce a head injury sustained by a woodsman, in which the Doctor gave medical attention to but the woodsman still perished. The Doctor was requesting payment from Boyce for his services. Box 4: A letter from Mr. Oly Olson to Jonathan Boyce dated February 10, 1898 in which it discusses how Mr. Olson went to a cemetery to find that George Boyce had his parents bodies as well as some other family members bodies moved to a different cemetery, and that the only bodies left in the cemetery lot were that of Jonathon’s “wife and Ed”. Box 5: An eggnog recipe that looks like it came from a bottle label. There is a receipt for automobile repair for Miss. I. J. Boyce from October 1, 1913. There is also a receipt for payment for a newspaper subscription to the Grand Rapids Press by a Mr. Boyce between May and June 1937. Box 6: A quote for cotton and woolen waste, which are paper making materials from Frank E. Fitts Mfg. and Supply Co. on September 28, 1896. Box 7: Letters from a Mr. John McVicar, dated November 1883 and February 1884, discussing the selling of sheep, and how to care for the sheep in order to get more money for them when selling them. There were also numerous companies trying to get Mr. Boyce to buy life insurance from their companies so that Mr. Boyce’s family would be taken care of after his death. Box 8: A card dated April 16, 1902 from the DeMolai Commandery No. 5 calling all members to participate in assisting in Jonathon Boyce’s funeral and burial after his remains returned from England. This shows that Jonathon Boyce was an active masonic member and that he was being honored. Photos of a burned down house. A printing block for name cards. Box 9: Letters dated January and November 1892 from the company Voigt, Herpolsheimer, and Co. about work being done to a house including the installment of carpet and shades. Box 13: Blue Print with Letter for a Steam Jump Saw from A.F. Bartlett and Co., March 20, 1893 Box 15: Property deeds for land bought by Jonathan Boyce from the Jackson, Lansing, and Saginaw R.R. Co. that state that the R.R. Co. maintains right to lay down railroads through property and to maintain rails already on property. In oversized folder: A patent from the state of Michigan to Boyce stating that Boyce purchased property that was land set aside for a school. Received patent rather than deed because it was government property. Box 19: A letter dated April 10, 1896 from a person who wished to remain anonymous warning Boyce about a Frenchman who wanted a job at Boyce’s camp to pay Boyce back for a dirty trick that Boyce played on him. The writer warned Boyce not to hire this Frenchman or any Frenchmen for that matter. Box 20: Shipping trip records one of which has a list of the Crew members, their position of the ship, and their wages, dated May 8-19, 1894.

White Section Scope Notes: This collection, Boxes 60-93 and 4 Oversized folders, 1874, 1956, and undated, 17 cubic feet (34 boxes), This collection consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s lumber and salt company business correspondence and related materials divided into the following series: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, shipping slips, salt inspection slips from the Michigan Salt Inspector, various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, post card advertisements, and other business correspondence. Box 1: This series is divided into the following years, July through December 1897-1899, and undated, and includes: Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Boyce Grand Rapids House, which includes receipts for materials, advertisements for materials. Of particular note is letters from contractors to Mr. Boyce refusing to pay his bill charging them for the extra time it took to complete their services. Also of interest is the correspondence between Mr. Boyce and lead contractor Arthur Sovereign.Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1897 Shipping Records, August – December 1897 Western Union Telegrams, 1897 Box 2: This series is divided into the following years, 1895, May through December 1896, 1897 and undated. Of particular interest in 1896 Boyce was having trouble with both the F.W. Wheeler and Co and Toledo Lumber and Manufacturing Co. and their inability to pay their accounts. In the case of F.W. Wheeler and Co. a note of theirs was given to a Mr. Fred C. Ross, this note was then sold to Jonathan Boyce who in turn sold the note to Mr. C.C. Billinghurst, this note was unable to be cashed due to lack of funds on behalf of the F.W. Wheeler and Co. Further correspondence also shows that Mr. C.C. Billinghurst was also in involved with the Toledo Lumber and Manufacturing unpaid account and protested note. Other materials include: Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Inventory, Pay logs, etc. 1896 Shipping Records, November Miscellaneous- Correspondence shows that Jonathan Boyce had a conflict with the Buffalo Car manufacturing Co., they state that Boyce sent them low quality wood. The company even hired their own inspector to prove this and state that they will only pay for the pieces that our of good quality in the stock, the rest is Boyce’s responsibility. Box 3: This series is divided into the following years, 1892, 1893, 1894, January through November 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in letter from Archie Boyce to his father Jonathan Boyce he describes that the area where the lumber camps were the weather was particularly dry and the camps were being threatened with wild fires. Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Of particular interest is the advertisement for the Great Western Smelting Refining Co. which has an amusing ad featuring a story and comic illustrations. Boyce Business Receipts – Of particular interest is a bound account book of Jonathan Boyce’s for John Tennant, the grocer from which he bought his supplies from. The account log shows items bought such as syrup, salt, coffee boiler, vinegar and much more. Other materials include Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1895, and Shipping Records, January-April 1895. Box 4: This series is divided into the following years 1894, February through September 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1895 Boyce was having a dispute with D.S. Pate and Co. over the price of mull cull lumber. Boyce says the price is $5.50 while D.S. Pate and Co. says that they had reached an agreement for $5.00. Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Personal Correspondence – It appears Boyce was attempting to bail a John McEachem out of a corrections facility. Also of interest is that an Isabella Boyce seems to have returned to Grand Rapids from Liverpool, England based on ship customs invoice from the United States Express Company and shipping invoice from Geo. W. Wheatley and Co. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1895; Legal Correspondence – Of particular interest in 1895 in the case of Alfred M. King vs. Boyce, the court rendered a judgment in favor of Powers and Boyce had to pay him $ 34.75 for one and half month’s work.; Shipping Records, July-September 1895. Box 5: This series is divided into the following years 1896, January-April 1897 and Undated. Of particular interest in January 25, 1897 there is a letter from Archie Boyce to his father talking about the horses at the lumber camp; Discussing how well they are doing and that they are going to be hooking them up to sleighs soon.Legal Correspondence – Of particular interest in 1897 Boyce was trying to appeal a decision made by the courts in the case of Schroeder vs. Boyce. Also in 1897, the law office of Palmer, McDonald and Palmer are claiming collection against Jonathan Boyce of $69.50 for damages done by Boyce’s ship “G.J. Boyce” to the steamer “Chief Justice Wai’e”. Michigan Central Railroad Co. – In 1897 Boyce was refusing to pay for damages done to one of their cars that had been broken due to a tree falling on it. Other materials include: Advertisements and Business flyers, Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed; Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc. , 1897; Personal Correspondence; Shipping Records, July-September 1897.Box 6: This series is divided into the following years 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1943 and 1952.Personal Correspondence – In 1943, the city of Grand Rapids stated that the houses owned by Jessie L. Boyce located on 334 and 342 Division Ave. did not conform to ordinance of Grand Rapids and that if it did not conform within ten days she would be cited with penalty charges. The house on 334 Division Ave. was cited as condemned.” Once in again in 1952, Jessie L. Boyce was cited by the city of Grand Rapids for not following city ordinance for the house on 334 Division Ave. and the house was considered an unsanitary dwelling. Boyce, South Division Street Widening Case – In 1924, Isabella J. Boyce was part of a committee opposed to the widening of Division Avenue south between Fulton and Wealthy Street. In 1926, the city was stopped from widening Division Avenue. and Isabella J. Boyce had to pay $420 in attorney fees. In 1925, the Board of Assessors of the city of Grand Rapids was preparing assessment roll for the estimated expense of paving Division Ave. from Monroe to Wealthy Street; along with the widening of the section of the street by taking 12 feet off the front end of the property on the east side of the street. In 1927, the city attorney had been instructed to commence condemnation proceedings to acquire the necessary property for the widening of Division. In 1928, widening process was approved and to begin work in August; Isabella had to give up 12 feet of her property. Box 7: This series is divided into the following years 1898, 1899 and Undated. Of particular interest there is a rumor that Jonathan Boyce is planning to build a beet sugar factory in Essexville according to correspondence from The Engineering Record. Advertisements and Business flyers, October-September 1899. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1898-1899, Legal Correspondence ; Personal Correspondence; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records, September 1899. Box 8: This series is divided into the following years 1900. Of particular interest in 1900 Jonathan Boyce’s lumber mill burned down according to insurance records and letter from A.R. Roquette. Advertisements and Business flyers, January- October 1900. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc. ,1900; Legal Correspondence; Personal Correspondence – In 1900 Jonathan Boyce was planning a trip to London; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records, September 1900 – In 1900 Jonathan Boyce sold his vessel the “Isabella Boyce.” Box 9: This series is divided into the following years 1909, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 and undated. Boyce Personal Correspondence – In 1925 Isabella J. Boyce received a letter from University of Michigan informing her that her son Gordon was being put on probation list due to the unsatisfactory character of his work. Also in that year Isabella J. Boyce’s other son, Jonathan, was starting school at University of Michigan. In 1925, Gordon Boyce had a root canal, a crown and a gold filling done by a dentist. (Box 30) In 1926, Isabella J. Boyce received a letter from her son Gordon telling her that he would be withdrawing from his classes at University of Michigan and would return back to his studies the following summer; this was due to the advice given to him from the dean on the basis on his unsatisfactory performance. Boyce Personal Receipts – Personal check receipt book from Isabella J. Boyce. Miniature check receipt book from Isabella J. Boyce in 1920 and 1921. Box 10: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1894 the Rock Island Lumber and MFG. Co. sent Jonathan Boyce a copy of their staff and yearly wages and asked in turn for Boyce’s wage records so that they could check that their wages were in line with the rest of the industry. Advertisements and Business flyers, October-November 1894. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Michigan Central Railroad Co. – In 1897 Boyce was refusing to pay for damages done to one of their cars that had been broken due to a tree falling on it. Other materials included: Boyce Business Receipts; Legal Correspondence; Personal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Michigan Central Railroad Co. .Box 11: This series is divided into the following years 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1894 Jonathan Boyce received a sidewalk notice from the council chamber in the village of Essexville, stating that the sidewalk on the east side of Cangstart Street in front of his lot was in dangerous condition and he had seven days to repair it. Boyce Shipping Records – Of particular interest in 1895 the vessel “Isabella” sprung a leak and caused the corn stock on the ship to be wet. The leak came from a careless engineer who left the valves of the seacock open, which froze during the winter and burst. Other materials include: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 12: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1895 and undated. Advertisements and Business flyers, January- October 1900. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc.- For 1893 there is a lumber cut season records for that season; Legal Correspondence; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records. Personal Correspondence – In 1892 Jonathan Boyce was considering buying a house from a H.W. McCormick. This deal would include his residence, barn and three lots on the corner of Centre Ave. and Birney Street. (No city is specified in this correspondence) Box 13: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce, John Pilditch, Tuscola County House – In 1895 Jonathan Boyce was having a house, farm and various sheds built in Wisner Township, Tuscola County. Detailed log of the carpenters and joiners labor on the construction; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 14: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1895 Jonathan Boyce was seeking to force payment on a Mr. Smith for $152.04 in damages; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 15: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1895 Jonathan Boyce received a letter from the sheriff 's office in Ogemaw County stating that there was a stray team about six miles from town and that a man claiming to be an employee of Boyce’s came to claim the team. The Sheriff wanted to know if the employee was in fact his and what Boyce planned to do about the situation. Also in 1895 an employee of Jonathan Boyce by the name of Ernest Wicks, who worked at one of his lumber camps, got his leg broken due to a kick from a horse. He sent a letter to Boyce asking for his wages and the collection of money that had been gathered by the boys at the lumber camp. Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 16: This series is divided into the following years 1892 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Postal Telegraph-Cable Co. materials. Box 17: This series is divided into the following years 1892 and undated. Of particular interest in 1892 Archie Boyce sent a letter to his father, Jonathan Boyce, telling him that since they only have one train available to them they have a whole team waiting around with nothing to do. Archie suggests that his father should contact the railroad people about getting more trains out to the lumber camp. He also talks about a very sick horse he has at the camp. (Box 43?) Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Telegrams. Box 18: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893 and undated. Of particular interest is a letter dated December 15,1892, Archie Boyce sent to his father, Jonathan Boyce, telling him about how he received new horses at camp. Also that he requests more whips from the man that previously brought him some with the horses. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records. Box 19: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1892, Jonathan Boyce was sent a bill from the American Casualty Insurance and Security Co. for $57.87 pertaining to doctor’s bills for seven injured employees. Also in 1893, there is a newspaper clipping form the Morning Patriot discussing the new Union Lumber Company of Jackson and that they had purchased the Plummer Lumber Mill. Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence. Box 20: This series is divided into the following years 1893 and 1894, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Postal Telegraph-Cable Co. – Of particular interest in 1894 Jonathan Boyce sold his schooner “Levi.” Box 21: This series is divided into the following years 1874, 1877, 1878, 1879 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts. Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1878 Jonathan Boyce bought land in Roscommon County from a Robert D. Robinson for $500.00. Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Company – In 1874 Jonathan Boyce was forced to give up land to the railroad company due to land grants given by the state of Michigan to aid Box 22: This series is divided into the following years 1881, 1882 and undated. Of particular interest in 1882 Jonathan Boyce bought parcels of land in Denton Township, Roscommon County, for $40,000. Boyce Auditor General’s Report – List of all the tracts of land owned by Jonathan Boyce in Roscommon County and the amount he paid in taxes on those properties in 1881. Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence. Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company – In 1882 Jonathan Boyce bought land from Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company for $28,056. Box 23: This series is divided into the following years 1890, 1891, 1892 and 1893. Boyce Grove Farm – In 1890 Jonathan Boyce bought Grove Farm in Tivethall, St. Margret in Norfolk, England from John Aldous. Boyce Insurance on Grove Farm – In December 1891 Jonathan Boyce paid 2,000 pounds to The Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Co. for Grove Farm he bought the previous year. The insurance covered property including the farmhouse, dairy, scullery, a range of poultry houses, stable, hay barn, range of bullock sheds, range of wagon and cart barns, turnip house, piggeries, and five tenant cottages. Boyce shipping Records – Jonathan Boyce’s schooner “Levi Grant” was in a collision with a tug “Tom Brown”, which had one large dump scow in tow. The collision caused broken planks, rails, anchor stocks and stanchion besides other damages. Boyce Legal Correspondence – Jonathan Boyce bought parcels of land in Roscommon County from Matthew Wilson for $15,000 in May 1892. Box 24: This series is divided into the following years 1893 and undated. Boyce American Casualty Insurance and Security Company- In 1893 Jonathan Boyce took out a $50,000 insurance policy with American Casualty Insurance and Security Company. Also in October of 1893 Jonathan Boyce paid John Suyder $10.20 due to injuries sustained on August 31, 1893. Also he paid Ed Tackle $5.53 for injuries sustained on September 18, 1893. These payouts were recorded on Proof of Loss insurance paper under the American Casualty Insurance and Security Company policy. Boyce Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society – In 1893 Jonathan Boyce took out a $1,500 fire insurance policy on the equipment in the schooner “Levia Grant” while it was stored in a building at Number 215 Franklin Street at Michigan City, Indiana. The policy covered equipment such as sails, cordage running gear tow and running lines, cabin furniture cooking utensils, crockery, compasses and color blocks. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence; Boyce Legal Correspondence . Box 25: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and 1896. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records. Boyce Legal Correspondence – It appears that Jonathan Boyce and Geo. Boyce were having a dispute over land in Roscommon County. In October 29, 1895 the court partitioned the land between the two parties. Box 26: This series is divided into the following years 1898, 1899 and undated. Boyce Chicago Insurance Company – In 1898 Jonathan Boyce took out a $1,000 insurance policy from the Chicago Insurance Company on the schooner “Geo. J. Boyce.” The policy also covered the schooner’s hull, body, tackle, apparel, engines, steam pumps, gauges and connections, machinery, furniture, small boats, general outfit and equipment. Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1899 Jonathan Boyce signed a contract with the Michigan Salt Association that stated that he would solely make/provide salt for the association. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence. Box 27: This series is divided into the following years 1878-1956 and undated, and includes: Jonathan Boyce Deeds; Jonathan Boyce Check Book; Jonathan Boyce Estate Papers; Jonathan Boyce Receipts; Jonathan Boyce Tax Receipts. Box 28: This series is divided into the following years 1912-1961 and undated, and includes: J. Gordon Boyce Diary; J. Gordon Boyce, Financial Ledger; Jessie L. Boyce Valier Corporations. J. Gordon Boyce Birthday Greetings Book with the following birthdays: Mrs. J. Boyce, March 17. Chauney Todd, June 8. J. Gordon Boyce, June 29, 1906. Ruth A. Winegar, August 3. Jessie L. Boyce, October 31. Comstock Russell, December 6, 1907. Box 29: This series is divided into the following years 1890 and 1891, Boyce, Bills, Receipts and Cancelled Checks. Box 30: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1894 and 1895, Boyce, Bills, Receipts and Cancelled Checks. Box 31: This series is divided into the following years 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1899, Boyce, Bills, Receipts and Cancelled Checks. Box 32 This series is divided into the following years 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897 and undated. Also included are: Boyce, I. J. Boyce Ship Trip Book; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce, Schooner Jessie L. Boyce Ship Supplies Book. Box 33: This series is divided into the following years 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889 and 1893, Boyce, Check Receipt Booklets.

White section Scope and Contents Notes: This collection, Boxes 60-94 and 4 Oversized folders 1874, 1956 and undated, 17 cubic feet (34 boxes). This collection consists primarily of Mr. Boyce’s lumber and salt company business correspondence and related materials divided into the following series, chronologically and alphabetically: Business Correspondence, which includes, but is not limited, to sales slips, receipts, business statements, bank deposit slips, shipping slips, salt inspection slips from the Michigan Salt Inspector, various items dealing with Boyce’s steamers, railroad shipping slips, Michigan Central Railroad shipping slips, grocery receipts, post card advertisements, and other business correspondence. Box 1: This series is divided into the following years, July through December 1897-1899, and undated, and includes: Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Boyce Grand Rapids House, which includes receipts for materials, advertisements for materials. Of particular note is letters from contractors to Mr. Boyce refusing to pay his bill charging them for the extra time it took to complete their services. Also of interest is the correspondence between Mr. Boyce and lead contractor Arthur Sovereign. Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1897 Shipping Records, August – December 1897 Western Union Telegrams, 1897 Box 2: This series is divided into the following years, 1895, May through December 1896, 1897 and undated. Of particular interest in 1896 Boyce was having trouble with both the F.W. Wheeler and Co and Toledo Lumber and Manufacturing Co. and their inability to pay their accounts. In the case of F.W. Wheeler and Co. a note of theirs was given to a Mr. Fred C. Ross, this note was then sold to Jonathan Boyce who in turn sold the note to Mr. C.C. Billinghurst, this note was unable to be cashed due to lack of funds on behalf of the F.W. Wheeler and Co. Further correspondence also shows that Mr. C.C. Billinghurst was also in involved with the Toledo Lumber and Manufacturing unpaid account and protested note. Other materials include: Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Inventory, Pay logs, etc. 1896 Shipping Records, November Miscellaneous- Correspondence shows that Jonathan Boyce had a conflict with the Buffalo Car manufacturing Co., they state that Boyce sent them low quality wood. The company even hired their own inspector to prove this and state that they will only pay for the pieces that our of good quality in the stock, the rest is Boyce’s responsibility. Box 3: This series is divided into the following years, 1892, 1893, 1894, January through November 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in letter from Archie Boyce to his father Jonathan Boyce he describes that the area where the lumber camps were the weather was particularly dry and the camps were being threatened with wild fires.Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Of particular interest is the advertisement for the Great Western Smelting Refining Co. which has an amusing ad featuring a story and comic illustrations. Boyce Business Receipts – Of particular interest is a bound account book of Jonathan Boyce’s for John Tennant, the grocer from which he bought his supplies from. The account log shows items bought such as syrup, salt, coffee boiler, vinegar and much more. Other materials include Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1895, and Shipping Records, January-April 1895.Box 4: This series is divided into the following years 1894, February through September 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1895 Boyce was having a dispute with D.S. Pate and Co. over the price of mull cull lumber. Boyce says the price is $5.50 while D.S. Pate and Co. says that they had reached an agreement for $5.00. Advertisements and Business flyers, December 1898, February-November 1899, and undated. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Personal Correspondence – It appears Boyce was attempting to bail a John McEachem out of a corrections facility. Also of interest is that an Isabella Boyce seems to have returned to Grand Rapids from Liverpool, England based on ship customs invoice from the United States Express Company and shipping invoice from Geo. W. Wheatley and Co. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1895; Legal Correspondence – Of particular interest in 1895 in the case of Alfred M. King vs. Boyce, the court rendered a judgment in favor of Powers and Boyce had to pay him $ 34.75 for one and half month’s work.; Shipping Records, July-September 1895. Box 5: This series is divided into the following years 1896, January-April 1897 and Undated. Of particular interest in January 25, 1897 there is a letter from Archie Boyce to his father talking about the horses at the lumber camp; Discussing how well they are doing and that they are going to be hooking them up to sleighs soon. Legal Correspondence – Of particular interest in 1897 Boyce was trying to appeal a decision made by the courts in the case of Schroeder vs. Boyce. Also in 1897, the law office of Palmer, McDonald and Palmer are claiming collection against Jonathan Boyce of $69.50 for damages done by Boyce’s ship “G.J. Boyce” to the steamer “Chief Justice Wai’e”. Michigan Central Railroad Co. – In 1897 Boyce was refusing to pay for damages done to one of their cars that had been broken due to a tree falling on it. Other materials include: Advertisements and Business flyers, Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed; Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc. , 1897; Personal Correspondence; Shipping Records, July-September 1897. Box 6: This series is divided into the following years 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1932, 1943 and 1952. Personal Correspondence – In 1943, the city of Grand Rapids stated that the houses owned by Jessie L. Boyce located on 334 and 342 Division Ave. did not conform to ordinance of Grand Rapids and that if it did not conform within ten days she would be cited with penalty charges. The house on 334 Division Ave. was cited as “condemned.” Once in again in 1952, Jessie L. Boyce was cited by the city of Grand Rapids for not following city ordinance for the house on 334 Division Ave. and the house was considered an unsanitary dwelling. Boyce, South Division Street Widening Case – In 1924, Isabella J. Boyce was part of a committee opposed to the widening of Division Avenue south between Fulton and Wealthy Street. In 1926, the city was stopped from widening Division Avenue. and Isabella J. Boyce had to pay $420 in attorney fees. In 1925, the Board of Assessors of the city of Grand Rapids was preparing assessment roll for the estimated expense of paving Division Ave. from Monroe to Wealthy Street; along with the widening of the section of the street by taking 12 feet off the front end of the property on the east side of the street. In 1927, the city attorney had been instructed to commence condemnation proceedings to acquire the necessary property for the widening of Division. In 1928, widening process was approved and to begin work in August; Isabella had to give up 12 feet of her property. Box 7: This series is divided into the following years 1898, 1899 and Undated. Of particular interest there is a rumor that Jonathan Boyce is planning to build a beet sugar factory in Essexville according to correspondence from The Engineering Record. Advertisements and Business flyers, October-September 1899. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc., 1898-1899, Legal Correspondence ; Personal Correspondence; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records, September 1899. Box 8: This series is divided into the following years 1900. Of particular interest in 1900 Jonathan Boyce’s lumber mill burned down according to insurance records and letter from A.R. Roquette. Advertisements and Business flyers, January- October 1900. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc. ,1900; Legal Correspondence; Personal Correspondence – In 1900 Jonathan Boyce was planning a trip to London; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records, September 1900 – In 1900 Jonathan Boyce sold his vessel the “Isabella Boyce.” Box 9: This series is divided into the following years 1909, 1910, 1911, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 and undated. Boyce Personal Correspondence – In 1925 Isabella J. Boyce received a letter from University of Michigan informing her that her son Gordon was being put on probation list due to the unsatisfactory character of his work. Also in that year Isabella J. Boyce’s other son, Jonathan, was starting school at University of Michigan. In 1925, Gordon Boyce had a root canal, a crown and a gold filling done by a dentist. (Box 30) In 1926, Isabella J. Boyce received a letter from her son Gordon telling her that he would be withdrawing from his classes at University of Michigan and would return back to his studies the following summer; this was due to the advice given to him from the dean on the basis on his unsatisfactory performance. Boyce Personal Receipts – Personal check receipt book from Isabella J. Boyce. Miniature check receipt book from Isabella J. Boyce in 1920 and 1921. Box 10: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1894 the Rock Island Lumber and MFG. Co. sent Jonathan Boyce a copy of their staff and yearly wages and asked in turn for Boyce’s wage records so that they could check that their wages were in line with the rest of the industry. Advertisements and Business flyers, October-November 1894. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Michigan Central Railroad Co. – In 1897 Boyce was refusing to pay for damages done to one of their cars that had been broken due to a tree falling on it. Other materials included: Boyce Business Receipts; Legal Correspondence; Personal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Michigan Central Railroad Co. Box 11: This series is divided into the following years 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1894 Jonathan Boyce received a sidewalk notice from the council chamber in the village of Essexville, stating that the sidewalk on the east side of Cangstart Street in front of his lot was in dangerous condition and he had seven days to repair it. Boyce Shipping Records – Of particular interest in 1895 the vessel “Isabella” sprung a leak and caused the corn stock on the ship to be wet. The leak came from a careless engineer who left the valves of the seacock open, which froze during the winter and burst. Other materials include: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 12: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1895 and undated. Advertisements and Business flyers, January- October 1900. Various business advertisements and flyers some are very detailed. Other materials include: Boyce Business Receipts; Inventory, Pay logs, etc.- For 1893 there is a lumber cut season records for that season; Legal Correspondence; Michigan Central Railroad Co.; Shipping Records. Personal Correspondence – In 1892 Jonathan Boyce was considering buying a house from a H.W. McCormick. This deal would include his residence, barn and three lots on the corner of Centre Ave. and Birney Street. (No city is specified in this correspondence) Box 13: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce, John Pilditch, Tuscola County House – In 1895 Jonathan Boyce was having a house, farm and various sheds built in Wisner Township, Tuscola County. Detailed log of the carpenters and joiners labor on the construction; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 14: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1895 Jonathan Boyce was seeking to force payment on a Mr. Smith for $152.04 in damages; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 15: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1895 Jonathan Boyce received a letter from the sheriff’s office in Ogemaw County stating that there was a stray team about six miles from town and that a man claiming to be an employee of Boyce’s came to claim the team. The Sheriff wanted to know if the employee was in fact his and what Boyce planned to do about the situation. Also in 1895 an employee of Jonathan Boyce by the name of Ernest Wicks, who worked at one of his lumber camps, got his leg broken due to a kick from a horse. He sent a letter to Boyce asking for his wages and the collection of money that had been gathered by the boys at the lumber camp. Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Advertisement, Flyers; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Western Union Telegraphs. Box 16: This series is divided into the following years 1892 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Postal Telegraph-Cable Co. materials.Box 17: This series is divided into the following years 1892 and undated. Of particular interest in 1892 Archie Boyce sent a letter to his father, Jonathan Boyce, telling him that since they only have one train available to them they have a whole team waiting around with nothing to do. Archie suggests that his father should contact the railroad people about getting more trains out to the lumber camp. He also talks about a very sick horse he has at the camp. (Box 43) Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce Telegrams.Box 18: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893 and undated. Of particular interest is a letter dated December 15,1892, Archie Boyce sent to his father, Jonathan Boyce, telling him about how he received new horses at camp. Also that he requests more whips from the man that previously brought him some with the horses. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records.Box 19: This series is divided into the following years 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895 and undated. Of particular interest in 1892, Jonathan Boyce was sent a bill from the American Casualty Insurance and Security Co. for $57.87 pertaining to doctor’s bills for seven injured employees. Also in 1893, there is a newspaper clipping form the Morning Patriot discussing the new Union Lumber Company of Jackson and that they had purchased the Plummer Lumber Mill. Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence. Box 20: This series is divided into the following years 1893 and 1894, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence; Boyce Postal Telegraph-Cable Co. – Of particular interest in 1894 Jonathan Boyce sold his schooner “Levi.” Box 21: This series is divided into the following years 1874, 1877, 1878, 1879 and undated, and includes: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts. Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1878 Jonathan Boyce bought land in Roscommon County from a Robert D. Robinson for $500.00. Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad Company – In 1874 Jonathan Boyce was forced to give up land to the railroad company due to land grants given by the state of Michigan to aid Box 22: This series is divided into the following years 1881, 1882 and undated. Of particular interest in 1882 Jonathan Boyce bought parcels of land in Denton Township, Roscommon County, for $40,000. Boyce Auditor General’s Report – List of all the tracts of land owned by Jonathan Boyce in Roscommon County and the amount he paid in taxes on those properties in 1881.Also included are: Boyce Personal Correspondence; Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Legal Correspondence.Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company – In 1882 Jonathan Boyce bought land from Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company for $28,056. Box 23: This series is divided into the following years 1890, 1891, 1892 and 1893. Boyce Grove Farm – In 1890 Jonathan Boyce bought Grove Farm in Tivethall, St. Margret in Norfolk, England from John Aldous. Boyce Insurance on Grove Farm – In December 1891 Jonathan Boyce paid 2,000 pounds to The Liverpool, London and Globe Insurance Co. for Grove Farm he bought the previous year. The insurance covered property including the farmhouse, dairy, scullery, a range of poultry houses, stable, hay barn, range of bullock sheds, range of wagon and cart barns, turnip house, piggeries, and five tenant cottages. Boyce shipping Records – Jonathan Boyce’s schooner “Levi Grant” was in a collision with a tug “Tom Brown”, which had one large dump scow in tow. The collision caused broken planks, rails, anchor stocks and stanchion besides other damages. Boyce Legal Correspondence – Jonathan Boyce bought parcels of land in Roscommon County from Matthew Wilson for $15,000 in May 1892. Box 24: This series is divided into the following years 1893 and undated. Boyce American Casualty Insurance and Security Company- In 1893 Jonathan Boyce took out a $50,000 insurance policy with American Casualty Insurance and Security Company. Also in October of 1893 Jonathan Boyce paid John Suyder $10.20 due to injuries sustained on August 31, 1893. Also he paid Ed Tackle $5.53 for injuries sustained on September 18, 1893. These payouts were recorded on Proof of Loss insurance paper under the American Casualty Insurance and Security Company policy. Boyce Norwich Union Fire Insurance Society – In 1893 Jonathan Boyce took out a $1,500 fire insurance policy on the equipment in the schooner “Levia Grant” while it was stored in a building at Number 215 Franklin Street at Michigan City, Indiana. The policy covered equipment such as sails, cordage running gear tow and running lines, cabin furniture cooking utensils, crockery, compasses and color blocks. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence; Boyce Legal Correspondence. Box 25: This series is divided into the following years 1895 and 1896. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence; Boyce Shipping Records.Boyce Legal Correspondence – It appears that Jonathan Boyce and Geo. Boyce were having a dispute over land in Roscommon County. In October 29, 1895 the court partitioned the land between the two parties. Box 26: This series is divided into the following years 1898, 1899 and undated. Boyce Chicago Insurance Company – In 1898 Jonathan Boyce took out a $1,000 insurance policy from the Chicago Insurance Company on the schooner “Geo. J. Boyce.” The policy also covered the schooner’s hull, body, tackle, apparel, engines, steam pumps, gauges and connections, machinery, furniture, small boats, general outfit and equipment. Boyce Legal Correspondence – In 1899 Jonathan Boyce signed a contract with the Michigan Salt Association that stated that he would solely make/provide salt for the association. Also included are: Boyce Business Receipts; Boyce Business Correspondence.Box 27: This series is divided into the following years 1878-1956 and undated, and includes: Jonathan Boyce Deeds; Jonathan Boyce Check Book; Jonathan Boyce Estate Papers; Jonathan Boyce Receipts; Jonathan Boyce Tax Receipts.Box 28: This series is divided into the following years 1912-1961 and undated, and includes: J. Gordon Boyce Diary; J. Gordon Boyce, Financial Ledger; Jessie L. Boyce Valier Corporations. J. Gordon Boyce Birthday Greetings Book with the following birthdays: Mrs. J. Boyce, March 17. Chauney Todd, June 8. J. Gordon Boyce, June 29, 1906. Ruth A. Winegar, August 3. Jessie L. Boyce, October 31. Comstock Russell, December 6, 1907.Boxes 29-33 are mostly financial records, mostly cancelled checks, bills, and receipts. Box 29 has years 1890 and 1891, Box 30 has years 1892, 1894 and 1895, Box 31 has years 1896, 1897, 1898 and 1899, Box 32 has years 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897 and undated. Also included are: Boyce, I. J. Boyce Ship Trip Book; Boyce Shipping Records; Boyce, Schooner Jessie L. Boyce Ship Supplies Book. Box 33 has years 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889 and 1893.

Processing Note: The collection overall is in good physical condition. FIve very acidic or fragile items were photocopied and the originals were withdrawn from the collection. Please Note: 19 of the 78 volumes are moldy, are so indicated in the finding aid, and should be use with care by patrons. At an earlier date someone roughly organized the collection chronologically. A handwritten note suggests that the collection was donated by J. Gordon Boyce, grandson of Jonathan Boyce, with his sister, Jessie, in 1966 or later.

Justice Weaver’s papers, 1959, 2014, and undated, are the only complete records documenting the inner-workings of a Michigan Supreme Court Justice in a public archive. The collection includes multiple series listed below.

Justice Weaver’s papers are the only complete records documenting the inner-workings of a Michigan Supreme Court Justice in a public archive. These records are invaluable for documenting the process of how justices reach opinions about cases (a process kept secret until now). The papers also document the career and the increasingly negative relationships she experienced while a Michigan Supreme Court Justice. Justice Weaver documented all these main points very well and wanted her papers preserved and studied.

Series 1, processed by Jennifer Bentley, is the Court of Appeals series, 1984-1995, 21.5 cubic feet (in 44 boxes), within the Weaver Papers, includes court documentation and court publications created by Justice Weaver during her time as an Appellate Justice for the Michigan Supreme Court. Some boxes within the series share overlapping series content with other series in the collection. The entirety of the series is comprised of legal manuscripts and court publications, as well as personal notes within docket packets that Justice Weaver used to form later legal opinions for several cases. Many of the manuscripts within the Court of Appeals series are legal-size with half of the collection in letter-size formats.

For the bulk of this series each court case handled by Justice Weaver’s office is stapled in its own docket. Each Docket consistently includes: case syllabus, orders from lower courts, per curiam (unanimous agreements between the justices), case notes, and court generated summaries of the case. Occasionally, in more notable case dockets, court transcripts are also included.

Besides court dockets there are corresponding case call notes for each case. All newspaper clippings have been copied. Also within this series there are Michigan Supreme Court rotation schedules for the justices. Memorandums between court officials and the justices appear throughout the case call notes as well as within the dockets. Within the Court of Appeals series, there are two mini cassette tapes labeled as “case notes”.

Throughout the entire Justice Weaver collection there are Post-it notes with hand-written notes by Weaver. A few pages exhibiting the plethora of extant notes taken on a case have been preserved in-situ to illustrate Weaver’s growing dissent over her sixteen-year career with Michigan’s Supreme Court. All other substantive notes have been copied and then the originals were withdrawn from the collection.

Series 1 Processing Note: As noted above, all newspaper clippings have been copied. A few pages exhibiting the plethora of extant notes taken on a case have been preserved in-situ to illustrate Weaver’s growing dissent over her sixteen-year career with Michigan’s Supreme Court. All other substantive notes have been copied and then the originals were withdrawn from the collection. Less than .25 cubic foot of this series was withdrawn during processing.

Series 2, processed by Sulaiman Albinhamad, is the Per Curiam series. Per Curiam is defined as a decision (or opinion) ruling issued by an appellate court of multiple judges in which the decision rendered is made by the court or at least a majority of the court acting collectively and unanimously. Per Curiam is Latin for “by the Court”. Per Curiam rulings are issued in the name of the Court, rather than by individual judges or a judge. Typically, the Court deals with issues deemed non-controversial.

The Per Curiam series, 1995-2006, 14 cubic feet (in 28 boxes) within the Justice Elizabeth Weaver collection, includes personal unpublished notes of Justice Weaver and others during her time as Justice (January 1995- August 2010) and Chief Justice (January 1999-January 2001) for the Michigan Supreme Court. The manuscripts within this series are both letter-size and legal-size, but are filed in legal-size folders and boxes to keep related materials together. Per Curiam cases in this series include a range from civil cases to murders.

Each Per Curiam case folder usually includes (in this order): case Syllabus (which is blue in color); Order; Notes from meetings to review the material organized by date, either weekly or monthly, or from Justice Weaver to her staff; Memorandum; and Reports (which are green in color). Drafts and final versions of the Per Curiam are included.

There may be one to three different docket numbers in the same Per Curiam case folder/s. Some folders have materials, each with a different docket number, but the numbers are cited in the related Memorandum.

Series 2 Processing Note: .75 cubic foot of materials were removed from the series during processing, mostly duplicates and peripheral or reading materials not specific to the files.

Series 3 and 4 in this collection are Disqualifications of Judges, 1995-2009, and undated, and Fieger Articles and Dockets, 1994-2009, and undated, which originally were somewhat interfiled, were both also processed by Sulaiman Albinhamad

Disqualifications of Judges (DQs), 1995-2009, and undated, 2 cubic ft. (in 4 boxes), includes Administrative Memorandum, Administrative Orders, articles, case examples, dissents, notes, resolutions, and folders on specific judges.

Fieger Articles and Dockets, 1994-2009, and undated, 1.75 cubic ft. (in 4 boxes), includes articles (copies) about Attorney Geoffrey Fieger and information from Dockets cases in which he was involved or justices were biased against him. In court, Feiger pushed the limits of what was considered appropriate behavior and language by attorneys, which led to questions about which justices should be disqualified or recuse themselves from judging him or other attorneys and why. The rules for disqualification of justices were not written down or encoded, and when Judge Weaver pushed for that to happen, the other justices, after much discussion and writing, eventually all sided against her.

Geoffrey Nels Feiger (1950-) is a controversial American attorney based in Southfield, Michigan. His law practice focuses on personal injury, civil rights litigation and medical malpractice cases, but he is best known as Jack Kevorkian’s defense attorney in doctor-assisted suicide trials. He also ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic nominee for governor of Michigan in 1998.

During most of this time period, Elizabeth Weaver served as a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, 1995-2010. She served on the Michigan Court of Appeals, January 1987-January 1995.

(This information is from the collection and a Wikipedia article accessed May 11, 2017 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Fieger.)

Series 3 and 4 Processing Note: 4 cubic feet of copies and peripheral materials were withdrawn during processing.

Series 5, processed by Cassie Olson, is Michigan Supreme Court Campaign Materials, 1990, 1995 and undated,.75 cubic ft. (in 2 boxes), includes campaign materials such as: application materials, financial reports, speeches, endorsements, letters, itineraries, events, media plans, bumper stickers, Court of Appeal cases relevant to her campaign for the Michigan Supreme Court, and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s first campaign for the Michigan Supreme Court while serving as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Items of note include her decisions on Court of Appeals cases relevant to her campaign for Michigan Supreme Court, including Plummer v. Bechtel, Pulver v. Dundee Cement Company, Rodriguez v. General Motors Saginaw Steering Gear Division, Dedes v. South Lyon Community Schools, Paschke v. Retool Industries, and Chase v. Sabin. Weaver sought and received many unique endorsements from businesses, organizations and individuals such as Governor John Engler, Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Police Legislative Coalition, National Black Women’s Caucus, the Korean Medical Association of Michigan and the Polish American Conference. Weaver ignored any materials sent by one organization – the Michigan Human Rights Campaign Committee – which supported lesbian and gay-friendly candidates.

Because this was the first year of her Supreme Court campaign and reelection materials, a sample of these materials was retained that will not be retained in the future, including sample ballots, acidic materials, event invitations, and sample letters.

Series 5 Processing Note: 8 cubic feet of copies, sensitive, and peripheral materials were withdrawn during processing. All acidic materials were copied and the copies were added to the collection.

Series 6, processed by Courtney Riggs, is the Hall of Justice Materials, 1997-2010, and undated, 4 cubic ft. (in 3 boxes, 1 Oversized folder) includes: newspaper articles, newsletters, financial reports, speeches, floor plans, dedication ceremony invitations, a plastic hard hat, and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s role in the planning of the Hall of Justice. Also included are her contributions to the Learning Center located in the Hall. Items of note include a personal note from Mary Stallings Coleman (1914-2001), the first woman elected to the Michigan Supreme Court, and a private conversation note containing information about a meeting that continued after Weaver left the room. Weaver, as Chief Justice from 1999 to 2001, oversaw the Advisory Committee and contributed to the Hall planning via floor plan changes, interior designs, etc. As The Learning Center was Justice Weaver’s idea, she oversaw these decisions with this as well (Box 1, folder 4). Albert Kahn Associates was the architecture firm and a variety of their architectural drawings are found in Oversided Folder 1.

Groundbreaking for the Hall occurred in 1999, in which Weaver participated by breaking ground and presenting a speech. When the Hall was completed in 2002, each Justice had the chance to prepare a letter to be placed into a time capsule. Although Weaver may have contributed greatly to the Hall, it seems that most of the other Justices did not approve of her involvement. The aforementioned side meeting and the unsuccessful attempt to name the Learning Center after her are indications of differences of opinion and perhaps a power struggle.

Series 6 Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of copies, reading materials, and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing. Acidic newspaper clippings were copied and the copies were added to the collection.

Series 7, processed by Courtney Riggs, contains Brady v Attorney Grievance Commission (AGC) Materials, 2006 - 2010 and undated, .75 cubic ft. (in 2 boxes), including: case notes, a cassette, legal findings, a microcassette, news articles copies, a press release draft, and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s involvement in the Brady v AGC case. Also included are documents describing AO 2006-8, or what Weaver refers to as a “Gag Order” directed towards her, and information about the escalating tensions between the Justices. Items of note include Weaver’s notes on the Justices’ attitudes towards her (Box 1, folder 7) and the document indicating Justices Markman, Corrigan, and Young were against her (Box 1, folder 2).

The Brady v AGC case involves Paul Fischer, then Executive Director of the Judicial Tenure Commission, accusing Judge Steven Servaas of forfeiting his role as judge due to the moving of his office and inappropriate behavior towards staff. Brady, head lawyer on the case, represented Servaas. Weaver would ultimately disqualified herself on the case due to her disclosing information to her lawyer, who was also working on the case.

Also included is the Third Judicial Circuit Appeals Case. The impact of this case documents the split between Weaver and the rest of the Justices. Weaver was then found in contempt of court rules. It also documents the actions of Justice Mary Beth Kelly, who later served as Chief Justice for the 2009 – 2010 term. Included is a cassette documenting Justice Mary Kelly’s concerns and a microcassette of Justice Diane Hathaway’s conversation, most likely with Weaver herself. Of note are news articles regarding Justice Robert Young and a transcription of his racist comment (Box 2, folder 5).

It is unknown to the Archivist after processing (in 2018) why Justice Weaver talked to the lawyer. In Box 1, folder 7, there is indication that Weaver forgot the case was still open. Referencing Weaver’s book indicates that the other Justices wanted to get Weaver into trouble. In fact, Justice Weaver was advised to turn herself in to the Judicial Tenure Commission (Box 1, folder 2).

Justice Weaver’s book, Judicial Deceit: Tyranny and Unnecessary Secrecy at the Michigan Supreme Court, pages 648 – 656 was referenced for background information about AO-2006 and the Brady case.

Series 7 Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of copies and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing. All acidic materials were copied and the copies were added to the collection.

Series 8, processed by Courtney Riggs, Wayne County v. Hathcock Materials, 2003-2005, .25 cubic foot (in 1 box) includes: a reference book, agendas, memorandums, news articles, notes, opinions and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s involvement in the Wayne v Hathcock County case. This case would come to overrule the 1972 case of Poletown Neighborhood Council v. City of Detroit, in which General Motors was allowed to take land from private owners. While Weaver initially agreed with the other Justices, she later changed her opinion, causing tension between Justices. The reference book included in the collection references what the Wayne County v Hathcock decision means to the public.

Series 8 Processing Note: .5 cubic foot (.5) of copies and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing.

Series 9, processed by Courtney Riggs, Pellegrino v Ampco Materials, 2007-2010, undated, 1 cubic foot (in 2 boxes) includes: appeals, case notes, legal findings, and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s involvement in the Pellegrino v Ampco Systems case. Also included are documents describing the rules to disqualifying Justices from cases and information about the escalating tensions between the Justices. The Pellegrino case itself involves Anthony and Shirley Pellegrino’s involvement in a car accident driven by an Ampco employee. Shirley died in the crash, while Anthony was severely injured.

During the trial, Fieger represented Pellegrino. Fieger thought that Ampco should not be able to change jurors and thus, a Baston Challenge was called. Legally, the definition of a Baston Challenge is “an objection to the validity of a peremptory challenge, on grounds that the other party used it to exclude a potential juror based on race, ethnicity, or sex” (https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/batson_challenge). The Challenge resulted in the Justices questioning if the Judge should be turned into the Judicial Tenure Commission. While most of the Justices agreed, Weaver dissented to this, as well as to the idea of disqualifying judges. Weaver’s actions, and that of the other Justices, resulted in high tensions.

Processing Note: .5 cubic foot of copies and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing. All acidic materials were copied and the copies were added to the collection.

Series 10, processed by Courtney Riggs, Speeches, 1975-2010, undated, .75 cubic foot (in 2 boxes) includes: speeches in paper, CDs, and microcassette (if no paper speech copy was available), information about Weaver’s Central Michigan University (CMU) courses she taught and other, related materials.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s Speeches from 1975 to 2010. Enclosed are her speech duties as a Justice, which include performing investitures and swearing in other legal officials (Box 1, Folder 6). Weaver also gave such speeches as Court House Dedications, Boy Scouts, and special events, like the 100th Anniversary of the Juvenile Court (Box 1, Folder 3). Weaver also performed marriages during her career.

One Court House dedication Weaver performed was the Isabella County Courthouse Dedication Ceremony, which took place on September 6th, 2000 (Box 1, Folder 5).

Weaver taught two classes, Educational Administration: Introduction to School Law and Elementary Education/ Secondary Education: Law for Teachers, for CMU Off Campus extension courses (Box 2, Folder 4). These classes took place in Traverse City.

A list of copyrighted interviews with or coverage about Justice Weaver is included in the back of Box 92, Speeches, August 2002 – 2005, folder. These CDs or DVDs were withdrawn from the collection due to copyright issues.

Processing Note: 7 cubic feet of copies, correspondence, drafts, floppy disks, memorandums, microcassettes (if paper speech was available), and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing.

Series 11, processed by Jonathan Strom, Trial Court Assessment Commission (TCAC), 1993, 1999, undated, 1 cubic foot (in 2 boxes) includes: Meeting minutes of the commission and its subcommittees, correspondence between commission members and various people related to TCAC’s mission, reports generated and /or used by the commission, memorandums, and other related material.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s involvement in TCAC as Chairman. It exhibits how the commission function, how they developed and executed their plan of trial court reform, and how they managed blowback from the legal community. Portions of this series which may be of particular interest are: data generated by the commission’s assessment, and documents related to the demonstration projects that included Barry, Berrien, Isabella, Lake, Washtenaw counties and the 46th Circuit Court. TCAC formed in 1997 to assess the status of trial courts in Michigan and to recommend a solution to streamline the process. They were dissolved in December of 1998 after conducting multiple studies and experiments.

Processing Note: 3 cubic feet of copies, blanks, drafts, trivial correspondence, job applications, and peripheral materials were withdrawn during processing.

Series 12, processed by Brian Schamber, Probate Court and Leelanau Materials, 1974-1990, and undated, 4.5 cubic ft. (in 9 boxes, 1 Oversized folder) includes: newspaper articles, publications, financial reports, cassette tapes, a county flag, correspondence, surveys, and other, related materials. All boxes in this series are Legal-sized boxes.

This series documents Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s time as the probate judge of Leelanau County, her service on the Committee for Juvenile Justice (CJJ), her controversial stance on jailing juveniles (Jailing, Box 97), and her dispute with some members of the county board of commissioners (Yarger Dispute, Boxes 102-103). CJJ meeting folders may contain the following: meeting minutes, charts related to the meeting, and other documents received at the meetings. This series also contains correspondences between other judges, a letter of recommendation from former Michigan Governor and Supreme Court Justice G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams, promotional and campaign materials, publications, mortgage and land dispute cases. A bicentennial flag, which measures 57x 35 inches made by the Spartan Flag Co. of Northport Mi. and bears the county seal of Leelanau County on a blue background, is stored in an oversized folder.

Within the Probate Court Series, is the Leelanau School subseries, which holds documents from Judge Weaver’s time as a board member for the Leelanau School, a private Christian Science school on the Crystal River. Documents in this series cover board meetings, correspondence from headmasters and Congressman Vander Jagt, legal paper work regarding property boundaries, and promotional materials related to the school.

Processing Note: 20 cubic feet of copies, reading materials, and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing. Acidic newspaper clippings were copied and the copies were added to the collection. One publication was separately cataloged.

Series 13, processed by Ashley Blackburn, Court Reform Materials, 1975-2009, and undated, 6 cubic feet (in 12 boxes) includes: judicial reform documents, trial court reform documents, county court documents, meeting minutes, agendas, correspondence among the Justices, judge recommendations, Court of Appeals documents, media reports, business cards, legal notes, resolutions, newspaper clippings (copies), Demonstration Project documents, Justice Weaver’s notes on bills, and other related materials.

This series documents one of Justice Elizabeth Weaver’s most important platforms: court reform. Included in materials are recommendations on how all Michigan courts should be structured, run, and budgeted and how all judges and Justices should obtain office and behave while in office. Materials show Justice Weaver’s firm point of view on the subject and how other Justice’s communicated with her on the subject of court reform, and how the subject of court reform impacted her role in the courts. Some boxes include dissent documents and related communications among many of her fellow Justices. Many of the boxes also include documents showing support from the community and Justice Weaver’s contemporaries in the courts for her firm stance on Court Reform. Many of the boxes contain media relations, such as news articles showing positive or negative press on the topic of court reform or Justice Weaver herself.

In Box 104, AAUW stands for the American Association of University Women. In 1976, Irene Brown was the Grand Travers Area Representative on the State Board of AAUW. Michigan State Representatives H. Lynn Jondahl and Dennis O. Cawthorne are mentioned. Ingham County Probate Judge Donald S. Owens, who later went on to serve in the Michigan Court of Appeals (2000-2016), is corresponded with. There is also correspondence with Wayne County Juvenile Judge Gladys Barsamian who served in the court from 1975-1993; she died in January 2016.

Box 109 includes information on the Demonstration Projects, sometimes abbreviated Demo, in Michigan Courts. These projects, many of which were led by Justice Weaver, involve restructuring and merging county courts, including probate, trial, district, and circuit courts.

Boxes 111 and 112 mention State Representative Michael (Mike) Nye. Nye also served as a judge for the 30th Probate Court in Hillsdale County. In 1995, during his time as a state representative, Nye introduced House Bill 5158 which dealt with court restructuring and funding. Nye retired in 2012.

In Box 112, MACC stands for Michigan Association of County Clerks.

Box 115 also includes a few multimedia DVDs which record Justice Weaver speaking on the subject of Court Reform to the state of Michigan and a Michigan women’s group. These DVD’s must be played in VLC Media Player. Box 115 also includes an article referencing Senator Barack Obama. A few folders in Box 115 have specific mention of Central Michigan University (CMU) Professor James P. Hill and general Isabella County information.

All the boxes in this series are .5 legal-size cubic foot boxes. 12 boxes, 6 cubic feet in total.

Processing note: At least 5 cubic feet of material was withdrawn from the collection. Not all acidic materials were kept; news clippings that were kept were photocopied and added to the collection. The majority of the acidic items were newspaper articles. Some sticky notes were also photocopied and added into the collection; the rest were withdrawn. At least five items (publications and multimedia) were separately cataloged. Box 1 and Box 2 were processed by Brian Schamber (originally under Probate Courts), therefore the folder descriptions and look vary from the rest of the series.

Series 14, processed by Courtney Riggs, Orals, 1991-2010, and undated, 40.5 cubic feet (in 82 boxes) includes: case notes, legal findings, memorandums, morning reports, pre-orals, orals, orders, supporting constituent correspondence, syllabuses and other, related materials.

This series documents the Supreme Court cases for which the Justices required Orals. Also included are documents describing how the Court reached certain decisions. Such cases include; the People v Budzyn, (102654/102655), in which a black man was killed by a white police officer, and In Re Hon William Runco (113567), which was the first time the Supreme Court became involved in a Judicial Tenure Commission (JTC) case.

Orals is the final step in the process of Michigan Supreme Court case review. First, the Justices decide if a case should be reviewed at all. Then, a case might require a Justice to review or research the case. Next, the Justice may require the lawyers to specifically address one or a few points (mini orals). If the Justices have many or various points to review, the case requires Orals, or presentations by lawyers for the case.

The process for Orals is complex. First, Weaver’s law clerks wrote up a Pre-Oral for her to read about the case. These law clerks include Susan Grace Davis, Graham Bateman, Stephanie, Angela Verner, and Elizabeth Bagley Roth. After the Pre-Oral, Justices hear the case for thirty minutes (Orals). Afterwards, a Justice wrote an opinion. The draft was then circulated to the other Justices. The Justices then edited and revised certain phrases to make it legally correct. If the other Justices did not agree, they wrote up a dissenting opinion or their own opinion. The Justices then decided whom they agreed with and a majority/minority was established. A Justice could also concur in part, and dissent in other parts. “I release my string” is a common phrase used to establish when a Justice threw out their own opinion, as there could only be one majority opinion.

“LIG” is another term used on the Supreme Court. This means leave to appeal improvidently granted, in which the Court believes the case was allowed to be appealed when it should not have been (as explained by CMU Emeritus Professor Joyce Baugh in an email to the Archivist, February 2018).

Abeyance is also a term used by the Supreme Court. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, this means “a state of temporary disuse or suspension.”

Justices made history by hearing an oral argument at the Lapeer County Courthouse in 2007. Completed in 1846, it is the oldest Michigan courthouse still in operation. The plan was to continue this tradition at various courthouses in the upcoming years, but this seemingly has not come into fruition. This is documented in Box #60.

Processing note: 40.5 cubic feet of copies, drafts, and peripheral materials was withdrawn during processing. All acidic materials were copied and the copies were added to the collection. 5 cubic feet of Orals VHS tapes and DVDs are separately cataloged.

Series 15, processed by Brian Schamber, Crystal River Materials, 1975-2005 (Scattered), and undated, 1.5 cubic feet (in 3 boxes) includes: correspondence, constituent letters, a DNR packet, EPA documents, zoning ordinance, directories, reports, newspaper clippings(copies), meeting minutes, circuit court case materials, memorandum, a VHS videotape, water level reports, plat map and a survey sketch

This series documents documents environmental issues in the Crystal River and Glen Lake, Michigan area. Of particular interest are documents related to the Homestead golf course development project (all boxes) which contain correspondence surveys from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of the Interior, and Bill Ford (William Clay Ford, Jr.) and the Friends of Crystal River, a local grassroots environmental organization. The collection also documents a law suit related to water level control between Leelanau County and the Glen Lake-Crystal River Watershed Riparians verses the Glen Lake Association. Continued by Series 26.

Processing note: 1.5 cubic feet of peripheral materials, duplicates, copies, in several formats were withdrawn.

Series 16, processed by JoAnna Lincoln and Cassie Olson, Mini-Orals (MOAAs or Mini-Oral Argument on the Application), 2002-2010 and undated, 11.75 cubic feet (in 24 boxes) includes: case notes, legal findings, memorandums, orders, transcripts, supporting constituent correspondence, syllabuses and other, related materials.

This series documents the Supreme Court cases for which the Justices required Mini-Orals to determine if the case should be tried in the Supreme Court. Also included are documents describing how the Court reached certain decisions.

The Mini-Oral Argument on the Application, or MOAA, gives the Court an opportunity to explore the issues involved in the case without the full briefing and submission that follows a leave to appeal. Many times, the Court orders a MOAA to discuss more specific issues before elevating it to a full oral argument.

Each MOAA case included some variation of the following materials: memorandum opinion, orders, a syllabus, memorandums, applications, motions, supplemental reports, Weaver’s notes, conference agendas, a transcript, and photographs.

Some of these cases include; MOAA Docket 127292 wherein a baby was either thrown or fell accidentally out of a window, MOAA Docket 133988 wherein a woman crossing the street was hit by a police car, and Docket 135247 in which the MOAA was held at the Barry County Historical Courthouse with high school students present for educational purposes. In her notes, Weaver expressed her opinion that Docket 135247 was the worst MOAA they had ever heard.

Orals is the final step in the process of Michigan Supreme Court case review. First, the Justices decide if a case should be reviewed at all. Then, a case might require a Justice to review or research the case. Next, the Justice may require the lawyers to specifically address one or a few points (mini orals). If the Justices have many or various points to review, the case requires Orals, or presentations by lawyers for the case. For more information on Orals, see the finding aid for Orals.

Processing Note: 7.5 cubic feet of copies, miscellaneous agendas and notes, drafts, and peripheral materials were withdrawn during processing.

Series 17, processed by JoAnna Lincoln, Reference Materials, 1985-2010, and undated, 1 cubic foot (in 2 boxes) includes: various reports and publications by the courts for the state of Michigan, audits, forums, essays, materials for events Weaver attended, legal documents investigating Weaver and other justices for judicial malpractice, personal correspondence, correspondence from constituents with strong feelings, materials from organizations Weaver was involved with, and Weaver’s personal membership cards.

Processing Note: Ten feet of materials including duplicates, newspaper clippings, empty envelopes, advertisements, court orders, sticky notes, reference materials, floppy disks, FYIs, and peripheral materials were removed from the collection during processing. 19 items were separately cataloged.

Series 18, processed by Nikki Brabaw, Campaigns Material, 1974-2010, and undated, 2.5 cubic feet (in 5 boxes) includes: Materials relate to the various campaigns and elections Weaver ran for – Probate Court in 1974, Court of Appeals in 1986 and 1992, Michigan Supreme Court Justice in 1995 and 2002, and her appointment to Chief Justice in 1999. This series also documents Justice Weaver’s initial resignation from Supreme Court in 2005 that she later revoked, her campaign for a third term as Justice in 2010, that she revoked, and her official resignation in 2010. Justice Weaver’s attempts to reveal to the public the corruption of the other Michigan Supreme Court Justices are somewhat displayed in this collection, and the backlash she received from other justices that ultimately led to an investigation into her conduct as a justice and her later, forced, resignation. This series also documents that Justice Weaver legally changed her name from Betty to Elizabeth to help avoid confusion when the public assumed her full name was Elizabeth. Also included is the page from Corp! Magazine in which Weaver was named one of the top 95 most powerful women in Michigan in 2002. Along with Justice Weaver’s campaigns, this series also includes the other judges and politicians that she endorsed and supported during their campaigns and when she was not back up for election. The last box of this series also includes three-dimensional objects – two hats and one paper weight. Researchers may also be interested in Series 5 of this collection which covers 1990, 1995 and undated materials .75 cubic feet (2 boxes), of Weaver’s first run for Michigan Supreme Court. Researchers may also note that there are only three items in one folder pertaining to Weaver’s 1992 campaign for Court of Appeals. An exhaustive, unsuccessful search was completed to find additional materials.

Processing Note: Approximately 22.25 cubic feet of materials including duplicates, newspaper clippings, empty envelopes, post-it notes, reference materials, floppy disks, miscellaneous financials, miscellaneous notes, letters addressed to Weaver that have no response, miscellaneous cassette tapes, acidic paper, event invitations that Weaver did not attend, receipts, agendas and calendars, miscellaneous office supplies, unsupported CDs, and peripheral materials were removed from the series during processing. Cassette tapes of radio interviews with Justice Weaver in which she openly discussed the wrongdoings of the other Justices, and how she felt the court system should change, were also withdrawn due to their content. Twenty-nine photographs were removed from this series and interfiled with the other general photographs in the collection. Also withdrawn was a card from Nancy (who worked for Weaver) in which an actual flower was pressed insecurely into the front and was breaking off into the rest of the series. Researchers may also note that special attention was given to any materials from Justice Weaver’s first run for Michigan Supreme Court in 1994, Hall of Justice documents and speeches. A few of these items were found in this series and were appropriate interfiled. Thirty-four items were separately cataloged and twenty-one additional items were added to the Michigan Vertical Files.

Series 19, processed by Brad Davis, 46th District Court Docket No. 128878 materials, 2004-2006, 2018, and undated, 2.25 cubic ft. (in 5 boxes) includes: case overview, appendices, application to leave for appeal, and sealed exhibitions.

This series documents the suppressed case of the 46th Circuit Trial Court v. Crawford County. The Trial Court’s predecessor, the 46th Circuit Court, was the circuit court servicing Otsego, Crawford, and Kalkaska counties. There was a plan to evaluate the feasibility of consolidating various court functions into a single entity known as the 46th Trial Court.

In order to facilitate this consolidation, the Trial Court began a large-scale administrative reorganization for the purpose of standardizing wages, benefits, and personnel policies in 2004. During the reorganization, the Chief Judge requested that his employees switch to less-favorable prescription drug and health insurance plans and that they relinquish longevity plans for an enhanced employee pension plan funded by the counties. The Chief Judge presented his enhanced benefits plan to the Tri-County Committee, and subsequently to each county’s board of commission. The resolution was passed by the Otsego and Kalkaska county boards.

The Crawford County board refused to sign the contract because the board’s concern regarding the prospect of a sizeable unfunded liability, led to the District Court’s involvement. In 2004, Crawford County refused to pay its share of the costs of the enhanced benefit plans. In 2005, Kalkaska County Board of Commissioners rescinded its resolution on the basis of the concerns raised by Crawford County. Otsego County proceeded to fund the entire cost of the enhanced benefits plan without reimbursement from the other funding units.

Application for leave to appeal was answered in 2005. A major issue in the case was that Judge Davis tried inappropriately to impose his plan on the counties without the commissioner’s approval, super-ceding his authority. The case was decided in 2006, and later suppressed. The 46th District Court is now the 46th Circuit Court. (Information taken from the Case Overview provided in the collection.)

Processing Note: Nothing from the collection was withdrawn during processing.

Series 20, processed by Brad Davis, Reform Michigan Government Now Materials, 2008, .25 cubic ft. (in 1 box), includes: orders from the court, news articles, and memoranda.

This series documents the decision o f the courts on a proposed amendment to the Michigan constitution to be included on the ballot during the 2008 presidential election. Reform Michigan Government sought to amend the Michigan constitution to completely reform the Michigan courts by increasing the number of local judges and decreasing the number of Michigan Supreme Court Justices from seven to five. The proposed amendment became a topic of controversy between Michigan Democrats and Republicans.

72% of Michigan voters eventually favored the amendment. However, the proposal also encountered opposition, most notably among the Michigan Republican Party, which launched a campaign to stop the proposed amendment from being placed on the ballot in November 2008. The argument between supporters and the opposition to the amendment led to the proposal reaching the Michigan Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals ruled that the amendment was unconstitutional, causing a greater controversy.

The ruling by the Court of Appeals was challenged and the case was brought to the Michigan Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the lower court, leaving the proposed amendment off the ballot in the November election. (Video recordings of the oral arguments for this case are separately catalogued.)

Processing Note: .25 cubic ft. of material outside the scope of the collection were withdrawn during processing.

Series 21, processed by Lindsey Rogers, Macomb County Probate Court (MCPC) Materials, 1999-2009, .5 cubic foot (in 1 box), includes: correspondence, supporting documents (memorandums, emails, and statements from members of the court and the public) concerning the investigation of the behavior of MCPC judges.

This series was created due to apparent negligence on the behalf of certain judges on the MCPC. Justice Weaver became involved after an article appeared in the newspaper, which detailed the ongoing issues between Judge Pamela Gilbert O’Sullivan and then-Chief Judge Kathryn George. The series centers on several mishandled cases and issues surrounding the Addams Guardianship Services. These issues affected Justice Weaver’s personal life and her position on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Of particular note is Justice Weaver’s rapidly deteriorating friendship with Judge Kenneth Sanborn, as indicated in letters throughout this series. The materials within indicate that Justice Weaver may have been building a case against Judge George, and later newspapers articles show that Judge George was removed as Chief Judge and was investigated by the Michigan Judicial Tenure Commission (MJTC). Justice Weaver’s relationships with the other Supreme Court Justices is also documented throughout this series.

Weaver’s attempts to replace Sanborn with O’Sullivan and to file complaints against George with the MJTC all failed by October 2008 (“Probate’s acting chief judge will stay put,” Macomb Daily, October 3, 2008, accessed online December 21, 2018.)

Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of duplicates, out-of-scope materials, and blanks were withdrawn during processing.

Series 22, processed by Anna Dean, Emily Moran, and Mitchel Watts, Administrative Meeting Minutes, 1994-2010, 2.75 cubic ft. (in 6 boxes) is a compilation of minutes created by Justice Weaver for reference. Most of the boxes of this series include agendas and meeting minutes of the court and of court administrative meetings. The fourth box contains the opening and closing of files, Michigan Justice Tenure Commission (JTC) staff reports and letters of recommendation regarding JTC amendments

At the Court Administrative meetings the Justices discuss the inner workings and rules of the court themselves and approve meeting minutes from prior meetings. There are specific court processes that were often changed or adjusted. During these meetings important changes to the court, such as the nomination and acquisition of a new Chief Justice, were discussed. Towards the end of these meetings, Justice Young abstained from approving meeting minutes for a multitude of years. He stated that he will stop abstaining when Justice Weaver is removed from the court. These meetings occurred approximately once a week or every other week.

During court case file review meetings the Justices vote on whether or not a case showed the plaintiff guilty or innocent or decide whether or not they wanted to review a case. These meetings occurred approximately once a week or every other week.

The opening or closing of certain cases is also documented in this series. There is a statute of limitations so if the Justices wish to open or close these files they are allowed to do so only within a certain period. These meetings rarely occurred.

Box 244 (a .25 cubic foot box) includes two JTC folders. During JTC meetings complex changes for justices’ roles were discussed, including a large number of rule changes which govern judicial disciplinary proceedings. These changes were considered in 1999 and 2000. Some of these changes were accepted. There were also a number of recommendations by various people to amend these rules. The JTC met the second Monday of each month.

The Michigan JTC was established by the state in 1968. The Commission strives to hold state judges, magistrates, and referees accountable for their misconduct without jeopardizing or compromising the essential independence of the judiciary. The basis for Commission action is a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct or Rules of Professional Conduct, which are published with the Michigan Rules of Court. (This information is from the MI JTC’s website, accessed February 20, 2019.)

Processing Note: 58.75 cubic foot of duplicates, out-of-scope materials, and blanks were withdrawn during processing.

Series 23, processed by Carolyn Niehaus, Denials, 2007 – 2009, 9 cubic ft. (in 18 boxes), includes: case notes, legal findings, memorandums, orders, holds, transcripts, supporting constituent correspondence, Justice Weaver notes, syllabuses and other, related materials.

This series documents the Supreme Court cases for which the Justices determine that the case should not be reviewed or tried in the Supreme Court. Also included are documents describing how the Court reached certain decisions.

Each Denial case includes some variation of the following materials: memorandum opinion, orders, a syllabus, memorandums, hold orders, applications, motions, supplemental reports, Weaver’s notes, a transcript, photographs, and other documents relevant to the evaluation of individual cases.

Hold orders appear as regular correspondence between Justices within each Denial case docket. According to Black’s Law Dictionary, a hold order is “an instruction to stop activity by a previous order” (March, 2019). Hold orders appear in the Denial cases through phrasing such as “Please hold this case for conference consideration”, “Please hold this case. I would like to review the file at greater length”, or “THIS IS NOT A HOLD”.

Orals is the final step in the process of Michigan Supreme Court case review. First, the Justices decide if a case should be reviewed at all. If not, the case is denied. Then, a case might require a Justice to review or research the case, and then it may be denied. Next, the Justice may require the lawyers to specifically address one or a few points (mini orals), and then the case may be denied. If the Justices have many or various points to review, the case requires Orals, or presentations by lawyers for the case, and even then the case may be denied. For more information on Orals, see the finding aid for Orals.

Processing Note: 1 cubic feet of copies, miscellaneous agendas and notes, drafts, and peripheral materials as well as cases involving minors were withdrawn during processing. While cases involving minors are a matter of public record, the Justices’ notes about these sensitive cases were not. Therefore, they were withdrawn during processing.

Series 24, processed by Mitchel Watts, the Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (GTFCAN), 1978-2014, undated, 1 cubic foot (in 2 boxes, 1 Oversized folder) includes: reports, notably the Washtenaw County Trial Court Family Division Juvenile Court Reorganization Report 2001, appointments, state-congressional bills, letters, executive summary, model protocols and a CD. The collection documents the Task Force’s findings and reports on child abuse and neglect in the state of Michigan. The series includes case documents on the debatable topic of whether or not spiritual healing qualifies as child abuse (see Weaver GTFCJ, Spiritual Healing, 1993-1997 folder). A speech made by Justice Weaver (see Weaver GTFCAN, Leland Education Foundation Speech, 2011 folder) details changes she wanted to implement in the court system. There is a CD (see Weaver GTFCAN, State Court Administrative Office 8th Annual Child Welfare Services Conference, Pathways to Permanency, CD, 2012 folder) records an annual conference sponsored by the GTFCAN. Lastly, there is her oversized certificate of to the GTFCJ in 2004. The oversized folder includes Weaver GTFCJ, Appointment Certificate, 2004.

Originally established in 1991, the Governor’s Task Force on Children’s Justice (GTFCJ) was renamed The Governor’s Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (GTFCAN) in 2010. The charge of the Task Force remained the same, which was to review and evaluate State investigative, administrative and both civil and criminal judicial handling of cases of child abuse and neglect, including child sexual abuse and exploitation, as well as cases involving suspected child maltreatment related fatalities and cases involving a potential combination of jurisdictions, such as intrastate, interstate, Federal-State, and State-Tribal. Justice Weaver served on both task forces as chair, 1993-2012. Justice Weaver was aware of the suffering of minors in the court system and sought to alleviate their suffering by accelerating the rate by which their cases were heard and resolved through reorganization and reassignments of cases that were waiting for a judge to hear or review them. Her ideas proved unpopular as most Michigan judges did not desire a larger caseload. (This information is from the series, her book, and the website Michigan.gov/Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, accessed in October 2020.)

Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of duplicates, copies, blank papers and miscellaneous information was withdrawn during processing.

Series 25, processed by Emily Moran, Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver Miscellaneous and Photographs, 1987, 2011, undated, includes: awards and various installments of each ceremony in this series, particularly her investiture as Chief Supreme Court Justice in 1995 and involvement with the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame (MWHoF), speeches, including those related to her induction, other women’s inductions into the MWHoF, as well as graduations and other events, and correspondence. Also included are some financial reports, and a folder regarding her judicial misconduct (October-December 2002). Other folders of interest include materials related to the Supreme Court Learning Center, Supreme Court Survival Kit, which are intended for new Justices. Weaver answered a number of questions about her upbringing and how she became interested in a legal career. Lastly, there is a script of her speaking part in an educational video about the courts. The collection is arranged in alphabetical order. There is a thank you note from President George W. Bush and two packets titled Portfolio of Michigan Capito Woodcuts, Reprinted from 1879, and coins, for Capitols 125th Anniversary, 2004. Miscellaneous photographs (Box 284) include formal and informal photographs of Justice Weaver campaigning, interacting with colleagues and friends, group photographs of justices, in the Michigan Woman’s Hall of Fame, Hall of Justice images, and documentation of the arson destruction and recovery of the Court of Appeals office, 1987. There is one photograph of her with President Ronald Reagan, 1995.

Michigan Women Forward, previously known as the Michigan Women’s Foundation, began in 1986 as an organization “devoted to the economic and personal well-being of Michigan women and girls.” Since 1987 they have held annual induction ceremonies into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame. Justice Elizabeth Weaver was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005 and gave speeches in honor of other nominees in 2006 and 2008. (This information is from the collection and the Michigan Supreme Court Learning Center’s website, https://courts.michigan.gov/education/learning-center/Pages/default.aspx, Accessed 2 November 2020.)

The Supreme Court Learning Center was established as a hands-on gallery to engage visitors and aid them in understanding the roles of the judicial branch of government. The Learning Center offers tours and educational programs geared towards K-12 students across the state. Justice Elizabeth Weaver was the Supervising Justice for the Learning Center in 2006, however it is not clear how long she held this position. (This information is from the collection and Michigan Women Forward’s website, https://miwf.org/, Accessed 2 November 2020.)

Processing Note: During processing 7cubic feet of duplicates, copies, blank papers and miscellaneous information was withdrawn. Three items relating to budget reports had previously been cataloged and were placed with their appropriate collections.

Series 26, processed by Mitchel Watts, is a continuation of Series 15, the Crystal River series, 1983-2003, undated, 1.5 cubic feet (in 4 boxes) includes: dockets for the Michigan Appeals and Supreme Court, reports, letters, and maps. The majority of the series is recorded proceedings of the Michigan Supreme Court case Friends of the Crystal River V. Kuras Properties. Notably, the series has a full report from the Department of the Army that details their findings in Glen Arbor Township (see Weaver Crystal River, Department of the Army Permit Evaluation Homestead, Undated folder). The series has two folders of letters, one each that supports and disapproves of the proposed golf course (See Weaver Crystal River, Golf Course Support Letters, 1987 folder and Weaver Crystal River, Letters Opposed to the golf Course, 1986-1987). The series also contains a map that shows where the Homestead proposed purchase of land would be in Glen Arbor Township (See Weaver Crystal River, Facts and Maps Concerning the Homestead Golf Course, 1983, 1986). The legal-size box contains recorded proceeding of the case in the Appeals Court.

In 1986, the Homestead Resort in Glen Arbor, Michigan, planned to build a golf course some of which would overlap the Crystal River. The Homestead sought to incorporate the Crystal River as a water hazard within the golf course. Some of the local population so (saw?) this new course as a violations to rivers purity and formed a group called Friends of the Crystal River. The Friends filed a suit against Homestead alleging that their new course would violate the state’s wetlands act and Environmental Protection acts by disrupting the river’s ecology and interfering with the public’s right to use it. When the golf course was approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Friends filed a suit which eventually reached the Michigan Supreme Court under docket number 107823. The Supreme court decided to abolish all previous rulings in the lower courts and left the decision to the Department of the Army to determine if the golf course could be built without affecting the environment. After a long survey, the Department of the Army deemed that building the golf course would not be best for the land and Crystal River and therefore the Homestead golf course was not built.

Processing Note: During processing 1 cubic foot of duplicates, blank papers, newspaper clippings and miscellaneous information was withdrawn. One cassette tape and 9 mini cassette tapes were also withdrawn for their miscellaneous information.

Series 27, processed by Emily Moran, Events, 1994-2004, .25 cubic feet (in 1 box) includes: invitations and / or tickets to a wide array of events such as, luncheons, conferences, inductions, banquets, ceremonies, fundraisers, birthday parties, graduations, retirement parties, and organization meetings. There is a folder that contains speeches given by Justice Weaver when attending events titled Events Featuring Speeches, 1994-2004. The folder titled Events Relating to Attorneys / Law Topics, 1998-2004 features events hosted by organizations such as the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and the Michigan Trial Lawyers Association. The folder titled Events Relating to Friends and Family, 2001-2004 includes invitations and tickets to weddings, graduations, retirements, plays, and symphonies. Events Relating to Judges / Judicial Topics, 1999-2004 has invitations regarding investitures, as well as events hosted by the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society and the Michigan Judicial Institute. Lastly, the folder titled Events Relating to Miscellaneous Organizations, 1999-2004 contains invitations to events hosted by organizations that do not fit into other folders listed, such as the House Republican Campaign Committee and Michigan Senate Republicans.

Founded in 1928, the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan (PAAM) is a voluntary association serving the state of Michigan. As an organization, their primary function is to keep all prosecuting attorneys throughout the state of Michigan updated of changes in law, legislation, and other matters that pertain to their offices. Their goal is to create a uniform system of conduct, duty, and procedure, for each county in the state. (This information is from the Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan’s website, https://www.michiganprosecutor.org/, accessed 25 November 2020.)

The Michigan Trial Lawyers Association is now known as the Michigan Association of Justice (MAJ). The organization’s mission statement is “to promote a fair and effective justice system,” through supporting the work of attorneys who obtain justice for persons who are injured by misconduct or negligence of others. The organization achieves this by hosting seminars, forums, and publications to help MAJ members advocate for their clients successfully. (This information is from the Michigan Association of Justice website, https://www.michiganjustice.org/, accessed on 25 November 2020.)

Processing Note: 4 cubic feet of copies, thank you letters, event schedules, blank papers and miscellaneous information was withdrawn during processing.

Series 28, processed by Emily Moran, Court Cases, 1996-2008, .5 cubic feet (in 1 box) includes: court-related documents, such as syllabi, opinions, hearing transcripts, supplemental reports, and orders. Also included are personal notes taken by Justice Weaver during oral hearings and memorandums sent between the Justices. Three cases are highlighted in the collection: Gilbert v. DaimlerChrysler Co., In re Haley, and In re Nettles-Nickerson. Each court case has a folder Syllabus, Official Documents, and a folder Orals, Personal Notes, in which Justice Weaver made notes and comments regarding each case. A specific folder In re Haley Memorandums between Justices, 2005-2006, features the back and forth hostile deliberation about the majority and minority opinions between both Justice Weaver and the majority, Robert P. Young, Jr., Clifford W. Taylor, Maura D. Corrigan, and Stephen J. Markman. A folder Sample of Weaver Selected Cases, 1996-1998, were intentionally retained by Justice Weaver to demonstrate her dissenting opinions.

Processing Note: 5.5 cubic feet of copies, memorandums, supplemental information, and miscellaneous materials were withdrawn during processing.

Series 29, processed by Marian Matyn, Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver Budgets, Calendars, 1975, 2007 (Scattered), 1 cubic feet (in 2 boxes), consists of the remnants of two series, Budgets and Calendars, combined into one. The series includes budget information for the Judiciary, 1998; Recorder’s Court, 1997; a survey of court employee compensation, 1996; and correspondence and an article about the Justices no longer having a state car in 2007 due to budget cuts. Also included is a sample of Weaver’s various types of calendars, 1975-1976; 1981; 1986; 1995; 2001 and 2005. She had multiple calendars each year with both personal and professional entries duplicated from one calendar to the next. In 1975 Weaver had two desk calendars. The archivist combined pages with information on them, which sometimes is duplicative, into one folder. The calendars span her time as a Probate Court Judge, January 1974-1986, and as a Michigan Supreme Court Justice, 1995-2010, and as Chief Justice, 1999-2001.

Processing Note: During processing 4 cubic feet of duplicates, miscellaneous, phone message books, and blanks was withdrawn. 1 publication was separately cataloged.

Series 30, processed by Emily Moran, Leelanau Center for Education (LCE), 1980-1987, and undated, .25 cubic ft. (in 1 box), contains materials relating to Justice Weaver’s involvement within the Leelanau Center for Education (LCE), such as letters of grievances, letters regarding the Homestead golf course development project, LCE curriculum and policy changes, and Justice Weaver’s 1987 resignation from the Board of Trustees. Folders of interest include Grievances to LCE Board of Trustees, 1987, featuring letters from Leelanau School alum, The Homestead Golf Course Project, 1986-1987, containing materials sent to the Board of Trustees concerning the golf course development project, and LCE Curriculum, 1980-1987, undated, which highlights school curriculum and policies, including Christian Science programs. Lastly, Resignation from the LCE, 1987, has farewell letters sent to Justice Weaver after her departure from the Board of Trustees

Researchers may also be interested in related materials found in Series 12 Probate Court and Leelanau Materials 1974-1990, undated, as well as folder Leelanau School Documents, 1986-1987, in Series 15 and 26 Crystal River Materials.

Camp Leelanau for Boys and Camp Kohahna for Girls were founded by M. “Skipper” Beals and his sister Maude Beals Turner in the early 1920s. Originally providing daily educational programs, the camps paved way for the creation of what is now known as the Leelanau School to offer year-round traditional academics. The two camps joined together in the 1970s to share land and were located in Northport from 1981-1988. In 1988, the non-profit organization Camp Leelanau and Kohahna Foundation, Inc. was formed to take on the responsibilities of running the camps.

Previously known as the Leelanau Center for Education, the Leelanau School is a private boarding and day school for K-12 students. The Homestead, Leelanau School, and Camp Leelanau were supervised by the governing board of the Leelanau School and shared space on the same property before a division of the land between the three groups in the 1980s. The school is designed to be a facility for students looking to learn in a Christian Science community. (This information is taken from the collection, The Leelanau School’s official website, https://leelanau.org/, and Camp Leelanau and Kohahna’s official website, https://leelanau-kohahna.org/, accessed 1 December 2020.)

Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of copies, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, water damaged materials, and miscellaneous papers were withdrawn during processing.

Series 31, processed by Marian Matyn, Justice Elizabeth A. Weaver CJJ (Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice), 1995, 2006, 1.5 cubic feet (in 3 boxes), includes: meeting minutes and related emails, attachments, reports, proposals, and statistics for the committee, executive committee, and subcommittees on which Weaver served, 1995-2006, There is material for every year except 1996 and 2000. There are reports, proposals, and statistics on at risk, abused, and disproportionately incarcerated Michigan Black, Native American and female minors from organizations and government agencies responsible for their care, trying to improve their care, or reporting on it including: Childhelp USA, Leelanau County Family Coordinating Council, Michigan Child and Family Services, Michigan State University School of Criminal Justice, Alternatives for Girls, Michigan Department of Human Services’ Bureau of Juvenile Justice (BJJ), Black Family Development, Inc. (Detroit), and Girls Rock Our World (G.R.O.W.). There is also a letter from Margie Good who served on the CJJ with Weaver recommending the governor reappoint Weaver due to her excellent service to the committee. In 2005 the CJJ was supposed to submit a Juvenile Crime analysis report, 2000-2003, but members found many inaccuracies in it.

The Michigan Committee on Juvenile Justice, abbreviated by Weaver as CJJ, provides advice, suggestions and solutions to the Governor on juvenile justice issues. The CJJ works collaboratively with the Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies. The Committee has been instrumental in changing practices, policies, and philosophies to improve the juvenile justice system. Created in 1975, it is an important liaison with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), an office of the federal Department of Justice. Every three years the CJJ is required to develop and submit a juvenile justice plan to the OJJDP. The mission of the CJJ is to advise the Governor on matters related to juvenile justice legislation and administration, to mobilize communities to develop and implement prevention services, and to create a strategic plan that sets standards, determines priorities and allocates funds for successful. delinquency prevention and rehabilitative programs. (This information is from the MCJJ website, https://michigancommitteeonjuvenilejustice.com/about-us/about-us.html, accessed December 1, 2020.)

Processing Note: 1.5 cubic feet of duplicates, out-of-state publications, reading materials, and miscellaneous information was withdrawn during processing.

Series 32, processed by Emily Moran, Central Michigan University Law Couse, 1976 and undated, .25 cubic foot (in 1 box), ccontains materials relating to Justicer Weaver's law course which she taught through CMU at NMCC in Traverse City, Michigan. Materials include class syllabus, lecture outlines, lecture notes, quizzes and tests relating to the course. Lastly, there is a booklet relating to laws of Michigan (in folder CMU Law Course, You and the Law Publication), undated.

Central Michigan University (CMU) began officially offering classes in Traverse City in 1979 through Northwestern Michigan Community College (NMCC). The course taught by Justice Elizabeth Weaver in 1976 was a special opportunity provided to students given the unique circumstances of Justice Weaver offering to run the course.

Processing Note: During processing 1 cubic foot, .5 cubic foot from this series and .5 from Media series, which was photocopied news clippings and recordings of Weaver being interviewed by the press over the phone, were withdrawn.

Series 33, processed by Emily Moran, Mitchel Watts, Opinion Agendas, 1997-1999, 2008, .5 cubic foot (in 1 box), is agendas for meetings at which the Michigan Supreme Court decided which opinions to rehear. There are some additional notes as to which justice initially reviewed the case and presented it to the other justices, vote tallies and comments.

Processing Note: .25 cubic foot of duplicates were withdrawn during processing.

Series 34,processed by Emily Moran, MItchel Watts, Objects, 1984-2011, undated, 5cubic foot (in 3 boxes, 6 Oversized folders, 1 Oversized framed portrait) includes: a sample of her election banners, posters, t-shirts, and bumper stickers; certificates, oaths of office, and diplomas, awards and plaques, and an oil painting of when she was a probate judge, undated.

Processing Note: .5 cubic foot of duplicates was withdrawn during processing.

Closed series Processing Note: During processing, Michigan Supreme Court Orals, 1998-2010 (videotapes and DVDs) were separately cataloged as a series. Please refer to that catalog record for further information. Also during processing several series marked Closed when donated to the Clarke were withdrawn from the collection during processing, a total of 3.5 cubic feet.

The collection includes a wide variety of business records for a lumber company, records of lumber camps, and personal family materials, especially letters and receipts.

Scope and Contents Note: Volumes:

This collection consists mostly of Business Records of C.S. Bliss and Co. (131 volumes). Among the correspondence are letters to other members of the Bliss family, such as his son Ralph, but even these are business related a majority of the time. All aspects of C.S. Bliss and company included lumber, timber, wood delivery, lumber camps, railroads, real estate, farming, ranching and milling. He also donated frequently to charity and purchased stocks and raffle tickets. On a darker note, there were a lot of injury reports in several of the Impression Books, mostly by young men who had only been with the company for a few days or months. Unfortunately, there are no extant volumes conveying vessels. The Business Correspondence in this collection is a series of 35 Letter Books spanning the years 1879-1927.The Volumes vary greatly in size and are divided by function and then chronologically. For the sake of convenience they are housed together. Items are listed in chronological order but may be shelved according to size, with large or very heavy volumes on the bottom shelves. The volumes are mostly financial Account Books but there are Non-Financial Volumes in the collection as well.

The Non-Financial Volumes include: [35] Letter Books, 1879- 1927, Records and statistics: [1] Newspaper Scrapbook and Farm Statistics (articles torn out), 1911 [1] Railroad Car Record, 1904-1905 [1] Cattle and Sheep Record, 1906-1908 [1] Record from Hicksville, Ohio, 1879-1880 [1] Ranch Statistics, 1909-1910 The Financial Volumes include: [51] Ledgers 1879-1906) [1] One empty Ledger [19] Journals, 1887-1916 [11] Cash Books, 1887-1906, undated [4] Check Stubs, 1905-1906 Miscellaneous Financial [1] Trial Balance Book (1885?) [1] Journal, Inventory and Log Record, 1899-1900 [1] Inventory, 1903 [1] Log and Timber Tally, 1910-1911

*Special Notes on Non-Financial Sources: -Letter Books- contain copies of correspondence that have been transferred to thin paper. This format presents issues with bleeding ink and fragile pages and are quite difficult to read through much of the time. Correspondence, receipts and the occasional accident report are among the things copied into these impression books. • Tucked into Volume 13 is a one page obituary about a woman named Mrs. Isabella J. Boyce. Isabella was the second wife of lumber baron Jonathon Boyce. (Volume 13) • Volume 30 is one that contains several accident reports all among employees who had been with the company for a matter of days (page 734, 738, 740). Volume 34 contains a long letter between Charles Bliss and his son Ralph and one of the things discussed is a hand injury that Bliss himself received (page 272). • Evidence of deforestation presents itself in Volume 35; Bliss urges a Mr. Wallace to plant “any kind of growth of timber, even raspberries…” to prevent the land from drying up.

- The volumes containing records and statistics are disappointing in the realm of knowledge to be reaped. Very few pages are used in these volumes and pages that are utilized are incomplete or irrelevant to the apparent purpose of the volume. Volume 36, contained many articles that were ripped out; Volume 38 contains the words “cattle record” but no such record exists in the volume. Still, the idea behind such records is to help ensure your business continues to profit as you take on more challenges; it offers some predictability based on the current years yields.

*Special Notes on Financial Volumes: -Ledgers- allow researchers to catch a glimpse as to what lumbermen saw fit to invest their money. Common items include, clothing items, food, rent or board, tobacco, tools, supplies, etc.

• Volume 44 held a copy of a Weather forecast from an unknown source. The author says, “The critic in the east who does not understand or who wishes to misrepresent us…mock at our prediction of warm weather…The next Vulcan Storm period is central on the 24th.” Considering the fact that Vulcan is the name of the ancient Roman god of fire; often depicted with a blacksmith’s hammer in his hands, referencing him could not only be a metaphor for severe weather, but may have caused Bliss to save the article as it hearkens back to his time as a blacksmith in Ohio. Possibly ironic is the fact that on page 76 there are lyrics to a song about “Sunny Tennessee” is written. • Volume 47 marked a significant increase in the amount of chewing tobacco, smoking tobacco and cigars that was being purchased. Perhaps this was a particularly stressful time for Bliss; Or maybe it was a time of profit where he could afford to splurge. • Volume 89 is an empty Ledger and is retained solely to demonstrate that information in that series and year was not recorded by Bliss.

-Journals and Cash Books- contain information strictly having to do with balancing financial accounts with credits and debits. Specifically represented are the terms Bills Receivable, Bills Payable, Expenses, Insurance and taxes, Interest, Labor and Loss and Gain.

• Through processing the journals in this collection, one is able to discover the names or even locations of some of the lumber camps Bliss owned and operated including: Beaverton Camp, Gladwin Camp, McMullin’s Camp, Murphey’s camp, Coleman Camp, McReavey’s Camp and Brown’s camp (Volume 99, pages 27-155). • On the inside cover of Volume 120 are the words “Steal not this book my honest friend. For fear the gallows will be your end.” The importance of the information contained in such a volume is apparent in the tenor of the opening statement.

-Check stubs are tangible proof that money changed hands and that business was carried out. The problem with the volumes containing the check stubs is that the materials used and the treatment of its pages during use (with pieces of paper being pinned on top of each other and then left to be mouse-eaten) make the material difficult to work with.

• Volume 122 is nearly impossible to open without breaking the binding of the book or tearing its pages; check stub books in their construction are difficult to use over the passage of time.

-Miscellaneous Financial contains volumes that do not fit cleanly into any given category. The overlap in content in the different types of volumes makes it difficult to place some volumes under a specific heading. However, it also helps ensure that information is not lost because researchers would not readily pick up an uncategorized volume when most of the others are well organized.

Scope and Content Note: Papers:

The collection consists of business and personal records. Among them are lumber company business records such as correspondence, bills, banking and shipping records, inventories, disputes, insurance correspondence, requests for price quotes, property purchase records and lists of Michigan land with unpaid taxes which Bliss would send an agent to review and then, if there was timber on it, purchase and harvest the timber; lumbering and lumber camp reports, labor reports and related information, statistics, pay records, accidents reported in letters, a few letters relating to the hiring of women as business office clericals and cooks. The small lumber camp pay orders are very interesting because it documents what each person, mostly men, was paid as an hourly or daily or weekly wage, whether they worked for someone as a contract crew, who paid them, and which camp or unit in which they worked, and usually if they were or were not literate. In some cases, crews, family relations and spouses are documented. In a few cases wives or other relatives were given a man’s pay. Beginning in 1905 the collection includes documentation of renters and rental properties in Michigan and Arkansas, the purchase and sale of various timber lands in Michigan and other states, and other property, and petroleum interests. Beginning in 1921 Bliss further diversified his investments by purchasing foreign bonds in stocks from Brazil during a period of economic recession. (See Scope note specific to Spring 2018 class for more information.) Personal family materials, especially letters and receipts for personal items such as clothing, cigars, cars, food, materials to build, decorate and furnish a home; letters and records related to his farm, its care and supervision, and the supervision of his farm animals, including especially dogs and sheep; the Bliss family’s business and social groups, political connections, charitable giving, and Bliss’ involvement with two Michigan baseball teams. There are also letters and records related to his children, and documentation of the process of adopting his daughter beginning in December 1928. For more detail see the Summaries below.

The collection is mostly organized by size and then chronological and alphabetical order within the collection and the boxes. All the boxes are .5 cubic ft. letter-size boxes unless otherwise specified.

Scope and Contents Notes and Box and Folder Listings, as well as occasional biographical information, are separately described by each student processor for their final class project with some editing provided by Marian.

Each student in Archivist Marian Matyn’s HST 583 Archives Administration class, processed 1 box each of the C. S. Bliss collection to learn hands on processing skills. Each student received a .5-cubic ft. box full of materials. As much as possible these were processed in the rough alpha-chrono order in which they were originally housed in the Clarke. Each student retained and withdrew some of the collection and then created a mini finding aid with Scope and Contents Note and Box and Folder listing for their box. Sometimes during processing one box became two. This finding aid documents their work. Individual student processing remained as systematic as possible due to Marian’s teaching, direction, supervision and because students followed a standard template and instructions. Some students had materials in their boxes which shed new light on C.S. Bliss, his family, employees or relatives which was added to the biographical section. Occasionally research on a particularly interesting person or topic in ta box was described and cited by a student in their Scope Notes. This finding aid merges all the finding aids together with additional notation and context from Marian.

Summaries of each HST 583 Class’ Scope and Contents Note

HST 583 Spring 2013

During the Spring 2013 term, 15 students in my HST 583 Archives Administration class processed 10.75 cubic ft. in 25 boxes, 1 folder, including records dated 1887-July 1895. In this section of records, Arthur Seeley, one of Bliss’ agents, wrote often to Bliss Company headquarters and his correspondence is throughout the processed Bliss collection. A number of companies were unhappy with him and Bliss products. Two of Bliss lumber camp employees who wrote for supplies often were Alonzo Barcume and G. N. Brown, 1892 (see Box 9). The smallest part of the collection includes personal correspondence from various family members and a good friend, M. Readman (see Box 9). Bliss family members mentioned in the correspondence include A.T. Bliss (see section processed by Brian Page); Mrs. L.W. Bliss (see Boxes 17-18); Bliss’ father (see Boxes 4-7); E. Stanton Bliss (see Boxes 11-12); and Edward Bliss, Joseph Bliss, Eli S. Bliss, C.N. Bliss, Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Irish, and Mrs. E.S. Bliss, all in conjunction with Edward’s will of December 1893 (see Boxes 17-18). There are also a few letters to Mrs. Bliss (see Box 15) as well as letters from daughter, Jeanie, to her Papa in1893 (see Boxes 17-18).

The first year of processing, the contents of 3.5 cubic ft. boxes, which were densely packed, were distributed in .5 cubic ft. boxes to each student. During processing, these boxes expanded into 10.75 cubic feet. At the beginning of the project students were asked to error on the side of retaining materials because we were unsure how often the class would be taught and wanted to have a nice collection of materials for researchers.

Boxes 1-2 (.75 cubic ft.), 1887-1889 processed by L. Sullivan. The Bliss Lumber Company Papers consist of general business correspondence, lumber camp correspondence, supplies lists from Mount Pleasant, Michigan, personal correspondence, and receipts. Overall, the material is grouped alphabetically. The general business correspondence contains business relations and deals between the Bliss Lumber Company and the companies involved with them, from about 1887 to1889. The lumber camp correspondence from January 1888 to December 1889 were sent from traveling Bliss Lumber Camps, where men would stay, live, and would send letters asking for supplies. The supplies lists from Mt. Pleasant, Michigan from about January to December 1889 contains lists of materials that were needed from the Bliss Lumber Company. The personal correspondences are from various people requesting money from the Bliss Lumber Company from about January to December 1889. The receipts are from three companies and or businesses (Bush, S.C. Randall and Company, and The Michigan Salt Association) that had significant purchases with the Bliss Lumber Company, between 1888 to1889.

Box 3, .5 cubic ft., processed by Brian Page, contains business correspondences, general receipts, and personal correspondences from the Bliss Lumber Company, 1889- 1890, one document dating from 1892. The majority of the documents are directly related to lumber sales and orders from companies within the state of Michigan and includes correspondences with large coal, railway, and steel industries. Important to note in this collection are the personal correspondences between Charles S. Bliss and Aaron T. Bliss, his uncle, dating from January 1890 to late August 1890. Aaron Thomas Bliss had served as a member of the Michigan Senate from 1882-1888, before getting elected to serve as a Representative of Michigan in the U.S House of Representatives from 1888-1891. During his time as a U.S Representative, Aaron T. Bliss introduced a bill that appropriated $25,000 for the Mount Pleasant Indian Boarding School. Later, Aaron T. Bliss would go on to serve two terms as the Governor of Michigan from 1900-1904. Charles joined the A.T Bliss and Brother Lumber Company in 1881, which would then become the C.S. Bliss and Company Lumber Company. Included in this collection’s personal correspondences between Charles and Aaron are discussions of family, money, and illness.

Boxes 4-7, 1.75 cubic feet, processed by N. Dominick, September 1890-July 1891 include business correspondence, personal correspondence, lumber reports, food reports, lumber camp wages, and log reports. Some major topics of interest include letters to C. S. Bliss and Company from September to October 1890 concerning an injury of an employee (found in box # 1 folder insurance injury reports sent by A. N. Parsons), letters to C.S. Bliss and Company from September to November 1890 concerning cancelation of insurance contract (found in box # 1 folder Insurance Correspondence sent by Mutual Fire Insurance Company), letters for C.S. Bliss and Company from November 1890 showing a map of Saginaw (found in box # 1 folder E- H sent by C.G. Fowler), letters to C.S. Bliss from January to February 1891 concerning diphtheria in the camp (found in box # 4 folder Michigan State Board of Health), letters to C.S. Bliss and Company from January to April 1891 concerning claims against the company (found in box # 4 folder Minneapolis Mutual Fire Insurance Company), and a letter to C.S. Bliss and Company concerning family horse with inflamed lungs sent by C.S. Bliss’s father (found in Personal Correspondence February to March 1891). This collection is organized by size, alphabetically, and chronologically. Boxes 1, 3-4 are letter-size and Box 2 is legal-size.

Box 8, .5 cubic ft., processed by A. Gress, includes mostly Business Correspondence, 1891, A-Y, Legal Documents and Correspondence, Business Receipts, Time Records, daily Business Correspondence and 1 folder of personal correspondence.

Box 9, .5 cubic ft., processed by Caity Sweet, consist of mostly business correspondence, January-April 1892, related to the C.S. Bliss and Company lumber company of Saginaw, Michigan. The majority is correspondence from other lumber companies or affiliated professions related to sales and purchases made by C.S. Bliss and Company. Documents in this collection range from January to April 1892. The box is organized alphabetically by senders’ last names and chronologically within senders’ papers if there is more than one from a sender. Receipts for business purchases are integrated throughout business correspondence, as well as letters from companies wishing to sell items to Bliss. There is an abundant amount of letters requesting overdue payments as well as customers unhappy with lumber they purchased from Bliss. For example, Peek and Jackson Lumber Dealers wrote numerous times about an order they placed and had not received, then finally cancelled their order (see letters in Business Correspondence, N-Q, January-April 1892 folder).

Included in the business correspondence are some particularly interesting pieces to note. Marinette Iron Works Co. out of Marinette, Wisconsin, has a detailed map of Michigan railroads on the back of their stationary (See letter dated January 13, 1892 in Business Correspondence, M, January-April 1892 folder). Montague Iron Works has an illustration of a “Fore and Aft Compound Marine Engine” on the back of their letters (See letter dated January 5, 1892 in Business Correspondence, M, January-April 1892 folder). On a letter dated February 1, 1892, Bliss was invited to the Michigan Retail Lumber Dealers Association Third Annual Conference, held February 17, 1892 in Albion, Michigan (See letter in Business Correspondence, M, January-April 1892 folder). D.H. Trombley, a lumber shipper and dealer, wrote Bliss numerous times; one of his letters gives precise instructions on how to properly saw hard maple logs, with a small drawing to exhibit his instructions (See letter dated January 13, 1892 in Business Correspondence, T-V, January-April 1892 folder).

This box also contains camp reports dated from December 1891to March 1892 that state information such as: # logs cut, # logs skidded in feet, #logs hauled in feet, # men working, # men laid in, # teams skidding, # teams hauling, # teams toting, and # teams laid in. These are weekly reports, and every week is accounted for from December 26, 1891 to March 11, 1892. (See Business, Camp Reports, December 1891-March 1892 folder). Payroll reports for December 1891 and January 1892 are present that state men’s hours worked and their van bills. Sixty seven men were paid in December and forty one men were paid in January. According to George Austin Woodward’s article “Life in a Lumber Camp”, ‘van’ is another name for the office, which the scaler typically ran. The van held supplies the lumbermen would need such as boots, medicines, tobacco, along with many other things. As supplied were needed they could charge them, then have the total amount they owed deducted from their pay check (Woodward, George Austin. "Life In A Lumber Camp." Editorial. Muney's Magazine Sept. 1894: 604-10. Life In A Lumber Camp. University of Northern Iowa, 2003. Web. 29 Apr. 2013.). (See example in Business, Payroll Reports, December 1891 and January 1892 folder).

There are correspondences from two men who are employees of Bliss’s at a lumber camp. G.N. Brown appears to be a type of foreman who sent numerous letters to Bliss with shipment, purchase and other camp updates dated January 3, 1892 to April 11, 1892. Brown is listed on the payroll reports but not hourly, like the other men (See Brown’s letters in Business Correspondence, Brown, G.N., January-April 1892 folder). Alonzo Barcume is another camp employee who consistently wrote Bliss, mostly regarding the status of supplies and workers at the camp. Bliss also received one letter from Mrs. Barcume. Letters from Barcume are dated throughout April 1892 (See examples in Business Correspondence, Barcume, Alonzoand wife, April 1892 folder). Bliss also had at least one traveling sales agent working for him; Arthur Seeley wrote Bliss a few times a week from different towns around Michigan updating him on lumber sales. Letters from Seeley date from February-April 1892 (See examples in Business Correspondence, Seeley, Arthur, February-April 1892 folder).

Crane and Crane Attorneys and Counselors wrote Bliss a six page letter with information about a law that Bliss had inquired about, the Material Man’s Lien Law (see letter dated April 28, 1892 in Business Correspondence, Legal Advice, April 1892 folder). There are several letters from Geo. F. Gillam, assignor to the estate of Henry A. Cogswell, who owed debts to Bliss. These letters discuss how Bliss will receive the money that is owed to him (See letters in Business Correspondence, Recovery of Debt, January-April 1892 folder).

There is one personal letter to Bliss from M. Readman, dated March 8, 1892. He appears to be a close friend of Bliss’s; he apologizes for leaving and discusses a tense situation with his wife, but there is no detail about who Readman is or if his wife has any relation to Bliss (See letter in Personal Correspondence, Readman, M., March 8, 1892 folder). There is also correspondence from Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company discussing Bliss’s life insurance policy (See Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company, February-March 1892 folder).

Box 10, .5 cubic ft. processed by Shelby Barlow, contains the papers of the Bliss Lumber Company of business correspondence, May-September 1892, in the form of letters, postcards, and telegrams, as well as a few legal documents and a small collection of bank statements. By analyzing the contents of this collection it is easy to see a pattern of problems within the company relating to either their inability to pay bills as well as a struggle to receive bill payments. There is also a history of untimely deliveries. Of note, one may be particularly interested in a legal conflict with the Cairo Lumber Company (in the folder Bliss Business Correspondence, A, May – September 1892). Another piece of particular interest would be a particularly sassy letter written by J.L. Torrey (he seems particularly upset with the way Bliss does business) on September 3rd of 1892 (found in folder Bliss Business Correspondence, T, May-September 1892). No specific information on Arthur Seeley could be tracked down, but he wrote a lot from an array of locations, and was either written to or about in some cases, so he is assumed to be some kind of traveling agent for Bliss and was given his own folder.

Boxes 11-12, .75 cubic ft., processed by Vito Patrico, is composed mainly of Business Correspondence between Bliss Lumber Company and its business partners, October-December 1892. Most of the correspondence pertain to log, shingle and lath orders. Many of the correspondence contain settlement agreements for late, incorrect or poor-quality shipments. There is a fair amount of correspondence between Bliss and Justices of the Peace to collect settlement money. Also included is a large number of postcards. Items of interest include: correspondence between attorneys over purchase of land; the Lumber Dealers of Saginaw and Bay City, Michigan; correspondence between Bliss and the Michigan Railroad Company correspondence, and the Arthur Seeley correspondence, which contains valuable information about the Morley Company and its competition with Bliss. The collection contains correspondence of individuals regarding private purchase of lumber from Bliss as well as individuals informing the Bliss Company of land with valuable timber on it. Also of interest are a Certificate of Inspection (copy and original), November 17, 1892 and a Mill Report (copy and originals), 1892 (see Box 12).

There are two personal letters, December 1892, one from E. Stanton and the other from Joseph Bliss, both to C.S. Bliss. E. Stanton wrote from Grand Rapids and mentioned a Jerome (see the personal correspondence folders, Box 12).

Boxes 13-14, .75 cubic ft., processed by Jared Allen, contains in Box 13 business correspondence between various people and businesses, January-March 1893, and a yard price list for lumber for Bliss along with possibly two other companies, undated. This box also contains some business correspondence, October 1890-1892, in the first folder. Box 14 (legal-size) contains an Inventory for Bliss, 1893, and correspondence with the Michigan Central Railroad, undated.

Box 15, .5 cubic ft., processed by Samantha Minnis, consist primarily of business correspondence related to the Bliss Lumber Company from March and April 1893 (except for the box labeled not from March-April 1893, which has letters from various dates). This correspondence contains orders for lumber, discussion of payment for orders, and labor concerns. Of particular interest, Mount Pleasant is mentioned several times: in the M folder, there is correspondence from the Mount Pleasant Lumber Company. In the S folder, there are letters from a Mr. Sheldon which mention Mount Pleasant. There are two insurance claim letters: in the N-O folder there is insurance information from the National Accident Society and in the S folder there is a letter regarding an insurance claim from the Saginaw Valley Claim Service. Also there are several examples of illustrated hotel stationary throughout the collection with particularly colorful illustrations in the H folder. There is one personal letter addressed to Mrs. Bliss from a Mrs. Olds which discusses family life and landownership. As noted, some of the folders contain a large number of receipts related to the lumber company, but there are receipts throughout the collection.

Box 16, .5 cubic ft., processed by Katie Van Duinen, contains business correspondence dictated between the Bliss Lumber Company and its patrons in the year 1893. Folders are labeled alphabetically by creator and are then sorted chronologically. On documents that were illegible, the printed business headings were used to designate a creator. Examples of business correspondence formats interspersed throughout the box include postcards, letters, notes, checks, and receipts. One folder contains only telegrams.

Researchers should note that in the folder “Bliss Business Correspondence, M,” there are documents created by a “J.D. Merrill.” He could possibly be a relative of the late Dr. Merrill, who was the head of Central Michigan University’s Physics and Chemistry Department from 1921 to 1953. There is also a residence hall named after Dr. Merrill (Information obtained from: “Merrill Hall,” http://www.cmich.edu/about/locations_maps/CampusMap/WestCampus/Pages/Merrill_Hall.aspx, Accessed April 27, 2013.).

Boxes 17-18, .75 cubic ft., processed by Abigail Diaz consists mostly of general business correspondence with a smattering of personal and familial letters, May-December of 1893. The collection includes: handwritten and typed documents, receipts, legal papers, injury reports, employment requests, letters from lumber agents, payment requests and letters from family members.

Items of Special Interest and Notable Documents include: Personal correspondence with daughter, Jeanie (See Bliss Personal/Family Correspondence, July-December 1893); Accident reports from Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York (See Bliss Business Correspondence, E-G, August-December 1893); Letters regarding estate of Edward Bliss from Lyman and Hitchcock. Document also concerns Mr. Joseph Bliss, Mr. Eli S. Bliss, Mrs. Tyler, Mrs. Irish, Mrs. ES Bliss and Mr. CN Bliss (See Bliss Business Correspondence, L, June-December 1893); Dues receipt for the Saginaw Builders Exchange (See Bliss Business Correspondence, S, August-November 1893) ; Business correspondence from the Michigan Asylum for the Insane dated September 29, 1893 (See Bliss Business Correspondence, M, August-December 1893); Two personal letters from the Bliss Deaconess, Hospital and Home from Mrs. LW Bliss to “Charlie” regarding Dr. Bliss (See Bliss Personal/Family Correspondence, July-December 1893); Folders regarding lumber agents Arthur Seeley and J.D. Mitchell. They both were reporting back to Bliss regarding the competition, lumber prices and product requests (See Bliss Business Correspondence and Expense Reports, Mitchell, J.D., August-December 1893 and Bliss Business Correspondence, Seeley, Arthur, August-November 1893); and Letter heading from the Hotel Normandie is especially pretty and worth noting (See ‘Bliss Business Correspondence, Seeley, Arthur, August-November 1893).

Boxes 19-20, .75 cubic ft., processed by M. Jarvis, include general business correspondence, December 1893-April 1894, both handwritten and typed, lumber camp correspondence, supplies lists and order forms from various businesses, personal correspondence, receipts, legal papers related to injury and mortgage/loans, advertisements from businesses and business-related telegrams. The material is grouped alphabetically into three categories per letter: business correspondence, handwritten business correspondence, postcards, notes and other business-related material and telegrams. Business correspondence contains official letter-headed notes between the Bliss Lumber Company and various businesses. The material covered is (but not limited to) order forms for supplies, notes on service and receipts for sales. Handwritten correspondence materials cover mostly business-related notes about supplies, service and sales between the Bliss Lumber Company and the several entities and individuals he encountered while in business. In notes, postcards and other business-related materials, smaller business receipts, correspondence through small post cards and telegrams related to business are kept. All of these materials are mostly dated throughout January to April 1894; there are few materials from 1893 which are noted clearly on the folder containing them.

Special Interest and Notable Items include: Price List Postcard with a US Postage Blue Once Cent Stamp (See Bliss, Postcards, Notes and other Business, L, January-March 1894, Box 19); Letter from WA Paterson to Bliss, explaining a factory fire which causes delay in services (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, P, January-March 1894, Box 20); Letter from F.H. Wolfe with Illustrated Picture of “Studebaker Patent Little Gem Sprinkler, NO. 414”, in color (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, W, January-March 1894, Box 20); Advertisement from J.C. Koch of Saginaw printed on linen paper, with printed color advertisements. Letterhead is striking and beautiful (Se Bliss, Business Correspondence, K, January-March 1894, Box 19); Letters from Lumber Dealers of Saginaw regarding establishment of a professional organization (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, L, January-March 1894, Box 19); Letter from the Evening Leader, dated March 11th, 1894 (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, C, January-March 1894, Box 19); Letter from W.D Soper, Dealer in Italian Queens, Full Bee Colonies, Bee Feeders and Farm and Garden Seeds with interesting letterhead regarding business (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, S, January-March 1894,. Box 20); Letter from the Larkin Soap Factory regarding the delivery of “Sweet Home” soap, with interesting letterhead (See Bliss, Business Correspondence, B, January-March 1894, Box 19); Letter from the Fidelity and Causality Company of New York, regarding a report of accident on December 11th, 1893 regarding the “face breaking and shattering of lower jaw bone” of an employee (See: Bliss, Business Correspondence, A, January-March 1894, Box 19); Notice from the Michigan Central Railroad Company of Bay City, MI, dated May 31st, 1894 regarding the furnishing of a train to a Mr. Lewis one mile south of Frederic on June 1st (See Bliss, Small Postcards, Notes and Other Business, E, February-March 1894, Box 19.)

Box 21, .5 cubic ft., processed by Sandra Standish, contains business correspondence, January-September 1894, undated. Correspondences included are receipts, estimates, and order requests related to the daily operations of the lumber business. Other documents included are legal correspondences, state and local government correspondence, and matters related to civic activities of C.S. (see Business Correspondence, B). The legal documents mainly concern debtors to the company, and how those debts were handled by lawyers, of which the R.G. Dunn and Company (see Business Correspondence, D) was heavily used. In regards to government transactions there are a number of documents from the State of Michigan Auditor’s General concerning Michigan taxes and the business (see Business Correspondence, T), and a City of Saginaw Health Officers Notice for a ‘foul privy.’ C.S. Bliss’s civic engagements are also mentioned in a number of documents. The Builder’s Exchange sent a notice about an upcoming Labor Day Social that they were holding (see Business Correspondence, L), and there is also a request from the Exchange for dues owed. A letter was sent to C.S. Bliss notifying him that he had been elected Vice President of the Civic Club (see Business Correspondence, M), and in another correspondence the Masonic Ancient Landmark Lodge sent a letter describing a lambskin apron that C.S. was to receive (see Business Correspondence, P). Two correspondences are on particularly bright and interesting letterhead, J.C. Koch (see Business Correspondence, K) and a Jus H. Rogers which has a gold embossed letterhead (see Business Correspondence, R).

Boxes 22-23, .75 cubic ft., processed by Jennifer K. Bentley, consists mostly of business correspondence with manufacturers, other lumber company, and individuals, April 1894-January 1896. The range of the correspondence deals mainly in inquiries about types of lumber in stock and estimates needed for various projects or supply. Interestingly, most of the correspondence is about the broad range in the types of businesses that required regular supplies of ‘cords’ of wood from places as diverse as the Michigan State Prison, Buffalo Spring Company, Saginaw Railroad Company, and various other smaller business owners and private individuals. While the collection is organized by date and in alphabetical order, care was taken to further show the different formats of business communication, representative of the options available in the 1890s by separating traditional business letters from postcards and telegrams. Most of the correspondence is hand-written on letterhead, but there are documents throughout that show the use of typewriters and the variety of ink colors available, where green and purple seemed to be preferred over black.

To facilitate quick communication, postcards and telegrams were used daily by Bliss. Delivery still took up to three days. Ranges of letterhead designs and details with embossed lettering, various ink colors, and types of stationary papers show the wide variety of correspondence options. The most striking is the watermarked stationary example of November 21, 1894 (Folder 4 Box 22), which if held to light, reveals a wood grain design throughout the paper, fitting for a correspondence from one lumber company to another. A surviving undated Bliss Lumber Company business card (Folder 1, Box 22), also contained within this collection, shows a Clydesdale horse-drawn lumber cart and the motto: “Size up Our Load of Wood”. Lumber camp records (Folder 14, Box 23), 1894-1896, also housed within the collection, were sent directly from lumber camps throughout Michigan (Saginaw Area) to Bliss Headquarters. The lumber camp records show details of lumber inventories (cut and uncut), supplies for the men at the camp, and other various estimates for transport by rail and barge as indicated by the noting of “F.O.B.”, which means “Freight on Board” (the cost of shipping was paid by the customer).

Boxes 24-25, .75 cubic ft., processed by Jessica Axe, consists mostly of business correspondence, April-July 1895, in both written and typed, letter, telegram and postcard formats. However, the collection also includes bills or receipts, and employee accident reports. There are several pages of correspondence between Bliss and The Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York concerning an accident involving a live roller band saw (see E-G folder). This type of band saw has rollers that are constantly moving the wooden slabs away from the saw blades after they have been cut. There was also correspondence between Bliss and Stewart and Holmes Drug Company where Bliss is requesting permission to use the hands logo that the drug company uses in their advertisement (S folder).

HST 583 Spring 2014

During Spring 2014 my HST 583 class of 10 processed 6 cubic ft. in 14 boxes, 3 folders, including records dated April 1895-August 1897. These records again consists mostly of business records, with materials documenting many of Bliss' subsidiary businesses as well as a New York company that was involved in a motor cycle sales scheme (see Boxes 27-28) and other companies including: Michelson and Hanson Lumber Company (see Boxes 29-30), and a wood chip painted to resist fire from the Cold Water Paint Company (Detroit, Mich.) (see Box 36). Other companies including F. Raniville Lumber of Grand Rapids and Akron Betting Company (see Box 37). There is also letter about a devastating forest fire and Lumbermen’s Credit Association material (see Boxes 38-39). Also, there is a lot of correspondence from two men who were Bliss agents, George N. Brown and Samuel T. McReavy (the writing/spelling of his name is often very difficult to read) (see Boxes 34-35, 38-39). There are also a few notes between Bliss relatives, mostly of a business nature. A few records document Bliss court cases against the Michigan Head Lining Hoop Company (See Boxes 27-28) and against A. W. Slayton Company (see Box 31).

The second year of processing, the contents of 2.5 densely packed cubic ft. boxes were distributed in .5 cubic ft. boxes to each student. During processing, these boxes expanded into six cubic feet. This pattern continued for several years.

Box 26 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by David William consists mostly of business correspondence with manufacturers, other lumber companies, and individuals, from April to May 1895. The range of the correspondence deals mainly in inquiries about types of lumber in stock and estimates needed for various projects or supply, but also includes general aspects of running a business. The correspondence varies from small, locally owned businesses to large, insurance companies of the day. The collection is organized by month and then alphabetically. Special care was given to show different types of correspondence including postcards and receipts. Materials too large to fit into the box were put into a separate, legal-size folder.

The correspondence is mostly handwritten, but some of the documents are typewritten with black, green, and purple ink used. To facilitate quicker correspondence, postcards and telegrams were used frequently by the Bliss Lumber Company and their correspondences. Also included in the collection of note are two personal letters between C.S. Bliss and his brother, L.A. Bliss. The correspondence does not go into any personal details about the brothers, but seemed interesting to note.

Boxes 27-28, .75 cubic ft., processed by K. Mason consists mostly of the company’s business correspondence and personal correspondence of Bliss family members. Correspondence dates from June to December 1895. The correspondence includes letters, postcards, and telegrams to and from other lumber companies, associated industries, lumberjack camps, and individuals seeking to buy or sell timber and lumber products.

Highlights of the box include:

Records of business activity between C.S. Bliss Lumber Company and other family businesses such as A.T. Bliss Company of Carrollton, Michigan (Folder 1), Bliss and Powlus Shingle Company of Sanford, Michigan (Folder 2) and Bliss and VanAuken Company of Saginaw, Michigan (Folder 2).

A series of letters (Folder 4) from The Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, New York regarding insurance claims made after work related accidents. There are three accidents discussed in this series; the workers names are Frank Lapinskie, Law Leland, and L. Huffman or L. Hoffman.

A folder of correspondence (Folder 17) between lumber camps and the Bliss Company. Two foremen, George N. Brown (Geo N. Brown) and S.F. McReury, sent progress updates and requests for supplies, such as ‘dry heavy socks’ and ‘cheap chewing tobacco’. The location of the camps were not identified directly, however there are hand-drawn maps of sites and mention in a November 27, 1895 letter of sending a team to Mount Pleasant.

An half page advertisement (Folder 20) from the Home Supply Association, New York, New York, a company that appears to be a 19th century member-only catalog shopping club in large cities like New York and Chicago, Illinois (https://archive.org/details/abbreviatedcatal00home). The advertisement is marketing the Victoria Motor Cycle, a four wheel, four engine vehicle that ‘will carry two or three grown people and a child’, on behalf of the Hitchcock Manufacturing Company of Cortland, New York. A quick internet search discovered newspaper articles (http://fultonhistory.com/Newspapers%2021/Cortland%20NY%20Standard/Cortland%20NY%20Standard%201895/Cortland%20NY%20Standard%201895%20-%200028.pdf) and amateur historian writings (http://www.earlyamericanautomobiles.com/pennington.htm) about the Victoria and its creator Edward Joel Pennington, who apparently was something of a con artist who sold and resold exclusive rights to build his vehicle. The Victoria Motor Cycle does appear to be an early example of American motorcycles.

The collection is arranged alphabetically then chronologically keeping the materials as they were ordered when found; the original box contained an accordion style file separating contents A through Z. Some materials originally were filed by the company name while others were filed by the last name of the sender; these choices are preserved in the current order of the collection. Postcards and telegrams have been separated from letter sized business correspondence (Folders 14-16).

Boxes 29-30, .75 cubic ft., processed by David W. Hansen II consists primarily of business correspondence, January-February of 1896. The correspondence includes letters, telegrams, and postcards from individuals and companies inquiring about products, as well as receipts of payments and bills. The collection is organized chronologically, with the business correspondence being further organized alphabetically as well. Interesting items include a letter from the U.S. Circuit Court about a lawsuit against the Michigan Head Lining Hoop Co. (Box 2, Folder 2) and a price list from the Michelson and Hanson Lumber Co., a competitor of C.S. Bliss Lumber Company (Box 1, Folder 1).

Box 31 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by A. Howard consists of lumber orders and inquiries, advertisements, legal documents, financial records, and railroad camp correspondence, January 1896 and March 1897, mostly 1897. The box is arranged chronologically and then alphabetically within each year, which follows original order. Within each folder of Personal Orders and Correspondence and Railroad Camp letters, the items are chronologically organized. Within each Legal and Professional Orders folder, the items are in alphabetical order by company name. Items of interest include an advertisement newspaper from a company in Adrian, Michigan (Box 2, Coiled Spring Hustler folder) and the Bliss Company records from a lawsuit with the A.W. Slayton Company (Box 1, Legal and Official Correspondence, February 1897 folder and Legal Correspondence, March 1897 folder).

Boxes 32-33, .75 cubic ft., processed by Rachel Taddiken, consists mainly of business correspondence, receipts, and postcards from March to May of 1896. These were sent and received from companies inquiring about orders, asking for money, and receipts of orders made. There were a few interesting pieces set aside in the Personal / Miscellaneous folder which included a letter from a cousin inquiring about the health of C.S. Bliss from February 1896. In addition to these, the camp letters were placed in this folder as well. These letters were personal and they were from men who worked in the logging camps. Also included in this collection were legal documents primarily concerning land purchases as well as solicitations from lawyers wishing to be employed by C.S. Bliss.

Box 34, .5 cubic ft., processed by M. Werner April-August 1896 consists mostly of business correspondence, April-August 1896. The collection is organized by month and then alphabetically with multiple folders to over overstuffed folders. The correspondence is mostly handwritten, but some are typewritten. The collection includes bank statements, business correspondence, legal and personal correspondence, postcards, and railroad camp correspondence from S. J. McReavy, who is likely Bliss’ agent.

Box 35 and 1 legal-size folder. 5 cubic ft., processed by Mark Prindiville, consists mostly of Bliss Business Correspondence, September 1st, 1896 to January 21st, 1897. It is the daily correspondence Bliss received or sent, including correspondence from customers wishing to purchase lumber, those who sent him checks, those who wished he would pay them, and a fair amount of junk mail/ advertisements. The one legal-size folder contains lumber shipment information. The majority of the collection consists of business correspondence. This is primarily a business box, excluding the one or two letters from cousin Bliss.

Four folders, Aaron T. Bliss, S. T. McReavy, Correspondence from Bliss, and Post Cards, are the only correspondence folders that had their own sub-series. The other non-correspondence sub-series involved the First National Bank, Receipts/ Statements/ Meetings/ and Reports, and the legal-size box’s Lumber Statement. There is one personal correspondence from a cousin of Bliss, but there is much talk about business amongst them that it seemed only fair to let the letter join the other business correspondence.

Box 36, processed by Brian K. Taylor, consists of business correspondence with other lumber companies as well various manufacturers, hotels, and individuals, March-April 1897. The majority of the correspondence deals with lumber billing as well as inquiries about the different types of lumber offered, and lumber in stock, or estimates needed for various projects and plans. The Bliss Lumber Company provided services to a diverse number of companies including but not limited to the Pere Marquette Railroad, Buffalo Spring Company, Saginaw Railroad Company, various hotels including some out of state, other lumber companies, and a number of small Michigan businesses and cities.

Communication was varied in 1897 as most communication took place via postcards, telegrams, scribbled notes on paper, and the like. Examples of written communication are contained within these folders, and it is important to note that written and typed communication to and from the Bliss Lumber Company were extensive. Various colored inks were used to facilitate this communication including blue, green, and black. Paper stock at the time came in all shapes and sizes including delicate transparent paper and ornate designs and letterhead were common. Postcards as well as written correspondence took anywhere from 3-5 days on average to reach the Bliss Lumber Company. The collection contains a large number of financial documentation as well mostly pertaining to the sale of lumber. The listings and prices of Lumber supplied by the Bliss Lumber Company are quite extensive. These ledgers record whether or not lumber inventories were cut or uncut, and how they were shipped via barge, rail, or by wagon pulled by horse. Located in the Miscellaneous Solicitation folder is a wood chip from the Cold Water Paint Company (Detroit, Mich.). The wood chip was coated with a fireproof paint marketed to lumber companies of the era. Printing on the wood chip states, “Burn It,” and there is initial burn marks located on the wood chip indicating that the wood chip did not catch fire. It is interesting to note that the Cold Water Paint Company sold a powdered paint that became useable only after cold water was added to the powder and mixed.

Box 37, .5 cubic ft., processed by Zuri Alexander consists of business correspondence. This business correspondence includes letters, orders, postcards and billing information all pertaining to the company, March-August 1897, mostly June and August of 1897. Although this collection includes some personal letters, a majority of this collection consists of business correspondence pertaining to operations. The collection is divided into five major categories. Those include letters, orders, billings, postcards and telegrams. Within each category lies information about how the company ran on the day-to-day basis. The letters folder held information about the company’s operations. The orders folders usually contained information about quotes. There were lists of types of lumber needed along with the lengths and widths needed. The billings folder contained cover letters pertaining to money and paying for the orders received. There were many postcard and a few telegrams in this collection, which included either long, detailed letters or just short excerpts of information. The Bliss Lumbar Company associated themselves with many companies across the country including: F. Raniville Lumber (Grand Rapids, Mich.) or The Akron Betting Co. and railroads such as Michigan Central Railroad Co., all worked with the Bliss lumber company.

Boxes 38-39, .75 cubic ft., processed by Nicole Infante consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies during September and October 1897. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards and have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Some pieces of interest include letters from The Law and Collection Department of Lumbermen’s Credit Association concerning a case between C.S. Bliss Lumber Company and Fox and Company (Box 1, Folder 1 and Box 2, Folder 2). C.S. Bliss received a letter from America Foust dated October 10th 1897, which gives details about a devastating forest fire in Michigan (Box 1, Folder 5). In 1897 the Michigan Retail Lumber Dealer’s Association had a few complaints about C.S. Bliss Lumber Company’s business practices (Box 1, Folder 8). Several business solicitation letters have also been kept in order to demonstrate the other kinds of business that C.S. Bliss Lumber Company would have been involved in during 1897. (Box 1, Folder 10). There is also a collection of letters from S.J.M. Remy, who was responsible for updating C.S. Bliss Lumber Company on the progress at the R.R. Lumber Camp (Box 1, Folder 12).

HST 583 Spring 2015

During the Spring term 2015, my class of 19 students processed 9.75 cubic ft. in 22 boxes, 3 folders, including records dated 1897-1900. In this section there is information and topics similar to that found in the first two sections and more Bliss agents are documented including O. Miner, Al Lawrence and Sam Flock. There is correspondence between Bliss and his agent, Samuel T. McReavy, in almost every box. There are a number of court cases at least partially documented. Bliss bought pedigree dogs from a dealer in Kalamazoo. He also bought animals for his farm located outside Saginaw. There is reference to a devastating forest fire of 1897 and more information about lumber camps, especially one in or near Vanderbilt called Vanderbilt. There is comment about the outcome and impact of the Spanish-American War. There are examples of political correspondence with politicians and committees, including William D. Gordon, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, 1895-1898, from Midland, and Joseph W. Fordney, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Saginaw, 1899-1923. There are two mentions of a "car famine," meaning a lack of available railroad cars to ship lumber due to an overabundance of agricultural crops requiring the cars. There are more advertisements and correspondence about equipment and the emergence of typewriters and office positions, as well as several examples of lovely or interesting illustrations.

Boxes 40-41, .75 cubic ft., processed by Rachel Groters consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and manufacturers, customers, and other lumber companies, September 1897- February 1898. The various forms of correspondence range between letters, telegrams, and postcards that have been organized alphabetically in chronological order. Some pieces of interest include both business and personal affairs. In a letter dated December 25, 1897, the Mileage Ticket Bureau of the Central Passenger Association sent C.S. Bliss a refund notice for business travel (Box 40, Folder 4). C.S. Bliss received a letter from the Western Mutual Life Association on November 18, 1897 asking C.S. Bliss for names of local physicians in good standing that were “under, rather than past middle age” that he would recommend (Box 41, Folder 7). Additionally, there are some legal dispute letters (Box 41, Folder 4), personal correspondence (Box 41, Folder 7), and extensive letters from Bliss’ agent, McReavy, about the business (Box 40, Folder 6 and Box 41, Folder 2). Several business solicitation and personal request letters have also been kept in order to demonstrate what kind of business C.S. Bliss Lumber Company was involved with during these years.

Box 42, .5 cubic ft., processed by Eric Blankenship, mostly consists of business correspondence, February-May 1898. It is organized alphabetically. This collection features a series of letters between Mr. Biliss and the Michigan Treasury Department. Many of the letters are regarding his tax forms and state that he is being audited by the state. This collection also features letters between Mr. Bliss and his legal department concerning the lawsuit being brought against the company by a Mr. Fox, and between Mr. Bliss and his agent, Samuel T. McReavy. There is one letter in German from Lusman Brussau, 1898.

Box 43, .5 cubic ft., processed by Gwyn Richard, consists mainly of business correspondence between Charles S. Bliss and customers, company agents, manufacturers and other lumber suppliers, April- July 1898. Items of interest include the following:

Folder 1. Several advertisements or mentions of ads placed by Bliss Co. are included. The early 1900s are when our modern concept of advertising really began and companies began putting efforts into reaching their customers in such ways.

Folder 3. Receipts for a typewriter and a letter from a stenographer answering a job posting are included. Typewriters gained commercial use in the 1870s and continued in popularity through the early twentieth century. The need for a stenographer indicates the growth of demands on the Bliss business, even though a majority of correspondence was still done through handwritten letters.

Folder 5. Included is an interesting business proposal and advertisement from Chicago Wrecking Co.

Folder 6. Included is a letter from E. J. Demorset, a lawyer, regarding the dissolution of a partnership between Bliss Co. and “the Colonel.”

Folder 7. Included is a significant volume of correspondence with N.W. Mann, Michigan Manufacturing and Lumber Co, and O. Miner. Other individuals of significance are filed under separate subsequent folders, alphabetically.

Folder 10. Samuel T. McReavy was an agent with the company, who travelled extensively for Bliss and wrote a considerable number of letters.

Folder 12. Letter from the Northwest Lumberman regarding how the Spanish American War will affect businesses.

Folder 16. Included is a note from B.H. Whitney stating that a Local Association meeting had been cancelled due to the Spanish American War. Also included is a volume of correspondence with Win. E. Barret and Co.

Folder 17. Consists of a significant amount of correspondence between Charles S. Bliss and W.C. Anderson regarding a poor horse deal.

Folder 18. Included are two letters written in German from a Mr. Brisson. There is also a personal letter from Charles Bliss’ cousin, Jessie B.M. There is a letter to a Mrs. Grace B. Bliss from her insurance company.

Box 44, .5 cubic ft., processed by Andrea Meyes, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, April- September 1898. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards and have been organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Some pieces of interest include a letter from The Pungs – Anderson Manufacturing Company dated June 21st 1898, describing a black mare named Lady Pittman for sale (Folder 10). The O-AT-KA Chemical Company letterhead is stunningly gorgeous with a bird and two flags on it (Folder 10). Due to a small amount of acidic damage, the O-AT-KA Chemical Company letter has been placed between two non-acidic pieces of paper for protection. There is business correspondence between C.S. Bliss Lumber Company and Mr. C.S. Bliss’ brother, A.T. Bliss, regarding lumber bills (Folder 16). C.S. Bliss received a letter from The Weber Gas and Gasoline Engine Company dated August 6th 1898, which includes a cyanotype photograph of the #10, 50 Actual, 65 Indicated H. P. Engine (Folder 16). The C.S. Bliss Lumber Company business card soliciting sidewalk planks, which was used as a postcard, is in the front of the folder (Folder 18). On August 10th 1898, the Office of Barrett Manufacturing Company sent C.S. Bliss and Company a letter on future orders that mentions the outcome of the end of the Spanish – American War (Folder 20). Mr. C.S. Bliss also received a solicitation letter from The Rural New Yorker, dated September 29th 1898, that includes import and export statistics for the United States in 1897 (Folder 20). Another interesting letter sent to C.S. Bliss was from the Bluff City Lumber Company, undated, mentions a lack of available railroad cars to move lumber, referred to as “a car famine,” due to a large grain and cotton harvest that year which required additional railroad cars for shipping (Folder 20). There is also a collection of letters from Agent S.J.M. Remy, who was responsible for updating C.S. Bliss Lumber Company on the progress at the Railroad Lumber Camps (Box 1, Folder 21). On September 19th 1898, a woman named J.J. Bierlein sent C.S. Bliss a letter inquiring about a job position as a bookkeeper or a stenographer (Folder 22). The collection also includes several personal letters from C. S. Bliss’ family including one from his daughter, Jeanie, “Skippie”, dated August 2nd 1898 and a letter dated September 17th 1898 from E. Stanton Bliss (Folder 25).

Box 45, .5 cubic ft., processed by Logan M. Lake, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, August-November of 1898. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams, and postcards, and are organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Throughout the box, there are pieces of interest about C.S. Bliss Lumber Company. The collection of papers from Samuel McReavy, an agent used by the lumber company, reveals the process by which C.S. Bliss finds timber to log and potential customers to sell too (Folder 7). In response to the use of McReavy, Eddy, Avery, and Eddy Lumber Company used a Mr. Young as their agent. In a letter Eddy, Avery, and Eddy sent to Mr. Bliss, the lumber companies seem to rely upon each other’s agents for information (Folder 3). In C.S. Bliss’s business correspondence, Bliss’s farm operations were often paired with lumber as letters depict livestock and lumber being discussed together (Folder 12). Insurance and lawsuit claims from The Law and Collection Department of Lumbermen’s Credit Association against Fox and Company detail the outcome of the case that had been going on for over a year (Folder 13). Throughout 1898, the C.S. Bliss Lumber Company had correspondence with various newspapers and journals, The Chicago Droves Journal and Michigan Farmer and State Journal of Agriculture, to promote his lumber and/or job openings (Folder 14). In 1898, Mr. Bliss received an invitation to the Saginaw County Republican Committee to take a seat on the platform (Folder 15). In addition, C.S. Bliss Lumber Company records saved two pieces of cultural history, decorated and colored envelopes from the Carnival of Fun in Grand Rapids, Michigan depicting Uncle Sam and peoples from around the world (Folder 17).

Two interesting additions to Bliss Business Correspondence was the use of McReavy and C.S. Bliss's farm interests. Bliss used McReavy to scout potential areas to log, the competition's prices and future customers (Folder 7). Bliss had interest in the prosperity of his farm outside of Saginaw. He used the connections of other lumber barons to acquire dogs, pigs, and horses for his farm. The personal life for Bliss had a business connection in the correspondence (Folder 12).

Box 46, .5 cubic ft., processed by Sean Scally, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, September-December 1898. The various forms of correspondence within this collection include letters, telegrams, and postcards. All correspondence is organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Items of interest include a number of correspondence materials between C.S Bliss and a company agent, Samuel McReavy, most of which details the progress of a Bliss business endeavor in Gladwin, Michigan (Folder 10). Also of interest are letters from the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York, which details a workplace accident lawsuit (Folder 15). Correspondence from the Law and Collection Department of the Lumbermen’s Credit Association of Chicago, Illinois, details a lawsuit C.S Bliss brought against Mr. Samuel Fox in October of 1898 (Folder 15). Lastly there is a letter from W. G Gage of the Republican Congressional Committee of Saginaw, Michigan, which asks C.S Bliss to encourage voter registration (Folder 16).

Box 47, .5 cubic ft., processed by Travis Farrington, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufactures and other lumber companies between October 1898 and February 1899. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams, and postcards and have been organized alphabetically and chronologically within each letter of the alphabet. Items of interest within the collection include a number of references to Bliss advertisements in the Michigan Farmer. One customer with the last name of Cole saw a Bliss ad in Farm and Home (Box 1, Folder C). Another customer named Bowers notes in his letter to Bliss that he heard Bliss will sell direct to customers (Box 1, Folder B). Other items of note include a letter on office stationery from the Michigan state Speaker of the House of Representatives, William Gordon (Box 1, Folder G), and a note that a man named Thomas Jackson placed an order by telephone on the morning on January 10, 1899 (Box 1, Folder J). One other area of interest regarding the collection is a postcard advertisement for an English setter breeder and a letter from the same breeder to Bliss (Box 1, Folder K).

Portions of the collection which were withdrawn included banks, miscellaneous notes, peripheral materials, and illegible materials were withdrawn during processing. Approximately five items which were heavily acid-stained were withdrawn and no materials were photocopied.

Box 48, .5 cubic ft., processed by Brandon Moskun, consists mostly of business correspondence between individual customers, other lumber companies, as well as other corporations that were either interested in Bliss lumber, or supplied Bliss with the means to run a successful lumber company, December 1898-March 1899, and undated. Items in the box are mostly handwritten or typed correspondence, but also include postcards and generic advertisements. Interesting documents are scattered throughout the folders. The Clio Collection Agency was in correspondence with Bliss over money owed to them by a Howell family (Folder 12). A letter sent to Bliss by the Saginaw Lumber Dealers’ Association specified issues for discussion at an upcoming meeting (Folder 10). Letters from Bliss’s sister, Della (Folder 13). This Box also contains a number of letters from Agent Samuel McReavy who wrote to Bliss almost daily concerning the lumber camps (Folder 9). There is also a folder of letters from the lumber camps to Bliss concerning the types of lumber harvested, as well as how much was being sawed at a given time (Folder 14).

Box 49, .5 cubic ft., processed by Ethan Reardon, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies from February 1899 to April 1899. The folders have been organized alphabetically and chronologically. Documents have been placed in folders based on the last name of the sender or by company name. There is little of anything notable in the box. Most of it is letters asking for pricing and item inventory. There are a few notes from a logging camp talking about what they had or needed. The rest was a standard please find included money notes.

Box 50, .5 cubic ft., processed by Mary Frank, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, March-July 1900. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams, and postcards and have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Some pieces of interest include letters from The Law and Collection Department of Lumbermen’s Credit Association concerning a case between C.S. Bliss Lumber Company and Fox and Company (Folders 11-12). C.S. Bliss received a letter from America First dated October 10th 1897, which gives details about a devastating forest fire in Michigan (Folder 5). In 1897 the Michigan Retail Lumber Dealer’s Association had a few complaints about C.S. Bliss Lumber Company’s business practices (Folder 12). Several business solicitation letters have also been kept in order to demonstrate the other kinds of business that C.S. Bliss Lumber Company would have been involved in during 1897. (Folder 10). There is also a collection of letters from Bliss’ Agent S. McReavy who was responsible for updating C.S. Bliss Lumber Company on the progress at the R.R. Lumber Camp (Folder 20).

Box #51, .5 cubic ft., processed by Michael G. Cyrus, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and his customers, competing lumber companies, manufacturers of tools and legal entities, April-June 1899. The collection consists of mainly letters and postcards, which have been organized alphabetically, as it was originally organized, with the addition of each name being organized chronologically. Some pieces of interest from this collection include a back and forth between a customer, F.C. Drake and Mr. Bliss (Folder 13) in which the customer becomes rather upset with the shipping delays. Another point of interest is letters from one of Bliss’s insurance companies, Fidelity and Casualty (Folder 14) concerning boiler inspections and an accident that occurred in a letter received, May 5th not long after an inspection of the boiler. The box also contains numerous letters from a Bliss agent, McReavy (Folder 16) from multiple locations across the state. There is also one letter from another agent, O. Minor (Folder 4) There are other O. Minor letters throughout the other Bliss collections.

Box #52, .25 cubic ft., processed by Brad Collins, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, May-July 1899. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards and have been organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Some pieces of interest include two letters from E. Staunton Bliss, cousin of C.S., in which he inquires about an office position with the company (see letters dated June 12, 1899 and June 19, 1899 on Sterling Furniture Co. letterhead in Folder 1.) There is a collection of letters, advertisements, and price guides for the Cyclone Stump Puller from the Snow Manufacturing Co. of Geneva Illinois (Folder 8.) In June of 1899 C.S. Bliss agreed to sell a piece of land to Janette and Joseph Ronk that was previously sold to H.Q. Totten (see letter dated June 1, 1899 in Folder 4.) Bliss also sent a letter to Totten explaining to him that he would be losing this land since he had not been completing his side of the agreement (see letter dated June 9, 1899 in Folder 4.) A letter from Geo. W. Hopkins to the Michigan Hemlock Association’s secretary J.M. Russell talks about controlling the prices of Hemlock (see letter dated May 4, 1899 on Michigan Hemlock Association Letterhead Folder 3.)

Box # 53 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Leah Buhagiar, is comprised of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss, customers, manufacturers, other lumber companies, and agents of the C.S Bliss Lumber Company, May- October 1899 and also includes advertisements from other lumber companies during this time period. The correspondence consists of letters, postcards and advertisements that have been organized alphabetically and chronologically within each folder. Some pieces of interest include letters from one of Bliss’ agents, McReavy, who was stationed at the lumber camp (Folder 5). There is a letter from another notable local company, the Dow Chemical Company discussing a purchase (Folder 2). A letter from MC Emanuel announces his resignation from the Bliss Company (Folder 2). There is a series of letters and documents relating to Bliss’ purchase of land from Eugene Foster and family in Gladwin County, MI (Legal-size Folder).

Boxes 54-55, 1 legal-size folder, .75 cubic ft., processed by Caitlin Campbell, consists primarily business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and his agents at the Lumber Camps (specifically Samuel McReevey and O. Miner), as well as letters and telegrams with prospective/current customers and his competitors, June-November of 1899. The one set of personal documents pertains to Bliss’ interest in purchasing a dog from Illinois (legal size Personal Correspondence folder). All documents are either typed or handwritten. The documents were not in any discernable order so I decided to catalog them chronologically, then by author. Bliss also kept many documents pertaining to advertising and pricing. These documents included his own advertising and that of his competitors. Those have been separated from the others, along with solicitation letters from other businesses. The correspondence from the Lumber Camps all came from either Samuel McReavey or a Mr. O. Miner. These letters detailed the recovery from a fire and the needs of the workers at the camp. Both of these authors have been separated into their own folder in chronological order. One other folder of note is the Russell August-September 1899 folder. Within this folder is correspondence from a Mr. J. Russell regarding the pricing of Hemlock. Bliss was a member of the Michigan Hemlock Manufactures. These letters from Russell outlined the planned pricing for the coming year in the hopes of beating prices in Wisconsin and other states. All of Russell’s letters are reports from Board of Director Meetings for the Hemlock Manufacturers. Several letters within the collections are drafts of letters Bliss later sent requesting money, or asking fellow business owners about a particular client’s creditworthiness.

An interesting document to note: a letter from Congressman J.W. Fordney (Letter dated October 31st in Business Correspondence, October 15-31 1899) regarding a measure to widen the Saginaw River; he asks Bliss’ opinion of this measure and if he has had any trouble with ferrying lumber across the river. Before being elected to congress, Fordney was involved in the lumber industry himself and supported multiple measures to help the industry as a congressman (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000271).

There is also a letter from the Grand Trunk Railway Company (dated November 10, 1899 in Business Correspondence, November 1-14 1899) that responds to Bliss’ questions about the trustworthiness / reliability of a potential customer. While there are plenty of letters like this in the collection, this one is especially interesting because my family (father, grandfather, etc) have worked for the Grand Trunk Railway for over 150 years. A Grand Trunk train yard is still operational in Battle Creek, MI.

Box 56, processed by S.K. Haase consists mostly of correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, suppliers and other lumber companies, September-December 1899. The various forms of correspondence range among letters, telegrams and postcards. These have been organized alphabetically first by company and sender, then chronologically among the missives sent by the same institution or person.

Items of interest include various documents that describe the process of railroad transportation from the different railroads, including the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw Railroad Company and the Michigan Central Railroad Company, among others. A few original railroad tickets, schedules and receipts have been kept for use as examples. A family letter from Jessie B. Marston is also something of interest, offering insight into the filial ties of the extended family members (Folder “M”). Business solicitation letters from suppliers, both hopeful and those with established contracts, have been kept to help the researcher see the scope of the business and for examples of very fine stationary. There is also a number of letters involving professional “Associations” and discussions of how choices are made across the lumber industry and the Midwest region. Aside from the personal letter, all others are multiples and thus dispersed through the collection according to alphabetical organization. Finally, there is a single folder dedicated to Mr. McReavy. This gentleman was Agent for Mr. C.S. Bliss. His communications are general, discussing a number of subjects and locations.

Boxes 57-58, .75 cubic ft., processed by Samantha Sullivan, consists mainly of Business Correspondences with Bliss agents, other lumber companies, businesses, and individuals who had an interest in the company (i.e. those building houses or barns, etc.), January-March 1900. There is a small portion of Personal letters from Bliss’s cousin, E.E. Bliss, about business. The collection is organized alphabetically by subject/company name and then chronologically.

There are multiple correspondences between Bliss and several of his lumber agents included in the collection. Lumber agents would either be stationed at a lumber camp or travel to one, where they would record how well the camp was working, the health of the camp’s horses, supplies that were needed, and the quality and quantity of the timber. They were also the ones who would record how much timber was being shipped out and approximately when it would reach buyers. Sam Flock was stationed at the Vanderbilt camp and kept detailed records of how many logs and cars were loaded and shipped, as well as how many men worked each day and how many logs were averaged per day (Box 57, Folder 2). Al Lawrence’s letters record his journey from the Gladwin camp to the Vanderbilt one, and the poor conditions of the roads. He also has records similar to Flock’s concerning camp productivity (Box 57, Folder 1).

S.J. McReavy was Bliss’s scaler. His letters document weights and bills of log shipments. There are also multiple mentions of ‘Patrick’s man’ who McReavy said that he had to keep an eye on. It seems that Patrick was a competitor and his ‘man’ was trying to steal business from Bliss (Box 57, Folder 3).

As was common practice at the time, Bliss sent letters to company owners and banks to enquire about the credit-worthiness of certain individuals who had bought large quantities of lumber from him. Some replies from these businesses and banks are included in the Credit Checks folder (Box 57, Folder 13).

Michigan Central Railroad Company letters document the delays in log deliveries because of the snow and blizzards that were happening (Box 58, Folder 2).

Some interesting Solicitations were from McCormick Harvesting Machine Company for a corn binder and Horlick’s Food Company for a trial package of Horlick’s Malted Milk, which was “more healthful than tea, coffee, etc…” (Box 58, Folder 8).

Bliss also wrote to several newspapers (The Courier and Republican, The Advertiser, and the Bay City Tribune) specifying changes he wanted to make to his company’s ad. There appears to have been an issue with setting the word “Lumber” in a larger and heavier type. Bliss wanted it to be larger because, according to him, it was not “conspicuous” enough (Box 57, Folder 6).

William Hubbard appears to have been Bliss’s lead farm-hand on one of his ranches. His letters advise Bliss which seeds he should plant and the selling and buying of livestock (Box 2, Folder 10).

Several businesses sent letters to Bliss expressing anger and disagreements over business dealings. C.W. Althouse and Bliss got in an argument over if his men had cut timber that was located on Bliss’s land. Althouse paid forty dollars in settlement (Box 57, Folder 14). Thompson, Lamb and Company had a disagreement with Bliss over the grade of lumber that they shipped to him (Box 58, Folder 9).

There is also a sampling of land enquiries by individuals who were interested in possibly joining the lumber business and who were willing to buy pieces of timbered land from Bliss. As well as, lumber enquiries made by businesses and other lumber companies (Box 57, Folder 18). It can be seen that Bliss charged lumber companies less on their orders because of an ‘Association discount’ (Lumber Business Lumber Enquiries and Agent- S.J. McReavy folders).

Box 59, .5 cubic ft., processed by Lauren Nelson, consists mostly of business correspondence between C. S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, March- May 1900. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams, and postcards and have been organized alphabetically then chronologically. In some cases items from the same correspondent were alternately filed alphabetically by the company name on the letterhead and by the individual who wrote the letter. In the spirit of original order, in the cases the item was left where it was filed. Some pieces of interest include letters of application to Mr. Bliss for an open stenographer position (Folder 1). There are also many letters from various lumber camps. Of particular interest is a collection of letters from the Vanderbuilt camp regarding fires that are endangering C. S. Bliss’s logs (Folder 13). There are also many letters written by an agent for Bliss, McReavy, regarding lumber camps in various locations (Folder 14). There is one personal letter from a cousin in Loretto, Minnesota requesting Bliss to send a photo, recommendations, and certificates to the Board of Education (Folder 15).

Box 60, .5 cubic ft., processed by Julianne Hafner, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, July-August 1900. The various forms of correspondence include letters and telegrams and have been organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Some pieces of interest include a letter from the Courier Herald Newspaper in Saginaw, expressing support for the Republican Party (Folder 2). Several correspondence letters from the Michigan Manufacturing Lumber Company have been kept in order to demonstrate what kind of business C.S. Bliss was involved in during 1900 (Folder 4). C.S. Bliss received a letter from the Frost Trigg Lumber Company, dated to August 27, 1900, which advises Bliss to order pine early this year to avoid the delay in shipment because of a shortage of railroad cars later in the season (Folder 2). Several legal correspondence letters were retained to demonstrate what kind of court cases C.S. Bliss was involved in during 1900. One court case involved the estate of Slayton, a case that in July 1900 was heading to the Supreme Court (Folder 7).

Box 61, .5 cubic ft., processed by Kolina Lundquist consists of business correspondences between them and their customers, September-October 1900. This box is primarily invoices, receipts, notes and letters, and correspondence with Mr. Bliss and a dog breeder, named Mr. James Lang, or Long. This kennel was in Kalamazoo, Michigan. There are quite a few letters back and forth on a female dog. The Epitome of American Dogdom was done on the dog of his request and included in the folder. The Registry was done by The Dog Fancier of Battle Creek Michigan written by Eugene Glass, who in 1912 became the manager, editor and owner of the Dog fancier of Battle Creek, Michigan. Full Bread Dogs have been tracked in the United Kennel Club Registry since 1898, which is out of Kalamazoo Michigan. The box has a few letters of denial for insurance claims against the company for wounded employees, under Insurance and Inspections folder. This folder also has information in it from an inspection that was done, asbestos had been used at the time. They were just in the early stages of discovering the health effects. At the time asbestos was used in many lumber related and building materials. Letters included vary from business with lumber, to trading livestock and home goods for lumber, as well as a few notes to and from a friend. There is also a folder with advertisements that were of the time, for vehicles or other businesses that would be sent Mr. Bliss on their products, for trade or sale. The folders with Postcards show lumber that was shipped. Other postcards have period letterhead and notes on them and are very neat to see the designs and help you to research other companies as well. (Sources cited: "Asbestos-Discovering the Toxicity." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Apr. 2012. Web. 01 May 2015; Pierce, Alan B. Cheung Chau Dog Fanciers' Society. Vol. 31-32. Hong Kong: Asia 2000, 1996. Print. Page 16 October 1923; Raab, Tanya. " ." United Kennel Club: Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2015.)

HST 583 Spring 2016

During the spring 2016 term, my nine students in Archives Administration processed C.S. Bliss records, 3.25 cubic feet in 9 boxes and 1 legal-size folder, 1899-January 1902. Most of the materials are business related, including correspondence from a previously unknown Bliss agent, B. Hoscins (in Box 65). There are also some personal letters about hunting, Bliss’ farm animals, dogs, and from ex-employees. Also of interest are some Butman Lumber Camp in Gladwin County, Mich.) letters and reports from agent George N. Brown, and other reports from Agent McReavy noting vaccinations (type unspecified) of lumber crew members (in Box 64). [Vaccinations available pre-1902 included those for smallpox, tetanus, cholera, typhoid and rabies.] Also, there is correspondence from Gladwin Lumber Camp (in Box 62).

Box 62, .5 cubic ft., processed by Chelsea Connolly, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, 1899-1900. Correspondence includes letters, postcards, and telegraphs, and have been organized alphabetically. Items of interest include: a letter from an insurance agent in regard to Bliss’ Uncle’s examinations (“Family Papers” folder); a memorandum agreement between Bliss and the Standard Oil Company (“Legal Papers” folder); and Gladwin Lumber Camp correspondence (“Lumber Camp” folder). This Lumber Camp correspondence consists of materials that are requested to be sent, and lists of goods that are yet required.

Box 63, .25 cubic ft., processed by Taylor Gibson consists of the business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and manufacturers, customers, and other lumber companies in the state of Michigan, May-September 1899, May-June 1900, and May- July 1901. The various forms of correspondence, such as letters, postcards, and telegrams, are organized chronologically and alphabetically. Items of interest include letters and list of products from Winslow’s Camp Remedies that describe the amount and what product was purchased by the C.S. Bliss Lumber Company from May 1899 to July 1901 (Folder 2). C.S. Bliss received a letter from the C.S Bacon and Company to an outing in Alden, Michigan with other heads of Michigan lumber companies (Folder 3). Several letters were sent to C.S. Bliss from the Michigan State Land Office in regard to land that Bliss had bought or inquired about purchasing in 1901 (Folder 5). Several letters were sent to C.S. Bliss from the Michigan Department of Auditor General in regard to the exchange of certificates for land deeds and sending the department a country treasurer’s certificate (Folder 5). C.S. Bliss received a few letters from The Law and Collections Department in regard to a case that was between C.S. Bliss Lumber Company and Fox Company (Folder 6). C.S. Bliss exchanged letters from George Fairchild in regard to Fairchild training his pet dog (Folder 7). There is also a list of payments C.S. Bliss gave to his employees for working, June 1st – June 10, 1901 (Folder 8).

Box 64, .5 cubic ft., processed by Ashlynn Callender consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, November 1900 and January 1901, organized chronologically and alphabetically. Items of interest include letters about the lumber camp and men being vaccinated (Vaccination and Lumber Camp Folder). C.S. Bliss received three letters from M.C. Emanuel about moving the lumber company to the Philippines (Business Correspondence C-F Folder). The Fidelity and Causality Company of New York wrote to C.S. Bliss about inspections they performed for his company in 1900 (Business Correspondence I, K, M Folder). There are also several correspondence having to do with C.S. Bliss and puppies (Dog Folder). A collection of letters from George Brown and Samuel T. McReavy were retained to show the updates C.S. Bliss received about the Butman Lumber Camp as well (McReavy and Butman Lumber Camp Reports Folders).

Box 65, .5 cubic ft., processed by Chad Stephens, consists mainly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and a number of customers, agents, manufacturers, other Lumber Companies, and the State Of Michigan, January-February 1901. The various forms of correspondences include letters, receipts, telegrams, postcards, official State of Michigan documents, photographs, and reports by C.S. Bliss agents. Items of interest include the Hoscins B. and McReavy agent reports to C.S. Bliss discussing certain information about possible rival companies’ interests and purchases. (Folders 1 and 3). C.S. Bliss received a number of business correspondence from Michigan Manufacturing and Lumber Company in January and February 1901 discussing business transactions (Folders 4 and 15). Other business transactions occurred with Norway White Pine, Yellow Pine and Hemlock in January 1901 (Folder 5) and Pere Marquette Railroad Company in February 1901 (Folder 17). Several business solicitation letters have also been kept in order to witness other types of business that C.S. Bliss was involved in, Agent/ Fencing Company, Soliciting Business, February 1901 (Folder 9).

Box 66, .25 cubic ft., processed by Ashley Blackburn, is composed of business correspondences between the owner and numerous customers and other companies, logging camp reports, business complaints, and some personal correspondences centered on farming or animal breeding, March-April 1901, and is organized chronologically, numerically and alphabetically. Papers of interest may include lumber camp reports (Folder 1) or Bliss’ working correspondence with the Dow Chemical Company (Folder 13). There are various business correspondences with other companies, including the Jeffery Manufacturing Company (Folder 5), the Michigan Manufacturing Company (Folder 7), Joshua Oldham and Sons (Folder 8), Henry Stephens and Company (Folder 9), the Durant-Dort Carriage Company (Folder 13), and the Jennison Hardware Company (Folder 14). There are also correspondences with other lumber men, such as McReavy (Folder 6) and O.H. Babcock (Folder 11). Bliss also had some legal business with Crane and Crane Attorneys (Folder 12).

Box 67, .5 cubic ft., processed by Cody Anderson, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, April- June 1901. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, postcards, statements and personal notes and have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Items of interest include letters from the Detroit Lumber Association and a nomination to the Saginaw Board of Trade (Folder 2). In April of 1901 there were many customers experiencing issues with C.S. Bliss (Folder 5). Throughout April and May of 1901, C.S. Bliss was in constant contact with his agent, Mr. McReavy, and they shared various different concerns and events going on around the company (Folder 1). In April and May, C.S. Bliss also attempted multiple trades and purchases of a pig, horse and dog (Folders 2, 6).

Box 68, .25 cubic ft., and 1 legal-size folder, processed by Justin Sheldon, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, August-September 1901. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards are arranged chronologically and alphabetically. Pieces of note include letters from W.A. Olds, a soldier stationed in Manila, Philippines (Folder 16) a letter C.S. Bliss received from his brother, A.T. Bliss, who was a Michigan Governor and Senator (Folder 17); many correspondence that C.S. Bliss received from Agent McReavy who played a large role in the Bliss Lumber Company (Folder 1); a letter that C.S. Bliss received asking him to participate in the founding of the Saginaw Country Club, which includes the names of some of the area’s most influential residents at that time (Folder 17); a letter mentioning experiences of hunting and fishing that C.S. Bliss received from his Cousin Elmer who resided in Colorado (Folder 17); and several correspondence from C.S. Bliss’ farm’s caretaker concerning his various farm animal (Folder 17).

Box 69, .25 cubic ft., processed by Cassie Olson, consists mostly of business correspondence in the form of letters between Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, October-November 1901. Most of the business correspondence involves complaints about late, misplaced, or short orders and his employee, McReavy. Also included is personal correspondence between Bliss and his family, about the sale of various animals - including horses, dogs, cows, and hogs – and about the buying or selling of Bliss’s land. Some letters of interest involve the lumber camp, one of which discusses the death of a man due to colic (folder 2). Bliss was also listed as a members of a Michigan Hemlock Association on meeting minutes (folder 2). The folder of illustrative materials includes mostly interesting advertisements with one newspaper clipping (photocopy) of a C.S. Bliss Lumber Company advertisement.

Box 70, .25 cubic ft., processed by Crystal Wood mostly contains business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and manufactures, lumber companies and his customers, December 1901-January 1902. The correspondence in this collection range from letters, telegrams, postcards, inquiries and receipts and are arranged chronologically and alphabetically. Items of interest include a solicitation in January 4th 1902 from the Chattahoochee Agricultural-Industrial School for Negroes for which exhaustive research with the Archivist proved futile in yielding any results about the existence of the Chattahoochee Agricultural-Industrial School for Negroes (see folder with this title); an order for the book “ Dr to Consultation of Law and Opinion on Assessments,” indicating that Bliss had interest about defending his assets dated in January 9th 1902; two folders of detailed correspondences between C.S. Bliss and his agent McReavy spanning from December 1st 1901 to January 30 1902. C.S. Bliss had a few complaints from Pere Marquette Railroad Company between December 10-21, 1901 about the removal of Lumber off company land; letter from Oscar Kelly, January 25, 1902, asking for an extension on payment because of the poor growing year for the Beet industry. There are several personal letters that range from letters between family members to a telegram from M.C. Emanuel, an old employee currently working at the Postal Telegraph-Cable Company, stating how he missed the Bliss Lumber Company dated January 29, 1902.

HST 583 Spring 2017

During the spring 2017 term, my twenty-one students in Archives Administration processed C.S. Bliss records, 11.25 cubic feet in 27 boxes and 7 legal-size folders, February 1902-December 1904. Most of the materials are business related, including correspondence from customers and several Bliss agents, Samuel McReavy (in boxes 72-75, 79, 81, 83, 89 discussing a smallpox quarantine, 92, 95-97), A. Meston (in boxes 78-81, 83); Perrin (in boxes 75, 81, 84); O. N. Sproul (a scaler, in box 80, including his reports of lumber scaled and hauled at Butman Camp in box 97); and O. Miner (in box 72). There are reports from men who ran Bliss’ farm, Walter R. Black (in boxes 81, 84-85, 88-89, 93-95) and B. W. Snow, who began as a farm hand (in box 89) and later replaced Block running the farm (in box 97). There is information on the Vanderbilt Camp (in box 72) and Butman Camp (in boxes 77, 88, 97). There are also several folders of correspondence on women applying to work as stenographers or do other office business work for Bliss (in boxes 80-81, 90-91). Personal information includes general letters from Bliss’ sister Maude (in box 72), Luman Bliss (in box 77) and cousin, E.E. Bliss, about a hunting vacation (in box 80). There is also a 1904 letter from a friend, C.S. Blodgett, discussing the young Bliss children (in box 94). Also of interest is an early 1904 thank you note from Mrs. Grace (Herbert H.) Dow about Mr. Dow’s pig, named Christmas Carol, which was a present from Mr. Bliss (in box 87).

Boxes 71-72, .75 cubic ft., processed by Kara McDonald, consists mostly of business correspondence with manufacturers, other lumber companies, and individuals, March-April of 1902. The majority of these documents, hand-written or typed letters, telegrams, memorandums, bills and receipts, advertisements and post cards, were inquiries about lumber in stock and estimates needed for various projects or supply. The box is organized alphabetically and chronologically.

There are multiple documents within this box that in some way mention the “Grange” (Box 71 Folders 6 and 12; Box 72, Folder 1). The Grange is the nation’s oldest national agricultural organization, with units established in 3,600 local communities in 37 states. It’s 300,000 members provide service to agriculture and rural areas on a wide variety of issues, including economic development, education, family endeavors, and legislation designed to assure a strong and viable “Rural America.” This organization was formed in the years following the Civil War to unite private citizens in improving the economic and social position of the nation’s farm population. Over the past 137 years, it has evolved to include non-farm rural families and communities. The major objectives of the National Grange is to support stewardship of America’s natural resources; promotion of world-wide free trade; a combination of local and federal support for rural education, medical, communications, and road systems; non-partisan political participation; assurance of safe and properly labeled food products; organization of cooperatives and other economic services to support rural Americans; and elimination of direct government farm programs so as to assure a competitive and efficient farm program (www.nationalgrange.org).

Box 73 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Marc VanHorn, encompasses a wide variety of documents mainly pertaining to the functioning of the business April 1902, with the last names of respondents beginning with the letters H-Z, and concludes with May 1902, last names beginning with A-M. Included are correspondence between the company and a multitude of other entities, and for a plethora of reasons. They include legal correspondence, insurance related matters, land or land use, financial correspondence, employment issues, advertisements, and documents concerning business transactions of the company. In addition, the Bliss collection also contains correspondence with the Vanderbilt camp, as well as correspondence related to its supply of provisions, employees, and their pay. This correspondence is of particular historical importance, as well as of that concerning Bliss’ personal and family-related communications, which are in separate folders. Almost all of the correspondence is either addressed to or received from a business or person located in the state of Michigan, with the noted exception of two letters detailing potential purchases of new land in Indiana. Of particular note are letters to and from camp employees O. Miner and Agent Samuel T. McReavy, and a letter from C. S. Bliss’ sister Maude, both located in their appropriate folders. A list of provisions requested by and / or furnished to the Vanderbilt camp from November 1, 1901 through April 1, 1902 (see legal-size folder).

Box 74, .5 cubic ft., processed by Ralph Goring, includes material from May (letters M-Z) and June (letters A-Z) 1902. The majority of the encompassed material is business correspondence between C.S. Bliss in Saginaw, Mich., and manufacturers, customers, competitors, trade and commerce organizations, and employees throughout Michigan. Occasionally also correspondence across the state boundaries is included.

Most important in this collection is Bliss’ correspondence with his field agent McReavy (Folder #1, who worked mostly around the Vanderbilt Lumber Camp, May- June 1902. Aside from giving detailed insights in the day-to-day challenges faced in a lumber camp (health issues of the workers, accommodation, hiring a cook, unexpected weather changes) there is also a hand drawn map outlining a cutting of timber site.

Another interesting report from May 5, 1902, describes the dangers by heavy rain on one of the lumber camp sites operated by the C.S. Bliss Lumber Company. Although the site itself is unspecified, the note written (Folder #4) by a Leo Roy refers to a “West Branch Dam.” Heavy rain throughout night and day had weakened and partially overflooded the dam. A hand drawn sketch shows how the workers on the site have tried to reinforce the dam with braces. For the material encompassed in this box almost no personal or social correspondence is extant. The few exceptions (Folder #12) are mostly invitations or updates on social gatherings in local Saginaw clubs as well as an enquiry for a donation to St. Mary’s church.

Box 75, 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by A. Lexie White, consists of legal and financial records, correspondence, July-August 1902. The topically grouped material is arranged chronologically and alphabetically. A large portion of the correspondence is between Bliss and his many customers asking for lumber and other material orders, asking when the order might arrive, and requests for new materials because what they received was of poor quality. Much of the correspondence between Bliss and agents McReavy and Perrin discusses new plots of land Bliss could purchase and conditions at lumber camps. C.S. Bliss donated $5.00 to the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) on July 30th, 1902 (Business Correspondence, S-Y, July 1902). He requested information about a Self-Feed Band Ripping Saw August of 1902, but there is no correspondence saying whether he bought it or not (Business Correspondence with Geo A. Jenks, August 1902). There are also letters from an individual named A. Dorn who says a man was calling Bliss a thief for stealing his books and was going to have Bliss arrested (Personal Correspondence with Dorn, July 1902).

Box 76, .5 cubic ft., processed by Jordan Tolmie, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufactures and other lumber companies, September-October 1902. There was one personal correspondence letter, 1902-1903. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards, which have been organized chronologically and alphabetically. Some letters show C.S. Bliss and his customers communicated back and forth for several days in a row. Some letters with intricately designed letterheads were retained.

Boxes 77-78, .75 cubic ft., processed by JoAnna Lincoln, consists mostly of business correspondence, November-December 1902. The definable series includes Agent Correspondence, Business Correspondence, Butman Lumber Camp, Legal Correspondence, and Personal Correspondence.

The Personal Correspondence is from Luman A. Bliss, Maude Bliss, and Frank Roberts. Luman Bliss discussing a pig he believes Charles Bliss may have sent him. He inquires as to the age and breed of said pig. Maude Bliss discusses a possible change in plans as to who shall be going to an undefined location, either herself or someone called Bird. Maude indicates that she would like to be the one to go rather than Bird. Frank Roberts provides Charles Bliss with an evaluation of the worth of Bliss’s farm. Frank mentions that there will be no need to construct an additional building on the property.

Box 77 contains two letters from N.N. Mershon discussing an incident that occurred involving both the men’s sons throwing rocks at one another (see Business Correspondence, K-M, November 1902). The letter also discusses business alongside the incident. There were also quite a few papers listing the names of men sent to the woods to work in a lumber camp, usually Butman Lumber Camp, and what they were paid for doing so (see Butman Lumber Camp November 1902 and Butman and Unmarked Lumber Camp December 1902). Also of interest in Box 77 is a fabric tag for leather products from Gruton and Knight MTG. Co. which was sent to Davis and Caldwell Co. before apparently being sent to Bliss (see Business Correspondence, A-C, December 1902). There was also a piece of trace paper with the dimensions for wood to be cut out (see Business Correspondence, E-H, December 1902). Box 77 also contains a document discussing life insurance Bliss had, although not the actual policy (see Legal Correspondence November 1902) as well as a document discussing insurance for Bliss’s farm (see Legal Correspondence December 1902).

Box 78 has a letter from the Odd Fellows, a group to which Bliss belonged, inviting him to attend their fair. With the letter was a small green ticket with the signature eyeball logo of the Odd Fellows allowing for the admittance of four persons to the fair. The letter instructs that if Bliss decides not to attend, he should send the ticket back. The ticket remains with the letter in the collection unused (see Meston and Odd Fellows November and December 1902).

For each month there is also a folder for Agent Correspondence. In the November folder, there are materials from W. Heudenson and Geo. B. Horton. Heudenson asks where he can find Roscommon Co. Michigan (see Agent Correspondence November 1902). Horton brings to Bliss’s attention that the Michigan State Grange needs information from Bliss about his business records for a document they are producing (see Agent Correspondence November 1902). In the December folder, there are materials from N. Dureuehiem, W.W. Steele, and Frederick F. Sayre. Dureuehiem sends a postcard to Bliss briefly discussing business matters (see Agent Correspondence December 1902). Steele sends a letter summarizing the recent business transactions and seeks confirmation on what their next step will be (see Agent Correspondence December 1902). Sayre sends out a notice that his office will be moving to a new location and encourages Bliss to visit California (see Agent Correspondence December 1902).

Research and research resources for boxes 77-78 include ancestry.com and Public Member Trees. Archivist Marian Matyn and JoAnna Lincoln researched the name Henry Coon which they found on one of the documents listing “Men sent to woods” who worked in the lumber camp (see Butman Lumber Camp November 1902). They found that Henry Alonzo Coon was born January 24, 1881 in Kent County and died February 13, 1967 in Los Angeles, California. He was married on December 23, 1905 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was a white male who may have lived in Charlevoix for a time. He had a 4th grade education and is listed as a salary worker. He also may have gotten a divorce because as of 1935, his marital status was single. We cannot be sure if this is the same man as who is listed in the Bliss collection, but it is a good idea as to who this man may have been. All of this information on Henry Coon and more can be found in Butman Lumber Camp November 1902.

Box 79, 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Natalie Panteliss, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, January-February 1903. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams and postcards and have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Some pieces of interest include an elaborately decorated piece of stationary depicting a green, white, and red bottle advertising “Red Raven Splits” for The Hayden Fancy Grocery Co. (Folder G-L, February 1903). There is an entire folder of letters and correspondence between C. S. Bliss and Agent McReavy. Many of the letters appear to be on different stationaries from different hotels or locations, indicating that McReavy might have been travelling. (Box 4, Folder Agent McReavy, January 1903). There is a broadside advertising a program for the Farmers’ Institute at the Gladwin Court House that took place on January 28 and 29, 1903 (Legal-Size Folder 1).

Box 80, 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Faisal Alamar, consists mostly of business correspondence between Bliss and his customers, and other lumber companies, February-March of 1903. The correspondence has many formats including letters, telegrams and postcards and is organized chronologically and alphabetically. Items of interest include a letter from The Michigan Hemlock Association, which shows that C.S. Bliss was a director in the organization (Bliss Business Correspondence, M-N, P-R, February 1903). A letter from one of the agents to Bliss includes a map showing the land that Bliss should buy for lumber (Bliss Business Correspondence, S-T, V-W, February 1903). Letters from Lumbermen’s Credit Association concern a case against Bliss about a fire in Fox and Mason furniture factory. Bliss lost the case (Legal-size folder). There are also two letters from two women applying for jobs as stenographers in the Bliss Company (Bliss Women Stenographer Applicants, March 1903).

Letters from Agent O.N. Sproul describe the Butman Lumber Camp. Sproul listed the name of the jobs, and how many men were working in each job (Bliss Butman Lumber Camp Correspondence, February 1903). Agent A. Meston communicated at least every other day with Bliss, writing from many northern Michigan towns and Saginaw. He sent Bliss measurements of cut trees to determine their volume and quality, and information about land to purchase for lumber (Agent A. Meston Correspondence, February 1903).

Box 81 and 2 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by P. Ryan Erwin consists of mainly business correspondence between many different companies throughout Michigan, April-May 1903, organized chronologically and alphabetically. There were no folders containing I, Q, U, X, Y, Or Z documents. There are some interesting pieces such as correspondence between E.S. Rose a contractor and builder, and C.S. Bliss (Folder 2). It contains mostly regular business correspondence such as ordering lumber and loading and unloading carts E.S. Rose does also have a P.S on one of the notes talking about selling singles to a neighbor in need of them for a house. There are also interesting correspondences between C.S. Bliss and people who applied to work for him as a stenographer, some of these letters from females (folder 1). There are also a few correspondence between different Agents, Black, Meston, McReavy, and Perrin (Folders 9-12).

Box 82, .5 cubic ft., processed by Jordan Cleveland consists primarily of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, May- June 1903. These correspondence are in the form of letters, telegrams, and postcards arranged alphabetically and chronologically. There are a substantial number of correspondences between C.S. Bliss and one A. Meston (see Bliss Business Correspondence, Meston, May-June 1903). Similarly, there are a few random summons and letters relating to a legal matter due to failure of payment by Bliss (see Bliss Correspondence, M, June 1903).

Box 83, .5 cubic ft., processed by Brian Schamber includes materials, June-July 1903. Items of note are the appearance of a new agent for Mr. Bliss; one A. Meston. From his letter he appears to be racking down lost shipments during June of that year. Samuel McReavy has a few correspondence as well with Bliss concerning the recruitment of a correspondence from Mr. Bliss’ sister, Maude, who is living in Detroit and inquiring about a mortgage. Also documented here is Bliss’ purchase of a “suit and trousers” from English Woolen Mill’s Co. (See Business Correspondence E-K, July 1903). Editions of “the Mercantile Agency Notification (See R.G. Dun and Co.”) are of note for their business value to Bliss (See Business Correspondence L-Q, July 1903).

Box 84, .5 cubic ft., processed by Jonathan Strom, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, August-September 1903. Correspondence range from letters, advertisements, postcards, and orders organized chronologically and alphabetically. Items of interest include a letter from J. Belford who ordered columns to the town of Belford, Michigan, but asked for them to be resent due to their inferior quality (Folder August 1903 A-E). A notice from the city of Saginaw of Ordinance #30 explains regulations of electric wiring and the use of electricity (Folder August 1903 A-E). There is an order of lumber for a schoolhouse in Isabella county, Denver Township, District 4 (Folder August 1903 F-K). An advertisement for the Kelly Lumber and Shingle Company claims that they are only exclusive white pine lumber mill in Michigan at the time (Folder August 1903 F-K). A receipt states C.S. Bliss purchased advertising space in the Michigan Farmer Weekly (Folder August 1903 L-M). A letter from the Second National Bank guarantees a line of credit, totaling $1,500, for C.S. Bliss (Folder August 1903 S-W). There is a record of a purchase C.S. Bliss made to Bushnell Wholesale Pine Lumber Company whose mill is located in Louisiana (Folder September 1903 A-C). A letter from C.S. Bliss to the Common Council of Saginaw offers free right of way to the Saginaw River on his property if they extend the road (Folder September 1903 A-C). A receipt shows the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, a precursor to General Motors, placed an order for lumber and delivered it to Flint, Michigan (Folder September 1903 D-F). A letter sent by C.S. Bliss argues the validity and cost of moving a bridge to Carrollton Township (Box 1, Folder September 1903 G-M). Lastly, a bankruptcy notice concerns William O. Moses who owed C.S. Bliss money (Box 1, Folder Legal Correspondence August-September 1903).

Box 85, .5 cubic ft., processed by Courtney Riggs, contains mostly business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies, October- November 1903. Important folders in this box include correspondence from Menz Lumber (Menz Lumber) and the Michigan Manufacturing and Lumber Company (Michigan Manufacturing and Lumber Company), filled orders and a few complaints about the lumber they were sent. In one folder Agent Black details information about the lumber business (see Agent Black). The Personal Correspondence folder encompasses information about Bliss’ dog, Monico, and an invite from the Saginaw Valley Chapter. Also included here is a personal letter from Lynn Blodgett. Blodgett includes details about the store he is now operating and mentions Bliss’ family, along with someone named John.

Box 86, .5 cubic ft., processed by Pauline Fischer, consists mostly of business correspondence between the Bliss Company and other companies from Michigan, November-December 1903. These correspondence include letters, receipts, payment requests, invitations, material requests, trading requests etc.

Boxes 87-88, .75 cubic ft., processed by Ron Bloomfield, consists mainly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies during January and February of 1904. Various forms of correspondence include letters, telegrams, invoices, notes, and postcards. They have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. One item of interest is a Saginaw Club postcard addressed to Mr. Bliss (Box 87, folder A, D-E, January 1904). Other items of interest include two purchase order invoices from the Durant-Dort Carriage Co., of Flint, MI for processed pine lumber (Box 87, A-D, February 1904), and “canopy top crating” (Box 87, A, D-E January 1904). The Durant-Dort Carriage Company was the initial carriage company started by William C. Durant who later founded General Motors. Another item of interest is a short note from Grace A. Dow of Midland (wife of Herbert Dow who founded Dow Chemical Company), regarding a pig named “Christmas Carol” whom she had received from Mr. Bliss (Box 87, A-D February 1904). One final group of items of significance worth noting relates to a Mr. Walter R. (W.R.) Black and the Butman Lumber Camp in Gladwin, MI. One full folder of material [Box 88: Black, W.R. + Butman Lumber Camp (Gladwin, MI) January-February 1904] includes a series of handwritten notes, correspondence, receipts, invoices, lists, and reports between C.S. Bliss and Walter R. Black, with contributions from at least several others involved in the running of the lumber camp including A. Forbes, and O.N. Sproul, scaler. Of particular interest are several listings of provisions, a letter dated February 25, 1904 from the Friedman Manufacturing Company thanking Mr. Bliss for his purchase of four tubs of “Butterine” for the camp, and a January 7, 1904 invoice from C.S. Bliss to the Butman Camp for 350 “Little Dick Cigars” amounting to $8.75. A February 1, 1904 letter from A. Forbes regarding mill operations and saws is followed by a series of letters and documents documenting the purchase of saw parts from the Frick Company and machinery parts from the Wickes Corporation of Saginaw, MI. Other interesting documents in this folder include skidding reports, scaling reports, letters of activities, several statements of cut lumber, statements of labor, and documentation on the process of hiring “teams.”

Box 89, .5 cubic ft., processed by Jake Thompson February-March 1904consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies, February- March 1904. The various forms of correspondence range from letters, telegrams, and postcards have been organized alphabetically as well as chronologically. Some pieces of interest include correspondence with Bliss’ workers. Bliss received letters from an agent McReavy detailing problems among the men as well as a smallpox quarantine (Box 1, Business Correspondence, Agent McReavy Folder). B.W. Snow, a farmhand, sent letters providing updates on cattle owned by Bliss and mentions a flood on March 28, 1904 (Business Correspondence, B.W. Snow Folder). There is a collection of letters from an agent Black discussing equipment problems. He also details the movement of a mill in his letters dated from March 20- 27 (Business Correspondence, Agent Black Folder). Bliss received an interesting letter on March 1st from a John Porter, who impatiently calls for swift action in dealing with a matter with a man named Atwood (Business Correspondence, P-Z Folder). Bliss had also collected on several insurance claims from loss due to fire in Rose City and Niagara (Legal Correspondence Folder).

Boxes 90-91, .75 cubic ft., processed by Andrea Puskas, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies during April and May 1904. The majority of correspondences are letters that have been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Some pieces of interest include letters from Chas Ewald and the Jenks and Muir Manufacturing Company due to major flooding across Michigan. In April 1904 Benjamin Greene requested lumber in order to build a large chicken and pigeon house, and the letter includes drawings of the inside and outside of the house (Box 91, Folder G-H). Also in April 1904, C.K. Mann inquired if C.S. Bliss carried materials needed to build store front, and the letter includes drawing and measurements of the store front. On April 5, 1904, the Michigan Central Railroad Company responded to concerns of a shortage of camp supplies, and blamed Mr. Bliss’ teamsters for losing the supplies after the Railroad company dropped the items off (Box 90, Folder M). In May 1904, there are two inquiries from women wishing to fill the open stenographer position for the C.S. Bliss Lumber Company (Box 91, Folder K and Box 90, Folder L-M). Several business solicitation letters have also been kept in order to demonstrate the other kinds of business that C.S. Bliss Lumber Company would have been involved in during 1904.

Box 92, .25 cubic ft., processed by Rebecca Cuddihy, consists mostly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers and other lumber companies during May and June 1904. The forms of correspondence ranges from receipts, letters, postcards and simple price enquiries, organized alphabetically and chronologically. Two collections of interest include correspondence from Agent McReavy and Agent Walter Black, who both traveled to engage C.S. Bliss in business elsewhere in Michigan. Agent Black, for example, frequented the West Branch Hotel in Nolan, Michigan, to engage in business with the Coan Lumber Company throughout June 1904.

Boxes 93-94, .75 cubic ft., processed by Candy DeForest consists predominantly of business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, and other lumber companies during July and August 1904. The primary forms of correspondence consist of letters, telegrams, and post cards, which have been organized chronologically and alphabetically. Some pieces of interest include a collection of letters between C.S. Bliss and a man by the name of W.R. Black (Box 94, Folder Bliss Business Correspondence, W.R. Black, July – August 1904). W.R. Black seems to be the man that runs a farm for C.S. Bliss. The correspondence between the two men is regarding the purchasing of and caring for livestock. Another very interesting find in this collection is a letter from C.S. Blodgett, an old friend of Mr. Bliss, written on August 9, 1904 (Box 94, Folder Bliss Personal Correspondence, July–August 1904). C.S. Blodgett is responding to a previous letter from C.S. Bliss letting him know how his life is in Fruitvale, California and that he plans on coming back to Michigan to visit soon. What’s very interesting about this letter is that it speaks of C.S. Bliss’s children and how old they are, Ralph being 13 and Jeanie being just out of high school. C.S. Blodgett also talks about his concern for C.S. Bliss in news of a recent large flooding of Saginaw, MI. Tying to Jeanie’s age more is a correspondence in August 1904 between C.S. Bliss and Second National Bank regarding rent being due on a safety deposit box that Mr. Bliss had items in for Jeanie, for when she finally becomes of age (Box 94, Folder Bliss Personal Correspondence, July–August 1904). He lets the bank know that he wants to continue to rent the box because she is not of age for what’s in it yet. A final interesting find in this collection is a set of legal agreements and blueprint plat maps for two different properties that C.S. Bliss had purchased from the Michigan Central Railroad Company near Edwards Lake (Box 94, Bliss Business Correspondence, July–August 1904).

Boxes 95-96, .75 cubic ft., processed by Chelsea Herron, contains mostly business correspondence between C.S Bliss and his customers, manufacturers, and lumber companies in association with Bliss Lumber Company, September-October 1904. The business correspondence consists of letters, postcards, and lumber supply lists, organized both chronologically and alphabetically. Some interesting materials in the collection include various letters that concern the fire that burnt down the lumber mill (Box 95, Folder D-E). Several letters offer sales and items to rebuild Bliss Lumber Mill after the fire. Other letters from a man named W.R. Black offer sales of water pumps and tanks for future fires at mill (Box 95, Folder C). A letter from Geo[rge] Johnston regards hiring a man for his farm (Box 96, Folder F). A slew of letters from Holt Lumber Company regards trade and purchase (Box 96, Folder H-I). Lastly, there are a few letters written by Agent McReavy, an agent in the company (Box 95, Folder Agent McReavy).

Box 97 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by B. Andrew Smith, contains correspondence between the Bliss Lumber Company and customers, Camp Correspondence, and the Personal Correspondence of C. S. Bliss. Documents of special interests include: Pig Advertisement (Folder A-D, November 1904). A woman with road work bills (Folder E-H, November 1904). Saw Advertisement (Folder F-M, November 1904). List of workers (Folder F-M, November 1904). Boiler Brace Diagram (Folder F-M, November 1904). Fordney Representative (Folder F-M, November 1904). McReavy, Agent Leaving Bliss (Folder F-M, November 1904). Briggs selling land to Bliss (Folder A-E, December 1904). Prices negotiated over telephone (Folder F-W, December 1904). Snow taking charge of Bliss’ farm (Folder F-W, December 1904).

HST 583 Spring 2018

During the Spring term 2018 my HST 583 class of 17 students processed 6.5 cubic feet in 15 boxes, 17 legal-size folders including records dated January 1905-December 1927. Most of the materials are business related, and prove that Bliss seriously diversified his business dealings by 1905. There is far more information about land sales, renters, bonds, property purchases, and his prize farm animals in this part of the collection than there is about lumber. Bliss always had insurance on his various investments. Because of the change in his business interests and more extensive information about his family in this section, the information is documented in detail below.

There is correspondence to / from several Bliss agents, including Samuel T. McReavy (in Box 99-100) whose letters are more personal in 1919 as McReavy is aging. He notes that his son graduated from Michigan Technical University (see Box 102) and that his (McReavy’s) eyesight is failing (Box 103). There is correspondence from a minor Bliss agent, George Hephner, who was responsible for loading and shipping lumber by rail from West Branch in 1905 (Box 99). Bliss agents often in prior Bliss boxes who are not documented in these boxes include: A. Meston, Perrin, O.N. Sproul, and O. Miner.

Letters from political figures include: Michigan Governor Fred M. Warner for lumber for 52 houses and 80 barns destroyed in Tuscola and Sanilac counties due to a severe cyclone on June 10, 1905, which was documented in period newspapers (Box 99).

Lumber camp information includes: the total hours worked in Bliss mills (Box 98); the beginning of a post office in Butman Camp (see Box 99); a mill wage list and lists of the numbers of employees and the work they were hired to do (woods work, mill work, teamster, common labor, blacksmith, and cooks), and camp medical supplies (Box 102). Dynamite and fuses were delivered to Gladwin, and there were two different accidents in which men were injured (Box 101). The Vanderbilt Camp is not mentioned in these boxes.

There are also application letters of mostly women applying to work as a stenographer for Bliss (Box 99).

Bliss was heavily involved with property sales and rentals from 1905 through 1927. There is correspondence with E.K. Eby concerning Bliss possibly buying timer land in Arkansas to expand his business outside Michigan in 1905 (Box 98). Bliss also considered, but apparently did not purchase, a logging outfit near Gulfport, Mississippi (Box 101) and property in British Columbia (Box 111). Bliss correspondence often during 1921-1922 about and eventually sold land in Lee Township, Midland County, Michigan to the Boy Scouts for $1000 (Box 106). In 1923 a farm caretaker, Andy, mentions the sale of land to the Boy Scouts (Box 107). There is a unique telegraph code from S.A. Gibbs and Company, Wholesale Lumber of Tacoma, Washington (Box 100). There are letters to/from Michigan Representative Henry Croll, Jr. about land in Ogemaw County, Michigan (Box 103). More land acquisitions or property information is in Box 108. Bliss also considered purchasing land in British Columbia, but there is no evidence he bought any (Box 111).

Bliss was very busy in this period with renters and rental properties. There are a number of letters to/from renters, receipts, letters from renters behind on their rent, rental agreements, leases, legal agreements, and information about rental housing repairs (Boxes 102, 104, 110). By 1922 Bliss owned multiple rental properties in Michigan and Arkansas (Boxes 107-108, 110). Bliss Arkansas Trust Company correspondence concerns his property and rental properties in Hot Spring, Arkansas (Boxes 107, 111).

Beginning in 1921 Bliss further diversified his investments by purchasing foreign bonds in stocks from Brazil during a period of economic recession. American banks offered bond options to businessmen to obtain financial gains. Bliss purchased bonds from Brazil (Box 105); the Kingdom of Norway, Brazil, Republic of Chile, Republic of France, Republic of Uruguay, Denmark, Kingdom of Belgium, and the city of Bergen, Norway (Box 107). There are reports from Saginaw Financing Corporation, 1922-on (Boxes 107-108, 110) and materials from Second National Bank of Saginaw (109, more materials on the bank are found in the Vertical Files- Saginaw-Banking).

With another relative named Charles, C.S. Bliss invested in petroleum in the Fordney Petroleum Company in 1926. Their letters detail the progress of their drilling and business growth (Box 111). Letters from Bliss in 1927 to Michigan senators demonstrate that he lobbied for legislation and discuss his involvement in the newly established oil industry in central Michigan (Box 112). Early examples of electric and phone receipts in 1919 are found in Box 102.

There is some legal paperwork between Bliss and the Michigan Circuit Court 1921 (Box 105), Bliss’ attorney, the State Attorney General, and probate court (Box 111).

There are letters from men who ran Bliss’ farm, James Kelly and B. W. Snow (Boxes 99-100, 104) and many letters to/from Bliss about the care of and purchasing sheep, both Rambouillet and Merino (see Box 100), and about purchasing sheep and goats (Box 101). Bliss also bought a St. Bernard puppy (a luxury item) from the Detroit Bird Store, 1919 (Box 103). There are other letters about purchasing a dog and horse (Box 104). In 1923 Bliss’ children all noted how hard it was to find workers for the farm as many people were moving to Flint and Detroit to work (Box 107). Farm information includes the purchase of trees, grape vines, supplies, the sale of a hog and cow, and the purchase of a setter and English setter (Box 107).

There are letters from John J. Rubelman whom Bliss asked to build his house (Box 99). There is an insurance claim and information about a broken plate glass window, likely in Bliss’ house, in 1920 (Box 104, 108). There is an advertisement for an Aladdin home floor plan and a drawing of a house floor plan, presumably drawn by C. S. Bliss, 1921 (Box 106). There is an oversized drawing on grid paper of a heating schema for a house in 1919 (Box 102). By 1922 the Bliss family lived during the winter in Arkansas and there is correspondence from both Michigan and Arkansas (Box 107). Mrs. Bliss purchased household furnishings (Boxes 102, 108).

Bliss purchased a Pilot Automobile from Richmond, Indiana (Box 103), but the make and date of purchase (April 1917) is found later when Bliss corresponded with Dort Motor Cars of West Branch, and Pilot about purchasing a new car. Bliss eventually bought a Buick Coupe in 1922 (Box 107). Other purchases he made include a leather pocket book and a croquet set (Box 105). A 1923 car registration is in Box 108.

Personal correspondence includes letters from: Bliss’ sister, Della, addressed to My Dear Brother detailing her daily life (Boxes 103, 108-110, 112); his sons, Walter (Boxes 103, 106-108) and Ralph (Boxes 103, 105-108, 110, 112); and his daughter, Jean (ie) (Boxes 103-104, 106-108, 110-112).

Materials for Mrs. Bliss include receipts for personal clothing, sewing goods, materials (Box 102, 108); lace, clothes and sheet music from Sears, Roebuck and Co. and curtain sample materials (Box 109); Saginaw hospital receipts in July 1923 for an unspecified reason; and additional medical receipts, all for unspecified health issues, in April 1924 (Box 108).

There is personal correspondence between C.S. Bliss and his cousin, Fred Bliss (Boxes 104-105, 107-108, 111-112), Fred is described as C.S. Bliss’ Fire Insurance Agent (Box 108). Fred always addressed C.S. as Chas or Charley. Fred owned an insurance company and real estate business. In 1926 Fred moved to California (Box 111). Another relative James W. Bliss notes the death of C.N. Bliss on January 14, 1923 (Box 107). The estate of Aaron T. Bliss is discussed (Box 104) and names Bliss as one of the estate legatees in 1924, listing land mainly in Midland and Gladwin counties, as well as land in Minnesota (Box 109).

There is also personal correspondence between C.S. Bliss and many personal friends (Box 103-104), including Grace A. Dow, who complains that Bliss bookkeepers billed her too much in error (Box 98).

C.S. Bliss purchased a headstone for his mother, Grace Bliss, who passed away July 2, 1908 (Box 103) and another headstone not specified for a particular person (Box 104).

Bliss’ personal and business memberships include: the Saginaw Board of Trade, St. Bernard Commandery- Knights Templar (Boxes 99, 103, 107); East Saginaw Club for bowling (Boxes 101, 103); Saginaw Lumber Dealers Association for dinner/annual meetings (Box 101); Elf Khurafeh Temple Order (Box 103); others (Box 104); Concatenated Order of the Hoo-Hoo (a social club) and an invitation to a Gladwin High School 9th reunion (in 1921) (Boxes 105, 107); the Northeast Michigan Development Bureau (Box 107); and the Royal Arch Masons, Gladwin Chapter 157 (Boxes 107-108).

Bliss was also involved in baseball including: Saginaw Baseball Club (Box 103), Detroit Baseball Club (Box 110), Northeastern Michigan Baseball League (The NMBL was founded in 1916, operated until 1986, spanned from Saginaw to Alpena. Bliss served as the director from an unknown date until June 3, 1927) (Box 112).

Box 98, .25 cubic ft., processed by David Banas, Jr., consist of business correspondence between Bliss and several companies with most of these businesses asking Bliss to pay overdue bills that the lumber baron had incurred, January-February 1905. There are also records of the hours that Bliss’ lumberjacks worked in the camps and mills (see Bliss Mill Records, February 1905). An item of interest is a letter dated January 4, 1905 from Grace A. Dow, the wife of Dow Chemical Company founder Herbert H. Dow, who states that Bliss’ bookkeepers have made an error and charged her too much for a service (see Bliss Business Correspondence A-F, January 1905). Also noteworthy are a series of letters between Bliss and E.K. Eby, apparently one of Bliss’ minor agents, during February 1905 for the purpose of Bliss buying timberland in Arkansas to expand his lumber business outside of Michigan (see Bliss Business Correspondence, A-C, E-F, February 1905). Another interesting item is a pink paper bill for the Wolverine Cigar Company asking Bliss to pay his bill (see Bliss Business Correspondence N, P, R-T, W, January 1905). While the bill is nothing special, the color of the paper is.

Box 99 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Chiara Ziletti consists mostly of business correspondence between C. S. Bliss and his customers, agents, employees, and other lumber companies, May- June 1905. There is also one folder with correspondence about his farm (May-June 1905), one of letters from men and women applying for jobs (June 1905), and one of personal correspondence (May-June 1905). All the material has been organized chronologically as well as alphabetically. Items of interest include: Among the business correspondence there are letters from Bliss agent S. T. McReavy (see Bliss Business Correspondence, L-M P, S, W, May 1905 folder, and Bliss Business Correspondence, L-M, P, June 1905 folder). There are letters by W. W. Steele on the construction of a rural mail route, probably in Butman (see Bliss Business Correspondence, L-M P, S, W, May 1905 folder, and Bliss Business Correspondence, R-T, V-W, Y June 1905 folder). There are also letters from George Hephner, working for Bliss and writing from West Branch. It seems that he was responsible for managing the loading and shipping of lumber by train (see Bliss Business Correspondence, B-H, May 1905 folder, and Bliss Business Correspondence, B-J, June 1905 folder). There are two letters from John J. Rubelman, to whom Bliss asked to build his house (see Bliss Business Correspondence, R-T, V-W, June 1905). There is also a letter dated June 16, 1905 from Isaac Erb, architect, discussing modifications to his house (see Bliss Business Correspondence, B-J, June 1905 folder). Several items document that Bliss was a member of the Saginaw Board of Trade (see Bliss Business Correspondence, S, May 1905 legal-size folder, and Bliss Business Correspondence, R-T, V-W, Y June 1905 folder). In the letter of June 15, 1905 from O. E. Thompson and Sons there are few pages of Bliss’ catalogue with door and column options (see Bliss Business Correspondence, R-T, V-W, Y June 1905 folder). There is also a telegram dated June 17, 1905 from Michigan Governor Fred M. Warner asking for lumber because forty-two houses and eighty barns were destroyed in the districts of Tuscola and Sanilac counties because of a cyclone (see Bliss Business Correspondence, R-T, V-W, Y June 1905 folder). Notice of the cyclone can be found in the newspapers of the time, which reports at least four people dead because of the catastrophic even (“The Storm’s Great Fury,” Milford Times, June 10, 1905, 6; “For Cyclone Victims,” Isabella County Enterprise, June 16, 1905, 6). Among the farm correspondence there are letters by James Kelly and B. W. Snow (see Bliss Farm, May-June 1905 folder). In the job applications folder, some of the letters are from or about women applying to work as a stenographer for Bliss, who had an open position in June 1905 (see Bliss Job Applications, June 1905). In the personal correspondence folder there are two letters by George L. Fisk, and a reservation for C.S. Bliss and his wife for an event organized by the Asylum of St. Bernard Commandery – Knights Templar (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, May-June 1905 folder).

Box 100, .5 cubic ft., processed by Sarah Yasick, contains business correspondence from the C. S. Bliss Lumber Company, July- August 1905. Much of the correspondence is with sheep breeding companies including: J.Q.A. Cook (see Business Correspondence A-C, August and September 1905); R. S. Shaw, Michigan Agricultural College (see Business Correspondence S, July 1905 and S-T, September 1905); Dwight Lincoln, American Rambouillet Sheep-Breeders Association and C.E. L. of Oak Hill Stock correspondence both in (Business Correspondence I-J, L, September 1905), C. E. Peabody(see Business Correspondence, N, P, R, September 1905), John H. Seely, American Rambouillet Sheep-Breeders Association, and R. S. Shaw again (both in Business Correspondence S-T, September 1905), and A. A. Wood and Son- Sheep, which is the only discussion of Merino sheep, the rest is all concerning Rambouillet sheep (see Business Correspondence, W, September 1905). There is a wool sample that was sent to Bliss (see J.Q.A. Cook letters, in Business Correspondence A-C, August 1905). There are also letters between Bliss and his farm manager, Mr. Snow, as Bliss prized his sheep and kept close records on them (see Business Correspondence A-C, July 1905 for two letters from Bliss and see Business Correspondence S, July 1905 and R-S, August 1905 for letters by Snow). There is a unique telegraph code that was used between Bliss and S.A. Gibbs and Company Wholesale Lumber, of Tacoma, Washington, to ensure their conversations would stay private (see Business Correspondence, R-S, August 1905). In the code the word “Path” meant Ship large car of each. The first folder has correspondence between Bliss and his longtime agent, Samuel T. McReavy (see Business Correspondence, Samuel T. McReavy, July 1905). There are also records regarding land Bliss owned and rented out, taxes paid/due, and related materials. Also of interest is a hand drawn map of Pultneyville, New York, with a letter from his traveling friend, Geo. Le Fries (see Business Correspondence, L, July 1905). The folders are organized alphabetically and chronologically.

Box 101, .25 cubic ft., processed by Allie Narwocki, includes correspondence about goats and sheep because Mr. Bliss was buying them for his farm (see Liken and Bach, C.E. Peabody, Ross and Rieck Co. correspondence in the folder, October 1905). Other items in that folder include a Michigan State Grange newspaper advertising contract; a letter from the Miller Bryant-Pierce Co., advertising typewriters and the ink used in the letter in particular. Lastly in this folder, C.S. Bliss received a letter about dynamite and fuses being delivered in Gladwin. In the November-December 1905 folder, there are four letters from the Fidelity and Casuality Company regarding two different accidents in which men were injured. In addition, there is a four-page letter written by W.H. Gilbert regarding a complete logging outfit for sale near Gulf Port, Mississippi. As far as we know from the collection, Bliss did not buy this logging outfit, but it is interesting that he reviewed and perhaps considered purchasing out-of-state logging operations. The other two items in this folder include a bond for Michigan Central Railroad Company Agent, Silas S. Armstrong, ensuring that he was certified to operate railroad machinery safely. The bond also looked at the characteristics of Armstrong and made sure he could effectively handle the responsibility. The Northern Mileage Ticket Bureau sent a note informing that C.S. Bliss could apply for mileage reimbursement. One folder of personal correspondence in the box includes invitations from the East Saginaw Club for bowling, and the Saginaw Valley Lumber Dealers Association informal dinner annual meeting invitation (December 1905).

Box 102 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Olivia Beebe, includes materials from Bliss’ business and personal life, December 1904-April 1919 (Scattered). The box contains materials documenting Bliss’ business including a mill wage list from 1908 and 1909 (see Bliss Camp Inventory and Wages List, 1908–1911). The collection also contains materials from the Saginaw Employment Agency regarding the introduction of future employees and payments to the Saginaw Employment Agency agent Chas. P. Rieder to pay the new employees’ railway fare (see Bliss Employment Materials (Folder 1 of 2), December 1919–January 1912, Bliss Employment Materials (Folder 2 of 2), September 1909–January 1918). These records give the researcher an idea of how many individuals the Bliss camps hired 1909–1918, along with what individuals were hired to do: woods work, mill work, teamster, common labor, blacksmith, and cooks. Other interesting materials regarding the Bliss camps are the records from Winslow’s Camp Remedies, selling the camp medical supplies. The folder contains product lists from 1910 (see Bliss Camp Medical, December 1909–March 1910). The folder Legal Correspondence, December 1918–March 1919 contains materials on rent, leases, and legal agreements. The collection also contains examples of early receipts from 1919 for Northern Power Co. and Michigan State Telephone Company (see Bliss Business Material December 1919–April 1919).

The personal materials in Box 102 include Mrs. Bliss’ receipts encompassing ladies garment set, pillow tubing, belt, satin, etc. (see Mrs. Bliss Receipts, February 191 –February 1919). Other personal financials include purchases of rugs, desks, and bonds (see Bliss Personal Financials, November 1910–March 1919). The collection also contains Personal Correspondence from longtime Bliss agent Samuel T. McReavy, about his son who graduated Michigan College of Mines [now Michigan Technical University] (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, January 1918–June 1919). There is one legal-size folder of materials including: J.O. Newberry rent (related to the Legal Folder), Saginaw Employment Agency (related to Bliss Employment Materials), and a drawing on grid paper of a heating schema for a house (related to buying furnace cords in Bliss Personal Finance folder) (see Bliss Business Materials, December 1910–January 1919).

Box 103, .25 cubic ft., processed by Dylan Foss contains documents and records from the C.S. Bliss collection organized chronologically, with a bulk of the documents dating between April to December of 1919, but also with a few personal letters dating to March of 1919. Materials are divided into business and personal correspondence, with the business correspondence being organized chronologically and alphabetically, and with the personal correspondence being organized chronologically.

The business correspondence section include a mixture of letters between Bliss and his customers inquiring about prices for land, letters from business partners, notices from the Northeastern Michigan Development Bureau, letters from the Michigan War Savings Committee and the Treasury Department War Loan Organization endorsing investments in their war savings bonds and stamps, and financial reports from the Second National Bank of Saginaw. One letter of interest is from Henry Croll Jr., of the Michigan House of Representatives, replying to Bliss after Bliss had inquired for roadmaps of Ogemaw County in order to gain insight on the quality of the surrounding land (see Folder A-C April-July 1, 1919) (Henry Croll Jr. was born on April 22, 1875 in Saginaw, MI and died April 6, 1944 in Lansing, MI. He served as a Republican representative for the Clare District from 1913- 1920 in the Michigan state House of Representatives and did not serve in the Senate. At certain points in his life Croll also lived in Beaverton as well as Lansing and may have become acquainted with Bliss while growing up in the Saginaw area. He was married twice, once in 1896 to Bessie L. Thomason, (who passed in 1930,) and then later to Jessie Holt in 1933. Henry Croll Jr. is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Saginaw, MI (http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/croft.-crompton.html#126.65.14). There is also a letter from Bliss's field agent, Samuel T. McReavy, discussing working out deals with potential clients and mentioning that his eyesight is failing him as he comes to the end of his career in his older age (see Folder M-N, S, W July 1-September 30, 1919). T.J. Allen, the secretary and treasurer of the Electric Cigar Company in Flint, Michigan, wrote to Bliss on several occasions where he mentioned a couple by the names of Fred and Leah Butler having gone missing shortly after moving to a new home in an unknown location (see Folder A-E, R-S October 1- December 31, 1919). Allen notified Bliss so that he could be aware of the situation, and as a friend and business partner, that he would notify Allen if he had seen the couple at any point.

The Personal Correspondence primarily consists of letters and postcards from Bliss's close friends and family such as from his sister, Della, his sons, Walter and Ralph, his daughter, Jean, his fraternity friend, McEmanuel, and his friend, Alex Romany. There are also several letters and documents from organizations that Bliss participated in, such as the Saginaw Baseball Club, Elf Khurafeh Temple Order, the East Saginaw Club, and the St. Bernard Commandery, (Knight's Templar). There is also a note from his son, Walter, where he sent money to his father to compensate him for the two steers that were killed by lightning on the Gladwin Farm that Bliss helped to run (see Personal July 1-September 30, 1919), a note from the St. Bernard Commandery (Knights Templar) that a fellow member, Sir Frank Ellsworth, had passed away on Wednesday September 3rd, 1919 (see Personal July 1-September 30, 1919), a letter from the Saginaw Baseball Club responding to Bliss about any by-laws that exist to run a baseball team (see Personal July 1-September 30, 1919), and a receipt for a two-dollar donation that Bliss had given to the Roosevelt Memorial (see Personal October 1-December 31, 1919). Other documents of interest also include a brochure from the Elf Khurafeh Temple outlining the events that took take place on their "Lansing Pilgrimage" on October 13th, 1919 (see Personal October 1-December 31, 1919), a letter from the Stotzer Granite Company of Portage, Wisconsin billing Bliss for the construction of a headstone for his mother, Grace Bliss, who passed away July 2nd, 1908 (see Personal October 1- December 31, 1919), and a well preserved promotional ad for the Vitality Supreme Magazine that Bliss received which discusses untraditional ways in which an individual can maintain physical health (see in Personal October 1-December 31, 1919).

There are many well preserved advertisements in this file from companies that Bliss regularly purchased good and services from, some printed in color. Some pieces of interest within this section include a well-preserved certificate from the Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company (see Personal March-July 1, 1919), a letter discussing Bliss's subscription to National Geographic Magazine (see Personal March-July 1, 1919), a receipt from Pinkerton and Co. For veterinary supplies for his horses (see Personal March-July 1, 1919), and an invitation for Bliss to attend his seventh annual Gladwin High School Reunion (see Personal March-July 1, 1919).

This box also contains letters sent to C.S. Bliss from the owners of the Detroit Bird Store discussing his purchase of a St. Bernard puppy through the store, as well as several other advertisements saved by Bliss that endorsed animals the store was selling (see Detroit Bird Store, 1919). Since St. Bernards were considered a luxury breed during this time, especially due to their size, Bliss may have been purchasing this dog for prestige purposes. For researchers who would like to know more about the Detroit Bird Store, the archives in the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University have more documents on the store in their John C. Pollie Papers, 1910-1969 and undated (Box 4, F 4, Pollie, John C., Business Correspondence, Detroit Bird Store (Chester A. Lamb), 1919, 1930, 1939-1940, 1942, 1944.).

The last folder in this box contains some well-preserved colorful advertisements from the Pilot Motor Car Company based out of Richmond, Indiana, which are encouraging Bliss to purchase a topper and other accessories for his Pilot Automobile, (see Pilot Automobile Advertisements, 1919). Bliss had purchased a Pilot Motor Car, but it does not specify in these advertisements as to what year and model Bliss had purchased.

Box 104 and 2 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by Emma Walworth, consists mostly of Business and Personal Correspondence and receipts, July through September 1920 (letters K-T), September through December of 1920 (letters A-Z), and January-March of 1921 (letters A-J), with a few items are from April 1919 and April 1920. There are several folders of Personal Correspondence and receipts for each period of time included in this box. Personal Correspondence was from people who worked on his farm; his daughter, Jean; friend, Geo Scafe; and his cousin, Fred Bliss. The contents of this box are organized both chronologically and alphabetically, as well as by the type of Correspondence (Business or Personal). Some pieces of interest are the letter from his daughter, Jean, discussing family news and health (see Personal Correspondence folder from January-March 1921). The letters of Fred Bliss discuss business dealings, and have letterheads from the Estate of relative, Aaron T. Bliss, and the Agency of The Lincoln National Life Insurance Company. A photograph of a horse Bliss was interested in purchasing along with a letter from the seller, L. Hamlin, is included (see Business Correspondence, G, H, J, July-Sept. 1920). There is also a letter regarding fire and tornado insurance, which it appears Bliss purchased for a property he owned. There are also multiple letters and even a photograph regarding his inquiries about purchasing a dog as well (see Personal Correspondence / receipts July-September 1920). There several letters throughout the collection that are from folks who owe him rent or money. Some state that the money is included, while other seem to need more time to pay. There are many receipts throughout this box, but there a few of interest, including: one for a granite marker and inscription that he purchased from the Gototzer Granite Company. There is no evidence for whom the marker was intended. There are also a few receipts for memberships or subscriptions to different local organizations. Bliss had subscriptions to The Midland Sun and Hay Trade Journal, among others. There is also some correspondence regarding the purchase and sale of stocks and bonds. Lastly, there is an insurance claim for broken glass plates and a letter stating it was replaced (See Business Correspondence, P-R, October-December of 1920). The two photographs included in this box were also sleeved for protection.

Box 105 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Taylor Ensley, consists mostly of business correspondence between Bliss and customers, renters, lawyers, and bond salesmen during the fall of 1920 and January- June 1921. This box contains bonds, stocks, personal letters, financials, and legal records. A majority of the correspondence within this box is that of the businesses that C.S. Bliss was involved in. Bliss had many connections with foreign bonds and stocks including some in Brazil, (See Bliss Business Correspondence, A-B; April-May 1921), Eddy Paper Company (See Bliss Business Correspondence, C, E-J; April-May 1921), and First Mortgage Real Estate Bonds (see Bliss Business Correspondence, A-B; April-May 1921). There is also one folder of legal material relating to Bliss and the Michigan Circuit Court (see Bliss Legal Correspondence, March 1921). Another folder contains some of C.S. Bliss’s personal correspondence in the winter and early spring of 1921 including: letters from Bliss’s son, Ralph; letters from Bliss’s cousin, Fred; a check for three dollars; a Gladwin High School 9th Annual reunion invitation; Life Insurance papers from Michigan Mutual Life Insurance Company of Detroit, Michigan; and a letter from the Concatenated Order of the Hoo-Hoo, a social group, which Bliss was a member (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, January-May 1921).

Box 106 and legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Nikki Brabaw, includes mainly business correspondence between C.S. Bliss and his renters, attorneys and agents located mostly in Michigan, July 1921-June 1922. The contents of the box are organized chronologically by folder and alphabetically within each folder. There is also a large portion of letters and postcards from C.S. Bliss’s children (Ralph, Jean, and Walter), friends and other family members. Some items of interest include a newspaper advertisement for Aladdin home floor plans and a drawing of a house floor plan presumed to be drawn by C.S. Bliss in 1921, and letters from 1921 and 1922, noting C.S. Bliss purchased a leather pocket book for Harry Leininger and a croquet set for Fleda Leininger (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, August 1921–June 1922). Also, an ongoing correspondence between C.S. Bliss and A.C. Baker about the Boy Scouts purchasing land that Bliss owned in Lee Township, Midland County, Michigan for their use as a boy’s camp. These correspondence span Fall of 1921 (Bliss Business Correspondence, A-D, October–December 1921) through Spring of 1922, when Baker offered Bliss $1,000 for the land (see Bliss Business Correspondence, A-C, January–June 1922). The letter with information about writing the contract with A.C. Baker and the Boys Scouts is found in the legal-size folder, Bliss Business Correspondence, July 1921–February 1922.

Box 107 and 3 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by Adrienne VandenBosch, consists mostly of business correspondence C.S. Bliss had with financial institutions, and renters, January 1922 and July 1923. Personal correspondence is also included, mainly consisting of letters from family. The majority of correspondence comes from Michigan and Arkansas, as Bliss resided in both states during this time. Series are organized alphabetically and chronologically within each year.

A relevant historical note for the time period of material in this box is that a walkout of railway shopmen occurred on July 1, 1922. This nation-wide strike was in response to wage cuts and unjust working conditions. Around 400,000 shopmen were on strike, which affected passenger and freight trains alike. The strike warranted the intervention of President Harding—the stoppage interfered with the delivery of United States mail and created a transportation emergency, disrupting the transportation of coal and of fruit crops from the Pacific Coast. While not all railroads signed this agreement, negotiations for Terms of Settlement concluded on September 13, 1922. The settlement is known as the Baltimore Agreement (Gadsby, Margaret. "Strike of the Railroad Shopmen." Monthly Labor Review 15, no. 6 (1922): 1-21. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41828540).

There are a number of interesting business correspondence. Bliss invested in real estate, and held rental properties in Michigan and Arkansas. Documents regarding the discussion of property or land taxes are found in the Bliss Property January 1922–April 1923 folder. Correspondence from renters regarding rental contracts and payment of, rental maintenance, and other correspondence can be found in the Bliss Renters, March–October 1922, and Bliss Renters, January–April 1923 folders. The legal-size folder of Bliss Renters, September 1922 contains a Certificate of Protest from the Notary Public of Gladwin County, Michigan on payment from renter Floyd E. Hall. Further information about this matter can be found under the letterhead of Peoples State Bank, dated September 20, 1922 (see Renters, March–October 1922 folder). Additional correspondence with C.S. Bliss regarding rental properties can be found in Bliss Business Correspondence folders under the letterhead of People’s State Bank.

The folders for Bliss Arkansas Trust Company, November–December 1922 and Bliss Arkansas Trust Company, January–June 1923 contain correspondence from Arkansas Trust Company concerning Bliss’ property and rental properties in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The Automobiles, January-December 1922 folder contains correspondence between Bliss and Dort Motor Cars, Morrison Garage (of West Branch, Michigan) as well as Pilot Motor Car Company, regarding the trade-in of his old car and the purchase of a new vehicle. This folder also contains the registration for a Buick Coupe from May 1922. Letters from Pilot Motor Car Company include information about the car that C. S. Bliss purchased in April of 1917, and the sales flyer for additional features for that vehicle can be found in Bliss correspondence from November 1919.

Due to international financial recession in the 1920s, American banks offered bond options to businessmen to obtain financial gains through foreign bonds. Thus, C.S. Bliss purchased Foreign National Bonds in many countries, including the Kingdom of Norway, Brazil, Republic of Chile, Republic of France, Republic of Uruguay, Denmark, Kingdom of Belgium, and the city of Bergen, Norway. The Bliss Foreign National Bonds, January–December 1922 folder contains statements on Coupons for Collection, and letters regarding the financial viability of Bliss’ foreign bonds. The corresponding (legal-size folder) contains circulars from Michigan Banks advertising bonds available.

There are many letters regarding investment securities, insurance, and other correspondence to show the scope of business C.S. Bliss was involved in at the time (see the following folders: Bliss Business Correspondence, January–December 1922, A–M; Bliss Business Correspondence, January–December 1922, N–Z; and Bliss Business Correspondence, January–May 1923). Monthly finance reports from the Saginaw Financing Corporation are in the Bliss Saginaw Financing Corporation, July–December 1922 legal-size folder.

Membership receipts and other correspondence from personal organizations that Bliss belonged to are found in Bliss Personal Correspondence, January–December 1922. Bliss was a member of the Royal Arch Masons, Gladwin Chapter 157, the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, the Northeast Michigan Development Bureau, and the Saint Bernard Commandery Number 16, Knights Templar. This folder also contains a letter from Bliss’ son, Ralph, that mentions a railroad strike (see letter dated August 24, 1922 in Personal Correspondence, January–December 1922).

The Bliss Personal Correspondence, January–June 1923 folder contains correspondence with C.S. Bliss’ cousin, and Fire Insurance Agent, Fred L. Bliss. These letters include information about family members, and discussion of business trends (including General Motors, streetcar business, and realestate). Fred addresses C. S. as “Chas” and as “Charley” in personal letters. A letter from James W. Bliss notes the death of C.N. Bliss on January 14, 1923 (see letter dated January 19, 1923 in Personal Correspondence, January–June 1923). Letters from Bliss’ children, Ralph, Jean, and Walter are also included. Jean and Walter mention how hard it is to find workers for their farm, as most people are moving to cities like Flint and Detroit for work. A letter from Andy, a caretaker of Bliss’ property, mentions a sale of land to the Boy Scouts (see letter dated February 2, 1923 in Personal Correspondence, January–June 1923).

Bliss maintained a farm during this time, and information regarding the purchase of trees, grape vines, and other supplies can be found in Bliss Farm, January 1922–April 1923. Bliss sold a hog through the Ogemaw Co-operative Shippers’ Association, and a cow through the West Branch Farmer’s Elevator Company. Bliss received dog licenses for a Setter, and an English Setter (see Dog License 1922, and Dog License 1923 in Bliss Farm, January 1922–April 1923).

Box 108 and 2 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by Lindsey Rogers, is comprised of Banking, Business, Personal, and Property records, late 1922-July of 1924. There are nine folders, two of which are legal sized, filed under ‘Bliss, Bonds and Banking 1923–1924’ and ‘Bliss, Saginaw Financing Corporation, 1923–January 1924.

The box is organized into Business Correspondence 1923-1924 (Folders 1- 2), Bliss Family personal correspondence 1923-1924 (Folder 3), Land Acquisition (Folder 4), Properties – Arkansas (Folder 5), Properties – Michigan (Folder 6), Personal (Box 7). All Folders are filed alpha-numerically by name and then date, and then by year.

Items of note include letters from C.S. Bliss that have been kept with the rest of the correspondence (Folders 1-6). Folders 1 and 2, Business Correspondence 1923 and 1924 respectively, consist mainly of correspondence relating to business or from tenants. Folder 2 has letters from C.S. Bliss’ cousin, Fred Bliss. It has been kept in Business instead of Personal because of content. Folder 3 is divided into Family and Friends. There are letters specifically addressed to Gertrude Bliss from a cousin. Other family correspondence is from Bliss’ sister, Della, and children, Jean, Ralph and Walter. There is also a collection to letters to C. S. Bliss, addressed to “Dear Friend Char,” letters from S. Flower, a tenant with whom he had a very friendly relationship, and a letter from Mrs. L. M. Walters with extraordinary letterhead, a boarder demonstrating Roscommon County outdoor tourism options. Folder 4 contains general information of Land acquisition or general information on properties. Of note here is a series of letters and company replies concerning Plate glass windows. Folder 5 consists of information relating to properties in Arkansas, where the family had a home that they went to in the winter. Included are receipts about improvements that were being made their home. There are also receipts for purchases from Mrs. Bliss for a few things. Folder 6 contains information on property in Michigan. This folder had items removed during processing due to the acidic nature of the originals. They have been photocopied and are available in the folder. Notable are township maps with handwritten notes or that are hand colored. There is also a drawing of a pair of hands on one of the pieces within. Folder 7 is a personal file, and includes things like Bliss’ Masonic Temple information, a car registration from 1923, a letter of complaint written to a business by C. S. Bliss that is quite funny, and information related to C.S. Bliss’ stay in Detroit at the Bancroft Hotel and Mrs. Bliss’ hospital stay in Saginaw during that time.

Box 109, 1 legal-folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Savannah Mitchell, contains mostly business correspondences to and from the Second National Bank of Saginaw, January- December of 1924 (letters A-Y). The legal-size folder, Second National Bank of Saginaw Materials, January-December 1924, includes trial balances for the entire year of 1924. The records make it clear that Bliss was indeed a wealthy man.

Also interesting are many documents that belonged to Mrs. Bliss (see folder Personal Correspondence, Mrs. Bliss, January- December 1924). Many sales receipts from Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago are in this folder. The receipts show she bought many materials, lace, clothes, sheet music, etc. The price range is wide, from $5.00-$62.00. In addition, a material sample of curtain from Bay City “Cash” Dry Goods Company. The curtain sample is priced $10 per pair.

Another interesting collection is the letters from C.S. Bliss’s sister, Della to Bliss (see Personal Correspondence to C.S. Bliss from Sister Della January-December 1924). The letters are always addressed to “My Dear Brother” and contain insight on her daily life such as going to the store, who came to visit that day, and selling cream.

Lastly, a document about Estate of Aaron T. Bliss, December 11, 1924 names C.S. Bliss on of the general legatees. It lists land mainly in the Michigan counties of Midland and Gladwin as well as some land in Minnesota (see Bliss Business Correspondence, A-B, D January-December 1924).

Box 110 and 2 legal-size folders, processed by Josh Smith, consist largely of personal correspondence which are letters from his children, Ralph, and Jean, and a large amount of letters from C.S Bliss’ sister, Della, January-December 1925. There is also a good amount of business correspondence in the collection, commonly discussing rental properties, rental payments, and rental housing repairs. C.S Bliss was involved in dealings in baseball. There is correspondence from the Detroit Baseball Club regarding to a prospect C.S recommended (see Folder B-L Bliss Personal Correspondence, July-December 1925). Another important aspect about this collection is that it contains letters directly from and written by C.S Bliss himself. These are correspondence from C.S Bliss to his daughter, Jean (see B-G Bliss Personal Correspondence, January-May 1925). Finally, contained within this collection is the Saginaw Financial Corporations records for the entire year of 1925 (see Folder Bliss Saginaw Financial Corporation Records, January-December 1925). The box is organized chronologically, January to June 1925 and July to December 1925, and divided into Business and Personal correspondence, both of which are alphabetized.

Box 111 and 2 legal-size folders, .25 cubic ft., processed by Jon Korpi primarily consists of different correspondents, including manufacturers, state attorney general, customers, and other lumber companies, January- December of 1926. There are also letters of correspondence between Bliss his personal attorney/judge and probate court. A majority of this collection is the correspondence of letters from the Arkansas Trust Company in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Taxes and deeds were the primary purpose of these letters sent to Bliss. His cousin, Fred Bliss, who owned an insurance and real estate company, wrote to C.S. Bliss explaining that Fred was closing his Saginaw business and moving to California (see Bliss Business Correspondence, A, B, D, July–December 1926). Personal Correspondence between C. S. Bliss and his daughter, Jean, detail the business and personal relationship between the two (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, H, J W, January–July 1926 and Bliss Personal Correspondence, B, F, July–December 1926). The collection also includes investments in petroleum that Bliss had in his correspondence with his cousin, Charles. Letters from Fordney Petroleum Company, which Bliss invested in, detail the progress of their drilling and business growth (see Bliss Business Correspondence, F, H, July-December 1926).

Box 112 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Greg Swallow consist of C.S. Bliss Business and Personal Correspondence, January-December 1927. The Business Correspondence centers around C.S. Bliss and various agents of his company, manufacturers, customers and numerous merchants that spans from the local community of Saginaw; to across the state of Michigan; throughout the United States and the world. The Business Correspondence contains mainly letters, including those he wrote personally, and banking records that are organized chronologically and alphabetically. Also included is correspondence to State of Michigan officials, such as senators dealing with attempts to lobby for legislation, and communications between Bliss and the Fordney Petroleum Company about his involvement in the newly established oil industry in central Michigan (see Bliss Business Correspondence, F-J, January – December 1927 folder). Another interesting topic documented in the collection pertains to the Northeastern Michigan Baseball League (see Northeastern Michigan Baseball League, June 1927 folder). The Northeastern Michigan Baseball League was founded in 1916 and operated until 1986. The league spanned from Saginaw in the south and as far north to Alpena (Bernreuter, Hugh. "N.E.M. Baseball League celebrates 100-year anniversary." MLive (2016). Saginaw, Michigan.). C.S. Bliss served as the league’s director starting at an unknown date until June 3, 1927.

The Personal Correspondence within the collection are letters to and from C.S. Bliss and his family including: his daughter, Jeanie, son, Ralph, cousin, Fred, and a large collection of letters from his sister, Della. Their letters discuss daily life, personal business dealings and health of family members. One interesting piece is a postcard from Fred that includes a picture of the Hotel Pines and city life around the building in Pine Bluff, Arkansas (see Bliss Personal Correspondence, January–December 1927 folder).

HST 583 Fall 2018

During the Fall 2018 term, 13 students in my HST 583 Archives Administration class processed cubic feet in 17 boxes and 4 legal-size folders of C.S. Bliss and Company Business Records and Family Papers. Students processed lumber camp pay orders, 1894-1905, and correspondence, receipts and legal papers, 1892-1932 (2 scattered), mostly 1928-1932. All boxes are organized alphabetically and chronologically. Most of the materials are business related, and there continues from the last processed unit to be far less correspondence about lumber and more about land sales, renters, bonds, property purchases, investments, insurance, and his farm than lumber. A number of women received pay orders for their husbands and sometimes for themselves.

Box 113 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Tiffany Gaiter, mostly contains the business transactions of Mr. C. S. Bliss from the year 1920; however, a few documents from 1896 and 1919 are also included. There are several series in this collection: insurance company receipts, attorney papers, government and court documents, business and personal correspondence- including letters from his sister Della, his son Ralph. There is also information regarding the dogs Mr. Bliss owned, entertainment receipts and receipts for both Mr. and Mrs. Bliss’ purchases of personal items.

A document of interest in this collection is Mrs. Bliss’ proof of stock ownership (Box 1, Mrs. Bliss Stock account -January 1919). Though women would not be allowed to vote until 1920, this is proof that women in Saginaw Michigan were current with the women’s fanatical movement. Mrs. Bliss’ stock ownership, though with a different company, coincides with the opening of the First Woman’s Bank of Tennessee, exclusively for women in, October 6, 1919 (Throckmorton, H. Bruce, and H. Bruce Throckman. "The First Woman's Bank in Tennessee: 1919-1926." Tennessee Historical Quarterly 35, no. 4 (1976): 389-92. http://www.jstor.org.cmich.idm.oclc.org/stable/42623608.).

Box 114, .5 cubic ft., processed by David Zinger, includes C.S Bliss correspondence, April-June 1920, and Butman Lumber camp folders, which contains pay orders for workers in the camp for 1900. The majority of the box is the pay orders from Butman Lumber camp. The folders contain the pay orders for the job of foreman with the last names from A-Y. T Business Correspondence includes pay orders from the lumber camp Bliss owned as well as information about selling his land and purchasing and selling bonds that he bought and sold in the Detroit Pressed Steel company, Newfoundland, and in Saginaw. In Personal Correspondence, his sister, Della, wrote Bliss about the railroad company and travel expenses. Mr. Bliss also had a lot of dealings with insurance in 1920. The Insurance Correspondence folder shows that Mr. Bliss personally sustained an injury and had a roof fire on one of his properties he owned. Also included is Dam Saw Mill pay-orders.

Box 115-116, .75 cubic ft., was processed by Leah Althoff. Box 115 contains all the Personal and Business Correspondence and receipts. Box 115 contains mainly pay orders from the Dam Saw Mill to individual workers, 1903 or 1904. Some workers received several pay-orders over the span of the two years represented in the Box. Some of the pay orders are charged to the account of one individual worker, who seemed to have employed other workers for a certain task. A small amount of pay-orders is for the Butman lumber Camp.

Box 116 contains all pay orders, organized alphabetically and chronologically, and various Bliss papers between June and September 1920, one letter being undated. The Personal Correspondence contains mainly letters from his fraternity contact M.C. Emanuel, who in one letter refers to confidential information about an opportunity for Bliss to sell land and advises him to get in touch with Mr. Charles Numann. The Personal Correspondence also contains a letter from R.S. Bliss to his father and a letter from C.S. Bliss’ cousin, Aaron T. Bliss, referring to C.S. Bliss’ decision to elect Mr. Sleeth as the manager of a Financing Corporation, possibly the Saginaw Finance Corporation.

The Business Correspondence contains letters and subscription agreements about the Saginaw Financing Cooperation, which traded foreign bonds. One letter refers to an advertisement that C.S. Bliss published in the Saginaw News regarding the Saginaw Finance Corporation.

Further, there is an exchange of information about a personal dog, C.S. Bliss planned to buy. The folder about his house and farm contains mainly information regarding a problem with flooding in the garage of the house and also an undated letter with an offer to buy a car.

Box 117 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Logan Keith contains Business and Personal Correspondence, January 1928-June 1928 and Drive Pay Orders, 1900, and a legal-size folder containing information from the Saginaw Financing Corporation, January-June 1928.

In Business Correspondence there is an Arkansas Trust folder and a folder with Stock trading information and research. In Personal Correspondence there are letters from his children (Ralph, Wilson, and Leah) detailing information from the holiday as well as information on selling “The Ranch”. C.S has response letters to Ralph within the correspondence. Also, in Personal Correspondence are letters from his sister, Della, Cousin, Fred, and the Grand Royal Arch Mason’s masonry. Fred discusses an oil well, while the Masonry series includes an invitation, and Bliss’ response to a ball, as well as information of Chapter 157, Gladwin, being revoked. There are four folders which contain drive slips from 1900. In the final Personal Correspondence folder, there is a dog license for a female English Setter. Lastly, there is a legal-size folder with information from the Saginaw Financing Cooperation, including taxes, earnings, expenses, and other items related to these.

Box 118 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Erica Cardinal, contains Personal and Business Correspondence, legal reports, and other materials of Charles C. Bliss, January-December 1928. The records in this box have been divided into thirteen individual folders: Personal (A-N and M-W), Northeast Michigan Tourism, O’Keefe Legal, Business and Loans, Farm Inquiries, Foreign Stock, Roe (Legal) Correspondence, Personal Expenses, Showalter Deeds, Legal, and Taxes and Bank Records.

In 1928, Bliss was contacted many times by the Northeast Michigan Tourism Company, which had an interest in placing his lumber mill in their catalogue. There were a few inquiries from men interested in working at or purchasing his farms, but nothing extraordinary stood out.

Bliss’ Business Correspondence includes foreign stocks. Multiple receipts regarding countries like Venezuela, Bolivia, and Guatemala all state a certain amount of money, and report how the market for that country was going at the time.

One letter, filed in Personal Correspondence, is from Bliss’ sister, Della, who wrote frequently to her brother.

There are also some receipts with large purchases, mostly items associated with building a house or some similar structure.

A Dog License for an Irish Setter, purchased for one hundred dollars in 1900, is also included.

Boxes 119-120, .75 cubic ft., processed by Brad Davis consists mostly of Business Correspondence between trust companies, customers, manufacturers, farms, landowners, and lumber companies, July-December of 1929. There are also receipts from laborers that C.S. Bliss employed on his farm and lumber camps, late 1901-1902. Some of the Business Correspondence include Crapo Farms, Dow Chemical, the Arkansas Trust Company, the Brown Fence and Wire Company, Continental Casualty Company, the Saginaw County Treasurer, Field and Stream Publishing, F.M. Lucas Advertising Agency, the Guardian Detroit Company, Hayden Van Atter and Company, Fordney Petroleum Company, Gilbert A Curie Attorney, the Western Union, and more.

Personal Correspondence includes letters from Bliss’ children, Ralph and Jean, while they were attending school, as well as letters from his cousins, W. L. Bliss and Francis Bliss, discussing family matters. A variety of documents illustrate Bliss’ involvement with several groups and orders, including the East Saginaw Club, the Masons, the International Order of Hoo-Hoo, and the Knights Templar. Some other notable documents are correspondence between Bliss and the Michigan Children’s Aid Society that document the process Bliss and his wife, Gertrude, underwent to adopt his daughter, Georgina, on December 17, 1928 (Box 120, Legal-size). Other items of interest include a blueprint, deeds of sale, and letters between Bliss and Crapo Farms for the purchase of a farm in Ogemaw County in 1928. The blueprint is in excellent condition for its age, and the process of transferring ownership of the farm is highlighted in the letters between Bliss and Crapo farms.

Box 121 and 2 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by Caleb Norris include both the personal and business life of Mr. Bliss in 1929, with select information from 1891 and 1901. The box contains business papers and receipts, Business Correspondence pertaining to positions in lumber camps as well as the tenants Bliss loaned out, the Drive orders of all workers with last names between A and W for the year 1901, and multiple records detailing Bliss’ investments and bonds from foreign nations.

Box 121 also contains personal information regarding Bliss’ life. Included in the files are letters between Bliss and his sister, Della, January 28-April 18, 1929, a series of court summonses from the Court of Saginaw, personal notes and receipts featuring the purchase of a bay horse and a casket in 1891, as well as other miscellaneous correspondence between Bliss and his relatives and informal conversation with his subordinates. Also included is a humorous correspondence between Bliss and the Wright’s Underwear Company as he attempted to figure out which garments were best for him. A catalog of fabric swatches are included in this folder.

Two legal-size folders include: a document from the Michigan Children’s Aid Society to Mrs. Bliss asking how her adopted daughter Georgia is adjusting to life with her and Mr. Bliss, and reports from the Saginaw Finance Corporation, December 1928-May 1929.

Boxes 122-123, .75 cubic ft., processed by Joshua Simon, consists of mainly Business Correspondence, with some Personal Correspondence interspersed, 1928-1930. Pay orders mostly for both Bliss’ Coleman Railroad Camp and Farm are also included, with many being completed by Bliss agents Samuel T. McReavy and Al Lawrence, September 17, 1898-March 22, 1900.

The business records contain a large assortment of materials from organizations beginning with the letters N and O, as well as correspondence from the Second National Bank of Saginaw regarding Bliss’ involvement in foreign loans within South American and European countries.

The Business Correspondence also contains financial reports regarding the Saginaw Financing Corporation’s operations and assets, receipts from the Office of C. S. Bliss, and a relatively large amount of records from both the Standard Building and Loan Association, and the State Accident Fund (Reports in legal-size folder).

Personal Correspondence includes a receipt for a coffin, vault, and embalming services purchased by Bliss (see Detroit Casket Company receipt in Personal Correspondence, 1929-1930 folder) The Personal Correspondence also contains of handwritten correspondence by Della Bliss and Charles S. Bliss, as well as letters regarding the possible adoption of an eight-year-girl from the Methodist Childrens’ Home of Detroit in Detroit, Michigan. A small amount of Personal Correspondence regards the Bliss’ home/a construction project that was undertaken, and automobiles.

Box 124 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Jessica Overbee consists of both Business and Personal Correspondence between C.S. Bliss and customers, manufacturers, family, and friends, July-December 1929 and January-February 1930. The collection also includes pay orders from the Sugar River camps, March- July 1894, and contain a few miscellaneous pay orders from other camps such as Saginaw at the end (Folder 2 of 2, April-July 1894). Items of interest include an x-ray and a prescription for glasses for an adoptive daughter named Georgina (Folder Henry Ford Hospital-Georgina, December 1929). There are various letters to The Michigan Children’s Aid Society about the process of adopting Georgina, October-November 1929. Other items of interest are letters from his children, including two from Jean, and one each from Lottie and Ralph, September 1929. Also on October 14, 1929, Mr. Bliss writes to his wife about his visit to the hospital, detailing his ailment. On December 6, 1929, the Guardian Trust Company advised about property that showed the attitudes about housing that reflected racist views common to that day (Folder Guardian Trust Company, July-August, December 1929). One final piece of interest is a letter from Miss M K on September 1929, regarding an outbreak of Tuberculosis in her struggling family and asks Mr. Bliss for his help on an application for a sanatorium. Other interesting documents in this collection include letters of purchase, rent collections, reports of losses, interest earned on loan shares, and dealings with property.

Boxes 125-126, 1 cubic ft., processed by Ariel Wiborn, of C. S. Bliss Lumber Company collection consists of some Business Correspondence between C. S. Bliss and banks pertaining to rental units in Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, and insurance payments by Bliss in January-June 1930. There are also several State of Michigan auditors’ notes asking Bliss for money owed them. In that time frame, C. S. Bliss also had general Personal Correspondence; note of dues payed to Order of the Eastern Star, purchases made for his wife and daughter, letters from his son, Ralph Bliss, and notes of thanks for church donations made in West Branch, Michigan. There are a few Personal Correspondence, also January-June 1930 between C. S. Bliss and his caretaker of a farm in West Branch, as well as John Chesny, a man interested in purchasing farm land from him and the subsequent haggling. (see folder Bliss Personal Correspondence, Farm, January-March 1930). In addition, there are Personal Correspondence between C. S. Bliss and Luren Dickinson of Charlotte, Michigan, who was running for governor in 1930. Bliss expresses his support, and Dickinson expresses his thanks, using a letterhead with ‘Lieutenant Governor’ at the top.

The rest of these boxes consists of pay orders from primarily the Railroad (RR) camp from C. S. Bliss and Co. to the men, and some women, working for him in 1895-1896. There are various pay orders from other camps as well (see folder Bliss Miscellaneous Camps, Pay Orders, 1895-1896 and Bliss Drive Camp, Pay Orders, 1895-1896), which included Brown, Chippewa, Drive (in its own folder), Greendale, Midland, Mount Pleasant, and Tittabawassee Camps. These are organized alphabetically by camp, then last name, and then chronologically. On the back of a pay order addressed to a Mr. Post, there’s a note saying that he’s a good man and his son recently died of diphtheria (see folder Bliss Railroad Camp, Pay Orders P, 1895-1896). Another unique pay order is addressed not to a ‘Mrs. Eugene Whitman’, but to ‘Mabel Whitman’, with her husband’s name on the pay order as well (see folder Bliss Railroad Camp, Pay Orders W, 1895-1896).

Note: HST switched to fall term in Fall 2019.

In Fall 2019

During the Fall 2019 term, 13 students in my HST 583 Archives Administration class processed 7.25 cubic feet in 17 boxes and 4 legal-size folders of C.S. Bliss and Company Business Records and Family Papers. Students processed pay orders, mostly for lumber camps, 1894-1905 which includes: Butman Lumber Camp, 1903-1904 (Boxes 127-128), Kelly Camp 1904-1905 which includes occasional pay order for Mill and Stroh Camp (Boxes 129-130), farm and Dam lumber camp, 1901-1902 (Box 132), Gladwin/Beaverton lumber camps and Railroad (GBR), 1896-1897 (Boxes 133-134), pay orders for general laborers, 1903 (Box 135), Bliss camp, surnames A-B and R-S only, 1896-1898 (Box 136), Chippewa and Railroad camps, 1895-1896 (Box 137), an unnamed camp, 1895-1895 (Box 138), Van or Vanderbilt Camp, 1899-1900 (Box 141). They also processed correspondence, receipts and legal papers, 1892-1932 (2 scattered), mostly 1928-1932. All boxes are organized alphabetically and chronologically. Most of the materials are business related, and there continues from the last processed unit to be far less correspondence about lumber and more about land sales, renters, bonds, property purchases, investments, insurance, and his farm than lumber. A number of women received pay orders for their husbands and sometimes for themselves.

Box 127-128, 1 cubic ft., processed by Sara Miller, consists mostly of pay orders from the Butman Lumber Camp, 1903-1904. The pay orders comprise approximately ¾ of two boxes and are arranged in alphabetical and then chronologically. Box 23A is entirely pay orders (A-M), while 23B contains pay orders N-W, Bliss Business Correspondence 1893-1905, and Bliss Personal Correspondence 1898-1905.

One folder in box 23B is dedicated to an individual noted as A. Muma, who seemingly repeatedly submitted paperwork for jobs on the same section of land.

Business correspondence of note include several interesting examples of business letterheads, all of which are found in box 23B.

Personal correspondence includes a letter from the Alma Sanitarium, and a solicitation from Campbell and Williams Real Estate and Investments about buying land for swine and sheep in South McAlester, Indian Territory (what is now Oklahoma), all of which are found in box 23B. In the Bliss Business Correspondence, 1893-1905 folder, there are mainly examples of various businesses soliciting purchase orders or contracts from Bliss. The materials were retained for their intrinsic value as interesting and attractive letterheads, such as the full color engraving of a pig, or to show that Bliss had business contacts as far afield as Arkansas or Mexico. There is an order for a 3 seated Canopy Top Ames-Dean Spring Wagon, paid for “$100.00 in one horse agreed upon today and $25.00 in cash”.

Notable items in this collection include the following: An example of C.S. Bliss and Company letterhead and envelope with advertising text and picture of two horses pulling a cartload of wood; a letter from the manager of the Valley Telephone Company to Bliss about witness fees for the case of Keys against the Valley Telephone Company. Racist cartoon of a man on the Camden Yellow Pine Lumber letter. All of the previous items are found in the Bliss Business Correspondence 1893-1905 folder in box 23B. The Bliss Related Examples of Letterheads, Advertisements 1899- 1905 contains various examples of period letterheads such as several pieces of correspondence from the Morley Brothers Bicycles; a unique, multicolor, and letterhead from the Co-Operative Society of the National Supply Co. In the Bliss Personal Correspondence 1898-1905 folder, significant items include: an invitation to the So-Sa-Wa-Ga-Ming Club, a fishing club near Marquette, Michigan; a postcard from the “Hoo-Hoo” Club, changing the annual gathering from Put-In-Bay, Ohio, to Cleveland, Ohio due to the chicken pox epidemic of 1898; and two letters, probably from employees, in sanitariums in Alma and Elwell, Michigan. Undated materials are placed at the front of each folder.

Boxes 129-130, .75 cubic ft., processed by Nate Bublitz, are predominately pay orders with folder listings alphabetized, 1904-1905, for male employees at Kelly Camp. These pay orders are almost always signed by James Kelly as the foreman, but there are instances where this is not so. It is not known why there are variations of foreman signatures and it also does not appear that pay orders signed by Bliss have a special significance. Additionally, many of these pay orders are addressed to individuals that have other people with the same surname that will be listed as well. Occasionally Mill and Stroh Camp pay orders are included. A number of pay orders document family members, including women, who were paid for different work, sometimes by a relative.

Bliss correspondence includes: Wm. E. Barret and Co. of Grand Rapids, MI on September 10, 1897 sent Bliss a stock list of their supplies; a memorandum of agreement between E.W. McCormick of Saginaw and Charles Bliss of Saginaw on October 18, 1898 refers to business interests between the two; an advertisement from H. Scherer and Co. of Detroit, MI for free bike samples for Charles Bliss employees, April 29, 1899; and a personal letter notes that Bliss built a float and participated in an industrial parade in Saginaw September 27th-30th, 1898.

Some pay orders folder “A” refer to “Friend Avery,” “Avery Allen,” and “Allen Avery.” All of these refer to the same person who was more than likely a family friend. In this folder there are two pay orders for Mill Camp, and employee Irwin Ault made his mark on two orders.

Folder “B” has two sets with the same name (Bower and Breault). A. Forbes signed as foreman rather than James Kelly for six orders and Charles Bliss signed on one order. Stroh Camp was mentioned once.

Folder “C” orders included three women and spouses or family members. Mrs. John Campbell, Mrs. Mard Casson, and Mrs. E.H. Cook (one pay order each). A. Forbes signed 10 pay orders as foreman and Bliss signed one. There were three pairs of potentially related male family employees with multiple orders each (Chamfaine, Conley, and Crosby). Mill Camp was mentioned three times and Stroh Camp once.

In Folder “D” A. Forbes sign as foreman on five pay orders and Mill Camp was denoted twice. Fred Dupsloff (spelled variously) has a special note to pay his money to the State Bank of Gladwin written on the back of his pay order #698.

In Folder “E” A. Forbes signed two pay orders for Kelly Camp.

Folder “F” contains the pay orders of two women and some of their family. Miss Grace Forbes received (two) pay orders and Mrs. W.M. Frost (six) pay orders and her husband (15). A. Forbes signed 11 orders and it is interesting that some might be for his family. Pay order #333 to Chag Fuller originally included an attached personal note.

Folder “G” contained two pay orders from Mill Camp. A. Forbes signed five orders as foreman, and there were two potential pairs of family members (Green and Greenier).

Folder “H” included four orders for Mill Camp. A. Forbes signed 16 pay orders, and there were three pairs with the surname (Harris, Hawley, and Hunt). A different foreman, Frank Teck, signed a single pay order. Honey and Fairchild (farriers) were both paid by the same order for horse shoeing. E.E. Honey was paid individually on three orders, one of which was signed by Bliss. Mrs. E.E. Honey also earned one paycheck.

Folder “J” had a single Mill Camp pay order.

Folder “K” had three pay orders to foreman James Kelly (two signed by A. Forbes and one by Bliss). Mrs. James Kelly also had two pay orders and Pat Kelly received two. A. Forbes signed 10 pay orders as foreman. Two Kennedy men were paid. There was one Mill Camp pay order.

In Folder “L” A. Forbes signed six pay orders and C.S. Bliss signed two. George Love also signed a pay order for $100 to himself, and he does not appear as a foreman in the rest of this box. It is unclear why or how he had the power to do this. There are two Mill Camp pay orders.

Folder “M” includes six pay orders for Mill Camp and one for Stroh Camp. A. Forbes signed 17 pay orders, Bliss signed three, and Frank Teck signed one. Three individuals, A.W., Carl, and Roy Major were paid under the “Major Contract,” probably a private contractor (23 pay orders). Family pairs included Maturen and Morton, and McGriff’s (3); and G.C. and M.P. Morton were paid four times for the purchase of hay for Bliss horses. Two pay orders were issued to a man named Ronald McDonald (This was really fun to find for McDonald’s lovers).

Folder “O” includes 20 pay orders signed by A. Forbes and one by Bliss. Two pay orders were issued for Mill Camp. Guy and Joseph Ordinary were both paid (Joseph 11 times). Four potential family members paid include Clint, Clyde, Lee, and Robert Ostrander, who were paid 31times, with Robert being paid 16 times.

Folder “P” included two women, Mrs. John Post (1 pay order), and Mrs. F.W. Pahe (6). Possible family members Mr. John Post received two pay orders and Floyd Post attained one. Mr. F.W. Pahe earned 12 pay orders. There was one set of potential male family members (Perry). A. Forbes signed seven pay orders and Frank Teck signed one. Frank Teck may be a higher-level or specialty job man in the company because of his irregularity of signing pay orders.

Folder “R” includes pay orders for Mill Camp twice and Stroh Camp once. A. Forbes signed eight pay orders and Bliss one. There were three individuals with the surname of Reigle in this folder.

In a separate folder, the Ritchie Bros. appear to be a private contractor for Kelly Camp. Within this folder pay orders are organized chronologically by pay order number rather than by surname and then pay order number. Some of the names of the men paid here are also included within this box. Most of the pay orders were usually signed by James Kelly, but 13 were signed by A. Forbes and three by Bliss, one of which is to a Mrs. Rebecca Dutchen, who does not appear to have had a husband employed by Bliss as documented by this box. It is unclear what she did, perhaps cook or office work.

Folder “SA-Smith, George” is the first folder of a large amount of “S” pay orders. A. Forbes and Bliss each signed nine pay orders. Four orders were for Mill Camp and one for Stroh. There were two individuals with the surname of Shaw and two with Shieck. There were multiple Smith’s as well, but these may not be related as Smith is a common name. More Smith’s are found in the next folder. Chas. Smith though made his mark, meaning he was illiterate, on pay order #75, but signed his own name on order #194, which likely indicates that someone else signed his name for him. Jas. Simmonds also made his mark on a pay order. Mrs. O.N. Shroul earned two pay orders and her husband, Mr. O.N. Shroul, eight.

Folder “Smith, James-SU” is the second part of the “S” pay orders. Miss Nellie Smith is of key interest as an unmarried woman working for Bliss who received four pay orders. There are 20 pay orders signed by A. Forbes, four from Bliss, and one from Frank Teck. Stroh Camp is mentioned once in a pay order. There are three sets of potential relatives in this folder: Charles and Harry Stevens, M. and Peter Stillwagon, and Bent and W.J. Stuck.

Folder “T” had 17 pay orders signed by A. Forbes. Frank Teck, who received a pay order himself. William Teck, possibly a family member or relative of Frank’s, collected 13 pay orders. This is interesting when foremen receive pay orders from other foremen and possibly have family involved in the business. There was one additional pair of likely family members, James and Pat Toohy, who each received a number of pay orders.

Folder “V” has two pay orders for work completed by Henry Valentine at Mill Camp, one of which was signed by C.S. Bliss.

Folder “W” included one pay order for work at Mill Camp. Three pay orders were signed by A. Forbes and one by Bliss.

Folder “Y” contains one order signed by A. Forbes. Interestingly, John Shaw’s signature appears as a second signer on the back of other individuals’ pay orders (i.e. Beanie Yeager and Fred Dupsloff). John Shaw was himself paid, and it is intriguing as to why he signs other pay orders when he does not appear to be a foreman himself.

When A. Forbes signed the pay orders, which typically date from late 1904 or 1905. When Mill and Stroh Camps are listed these are almost exclusively earlier pay orders.

Box 131, .5 cubic ft., processed by Mollie Gilin, includes business correspondence, 1928-1929 from the East Michigan Tourist Association, Department of Industry and Labor, Community Bank and Trust, Arkansas Trust Company, Farm Buyers Guide, Fordney Petroleum Company Automotive Insurance Company, Home Building and Savings Association, Hunter Trader Trapper Association, J. W Seed Company, and the Attorney General Department. Also included in the box are Bliss’s pay orders (A-Z) from the West Branch Dam (season 1900).

There are many personal letters to and from Mr. Bliss, personal information concerning a cemetery plot. There are some unique items in the box including Mrs. Bliss’s Ford Hospital records and personal letters, Georgina Bliss’s Enrollment card information, some letters concerning Georgina’s tuition and some of C.S Bliss’s hotel and grocery receipts. Other interesting examples include Aladdin Business Correspondence (in the Aladdin Company Correspondence, 1929 folder) and a personal letter to C. S. Bliss from Ralph (in the C.S. Bliss letters from Ralph, 1929 folder) concerning family matters.

Box 132, .5 cubic ft., processed by Brittany Gwisdala, consists mostly of Business Correspondence of several different companies, including building and loan associations, lodge memberships, real estate and insurance, and catalogue inquiries from 1929. There are also Pay Orders from laborers that C.S. Bliss employed on his farm and in the Dam lumber camp, 1901-1902. The collection is organized in alphabetical and chronological order. Business correspondence include Jerry M. Miller’s General Store, Michigan Bell Telephone Company, Montgomery Ward Company, Second National Bank, and Myers, Cooper, and Watson Real Estate and Insurance Company. Membership materials include the West Branch Lodge and Elf Khurafeh Temple. Additional correspondence includes the Michigan Children’s Aid Society, regarding the adoption process of Bliss’ daughter, Georgina, and agency letters addressing concern for the child’s skin condition. Furthermore, there are personal letters between Bliss and J.W. Johnson, Sam J. McReary, Jerry Miller, and Frank Methner.

Several items in Box 132 are noteworthy; several receipts regarding women who worked on the Bliss farm and camp, personal business correspondence between Mrs. Gertrude Bliss and The Montgomery Ward and Company, and a ticket and flyer from the Elf Khurafeh Temple of Saginaw advertising a Shrine Minstrel Show.

Boxes 133-134, .75 cubic ft., processed by Danielle Corrie, include the personal and business correspondence for C.S. Bliss Lumber Company, 1896-1897 and 1930. Business correspondence includes the pay orders for workers at the Gladwin, Beaverton, and Railroad camps. Three women are documented receiving pay orders in the camps, Mrs. M Grebroad (in Bliss GBR Pay Orders E-F-G 1896-1897 folder); Mrs. O Miner, wife of the foreman (in Bliss GBR Pay Orders Foreman O. Miner 1896-1897 folder); and Mrs. George S Prove (in Bliss GBR Pay Orders N-O-P 1896-1897 folder). There are letters from a Mister Hayes to Bliss relating to the rentals Bliss owns (in Bliss General Business Correspondence September-November-December 1930). Hayes also discusses the eviction of a Mister Ault from his home (in Bliss General Business Correspondence September-November-December 1930). Bliss also has mail relating to his international stocks as well (in Bliss General Business Correspondence September-November-December 1930.) A Tourist map of Michigan is included in the collection (in Bliss Miscellaneous July-December 1930).

Personal correspondence includes a letter from the Michigan Masonic Home asking if Bliss is alive, and messages from his friends and family talking about various events.

Box 135, .25 cubic ft., processed by Matt Hood, is mostly composed of receipts from 1903 and business correspondence with only a few personal letters, 1930-1931. There is mostly Business Receipts, payroll for laborers, some general and business correspondence. The only personal correspondence was pre-Christmas letters from Della and C.S. Bliss which cover the general greetings of the holidays and checking in on family news. There are some unique items in the box, a pair of dog licenses from Saginaw, Veterinary bills, C.S. Bliss, Ms. Bliss and Georgina Bliss’ Red Cross membership cards, documents on the Fraternal Order of Lumberman (Hoo-Hoo), of which Bliss was a member, and receipts from Standard Oil. There are annual updates from the following organizations: Michigan Tuberculosis Association, Michigan Children’s Society, and the Michigan Farmer. Ex. Dog Licenses from the City of Saginaw, 1903 (See Bliss Receipts, “B-D” Names, 1903) Ex. Veterinary Bill from Dr. Geo Carter, 1903 (See Bliss Receipts, “B-D” Names, 1903) Ex. Bliss family Red Cross donation and membership Cards, 1931 (See Bliss Receipts, “R” Names, and Travel Receipts, 1930-1931) Ex. 39th Hoo-Hoo Annual Toronto letter (See Bliss Correspondence, “M” Names, 1930).

Box 136, .5 cubic ft., processed by Emily Carpenter, contains correspondence of both business and personal, October of 1930-June of 1931, apart from one folder that contains correspondence from 1928. The Bliss Business Correspondence series include correspondence between Mr. Bliss and business associates and other companies that provide services or receive services from the Bliss Company. They are separated into two folders, one A-D and F and H. There are two Camp Pay Order folders, one that is alphabetized, R and S, which contains camp orders, receipts, and correspondence specifically about a C. S. Bliss Company Camp with company names that begin with R or S or individuals whose last name begin with the corresponding letters, and other is comprised of orders, billing, and other information pertaining to the saddle and hay used in the Bliss camp. The International Banking folder contains Mr. Bliss’ international banking plans to Brazil and Bolivia. The information pertaining to Brazil is dated 1928, the rest is dated 1930 and includes information about Bolivia. Correspondence pertaining to C. S. Bliss’s rental property in 1928 is found in the Bliss Rent folder.

Bliss family correspondence is found in the Bliss Family folder, comprised of a couple of letters from Mr. Bliss’ son, Ralph, daughter Jean (“Jeanie” in the correspondence), and a doctor addressing Jean’s momentary sickness. Correspondence pertaining to the Bliss’ farming orders is in The Bliss Farming folder. The Bliss House folder contains correspondence pertaining to home improvement orders. Receipts from the city of Saginaw, as well as those with intricate designs such as dogs or beautiful lettering are found in the Personal Receipts folder. Bliss Personal Correspondence folders document Mr. Bliss’ membership with the Order of the Hoo-Hoo, including membership renewals, news and updates, and a bright orange and green flyer with illustrations. Personal correspondence to individuals whose last name begin with B, E or H are found in the Personal Correspondence B, E-H, K and M folders.

Box 137 and 1 legal-size folder, .5 cubic ft., processed by Brennan Hall includes Personal and Business Correspondence. All materials that were deemed valuable and merited keeping are all contained within a single box with one legal-size folder outside of the box containing Saginaw Finance Corporation Reports. Box #137 contains all cash-pay orders from the Chippewa lumber camp and railroad camp. The material is organized as follows: Pay Orders files are now organized alphabetically and within each folder, the individual Pay Orders are alphabetically by last name, as well. Within each individual worker’s last name, the Pay Orders are organized chronologically in the numbers of each order— which follows in descending order. Pay Orders are from the time span of 1895-1896. There is one Cash Order that is from a Mr. James Smith that has an attached form. The form is a legal document that is Certificate of Protest which reports that the call to protest was made due to lack of payment for the sum of $6.00 with an additional fee of $1.55.

The Business Correspondence folder contains International Loans that consist of banking statements, 1930-1931. These statements credit to Bliss’ account from sources that come from several foreign countries such as Maraucao, Greece, Prague, and Peru.

The legal-size folder “Bliss, Business Correspondence, Renter Frank Methner, 1931” contains several monetary amounts of $50.00 and one payment of $81.00 sent to Mr. Bliss.

The folder, “Bliss, Personal, Charities, Club Memberships, Georgina, 1931” contains letters and documents transcribing donations made to several charities that were made by Mr. Bliss and in relation to his adopted daughter, Georgina Bliss. An invoice shows that she was to receive a Bible that had her name inscribed on it in gold lettering.

The folder, “Bliss, Personal Correspondence, Morley McClurry, West Branch Farm, 1931” contains a conversation between Mr. McClurry and Mr. Bliss about Mr. Bliss’ farm in West Branch Michigan and how the production of the farm is going.

The folder, “Bliss, Personal Correspondence, Della To C.S., 1931”, contains letters from Charles Bliss’ sister Della. She discusses her brother’s business and how he was experiencing some setbacks. She writes to her brother, thanking him for sending her checks of unknown amounts.

The folder, “Bliss, Personal Houses, 1931” it contains letters describing Charles Bliss’ business transactions regarding the furnishing of his homes. There are receipts that show Mr. Bliss had made purchases to “Peters Paint Co.” in Hot Springs, Arkansas. There is also a letter from an unknown sender addressed to Mr. Bliss, in which the sender tells Mr. Bliss that the property in question belongs to him and that Bliss and his employees are forbidden from setting poles, wires, or cables upon or over the property and warned him against trespassing.

“Bliss, Saginaw Finance Corporation Reports, 1931”, contains reports about Mr. Bliss’ business with details including repossessed cars, taxes, office rent, advertising, and real estate expenses.

Box 138 and 2 legal-size folders, .5 cubic ft., processed by B. Miller, includes pay orders, 1894-1895, and personal correspondence, rental property information, and financial papers, 1931. The materials are arranged alphabetically. Letters in Bliss Business Correspondence folder address the topic of him selling land to the State of Michigan so that they could build highway M-76. A large portion of the box is pay orders, 1894 to 1895, from an unnamed lumber camp. Two women who received pay slips from this camp are Mrs. Giffs and Mrs. Ominer. In its own folder titled Bliss, Operators License, 1919, is the driver’s license issued to Bliss in 1919, including a brief physical description of him. The Personal Correspondence are from several people, with many addressing the topic of Charles’ sister, Della Bliss’ death in August 1931. One personal correspondence in this folder is written on scrap paper with numbers above each word to price out sending a telegraph detailing the location of her funeral service. The rental property folder contains information on maintenance to properties that Charles owned in 1931, including receipts for water bills. This folder contains several letters from Lewis Hays, a landlord for his properties, outlining who had paid that month’s rent and what issues were arising with the locations and its tenants, including the “Old Women at 5 Maple Street”. Two legal-size folders include bonds and building plans, 1931. In the building plans, there are hand-drawn prints for a two-floor structure and the list of materials that will be needed to build it.

Box 139, .5 cubic ft., processed by Magenta Robinson, includes business and personal correspondence, letters, membership cards, and receipts from 1893 and 1931. The topically grouped materials are arranged alphabetically. The business correspondence consists of investor’s service letters and letters to and from potential buyers interested in purchasing or leasing property belonging to Charles Bliss. There are many letters from the North American Building and Loan Association sent to C.S. Bliss concerning his investments. C.S. Bliss was a member of the National Union from which he received correspondence from Frederick E. Smith, the organization’s financial secretary. In 1893, C.S. Bliss and Company subscribed for a yearly subscription to the Richard Armstrong Boy Line and Fire Boat Company for fire boat services. There are also letters concerning Bliss rental properties in Beaverton and West Branch.

The personal correspondence consists of orders to the Montgomery Ward and Company for personal care and household goods, as well as a draft and a newspaper copy of an obituary for Mrs. Charles O. Quigley, the sister of Charles S. Bliss. The orders to the Montgomery Ward and Company included in this box were made by Mrs. H. Leininger in 1931. There are letters from The North Star Nursery Company in response to Charles S. Bliss interest in the company’s trees and planting services for the family cemetery lot in Marcellon, Wisconsin. There are letters from the Concatenated Order of Hoo-Hoo, the West Branch Lodge No. 376, and the West Branch Methodist Episcopal Church. C.S. Bliss was a member of each of these organizations. There are receipts from the year 1893 from a local Saginaw grocer, hardware and clothing stores, and a jeweler.

Box 140 and 1 legal-size folder, .25 cubic ft., processed by Megan Shaw, consists of Personal and Business correspondence, including receipts and other documents, mostly from 1898. This box largely contains a mixture of contents; most from Mr. Bliss’ company and business correspondence, as well as personal correspondence from both Mr. and Mrs. Bliss and the Bliss Family farm.

The Business correspondence includes miscellaneous insurance papers and receipts, including a large amount of materials related to International Stocks, 1931/1932, from Finland, Peru, Santiago, Poland, Greenland and many others. All these transactions and records occurred through the 2nd National Bank and Trust Company of Saginaw, Michigan.

Of note in Bliss Insurance papers, 1898, 1931 folder are papers referring to Mr. Bliss’ employment of a minor, Beatrice McClung. Letters from the Michigan State Accident fund, Lansing, Michigan, mention labor laws and compensation of minor laws, along with the requirement of obtaining a school permit to legally work, as mandated by the Dept. of Labor and Industry. (Beatrice McClung may be found on Ancestry, born in 1915 and living in West Branch, Michigan. This law referred to is 149 Dept. of Labor and Industry section 8325 Women and children employment, subsection 10 employment of minors; Michigan Compiled Laws 149. 8325 (10), 1929.)

The Saginaw Financing Corporation, Business correspondence, (legal-size folder) list miscellaneous loans, expense and earned interest on notes, mortgages, and Mr. Bliss’ overall real estate earnings, June-November 1931.

The Bliss Farm, 1898 folder contains nine items pertaining to the care and housing of horses including Livery and Boarding stables, horseshoeing, and veterinary care. Personal house and receipts correspondence provide insight on house materials (especially paint records and receipts), reading habits of Mr. Bliss, and his personal interests, such as the renting and repairing bicycles notice addressed Dr. Geo. W. Emendorfer, an agent for the “Detroit Free Press.” (see Bliss Personal, house and receipts, 1898-1931 folder); and $25 Bliss spent purchasing a copy of George W. Hotchkiss and Co., “A history of the Lumber Interests” (in the same folder).

The Mrs. Bliss folder contains four items on her Miscellaneous fine shoe and boot purchases, mainly from Saginaw Michigan, and one from Detroit. Two other items are an outstanding balance for fine china, and a Purchasing receipt of “Pure, Upriver Ice Above Sewerage.”

Boxes 141-142, .75 cubic ft., processed by Casey Peacock, includes Pay Orders for Van or Vanderbilt lumber camp, organized alphabetically by surname, and include pay orders to three wives, Mrs. William Westface, Mrs. C. Smith, and Mrs. O. Miner. The pay orders document that two men, Sam Flock and O. Miner, moved from worker to foreman positions, 1899-1900.

Box 142 of C.S. Bliss Lumber Company records include both business and personal correspondence, 1899-1901, and 1931-1932. Personal correspondence includes an invitation to Mr. Bliss to the dedication of 40 acres of pine forest planted in memory of his brother, Governor Aaron T. Bliss, 1931. Other personal correspondence includes personal letters to Gertie and Mr. Bliss and letters to Mr. Bliss’s father and letters to friends. Business correspondence includes: rental and insurance information, tax information on Bliss farm in Alger, Michigan.

Box #143 is unprocessed.

Processing Note for Boxes:

The first year of processing, the contents of 3.5 cubic ft. boxes, which were densely packed, were distributed in .5 cubic ft. boxes to each student. During processing, these boxes expanded into 10.75 cubic feet. This continued to happen for several years. Beginning in 2018/2019 students retained fewer materials yearly because we already had a very solid collection of various types of records, formats and business and personal relationships documented. In seven years, eight classes, my students and I have processed a total of 143 boxes and 42 folders or 61 cubic ft. of C. S. Bliss records.

Withdrawn materials include: peripheral materials, generic correspondence, blanks, miscellaneous notes and doodles, illegible materials, reading materials. Acidic, dirty, or moldy materials were photocopied and removed from the collection and the copies were retained. By 2016 enough of a sample of receipts and bills was process so we no longer retain them during processing. Totals of cubic feet of withdrawn materials for the classes include: 2013: 1 cubic ft.; 2014: 1.5 cubic ft.; 2015: 1.5 cubic ft.; 2016: 2 cubic feet; 2017: 3 cubic feet; Spring 2018: 3 cubic feet; Fall 2018: 2 cubic feet; Fall 2019: 1.5 cubic feet.

To be processed: As of Fall 2020, approximately 12 cubic feet of manuscripts remain to be processed, which date through 1930.

Materials are mostly organized into chronological and alphabetical order within the collection and within the boxes. The processed materials are arranged and described as individual project completed by individual students, following a standard template and instructions.

Scope and Contents Notes and Box and Folder Listings, as well as occasional biographical information, are separately described by each student processor for their final class project with some editing provided by the archivist.

Approximately 12 cubic feet of manuscripts and several hundred oversized volumes remain to be processed. An inventory of the unprocessed boxes and volumes is available in the Clarke Historical Library.

Oversized Volumes Processing Note:

Challenges with processing this collection were the dirtiness of all the volumes and the weight of some of the larger volumes. The dirtiness could be contributed mostly to the disintegration of a lot of the covers leaving an orange powder on hands and clothes. Processing of the collection began October 3rd, 2014 and ended December 3, 2014. The most time consuming part of processing this collection was completing the inventory. Much of the volumes contained poor handwriting or blurred type that was difficult to decipher. Dates were left out of a few of the volumes Some of the Check Stub books contained a lot of small, rusty pins or paperclips that had to be carefully removed from the volumes pages. Also, there was a check stub book in the collection that would not open more than a few centimeters and forcing it would have been imprudent. There was very little to weed out of the collection, just roughly 22 sheets of scratch paper was removed.

The collection includes the following series: Kurt P. Oppermann and family papers; Oppermann Fur Company records; collected materials on historic preservation, miscellaneous, Saginaw, Michigan history, and collected papers of others including Bude Volusin, Mabel C. (Scott) de Fere, Marion C. Weir, and Frank Selzer.

The collection is divided into the following series: Papers of Kurt P. Oppermann and his family, the Oppermann Fur Company Records. Materials Kurt largely collected include: Historic Preservation Materials, Miscellaneous Materials, Saginaw Michigan, Materials, and the Papers of Other Saginawians, including: Bude Volusin; Mabel C. (Scott) De Fere; Marion C. Weir; and Frank Selzer.

The collection provides detailed, personal information about Kurt and his family who were pivotal in the fur and newspaper business, as well as in the musical and social life of Saginaw in the late 19th and early 20th century. His interest in history prompted him to collect photographs, blueprints, and other information on Saginaw history, families, and buildings. This is a valuable collection to study family letters and relationships, Germans in Saginaw, Saginaw history, Saginaw buildings, and the fur business in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The Papers of Kurt P. Oppermann are divided into the following subseries: Biographical Materials (.5 cubic ft. in 1 box), including obituaries, funeral cards, published histories on the family, and Kurt’s Account Book, 1939-1941; his Diaries, 1920, 1926, 1936, 1946, and 1970; high school class notes, 1911-1912, and a Seemann and Peters stock certificate, 1946.

Photographic Materials (2 cubic ft. in 4 boxes), includes a wide variety of photographic materials with images of the extended Oppermann, Nerretes, and Peters families and their friends from the 19th century through 1973. Twentieth century reproductions of 18th and 19th century images of Oppermann ancestors are also included. The subseries include an ambrotype, cartes-de-visite, daguerreotypes, glass-plate negatives, various types of film negatives, positive prints, tin types, and both photographic and negative albums. Many of these photographic materials are partially identified. Images show family members in formal poses, in the family yard at 130 N. 6th Street, Saginaw, on fishing trips, at Kurt’s Arrowhead Farm, various trips Kurt took throughout Michigan and Germany from the 1930s through the 1960s, the interior and exterior of the Oppermann family mansion, and Dr. and Mrs. Karl Kangler richly dressed in Arabic costumes for a costume party. The 19th century Cartes-de-visite Album contains images of Oppermann, Nerretes, and Peters family members. Some of the photographs were taken by the Goodridge Bros. and by Armstrong and Rudd’s Gallery. A photograph album, late nineteenth century, is also included with the volumes at the end of the collection.

Personal Correspondence to Oppermann Family Members (approximately 3.25 cubic ft. in 7 boxes) is the next series. The Oppermanns wrote extensively over decades to each other. They loved each other very much and wrote fairly long, detailed letters covering a wide variety of family news such as illnesses, deaths, weddings, homework, bumps and bruises, as well as religious, social, musical, and fur business news.

All correspondence within each subseries in this collection is in chronological order.

Kurt’s letters to his family are divided into: Letters to One or Both Parent and/or Siblings, 1914-1934, and undated (approximately 1 cubic ft. in 1 box); Letters to Friends and Family, 1914-1916, 1918, 1926, 1929 (1 folder); and letters to Letto (Lydia), 1929-1930 (2 additional folders).

Letters to Kurt from his parents are next and include: Letters from both of his parents, 1917; Letters from his Fathers, 1912-1930 (Scattered) and undated (2 folders); and from his Mother, 1914-1935 (approximately 1 cubic ft. in 1 box). Letters between Kurt’s Mother, Nettie (Peters) Oppermann, and her family and friends before her marriage, 1887-1890, and between Nettie and her new husband, Gustav Oppermann, and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Peters, Sr., and her siblings, 1891-1894 (4 folders) are next. These letters are particularly affectionate and tender, proving that her family embraced Gustav into their family and that they loved each other very much.

Letters to and from Kurt and his siblings are next and in general are quite affectionate and full of news of jobs, family members, and the health and accomplishments of their children and grandchildren. The only negatives in the letters occur in the late 1930s over concerns the siblings had that Art was ruining the family fur business and what Kurt should do to save it. Clearly Kurt was believed by his siblings to be the only one with a chance of saving the business, the family reputation, and Art. A description of the letters of the Oppermann siblings is as follows:

Letters of Arthur “Art” P. Oppermann and his wife, Hulda with Kurt, 1910-1927 (Scattered), and undated, and a letter Art sent to the editor of the Saturday Evening Post rebutting insults about Germans and American neutrality, 1915. The letters between Art and Kurt end in 1927. Before 1927 many of the letters talk about family news and the fur business. After 1927, their relationship deteriorated. This was in part due to the other siblings’ widely held view that Art had ruined the family fur business and Art’s bitterness towards Kurt as a result of Kurt’s actions to try to save the business. (5 folders).

Letters with Eugene “Gene” P. Oppermann and his wife, Stella, 1916-1942 (Scattered, 1 folder). Gene and Kurt were quite close and lived together in the old Oppermann family home from 1936 until Gene married. In his letters, Gene encouraged Kurt by November 16, 1936 to push Art onto “the right track” to avoid the disgrace and destitution of the family and for Kurt to impose a system on the business to get it going. He supported Kurt in staying in the family home because he was the only single sibling and had been shunted for years between Saginaw and New York on family business. The letters document a positive, close brotherly relationship between Kurt and Gene.

Letters with Helen “Letto” (Oppermann) Edgerly, 1916-1964, and 1974, and undated (5 folders). She maintained a pleasant relationship with Kurt all her life although they were often physically separated by thousands of miles after 1925.

Letters with Paul “Barney” P. Oppermann, 1916-1975 (Scattered), and undated. (4 folders) These letters like the ones between Kurt and Pat are affectionate, but not unusual.

Letter with Peters “Pat” Oppermann, 1916-1974 or 1975 (Scattered, 1 folder). Like the letters between Barney, these letters are affectionate, but not unusual.

Letters with Robert “Bob” P. Oppermann, and his wife, Stella, 1916-1974. (Scattered, 5 folders). Included here are weekly reports to Bob from Kurt from January through March 1937 that mention the strikes and shutdown automobile plants and the effect of that and the generally poor economy on the Oppermann business. In March 1937 Bob mentioned Kurt’s 18 acres and Kurt mentioned how he needed the good air there.

The subseries concludes with Personal Correspondence [with] Extended Oppermann Family Members. This includes Kurt’s aunts, uncles, cousins, and a niece, 1916-1961. Most of this correspondence consists mainly of family news, with some holiday or birthday greetings. Some of the correspondence with his cousin, Helmut Oppermann, in Germany is in German and some is about family genealogy.

Political Correspondence consists of one folder each of correspondence with Charles “Charlie” Koehler, a Saginaw City Councilman and friend of Kurt’s, 1947-1960; a letter from Kurt to Adolph (surname unknown) protesting his being treated as a city employee, 1942, in regards to being in or helping to organized an orchestra; and correspondence with Stephen J. Roth, the Attorney General of Michigan, 1949-1950.

General Correspondence between Kurt and his friends covers a wide variety of general family and personal news. Like all the correspondence in this collection, it is filed chronologically. It is divided in two sections. First, correspondence with Kurt’s friends with whom he had regular but sporadic correspondence, perhaps one or two letters a year for a decade or so (approximately 1.75 cubic ft. in 4 boxes). The correspondence is fairly regular, 1909-1942, and particularly good during World War I. It is more scattered, 1943-1974, and undated. Some of his good friends that he had extensive correspondence with during the 1920 and 1930s include: Dick Townsend, Jo Polak, Van George, Ben Bartlett, Hazel McMullen, Helen and Jane Runyon, Kate Wolf, Marguerite Geoffrey, Lucile Whitman, George Long, J.W. “Wes” Harrison, Howard “Howdy” Ewen, and Mabel (Scott) de Fere.

Kurt’s brother, Barney, with whom Kurt was very close, also knew and was friends with most of Kurt’s friends of this period. Harriet, Dorothy and Lucile, possibly nurses or patients are sometimes referred to as “the three maidens”. Many of these friends also spent time recovering from illness at Castle Point, and many of them knew each other.

The second section is General Correspondence of friends with whom Kurt extensively corresponded over long periods, on specific topics of research, and with whom he exchanged multiple letters monthly (1 cubic ft. in 2 boxes.) Kurt was friends with all the women, but they were mostly just penpals. His correspondents include: Catherine Ditzler, 1916-1934 (the correspondence ends after she married in June 16, 1934); Dr. W. W. Florer, 1950-1954, and undated, with whom Kurt discussed historic settlement near and in Saginaw; William D. Fueher, 1953, re: German Language in public schools and German communities in Michigan; Jenny Heyne, 1914-1925; Dr. Carl Ibershoff, 1919-1951 (Scattered) and undated (some materials in German); Mollie Jensen, a friend of Kurt’s ex-girlfriend, Christine, who wrote to Kurt through a third friend to avoid scenes with her jealous husband, Norman, whom she finally divorced in 1929, 1927-1934, and undated (2 folders); Myron E. Leppy, 1926-1930; Rita Moloney, 1930-1932, 1939; and Sinfonia Fraternity at the University of Michigan, 1915-1931 (Scattered). Also there is correspondence with Dorothy Miller, 1921-1922, 1925, and undated. Dorothy’s letters indicate that she was Kurt’s girlfriend, but this may have been a long-distance emotional relationship only.

The second largest series in the collection is that of the Oppermann Fur Company Business Records. The records are divided by format into loose papers and smaller volumes that fit into the boxes, and then oversized volumes.

The papers, 1915-1937 and undated (4.5 cubic ft. in 9 boxes) are filed alphabetically by the type of material, and then chronologically. A wide variety of financial records is represented here, including accounts, a ledger, inventories, job receipt books (documenting customers and work they wanted done or items created), mailing lists, lists of prospective customers, publications, sales records, tax receipts, and work notes, among others. It is clear that Kurt examined these records in his effort to try to save the business and that he inherited them when the business closed.

A great strength of this series is the Business Correspondence, 1918-1925. It is divided first in to Business Correspondence with Companies, and then with Customers. Kurt kept the records in roughly alphabetical and chronological order for 1920, 1921, and 1919-1925. The companies include suppliers of furs, leather, beadwork, embroidery silk, buttons, tanning and curing supplies, as well as stationery, food, tools, and office supplies. Companies with whom they conducted extensive or specialized business, such as women’s clothing, and Charles F. Wagner, a fur merchant with Wagner, Jodie and Co., 1919-1924, and with G. Gaudig and Blum Corp., 1923-1925, are filed separately. Many of the fur related businesses had beautiful stationery with various animals and furs, as well as images of their establishments. Filed with some of the correspondence are catalog books, fliers, business cards, and swatches of material.

Sixteen Oversized Volumes of business records, 1888-1934 (approximately 5 cubic ft.), document both the Saginaw and Flint Oppermann fur stores. The volumes are physically located at the end of the collection. The volumes include an Account Receivable Book, Day Books, a HUGE, very heavy Scrapbook of advertising and fur business information on the Oppermanns, A. J. Jaeckel and Company, and other fur companies mainly in New York City, Job Receipt Books, and Ledgers, two of which are indexed, and two others which include inventories of the Flint Store. Many of the advertisements in the Scrapbook are from various Saginaw newspapers.

A third series in the collection is Historic Preservation Materials (.5 cubic ft. in 1 box). This consists of materials Kurt accumulated or generated to create public interest and organizations, including the Heritage Foundation Association, the Saginaw Historical Building Foundation, and the Saginaw Historical Heritage Committee, all of which Kurt helped found, to save old Saginaw buildings, 1949-1962. Among the buildings of interest to him and his friends were the Webber House, which is extensively documented here, the Saginaw Civic Center, the Old Saginaw Auditorium, and the Arthur P. Hill High School. Unfortunately for Kurt, many people in Saginaw had little money or interest at the time to save the buildings which were destroyed. Also documented here are the efforts of white people in historic areas of Saginaw to prevent their property from being purchased by African Americans in the early 1960s. This effort is documented in the Johnson-Lapeer-Janes Neighborhood folders. At first Kurt created an advertising draft that was blatantly racist to get supporters. The draft was amended after advice from a friend of Kurt’s who was on the city commission.

The Miscellaneous series (.5 cubic ft. in 1 box) includes mostly Kurt’s correspondence with various people, including his apartment manager, letters to the editor of the Saginaw News, 1936-1957 (Scattered) on a variety of topics, and a collection of lovely, undated greeting cards, as well as one folder of Kurt’s miscellaneous poetry, 1911-1973, and undated.

The Saginaw, Michigan, Materials (1 cubic ft. in 2 boxes) consists of advertising fliers on auctions, 1960-1965; and meeting minutes and attachments of various Saginaw committees and boards, including the Christian Business Men’s Committee; the Saginaw Board of Appeals on Zoning, 1955-1960 and 1968; Saginaw City Council, 1953-1959 (Scattered); and information on Saginaw Schools and the Saginaw Sewer Construction Progress Reports, December 1955-February 1959.

A few legal-size items, mainly legal items, are found in Box 30 due to their size. Items of particular interest include correspondence regarding Kurt’s tuberculosis claim, 1924-1969 (Scattered); legal papers of Kurt and other family members, 1936-1968; and Oppermann Fur Co. Advertisements, Sketches, and Fur Business related Materials, 1920-1939, and undated.

The last series in the collection is Papers of Other Saginawians. Mabel C. (Scott) De Fere’s papers came to Kurt after she died. Other papers, including those of the family of Bude Volusin Kurt either collected or people gave the papers to him knowing of his interest in Saginaw history. Included here are some letters of the family of Bude Volusin, a Saginaw architect and builder, 1853-1871 (some in German). The papers of Kurt’s longtime friend and Saginaw teacher Mabel C. (Scott) De Fere (April 10, 1899-March 15, 1968) include her Correspondence, Biographical Materials, Certificates, a Diploma, and Teaching Materials as well as numerous Photographs and other materials documenting her family and friends in Bergland, Michigan. Mabel married Tom De Fere by 1926. They divorced by June 4, 1936. One letter notes that Kurt and Mabel became engaged on January 5, 1939, but they apparently never married. Mabel loaned Kurt over $700 by 1942, at which time Kurt considered her co-owner of Kurt’s Arrowhead farm. The papers of Marion C. Weir consist mostly of his published and unpublished poetry and correspondence with Kurt, 1917-1959. His published poetry was published by the Oppermann Fur Company. Lastly, in the Oversized Volumes there is an account book of Frank Selzer, a Saginaw artist and probably a lithographer, 1930-1941, documenting companies, people and newspapers for which/whom he did artwork.

Due to size, a few items have been placed in Oversized Folders immediately before the Oversized Volumes. These include Folder #1, Webber House Blueprints (copies, 2), 1960; Oppermann Fur Co., Advertising, Sketches, etc., 1926, 1933-1934, and undated; and Certificates and a Diploma of Mabel C. (Scott) de Fere, 1914, 1916-1917, and 1936.