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Collection

Bethel A.M.E. Church (Detroit, Mich.) records, 1897-1990s (majority within 1912-1969)

2 microfilms — 0.2 linear feet — 3 oversize items

Quarterly conference reports; record books with lists of members, baptisms, marriages, and related information; minute books of trustees and various church groups; scattered historical and background information and photographs.

The microfilmed records of Bethel A.M.E. Church of Detroit, Michigan include church record books and reports, minute books of church governing bodies and organizations, and a scattering of issues of the church newsletter, The Bethel Booster. The original materials include published historical and other background information about the church. There is also a scattering of published church materials, such as bulletins, newsletters, and a membership directory. Finally, the church allowed the library to copy selected photographs of church activities, groups, and personalities.

Collection

Charles A. Hill Family Papers, 1917-1981 (majority within 1939-1970)

2.7 linear feet

Charles A. Hill was African American pastor of Hartford Avenue Baptist Church (renamed Hartford Memorial Baptist Church in 1981) in Detroit, Michigan; collection includes church materials, scrapbooks and photographs, information collected about Hill and his activities by the Detroit Police Department, and family information.

The Charles A. Hill Family Papers are comprised of 2.7 linear feet and range in date from 1970 to 1981. The collection focuses primarily on the life and work of Charles A. Hill, Sr., although papers concerning other family members are also included. The collection is arranged into four series: Hartford Avenue Baptist Church, Charles A. Hill and Family, Red Squad Files, and Scrapbooks/Photographs.

Collection

Detroit Urban League records, 1916-1992

96 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 5 digital video files

Online
Social Service organization serving the Detroit African American community, affiliate of the National Urban League; includes minutes of the Board of Directors, correspondence and topical files of Executive Directors and Presidents, budgets and financial records, and papers concerning National Urban League conferences and Green Pastures Camp; also departmental files relating to community services, housing, vocational services, health and welfare, job development and employment, and education and youth incentives; and photographs.

The records of the Detroit Urban League include minutes of the Board of Directors, correspondence and topical files of Executive Directors and Presidents, budgets and financial records, and papers concerning National Urban League conferences and Green Pastures Camp; also departmental files relating to community services, housing, vocational services, health and welfare, job development and employment, and education and youth incentives. The records also include photographs of chapter activities, meetings, and ceremonies; photos of buildings and staff (notably executive directors, John Dancy and Francis Kornegay); also films.

Collection

Dudley Randall papers, 1900-2002 (majority within 1960s-1980s)

11.5 linear feet (in 12 boxes) — 20 audiocassettes — 14 magnetic tape reels — 1 videocassette — 10 digital audio files

Online
African American Detroit poet and librarian, and founder of Broadside Press in Detroit, Michigan which supported and published black and African American poets and authors. Poet laureate of Detroit, 1981. Materials consist of personal and business correspondence, topical files, photographs, drafts and publications, audio recordings, and film reels.

The papers document the personal and professional life of Dudley Randall as an independent African American poet and founder of the Broadside Press in Detroit, and span the years 1900-2002. Material includes drafts and publications of original works, correspondence, photographs, sound recordings on audiocassettes and audio reels, and films featuring Randall, his family, and poets connected to the Broadside Press. Series in the collection may have overlapping subjects, as original folder contents were maintained. Folders are arranged first by date, and then alphabetically by original title where applicable. The collection is divided into four series: Biographical (1900-2002), Broadside Press (1939-1999), Topical Files (1908-2002), and Writing (1933-1983).

Collection

Edward Martin collection, 1852-2004

14 linear feet (in 22 boxes) — 3 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder

Collector of materials documenting Michigan Polish-American individuals and organizations, especially in Detroit and Hamtramck. Included are records of the Detroit Board of Water Commissioners, the Polish Army Veterans Association, and the Polish Sea League. The collection also contains photographs from various Polish photography studios in Detroit and Michigan, including portraits and topical photographs.

The Edward Martin collection consists of papers and photographs, accumulated from various sources, relate to Detroit organizations and individuals. Except for a small series of Detroit Board of Water Commissioners documents, the collection concerns Michigan's Polish-American community and the activities of Polish-American organization, including the Polish Army Veterans Association and the Polish Sea League. Much of the collection consists of photographic portraits from studios catering to the Polish-American community in Detroit and Hamtramck.

The collection consists of seven series: Detroit Board of Water Commissioners, Polish Army Veterans Association, Polish Sea League, Printed Polish Materials, Waclaw S. Jakubowski papers, Miscellaneous, and Photographs.

Collection

Gordon family papers, 1924-1946

0.25 linear feet

Papers of Mattie (Martha) Bell Hudson Gordon, Willie Lee Gordon, and their son, William Hal Gordon, African American family that came to Detroit from Georgia and settled in Highland Park.

Primarily correspondence, including some letters from family in Georgia, but mostly letters (1945-1946) from William Hal Gordon to his parents about his experiences in the military, especially as a Black person and as a musician; includes some letters written to William by his mother, and some miscellaneous personal items.

Collection

Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (Detroit, Mich.) records, 1920-2008

2 linear feet

African-American Baptist congregation located in Detroit, MI.; also called Shiloh Baptist Church. The record group includes a church history, celebratory and obsequy programs, clippings, and notebooks of materials accumulated during the pastorates of R. B. James, Solomon David Ross, William H. Crews, and Harold Knox; also bulletins of church services.

The Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church records includes a church history, celebratory and obsequy programs, clippings, and notebooks of materials accumulated during the pastorates of R. B. James, Solomon David Ross, William H. Crews, and Harold Knox; also bulletins of church services. The record group consists of four series: Church Publications, History, Topical File, and Miscellaneous Records.

Collection

Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, Detroit, Mich. Records, 1922-2011

18 linear feet — 8.6 GB (online)

Online
Detroit, Michigan, African American church. Files concern church governance and policies; church committees and other organizations; and church events, celebrations, and services; also include publications and topical files with information on pastors Charles Hill and Charles Adams.

The records of Hartford Baptist Memorial Church are arranged in seven series: Church Governance and Policies, Committees and Other Church Organizations, Events and Celebrations, Services, Topical Files, Publications and Miscellaneous. Covering the years 1922 to the present, the records document the ongoing work of the church. The bulk of the records date from the 1970s, with sparse documentation for the years 1930 to 1959.

Collection

John C. Dancy papers, 1920-1960

1 linear foot — 1 oversize volume

Executive director of the Detroit Urban League. Correspondence, scrapbook, photographs, and miscellanea concerning personal matters, the work of the Urban League, and the concerns of the black community of Detroit.

The collection consists of personal correspondence, a scrapbook documenting in part his career as executive director of the Detroit Urban League, and scattered photographs. There is also the transcript of an oral history interview of John Dancy made in 1964.

Collection

Marjorie A. Blackistone and Horace Ferguson Bradfield papers, 1931-1978

0.2 linear feet — 1.6 GB (online)

Online
Marjorie Bradfield was the first African American librarian in Detroit, working for the Detroit Public Library and as head librarian for Detroit Public Schools. Horace Bradfield was an African American Physician at Providence and Hutzel hospitals, and out of offices on East Grand Boulevard in Detroit. The collection contains Marjorie Bradfield's autobiography, audio recordings of interviews with Horace Bradfield, and photographs of the Bradfields.

The Marjorie and Horace Bradfield papers consists of autobiographical material and photographs.

In her autobiography, Marjorie Bradfield describes her first library jobs, and the events that led her to the Detroit Public Library. It highlights Bradfield's professional accomplishments, as well as challenges she faced as an African American woman in the library field. The autobiography includes an appendix with citations of essays and articles written by Bradfield.

Also contained within the collection are recordings of a 1978 interview with Horace Bradfield, facilitated by his daughter, Trudy Bradfield Taliaferro. The first part of the interview, Bradfield discusses his time as a student at the University of Michigan between 1931 and 1935. Throughout the interview, Bradfield describes his experience as an African American student at the University of Michigan during the 1930s. The second part of the interview covers his struggles finding a job as an African American physician in Detroit following his graduation in 1935.

The collection includes a small number of photographs in the collection, primarily portraits of the Bradfields, and a photograph from their wedding day in 1938. One of these photographs is available online as a digital file.