Collections

This collection represents three generations of the Bush family in Michigan. Includes genealogies and biographies of the Bush and Willard families; correspondence; a portrait of F. Willard Bush; papers of Sumner O. Bush and Charles Sumner Bush; unidentified financial records, pamphlets and circulars; and a computer disk containing transcriptions of the letters in the collection.

The collection represents three generations of the Bush family in Michigan. The arrangement reflects this, as it moves from the oldest generation to the youngest.

The first folder provides genealogical information on the Bush and Willard families (The Willard family was the family of Cynthia Melissa Willard Bush.). There are also two clippings from the Battle Creek newspaper containing biographical information on Sumner Orlando Bush and his son, Charles Sumner Bush. The next folders contain letters of Frederick Eli and Cynthia Melissa (Willard) Bush. This includes correspondence with the Bush sons, Bush family members, Willard family members, and friends.

Materials documenting Frederick Willard, Edwin Alvarez, Henry Eli, and Sumner Orlando follow the letters of the Bush parents (Frederick and Cynthia). The bulk of these are correspondence. The letters are grouped in folders according to recipient and arranged in order from the eldest son (Frederick Willard) to the youngest (Sumner). A tintype of Frederick Willard Bush (1858) is also included, (Box 2, Folder 1). The collection then moves to the next generation. Papers of Charles Sumner Bush, son of Sumner, are present toward the end.

Common subjects include family news (e.g., births, deaths, marriages, new jobs, college graduations), business and financial concerns (e.g., mortgages, family farms, insurance, possible career paths), current events (e.g., elections, slavery, the Civil War), health, the weather, and crop conditions. There are also reflections on spiritual concerns and on living life as a Christian.

The collection includes letters that the Bush sons and several others wrote while attending college. Frederick Willard, Henry and Sumner Bush all attended Olivet College and wrote of their experiences there. Willard also attended Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio. The brothers received letters from friends and relatives in other colleges. The collection also contains a folder of letters to Frederick and Cynthia Bush from an Olivet College student identified as “Amanda.” (The precise nature of Amanda’s relationship to the Bushes is unclear. The letters do indicate that the family partially funded her scholarship to Olivet.) The college letters describe student life (e.g., classes, rooming conditions, and teachers).

The materials of four soldiers might be of interest to military researchers. Frederick and Samuel Willard (brothers to Cynthia Melissa Willard Bush) and Edwin Bush served in the Civil War, while Charles Sumner Bush served in World War I.

Frederick Willard was stationed in Louisiana during the Civil War. In his letters, he describes troop movements and morale and relates some general thoughts on the war (He describes Copperheads as “traitors” and writes of “defending our beloved country from slavery, disunion and tyranny.”). He also discusses the local environments, and in one letter (February 10, 1864), he describes the affects of the war on Louisiana. There are also two pre-War letters from Frederick. One is dated 1841 and the other is dated 1859. In the 1841 letter, he discusses a recent move and reflects on the recent death of President William Henry Harrison. In the 1859 letter, he reflects on the death of his sister, Lucena.

Samuel Willard enlisted sometime in 1862. He saw action at Gettysburg in July 1863. Afterward, he suffered poor health and seems to have been hospitalized for the remainder of the war. He stayed in hospitals in Annapolis, Maryland; Louisville, Kentucky; and Madison, Indiana. In his letters, Samuel relates war news (the 1864 surrender of Fort Sumter, for example), and discusses troop movements and morale. He often comments on the hospitals in which he stayed. In one letter (July 30, 1863), he describes his experience at the Battle of Gettysburg. In another (October 30, 1863), he mentions a funeral for Confederate prisoners. There is also one post-War letter, dated 1867. In it, Samuel describes the weather and discusses some family news.

Edwin Bush enlisted in Company E, 17th Michigan Infantry on August 12, 1862. He saw action at Antietam and at Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky. His unit returned east in 1864. Edwin was shot during the siege of Petersburg, Virginia and died of his wounds on June 18, 1864. In his letters, Edwin describes marches, guard duty, troop morale, the food and various aspects of Army life. He comments on battles and on other troops and some officers (including Generals McClellan and Burnside). He mentions war news and other current events (e.g., Congressional elections).

Charles Sumner Bush, son of Sumner Orlando and Vernellie Daley Bush, was a World War I veteran. Bush, who enlisted at Camp Custer on November 26, 1917, served in the Motor Transport Corps 373, and was promoted to sergeant within a few weeks of enlisting (December 3, 1917). In April, he was transferred to the American Mission Reserve Mallet, American Expeditionary Force. He served overseas in France from February 27, 1918 to June 19, 1919. Bush mustered out of the service on June 25, 1919. His papers contain a black and white photograph of Mrs. Sarah (Rector) Hyslop, whom Charles Sumner married in 1923. The diary, kept by Charles Sumner Bush in 1918, documents his battlefield experiences in France, soldier camps, traveling in Army truck convoys, the weather and terrain, local reaction to American troops, and the Spanish flu epidemic. Also included is a copy of Special Orders No. 50 dating December 3, 1918. This order is signed by Frank O. Robinson, 1st Lt., MTC, USA, Comdg” and lists battles in which Robinson’s unit engaged. While individual names are not listed in the order, it appears that Bush engaged in the 1918 battles outlined by Lieutenant Robinson (e.g., Second Battle of the Somme, Second Battle of the Marne, Third Battle of the Somme, etc.)

The collection ends with a folder of ephemera and a computer disk. The ephemera date from the 19th century and include leaflets and some unidentified handwritten financial information. The disk contains electronic copies of seven transcriptions of letters in this collection. (Printed copies of these transcriptions are filed in the collection with their respective original letters.)

Negatives of images of people, holiday celebrations, buildings in Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Marshall, Lansing, and Homer, Michigan, and floods in Homer and Battle Creek. In Box 3 there are negatives of the costumed elephants and camels of Ringling Circus in Lansing, 1913, and a costume parade of Buffalo Bill's "circus," really a wild west, 1913, probably also in Lansing.

This collection of film negatives, 1899, 1913, and undated, was originally housed in three Eastman Negative Albums with tissue paper sleeves. Sometimes more than one negative was stored in a sleeve. Volume I is now housed in Box 1 of the collection, Volume II is now housed in Box 2, and Volume VI is now Box 3. It is highly likely that volumes III-V once existed, however, they were not donated to the Clarke. The negatives in each volume are each numbered in their own sequence, beginning with number one and continuing to 92 or 100. Descriptive notes, written in pencil, sometimes quite brief, written by Linn, were included at the end of each volume about single negatives or groups of negatives. In at least one case Linn refers to himself, Box 1 Negative #36 “Myself of Pond.” Some images are of Linn’s friends or relatives. For example, in Box 1, Negative #30 is described as “Dessie and Father at lake.” These notes were used to describe the negatives. The processors added additional description, as needed. Negatives are undated unless other noted.

Volume I (Box 1) consists of 92 negatives, 1906-1910, and undated, of men, women, children, and groups of people, mostly in Homer, engaged in various activities, including with pets. A bakery fire in Homer, Michigan, 1907, is documented as is men grossly dressed as women at Homer, Marshall in 1908. Some of the females are described as “Marshall girls.”

Linn Negatives 1-9: Of particular interest, negatives 4, 5, and 7 show different angles of Homer’s main street.

Linn Negatives 10-19: Negative 18 is of a man ice skating, and negative 19 is of a woman ice skating. Both negatives are dated 1906.

Linn Negatives 20-29: Negative 20 is of a fire in a Bakery, 1907

Linn Negatives 30-39: Negative 30 is of a woman standing in a lake holding onto a canoe, and a man is sitting in the canoe. Negative 31 is of a man handing a woman a flower who is sitting on grass. Negative 33 is of a woman hanging off the back of a wagon. Negative 38 is of a horse race. Negative 39 is of a baby sitting in a baby carriage.

Linn Negatives 40-49: Negative 42 is a group of people sitting together in a room with a man holding a baby doll. Negative 4 is a group of people sitting together in a room, and one man is holding a cat. Negative 46 is of a young girl sitting in a chair. Negative 47 is of two boys fighting at school, with a group of boys around them watching.

Linn Negatives 50-59: Negative 50 is of a woman holding a large cat. Negative 52 is of a fancy passenger car on the end of a train. Negative 56 is a group of people sitting together in a room wearing odd hats and clothing. Negative 59 is of a small child standing on a porch with a ball in their hands.

Linn Negatives 60-69: Negative 61 is of a baby propped up on a couch with pillows and a young child standing next to the couch.

Linn Negatives 70-79, 1908: Negative 71a is of a small boy in a chair with a ball between his legs. Negative 71b is the same small boy from 71a sitting in a chair with a gun across his lap. Negative 71c is the same small boy from 71a but standing on a porch holding onto a gun. Negative 72 is of a man standing with a large dog in front of him. Negative 73 is of two men standing with a large dog

Linn Negatives 80-89, 1907-1908: Negative 81a is of a couple with a baby. The woman and baby are sitting in a chair and the man is leaning over the back of the chair. Negative 81b is of the same baby in 81a sitting alone in a large chair. Negative 82a-82b is of a boy outside with shovel in hand. Negative 82c is of same boy from 82a-b but he is standing on a porch. Negative 83a is of a baby sitting in a large chair. Negative 83b is of same baby from 83a but lying in a wicker baby carriage. Negative 87 is of two little girls standing on a porch. Negative 89 is of a group of men (?) dressed up in various costumes such as clowns and gross women. Negative 92 is a close up of one of the men in this negative.

Linn Negatives 90-92: Negative 91 is of a skinny shaggy dog. Negative 92 is of a man (?) dressed in a long dress. The man has a type of cage over his head. In his right hand is a small baseball bat, and on his left is an oversized baseball glove with text that reads “Presented to the “Girls” of Marshall Aug 19” 08 at Homer by the Homer “Biz” men.” This man is part of a group picture in negative 89 which is titled “Marshall Day at Homer 1908.” A copy of Negative 92 is located in the folder along with the negative.

Volume II (Box 2) consists of 100 negatives, 1906-1910, and undated. Besides people, the negatives document floods at Homer and Albion, Michigan, 1907, and a flood at Battle Creek, Michigan, 1909. Other Michigan areas and celebrations are documented including: Lyon Lake and Gull Lake, 1909, Homer 1906, Kalamazoo River, 1910, Homer High School, 1908, Homer, 1909 and Kalamazoo, 1908. Linn’s rooms in Stone House, Homer High School, and Jones Bowling Alley are also documented.

Linn Negatives 1-10: Of particular interest, negatives show Flood at Homer, Michigan, flooded streets and fields, 1907.

Linn Negatives 11-20: Flood at Homer, Michigan, flooded bridges and railroad tracks, 1907.

Linn Negatives 21-30: Flood at Homer, Michigan, 1907, and at Battle Creek, Michigan, 1909. Land bridge in Homer is flooded in negative 25.

Linn Negatives 31-40: Flood at Battle Creek, Michigan in 1909. Negative 32: of a flooded neighborhood. Flood at Albion, Michigan in 1907. Negative 36: of collapsed stores in flood waters. Negative 40: of a woman standing in wooded area at Lyon Lake, Michigan in 1909.

Linn Negatives 41-50: Lyon Lake, Michigan, 1909, individual portraits of woman and man standing in forested area. Gull Lake, Michigan, 1909, negatives of Lake and surrounding landscape.

Linn Negatives 51-60: Homer, Michigan Main Street, 1906. Also, Gull Lake, Michigan, scenic pictures, 1909. Negative 59: labeled “Flashlight at Linn’s [home] 1906” shows six women sitting around a table, playing cards.

Linn Negatives 61-70: Negative 61: Fourth of July at Homer, Michigan in 1906. Negative 62: “Mrs. William Raby’s Father” is of a man sitting in a chair. Lyon Lake, Michigan, in 1910. Marshall, Michigan, in 1908. Negative 65 is of the old dam at Homer, Michigan in 1906. Negatives 66-67: labeled Breakfast at Linn’s [home], and Flashlight at Linn’s [home]. Negative 69: Bird eye view of Homer, Michigan.

Linn Negatives 71-81: Kalamazoo River 1910. Negative 77: Jones Bowling Alley in 1908. Negative 78: Two kittens on blanket outside in 1908. Negative 79: Homer High School.

Linn Negatives 82-91: Marshall Day at Homer, Michigan in 1908. Negatives 87-89 are Linn’s rooms in Stone House, with very elaborate decorations. Negatives 90-91: Born and King in 1909.

Linn Negatives 92-100: Homer, Michigan 1909. Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1908.

Volume VI (Box 3) consists of 100 negatives, 1899, 1912-1913, mostly 1913. Besides people and pets, Ringling Brothers Circus elephants and camels, in costume in Lansing, 1913 (Negatives 41a-44c), and the Buffalo Will “Circus” parade, really a Wild West (Negatives 94a-100), also in 1913, presumably also in Lansing, are included. The parade includes a variety of costumed riders, notably Native Americans, a buggy and a fake longhorn bull on a wagon float.

Linn Negatives 1-9, 1899, 1913: Of particular interest negative 2a-2b, two children playing by fort with pails, bowls and stool.

Linn Negatives 10-19, 1912-1913: 16a-16d, Man and woman skating on lake. 19a-19c, little boy sitting in front seat of car.

Linn Negatives 20-29, 1913: 25a-26b, Woman with hoe gardening in backyard with little girl. 26b-26c, little girl in wide brimmed hat playing with something in her lap.

Linn Negatives 30-39, 1913: 33b, women on teeter totters. 34a, women playing with may pole. 36b-37a, men swinging on may pole. 38a-38c, men and women on swing set.

Linn Negatives 40-49, 1913: 41a-44c, Ringling Brothers Circus, elephants eating grass, men in costume putting carriage seat on elephant and man in costume leading a camel in costume by the reins. 48a-48c, women swimming and canoeing.

Linn Negatives 50-59, 1913: 59a-59b, man using water pump to pump water into a cup for a woman.

Linn Negatives 60-69, 1913: 61a, owl starring straight at camera. 63a, two women sitting in rocking chairs on front porch, one holding a little boy in her lap and has a little girl by her side. 66a-69a, woman and her dog in front yard.

Linn Negatives 70-79, 1913: 70a-70b, woman and her dog in front yard. No photo is slot 71 (Helen Lury and her dog June 24, 1913). 74a, little boy and girl standing on sidewalk with some sort of wooden toys. 75a-75b, two men and three women sitting in decorated car with elk head on front grill.

Linn Negatives 80-89, 1913; 89a, two men and little boy with stick in his hand.

Linn Negatives 90-100, 1913: 94a-100, Buffalo Bill Circus, men in Native American clothing, riding horses and holding flags. Men in carriage with some kind of longhorn bull behind them on top of carriage.

The collection was scanned in 2012 at 600 dpi as tif files. Box 4 includes scans of Boxes 1-3, the inventory of the scanned images, and 4 CDs of the scans and inventory.

Processing Note: Each processor processed one of the three volumes in the collection. For expediency’s sake, each box was handled as a separate unit. All negatives measure 5.5 x 3.5 inches unless otherwise noted. All the negatives are in good condition. A few have bits of paper stuck to them.