Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

Back to top

Search Constraints

Start Over You searched for: Repository University of Michigan William L. Clements Library Remove constraint Repository: University of Michigan William L. Clements Library Level Collection Remove constraint Level: Collection Subjects Courtship--United States. Remove constraint Subjects: Courtship--United States. Formats Clippings (information artifacts) Remove constraint Formats: Clippings (information artifacts)
Number of results to display per page
View results as:

Search Results

Collection

Brunger papers, 1941-1949 (majority within 1942-1945)

1.25 linear feet

The Brunger papers consist primarily of letters from United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during Brunger's service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. He wrote of his life at sea and responded to news from home about his wife and his son, Francis David Brunger, Jr., who was born in December 1944. Additional material includes a photograph, documents, printed material, and ephemera.

The Brunger papers consist primarily of correspondence written by United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during his service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War.

Of the 294 letters in the Correspondence series, Brunger wrote 246 to Alice, whom he called "Bone." The letters trace the couple's relationship from their early courtship through their engagement, marriage, and birth of their first son ("Stinky"). Francis often wrote of his desire to return to his family. In his earlier letters, he discussed his intention to join the navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Alice's budding nursing career. He wrote of different aspects of military life throughout the remainder of his naval career, including daily life onboard the Farenholt and the Rooks, and his training in Shoemaker, California. During the spring and summer of 1945, he shared his anticipation for the end of the war, and by late August he believed he would soon receive a discharge. Though he seldom reported military engagements, his friend Joe wrote Alice about some of the Farenholt's military actions near Guadalcanal (March 30, 1944). Other acquaintances wrote to Alice about their experiences in the army. The collection also has a group of letters addressed to Charles Brunger, Francis's brother, who served at the United States Naval Training Center in Sampson, New York.

The Photograph shows a newborn child.

The Documents series contains an insurance policy for Alice Brunger from the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (November 5, 1944).

Printed Material includes a newspaper clipping reporting the birth of Francis D. Brunger, Jr. [December 1944], a clipping relating draft results from Oswego County, New York (undated), and the March 1943 edition of The Colby Alumnus.

The Ephemera series (19 items) contains birthday and other greeting cards from Francis D. Brunger to his wife and son, instructions for making baby formula, a menu for a Christmas dinner held at the United States Navy Receiving Station in Shoemaker, California [December 25, 1944], a "Safety First for Your Baby" pamphlet, a birthday poem and drawing on V-mail stationery, two short poems, two printed programs for religious services, three key tags, and a newspaper clipping featuring four color "Blondie" comics.

Collection

Aronson-Grant papers, 1921-1934

2 linear feet

Online
The Aronson-Grant papers contain correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to Calvin Aronson and his wife, Pearl Goldblatt (later Grant) Aronson.

The Aronson-Grant papers contain correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to Calvin Aronson and his wife, Pearl Goldblatt (later Grant) Aronson.

The Correspondence series, which comprises the bulk of the collection, mostly consists of letters addressed to Pearl Goldblatt between 1921 and 1934, as well as some letters that she wrote to her husband. The letters reveal much about the couple's personal life and relationship, including Aronson's joyful reaction after hearing that Goldblatt had accepted his marriage proposal (February 14, 1924). Pearl Goldblatt Aronson tended to use her adopted surname, "Grant," in her later letters. In contrast to the couple's courtship correspondence, many letters by Grant's friends hint at marital difficulties between Aronson and Grant, including a brief threat of divorce. Some items have enclosures such as drawings and the couple's wedding certificate (February 26, 1927), and one letter is on stationery with the caption "Shh- Mr. Aronson is in deep thought" (April 6, 1926). Three letters enclose photographs (July 16, 1924; August 3, 1924; and May 14, 1929). Many of the postcards within the series have pictures of scenes in Europe.

The Business and Financial Papers series (57 items) contains receipts, bills, cancelled checks, and other items pertaining to the Aronsons' fiscal affairs, including their accounts with the Mechanics' Bank in Brooklyn, New York.

Most of the Photographs (61 items) show scenes around Como, Italy, and several are pictures of young women posing near water and in rowboats.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series contains greeting cards, newspaper clippings, invitations, calling cards, programs, and other items. The newspaper clippings concern politics, playwrights, and human interest stories. Other items include a printed map of the "Harbour of Nassau" and Act IV of Will Shakespeare, a play by Clemence Dane.

Collection

Tufts-Day papers, 1915-1920

2 linear feet

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, and other items related to Nathan Tufts, a native of Massachusetts who served in the United States Army during World War I, and his future wife, Dorothy Day of Connecticut.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, and other items related to Nathan Tufts, a native of Massachusetts who served in the United States Army during World War I, and his future wife, Dorothy Day of Connecticut.

The Correspondence series (1.5 linear feet) comprises the bulk of the collection. Incoming letters to Nathan Tufts at the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, are dated as early as November 11, 1915. His correspondents included his mother, who wrote of life in New York City and Lawrence Park, New York, and Elbridge Stratton, a friend, who anticipated their matriculation at Yale. Dorothy Day received early letters from friends and family while she attended Miss Wheeler's School in Providence, Rhode Island. Friends and family continued to write letters until the late 1910s, and the Tufts received many letters of congratulation following their engagement around May 1918.

Tufts began corresponding with Day in the fall of 1916. He wrote about his experiences and activities at Yale and expressed his romantic feelings for her. After the declaration of war against Germany in April 1917, Tufts reported on his participation in drills and related activities for the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. He later described his training experiences at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. In Kentucky, he commented on the Central Officers' Training School, travels in the South, fellow soldiers, camp life, and kitchen duty. After the Armistice, Tufts anticipated his return to civilian life and his future with Day; he returned to Yale in 1919 and wrote about vacationing in Maine. His final telegram is dated February 21, 1920. Enclosures include a postcard showing the Rocky Broad River (November 3, 1918) and photographs of a military camp (October 18, 1918).

The couple's other wartime correspondents included Corporal Francis Harrison, who discussed his preparation for front-line duty in France in August 1918, and "Clark," a friend of Dorothy, who served at the Plattsburgh Barracks after September 1917. Clark discussed his training at the Reserve Officers Training Camp and his later service in the 302nd Machine Gun Battalion at Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In his letter of October 6, 1917, he described his unit's preparations for military exercises in trench warfare, and his expectation that the infantry would "sit in trenches and fire once in a while" in France.

The Diaries series contains two items. Dorothy Day kept a daily diary (unbound) between January 17, 1916, and August 16, 1919, writing mostly about her social life and her relationship with Nathan Tufts. She sometimes remarked on news, such as the results of the 1916 presidential election and the country's declaration of war against Germany. In 1918, she wrote about Tufts's military career; some of her entries from this period are constructed as letters to him. Day usually wrote daily entries on one side of each page, copying quotations, poetry, and other miscellany on the reverse side. A calling card, a printed advertisement, a flower, and a photograph are laid into her diary.

The Nathan Tufts diary covers much of his active-duty service at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and Camp Zachary Taylor, Kentucky. From August 18, 1918-November 14, 1918, he wrote intermittent journal entries, often addressed to Day, about his daily routine at Camp Jackson, military training exercises, other soldiers, the good reputations of Yale students and alumni, and the end of the war. Journal entries by Day, apparently mailed to Tufts, are interspersed among his later entries; her final journal-letter is dated January 23, 1919. A military pass, United States Reserve Officers Training Corps patch, and newspaper clippings (often of poems) are pasted into the volume.

The School Papers series (9 items) pertains to Nathan Tufts's education at the Taft School and at Yale College's Sheffield Scientific School. A group of printed entrance exams for Yale College and its Sheffield Scientific School, dated June 1914 (1 item) and June 1915 (5 items) contain questions related to Latin, American history, ancient history, and trigonometry. A printed exam given by the college entrance examination board from June 19, 1916-June 24, 1916, contains questions about American history, the German language, and English literature. An exam requiring a translation of lines by Virgil is dated 1916. A bundle of examinations and school documents belonging to Nathan Tufts includes Yale College's semi-annual examination for June 1917, with questions in subjects such as physics, history, English, German, and Latin; a printed course timetable and list of professors and classrooms for Yale College freshman during the 1916-1917 term, with manuscript annotations by Nathan Tufts; and a typed military examination for Yale students, given on June 4, 1917 or 1918. The subjects of the military examination are hygiene, military law, topography, and field artillery regulations and drill.

The Photographs, Newspaper Clippings, and Ephemera series contains around 50 items, including visiting cards, invitations, Red Cross donation certificates, and a printed program. Many of the newspaper clippings contain jokes or brief articles about World War I. A group of photographs includes a framed portrait of a United States soldier, a negative, and several positive prints.

Collection

Helen Buchanan papers, 1906-1937 (majority within 1906-1919)

5 linear feet

The Helen Buchanan papers contain incoming correspondence, financial records, ephemera, and photographs related to the life of Helen Buchanan (later Jones) in the early 20th century. Much of the correspondence is from her friend Juliana Conover, who discussed women's issues and her life in Princeton, New Jersey, during World War I, and from Buchanan's suitor and eventual husband, Walter McKnown Jones, who wrote about medical treatments he experienced and life on his coffee plantation in Puerto Rico.

The Helen Buchanan papers contain 5 linear feet of incoming correspondence, financial records, photographs, printed items, ephemera, and writings pertaining to the life of Helen Buchanan (later Jones) in the early 20th century. Much of the correspondence is from her friend Juliana Conover, who discussed women's issues and her life in Princeton, New Jersey, during World War I, and from Buchanan's suitor and eventual husband, Walter McKnown Jones, who wrote about medical treatments he experienced and life on his coffee plantation in Puerto Rico.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection and contains incoming letters and postcards addressed to Buchanan between 1906 and 1919, while she lived at Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Virginia; Washington, D. C.; Rome, Italy; and Hacienda Limon (near Villalba, Puerto Rico).

Helen's friend Juliana Conover wrote 258 letters advising her much younger friend on love and courtship, providing updates on her life in Princeton, New Jersey, and commenting on current events. In one early letter, she shared her horror at the recent Titanic tragedy (April 16, 1912). Much of Conover's correspondence concerns Helen's courtship with and engagement to Walter McKnown Jones; she often reported on his health, and she supported the relationship despite misgivings on the part of Helen's father. Conover dispensed candid advice on a variety of topics, including intimacy and birth control (April 12, 1916). Along with sending personal updates and news of friends in Princeton, she sometimes mentioned the war and the families whose sons served in the military (May 14, 1917). After the war, she worked with the American Library Association's Library War Service at Camp Dix, New Jersey.

Walter McKnown Jones, Helen's friend, fiancé, and (later) husband, wrote approximately 200 letters to her between 1914 and 1919, largely concerning their courtship and engagement. Early in their acquaintance, he spent considerable time attending to his ill health and undergoing medical treatments. After recovering in the United States, he returned to his coffee plantation in Puerto Rico, where he described his work and efforts to sell coffee; these included trips to New York City and other destinations throughout the late 1910s. Many of his later communications with Helen are telegrams reporting his current location and attempting to make plans to meet his wife.

The Family Correspondence subseries holds letters from many different writers, including several regular correspondents. James A. Buchanan, Helen's father, wrote 45 letters between 1906 and 1919, often regarding her financial situation and family news. He described his European travels, which included witnessing a review of German military troops in Berlin (September 2, 1908) and visiting a military cemetery in Brest, France, where war casualties and influenza epidemic victims were buried (March 4, 1919). John and Francis Buchanan, Helen's brothers, shared stories of their academic and athletic experiences. John wrote about Yale's stringent entry requirements and his preparation for entrance exams (August 14, 1911). Other family correspondence includes letters from aunts, cousins, and extended family members, who told Helen about their lives in various New York cities and in Ilchester, Maryland.

Much of the Friends Correspondence subseries consists of letters by Etta Dunham de Viti de Marco and her daughter Etta, with whom Helen lived while studying in Rome, Italy. The elder Etta frequently discussed her work with Italy's Montessori movement, and her daughter provided Helen with updates on her life at school in Ascot, England. Etta Dunham di Viti de Marco shared her opinions of the war and expressed her desire for U.S. intervention (July 4, 1915). Nora Davis Farrar, the wife of Frederick Percival Farrar, an English chaplain to King George V, wrote 44 letters between 1908 and 1914, describing her life in Pennsylvania and British Columbia. A variety of other correspondents related news of their lives in various European countries and in the United States. Several postcards depict black-and-white views of "Il Cerro" in Italy.

The Financial Records series (140 items) consists of bank receipts, notifications of charitable donations, and additional receipts for clothing, books, and household items, dated from 1908-1918.

The Photographs and Negatives series includes approximately 50 individual portraits of Helen Buchanan's friends, family members, homes, and properties. One photograph album contains 375 pictures taken between 1928 and 1935, depicting scenes from family vacations in Canada and people, dogs, and horses. Many photographs show men and women in equestrian competitions, and some later images depict Ayrshire Farm in Upperville, Virginia.

A "Theatre Record" chronicles Helen's theatrical excursions in Washington, D.C., between December 25, 1907, and December 25, 1908. She recorded her opinions of productions and players. Programs are pasted and laid into the volume.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series consists of calling cards, picture postcards, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and other items. Ephemera includes pamphlets and printed letters related to the Washington, D.C. chapter of the Drama League of America; postcards and programs related to the Societa Romana della Caccia alla Volpe; and other materials. Twenty-nine picture postcards from Italy and Puerto Rico are present.

The collection contains approximately 15 Writings and Fragments. These are poems, a manuscript speech on the play Candida, an inventory of articles owned by Helen, and other items.

Collection

Clara Ballou papers, 1900-1903 (majority within 1902-1903)

0.25 linear feet

The Clara Ballou papers contain correspondence Clara and her traveling companion, Florence, wrote to their aunt, Carrie Miller, while traveling throughout Europe. The collection also includes love letters Clara received from her future husband, Joshua W. Nichols of Hathorne, Massachusetts.

The Clara Ballou papers contain correspondence Clara and her traveling companion, Florence, wrote to their aunt, Carrie Miller, while traveling throughout Europe. The collection also includes love letters Clara received from her future husband, Joshua W. Nichols of Hathorne, Massachusetts. The first 3 letters in the collection, from December 1900 and January 1901, describe their travels in Jamaica, and provide detailed descriptions of scenery, local fashion, and social life around the island. The rest of the letters relate to their extended tour of Europe, which occupied most of 1902, and includes correspondence from the travelers and from Clara's beau, whose letters often reveal details of her adventures. Throughout much of their trip, Clara and Florence toured England, though they also visited Ireland and Norway. Some of their destinations were Oxford's Bodleian Library, the city of London, and Blarney Castle; they also intended to view the coronation of Edward VII in June, but it was delayed when the future king became ill. Though Clara and Florence are well represented, Joshua Nichols wrote most of the letters, and filled them with proclamations of love and daily news; he frequently attached newspaper clippings. A photograph of Clara in Venice, a newspaper clipping, and a small woven bag are also included.

Collection

McDonnell’s Agency collection, 1890s

11 items

This collection consists of 11 typed and printed materials relating to the McDonnell Agency, a matrimonial matchmaking service run by Walter J. McDonnell of Chicago, Illinois, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes typed personal advertisements for the agency, printed advertisements for the agency, a blank application form, two private lists with selections of women who subscribed to the agency, and two envelopes.

This collection consists of 11 typed and printed materials relating to the McDonnell Agency, a matrimonial matchmaking service run by Walter J. McDonnell of Chicago, Illinois, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes typed personal advertisements, printed advertisements for the agency, a blank application form, two private lists with selections of women who subscribed to the agency, and two envelopes.

The typed personal advertisements include physical descriptions and financial situations for four women from Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. The printed materials include a notice from O. C. Seemiller stating he sold his interest in the Columbian Agency to Walter McDonnell and a statement by McDonnell about his experience and skills, purporting to have introduced "thousands of happy and prosperous married couples." Other items include advertisements and price lists for the "Celebrated Columbian Photographs," "elegant pictures" rather than "the miserable stamp photos used by all other agencies and matrimonial papers." They also advertise free copies of the book, Reading Character from Photographs, sent to subscribing men. "Are you corresponding with a lady you have never seen? You want to know something about her character and disposition? Exchange photos and then study her photography . . . If the lady would make a true and loving wife, this book will say so."

A blank application form for McDonnell's Private Agency is present, requiring the applicant to list their physical description, their income, property or means, use of tobacco and liquor, occupation, nationality, religion, previous marital status, and what kind of correspondents were desired.

Women seeking matches are separated into two different classes depending on net worth. Private List No. 12 contains Class A advertisements of “Ladies Without Means or Property,” while Private List No. 13 contains Class B advertisements of “Ladies With Means or Property.” Each woman provided a short description of their appearance and/or personality traits, as well as abbreviations indicating their faith, nationality, occupation, weight, etc. The agency also includes an abbreviation for whether women would be capable of the duties of a farmer’s wife, or if the woman was a widow. List 13 also includes asterisks to identify women "willing to share the life of a poor man if he proves himself worthy, industrious and temperate." The list also notes that the agency has extensive profiles available "of thousands of ladies of all ages, living everywhere. By allowing us to select, you may get introductions to ladies living nearer your own residence."

Men seeking potential matches would receive a different number of photographs and introductions depending on how much they were willing to pay and what class of women they were requesting from.

There are two envelopes in the collection, one printed return envelope to Walter McDonnell, and the other addressed to Alfred Ames of Machias, Maine, possibly one of the agency's members.

Collection

McDonnell’s Agency collection, 1890s

11 items

This collection consists of 11 typed and printed materials relating to the McDonnell Agency, a matrimonial matchmaking service run by Walter J. McDonnell of Chicago, Illinois, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes typed personal advertisements for the agency, printed advertisements for the agency, a blank application form, two private lists with selections of women who subscribed to the agency, and two envelopes.

This collection consists of 11 typed and printed materials relating to the McDonnell Agency, a matrimonial matchmaking service run by Walter J. McDonnell of Chicago, Illinois, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It includes typed personal advertisements, printed advertisements for the agency, a blank application form, two private lists with selections of women who subscribed to the agency, and two envelopes.

The typed personal advertisements include physical descriptions and financial situations for four women from Pennsylvania, New York, and Michigan. The printed materials include a notice from O. C. Seemiller stating he sold his interest in the Columbian Agency to Walter McDonnell and a statement by McDonnell about his experience and skills, purporting to have introduced "thousands of happy and prosperous married couples." Other items include advertisements and price lists for the "Celebrated Columbian Photographs," "elegant pictures" rather than "the miserable stamp photos used by all other agencies and matrimonial papers." They also advertise free copies of the book, Reading Character from Photographs, sent to subscribing men. "Are you corresponding with a lady you have never seen? You want to know something about her character and disposition? Exchange photos and then study her photography . . . If the lady would make a true and loving wife, this book will say so."

A blank application form for McDonnell's Private Agency is present, requiring the applicant to list their physical description, their income, property or means, use of tobacco and liquor, occupation, nationality, religion, previous marital status, and what kind of correspondents were desired.

Women seeking matches are separated into two different classes depending on net worth. Private List No. 12 contains Class A advertisements of “Ladies Without Means or Property,” while Private List No. 13 contains Class B advertisements of “Ladies With Means or Property.” Each woman provided a short description of their appearance and/or personality traits, as well as abbreviations indicating their faith, nationality, occupation, weight, etc. The agency also includes an abbreviation for whether women would be capable of the duties of a farmer’s wife, or if the woman was a widow. List 13 also includes asterisks to identify women "willing to share the life of a poor man if he proves himself worthy, industrious and temperate." The list also notes that the agency has extensive profiles available "of thousands of ladies of all ages, living everywhere. By allowing us to select, you may get introductions to ladies living nearer your own residence."

Men seeking potential matches would receive a different number of photographs and introductions depending on how much they were willing to pay and what class of women they were requesting from.

There are two envelopes in the collection, one printed return envelope to Walter McDonnell, and the other addressed to Alfred Ames of Machias, Maine, possibly one of the agency's members.

Collection

Geiger family papers, 1890-1939 (majority within 1890-1918)

1.5 linear feet

The Geiger family papers are primarily made up of correspondence written or received by Henry and Mildred Palmer Geiger, who lived in Galena, Illinois, and Sheldon, Iowa, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection includes letters that the couple wrote to each other during their courtship and letters that Henry received from his wife, siblings, parents, and children while he served with the Illinois National Guard during the Spanish-American War and with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

The Geiger family papers are primarily made up of correspondence written or received by Henry and Mildred Palmer Geiger, who lived in Galena, Illinois, and Sheldon, Iowa, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection includes letters that the couple wrote to each other during their courtship and letters that Henry received from his wife, siblings, parents, and children while he served with the Illinois National Guard during the Spanish-American War and with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I.

The Correspondence series comprises the bulk of the collection. Henry Geiger wrote over 100 letters to Mildred Palmer between 1890 and 1894, during their courtship. Though he lived in Galena, Illinois, he frequently spent time in Chicago and Scales Mound, Illinois, while serving with the 6th Illinois National Guard. His letters, often lighthearted, provide details about their relationship and social lives and, to a lesser extent, describe his military service, which included duty in Chicago during the 1894 Pullman Strike. During the summer of 1893, he discussed his experiences at the World's Columbian Exhibition in Chicago. He visited national pavilions, rode the Ferris wheel, and went on other excursions. The collection holds only a few of Mildred's responses before their marriage.

Henry Geiger received around 30 letters while serving in Company M of the 6th Illinois National Guard Regiment during the Spanish-American War. His siblings, parents, and other family members provided news from Galena, Illinois, and occasionally commented on the progress of the conflict. Henry served at Camp Alger and in Puerto Rico in the summer of 1898, and he wrote 1 letter during his service (August 21, 1898). His sister "Eda" enclosed a small woven United States flag in her letter of August 13, 1898. Henry also received around 35 letters from his wife and children when he was serving in various units during World War I; they discussed family news, the war, education, and their separation. Henry's brothers occasionally wrote about their careers.

In addition to Henry and Mildred's family letters, the collection contains 6 letters addressed to Effie Fowler, a schoolteacher who lived in Slater, Missouri, from 1905-1906 , including one letter of recommendation and other personal correspondence.

The Travel Manuscripts series is comprised of two sets of travel notes made while the unidentified authors visited Ceylon, Sumatra, Java, and Japan (6 index cards) and Israel (2 copies, 2 pages each).

The Financial records are receipts, accounts, and a check related to the financial affairs of the Geiger family and to Mrs. Lucy C. Wing of Marshall, Missouri. A small account book holding 2 pages of Wing's partially printed accounts is also included.

The Printed Items series consists of 4 newspaper clippings and an advertisement. Among the clippings are a recipe and an obituary for Mary Katherine Weinsheimer, Henry Geiger's mother. The advertisement in German announces Anna Heise's performance in Die Verfolgte Unschuld on May 3, 1930, in Philadelphia.

Collection

William Larimer collection, 1889-[1910] (majority within 1889-1908)

46 items

The William Larimer collection contains letters, postcards, and newspaper clippings related to William Henry Harrison Larimer; his parents, William Larimer and Rachel McMasters Larimer; his sister, Rachel Larimer Mellon; his daughter, Ann Larimer; and his son-in-law, George H. Gallagher. The letters concern courtship, travel in Kansas and Missouri, and other topics.

The William Larimer collection contains 46 letters, postcards, and newspaper clippings related to William Henry Harrison Larimer; his parents, William Larimer and Rachel McMasters Larimer; his sister, Rachel Larimer Mellon; his daughter, Ann Larimer; and his son-in-law, George H. Gallagher. The letters concern courtship, travel in Kansas and Missouri, and other topics.

James R. Mellon of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, wrote 8 letters to William H. H. Larimer, his brother-in-law, between June 10, 1889, and July 23, 1890. He commented on family news, finances, real estate, and potential construction projects in Kansas City, Missouri.

George H. Gallagher wrote 5 letters to Ann E. Larimer (March 27, 1899-February 10, 1901); he also wrote 4 letters to her parents, William H. H. and Mattie Larimer (May 7, 1899-July 14, 1899) and received 1 letter from Mattie Larimer, which included a message from Ann (postmarked May 2, 1899). Most letters pertain to the Larimers' reaction to, and concerns about, their daughter's engagement; Gallagher expressed his desire to gain their approval. After the marriage, he wrote his wife about his travels in Oklahoma and Missouri (February 9, 1901). Ann Larimer Gallagher wrote 4 letters to her parents, including 3 concerning her travels in Europe during the spring of 1905.

William H. H. Larimer wrote 15 letters to his daughter and son-in-law (August 24, 1903-July 17, 1908), sometimes enclosing newspaper clippings. His letters concern finances, advice for his daughter, and news from Kansas City, Missouri; Mattie Larimer contributed to his letter of April 2, 1907. Larimer also wrote 4 letters to Mattie in June 1905 (3 items) and July 1907 (1 item) and 2 letters to his sister Rachel and his brother-in-law, James Mellon (November 30, 1907; July 5, 1908). Larimer's letters to his wife pertain to his travels in Kansas and the Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

Additional items include a printed letter from the Larimer-Stagner-Peironnet Live Stock Commission Company to their customers (January 1, 1905) and an undated postcard with a drawing of the "first house in Denver," which General William Larimer, William H. H. Larimer's father, constructed in 1858. The collection includes 2 newspaper clippings: an article about pioneers' reminiscences in old age, with information about William H. H. Larimer ("Talk with and Old Timer," June 17, 1895), and Larimer's obituary from the Kansas City Journal-Post (May 25, 1910).

Letterheads
  • Mellon Brothers Real Estate
  • "The Barker," Omaha, Nebraska (illustrated)
  • "The Montana," Anaconda, Montana (illustrated)
  • The Larimer-Stagner-Peironnet Live Stock Commission Company, Kansas City, Missouri (illustrated)
  • USMS Philadelphia (illustrated)
  • Carl-Leon Hotel, Independence, Kansas (illustrated)
Collection

Stevens family papers, 1884-1929 (majority within 1903-1906; 1914-1919)

1 linear foot

The Stevens family papers consist of correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to the courtship of Frederic W. Stevens and Edith de Gueldry Twining and to their son Neil's experiences as a medical volunteer in France during the First World War.

The Stevens family papers (1 linear foot) consist of correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to Frederic W. Stevens and Edith de Gueldry Twining and to their son Neil, who was a medical volunteer in France during the First World War.

The 5 earliest letters in the Correspondence series (around 152 items total), written in November 1884, are addressed to Julia Twining and express condolences about her father's recent death. These are followed by a lengthy series of letters from Frederic W. Stevens to his fiancée, Edith de Gueldry Twining, prior to their wedding. He wrote daily from July to September 1903, giving his future wife updates on his daily life and on mutual friend, and his later letters include a series written in the summer and early autumn of 1906, while Edith lived at her family's summer home in Clinton, New York. These letters focus on domestic affairs and on the state of the couple's household in Morristown, New Jersey.

Neil Campbell Stevens wrote 5 letters from Europe during the World War I era, including 4 concerning his service in French hospitals during the opening and closing months of the war. In a letter postmarked 1914, he related his experiences treating French and German patients while working as a medical aide at the Val-de-Grâce military hospital.

Other items include a letter by a British soldier about military protocol affecting "this Ulster business," which was rioting centered around the Irish Home Rule controversy (April 20, 1914); a letter of thanks from Paul Salembier, a soldier with the 145th French Infantry who received a care package from the Stevens family (March 28, 1916); and a printed letter to Edith Stevens concerning the relocation of her house (November 22, 1928). The series also has 3 letters in French.

The Postcards series (33 items) contains both blank cards and cards with short messages. The majority of the items depict scenes from France, including painted landscapes as well as photographs related to World War I. French general Joseph Joffre is the subject of several photographic postcards, and some show damage done to Senlis, France, and other scenes from the western front.

A large number of Photographs (c. 120, plus 1 photograph album) portray France during World War I, and also family vacations to Niagara Falls and other lakeside destinations. Several of the war-era photographs show members of the ambulance corps, 3 showcase a bullet-strewn Model T, and others present camouflaged military installations, guns, soldiers, and scenery from the western front. Other peacetime material consists of unlabeled portraits, a picture of Barbara Stevens on a tennis court, and a photograph album containing pictures of a family vacation near a lake.

The Identity Papers series consists of 2 items. One is Neil C. Stevens's passport, and the other is his identity paper for the Hôpital Militaire du Val-de-Grâce. Both include photographs of Stevens.

The Newspaper Clippings series contains 53 clippings from The New York Times and The New York Tribune, which document several aspects of World War I. Topics include the outbreak of war, the official declaration of war by the United States, food prices on the home front, submarine attacks on American shipping, and maps of suspected military movements in both the western and eastern fronts. Other items are a political cartoon showing Napoleon chastising the Germans for their plans to invade Eastern Europe, and a report on the return of Neil Stevens from his first three months in France. Two clippings, dated April 18 and 20, 1914, relate to "The Plot Against Ulster" and the controversy over Irish Home Rule.

The Receipts series (3 items) includes a letter concerning the payment of $7 for an article printed in The Independent (March 2, 1895), a receipt for a case of tobacco shipped to Neil Stevens during his time in France (November 21, 1914), and a receipt for a donation from Barbara and Alice Stevens to the Charité Maternelle de Paris (March 5, 1917).

Among the items in the Ephemera series (11 items) are 3 calling cards, 1 invitation, a solicitation for donations to the War Children's Relief Fund, a pamphlet about Yosemite National Park, and a broadside advertising the Morristown Committee Third Liberty Loan.

Notes and Genealogy (7 items) include notes on the history of the Twining family and a typed biographical sketch of Sutherland Douglas Twining (1835-1918) with manuscript notes.