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

This collection is comprised of 3 letters that Robert C. Justis, a businessman and farmer from northern Delaware, received in 1849 and 1850. A cousin provided social news from Delaware while Justis lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1840s, and 2 acquaintances from St. Louis later wrote to Justis about business and personal affairs.

This collection is comprised of 3 letters that Robert C. Justis, a businessman and farmer from northern Delaware, received in 1849 and 1850. A cousin provided social news from Delaware while Justis lived in St. Louis, Missouri, in the late 1840s, and 2 acquaintances from St. Louis later wrote to Justis about business and personal affairs. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

The Perley B. Dickinson papers consist of items addressed to Perley Dickinson of Hill, New Hampshire, and include thirty letters written by women in response to a personal advertisement placed by Dickinson after his divorce.

The Perley B. Dickinson papers consist of 33 letters addressed to Perley Dickinson, 2 letters addressed to his brother, Benjamin Franklin Dickinson, 1 newspaper clipping, 4 form letters sent by newspapers, and 2 envelopes addressed to Perley Dickinson. One of the letters sent to Benjamin Franklin Dickinson is from his son Leonard and the other is from T. B. Richardson. Two of the letters sent to Dickinson were written by his ex-wife, Hannah S. Dickinson. 30 of the letters were written by women in response to personal advertisements Dickinson placed in serials. These letters were written by 19 different women; 6 of these women wrote from 2 to 4 letters each. The rest of the women just wrote one.

The letters Dickinson received from his sister and son discuss general topics such as events in their lives and the weather in New England. The two letters from Dickinson's ex-wife, however, discuss a court settlement regarding hay and the division of their property. The letters from women who are responding to Dickinson's personal ads often describe the writer's appearance and personality - "not exactly homely and not a beauty" (Sylvia A. Scott, June 2, 1898) and discuss exchanging photos. Some mention his ads, which described him as a "smart old man" and "spiritualist," while others discuss his dislike for alcohol and tobacco. One letter writer refuses his request that she send a lock of hair and comments that his writing is "feminine" (Blanche H. Rogers, December 14, 1898). Another writer, in her third and final letter, comments that Dickinson is not really interested in finding a wife but rather enjoys flirting (V. E. Hansberry, April 16, 1900). The letter writers vary in age, from the mid-twenties to having grown and married children, and are geographically dispersed over 11 states, 10 of which are east of the Mississippi River.

This collection consists of letters and portions of letters expressing the author's affection for and devotion to the recipient.

This collection consists of letters and portions of letters expressing the author's affection for and devotion to the recipient and continually reaffirming his devotion. The letters were written around the late 19th century.

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.

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.

This collection is made up of 39 letters that Mary Tilghman Earle ("Dorothy") wrote to her friend and fiancé, Howard S. Kneedler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1880 and 1884. Earle commented on her life in Washington, D. C., and shared her thoughts about their friendship, courtship, and marriage. The collection also includes 3 letters addressed to members of the Cope family between 1870 and 1872, and 1 letter from a parent to a child.

This collection (43 items) contains 39 letters that Mary Tilghman Earle ("Dorothy") wrote to her friend and fiancé, Howard S. Kneedler of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between 1880 and 1884. She commented on her life in Washington, D. C., and shared her thoughts about their friendship, courtship, and marriage. The collection also includes 3 letters addressed to members of the Cope family between 1870 and 1872, and 1 letter from a parent to a child.

Thomas P. Cope, Jr., wrote 2 letters to his mother, Anna Cope, from Haverford College in 1870, and F. Hazen Cope received 1 letter from his brother Alfred in 1872. Mary T. Earle, who signed herself "Dorothy," wrote 39 of the remaining letters to Howard S. Kneedler. Earle, who lived in the District of Columbia's Georgetown neighborhood, discussed her daily life and social activities, and occasionally mentioned her work as a schoolteacher. She also commented on her religious beliefs. In letters that she wrote after the couple's engagement in early 1882, Earle shared her feelings about love and relationships, including her opinions on her engagement and the possible impact of her marriage on her life and friendships. Many of her letters are dated from "The Cedars," the home in which her school was based. The final item is a brief letter from a parent to a child.

This collection consists of letters written by Mary S. Clayton to her future husband, James F. Jordan, while she worked as a schoolteacher in Almont, Michigan. She discussed her teaching experiences, life in Almont, and her family in Plymouth, Michigan, whom she occasionally visited.

This collection consists of over 230 items, almost all of which are letters. Mary S. Clayton wrote most of the letters to her future husband, James F. Jordan, while she worked as a schoolteacher in Almont, Michigan. Mary began her correspondence in July 1877, shortly after graduating from the Michigan State Normal School, and regularly wrote flirtatious letters to James, also a teacher. She focused on her teaching career and life in Almont, Michigan, and described incidents from the classroom as well as from her social life. She mentioned the Methodist Church, where she occasionally taught classes, local news, and her thoughts on relationships, particularly on flirtation. She wrote most of the letters prior to her marriage to James in 1881. The rest include letters that James wrote to Mary from Buchanan, Michigan, in 1882, as well as letters from family and friends, who wrote from several Michigan towns and from Chicago. Some later letters relate to the custody of Mary's sister Libbie following the death of her father in the spring of 1882.

This collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to members of the Marsh and Capron families of Rahway, New Jersey, and Walden, New York.

This collection contains correspondence, financial records, photographs, and ephemera related to members of the Marsh and Capron families of Rahway, New Jersey, and Walden, New York.

The Correspondence series (161 items) begins with letters to Caroline Capron ("Carrie") from her future husband, Edward Marsh, and other correspondence. Marsh wrote to H. B. Sears, a mutual friend, while living in Germany in the mid-1860s. Edward Marsh provided news of family members, described his travels, and discussed his studies in chemistry. Members of the Capron family later discussed Carrie's intention to marry Marsh and the couple's proposed move to Germany. Later items include business and personal letters to Rolph Marsh, and correspondence regarding his donation of land to a Rahway church.

The Bills and Receipts series (18 items) pertains to Rolph Marsh's finances. Three carte-de-visite Photographs include 2 studio portraits of unidentified men and a view of unidentified buildings. The collection also contains Calling and Business Cards (13 items) and Printed Items (11 items) pertaining to Catherine Marsh's funeral, religious associations and churches, property assessments, and other subjects.

The Marcus Jamieson collection is made up of incoming personal letters to Jamieson from friends and his immediate family, as well as letters that he wrote to his future wife, Emma Crary of Webster City, Iowa. Jamieson received letters from Emma, his father, and numerous friends in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and other states while living in Grinnell, Iowa, between 1877 and 1883, and he received letters from his mother and brother in Grinnell, Iowa, while living in Warren, Pennsylvania, between 1891 and 1902. The letters pertain to numerous aspects of daily life, such as education, local news, and social activities.

The Marcus Jamieson collection is made up of approximately 90 incoming personal letters to Jamieson from friends and his immediate family, as well as 12 letters that he wrote to his future wife, Emma Crary of Webster City, Iowa. Jamieson received letters from Emma, his father, and numerous friends in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and other states while living in Grinnell, Iowa, between 1877 and 1883, and he received letters from his mother and brother in Grinnell, Iowa, while living in Warren, Pennsylvania, between 1891 and 1902. The letters pertain to numerous aspects of daily life, such as education, local news, and social activities.

T. W. Gilmore, Jr., and Marcia Gilmore frequently wrote to Jamieson from Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1877 and 1881. They commented on their social activities, the city, and education. In one letter, T. W. Gilmore, Jr., drew a floor plan of the house in which he lived (November 3, 1878), and in others he mentioned aspects of student life at the high school and at the University of Michigan. Jamieson's father, Hugh A. Jamieson, wrote from Warren, Pennsylvania, and several friends shared news about their lives in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, and the Dakota Territory. Some commented on baseball, and one drew a sketch of a woman (August 22, 1879).

After 1880, Jamieson corresponded with Emily Crary ("Emma") of Webster City, Iowa. The couple's early letters primarily concern everyday news, but later letters reflect their transition into a more formal courtship. One letter has Jamieson's drawing of a picture of a fireman (August 6, 1882).

After a gap between 1884 and 1890, Jamieson's incoming correspondence resumes with letters from his brother Charles and his mother Julia, both of whom lived in Grinnell, Iowa. Charles discussed his educational experiences at Iowa College, and Julia provided news of her social life and of Emma's mother. The final item is a letter from a representative of Iowa College requesting a financial donation.

Additional material includes a wedding notice, a printed program, a flier of facts about Grinnell College, a newspaper clipping, and a photograph of an unidentified infant.

This collection is made up of 11 love-letters that Leslie E. Sunderland wrote to his fiancée, Anna Julia Stowell, around 1879-1880. He commented primarily on his social activities and business affairs in DeKalb, Illinois.

This collection is made up of 11 love-letters that Leslie E. Sunderland wrote to his fiancée, Anna Julia Stowell, around 1879-1880. He commented primarily on his social activities and business affairs in DeKalb, Illinois. Stowell lived with her family in Cornwall, Vermont, while Sunderland worked in the Illinois coal and lumber industries. He commented on his travel plans, the possibility of visiting Anna, and his business difficulties (which presented obstacles to the couple's marriage). Sunderland shared his feelings for Anna and responded to news of her family, particularly her father. In later letters, he anticipated their marriage and mentioned his intention to mail Anna a ring.