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

The author (or authors) of these diaries traveled from Vienna, Austria, to the United States and back in the summer and fall of 1901 and from Bremen, Germany, to the United States and back in the summer and fall of 1904. The first volume mostly concerns the author's meetings with businessmen and contains descriptions of engineering works, factories, and machinery. The second volume pertains to the author's travels around the United States, including visits to Colorado, California, and Yellowstone National Park.

These typed transcripts of German language travel diaries (2 volumes) concern 2 visits to the United States by a group of Austrians or Germans in the early 20th century. Volume 1 (356 pages), entitled "Reise-Tagebuch 1901," pertains to the author's trip to the United States from Vienna, Austria, and back from August 19, 1901-November 8, 1901. The account covers the author's journey from Austria to England and his subsequent travel from England to the United States onboard the Campania. Once in the United States, the author spent most of his time in New York City, where he met with businessmen. The diary reflects his interest in engineering and machinery; it contains descriptions of steam shovels, canals, reservoirs, drills, and other inventions. The author, who was based in New York, visited Washington, D.C., and made an extended trip west through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. The final entries recount his return voyage on the Deutschland. Some of the entries, particularly those written during the return trip, list the time in the author's current location and in Europe.

Volume 2 (343 pages) describes the author's round-trip journey to the United States from Bremen, Germany, between June 25, 1904, and September 27, 1904. After sailing to New York on the Kaiser Wilhelm II, the author wrote about his time in New York City, where he commented on factories and industries. Much of the volume is devoted to the author's travels in New York and, later, throughout the West. Before leaving New York, he watched a baseball game and visited Niagara Falls. He then headed for the Mississippi River and subsequently discussed the scenery in places such as Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and California. The diary includes mentions of mines, Mormons, and the Grand Canyon. The author took the Great Northern Railway to Yellowstone National Park, where he remarked on the geysers and other scenery, and then continued eastward through cities including Saint Paul, Chicago, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. The final entries recount his return to Bremen.

This collection consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, a published memorial volume, and a photograph album related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles. The letters, which are addressed to Charles Francis, express sympathy following his father's death in June 1897; the memorial volume contains biographical sketches and published tributes to John M. Francis; and the newspaper scrapbooks chronicle John M. Francis's travels around Europe and the world between 1869 and 1876.

This collection (1 linear foot) consists of condolence letters, newspaper scrapbooks, a letter book, and a published memorial volume related to John M. Francis of Troy, New York, and to his son Charles.

The Condolence Letters series contains 211 items addressed to Charles S. Francis between June 5, 1897, and January 18, 1898. One letter from Hallie M. Brown concerns her regret about missing an opportunity to visit, and the remaining correspondence is made up of letters expressing the authors' condolences after the death of John M. Francis on June 18, 1897. Writers included Charles Francis's friends and family members and John Francis's personal and professional acquaintances. Many writers reminisced about their relationships with John M. Francis and shared stories about their experiences at the Troy Daily Times.

The Letter Book, Scrapbooks, and Published Memorial series (6 volumes) pertains to John M. Francis's travels around the United States, Europe, and Asia in the 1870s and to Charles S. Francis's career and business affairs. Four scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings of letters that John M. Francis sent to the Troy Daily Times while traveling abroad. Each contains lengthy descriptions of local people, customs, politics, architecture, geography, and history, and some also have accounts of transoceanic and transcontinental travel.

• Western Europe, June 12, 1869-October 15, 1869, including England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and France (21 letters; 38 pages)
• Western and Southern Europe, July 18, 1871-December 28, 1871 (published August 2, 1871-January 3, 1872), including England, Wales, France, Belgium, Germany, Austria-Hungary (now the Czech Republic and Austria), Italy, and Greece (20 letters; 28 pages)
• Around the world, July 5, 1875-June 6, 1876, including the western United States, Japan, China, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, Egypt, Greece, Italy, and France (2 volumes containing duplicate clippings, 115 pages and 71 pages)

The letter book (282 pages), which belonged to Charles S. Francis, has retained copies of his outgoing correspondence from October 25, 1897-July 29, 1901. The letters pertain to personal and business affairs, such as Francis's editorial work for the Troy Daily Times and land he owned in Mississippi. Several newspaper clippings relate to Francis's appointment as envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to Greece, Romania, and "Servia."

The published memorial (125 pages), entitled In Memoriam: John M. Francis, March 6, 1823-June 18, 1897, contains an engraved portrait, a brief biographical sketch, reminiscences, essays, poetry, and reprinted newspaper obituaries commemorating the life and death of John M. Francis.

The Photograph Album (ca. 1905?) contains 14 images of a new automobile, family members, and pets (possibly in New York state); and 144 vacation photographs showing landscapes, buildings, and persons in Europe. The photos are not labeled or identified, but appear to show Switzerland or Austrian lake districts, as well as urban environments. The photographer captured many of these images with a panoramic camera.