Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Branch County and Ann Arbor, Michigan, family. Family papers, reminiscences of Russell and Ralph R. Tinkham, and other papers relating to studies at the University of Michigan and elsewhere.

The collection includes papers relating to the Tinkham and Huxtable families of Branch County, Michigan. The bulk of the papers concerns Russell Tinkham and includes letters, 1875-1877, written while a student in Germany. Also in his papers are reminiscences of his life to 1868, and a notebook, ca. 1920's, containing drafts of letters and other writings. This notebook includes obituaries of University of Michigan class of 1872 classmates, drafts of legal documents, letters to state representatives from Ann Arbor concerning legislative issues and other matters. The reminiscences of Ralph R. Tinkham relate to his career as Chief Engineer for the U.S. Lighthouse Service and Chief of the Civil Engineering Division of the U.S. Coast Guard. His work took him to many places in the Great Lakes area, as well as Alaska, the Gulf Coast, and Hawaii. These reminiscences also concern his life as a student at the University of Michigan and his experiences during World Wars I and II.

Zoologist-botanist, collector of plant and specimens for the University of Michigan in the Middle East and South Asia. The collection includes biographical and personal materials, correspondence, topical files, journals, writings, estate materials, photographs and motion pictures. Much of the collection relates to his travels and collecting expeditions in the Middle East and South Asia.

The Walter Koelz papers document Koelz's travel and work in South Asia and the Middle East in the 1930s and 1940s, as well as his life in Michigan, both before and after traveling abroad. The collection has been divided into seven series: Biographical and Personal, Correspondence, Topical File, Journals, Writings, Estate Materials, and Visual Materials.