Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Papers and photographs collected by Robert D. Aldrich relating to the history, people and institutions of Concord village in Jackson County, Michigan; include correspondence, diaries, account books and other papers of Concord residents; records of Concord social organizations, businesses, schools, and church and governmental bodies.

The Robert D. Aldrich collection consists of materials--manuscript, printed, and photographic--documenting the history of Concord, Michigan, in western Jackson County. The collection spans the period from the arrival of the first settlers in 1831 to the 1980s. There are a few items dating back into the eighteenth century (as early as 1783) since the papers of some pioneer families predate their arrival in Concord. The bulk of the collection, though, falls in the period since the Civil War.

The collection documents every facet of life in Concord. Included are the papers of numerous Concord citizens consisting of personal correspondence, diaries, account books and newspaper clippings about them. In addition, Aldrich collected the records of various Concord businesses and organizations, as well as some church, school, and governmental records.

The collection has been divided into two series: Manuscript and Printed Materials, and Visual Materials. Both series are arranged alphabetically either by personal name or name of organization, or by general subject area, such as Circus, Underground Railroad, etc.

Teacher and Methodist missionary to India, 1924-1927.Correspondence and printed material concerning her work in India, college notebooks and papers from Detroit Teachers College; thesis "Economic Detroit--1860-1870"; family letters, many in Swedish, relating in part to Michigan's Upper Peninsula at the end of the nineteenth century; and miscellaneous journals, papers, and photographs.

The papers of Irma Bielenberg cover the period of 1893 to 1974 and include correspondence and printed material concerning her work in India, college notebooks and papers from Detroit Teachers College, a thesis entitled, "Economic Detroit--1860-1870," travel diaries, photographs from India and from South America, and family letters (many in Swedish) relating to life in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the end of the nineteenth century.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, poet and journal writer. Journals, manuscripts of poetry and short stories, photographs, scrapbooks and other materials documenting her struggles as a polio survivor to cope with her disability and to lead an independent life; papers concern in part her association with the youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s.

The Andrea Cappaert papers date from 1952 to 1980 and measure 3 linear feet. The papers document Andy's involvement in the youth culture of the late 1960s and 1970s, and reflect her struggles as a handicapped woman to be an active participant in the world she lived in.

Curator of the University of Michigan Botanical Gardens and professor in the Department of Botany; journals, films, photographs, plant list, and drawings of plant habitats from the 1938 Nevill's Colorado River Expedition and following travels in 1939; also articles written about the expedition.

The Elzada Clover collection consists almost entirely of material relating to the 1938 Nevill's Colorado River Expedition. Included are Clover's journals, motion pictures of the trip, photographs, plant list, and drawings of plant habitats both from the 1938 Expedition and from later travels in 1939. There are also articles written about the expedition.

In 2009, DVD use copies were made of the motion pictures.

Professor of sociology at University of Michigan. Papers contain correspondence, including letters, 1881-1884, written to his family while traveling in Europe, and correspondence with his parents, Mary E. and Thomas M. Cooley, and his wife, Elsie Jones Cooley; addresses, notes, essays, book reviews, notes and material for sociology courses; student notebook, 1893-1894, on lectures given by John Dewey; diary of a trip through the Smokey Mountains in 1883; and journals detailing his personal thoughts and tracing the evolution of his ideas on sociology and democracy; and photographs.

The Charles Horton Cooley papers consist of correspondence, journals, Cooley's notes for lectures, student notebooks, various writings by Cooley, articles about Cooley and reviews of his books and photographs. The papers, particularly the correspondence, reveal much about Cooley's personal and family life. The journals and lecture notes provide insight into the development of Cooley's ideas and his place in the field of sociology. Though the collection includes only a small amount of correspondence with other leading sociologists, the journals and lecture notes record Cooley's comments on and critiques of the theories and methods in the developing discipline.

Bacteriologist with the laboratories of the Michigan Department of Health, 1920-1951, and resident lecturer in epidemiology at the School of Public Health of the University of Michigan. Files relate to her discovery and testing of a vaccine for whooping-cough; files concerning activities with the American Public Health Association and the Michigan Public Health Association; consultant's files relating to her work with vaccination programs in foreign countries under the auspices of the World Health Organization; correspondence, course and research materials; and photographs related to her career; also papers of her father, Milton Kendrick, a Free Methodist clergyman.

The Pearl L. Kendrick papers date from 1888 to 1979 and measure seven linear feet. The papers are arranged in nine series: Personal, Correspondence, Correspondence--Foreign, Michigan Department of Health, University of Michigan, Consultant Files, Professional Associations, Speeches and Articles, and Visual Materials. The collection is strongest in its documentation of the national and international network of public health practitioners, physicians, and scientists who corresponded with each other about their studies of various diseases and their prevention, in particular whooping cough. This voluminous correspondence reflects Kendrick's reputation as one of the world's foremost experts on pertussis. The collection is relatively weak in its documentation of Kendrick's work as an instructor at the University of Michigan.

Detroit, Michigan, attorney and judge, Democratic candidate for governor in 1934. Correspondence, legal case files, family materials, speeches, essays, diary notes, financial materials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and transcript of oral interview.

The Arthur J. Lacy collection consists of correspondence and other papers documenting his political activities within the Democratic party and career as a Detroit attorney. The collection has been divided into the following series: Biographical information; Personal letters; Professional correspondence and related papers; Lacy Family papers; Speeches; Early personal materials; Writings, essays, etc.; Financial files; Miscellaneous; Newspapers clippings; Photographs; and Legal files.

The Lacy Collection documents particularly well Lacy's major legal cases (Wilson vs. White, the Ford Stock Tax Case, Mary A. Rackham Estate) and his transition from conservative Democrat to conservative Republican. His letters home from Valparaiso, Indiana and Ann Arbor and his letters to his future wife Beth Garwick give a detailed picture of college life in the 1890's. Major subjects covered in the public papers are the Detroit Domestic Relations Court, problems of taxation and banking in the depression, Lacy's friendship with James Couzens, and the campaigns of 1932 and 1934. A series of notes Lacy wrote to himself from 1915-1928 and 1946-1956 reveal his political ideals, personal morality, and his relationship to his family.

Within the Professional Correspondence and related papers series, the researcher will find correspondence with many notable political and business figures. These include John W. Anderson, William R. Angell, Art Baker, Arthur A. Ballantine, C.C. Bradner, John V. Brennan, Thomas E. Brennan, Prentiss M. Brown, Wilber M. Brucker, George E. Bushnell, Daniel T. Campau, Harvey J. Campbell, John J. Carson, E.R. Chapin, John S. Coleman, William A. Comstock, Calvin Coolidge, Grace G. Coolidge, Frank Couzens, James J. Couzens, John D. Dingell, Patrick J. Doyle, William J. Durant, Henry T. Ewald, Mordecai J.B. Ezechiel, James A. Farley, Homer Ferguson, Woodbridge N. Ferris, Clara J.B. Ford, Edsel B. Ford, Joseph Foss, Fred W. Green, Alexander J. Groesbeck, Edgar A. Guest, James M. Hare, Herbert C. Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover, Kaufman T. Keller, Stanley S. Kresge, David Lawrence, Arthur F. Lederle, John C. Lehr, Fulton Lewis, Percy Loud, William G. McAdoo, William McKinley, George A. Marston, Eliza M. Mosher, Frank Murphy, George Murphy, William J. Norton, George D. O'Brien, Elmer B. O'Hara, Hazen S. Pingree, Mary A. H. Rackham, Horace H. Rackham, Clarence A. Reid, George W. Romney, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alexander G. Ruthven, W.M. Skillman, Albert E. Sleeper, Edward D. Stair, Arthur E. Summerfield, William H. Taft, Joseph P. Tumulty, Arthur H. Vandenberg, A. VanderZee, Murray D. Van Wagoner, Henry F. Vaughan, Carl Vinson, Matilda R.D. Wilson, Clarence E. Wilcox, and R.A.C. Wollenberg.

The Lacy Family papers are rich in detail about life in Michigan in the nineteenth and early twentieth century; the surviving letters document family crises and Lacy's role in them as the oldest and most successful child and later, as family leader. Lacy was the family genealogist and he collected and preserved the family correspondence of his uncles and aunt, some of which date back to the 1850's.

Clinton County, Michigan, general store. Business financial records, family correspondence and history, diaries, photograph album of the Sickels-Bates family, and miscellanea.

The record group consists of financial records detailing the operation of the L. G. Bates General Store and its predecessor firm, J. F. Hasty and Co. As the dates of some of the records precede the opening of the Hasty store, it is possible that some of the accounts and ledgers are of a Sickel family member. In addition, the collection includes family correspondence, diaries and notebooks probably of Bates, family history and genealogy, photographs, and printed material.

The McCreery and Fenton families were prominent Genesee county, Michigan residents some of whose members distinguished themselves in local and state government, as soldiers during the Civil War, and in the United States diplomatic service. Papers include diaries, correspondence and other material relating to the Civil War, local and state politics and aspects of diplomatic service in Central and South America.

The McCreery-Fenton family collection documents the individual careers of family members who served their community and their nation in a variety of roles. Through correspondence, diaries and other materials, the researcher will find information pertaining to the Civil War, to the history of Flint and Fenton in Genesee County, Michigan, and to facets of America's diplomatic relations with some of the countries of Central and South America. Arranged by name of the three principal family members represented in the collection - William M. Fenton, William B. McCreery, and Fenton R. McCreery, the papers also include series of general family materials, business records, and photographs.

Grace H. Miller was a school teacher in the Philippines during the 1920s. Her brother, James M. Miller, was a U.S. Army physician in Manila during the same period. The collection includes Grace H. Miller's diaries about life in the Philippines and her travel accounts; and correspondence of James M. Miller describing his life and work in Manila. Visual materials include photographs and an untitled oil painting depicting three indigenous Filipino women. The painting was attributed to Fernando Amorsolo by Ana Maria Theresa P. Labrador in 2022.

Diaries of Grace H. Miller (1921-1922) describing life in the Philippines and travel in China, South Asia, and Europe; correspondence of James M. Miller (1924-1926) describing life in the Philippines; and one letter (1938) from Miller's wife Bess describing life in the Canal Zone; and visual materials. Photographs of hospital and hospital staff, the Philippine people, and local and scenery.

The collection includes an untitled oil painting on wood panel that depicts three indigenous Filipino women in Baguio. The painting is signed and dated 1925. In 2022, the painting was attributed to Fernando Amorsolo (1892-1972). To learn more about the attribution, see Processing Information.