Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Michigan-born lawyer, judge, politician and diplomat, served as Detroit Recorder's Court Judge, Mayor of Detroit, Governor General of the Philippines, Governor of Michigan, U. S. Attorney General and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Papers include extensive correspondence, subject files, Supreme court case files, scrapbooks, photographs, newsreels and audio recordings, and other material.

The Frank Murphy Collection documents in detail the life and career of one of Michigan's most distinguished public servants. Through correspondence, subject files, scrapbooks, visual materials, and other documentation, the collection traces Murphy's life from his years as Detroit judge, later Mayor, to his service in the Philippines, his tenure as governor, his stint as U.S. Attorney General, and culminating in his final years as U.S. Supreme Court Justice.

The Frank Murphy Collection consists of eight series: Correspondence, Other Papers, Supreme Court Case Files, Speech File, Speech Material, Miscellaneous, Visual Material, and Newsclippings/Scrapbooks.

Wife of Chase S. Osborn, leader in the Atlantic Union Movement, and officer in the Atlantic Union Conference, the International Movement for Atlantic Union, and Federal Union, Inc. Correspondence, diaries and other materials concerning her professional interests, especially her work for world peace through international cooperation.

The Stella Osborn collection was received in multiple accessions. The bulk of the papers were received from her home in Georgia (1958) and her office in Washington D.C. (1972). These materials documenting her entire career were organized into seven series: Biographical; Correspondence; Personal and miscellaneous; Atlantic Union Committee and related; Business and Professional Women's Club; Sound recordings; and Index card files. An extremely active woman with many interests and causes, Stella Osborn continued to add to her papers with a later accession in 1983. Following her death, the executor of her estate and other friends added to the collection with materials which she had retained for whatever reason or which had been in storage. There is obviously some overlap in these later materials and the files received previously. The purpose of the Summary Contents List (see below) is to draw like materials together.

The 1992 accession was more fully described than the earlier papers. This accession includes biographical notes and clippings about Stella Osborn and Chase Osborn. There is, in addition, personal and organizational correspondence, financial and estate records (1970-1988), land deeds for the Osborn holdings in Georgia and Michigan, organizational material for the Federal Union and the Atlantic Union Committee, manuscripts of poetry, prose, and political essays (including some material by Chase Osborn), and Stella Osborn's diaries (1982-87). The collection includes childhood photographs of Stella Osborn and photographs of her parents and grandparents. Two copies of a videotape about the Osborn farm in Georgia, Possum Poke, are included here as well.

Much of this accession documents the last few years of Stella Osborn's life, after her move to a retirement home in Sault St. Marie Michigan, years during which she maintained an interest in people and world peace organizations, and in documenting her own and Chase Osborn's place in history. While the bulk of correspondence here is for 1982, 1983, and 1987, some earlier correspondence is included as well. Of interest to university historians is the topical correspondence file on Robert Frost's visit to Michigan. Stella Osborn's lifelong friendship with Yuki Otsuki is documented by their extensive correspondence, a series of letters beautifully written and presented that recall earlier days, including student life.

The collection contains some material of interest to researchers interested in Chase Osborn, including the series of land transfers and deeds which document Chase and Stella Osborn's extensive holdings in Georgia and Michigan, and their gifts of land to various charities and institutions. Also included is some Chase Osborn correspondence and copies of articles he wrote about his extensive travels in Africa. Chase Osborn's 1938 "Longfellow Birthday Book" contains the birth dates of his ancestors. Several letters from 1936 pertain to Chase Osborn's involvement in the movement to build the Mackinac Bridge.

Of special interest to researchers interested in Stella Osborn and her role in various world peace organizations are her unpublished autobiographical manuscripts and files. Also of interest are her diaries, where she continued to record her ideas about politics and her memories.

1. Accessions, 1958 and 1971-1972 [boxes 1-27]
   • Biographical material [box 1]
   • Correspondence, 1916-1982 [boxes 1-13]
   • Personal and miscellaneous
     • Schedules, notes on telephone conversations, various writings [box 14]
     • Personal press releases [box 15]
     • Speeches [box 15]
     • Clippings [box 15]
     • Poetry [box 15]
     • Income tax files [box 15]
     • Diaries [box 16]
     • Student notebooks, account books, etc. (U-M and others) [box 16]
   • Atlantic Union Committee and related [boxes 17-24]
   • Business and Professional Women's Club activities [box 24]
   • Sound tapes [box 25]
   • Card files [boxes 25-27]
2. 1983 Accession [boxes 28-34]
   • Biographical material [box 28]
   • Correspondence, 1918-1983 [boxes 28-31]
   • Organizations [box 31]
   • Topical file [boxes 31-32]
   • Writings (autobiography, poetry, prose) [box 32]
   • Diaries [box 33]
   • Visual materials [box 34]
3. 1992 Accession [boxes 35-38]
   • Biographical and Autobiographical Material (including Chase Osborn) [box 35]
   • Correspondence, 1960-1987 [box 35]
   • Financial and Business Affairs, 1920-1985 [boxes 35-36]
   • Peace Organizations, 1970-1983 [box 36]
   • Manuscripts and Research Notes [box 36]
   • Chase Osborn materials, 1913-1949 [box 37]
   • Diaries, account books, day books, 1930-1987 [box 37-38]
   • Card Indices [box 38]

Ypsilanti, Michigan automobile salesman, antique collector for Greenfield Village, and real estate agent for the Ford Motor Company. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, and pamphlet material concerning his work for Ford Motor Company, and his interest in William H. McGuffey and Stephen Foster; and photographs.

The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Newspaper clippings; Printed Material; Greenfield Village acquisitions; Real estate acquisitions; and Photographs.

Administrative records, newspaper clippings, and photographs, 1905-1987, of the Saline Woman’s Club, founded in 1904. The organization’s initial literary focus later expanded to include welfare and civic improvements.

The records of the Saline Woman's Club include 1.25 linear feet of administrative records and clippings dating from 1905 to 1987. The collection is arranged alphabetically by topic, excepting a folder of organizational histories located at the front of the collection. Items within folders are arranged chronologically.

Of particular interest to the researcher will be the organizational histories, minutes, and presidents' reports which detail the Club's deeds and concerns.

Republican state representative, 1907-1912, speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, 1911, state senator, 1919-1922, and official of the Farmers' National Council, the National Gleaner Federation, the Michigan State Grange and other farm and insurance organizations; includes correspondence, clippings, photographs and scrapbooks, concerning his political and business activities.

The collection spans the dates 1904-1926 and contains five linear feet of correspondence, clippings, photographs and scrapbooks concerning Baker's political and business activities.

Suffragist, leader of the Michigan Branch of the National Woman's Party, and candidate for the Michigan legislature in 1924. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, periodicals and other materials concerning her activities in the Michigan Equal Suffrage Association, the Legislative Council of Michigan Women, the National Woman's Party, and the Republican Party; and photographs.

The Grimes papers have been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Other Papers (non-correspondence); Subject files; Bills introduced in the Michigan legislature; Newspaper clippings; Printed material; Scrapbooks; and Miscellaneous.

Michigan based author of adventure stories set in Alaska and Canada, screen writer and motion picture executive, and conservationist, a founding member of Izaak Walton League and member of Michigan Conservation Commission. Papers documenting his literary, film and conservation activities include manuscripts of books, screenplays and other writing and correspondence and photographs.

The James Oliver Curwood papers include correspondence, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, manuscripts of publications, copies of books, and miscellanea; include material concerning his literary activities, the writing and production of motion pictures, his promotion of conservation causes, especially forest fire prevention, deer herd management, and the campaign against water pollution, and his work with the Conservation Commission, particularly his disputes with the Michigan Department of Conservation, Governor Alexander J. Groesbeck, and state director of conservation, John Baird; also copies of correspondence collected by Ivan Conger.

Photographs include pictures taken on hunting and fishing trips to British Columbia, the Canadian Northwest, and other areas of Canada; portraits; and photos of the Saginaw River (Michigan), and of pollution caused by the Michigan Sugar Company; also one film (two videotape copies), including scenes from God's Country and the Law.

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.

Port Huron, Michigan attorney; officer in the Michigan National Guard beginning in 1905, later Judge Advocate with the U.S. Army during World War I. After the war, Pepper was chief law officer of the MNG where he was advisor during the Flint Sit-Down strike of 1937. Biographical material; correspondence with family and friends concerning in part current events and politics in pre-World War I Canada; correspondence with wife Katherine while serving in France 1918-1919; papers relating to his official responsibilities with the Michigan National Guard, as Judge Advocate, and as member of veterans organizations; include files relating to the Copper Miners' Strike of 1913 and to the Flint Sit-Down strike; also diaries, 1916-1919, of his experiences serving on the Mexican border and in France during the First World War; papers relating to Republican party activities in 1920 and 1924; and photographs.

The Samuel D. Pepper papers cover Pepper's military service and legal career, as well as his relationships with family and friends. The collection provides particularly strong documentation of the impact which Pepper's Michigan National Guard (MNG) service had on personal and professional aspects of his life. The papers are divided into four main series: Personal, Military Activities, Professional and Political Activities, and Photographs.

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.

Pacifist, participant in World War I peace movement and later peace activities, member of Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, and Women Strike for Peace. Papers include Correspondence, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, periodicals, reports, photographs, and other materials relating to the International Congress of Women, 1915, the Ford Peace Ship, the American Neutral Conference Committee, the Emergency Peace Federation, and the People's Council of America.

The papers of Rebecca Shelley (1887-1984) were donated by Shelley in several accessions between 1964 and 1984. The papers make up twenty-one linear feet of materials and cover the years 1890-1984, though only a few photographs and printed items predate 1910. Her anti-war activism, legal battles, writing career, and courtships with Franz Willman and Felix Rathmer are all well-represented. In addition to her personal papers, there are groups of material belonging to Emily Balch, Richard Olsen, Felix Rathmer, Paul Shelly, and William A. Shelly.

Many peace organizations are also documented in these papers through flyers, pamphlets, periodicals, newsletters, and correspondence. These include the American Neutral Conference Committee, Emergency Peace Federation, People's Council of America, Fellowship of Reconciliation, Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, Women Strike for Peace, and many others. As Shelley served as an officer in the Michigan Fellowship of Reconciliation (F.O.R.) through the 1950s and 1960s, many of the organization's official papers came to be in her possession. Therefore, an effort was made to remove most of these official papers to the separate Michigan F.O.R. collection.

The collection is arranged in eleven series: Biographical; Newspaper Clippings; Correspondence; Topical Papers; Miscellaneous Papers; Papers Of Other Individuals; Printed; Periodicals; Diaries And Notebooks; Photographs; and Writings.

Professor of astronomy at University of Michigan. Personal correspondence, mainly with family, describing his various astronomical expeditions to Chile and Sumatra; also speeches and photographs.

The collection consists mainly of copies of letters to family describing his work in astronomy, trips to Mexico, Sumatra and Europe and comments on current events with frequent references to personal family matters. There is one letter, July 19, 1925, concerning the teaching of evolution in the schools with comments about Clarence Darrow, William Jennings Bryan, and the Scopes trial.

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.

Graduate of the University of Michigan, class of 1889. Group portraits of female class members as well as a group portrait of students at a boarding house.

The Harriet Crosby Jennings photograph collection is comprised of group portraits of female class members as well as a group portrait of students at a boarding house.

Republican U.S. Senator from Michigan; advocate of the United Nations and bipartisan foreign policy. Correspondence, scrapbooks, diaries, and visual materials.

The Arthur H. Vandenberg collection consists of 8 linear feet of materials (available on microfilm), 25 volumes of scrapbook/journals, and assorted audio and visual materials. The collection covers Vandenberg's entire career with a few folders of papers post-dating his death in 1951 relating to the dedication of memorial rooms in his honor in the 1970s. The collection is divided into four major series: Correspondence; Speeches; Campaign and Miscellaneous Topical; Clippings, Articles, and Scrapbooks; Miscellaneous and Personal; Visual Materials; and Sound Recordings.

Formerly the Anti-Saloon League of America. Correspondence, reports, minutes, legal files, speeches by temperance leaders, bills relating to the prohibition question; papers (1934-1956) concerning National Temperance and Prohibition Council; pamphlets relating to temperance; and photographs.

The records are primarily of the Office of General Counsel and Legislative Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of America (1883-1933). Additionally, there are later materials (1934-1969) of the organization following the repeal of the prohibition amendment. The record group consists of seven feet of correspondence, reports, speeches and legal files.

Physician from Rochester, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois. Correspondence, newspaper clippings, appointment books, diaries and miscellanea relating to student life at University of Michigan and her professional activities; also manuscript of autobiography, Petticoat Surgeon; and photographs.

The collection has been arranged into two series. The Van Hoosen - Jones Family series consists mainly of personal family correspondence among members of the Van Hoosen and Jones family. The Bertha Van Hoosen series consists of correspondence and other materials relating to the life and career of Dr. Van Hoosen. Included are materials from her years as a student at the University of Michigan, personal correspondence, and materials relating to her autobiography Petticoat Surgeon.

University of Michigan department responsible for administering and teaching required curriculum in physical education for women and overseeing recreational sports for women. Records include annual reports, minutes of staff meetings, scrapbooks, topical files, history of physical education for women at the University, and other materials relating to the Women's Athletic Association; also photographs

Photos of women involved in athletics and other physical activities, including dance, Lantern Night, and Freshman Week; also photos of Barbour Gymnasium, Women's Athletic Building, the Health Service, and the Michigan League.

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.

Professor of astronomy at the University of Michigan, friend and booster of U-M athletics and athletes; correspondence, speeches, class materials, and photographs.

The collection is comprised of three series: Correspondence, course materials, and other papers; Photographs; and Sound Recording. The photographs are of Losh family members, photos relating to University of Michigan athletics and other interests. There are also photos of Hazel Losh teaching in the classroom. The Sound Recording is of Professor Thomas Slavens interviewing Professor Losh about her life and career. A transcript has been made of this recording.