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

This collection primarily consists of correspondence of U.S. diplomat Christopher Hughes; his twin sister Peggy Hughes Moore; his in-laws the Moore family; his spouse Laura Smith Hughes (1792-1832); their daughter Margaret Smith Hughes Kennedy (1819-1884); and Anthony Kennedy (1810-1892), his son-in-law. The papers largely date between the War of 1812 and the U.S. War with Mexico. Christopher Hughes corresponded with U.S. Presidents, Secretaries of State, and a large circle of friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic. The papers reflect American diplomatic policy in Europe after the War of 1812, particularly in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France. They also present the lives and experiences of the social and personal lives of women and children who traveled as part of the duties of an American diplomat.

This collection primarily consists of correspondence of U.S. diplomat Christopher Hughes; his twin sister Peggy Hughes Moore; his in-laws the Moore family; his spouse Laura Smith Hughes (1792-1832); their daughter Margaret Smith Hughes Kennedy (1819-1884); and Anthony Kennedy (1810-1892), his son-in-law. The papers largely date between the War of 1812 and the U.S. War with Mexico. Christopher Hughes corresponded with U.S. Presidents, Secretaries of State, and a large circle of friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic. The papers reflect American diplomatic policy in Europe after the War of 1812, particularly in Sweden, the Netherlands, Denmark, and France. They also present the lives and experiences of the social and personal lives of women and children who traveled as part of the duties of an American chargé d'affaires.

The papers also include financial papers, military documents, property documentation, materials related to the San Pedro Company, writings, poetry, sketches, photographs, ephemera, and other printed items. Among the writings is an 1840 account of a visit by Christopher Hughes to physician Fru Jansen at Catherineberg for health care; 1842 travel writing by Margaret Hughes; and manuscript and printed poetry, including dinner toasts, a valentine poem, an acrostic on Margaret's name, translations, and more.

Other selected items include pencil sketches of four of the five peace commissioners at the Treaty of Ghent negotiations in Belgium, by Dutch artist P. van Huffel, January 1815. The portraits include John Quincy Adams, James A. Bayard, Henry Clay, Albert Gallatin, and Christopher Hughes (as secretary of the delegation). A group of 24 photographs from the early 1930s depict the grave of Laura Smith Hughes (1795-1832) and the church where she was buried, Bromme Church in Akershof, near Stockholm, Sweden, and a variety of other people and places.

Please see the Christopher Hughes Indices and Notes for an index of letter writers and inventories of non-correspondence materials.

The Elmer Neill sketchbook, dating between 1893 and 1896, contains pencil, ink, and crayon/pastel drawings likely produced as educational exercises. Also in the volume are manuscript maps of North America, South America, and Africa, as well as calligraphic drawings of birds.

The Elmer Neill sketchbook, dating between 1893 and 1896, contains pencil, ink, and crayon/pastel drawings likely produced as educational exercises. Also in the volume are manuscript maps of North America, South America, and Africa, as well as calligraphic drawings of birds. The drawings in this volume include landscapes, geometric shapes, animals, flowers, a woman outside a log house, a ship, and others. The name Elmer Neill appears once.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

The Clements Library's collection of individual friendship and autograph albums (the ones that are not part of larger bodies of family papers) dates primarily from the second half of the 19th century. The creators of these albums sought out friends, family, schoolmates, public persons, and others to write signatures, sentiments, poetry, extracts from books and serials, personal sentiments, and more. Contributions often emphasize ties of friendship, exhortations to seek love, happiness, or Christian religious salvation. Most of the volumes in this collection were compiled in the Northeast United States and areas in the Midwest, with urban and rural areas represented. The greater number of the albums were kept by young women and the bulk of the signers were also female. At least one volume was kept by an African American man, Lewis G. Mosebay. Contributors occasionally illustrated pages with calligraphic designs, trompe l'oeil visiting cards, animals, flowers, and themes that had particular significance to their relationship with the keeper of the album. The volumes in this collection are largely decorative blank books adorned with tooled covers, sometimes containing interspersed engravings of religious, literary, historical, and landscape themes. Some include pasted-in photographs, die-cuts, or stickers.

This combination sketchbook and scrapbook belonged to J. F. Beyer, an immigrant from Germany who moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, sometime in the 19th century. The volume contains pencil sketches, pasted-in newspaper and other types of clippings, autographs and friendship-album-like entries in German (Kurrentschrift), French, and English.

This combination sketchbook and scrapbook belonged to J. F. Beyer, an immigrant from Germany who moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, sometime in the 19th century. The volume contains pencil sketches, pasted-in newspaper and other types of clippings, autographs and friendship-album like entries in German (Kurrentschrift), French, and English.

The newspaper clippings appear to be mostly from Worcester, Massachusetts, and contain a variety of topics ranging from social events to poetry, local news, and more. A clipping dated December 18, 1882, celebrates the Turn Verein Society's new hall, and another undated clipping describes a hot air balloon basket being woven by J. F. Byer for an upcoming marriage.

Much of the artwork within the volume is signed, and many signatures also feature the word "Basel." Of the two Stevengraph woven pieces, one is of the Pope (dated 1846) and one features a woman with the name "Halle.Hoffmann.Basel" at the bottom. Many of the sketches are of houses with trees or flowers nearby, and some are more pastoral in nature.

The Joel Munsell collection contains two distinct groups of materials. The first series comprises letters and printed material related to printer and antiquarian Joel Munsell’s 1847-1850 investigation of the 1777 murder of Jane McCrea, and the second series consists of 19 letters from Munsell to Elias Nason, primarily concerning historical publications.

The Joel Munsell collection contains 26 letters, 2 essay fragments, a pamphlet, a clipping, and several transcriptions of letters, which the library acquired in two distinct groups. The groupings have been preserved as two series, within which items are arranged chronologically.

The Jane McCrea research series documents Munsell’s 1847-1850 investigation into the 1777 murder of Jane McCrea with correspondence, writings, and printed matter. The eight letters in the series concern the conflicting accounts of the murder by Epaphras Hoyt and Charles Neilson, including Munsell’s letters to each man, soliciting more information, and their responses. In his 9-page letter, dated January 30, 1849, Hoyt purported to describe the exact location of the murder, described the sources of his information, and gave his opinion on Neilson. Neilson’s much briefer letter of January 25, 1849, contradicts Hoyt’s claim that McCrea was "called by any other name than Jane" and describes gathering the information from his parents and other locals. Additionally, the collection contains a 1913 letter by J.T. Holmes that concerns reports of the McCrea murder. Also of interest are two short drafts that Munsell wrote; they shed light on his interest in the matter and express pity for McCrea, "consigned…to the tender mercies of the scribbles in all after ages, at whose hand she has been cruelly maltreated, for more than half a century." Rounding out the series is Hoyt’s version of the McCrea murder story, printed in the Proceedings of the New-York Historical Society (June 1847), and a newspaper clipping containing an 1851 eulogy for Hoyt by Luther B. Lincoln.

The Letters to Elias Nason series contains 19 letters written by Munsell to historian and Congregational minister Elias Nason between 1862 and 1866. Seven of the letters relate to various aspects of the New-England Historical and Genealogical Register, which Munsell published. Topics related to the serial include the inclusion of Dutch-Americans in the register (January 18, 1862), the publication's coverage of Boston (March 15, 1862), and the appropriateness of its commentary on current events (August 19, 1862). The remaining letters primarily concern the publication of two works by Nason, Sir Charles Henry Frankland, Baronet: or Boston in the Colonial Times (1865) and A Memoir of Mrs. Susannah Rowson (1870). Munsell wished to print the works but lamented the poor market for biographies, noting, "I have found it advantageous to disguise such books under some other name" (September 28, 1863). He also discussed errors in Nason's manuscripts (February 21, 1865), the financial concerns of printing Frankland (June 3, 1865), and the flaws in several atlases published by rival firms (November 2, 1865). Other subjects mentioned in Munsell's letters are the poor market for antiquarian books (January 18, 1862) and his views on social history: "I desire to rescue every man's memory from oblivion who has a history, and am garnering up names with facts attached to them…" (March 19, 1862).

Laura L. Earl's friendship album includes material dating from 1860 to 1932, documenting her relationships across several geographic regions. Entries include poems, signatures, quotations, brief comments, and drawings of calling cards with signatures added. The volume includes engraved illustrations, several entries that feature artistic elements, and miscellaneous tipped in materials.

Laura L. Earl's friendship album includes material dating from 1860 to 1932, documenting her relationships across several geographic regions. Entries include poems, signatures, quotations, brief comments, and drawings of calling cards with signatures added. Additional visual materials include a negative image of a leaf made by splattering ink, a watercolor painting of flowers, and a calligraphic rendering of Laura Earl's name. Places linked to writers include states such as Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Kansas, Nebraska, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma. Later entries refer to Laura by her married name, Laura E. Nethers.

Laura L. Earl pasted or tipped in various materials to the volume, including printed poems, calling cards, newspaper clippings, leaves, a scrap of fabric, an advertising blotter, a printed set of four images with Biblical passages, a notice for Mrs. D. E. Denman's funeral services in 1928, and Laura (Earl) Nethers' newspaper obituary from 1932. One calling card is from Laura L. Earl, and includes a photograph of her affixed to it. One clipped newspaper or magazine image shows two white men seated at a table with an African American man serving beverages.

"Pensez A Moi" is printed on the front cover. "Laura L. Earl" is stamped on the front flyleaf, as well as a pencil inscription, "1860. A Christmas Gift from my father, Covington, Ky."

• Modesty and Vanity
• Pensez A Moi
• The Departure
• Fatal Signal
• The Balsille. Eng'd for this Work
• Little Rogues in Trouble

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

For an item-level description of the collection, with information about each manuscript, please see the box and folder listing below.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The content of these letters, sermons, documents, and other materials reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich (1903-1996), most prominently subjects pertinent to Christianity, home, and the family.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The manuscripts reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich, most prominently Christianity, home, and the family. Items include sermons from prominent ministers or preachers of different Protestant denominations, documents related to church operations and discipline, letters by prominent and everyday persons respecting their faith and beliefs, correspondence of missionaries, and reflections on religion's role in all manner of human endeavor.

The collection is comprised of over 260 letters, manuscript sermons and hymns, documents, and other items. For a comprehensive inventory and details about each item in the collection, please see the box and folder listing below.

Lila Moran kept this notebook while a student in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1889. The bulk of the volume consists of compositions relating to British history and vocabulary terms and their definitions. Other content includes two drawings of women, a partial tracing of a hand, and directions for two supernatural rituals or games relating to predicting the future.

Lila Moran kept this notebook while a student in Norwich, Connecticut, in 1889. The bulk of the volume consists of compositions relating to British history and vocabulary terms and their definitions. Other content includes two drawings of women, a partial tracing of a hand, and directions for two supernatural rituals or games relating to predicting the future. They read:

"Start from bed and walk to the door reading 3rd. verse 3rd. chapter amor when you reach the door walk backwards to the bed still reading get in to bed backwards put the book under your pillow wish blow out the lamp without getting out of bed and go to sleep, you must sleep alone you will dream of your future husband"

"Put three saucers in a row put dirt in one a ring in another and watter in the other blindfold any body who wants to try it change the saucers round then lead the person up turn her round three times and stand her before the saucers which must be in a row then let her put her finger in one if she puts it in the one with watter in it she will take a voyag on the watter before a year if she puts it in the one with a ring in it she will be married before a year if she puts it in one with the dirt in it she will die before a year."

Two receipts and one bank notice for Samuel Moran of Norwich, Connecticut, dated between 1883 and 1905, are laid into the volume.

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk in Wooster, Ohio.

The People photographed while reading photograph album contains 82 portraits of people reading as well as three newspaper clippings regarding the death of a railroad fireman.

The album (26.5 x 21.5 cm) has red velvet covers and a metal clasp. While the album itself and all the photographs in it date to the 19th/early 20th century, these materials were compiled by a noncontemporary individual with an interest in historic images of people reading. Also present are three newspaper clippings related to the accidental death of railroad fireman Joseph Ronk (1865-1888) following a train derailment in Wooster, Ohio, in July 1888.