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

Townshend’s writings are divided into manuscripts and printed materials. The manuscripts, some of which are fragmentary, are arranged by topic, as many of them lack titles. Townshend had a tendency to write using bullet points, and to rework topics a number of times; the manuscripts, which span roughly1840 to 1890 reflect this. Townshend’s early writings, from the 1840s and 1850s focus especially on the topics of antislavery and temperance, and some appear to be outlines of lectures given throughout northern Ohio. After the Civil War, his focus shifts to agricultural and veterinary matters, as well as to religion and religious education, which he views with the eye of a devout, but skeptical, reformer. He also writes on a number of sociological topics, such as the role of women in society and strategies for improving the life of the farmer.