Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Family from Flint, and East Saginaw, Michigan; family correspondence.

The collection consists of papers and a photograph album. The papers, 1830-1919, of the Clarke and DeLand family of Flint and East Saginaw, Michigan. Clarke family materials include correspondence of Daniel Clarke and family, notably letters of Mary Flint (Mrs. Daniel Clarke) written from Argentina, 1837-1844, and letters of William Flint Clarke, written while he was a student at the University of Michigan, 1869-1873. DeLand family materials consist of correspondence of Charles V. DeLand and family, including letters of his daughter, Dell DeLand Clarke. The collection also includes miscellaneous writings and printed material, and an early account book of Leonard G. Perry. The photograph album is contains portraits of the members of the class of 1873 of the University of Michigan. This album also contains portraits of members of the faculty, views of University buildings, and various group images.

Collection of correspondence belonging to De Witt and Sarah Clarke, who were residents of Battle Creek, Michigan during the Civil War. Bulk of collection consists of letters Sarah sent De Witt from Michigan while he was serving in the 2nd Missouri Cavalry. Remainder of the collection includes personal correspondence with other family members and friends as well as De Witt's business correspondence. Bulk of business correspondence dates after De Witt relocated the family to the developing town of Le Mars, Iowa in 1871, where he was a prominent merchant and community leader.

The collection consists of Sarah and De Witt Clarke's personal correspondence and De Witt's business correspondence. The bulk of the collection consists of letters from Sarah to De Witt, written from Michigan while De Witt was away with Merrill's Horse in Arkansas and Tennessee from 1864 to 1865. In her letters, Sarah expresses anxiety for her husband, reports on home and family life, and describes caring for their child in his absence. The collection includes De Witt Clarke's letters to his wife and personal correspondence with other family members and friends during and after the war. De Witt Clarke's business correspondence dates from after the Civil War and includes receipts, ledgers, price lists, notices, and advertisements, as well as correspondence with typewriter manufacturers in New York and Ohio.

Also included in the collection are typewritten transcriptions and lists of letters compiled by Anne Meis Knupfer.