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

This collection contains material related to Daniel Decatur Emmett and the song "Dixie," which he published in 1860. The collection has 4 autograph items by Emmett, an additional letter, a photograph, and a first edition music score.

This collection contains material related to Daniel Decatur Emmett and the song "Dixie," which he published in 1860. The collection has 4 autograph items by Emmett, as well as an additional letter, a signed photograph of Daniel Emmett, and a first edition music score of "Dixie" (1860). Two items concern the debate about the song's authorship. The collection also includes an undated holograph manuscript of Emmett's song "Old Dan Tucker." See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

The Douglas MacArthur collection is made up of military documents related to General Douglas MacArthur and the 42nd (Rainbow) Division during the first World War, and miscellaneous letters, documents, photographs, published works, and one diary illuminating various aspects of the General's public career and personal life.

The MacArthur collection contains 885 letters, documents, photographs, and published works dating from March 23, 1885, to July 5, 1983. The bulk of the material (710 items) consists of military documents and manuscript notes from September 8, 1917 to January 27, 1919.

The military materials include general orders, field orders, field messages, memoranda, intelligence, and communications, related to the U.S. 42nd Division (The Rainbow Division), A.E.F., founded in 1917. The majority of the collection falls during the period of time from late 1917 to early August 1918, when Douglas MacArthur was Chief of Staff for the 42nd Division. Documents from military units that fought alongside the 42nd Division (both French and American), the U.S. Chemical Warfare, and the Intelligence Divisions -- as well as various German, French, and American communications -- are included. Organizational documents, such as training schedules, and march tables, are also present. A considerable number, if not all, of these materials must have been approved or viewed by MacArthur, and many of the items in this collection bear his initials or the initials of his information assistant, William Hughes, Jr. From early August 1918 until the armistice was signed on November 11, 1918, MacArthur acted as the commanding officer for the 84th Infantry Brigade, and several military orders bear his name.

Seventy-six letters in the collection (located in Box 1) are either from Douglas MacArthur or pertain in some way to him. Six of these items, dated 1904, pertain to MacArthur and Florence Adams, whom he met in the Philippines, including a 46-page diary MacArthur wrote to Adams while he was on board a ship from Manila to the United States. Five letters, dated 1921 and 1925, are written by MacArthur to Louise Brooks who became Mrs. Douglas MacArthur in 1922. These letters contain both romantic content as well as personal reflections on the events in MacArthur's life at the time. Also included are nine letters from MacArthur to Hamilton Fish, Jr., dated 1921-1934. The remainder of the correspondence is a miscellaneous collection of letters written by Douglas MacArthur, Jean MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Harry S. Truman, and others.

The Douglas MacArthur collection also contains a notebook kept by Kenneth A. Sutherland, veteran of the 42nd Division, which contains a selection of items related to the Division's post-war activities and reunions; 40 aerial photographs and negatives taken by the 91st Reconnaissance Squadron, October 10, 1918; several photographs of Douglas MacArthur; thirteen published works by or about the General; and other miscellaneous materials.

This collection is mostly made up of letters written by United States politician Fisher Ames from the 1780s to early 1800s. He discussed political topics such as the first United States Congress, Congressional disagreements, sectarianism in Congress, the United States presidential election of 1796, and several prominent politicians. Two printed portraits of Ames are also included.

This collection (23 items) contains 21 letters by United States politician Fisher Ames, including 17 letters pertaining directly to United States politics. From March 4, 1789, to June 3, 1805, he wrote to multiple correspondents about his experiences in the United States House of Representatives. Ames commented in depth on issues such as poor attendance during the legislature's inaugural session, the location of the national capital, sectarian disagreements between congressmen from the North and South, the presidential election of 1796, the First Bank of the United States, and the role and members of the federal judiciary. He mentioned prominent politicians such as Benjamin Lincoln, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, William Branch Giles, and James Madison. In one undated letter, Ames advised the recipient to avoid a political career and commented briefly on the Embargo and the possibility of war with England and France.

The collection's other manuscripts include a financial document between Ames and Eli Pond, regarding board for a colt (May 30, 1783), correspondence concerning the Episcopal Church in Boston, Massachusetts (August 14, 1797), an invitation to speak to a charitable organization (February 22, 1803), and the construction of a wall (October 22, 1804). Two portraits, housed in the Graphics Division, are engravings based on paintings by Gilbert Stuart and Alonzo Chappel.

The papers of Horace Mann (1796-1859), lawyer, congressman, and educational reformer, contain correspondence and documents spanning his early legal career to the years before his death, as well as miscellaneous quotations, notes, and photographs.

The Horace Mann papers date from his early career as a lawyer until 1857, two years before his death (plus a single outlying 1876 item). The collection contains 51 letters (1823-1876), 83 bills/receipts (1824-1833), 15 legal documents (1824-1837), 2 promissory notes (1826; 1829), 4 graphic items, 1 printed bibliography, and 6 autographs, notations, and miscellaneous items.

Beginning with a letter to Ira Barton, in which he praises Barton's oration at the previous year's Independence Day celebration (March 20, 1823), the forty-eight outgoing letters of Horace Mann cover a variety of topics. Eloquently written, these letters provide information about Mann's own thoughts and perspectives. Many of them contain responses to requests to give lectures and others pertain to his perpetually full schedule. They include remarks regarding opposition to the Massachusetts Board of Education in the years following its formation, discussions with P.M. Upson (a Eutaw, Alabama teacher) about his annual reports and the Common Journal (1845), suggestions to J.B. Vandever for the construction of a school (1851), plans and details surrounding the formation of a teachers' institute at Fitchburg, Massachusetts (in correspondence with Charles Mason, 1845), comments on his nomination to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1848, efforts to procure funds to send Mr. Pierce to the World Peace Convention in 1849, friendly conversations with and advice to Samuel Downer, Jr. (from Antioch College, 1854-1857), and other subjects.

Horace Mann did not write two of the letters in this collection. One, by Edward Everett, nominates an unnamed person to a position on the Massachusetts Board of Education (to fill Edward A. Newton's vacant seat). The other, written in 1876 by Mary Mann to Miss Jacobson (who was inspired by Horace Mann's work), encloses a fragment from one of his manuscripts.

The 83 bills/receipts include itemized fees for Horace Mann's services as prosecuting attorney for clients in Norfolk County. Each of these financial documents include fees for writs, entry and court dues, travel expenses, trial attendance, and individual tasks, such as receiving and swearing in the complainant and summoning witnesses.

The 15 legal documents are miscellaneous, related to almost as many different court cases. Most of them regard financial claims and are signed by Horace Mann as attorney for the plaintiffs. One document stands out above the others: the appointment of the first Massachusetts Board of Education, dated May 25, 1837. Signed by Edward Everett and Secretary John P. Bigelow, this item names James G. Carter, Emerson Davis, Edmund Dwight, Horace Mann, Edward A. Newton, Robert Rantoul, Jr., Thomas Robbins, and Jared Sparks to the Board. It bears the seal of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Four graphic items in the collection include three portraits of Horace Mann and a single negative. These images are: one reproduction of an illustration; one hand-colored and mounted albumin print (oval vignette); and one modern photographic reproduction of an earlier touched-up reproduction of a daguerreotype (with an accompanying negative).

The collection contains a printed 31-page "Bibliography of Horace Mann," prepared by Horace Mann’s son, Benjamin Pickman Mann, December 9, 1896. This bibliography was published in the US Bureau of Education, Report of the Commissioner for 1896-1897, vol. 1 (Washington, D.C., 1898).

A small selection of quotations, notations, autographs, and miscellany completes the collection. One signed quotation reads: "I would rather imitate the actions of one good man than to possess the autographs of all the great men in the world." Another small sheet contains the autographs of several Massachusetts Congressmen. Other miscellaneous items include fragments of papers on the responsibilities and jurisdiction of a town's school committees and rules for proper behavior.

This collection is made up of letters that Jacob A. Riis sent to Elgin R. L. Gould and an unidentified female correspondent in the early 20th century. Riis commented on his health, politics, and tenement housing.

This collection is made up of outgoing letters that Jacob A. Riis wrote to Elgin R. L. Gould (6 items) and an unidentified female correspondent (1 item) in the early 20th century. In his letters to Gould, Riis discussed his health and requested that Gould help find employment for "Mrs. Heath," a former colleague. On several occasions, he referred directly or indirectly to tenement housing and political issues, such as the dominance of Tammany Hall. Riis enclosed a letter from Henry C. Wright of the Cincinnati Union Bethel in his letter of February 18, 1901. An undated letter from Riis to an anonymous woman contains his promise to forward her suggestions to the secretary of the Public Education Society and his agreement with her sentiments about the inclusion of children's playrooms in tenement apartments. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

This collection contains correspondence, speeches, ephemera, and photographs related to James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Naismith's incoming correspondence includes letters about the history of basketball in locations across Canada and the United States, and his typed speech notes primarily concern the relationship between athletics, morality, and religion.

This collection contains correspondence, speeches, ephemera, and photographs related to James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Naismith's incoming correspondence includes letters about the history of basketball in locations across Canada and the United States, and his typed speech notes primarily concern the relationship between athletics, morality, and religion.

The Correspondence series contains 44 letters, including 27 Naismith received about the history of basketball and the implementation of basketball programs. Between 1917 and 1939, Naismith collected responses to his inquiries about basketball from Canada, Uruguay, and universities within the United States. These letters often reported the dates of the first recorded local basketball games, and some described early equipment and rules. A letter from Edmonton, Alberta (October 15, 1929) concerned the development of women's basketball, and one from Osage City High School stated that theirs was the first high school in Kansas to have a basketball team (March 22, 1932). Some correspondents inquired about Naismith's experiences with the game, shared their own experiences, or discussed rule changes.

Letters written after Naismith's death are commemorative, including one signed by members of the Wheelchair Bulldozers, written on stationery bearing the team's logo (November 6, 1948). Additionally, Raymond Kaighn, the last surviving member of Naismith's first basketball team, wrote 8 letters to Kenneth Crouch between April 16, 1958, and July 28, 1962, reminiscing about his experiences and extolling Naismith's contribution to the world of sports. The collection also holds four letters Naismith wrote, providing his thoughts on the center jump ball rule (January 7, 1930), requesting information on Canadian basketball (with two responses, December 15, 1930), describing the game around the time of its invention in 1891 (February 4, 1939), and addressing his wife about personal matters (undated).

The Speech Notes and Essays series contains 7 typed speeches delivered by Naismith, with his manuscript annotations. The speeches pertain to the historical and contemporary relationship between athletic activities, morality, and religion, such as the role of athletic and physical education in moral and ethical development. Naismith lamented the commercialization of basketball and discussed the effects of the radio on the presidential election of 1928 (October 1928). One undated essay relates to sexual immorality among soldiers in the United States military.

Photographs and Ephemera include one photograph each of James Naismith and Raymond Kaighn, a souvenir program, a magazine article, and an invitation.

An inventory of items in the final two series appears in the Detailed Box and Folder listing below.

This collection is made up of 5 letters that Richard E. Byrd wrote to James B. Pond about his lecture tours in 1928 and 1931, and 1 letter that Byrd wrote to John Shuttleworth about speaking engagements related to World War II.

This collection is made up of 5 letters that Richard E. Byrd wrote to James B. Pond about his lecture tours in 1928 and 1931, as well as 1 letter that Byrd wrote to John Shuttleworth about speaking engagements related to World War II. In his first letter to Pond, he discussed the comparative appeal of his lectures about his successful transatlantic flight and his upcoming Antarctic expedition. In 1931, Byrd complained to Pond about low turnout, low-quality film equipment, and faulty loudspeakers at his lectures throughout the South. He blamed a lack of ticket-selling campaigns, rather than economic conditions, for the poor attendance and he expressed dissatisfaction with his contract and financial compensation.

Writing to John Shuttleworth in 1941, Byrd discussed his speaking engagements related to World War II, mentioning the perceived threat of a Nazi invasion of the United States and his speeches addressed to France. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

The Samuel F. Smith collection contains material related to the author of the poem "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" ("America"), including holograph manuscripts of the lyrics, correspondence, and photographs.

The Samuel F. Smith collection contains material related to the author of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" ("America"). Many items pertain to the song, such as holograph copies of the lyrics signed by the author and a facsimile of its first printed version. Other items include handwritten copies of the poem "The Eve of Decoration Day" and the hymn "The Morning Light is Breaking," along with a letter to D.A. Wilbur in which Smith expressed doubts about the legitimacy of what Wilbur believed to be an original copy of "The Morning Light is Breaking" (January 4, 1895).

The collection also has several personal letters that Smith wrote near the end of his life, a brief autobiographical statement, a prose work entitled "The Prayer," a statement about the Harvard College Class of 1829, and several portraits, including one bearing Smith's autograph. Also included is a printed program from a "Testimonial Benefit Tendered to Rev. S. F. Smith, D. D.," held on April 3, 1895, as well as a published volume, Poems of Home and Country, once owned by J. F. C. Hyde. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for a complete inventory.

This collection is made up of personal letters written by William Jennings Bryan. Bryan discussed many different subjects, including his political career and speeches.

This collection is made up of 10 personal letters written by William Jennings Bryan, as well as a letter by his wife Mary and an autograph quotation from his famous "Cross of Gold" speech. Several of the letters contain brief references to Bryan's education, political career, beliefs, and speeches. He wrote many of the letters on personalized stationery. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

The Winston Churchill collection contains 11 items related to various aspects of Churchill's life, written by Churchill, his wife, and their acquaintances. Of particular interest are Churchill's annotated notes for a speech he delivered at the University of Miami's commencement ceremonies on February 26, 1946. In his speech, Churchill discussed U.S.-British cooperation during World War II, the importance of secondary education, and the education of servicemen returning from the war.

The Winston Churchill collection contains 11 items related to various aspects of Churchill's life, written by Churchill, his wife, and a few of their acquaintances. The earliest item in the collection is a letter by Churchill's father, Randolph Spencer Churchill, relating to a request for a speech (July 11, 1889). The remainder of the items deal directly with Winston Churchill's life, including a letter written by Churchill to James B. Pond about Churchill's anticipated visit to North America in 1900 (September 11, 1900). Other material pertains to political and personal affairs, including two letters regarding historic plates sent to the Churchill family. Churchill's typed notes, with manuscript annotations, used for a commencement address he made at Miami University on February 26, 1946, concerning the U.S.-British cooperation during World War II, the importance of secondary education, and the education of servicemen returning from the war. Other items related to Churchill's activities in Miami include a printed copy of his address and two photographs of Churchill during the event. Also of interest is a letter written by architect Leo Sylvester Sullivan, who attended school with Churchill in the early 1900s. Sullivan recalled Churchill's extensive oral preparations, and remembered, "Every stuttering sentence was repeated over & over again & was altered to avoid the stutter" (July 6, 1956). The collection includes a copy of The New York Times from January 25, 1965, with two copies of a Special Supplement regarding the life and death of Winston Churchill. See the box and folder listing below for a detailed inventory of the collection.