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

The John and Samuel Hunt papers consist primarily of Civil War era correspondence between the friends and family of John and Samuel Hunt with many letters between the two brothers. Also included is John Hunt's Civil War diary, which contains accounts of his service as adjutant with the 81st Ohio Infantry Regiment between January and December, 1862.

The John and Samuel Hunt papers are comprised of 78 letters, 1 receipt, 3 miscellaneous printed items, 2 photographs, and 1 diary. The collection consists primarily of Civil War era correspondence between the friends and family of John and Samuel Hunt, with many letters between the two brothers. For the most part, cousins, sisters, and friends wrote the pre-Civil War letters, addressed to John Hunt. These concern family matters, school, and local Ohio politics.

John's Civil War era letters, mainly to Samuel with a few items to other family members, focus on his relationship to his family, particularly his parents. He also described Civil War camp life in Missouri, Tennessee, and near Corinth. Early on, in a letter from December 8, 1861, he wrote about a conflict between his regiment's lieutenant colonel and captain over a battalion drill, which almost resulted in a duel. The brothers often bonded over the activities (past and present) of the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity, which they had both joined at Miami University. Samuel sent John his DKE pin, which made him popular with the ladies in St. Louis (February 23, 1862). Samuel kept John up-to-date on the fraternity's election results and activities. A few months after the war, John was working in Washington DC as a lawyer's clerk and reported that the town was "full of rebels at present seeking pardon" (September 17, 1865).

Letters from Samuel describe university life during the war and the impact that the war was having on the homefront. He included fiery political commentary and espoused bellicose sentiments, particularly in the early part of the war. In a letter to John dated May 25, 1861, Samuel wrote: "The murder of the accomplished Col-Ellsworth must and will be avenged -- those fine Zouaves will cause destruction in the enemy's camp -- they are 'spoiling for a fight' and will soon be gratified[.] " Samuel kept up his correspondence with a number of friends and Miami University alumni with whom he communicated about the school and his own academic progress.

The John Hunt's Civil War diary contains accounts of his service as adjutant with the 81st Ohio Infantry Regiment between January and December, 1862. He entered notes almost daily, except during his sick leaves in April and from August 15 through the end of 1862. During his leave, Hunt wrote a few entries in August concerning an Ohio Copperhead and his views on the draft, and recorded a short run of daily entries from November 1-22. The diary includes descriptions of travels in the north and south and is most detailed between May and August, when the 81st Ohio took part in the assault on Corinth, Mississippi, and in the late fall, when they were encamped near Corinth. Hunt's brief entries provide interesting anecdotes about life in the Union camps, soldiers' amusements, and the scene near Corinth.

The Miscellaneous series consists of two photographs (a staged family portrait and a carte-de-visite of a young well dressed man), an army pass for John R. Hunt (February 1862), and three programs concerning the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (1862-1863).

This collection contains business and personal papers of John Atkinson and his family, with the bulk of the items documenting their postwar business ventures in commercial trade, land speculation, and investments in the Bellows Falls Canal Company. The letters also describe contemporary reactions of British merchants before, during, and after the Revolution; events in New York City during the War of 1812; and domestic and social situations of a prosperous nineteenth-century family.

This collection contains business and personal papers of John Atkinson and his family, with the bulk of the items documenting their postwar business ventures in commercial trade, land speculation, and investments in the Bellows Falls Canal Company. Since Atkinson lived in New York City until 1819, the collection contains many detailed reports on the financing and operations of the canal company.

• Alexander Fleming (1790-1867), husband to Atkinson’s daughter, Emma Seton
• Francis Green, husband to Caroline Francis, cousin to Elizabeth Atkinson, and business partner with Alexander Fleming
• Isaac and Richard Smith, business associates of John Atkinson
• Charles Storer, Elizabeth's brother, who managed many of Atkinson's interests in Vermont and was the clerk of the canal corporation between 1804-1814
• Joshua Wentworth, Atkinson's shipping agent stationed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

• Betsy, John’s wife
• John's brothers, Francis and Hodgson Atkinson
• Daughters Mary Ann, Eliza, Emma, Caroline Francis
• Sons John Jr., George, and William
• George Atkinson, nephew of John

Beyond letters documenting Atkinson's business activities, this collection also accounts contemporary reactions of British merchants before, during, and after the Revolution. Letters from Joshua Wentworth, Atkinson's agent in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, describe difficulties procuring ships and transporting goods, before the war. John Atkinson, Jr. wrote several letters from New York City in the spring of 1813, in which he mentions events in the War of 1812, including the city's reception for the crew of the frigate United States, the blockading of the Atlantic coast, and seizure of coasters by the British. Many letters also contain domestic and social information written by Atkinson family women.

The Letter Books series contains three volumes of carbon copy letters concerning the management of George Atkinson’s property in America, including the canal company. They describe the toll that railroad traffic took on Bellows Falls Canal use. The first and second books, (October 10, 1836-September 17, 1840 and November 3, 1840-February 27, 1847, respectively) have alphabetical indexes of names mentioned in the books, while the third volume (March 12, 1847-September 15, 1849) has no index and is only ¼ full. The diary pages are extremely fragile and the texts are typically impressions from carbon paper copying except for the page numbers, which are in ink or pencil. The second and third volumes were kept by a J.L. Stackpole.

The Documents and Deeds series consists of various contracts, bills, inheritance documents, and land transfers. Included in this series are thirteen oversized items, all of which document the sale of land. Atkinson purchased land along the Delaware River in New York State; in Middle Island Creek in Ohio County, Virginia; in Ulysses, Pennsylvania; along the Cacapon River in Hampshire County, Western Virginia; and in Columbia Territory, Maryland. He sold land in Ontario, New York, and Bellows Falls, Vermont, to his son-in-law Alexander Fleming. The 1830 item is a deed recording the sale of Bellows Falls land by Fleming to his business partner Henry Green. These items not only document the transaction, but often describe the land's dimensions, characteristics, and previous ownership.

The Printed Items series consists of four newspaper clippings.

The Miscellaneous series holds one item: a detached book front cover with J. Atkinson's name printed on the inside.

This collection consists primarily of incoming personal and professional correspondence received by John Barbour, an Episcopal minister and professor at Berkeley Divinity School, concerning religious life in Connecticut in the late 1800s.

This collection consists primarily of approximately 1,150 incoming personal and professional letters received by John Barbour, an Episcopal minister and professor at Berkeley Divinity School, concerning religious life in Connecticut in the late 1800s. The papers also include 5 photographs, 4 printed portraits, and a small group of additional printed items.

The Correspondence series spans most of Barbour's career. The bulk is comprised primarily of letters John Barbour received between 1883 and 1899, reflecting the everyday lives of clergy in Connecticut and New England, as well as Barbour's work with the Episcopal Church and at Berkeley Divinity School. Many of the letters contain professional inquiries and reports of the writers' daily lives and work with local churches. Several relate to Barbour's role as the librarian of the Berkeley Divinity School, including factual questions and inquiries about specific volumes. Other letters request his services as a minister, including several from the Connecticut Hospital for the Insane in Middletown, Connecticut, and from other clergy requesting substitutes. Additionally, many of the letters concern religious education and mention prominent bishops and others in the Episcopal Church.

Two early items relate to John Barbour's father, Henry S. Barbour, and to administrative affairs of the town of Torrington, Connecticut, in 1852 and 1857. The series also includes a timetable for trains between Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City, and a manuscript complaint from attorney John R. Wittig to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Williams, issued against John Barbour, claiming that Barbour colluded with Wittig's wife in a conspiracy to "get rid" of him and seize his property (March 17, 1885).

The Photographs and portraits series holds 5 carte-de-visite photographs of members of the Barbour family, including Henry S., Sylvester, Herman H., Julia, and Joseph L. Barbour, as well as 4 printed portraits of Episcopal clergy.

The Printed items series contains biographical sketches of bishops, Episcopal clergy, and other figures, removed from published books and newspapers. Among those represented are Bishop John Williams and librarian Melvil Dewey. The series also includes approximately 20 invitations, programs, circular letters, and advertisements. One advertising card for the Fannie C. Paddock Memorial Hospital of Tacoma, Washington Territory, bears an engraved image of the facility.

John Berry, a farmer in Howard Township, Knox County, Ohio, maintained this account book from 1854 to 1875. It documents expenses related to farming operations, such as wages for hired men and women performing various tasks with crops, livestock, and the production of wool. It includes accounts for the purchase and sale of sheep, cattle, and hogs, and the breeding and insurance of horses. The accounts also relate to wool, flour, corn, oats, hay, and other farm goods, as well as various farm implements. The volume notes the erection of various buildings and infrastructure like barns and bridges, work done on the schoolhouse, and it includes documentation of exchanges with others for goods like shoes, clothing, fabric, and other items for farm and personal use. Berry documented several years' total sales and expenditures and overall assessments of his stock. He wrote a register of births for his seven children between 1850 to 1867 and listed various Biblical passages, titled "A few text of scripture for the Abolitionist to read." Recipes for keeping cider sweet and treating dysentery are also included.

Seven items are laid into the front of the volume, including an advertising brochure for the Ohio Farmers Insurance Company, an obituary for James M. Berry (1852-1923), two blank Knox County Bank checks, one Howard Township 1871 tax receipt, and two slips of paper, one listing the deaths of Lucy Berry, James Berry, and Sarah Harding.

The John Doggett & Co. subscription books contain the signatures of 92 subscribers to The American Kings lithograph set. Also included are several sketches produced by John Doggett Cobb circa 1906; an 1825 contract between Jonathan Cobb and John Doggett & Co. for the sale of the lithograph set; and notes and clippings from Edward Morrill, the rare book dealer who purchased the subscription books in 1944.

The John Doggett & Co. subscription books are two volumes containing the signatures of 92 subscribers to The American Kings lithograph set. A folded broadside advertisement for the print series is on the inside front cover of each volume. Also included are several sketches mainly produced by John Doggett Cobb; an 1825 contract between Jonathan Cobb and John Doggett & Co. for the sale of the lithograph set; and notes and clippings from Edward Morrill, the rare book dealer who purchased the subscription books in 1944.

The two volumes contain the signatures of 92 men mostly from eastern Massachusetts. There are a total of 174 signatures between the two volumes, 80 of these signatures appear in both volumes.

In each volume the first set of pages is divided into two columns. In volume one signatures are present in both columns, whereas in volume two the second column lists the city names where the signatories lived. For a full list of signatories, please see our Signatories index.

In addition to the subscription signatures both volumes also contain numerous sketches, including charcoal, colored pencil and watercolor illustrations. The sketches present in volume one are attributed to John Doggett Cobb circa 1906 and include charcoal drawings of medieval English abbeys such as Fountains Abby, St. Joseph’s Chapel, Glastonbury Abbey, Netly Abbey, Whitby Abbey and Lindisfarne Prior. All of these sketches appear to have been based on stereographic images. There are several more charcoal drawings that may have also been produced by Cobb of Wallingford Bridge, Roundham Bridge, the Bablock Hythe Ferry, Folly Bridge, Newbridge, Nuneham Park, Clifton Hampden and Mapledurham Woods. Most of these drawings contain notations for where to add specific colors in future depictions. Both the Wallingford Bridge and Mapledurham Woods sketches have been colored with pencil. There are also several watercolor and charcoal illustrations of unconfirmed authorship that are present in volume two, including drawings of natural scenery, a castle, a wagon train, a campfire overlooking a town, and what appears to be a busy seaport.

This collection also includes a handwritten agreement dated November 1, 1825, regarding the production of the prints arranged between John Doggett & Co. and Johnathon Holmes Cobb. The contract states that Doggett would provide Cobb with 1000 sets of The American Kings while Cobb would garner the subscriptions and gain all of the profits after paying Doggett $5,000. There is also a clause outlining what would happen if too few sets were sold.

Also contained in the collection is a note written on an envelope from the Hotel Lexington in New York City discussing the purchase price of the subscription books and the rarity of the broadsides; a description of the collection and its provenance written on the front of a mailing envelope addressed to Edward Morrill from the New York Public Library; a 1934 exhibition guide of the First National Bank of Boston highlighting The American Kings painted portrait series; a newspaper clipping ca. 1863 regarding Marquis de Lafayette’s departure from the United States in 1825; and a 1930 Boston Evening Transcript article about The American Kings portraits on view at the Old Colony Trust in Boston.

New York City lawyer John Drake Townsend kept these two scrapbooks between 1869 and 1893. Numbered seven and eight and totaling approximately 340 pages, they contain pasted-in newspaper clippings chronicling his court cases or cases that interested him. The bulk of volume seven pertains to the removal of N.Y.C. police commissioners by Mayor Edward Cooper in 1879. Much of volume eight regards the 1879 murder of socialite Jane Lawrence DeForest Hull, who was accidentally suffocated while being robbed by her former lover Chastine Cox, an African American man.

• Miscellaneous clippings, 1869-1877 (pp. 1-12)
• Clippings related to the indictment of New York City Aldermen, for usurping authority they did not legally possess, 1878 (pp. 13-33)
• Clippings related to the removal of police commissioners by New York City Mayor Edward Cooper, 1879 (pp. 34-173)

• Affixed to pastedown: Manuscript letter from 11 persons to John D. Townsend, June 16, 1879: request to represent them in the case of the death of Jane Lawrence DeForest Hull
• Clippings pertinent to the murder of Jane Lawrence DeForest Hull, 1879 (pp. 1-118)
• Carte-de-visite portrait of Dr. Alonzo F. Hull (between pp. 18 and 19)
• Clippings pertinent to the murder of Louis W. Guttermuth, 1882 (pp. 120-129)
• Cabinet card portrait of Louis W. Guttermuth (between pp. 120 and 121)
• Clippings related to a libel suit against the publishers of Truth, 1882 (pp. 131-144)
• Clippings related to the Joseph Hart-George Alfred Townsend libel case, 1884 (pp. 146-149)
• Clippings pertinent to the bigamous marriage of Nathaniel Hawes to Anna E. Wetmore, 1884 (pp. 153-156)
• Clippings related to John D. Townsend's defense of William H. Mumler, 1869 (pp. 160-163)
• Miscellaneous clippings, 1884-1893 (pp. 164-165)

This collection is made up of a diary, 18 letters, 13 receipts, and other materials relating to John Egan Rapp during and after his service in Swett's Battery of the Mississippi Light Artillery. His diary spans just over year of his service in the Confederate Army and the bulk of the remainder of the collection pertains to his postwar life in Conyers and Atlanta, Georgia.

This John Egan Rapp collection is made up of a diary; 18 letters and a telegram; a group of receipts, a recipe, three newspaper clippings, two short lists of genealogical material, three empty envelopes, an advertising flyer, three blank voter oath forms; and a published history of the Battle of Chickamauga. These materials pertain to Rapp's life during and after his service in Swett's Battery of the Mississippi Light Artillery. His diary spans just over year of his service in the Confederate Army and the bulk of the remainder of the collection pertains to his postwar life in Conyers and Atlanta, Georgia.

Diary. John Egan Rapp kept his 96-page pocket diary between October 2, 1862, and November 23, 1863, during his service in Swett's Battery, Mississippi Light Artillery. He wrote in pencil, which has since become smudged and is at times so faded that it is difficult to read. At least one page of the diary has been torn out. Rapp routinely recorded where his unit camped each night, the number of miles they marched each day, rations issued, and enemy locations. He wrote some of his longest entries when his artillery unit was engaged in the battles of Murfreesboro (December 1862 and January 1863) and Chickamauga (September 19-25, 1863). He described harsh living conditions near Tazewell, Tennessee in October 1862, "we have had but half rations for the last week and tonight none is to be had." A week later, they camped in the woods near Knoxville in cold weather with no tents, with some men lacking shoes or adequate clothing. This contrasts with Christmas of 1862 when they were at College Grove, Tennessee, "General Liddell has prepared a barbecue for the Brigade--is expected to be a brilliant affair--number of ladies are expected and every preparations are made to receive them." Wet and weary after five days and nights "on the field" at the battle of Mufreesboro, he wrote, "our horses have not had anything to eat in thirty-six hours and have traveled 26 miles since midnight" (January 4, 1863). He mentioned seeing Gen. Joe E. Johnson reviewing the troops (December 10, 1862), and Jefferson Davis riding along the line (October 11, 1863). Although "elected" to become Lieutenant after the death of the serving officer, he wrote, "But declined." (October 11, 1863). On page 44 of the diary (December 22, 1863), Rapp wrote a farewell letter to one of his sisters (probably Elizabeth, Mrs. Thomas Postlewait) saying that if he died he hoped his diary would make its way to her, and that he owed the "onley few moments of happiness I ever new" to her. Much of the second half of the diary notebook consists of notes, addresses, accounts, etc. -- some refer to amts. of ammunition (Round Shot, Canister, Shell)--under the heading "List--Gun Napolean" are records of type of ammunition used, weight of ammo, distance in yards, and remarks about gun performance.

The collection's Correspondence (18 letters, a telegram, and three loose envelopes) spans April 13, 1864-October 30, 1891. John E. Rapp wrote four of the letters; his sister Elizabeth C. [Rapp] Postlewait (1833-1922) wrote two; his brother-in-law Thomas H. Postlewait (1826/28-1903) wrote two; his sister Emily [Rapp] Hair (1844-1915) wrote one; his cousin Dr. William E. Rapp (1819-1880) sent one; his cousin Enoch Thompson (1808-1898) wrote one; and P. K. Montgomery sent one. Most of the remaining letters are business related.

John E. Rapp wrote the two earliest letters in this collection during the Civil War. On April 13, 1864, he informed his wife that he was awaiting the arrival of his second "Certificate of Disability." About three weeks later, P. K. Montgomery advised Rapp how he could safely cross the Mississippi River at St. Joseph, Louisiana, despite Yankee gunboats, "Crossing is done in Canoes and mostly by Night. The horses have to Swim the River . . . The charges are pretty high as the Boats have to be kept some distance in the Country and hauled in when needed." (May 8, 1864). Dr. William E. Rapp's Reconstruction Era letters from Franklin Parish, Louisiana, described difficulties resulting from the disruption of mail and railroad service. "We have not mails here yet & consequently, scarcely ever get a letter except by the boats in the winter by way of New Orleans. No Rail Road in operation from here to Miss. River & no navigation now, so that we are cut off from the world." (Oct. 11, 1867). He also commented several times on the use of freedmen as a labor force, "We have been trying the planting with the Freed men, but not to any great success . . . Labour is much wanting in this country as not more than half of the Freedmen are of any account & none very valuable." (October 11, 1867). "I am striving as usual to make a fortune with free Negroes, which is rather a slow business . . . I am working, or feeding about 35 hands & their families & sometimes they pay for it, and sometimes they don't." (March 30, 1879).

A November 18, 1881, letter from Emily (Rapp) Hair in Ohio expressed her wish to make peace with her brother, John E. Rapp. She was unaware that he had a wife and family, so the brother and sister must have been out of touch since at least 1863, and it is possible that they quarreled over his decision to fight for the Confederacy. A single letter dated October 10, 1886, written by a railroad official, described a raid that John E. Rapp was ordered to make on thieves poaching fish from railroad property. "...two men who fished the pond every day or night during the past week & that these parties had taken over 500 fish, the most of them they had put in their own private pond for future use." Also of interest is a letter from Rapp's 83-year-old cousin Enoch Thompson, who claimed to have written the first accurate description of the creation of the Universe. "Moses wrote a run and jump darklantern description of the Creation of this world . . . This historic account of the structure of the Universe I have written for your perusal is, in all probability, the first Historic description of the Universe ever written by man in any age of the world and therefore may be considered something new under the Sun, and might serve as a relic in the future." (October 30, 1891).

The Documents, Receipts, Newspaper Clippings, and Other Manuscripts include 13 receipts, a recipe for "copaiba," two short lists of genealogical material, three undated newspaper clippings, one advertising flyer, and three blank Fulton County, Georgia, voter oath forms from 1891.

The receipts include four for quarterly tuition at The Gordon School in Atlanta, Georgia, for Rapp's son Fred in 1891, and one for tuition at the Atlanta Classical School in 1892. Also among the receipts is one dated May 8, 1876, acknowledging that Station House Keeper W. A. Bonnell received "the body of one Henry Redding, alias Wm. Christopher." On the back of the receipt is a penciled note, "$4.00 Guard House fee." This is a reference to a "colored" convict who escaped from the convict camp near Marietta, Georgia, with five other prisoners, March 23-24, 1876. Despite searching an 8-mile radius with dogs, the men made a clean escape, and a $25 reward was offered for each man. Redding was recaptured about six weeks later, and for a time was confined in the Station House mentioned in the receipt of May 8, 1876. As the May 5, 1876 issue of the Atlanta Constitution wryly put it, "Henry Redding, who has been sentenced to the penitentiary for lifetime and 20 years additional, is now a guest at the Hotel de Bonnell." Henry Redding's serious problems with the law began in 1869. He and two other "negroes" were convicted of arson for starting a fire in a jail where they had been detained, in an attempt to escape. They received a sentence of hard labor for life after being convicted of arson. While serving this sentence Redding escaped from a convict camp near Marietta, Georgia, in 1876 and was recaptured six weeks later. Eleven years later, in 1887, he applied to Governor Gordon to reduce his life sentence to 20 years. Based on an earlier court decision that "an attempt to burn a jail in order to effect an escape is not arson," and in consideration of the long term Redding had already served, the Governor ordered him "forthwith discharged from confinement" (The Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 6, 1887, p. 7).

The newspaper clippings include one entitled "The Gallant Charge" about Cheatham's Division at Franklin, Tennessee, one about a reunion of Confederate veterans, and the last an obituary for John E. Rapp's son Joseph W. Rapp

The collection includes a 16-page Confederate imprint entitled GREAT BATTLE OF CHICAMAUGA: A concise History of Events from the Evacuation of Chattanooga to the Defeat of the Enemy (Mobile, 1863) by S. C. Reid of the Mobile Tribune, with John E. Rapp's penciled annotation on the margin of page six correcting the account of Swett's Battery's part in the battle.

The John Fraser Estate collection consists of letters and legal documents relating to the drawn-out litigation over John Fraser's property in Eastern Florida, which he left to his African-born children. His sister disputed the validity of the will based on the race of the children, and the dispute was drawn out for decades, as executors and lawyers mismanaged the property.

The John Fraser Estate collection consists of 22 letters and documents relating to the litigation for the disputed estate of John Fraser, one of the wealthiest men in Eastern Florida at the time of his death in 1813. The collection begins with a 30-page probate document from William Robertson and Ann Fraser Robinson, Fraser's sister who contests the legitimacy of his will on the grounds that his wife and children were slaves. The probate document includes several "Exhibits" including a copy of the letter to his executors, in which he leaves the estate to his "natural children," whom he notes are "persons of colour" living in Africa. Another exhibit is an 1822 letter from one of his executors, describing the settlement of the estate and the sale of slaves and property. Also included is a detailed estate inventory, indicating that he owned " land, Negros, money, bank stocks and other things of value of three hundred thousand dollars, or upward," and listing by name and value many of his slaves and the values of the land and plantations that he owned. The Robertsons also contested the value of the estate, since much of it was destroyed in the Patriot War of 1812.

Subsequent items document Fraser's children's protracted legal fight for their inheritance between the years 1837 and 1857. These contain evidence of thousands of dollars in legal fees, and the convoluted ways the estate was divided and distributed over the course of the many legal disputes. By this time, only Fraser's youngest daughter Elizabeth was still alive. The 1850’s letters are from Elizabeth to her lawyer William W. Campbell as they approach a final settlement that would give her $12,500 for the remaining estate. The legal disputes, however, continued throughout the decade. The final letter, dated 1873, is from Henry Younge, son of Philip R. Younge (one of the original executors), who is still inquiring about the sale of Fraser's land in Florida. Together, these items closely document the latter part of a long and complicated legal battle, borne largely from untrustworthy executors and problems with ambiguities in interracial and transnational estates law in the 19th century.