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The Russell A. Alger family papers contain personal and professional correspondence of Alger, who served as governor of Michigan (1885-1887), United States Secretary of War (1897-1899), and United States Senator (1902-1907). The collection also includes military correspondence related to the Spanish-American War, materials from a distant branch of the Alger family in Ohio and Missouri, and letters related to United States Representative Bruce Alger's experiences in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War.

The Russell A. Alger papers contain personal and professional correspondence of Russell Alger, who served as governor of Michigan (1885-1887), United States secretary of war (1897-1899), and United States senator (1902-1907). The collection also includes military correspondence related to the Spanish-American War, materials from a distant branch of the Alger family, and letters related to United States Representative Bruce Alger's experiences in the Army Air Corps during the Second World War.

The Russell A. Alger materials series contains three subseries: Correspondence, Documents, and Scrapbooks. The Russell A. Alger Correspondence subseries is made up of 5 sub-subseries.

The Russell A. Alger incoming correspondence sub-subseries (1842-1919; bulk 1863-1865 and 1885-1907) contains 1.5 linear feet of letters, documents, and other items received by Russell Alger during his lifetime, with a particular focus on his military service in the Civil War, his political activities as a leading Republican Party member in Michigan, and his service and legacy as secretary of war under William McKinley during the Spanish-American War. The earliest letters in the collection are official correspondence from military leaders about the 5th Michigan Cavalry's service from 1862-1865. Several post-war letters concern Russell Alger's reputation, which opponents called into question during his rise to political prominence.

Items from the 1880s and early 1890s include many written by the era's leading Republicans, such as Mark Hanna, James G. Blaine, and Benjamin Harrison, who wrote a series of approximately 20 letters about Russell Alger's presidential campaigns in 1888 and 1892. Much of the later correspondence relates to Alger's service as secretary of war during the Spanish-American War, with letters from military personnel and political figures including J. Pierpont Morgan, Nelson A. Miles, William R. Shafter, Leonard Wood, Theodore Roosevelt, and William McKinley. Roosevelt wrote several letters to Alger during his own military service and during his presidency, regarding various political appointments. Two letters illustrate Roosevelt's hopes that Alger will support the reinstatement of the annual army-navy football match (August 17, 1897) and canal-building efforts in Panama (June 18, 1906). Much of William McKinley's correspondence (61 items) respects Alger's service as secretary of war, and includes the president's official acceptance of Alger's resignation from the cabinet (July 20, 1899). Much of Alger's incoming post-war correspondence pertains to efforts to secure his reputation following the Spanish-American War and to his published book on the conflict.

The Russell A. Alger outgoing correspondence sub-subseries contains items written by Russell A. Alger, including a small amount of Civil War-era correspondence and a larger number of letters written during his later political career. The bulk of the series, written from 1884-1907, represents Alger's tenure as governor of Michigan (1884-1887) and as secretary of war (1897-1899). Of interest is a letter of April 13, 1898, regarding the sinking of the Maine in Havana Harbor and the declaration of war against Spain. Other topics in Alger's letters include a shipment of reindeer from Norway (March 21, 1899), affairs in Alaska, the Panama Canal, and political endorsements for both local and national positions.

The items regarding the tour of officers & soldiers in the election of 1896, & the endorsement of Russell A. Alger as a member of President McKinley's Cabinet sub-subseries contains correspondence about Russell A. Alger and William McKinley's tour throughout Michigan during the presidential campaign of 1896, and about Alger's other efforts in the campaign. Of note is a letter from Senator Jacob H. Gallinger, who wrote to William McKinley, "I express the hope that you may invite General Alger into your official family. He will make a model Secretary of War, and will be a strong and reliable man in the Cabinet" (January 23, 1896).

The Letters and Telegrams from General Miles sub-subseries contains 564 once-bound pages of chronologically ordered copies of official military correspondence exchanged during the Spanish-American War. Army generals Nelson A. Miles and William R. Shafter are the most prominent correspondents in the subseries. They provided updates on the Cuban theater of the war. The series spans the entire calendar year of 1898.

The Russell A. Alger semi-official letters, semi-official orders, and telegrams sub-subseries contains 28 bound volumes of carbon copies dating from Alger's service as secretary of war. The series contains 20 volumes of semi-official letters (March 9, 1897-July 24, 1899), 2 volumes of semi-official orders (June 4, 1898-August 1, 1899), 5 volumes of telegrams (July 9, 1897-August 1, 1899), and one volume of letters relating to the GAR (October 1, 1889-November 28, 1894).

The collection also includes 9 volumes of typed transcripts, including incoming and outgoing correspondence as well as documents and materials related to Alger's military service.

The Russell A. Alger documents subseries contains four sub-subseries.

The Russell A. Alger Civil War service documents sub-subseries includes original and manuscript copies of documents related to Alger's Civil War service record and actions during the conflict. The subseries also contains two postwar documents. One of two postwar documents is a list of Civil War battles in which Alger participated.

The Testimony of General Alger Before the War Investigation Committee is a typed copy of Russell A. Alger's testimony regarding the hygiene of American soldiers and camps during the summer of 1898, given before the Dodge Commission later that year. The testimony includes manuscript annotations.

The Gervasio Unson proclamation and affidavits sub-subseries contains the original Spanish text and a translated English copy of Provisional Secretary Gervasio Unson's proclamation and accusations regarding the treatment of guerillas in the Philippines and the general conduct of American officials in the islands. Several documents appended to the proclamation lend factual support to the various allegations.

The Correspondence and documents regarding Florida, Puerto Rico, and Cuba sub-subseries is made up of the following items: correspondence describing rail systems in Florida in the early 20th century; a report on the island of Puerto Rico made on March 14, 1898; letters related to military supplies during the Spanish-American War; several letters regarding the publication of Washington the Soldier by General Henry B. Carrington, including a printed copy of the book's preface; the typescript of an interview given by Russell A. Alger to Henry Campbell of the Milwaukee Journal, March 24, 1900; a booklet on regulations for import/export officers; and a printed copy of the Cuban census of 1900.

• Alger's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, April-June 1888
• Alger's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, February-April 1892
• "Presented to General Russell A. Alger by the Citizens of Detroit upon his return to his home. August Second, 1899," July-August 1899
• "Politics: Detroit Newspapers," regarding Alger's campaign for Michigan's vacant Senate seat, August 1902-May 1903
• "Politics: State Papers," pertaining to Alger's campaign for Michigan's vacant Senate seat, August 1902-May 1903
• "In Memoriam Hon. Russell A. Alger," January 1907

The Alger family materials series contains eight subseries.

The Alger family correspondence subseries is divided into the seven sub-subseries: David Bruce Alger correspondence, Bruce Alger correspondence, Clare Fleeman Alger correspondence, Oberlin college correspondence and documents, Richard Edwin ("Eddy") Alger correspondence, Albert W. Alger correspondence, and Miscellaneous Alger family correspondence.

The David Bruce Alger correspondence contains numerous letters from Alger to his parents, Richard Edward Alger and Esther D. Reynolds, about David's time at Oberlin College in the early 20th century; the birth and early childhood of his son, Bruce Reynolds Alger; and about St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1920s, including descriptions of "plucky boy" and celebrated pilot Charles Lindbergh. Incoming correspondence consists of Civil War-era receipts; documents and letters of David Baker Alger; a letter from Russell A. Alger, Jr., to a sibling; a letter from an American soldier serving in France in 1917; several letters from David Bruce Alger's father written in 1943; and a 1975 letter regarding recent physical problems.

David Bruce Alger's Oberlin College correspondence and documents consist of items associated with Oberlin College in the 1910s, including ephemera. Of interest are a program from an Oberlin Glee Club concert (1912), three copies of a pamphlet for the "Eezy Cheezers," and an 1882 promotional thermometer.

The Bruce Alger correspondence consists primarily of Bruce Reynolds Alger's letters to his parents, written during his time in the Army Air Corps in the Second World War. Bruce wrote about his training at Kerry Field, Texas, and in California. In a number of letters from 1945, he described the end of the war as he experienced it in the Pacific theater. The sub-subseries also includes the annotated text of a 1937 chemistry examination from Princeton University, reports of Alger's academic progress at Princeton, and a newspaper article about his football career.

The Clare Fleeman Alger correspondence is made up of correspondence and documents related to David Bruce Alger's wife, Clare Fleeman Alger. In letters to her parents and to other friends and family, Clare described her life as a newlywed and, later, as a new mother. Miscellaneous items in this series include several religious tracts, drafts of poetry and essays, and documents regarding Bruce Reynolds Alger's academic progress at Princeton.

The Richard Edwin ("Eddy") Alger correspondence contains incoming letters, 1885-1921, written by family members to "Eddy" or "Cousin Ed." The group also includes a typed collection of several of his short poems.

In the Albert W. Alger correspondence are a number of letters written to various family members by Albert W. Alger.

The Additional Alger family correspondence, documents, and printed items consists of seven Civil War-era documents by various Alger family members, items related to the St. Louis Writers' Guild, invitations to various weddings and graduation ceremonies, a marriage certificate for Melvin C. Bowman and Mary H. Parcell, and a commemorative stamp from Lundy Island. Of note are two pages of a Civil War-era letter by John H. Houghes, who described a military engagement and the burial of a fallen soldier in the surrounding mountains. The group also contains books, pamphlets, and newspapers. Books include the Student's Reference Work Question Manual and Russell A. Alger's copy of Roswell Smith'sEnglish Grammar on the Productive System . The pamphlets are promotional material for a 1904 World's Fair exhibit, issues of various periodicals belonging to Clare Fleeman Alger (many of which contain her writing), and a copy ofAn Outline History of Richfield Township, 1809-1959 . Other items are newsletters from 1916 and 1921, with contributions by Clare Fleeman Alger; a printed map of the Alger Park neighborhood in Dallas, Texas; a newspaper clipping from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch; a program from a piano recital; and scripts for two radio-based language-learning programs (French and German).

The collection includes 40 volumes of Alger family diaries. Six volumes include a book kept by David Bruce Alger and five volumes belonging to Esther Reynolds Alger, written between 1878 and 1881. Among other materials are an early item likely composed by Richard Edwin Alger (1891), a "Note Book for Sunday School Teachers and Workers" probably kept by Esther Reynolds Alger in the late 19th century, and an Esther Reynolds Alger diary from 1900.

The remainder of the series contains material, spanning 1905-1973, that belonged to David Bruce Alger. His early diaries include a "Foxy Grandpa" notebook (1905) and a series of annual daily journals written from 1910 to 1919. Two five-year diaries chronicle 1920-1924 and 1926-1930, followed by single and two-year volumes kept between 1931 and 1937. An uninterrupted series of five-year volumes covers 1938-1975, although his entries taper off around 1973. David Bruce Alger kept his diaries regularly, composing a few lines about the weather and his activities on a near-daily basis.

The Clare Fleeman Alger manuscript submission records are a series of index cards. They are filed alphabetically by poem or essay title. Each record contains the name of a work, the publication to which the manuscript was submitted, and the date. The records pertain to works written in 1917 and from 1931 to 1943. Occasional rejection letters and drafts are interfiled within the subseries.

The Receipts subseries consists of 9 items dating to the 19th century.

In the Documents subseries are manuscript copies of correspondence regarding Alger's Civil War service, made and authorized by the War Department at a later date. The subseries also includes two typed copies of Lieutenant Philip H. Sheridan's "Account of the Battle of Booneville," and two copies of a "Statement of the Military History of Russell A. Alger."

The Photographs subseries contains four photographs. One is a portrait of Russell A. Alger's wife, Annette Henry Alger, labeled "Aunt Nettie."

The Newspapers and clippings subseries contains a small number of short articles, dating primarily in the 1930s. The clippings relate to various members of the Alger family; for example, one item pertains to the death of Russell A. Alger's son, Frederick Moulton Alger, in 1934. The subseries also includes three full size Kansas City, Missouri, newspapers from 1883, 1897, and [1898].

Vice-president and secretary of the University of Michigan; correspondence; research materials for his biographies of university presidents; files relating to activities on the Ann Arbor City Council; course notes from classes at the University of Michigan; and photographs.

The Shirley Wheeler Smith papers include a combination of personal and professional materials. Much of Smith's career with the U-M is documented in the official records of the University, most notably in the records of the Secretary's Office and the papers of the presidents under whom he served (Angell, Hutchins, Burton, Little, and Ruthven). Even so, these papers contain much material relating to the business affairs of the U-M. The extensive correspondence files (with partial index) demonstrate wide influence in all phases of University operations as he corresponded with presidents, faculty, members of the board of regents, and other university personnel. Also documented in the collection is Smith's activities with the city of Ann Arbor and with other community organizations.

The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Research for writings; Topical files; Ann Arbor City Council; Papers (by date); Personal and miscellaneous; and Photographs.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, and realia related to the family of Universalist Rev. James Shrigley of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The collection spans 1761 to 1955, with the bulk of the materials covering the lives of Rev. James Shrigley (1813-1905) and his son James Burley Shrigley (1846-1914).

The Shrigley family papers are divided into four series: Correspondence and Documents; Diaries, School Books, and Scrapbooks; Photographs and Watercolor Illustration; and Realia. The collection spans 1761 to 1955, with the bulk of the materials covering the lives of James Shrigley and James Burley Shrigley.

The Correspondence and Documents series is divided into two sub-series: Family correspondence and documents, and financial records.

The Shrigley family correspondence and documents subseries contains letters from George S. White, Margaret Shrigley, and James B. Shrigley. James B. Shrigley and Ella G. Oler's marriage certificate and license are present. The items in this subseries were found in a portable writing desk, described below. The Financial records subseries is comprised of receipts and warrant deeds for Corlienus DeHart. DeHart's connection with the Shrigley family has not been determined. Two family account books date from 1764 to 1787 and 1803 to 1811.

The Diaries, School Books, and Scrapbooks series contains seven bound volumes. Three journals by James Burley Shrigley date from 1859-1864, while he was a teenager in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The third volume contains several watercolor illustrations, including one of a US steamer Monitor-inspired hat. The collection includes two scrapbooks compiled by James B. Shrigley and Arthur Shrigley. James's scrapbook contains a biography of his father Reverend James Shrigley and several signed letters and clipped autographs of prominent public individuals, such as P. T. Barnum and Daniel Webster. Arthur's scrapbook contains holiday-themed newspaper clippings.

The Photographs series contains images of multiple members of the Shrigley family and scenes of Frankford, Pennsylvania. Among the photographs are cabinet cards of Reverend James Shrigley and Mary Shrigley, and stereograph cards of Frankford, Pennsylvania, in 1875. The series includes ten photographs that were removed from their frames; three of the frames (original to the photographs) were retained and are filed in the Realia series.

The Realia series contains a portable writing desk, a leather pouch, and three frames. The items in the family correspondence and documents series above were found within the portable writing desk. The owner of the desk has not been determined. The three frames were original to three photographs described in the photographs series.

Grand Rapids, Michigan family, involved in furniture making and other businesses, also active in local state and Republican Party politics and businessmen's associations. Papers include family papers and correspondence, business records, scrapbooks and visual materials.

The Sligh family collection consists of the personal and business papers of the four generations of Slighs mentioned in the biographical introduction: James W. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Charles R. Sligh, Jr., and Robert L. Sligh. Although there is some overlap, the files have been arranged into seven series, one for each of these three Slighs, one for the Sligh Furniture Company and related family businesses, and one each for Newspaper clippings and Scrapbooks, and Visual Materials.

The Smith-Parker-Hicks-Winegar Family Papers document the history of several branches of the family who settled in Southern Michigan in the mid-1830s. The collection's seven series contain genealogical records, biographical materials, financial and business records, family correspondence, travel papers, military papers, as well as collected news clippings and scrapbooks about the Detroit Tigers.

The Smith-Parker-Hicks-Winegar Family Papers comprises the papers of various family members collected and maintained by Dr. George and Mrs. Lois Winegar. The collection is divided into seven series: Genealogical Papers and Miscellaneous Family Records, the Robert R. Smith papers, the Blanche Smith Parker papers, the Lois V. Parker Hicks papers, the W. J. Bryan Hicks papers, the George and Lois Winegar papers, and the Detroit Tigers Scrapbooks and Collected Material. The collection is organized around individual family members except for the first series, which contains genealogical and personal papers of multiple people from various family branches.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, photographs, printed items, and ephemera related to the ancestors, descendants, and extended family of Merwin P. Snell and his first wife, Minnie Gilbert Andrews Sprague. The bulk of the materials pertain to the Snell, Andrews, Hallock, McLaughlin, and Barney families.

This collection is made up of correspondence, documents, photographs, printed items, and ephemera related to the ancestors, descendants, and extended family of Merwin P. Snell and his first wife, Minnie Gilbert Andrews Sprague.

The Correspondence series (106 items) contains personal letters addressed to members of the Snell family. The earliest materials pertain to Merwin Porter Snell and his first wife, Minnie Sprague Snell. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries Merwin P. Snell exchanged letters with his cousins. He sent a lengthy letter about comparative religion to Reverend O'Connell of the Catholic University of America on May 25, 1903. Additional family letters are scattered throughout the series.

The bulk of the correspondence relates to Merwin P. Snell; his second wife, Minnie Louise Snell; and their daughters Margaret and Priscilla. From around 1910 to the early 1920s, Merwin and Minnie exchanged letters with their daughters, who sometimes commented on their studies at St. Joseph's Academy in Adrian, Michigan. Some of the family's letters contain illustrations, including drawings that Margaret and Priscilla made as young children. On May 31, 1929, Priscilla Snell wrote to Charles E. Stimming of Loyola University Chicago about women's personal engagement with religion and the necessity of educating women.

In the summer of 1937, Minnie L. Snell visited San Francisco, California. While there, she frequently exchanged letters with her daughters, who lived with Margaret's husband, Leslie Drew Barney, in Detroit, Michigan. Margaret and Priscilla Snell shared news of their life in Detroit, while their mother described her experiences in California (often related to social outings). The series includes several picture postcards depicting San Francisco scenery. In 1947 and 1948, Priscilla Snell, who had taken holy orders under the name Sister Marie Virginia, described her life in Puerto Rico, where she joined a convent. She wrote about her fellow nuns, religious life, travels within Puerto Rico, and leisure activities. Priscilla enclosed a newsletter titled The Barry Bulletin in her letter of August 4, 1957.

The correspondence also includes a few later letters to Margaret Snell Barney from a cousin regarding their shared genealogy, picture postcards of Detroit scenes, and personal letters from friends and family members.

The Documents series consists of two subseries. Legal and Financial Documents (10 items, 1910-1980) include birth, death, and marriage certificates, a will, and other items related to Merwin P. Snell, Minnie L. Snell, and Margaret Snell; some of these items are later or replacement copies. Two receipts concern expenses related to Merwin P. Snell's funeral in September 1921. A subseries of 6 St. Joseph's Academy Report Cards pertains to the academic progress of Priscilla and Margaret Snell in the 1920s.

The Writings, Notes, and Drawings series contains a narrative essay, three groups of poems, drawings of children and a moose, a watercolor painting of a castle tower, a cutout of a bird pasted onto a black, and plot notes for a one-act play.

The first item is a typed copy of "Thrilling Adventures of a Sailor Boy," an essay about E. Watson Andrews (7 pages, January 12, 1859). On April 2, 1858, Andrews boarded the ship Courser for a voyage from China to the United States. The ship was destroyed soon after its departure. Andrews and others boarded a lifeboat, which soon met with a fleet of Chinese pirates. After a violent encounter with the pirates and their subsequent rescue, Andrews and other survivors safely made it to Hong Kong, where Andrews complained of harsh treatment by the United States consul.

The poetry includes manuscript and published verses by Marie LeBaron (15 items), Minnie Sprague Snell (10 items), and various members of the Snell, Long, and Andrews families (13 items). The poems concern topics such as nature, religion, the Civil War, and family. Some items are printed on newspaper clippings.

The Photographs series (approximately 230 items) documents multiple generations of the Snell, Andrews, Hallock, McLaughlin, Wellington, Barney, Snetsinger, and Hames families from around 1861 to 1978. The images, some of which are framed, include black-and-white and color prints, cartes-de-visite, cabinet cards and other card photographs, tintypes, photographic postcards, newspaper clippings, and photo-illustrated Christmas cards. The pictures include formal individual and group portraits, schoolchildren, and a wedding party. Several items depict Priscilla Snell in a nun's habit, and a few show Spanish-American War-era and early 20th century soldiers in uniform. A small number show the interior of an office or residence. Many of the photographs were taken in cities in Connecticut, Michigan, and Ohio.

The Scrapbook is a repurposed account book, with newspaper clippings pasted in over most of the original financial records. Pages 1-35 contain scrapbook material, and pages 36-66 contain financial records dated 1875-1877. Most of the clippings are poems and articles written by Marie LeBaron (or Le Baron) in the 1870s, including articles about Washington, D.C., and Congressional politics. Visual materials include a painting of a flower against a colored background resembling stained glass, a painting of a pear, an illustrated poem, and a group of faces (drawn into the back cover). One article concerns LeBaron's interest in theosophy. Two articles concern the 1980 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to George D. Snell.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series (53 items) is made up of newspaper clippings, published volumes, and other items. Twenty-seven newspaper clippings and obituaries relate to relatives and friends of the Snell family. Some articles concern marriages and other social news. Two articles concern the longevity and early recollections of Diana McLaughlin and Minnie L. Snell; the article about Snell largely concerns her father's work as a lumberman in northern Michigan.

Additional items include memorial cards for Merwin P. Snell, Minnie L. Snell, Leslie Drew Barney, and Marie L. Wellington; a reward of merit; a photographic postcard of Detroit and a painting of "Mrs. Andrews"; a musical score for "Brotherhood Song" by Joseph Mansfield Long, signed by the composer; and invitations for commencements at St. Joseph's Academy (1931) and the Catholic University of America ([1947?]). Personal ephemera items include a silk pouch made by Eliza Allen's mother in 1805, containing small paintings by Eliza's friend, Caroline Mayhew (1818), and a carte-de-visite portrait of Eliza Hallock (née Allen) taken in 1864; a baby book with notes about the first months of Margaret LeBaron Snell (1911); Marie LeBaron Barney's diploma from Saint Theresa High School in Detroit, Michigan, with a tassel and 3 photographs (June 7, 1953); and two pieces of embroidery with floral designs, done with thin yarn (undated).

• Le Baron, Marie. The Villa Bohemia (1882, housed in the Book Division)
• The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: Translated Out of the Original Greek and with the Former Translations Diligently Compared and Revised (New York: American Bible Society, 1889)
• The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (Combination Self-Pronouncing Edition, 1897)
• Hallock, Charles. Hallock Ancestry, 1640-1906 (1906)
• The Guide to Nature magazine (July 1910 and October 1921)

The Genealogy series (11 items) is made up of notes and a family tree related to the Snell, Long, LeBaron, and McLaughlin families, as well as a memorandum printed in memory of Gerard Hallock Snell.

Student at the University of Michigan. Scrapbook documenting student life and activities.

Scrapbook of programs, clippings, publications, photographs, and other memorabilia of student life and activities.

Four photographs in scrapbook with images of the aftermath of a flood in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City, Missouri, probably in 1903.

Records, 1897-1921,of the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments of the University of Michigan; include correspondence and other papers relating to the development of the collection; also scrapbooks,1890's,containing illustrations of musical instruments. Correspondents include: Francis W. Kelsey, Albert A. Stanley, Frederick Stearns, Frederick Kimball Stearns, George R. Swain, Levi D. Wines, and Dean C. Worcester.

The records include correspondence regarding the acquisition and care of the instruments (1897-1921), annual reports, a statement of loan policy, and articles by Robert Austin Warner on the history and content of the collection. Also included are two scrapbooks containing bills and letters regarding Stearns' acquisitions, clippings, and illustrations from 1890s catalogs.

The Stinchfield family papers contain the correspondence, business records, financial and legal documents, photographs, and genealogical papers of the Stinchfield family, founders of a successful lumber business in Michigan in the mid-19th century. The collection also includes materials related to social and family events in Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, through the mid-20th century.

The Stinchfield family papers consist of the correspondence, business records, financial and legal documents, photographs, and genealogical papers of Jacob W. Stinchfield, his wife Maria Hammond Stinchfield, and their descendants. The collection's correspondence and documents are organized by generation, reflecting their original order. The earliest items in the collection (Generation I series) include real estate transactions involving Jacob Stinchfield of Lincoln, Maine, dating from 1837. Beginning in the 1860s, after the family’s move to Michigan, the records include correspondence, accounts, and other financial records relating to the lumber business, begun by Jacob and continued by his son Charles Stinchfield. The materials provide information respecting the management of men in lumber camps, logging in winter weather conditions, methods of transportation, the challenges of rafting logs downriver, and other lumber business operations in volatile market conditions. Jacob and Charles Stinchfield’s partner, and frequent correspondent, was David Whitney, Jr., a wealthy Detroit businessman.

The Stinchfields expanded their company to include railroads (to facilitate their logging operations) and mineral mines. Many documents in the Generation II series, including manuscript and printed maps, concern land development in Michigan, where the family owned a farm in Bloomfield Hills, and in the West, especially Wyoming. The family traveled extensively and corresponded about their experiences in Europe, Asia, and the western United States. The Civil War is represented with small but significant holdings -- among them, a September 21, 1864, note written and signed by President Abraham Lincoln, requesting a fair hearing for a furlough (probably for George Stinchfield), and a February 14, 1863, letter from Vice President Hannibal Hamlin to Jacob W. Stinchfield, assuring him that George McClellan would not be ordered back to the command of the army.

The collection's twentieth-century materials (Generation III and Generation IV series) consist largely of the personal correspondence of Jacob Stinchfield’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The life of Charles Stinchfield, Jr., is well documented, from his schooling at St. John’s Military Institute in Manlius, N.Y., and a brief time at Cornell University, through his roles in the family business, his marriage, and the raising of his three children. Interactions between Charles Stinchfield, Jr., and his father, Charles Stinchfield, a demanding and energetic businessman, are also well represented in the collection. The materials reveal relationships between family members and their servants, and spiritualists' attempts to contact Charles Stinchfield III, who died of appendicitis in 1933 at the age of 15. Later papers provide descriptions of the social life of a wealthy family in the early and mid-20th century, at their residence in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, and at their country home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

The Genealogy series, compiled largely by Diane Stinchfield Klingenstein, contains extensive background research on family members, copies of Ira and George Stinchfield’s Civil War records, transcriptions of letters written by Charles Stinchfield on a journey west in 1871 (not otherwise represented in the collection), and a typewritten draft of Diane Klingenstein’s family history, "One bough from a branch of the tree: a Stinchfield variation."

In addition to materials organized by generation, the collection includes photographs, scrapbooks, pastels, realia, and books. Many of the photographs are individual and group portraits (both studio and candid) from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The images include many exterior views of the land and buildings of the family’s country home in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan (Stonycroft Farm, ca. 1910), and of the Stinchfield residence in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (ca. 1940s). Early 20th-century lumber camps and railroads in Oregon and mining camps in Nevada are represented in photographs and photograph albums. The collection contains photos from trips to Japan (ca. 1907), the American West, and Europe. The collection's scrapbooks include newspaper clippings, invitations, and photographs, mainly concerning the life of Diane Klingenstein in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, during the 1930s and 1940s.

The Stinchfield family papers contain three pastel portraits of unknown subjects. The Realia series includes a bone ring likely made by George Stinchfield when he was a prisoner on Belle Isle, Virginia; a ring bearing Ira Stinchfield's name and regiment, in case he died during the Civil War; hospital identification and five baby pins for Diane W. Stinchfield (1925); a variety of additional Stinchfield family jewelry; and several wooden, crotched rafting pins, apparently from Saginaw, Michigan.

The Books series includes a copy of The Pictorial Bible, given to Charles and Mary from Father Fish, June 12, 1879, and a selection of 9 additional publications, which are cataloged individually. A comprehensive list of these books may be found by searching the University's online catalog for "Klingenstein."

Church formed in 1971 from the merger of two Detroit, Michigan, Episcopal parishes. Records include historical and informational files; vestry minutes and treasurer's records; records of church organizations; publications and church bulletins; subject files; scrapbooks; and photographs.

The records of St. Matthew's and St. Joseph's Episcopal Church divide into the following record series: the records of St. Matthew's (before the 1971 merger); the records of St. Joseph's (before the 1971 merger); the records of the merged church (1971 to the present); photographs, oral history project, and Sara Hunter collected materials.