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

This subseries consists of clippings and articles, both contemporary and posthumous, containing biographical information on Norton Strange Townshend. Materials are arranged chronologically and shed light on the basic facts of Townshend’s life, as well as on his involvement in education, the suffrage movement in Ohio, and other reform pursuits. Of particular interest to researchers are the sketches written by family members (including Margaret Bailey Townshend, Harriet N. Townshend, and H. Percy Boynton), which reveal Townshend more intimately through recollections and impressions. Also of note are five folders of newspaper obituaries located at the end of the subseries.

The topical files are comprised of materials collected on a variety of subjects by Norton Strange Townshend. Topics are arranged alphabetically. Especially voluminous are his files on the Civil War, which include inspection forms of prisons filled out by Townshend, circular letters to medical inspectors and surgeons, instructions and orders, and official correspondence. Also of interest are the "Fliers for Lectures," which document some of the venues and topics of Townshend’s many public speeches, and his files on "Abolition," "Liberty Party," and "Republican Party," which contain printed matter relating to these topics, revealing to some extent the day-to-day functioning of local antislavery organizations. Townshend’s file on the "Ohio State Asylum for the Education of Idiotic and Imbecile Youth" contains information on the institution’s founding, an application for admission, ephemera, and a set of meeting minutes for a policy meeting in which Townshend participated. Files on Ohio Agricultural & Mechanical College/Ohio State University and Ohio State Agricultural Experiment Station document the early history, policies, and actions of these institutions.