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Collection

Hilon A. Parker family papers, 1825-1953 (majority within 1853-1911)

3 linear feet

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, documents, ephemera, and other items related to Hilon A. Parker and other members of the Parker family. The papers reflect Hilon A. Parker's life in Plessis, New York; his service in the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment during the Civil War; and his postwar work as a railroad engineer and administrator.

This collection (3 linear feet) is made up of correspondence, diaries, documents, ephemera, and other items related to Hilon A. Parker and other members of the Parker family. Materials pertain to Hilon A. Parker's life in Plessis, New York; his service in the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment during the Civil War; and his postwar work as a railroad engineer and administrator.

The correspondence (464 items) consists mainly of personal letters written and received by Hilon A. Parker between the 1860s and early 1910s. During the Civil War, Hilon A. Parker and his brother Harvey exchanged letters and wrote to their parents about service in the Union Army. Hilon served in the 10th New York Artillery Regiment. Thirza Parker, Hilon and Harvey's sister, provided news from Plessis, New York, while her brothers were away. Much of the correspondence from the late 1860s consists of letters between Hilon A. Parker and Mary Cunningham, his future wife. Hilon described the scenery and his work for railroad companies in Iowa, and Mary wrote about her life in Copenhagen, New York. After their marriage, most of the correspondence is comprised of incoming letters to Hilon A. Parker from personal and professional acquaintances. Parker received many condolence letters following Mary's death in early 1892. Later items include content related to Native American schools and to Parker's career in the railroad industry. A few late items sent to Hilon's daughter Florence in 1911 and 1912 concern his estate.

A group of 36 pencil and colored drawings and 32 letters relate to students at the Rainy Mountain Boarding School on the Kiowa-Comanche-Apache reservation in western Oklahoma. Kiowa schoolchildren gave the drawings as thank you notes to Hilon Parker, general manager of the Rock Island Railway, for a train ride he arranged for them in 1899. The children's ledger drawings show teepees, traditional Native American costume, and animals such as horses and buffalo. The children sent 13 letters to Hilon A. Parker on May 5, 1899. The Kiowa correspondence and drawings are accompanied by a group of 19 letters by grade school children in Chicago, Illinois, to Florence Parker Luckenbill, Hilon A. Parker's daughter, around 1925. The Chicago children commented on the Kiowa drawings and letters.

The Hilon A. Parker diaries (31 items) form a continuous run from 1860 to 1911, with the exception of the years 1896 and 1903. His brief daily entries concern life in Plessis, New York, in the early 1860s; service in the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment during the Civil War; and work for the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company. Lucinda Parker, Hilon's mother, kept 6 diaries covering the period from 1858-1865, excepting 1862. She commented on her daily activities and social life in Plessis, New York.

Hilon A. Parker made entries in a commonplace book from February 1863-August 1863 and in April 1866. The first section of the volume contains poems and brief essays composed at Fort Meigs in Washington, D.C. Many of the entries refer to military life and to the war. The later pages of the volume include diagrams of cannons, mathematics and physics notes, and definitions of military terms. Items glued into this section of the volume include a small paper flag and many clipped autographs.

The collection's military documents (39 items) include orders, passes, commissions, and other documents related to Hilon A. Parker's service in the 10th New York Artillery Regiment during the Civil War; one item pertains to his pension. Undated materials include a casualty list and a blank voucher form.

Nine account books belonging to Hilon's father Alpheus Parker span the years from 1853-1878. Some of the volumes pertain to Parker's accounts with specific banks. Hilon Parker's business papers contain 35 accounts, receipts, and other items related to his personal finances and to his work for the railroad industry; one item concerns his voter registration (October 19, 1888). Most of the later material, including contracts and other agreements, regard business agreements between railroad companies. Some of the accounts are written on stationery of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company.

Mary Cunningham's Hungerford Collegiate Institute papers (40 items) include essays, poetry, report cards, and newspaper clippings related to Cunningham's studies at the institute in the mid-1860s. The papers include a manuscript magazine called The Nonpareil, edited by Mary Cunningham (Vol. 5, No. 8: November 18, 1863).

Approximately 80 speeches, addresses, and essays written by Hilon A. Parker pertain to the Civil War, the Republican Party, and Illinois politics. Parker also composed speeches and essays about the life of Abraham Lincoln and about Native Americans.

The Hilon A. Parker family papers include 8 photographs: an ambrotype image of several members of the Parker family posing outside of the Parker & Fairman storefront in Plessis, New York, and portraits of Derrinda Parker Tanner (tintype), Isaac L. Hitchcock (daguerreotype), Lucinda and Thirza Parker (daguerreotype), two unidentified women (ambrotypes), Hilon A. and Harvey M. Parker in military uniform (card photograph), and Hilon A. Parker as a grown man (photographic print).

A scrapbook contains newspaper clippings, ephemera, and other items related to the life of Hilon A. Parker. Many articles concern Civil War veterans' groups (the Englewood Union Veteran Club and the Grand Army of the Republic) and other topics related to the war, such as an article regarding a reunion of the 10th New York Heavy Artillery Regiment, the fate of John Brown's wife and sons, memorial poems, and a map of entrenchments around Petersburg, Virginia. Other groups of clippings concern Illinois politics, liquor laws, the railroad industry, and the life of Hilon A. Parker.

The papers include newspaper clippings (21 items), biographical notes and writings (18 items), a hand-sewn US flag made by Thirza Parker for Hilon Parker while he served in the Civil War, a silhouette made in Denver, Colorado, in 1903, and other items.

Collection

Louise Maxwell correspondence, 1917-1919

0.25 linear feet

This collection is made up of letters that Louise Maxwell received from family members who served in the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps during World War I, including her brothers Daniel, Peter, William, John, and Joseph, as well as her cousin, Fred Gibbs. The servicemen commented on their training and other military experiences in the United States and Western Europe.

This collection is made up of 92 letters that Louise Maxwell received from family members who served in the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Corps during World War I, including her brothers Daniel, Peter, William, John, and Joseph and her cousins Fred Gibbs and Dan Maxwell. Louise's correspondents wrote about many aspects of their service in the United States and Western Europe during and after the war; they occasionally relayed and commented on news of each other. Some mentioned conditions in training camps in the United States, where they participated in gas mask drills and other exercises. The soldiers and sailors discussed travels in England, particularly to London, during the war, and in Belgium, Germany, and the Orkney Islands after the Armistice. Joseph mentioned a plane crash in his letter of October 25, 1918, and Will referred briefly to his combat experiences. Some of the letters are addressed to the Maxwells' mother.

Collection

Melville Selleck letters, 1917-1920 (majority within 1917-1919)

0.25 linear feet

This collection is comprised of 46 letters that Lieutenant Melville Selleck wrote to his family while serving in the United States Navy during and after World War I. He described his training, wartime service in the United States, and postwar service in northern Europe.

This collection is comprised of 46 letters that Lieutenant Melville Selleck wrote to his family while serving in the United States Navy during and after World War I. He described his training, wartime service in the United States, and postwar service in northern Europe.

Melville Selleck wrote 46 letters and telegrams to his parents, Franklin and May Selleck of Buffalo, New York, from August 29, 1917-December 31, 1920. In his earliest letters, he described his experiences at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he attended basic training and quartermaster's school. He discussed his daily activities, including drills, and commented on his homesickness and desire to participate in active duty. By November 1917, Selleck was stationed on the SS Sierra in the Great Lakes, and he spent much of the spring of 1918 in New York City, where he anticipated departing for Texas. He later mentioned his travels in Texas, and continued to write about his homesickness.

In September 1918, he was stationed onboard the USS William Isom in Virginia, and he was promoted to junior grade lieutenant in November 1918. Selleck's letters from early 1919 concern his training at the United States Naval Auxiliary Reserve Officer-Material School at Pelham Bay, New York. Throughout the second half of 1920, he wrote from the USS South Bend, SS Winchester, and SS Susquehanna. While onboard theSusquehanna, Selleck described travels to northern Europe and provided his impressions of Bremen, Germany, where he noted the inflation of the German mark. Enclosures include a copy of Selleck's request for a promotion, a copy of a letter of inquiry Selleck sent a potential employer, typed extracts from some of Selleck's letters, and a newspaper clipping about sailors' pay. The collection also contains one undated letter that Lawrence Selleck wrote to his family.

Collection

Olga and Jesse Smith collection, 1898-1924 (majority within 1909-1914)

72 items

The Olga and Jesse Smith collection is made up of photographs, correspondence, and other materials revolving around this couple's work at the Ironwood and Ponca Schools for Native Americans, in South Dakota and Oklahoma, respectively.

The Olga and Jesse Smith collection is made up of photographs, correspondence, and other materials revolving around this couple's work at the Ironwood and Ponca Schools for Native Americans, in South Dakota and Oklahoma, respectively. The largest portion of the collection dates during their time at Ironwood School, 1909-1912, and the Ponca School, 1912-1914.

The centerpiece of the Smith collection is a photograph album, apparently kept by Olga Smith. Consisting of 304 mounted snapshots, this album is divided roughly into two parts: photos from South Dakota and photos from Oklahoma. The first images were taken in and around the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota. Their subjects include the Ironwood and Upper Cut Meat Day Schools, portraits of school children and other male and female members of the Lakota tribe, Native Americans in tribal costumes and on horseback, an excursion to the Badlands, and other subjects. Photographs taken in Oklahoma include views of the Ponca School and its school children, and other portraits.

This photograph album is valuable in its entirety, and for many of its outstanding individual images. Some of the most impressive photographs are casual portraits of Native Americans, snapshots of a Catholic "Indian Funeral," views of school buildings and grounds, and Native American rituals and encampments. The album also provides insight into what the Smiths deemed important enough to photograph and retain.

The collection also contains 39 loose photographs and images, including tintypes, real photo postcards, picture postcards, a cyanotype, studio portraits, and other miscellaneous photographs. These include family photographs, portraits of Native Americans (some in full regalia), Ponca and Ironwood schools and schoolchildren, images of Native American women cooking out-of-doors, a Rosebud Reservation hotel, a cemetery at the St. Francis Mission, and a several commercial picture postcards of locations on reservations in Oklahoma and North Dakota. See the Additional Descriptive Data for a more thorough list of subjects and names represented in the photograph album and loose photographs.

A small group of 10 letters accompanies the Smith collection. These include six letters and postcards from Olga to her parents and sister at Anderson and Graysville, Indiana, 1909-1910. Two of Olga's letters provide extensive details on life in Cut Meat on the Rosebud Reservation in February 1909. These letters describe the surrounding area, the school, the responsibilities of the Smiths' students, interactions with Native Americans, language barriers, the daily routine, and carriage and train travel. One of these two letters was printed in an Indiana newspaper. In the remaining four letters, Olga provides further insight into life on the reservation, pleads with her parents to visit, and offers advice on how to smuggle a child onboard a train without paying their fare. Smiths' daughter Mildred wrote a letter to her grandparents, in which she discusses her pets and expresses hope that they will come to visit (dated June 1909). Finally, two 1912 letters from Ironwood students to Jesse Smith in January 1912 discuss their chores and school attendance, and a single telegram to Jesse Smith in October 1914 regards his transfer to "Kiowa Schools," Oklahoma, to serve as supervising principal.

A selection of miscellaneous materials completes the Olga and Jesse Smith collection. Six of these nine items relate to the Smiths' school administration and their own efforts to learn and retain Sioux names and vocabulary. These include pages of typed names, titled "Indian Names That is Good for the Soul and Body," and "Sioux Indian Words from Memory"; two pages hung in the Ironwood school by Olga Smith, which list the female students cleaning and sewing responsibilities for two weeks; and a 55-page typed list of Native American names (possibly students). This last item contains approximately 1,450 names. Other miscellaneous materials include a commencement program for Olga Byrkett's graduation, 1898; a card with a hand-drawn teepee and tent which advertises a Progressive Dinner Party given by the Mission Ladies at Colony, Oklahoma, December 1916; and a Grand Secretary's Certificate for Jesse W. Smith, Master Mason, Ponca, Lodge No. 83, December 1924.

Collection

Russell A. Alger family papers, 1842-1975 (majority within 1863-1865, 1888-1945)

12.5 linear feet

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.

The Russell A. Alger scrapbooks subseries contains six volumes of newspaper clippings:
  • 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].

Collection

Sears and MacDougall family collection, 1910s-1960s (majority within 1924-1953)

3 linear feet

This collection is made up of personal letters related to the immediate and extended family of Philip Mason Sears, including his wife, Zilla MacDougall; his children, Charlotte and Philip Sears; Zilla's sister, Charlotte MacDougall; and Zilla's brother-in-law, Danish diplomat Henrik Kauffmann. Family members wrote about foreign travel, service in the United States Navy, and daily life in the United States and abroad from the mid-1910s to the mid-1960s.

This collection is made up of personal letters related to the immediate and extended family of Philip Mason Sears, including his wife, Zilla MacDougall; his children, Charlotte and Philip Sears; Zilla's sister, Charlotte MacDougall; and Zilla's brother-in-law, Danish diplomat Henrik Kauffmann.

Much of the early correspondence revolves around Zilla MacDougall Sears, including letters that she wrote to her parents, grandparents, and sister about her foreign travels and life in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. She visited London, England, in 1916 and 1917, and went to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berlin, Germany, in the early and mid-1920s. In 1925, she described her travels in China, particularly her experiences in Peking (Beijing). Zilla also discussed her life in Syracuse, New York, and family life in Dedham, Massachusetts, after her marriage to Philip Mason Sears in 1924. In December 1924, the couple received congratulatory telegrams. The collection also contains many telegrams from the 1920s and 1930s concerning family health and family travels, including items sent by William MacDougall and Philip Mason Sears.

Additional early items include letters that Henrik Kauffmann wrote to Philip Mason Sears in the 1910s and 1920s, and letters that Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann wrote to her parents and sister in the 1920s. Henrik and Charlotte's correspondence, often written on Danish stationery, concerns their travels and lives in China, India, Thailand, Japan, Denmark, and other locations. Prior to their marriage, Henrik discussed his excitement about Charlotte's upcoming visits and otherwise commented on their relationship. Correspondence from the 1930s includes additional travel letters and telegrams, and a group of letters to Zilla MacDougall Sears regarding her desire to purchase a Sicilian donkey from a company in Palermo in 1933. Zilla also wrote a letter to her mother on "swastika" stationery from Cuernavaca, Mexico (March 7, 1936).

Much of the material from the World War II era concerns the naval service of Philip Mason Sears and Philip Sears, Junior. The Sears children wrote a small number of V-mail letters to their father while he was stationed on the USS Fuller in the Pacific in 1942. From 1944 to 1946, Philip Mason Sears, Jr., wrote to his parents and sister about his experiences in the navy, including his participation in the V-12 Navy College Training Program at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and his later experiences on a base in the Nevada desert. He often discussed his desire and attempts to gain entry into the aviation service and/or gunnery school. Additional correspondence from the early to mid-1940s includes letters that Charlotte Sears ("Poppin") wrote to her family about her studies and other experiences at the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. Many of her letters feature cartoonish doodles and drawings. Zilla MacDougall Sears also received letters her nieces and nephews, including David and "Liza Jane" (who included colored drawings of horses in her letter postmarked from Lake Placid, New York, on July 18, 1942). The Sears children also received letters from their aunt, Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann, then living in Washington, D.C.

After the war, the bulk of the collection is comprised of letters from Henrik and Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann and Charlotte Sears (later Look) to Zilla MacDougall Sears. The Kauffmanns wrote to Zilla after returning to Denmark in 1946; among other topics, they discussed some of the lingering effects of the war. In the early 1950s, Charlotte Sears and her husband, David T. Look, wrote to Zilla about their experiences in Washington, D.C., including their work and leisure activities. In 1953, Charlotte described her travels in southern California and in Europe. The final items largely consist of Charlotte Kauffmann's letters to Zilla Sears from Switzerland and Denmark as late as 1963; while in Switzerland, she mentioned her participation in winter sports.

Additional materials include newspaper clippings about the death of Clinton MacDougall and the atomic bomb, the Sears children's school essays, and other miscellaneous manuscripts. A small number of picture postcards are present throughout the correspondence. The collection's photographs and negatives pertain to United States sailors and to people at leisure indoors and outdoors.

Collection

Sherlock and William C. Hibbs collection, 1909-2002 (majority within 1909-1968)

1.75 linear feet

This collection contains correspondence, military records, ephemera, and other material related to Commander Sherlock Hibbs, who served in the United States Navy during World War II. The material documents his service on the staff of Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and in an intelligence unit. Additional material concerns his grandfather, William Congress Hibbs, a Civil War veteran who lived in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.

The Sherlock and William C. Hibbs collection contains correspondence, military records, ephemera, and other material related to Commander Sherlock Hibbs, who served with the United States Navy in both theaters of World War II, and to his grandfather, William Congress Hibbs, a Civil War veteran who lived in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri. Included are 9 letters and documents, 2 photographs, and 1 typescript (47 pages) related to William C. Hibbs, concerning his Civil War pension and a Michigan soldier's experiences as a prisoner of the Confederate Army. Most of the material, including approximately 250 items and numerous photographs, relates to the military service of Sherlock Hibbs, who served in both theaters of World War II, and trained at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.

The William C. Hibbs series is divided into 3 subseries: Letters and Documents, Photographs and Newspaper Clipping, and Typescript.

The Letters and Documents subseries contains 9 items. Two items are letters: one from F. H. Wagner, a Civil War veteran, who reminisced about his Civil War service and enclosed a 2-page typed account entitled "The Johnson Court-Martial Case" (July 1909), and the other from Robert Hibbs to his brother William C. Hibbs, discussing the costs of a recent funeral (April 5, 1919). Other items include 4 documents concerning the Civil War pension claimed on behalf of William C. Hibbs, who served with Company I of the 14th Illinois Volunteer Regiment (1909-1921), and 3 forms discharging Hibbs from the Illinois Soldiers' & Sailors' Home (1918 and 1926), and from the Danville Branch of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (1918).

The Photographs and Newspaper Clipping subseries includes two undated black-and-white photographs of a man standing amidst buildings, as well as a newspaper obituary for William C. Hibbs ([1927]).

The Typescript, entitled "The Terrors of Rebel Prisons," by Private Thaddeus L. Waters of Company G, 2nd Michigan Cavalry Regiment, recounts the author's experiences at Andersonville and other Confederate prisons after his capture at the Battle of Chickamauga. The document, published in 1891, consists of 12 chapters (47 pages).

The Sherlock Hibbs series holds correspondence, military documents, and other items, primarily concerning his military service during World War II.

The Correspondence subseries contains 42 items, including 10 letters and 2 Christmas cards addressed to Sherlock Hibbs, 4 telegrams Hibbs wrote during the 1940 Republican National Convention, 24 letters Hibbs wrote to his parents while serving in the United States Navy during World War II, 1 letter Admiral Calvin T. Durgin wrote to Mr. and Mrs. Hibbs, and 1 navy telegram.

Of the first 7 items, one concerns Hibbs’s financial career (February 19, 1933), and 6 relate to the 1940 Republican National Convention, including brief signed acknowledgments from Alf M. Landon and Wendell Willkie (June 24, 1940, and November 18, 1940), and 4 telegrams Hibbs sent to members of the convention, regarding his views on intra-party cooperation and his support for Wendell Willkie (June 25, 1940-June 27, 1940).

The following 29 items pertain to Hibbs's naval service, including 24 letters he wrote to his parents, William E. and Emma S. Hibbs of Battle Creek, Michigan, while onboard the USS Ranger in early 1943; during his training with the Commander Air Fleet at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, throughout the summer of 1943; and while serving on the USS Tulagi in 1944. He described several aspects of military life, including his friendship with Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and activities while on leave in New York City. He also commented on war news and offered his parents some investing and financial advice. Durgin wrote one letter to the Hibbs family on June 29, 1944, anticipating an upcoming foreign deployment and enclosing a photograph of himself from a newspaper clipping. After the war, Sherlock Hibbs received a typed letter of appreciation for his military service and well wishes for his future, signed by Secretary of the Navy James Vincent Forrestal (March 30, 1946). Also included is a telegram from the United States Navy Communication Service, relaying the news that the USSR had declared war against Japan (August 9, 1945).

Postwar material includes 2 photograph Christmas cards Sherlock Hibbs received from the Reynolds family of Sapeloe Island, Georgia, in 1947 and 1949, as well as 4 letters from Secretary of the Navy Thomas S. Gates, who thanked Hibbs for providing advice about business opportunities (February 24, 1959-April 29, 1968). Hibbs also received one undated letter from Margaret Durgin.

Two Diaries chronicle the wartime experiences of Sherlock Hibbs, during his service with the United States Navy in both theaters of the war. They are dated June 10, 1942-June 23, 1944, and June 13, 1944-December 11, 1945 (the first 5 pages are dated May 30, 1942). The diaries contain brief daily entries that relate the movements and other actions of Hibbs while onboard the USS Ranger and while working with the navy's flight command. Hibbs served along the East Coast of the United States, in the Mediterranean, and in the Pacific Theater.

The 158-page Personal Military Record of Sherlock Hibbs contains forms, official reports, and other documents pertaining to his service in the United States Navy during World War II and to his time in the United States Naval Reserve until 1968. Early documents relate to his service on the staff of Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and to his actions in the Pacific Theater of the war. Documents include the citation for his Bronze Star award (March 4, 1945, pp. 92-94) and a form authorizing his release from active duty (October 2, 1945, p. 68). Many later items relate to his health and physical fitness.

The Appointments series is comprised of 40 official forms and military documents related to the naval service of Sherlock Hibbs. The material traces his movements with the United States Navy throughout World War II, and includes appointments to different positions, orders to complete temporary duties, and paperwork concerning leaves of absence. The final document of June 8, 1949, signed by Secretary of the Navy Francis P. Matthews, officially appoints Hibbs a commander in the United States Naval Reserve.

The Rosters of Officers are 14 lists of officers at various posts of the United States Navy, including:
  • USS Ranger
  • Commander Fleet Air, Quonset Point
  • USS Tulagi
  • USS Makin Island
  • Carrier Division 29
  • Composite Squadron 84
  • Commander Escort Carrier Force, Pacific Fleet
  • USS Wright

The 20-item Air Combat Intelligence subseries holds 20 items about intelligence operations related to naval air combat, including a manual for instruction at the Naval Air Combat Intelligence School at Quonset Point, Rhode Island (April 18, 1942), war-era documents requesting intelligence information, and programs and minutes from symposia and advisory meetings held between 1949 and 1953. A photograph of a meeting, held on November 19, 1953, is enclosed with a certificate of attendance for Sherlock Hibbs.

Identification Cards and Ration Book (27 items) include the cover for a World War II ration book for sugar, as well as various identification and business cards used by Sherlock Hibbs before, during, and after his service in the United States Navy. These include official naval identification cards, business cards, identification used while attending certain events, a pay allowances card, an immunization card, and similar items. Also included are a picture postcard from Japan and a business card from the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, as well as a check and a brief note.

The Summaries of Flights subseries is a 135-page report entitled "Ranger Air Group Summary of Flights During Torch Operations November 8-12, 1942" that contains detailed, classified reports on naval air operations carried out by airmen serving on the USS Ranger near North Africa. These included intelligence missions, bombing raids, and scouting trips. The report includes a table of contents and four additional pages of introductory material.

The Military Papers are comprised of 45 miscellaneous documents from Sherlock Hibbs's service in the United States Navy and Naval Reserve. Most items date to World War II, though a few cover his time in the reserves after the war. Items include memoranda, forms, orders, and citations. The series contains a ribbon Hibbs earned for active duty service (February 6, 1945), a copy of a newsletter printed onboard the USS Makin Island (May 8, 1945), a note about Hibbs's qualification for promotion (October 8, 1945), a note regarding his separation from the Naval Service (November 15, 1945), and permanent citations for his Bronze Star (May 21, 1947) and Gold Star (June 10, 1947). Several later documents concern his transfer to the Naval Reserve after the war.

The collection's Photographs cover much of the World War II service of Sherlock Hibbs, including photographs taken on Iwo Jima, various Japanese islands, and in other unidentified tropical locations. The photographs depict naval vessels, such as the USS Makin Island and USS Tulagi, soldiers, and military events. Several show Sherlock Hibbs, including many prints of the ceremony at which he received a medal. Two larger photographs show an airplane catching fire and bursting apart, and one group shows celebrations onboard an unidentified ship, with many soldiers in pirate and other costumes. Though most pictures were taken in the Pacific Theater, others show scenes of destruction in France and Italy in 1944.

The Currency subseries contains 20 examples of monies used by various nations during the 1940s. Currencies represented:
  • United States dollar issued to forces serving in North Africa
  • Philippines
  • Japanese invasion money, Pacific Theater
  • Egypt
  • China
  • France
  • Italy
  • Tripolitania

The Maps subseries holds folded maps of southeast Kansas and of the "Trails of Utah." 7 cloth maps and 2 printed maps show Okinawa, Japan, and several Pacific Islands as they appeared during the Second World War.

The collection's Newspaper Clippings primarily concern United States Navy personnel who served in World War II, including Thomas S. Gates and Calvin T. Durgin. One article mentions business executives serving in the navy, and explicitly refers to Sherlock Hibbs. The series also holds 2 issues of The Stars and Stripes (July 11, 1944 and September 5, 1944), several pages of The Commercial and Financial Chronicle (January 24, 1952), an undated article entitled "A Bachelor's House," and obituaries for Calvin T. Durgin (March 27, 1965) and Sherlock Hibbs (July 8, 2002).

The Ephemera subseries has several types of items, such as pamphlets distributed by Allied forces in Southeast Asia during World War II, Japanese-language pamphlets, a political cartoon, 2 documents related to Sherlock Hibbs's studies at the New York University School of Law in the early 1930s, and "A Minute Review" of "Forever Amber." Also included are a pamphlet entitled "Instructions for Writing the Deck Log," issued for the USS Ranger in September 1942, the copy of The Bluejackets' Manual 1940 that belonged to Sherlock Hibbs, a data table on Japanese combat aircraft (June 1945), and a maneuvering board. A dog tag and uniform insignia identifying Hibbs as a lieutenant commander and commander in the United States Navy are also present, as is a 1 point red "opa" coin.

Collection

Simonetti family papers, 1909-1945 (majority within 1942-1945)

6.5 linear feet

The Simonetti family papers contain correspondence, documents, photographs, printed material, and ephemera related to the family, who emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1920. The bulk of the material relates to Pius (Pio) and Gaetano (Nino) Simonetti and their service in the United States Army during the Second World War.

The Simonetti family papers contain correspondence, documents, photographs, printed material, and ephemera related to the family, who emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1920. The bulk of the material relates to Pius (Pio) and Gaetano (Nino) Simonetti and their service in the United States Army during the Second World War.

The Correspondence series , which comprises the bulk of the collection, covers the years 1909-1921 and 1942-1945 and includes approximately 1,000 letters and pieces of V-mail; Letters, V-mail, and Telegrams are housed in separate subseries. Roughly two-thirds of the correspondence is written in Italian, with the remainder of the material in English and a handful of items in French. Alberto Simonetti wrote the earliest items in the Letters subseries to his wife Angelica, and his letters often contain pressed flowers; these letters are in Italian. The later run of correspondence, including the V-mail subseries, consists of letters composed by and addressed to Pio Simonetti during his World War II service in Algeria, Italy, and France; these are written in both Italian and English. In his letters to his son, Alberto reported family news, and often discussed rationing as well as his personal opinions of the United States government and of the war. His son sent home news of friends and relatives, and often described his leisure activities and military life, though he seldom mentioned combat. During 1945, he frequently wrote of his upcoming marriage and of his efforts to secure a visa for his new wife. By 1945, Pio expressed his frustration at remaining in Europe despite the official conclusion of combat operations. The Telegrams subseries primarily consists of messages sent between Alberto and Angelica Simonetti in the 1940s.

The Photographs and Negatives series has 41 photographs and 10 negatives. Pio Simonetti took the majority of the photographs, which depict army life in France and Italy during World War II and include several pictures of Pio and his friends. Other material in the collection belonged to Alberto Simonetti during World War I or to friends of Pio and Nino.

The Receipts series contains 9 items, the majority of which are related to goods ordered by and sent to Pio Simonetti during his European tour of duty. One item, dated 1934, is in Italian.

The Army Informational Materials series features material owned by Pio Simonetti during his World War II service. Pio collected his notes, quizzes, and exercises in Italian and English, and wrote English-language notes in a spiral notebook during training. He also saved GI pamphlets on banking, real estate, and sexual health. Other materials relate to interrogation tactics and the treatment of prisoners of war.

The Maps series consists of maps of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and Picardy Region, France ("Triville"), which Pio Simonetti acquired during his military intelligence training. The series contains additional map overlays, as well as two maps of Palermo, Sicily.

Printed material includes newspaper clippings in English, French, and Italian; the English and French clippings date from World War II and the Italian clippings from 1918. Among the later materials are several satirical cartoons by William Henry Mauldin ("Bill"). In addition to these, the series also holds two pamphlets, A Total Moral Defense (1941) and a Pocket Guide to France (undated), as well as a book, P. C. Wren's The Wages of Virtue (undated).

The Ephemera series incorporates a variety of materials collected by Pio Simonetti during World War II, including holiday greeting cards, postcards, prayer cards, schedules, programs, stamps, and Italian and French currency.

Collection

Stanley D. Carpenter correspondence, 1917-1918

0.25 linear feet

The Stanley D. Carpenter correspondence consists of letters that Carpenter wrote to his mother and grandmother while serving with the United States Marine Corps during the First World War. He described his experiences while training at the Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia and discussed conditions in the trenches in France. The collection also has 4 lists of items sent to Carpenter during his military service.

This collection consists of 60 letters and 2 postcards that Stanley D. Carpenter wrote to his mother and grandmother while serving with the United States Marine Corps during the First World War. The collection also has 4 lists of items sent to Carpenter during his military service.

Carpenter first wrote home from Port Royal, South Carolina, on February 21, 1917, to report his 4-year enlistment, and he regularly corresponded with his mother throughout his time in the military. His early letters reveal his enthusiasm for military life and describe several aspects of his training, including his daily routine and his uniform and equipment allotments, at marine corps bases at Parris Island, South Carolina; Portsmouth, Virginia; and Quantico, Virginia. Several of his letters have enclosures, such as two pieces of palm for Palm Sunday (March 11, 1917); a color print of a soldier, labeled to illustrate Carpenter's equipment (March 15, 1917); a printed copy of the Marines' Hymn (May 8, 1917); and a program from the Academy of Music in Norfolk, Virginia (May 13, 1917). By May 1917, he anticipated being sent to France, and on June 7, 1917, mentioned seeing Woodrow Wilson while visiting Washington, D. C. Several of these letters are sealed with American flag stickers.

Carpenter wrote his first letter from France on July 19, 1917, assuring his mother that he had arrived safely and in good health, and wrote frequently about the war and his experiences. He initially visited the local Y.M.C.A., though he later severely criticized the organization. He mentioned his religious habits and those of other soldiers, and his unit regularly participated in drill exercises. By January 1918, Carpenter began to serve on the front lines, and he later provided a detailed account of life in the trenches (May 2, 1918). While in France, he also described his quarters, local French houses, and inspections by General John J. Pershing. He wrote his last letter on May 30, 1918, and enclosed 3 receipts for money transfers.

Other correspondence includes a telegram that Caroline Carpenter sent to Stanley D. Carpenter on February 19, 1917, urging him to reconsider his enlistment and offering to pay for his return to Pennsylvania; a letter she wrote to the commanding officer of the Marine Barracks at Port Royal, South Carolina, asking him to look after Stanley (February 20, 1917); and a letter that Major W. Garland Fay wrote to Caroline Carpenter, apologizing for his inability to have Stanley assigned to a post closer to home [June 1917]. The collection also contains 4 lists of items sent to Stanley D. Carpenter during his military service.

Collection

Thomas E. Snook letters, 1916-1919

59 items

This collection is primarily made up of letters and telegrams that Thomas E. Snook sent to his parents in New York City about his experiences as an United States Army engineer from 1916-1919. The collection also contains letters written by Snook's father and another soldier.

This collection (59 items) is primarily made up of letters and telegrams that Thomas E. Snook sent to his parents in New York City from July 12, 1916-May 24, 1919, pertaining to his service as a United States Army engineer. Snook wrote 5 letters to his parents about his military training in Plattsburg, New York, in July 1916; he commented on drill, marches, his fellow soldiers, and his diet. From July 1917-June 1918, he described his training with the 306th Engineer Regiment in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Camp Jackson, South Carolina. He was promoted to captain during this period. Snook's letters concern training exercises, unit organization and reorganization, a quarantine, and preparations for embarkation. In his letter of June 13, 1917, he mentioned his intention to marry Virginia Wright.

From August 1918-May 1919, but mostly after the Armistice, Snook discussed his experiences in France. Though he occasionally heard artillery fire, he later reported that he had not participated directly in combat, telling his family about the engineers' role during the final months of the fighting. After the war, he wrote about his interactions with French citizens and the Americans' efforts during and after the war. His letters of June 3, 1918, and April 12, 1919, contain lists of American casualties, and his letter of December 15, 1918, has a list of all of the items that he carried on his person. In addition to Snook's correspondence, the collection contains a small number of letters from his father and one letter to his mother from S. T. Bennett, another soldier serving in France (September 22, 1918).