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The Wilson papers contain letters and documents relating to the lives and careers of three generations of the family of William Wilson, residents of Clermont, N.Y. in the mid-Hudson River Valley.

The Wilson family papers contains over 4,000 letters relating to the lives and fortunes of three generations of the family of William Wilson, residents of Clermont, N.Y, in the mid-Hudson River Valley. Virtually all of the letters in the collection were received by members of the Wilson family, with only a very few out-going drafts. Together, these present an impressively detailed perspective on many aspects of family life, political culture, agriculture, commerce, and the economy of Columbia and Dutchess County, N.Y., in the fifty years following the end of the American Revolution. As well being educated, energetic members of the social elite, the Wilsons engaged in a variety of pursuits, from the legal and medical professions, to land proprietorship, farming, and politics, and they commented extensively at every turn. A genealogical chart of the Wilson family, detailing the relationships of all those mentioned in the collection can be found in box 42:11.

The core of the Wilson papers consists of the letters received by William Wilson, who shouldered a wide variety of responsibilities in Columbia and Dutchess counties and knew their residents intimately. The breadth of his interests brought him into contact with many of the state's leading citizens, but also with the tenant farmers, medical patients, merchants and clerks. William's major pursuit in life was medicine, and his surviving papers contain seven medical daybooks (40:3; 47:9-14), providing a chronological record of his visits, diagnoses and prescriptions, as well as his fees. He also kept two notebooks dealing with the causes and symptoms of various diseases (47:15, 16), and scattered throughout his papers are letters from patients discussing their illnesses. Of particular importance are the letters relative to the deaths of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston and his wife, for whom Wilson was the attending physician (18:6-10; 19:15, 21, 23). Wilson was also a founding member of the Medical Society of Dutchess and Columbia Counties in 1796, and was associated with the founding of the New York Medical Society, as well as with the effort to establish a medical college (15:69; 16:17, 24, 44, 46, 52, 66, 70, 76, 80; 17:3, 13, 17, 23, 29; 45:19).

William Wilson was also employed as an administrator of landed property, usually for members of the Livingston family, and particularly Henry Livingston (1752/53-1823). The wide-spread unrest among "General Livingston's" tenants is discussed in many of the letters, along with more general discussions of land tenure, proprietary power, and tenant satisfaction. Wilson also served as administrator for the property of Chancellor Robert R. Livingston, especially during the latter's appointment to France, for two absentee landlords from New York City, Walter Rutherford and J. Stark Robinson (41:1, 2); and he was an executor or administrator for the estates of Robert Cambridge Livingston (1742-1794) (42:1), Peter Robert Livingston (1737-1794) (42:7), and the Chancellor (42:3-6). The materials relating to Livingston rental properties consists largely of receipts for rents received, but also include lease agreements, about twenty account books relative to the Chancellor's lands, and negotiations for the sale of land, especially the Chancellor's property in New Jersey after his death. A section of the estate documents for Robert R. Livingston relate to payment of medical, boarding, and clothing bills for Isabella and her son, Stephen, who were enslaved by Livingston (42:4). Some of the documents refer to her as Isabella Bond.

In 1791, Wilson added the office of Deputy Postmaster to his collection of responsibilities, becoming the first such agent for the town of Clermont. He was reappointed in 1803, and continued at his lucrative post until surrendering it to his son in 1825. As with everything else, Wilson saved all of his papers (42:12-15), and this the collection includes Wilson's original appointment commissions, signed by Post Master General Timothy Pickering (1:46 and 12:72), as well as the postal accounts and other records, which are generally of an administrative and bureaucratic nature. There are a few scattered items from correspondents critical of the speed and unreliability of the mails.

William Wilson also filled various political appointments in the county, and was active in state politics. As a Jeffersonian-Republican, befitting a friend of Chancellor Livingston, he played an important local role as judge of the county court, yet while many of his letters are addressed to "Judge" Wilson, virtually nothing pertaining to his official judicial activities survives in the collection apart from a series of receipts from various sheriffs and a few examinations of a woman for illegitimacy (43:44; 41:19). However Wilson corresponded with other judges and lawyers in the region, a fair amount of which has been preserved, especially from Peter Van Schaack and members of the prominent Van Ness family. Wilson's role as one of the first school supervisors in the area is represented by some scant records (41:22), as is his position as a commissioner for the granting of tavern licenses (41:23).

Wilson was involved in two other county-wide projects that had an important impact on Columbia County, and for which there is excellent material. One of these was the construction of the Highland Turnpike, which ran from Westchester County to near Albany, with gates in Columbia County. Wilson sat on its Board of Directors, and was a frequent and regular correspondent with its president, Joseph Howland (43:1, 2). Howland's are among the few letters that bear on broader national issues, and are in many ways the most interesting series of letters in the collection (see especially 17:87). Secondly, Wilson was instrumental in the establishment of the Agricultural Society of Dutchess and Columbia Counties, or the "Farm Club," as it was usually called. As (variously) president, vice president, secretary, or treasurer, Wilson was intimately involved in the operation of the organization. Of particular interest is the material relative to the annual county fairs held by the club, and the notifications from potential participants, the standards for awards, and the lists of winners (41:3-11). These records, together with the information to be gathered from the receipts from merchants, presents a detailed picture of agricultural life in the rural Hudson Valley.

In sum, those portions of the Wilson Papers that deal directly with William Wilson and his many activities provides a comprehensive picture of rural life in Columbia County and the state of New York in the forty years after the American Revolution.

The letters from Wilson's children offer insights into other aspects of life in early nineteenth-century New York. Alexander Wilson wrote many letters to his father while a student, and it is from his papers that one gets a good idea of the nature of legal education at the beginning of the nineteenth century. Alexander's early death means there is little material relating to his career as a practicing attorney, but what is lacking from Alexander is more than made up for by the papers of his younger brother, Robert. Robert kept extensive records of his practice, including a register of cases covering the entire period of his independent practice in New York, 1823-1830 (46:17), and his day books and account books, which list his professional duties preformed on behalf of clients, and his expenses, fees, and collections (40:1; 46:15,16). The Wilson Papers also includes file papers for many of the cases in which Robert participated (43:5-30), providing a broad, and occasionally deep insight into one man's legal practice in the early 19th century.

The letters of Wilson's other sons are less numerous than those of Alexander and Robert. William H. spent most of his life in Clermont, and so wrote less often, and Stephen B. was a secretive man, who simply did not write many letters. William H. wrote several letters during his tour of duty on the Lake Champlain frontier during the War of 1812 (18:43, 52; 19:18, 26, 36, 47, 56, 60, 68; 20:16, 18), but these are preoccupied with descriptions of camp life and military "politics" rather than strategy or the social impact of the war. William succeeded his father as Deputy Postmaster in 1825, and kept the same copious records as his father (42:12-15). He was not, however, as active in politics as his father, and except for a few letters relating to his run for a seat in the state senate in 1839, and some candidate lists and election return broadsides (41:25-27), there is little of political interest in William's papers. Stephen's letters are the more interesting for their rarity. When he does write, it is well worth the reading.

In addition to the letters written and collected by William, William H., and Robert L. Wilson, the Wilson Papers contain a vast quantity of documents. The largest category of this material contains an enormous number of accounts and receipts from merchants with whom the Wilsons did business. In terms of the number of items, fully half of the Wilson Papers is comprised of these accounts. Approximately 800 individual laborers, craftsmen, merchants, and business firms are represented as having done business with one or another member of the Wilson family, and the collection includes accounts for nearly every kind of household goods, from furniture to food to building materials, agricultural supplies, from seeds to fruit trees to sheep, and personal goods, from cheap "segars" to an "invalid chair" for Robert L., to wine.

The accounts (box 44 and 45:1-16) are arranged alphabetically by creditor. A complete list of merchants and firms represented in the collection is included under "Merchants" in the subject index. The accounts are a particularly valuable resource for social historians. For example the accounts of Samuel Haner (44:12) document aspects of blacksmithing; those of the Clermont grocers Bonesteel and Broadhead (44:4) reveal aspects of diet and nutrition; those of Thomas Beekman (44:2) document medicine and medical supplies; and those of Peter Outwater (45:6) provide information on transportation and commerce on the Hudson River. Receipts for payment that do not include goods or services are filed by surname (45:20-23). The collection also includes a number of the Wilsons' account books, especially William's and Robert's, which offer a view of the other side of the ledger (40:5; 46:18; 47:1, 2).

A second subdivision of the collection, and one closely related to the merchant accounts, deals with land administration. In addition to the correspondence of Henry Livingston with William Wilson mentioned above, the collection contains several subject files related to this important issue in Hudson River Valley history. Most important are the folders containing information on absentee landlords (41:1, 2); deeds (41:4); land grants (43:4); leases (43:31, 32); mortgages (45:17); various rental accounts (46:1-7); surveys and surveying (46:8); as well as William Wilson's rental account books (46:17-20).

Finally the collection contains a small body of material of an essentially genealogical or local history value, and a wide, if not very deep, collection of letters of the Livingston family. William Wilson was an executor for some of the Livingston family estates, most notably for Robert Cambridge Livingston (42:1, 2) and Robert R. Livingston (42:3-6), as well as for other estates (41:29; 42:7-10). The information included in the "genealogy" folder (42:11) is particularly helpful in interpreting the material relating to estate settlement and administration.

The local history of the town of Clermont and Columbia County appears throughout the collection, ranging from arrest warrants to local taxes, and including a very important group of papers relating to the establishment of Clermont Academy (41:16-23). As for the Livingstons, while the famous Chancellor does not overpower the collection, the Livingston family does play an important part. Over sixty members of the family are mentioned in some significant way in the Wilson Papers. Some -- like "General" Henry with his tenant problems, the administration of the estates of Walter T. Livingston (1772-1827) and the Chancellor (42:3-7), or the letters of Edward Philip Livingston (1779-1843) concerning his trip to France -- are meaningful parts of the collection (9:78, 86, 98; 10:8, 64). Other Livingstons are merely the signers of documents or letters, such as Janet Livingston Montgomery's (1743-1828) announcement that she plans to enter the Farm Club fair, a request from Mary Thong Livingston Wilson for financial assistance after the birth of Wilson's grandson, or the Chancellor's grandson, Clermont Livingston, who signed a quit claim deed for the benefit of Clermont Academy.

In sum, the Wilson papers are primarily a collection of family papers. While some members of the family participated in significant activities, and while the letters relating to those activities are important, there is a strongly personal aspect about them, and whatever broader historical significance that can be gotten from them must be gotten in the mass.

Donald R. Shepherd (1936-) is a philanthropist, businessperson, and University of Michigan (U-M) graduate who has made several donations and scholarship endowments to both U-M and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and is an ardent supporter of both U-M athletics and the marching band. This collection contains material documenting Shepherd's family and his professional career, as well as his philanthropical activities at the University of Michigan and UCLA. Records include correspondence, photographs and photo albums, memoranda, and awards.

The Donald R. Shepherd papers primarily documents the philanthropic activities of Donald R. Shepherd at the University of Michigan (U-M) and the University of California, Los Angeles. Shepherd is largely involved with women's athletics at both Universities, although he has made scholarships available for athletes competing in both women's and men's sports. Shepherd is also a supporter of the U-M Marching Band.

Materials in this collection are chiefly correspondence in various formats (handwritten notes, emails, typewritten letters). However it also includes published materials; notes; various personal documents; event ephemera; photographs; and other materials. Many of these materials were placed into binders by Shepherd himself, with sticky notes affixed to pages of the binders that describe why he found certain documents important. The materials within these binders were kept in Shepherd's original order.

The collection includes correspondence, scrapbooks, publications, miscellaneous, lists of officers, newspaper clippings (copies), convention programs, and other materials.

The collection includes Bulletins (newsletters) of the Saginaw chapter, 1921-1933, and Michigan chapter, 1923-1926; By-laws, undated; correspondence between the state and Saginaw chapters, 1922-1935, undated; miscellaneous; information on various topics of interest to the chapter, 1919-1930s, undated; lists of officers, undated, and activities, 1928-29 and 1932; meeting minutes, mostly of the Executive Board, November 1, 1925-April 26, 1935; newspaper clippings (photocopies of individual clippings and scrapbook pages), 1924-1945. A few photographs are also in the scrapbooks.

A few LWV Michigan items are also included, such as Annual Convention Programs, 1926, 1938, and 1942; miscellaneous; list of officers, undated; and scattered meeting minutes of the Board of Directors, 1933-1935 and 1941.

Processing Note: Duplicates and publications of the LWV (U.S.) were withdrawn. The Scrapbook on Suffrage was extremely acidic and nearly its entire contents were loose and brittle. All clippings were photocopied and the contents were removed from the volume and placed into folders. Other loose newspaper clippings from other scrapbooks were also photocopied.

Photographs (positive and negative), slides, and transparencies taken by the company's photographers to document company activities, products, services, employees at work and at leisure, company exhibits and commemorations, and the response of the company to natural disasters and civil disturbances.

In 1993, Michigan Bell as a corporate entity was subsumed within the Ameritech Corporation. As a by-product of this reorganization and the downsizing resulting from it, the company agreed to deposit with the Bentley Historical Library its extensive archive of photographic images. Totalling approximately one million images, the Michigan Bell Telephone Company photo archive consists of negatives, copy prints, and color transparencies taken in the period since World War II (the bulk beginning in 1949). The collection does not include photos taken since 1983; interspersed throughout, however, are numerous images from before 1949.

The collection has been maintained in the order received with two principal series: Positives and Negatives.

The content of the photographs in the two series varies considerably. Naturally the collection documents the products of the company (phones and other communication devices) and the services provided (e.g. employees at work or the company reacting to a specific customer need). These photos were taken both to inform the general public as accompaniment to press notices and advertising copy and as a communications vehicle within the company, informing employees through the company news publication, Tielines, of activities going on in other divisions of the company or among the various regional Bell offices.

More importantly perhaps, the collection has value for its documentation of events and activities that are common to all large companies. These include images relating to: 1. The activities of employees within the corporation at their work (office workers, repairmen, operators, various support personnel, managers, etc.); 2. The activities of employees outside their work routine as members of corporate social groups (i.e., the company baseball or ice hockey team), at home engaged in leisure time activities, or involved in company-sponsored charitable or public service functions; and 3. Commemorations of specific milestones or events (company parade floats, area office open houses, corporate displays at public events such as fairs, etc.).

In addition, the collection documents the extraordinary and unforeseen as the phone company reacts to events and emergencies not within its control (floods, tornadoes, fires, the 1967 Detroit riot, strikes, and the like) or as a participant in history-making events (the announcement in Ann Arbor of the success of the Salk polio vaccine or the preparation involved in the 1980 Republican National Convention that convened in Detroit).

Collection of research materials (mostly photocopies) of Dr. Charles E. Feltner. The collection’s focus is Great Lakes diving, maritime history (both American and Canadian), shipping history, and shipwrecks. Other major topics include 1905 and 1913 storms, insurance, marine casualties, merchant vessels, sailing, shipbuilding/construction, and underwater logging.

Dr. Charles E. and Jeri Baron Feltner Great Lakes Maritime History Collection, 1978, 2018 and undated, 17.5 cubic feet in 30 boxes and 3 oversized folders contains the research materials (mostly photocopies) of Dr. Charles E. Feltner. The collection’s focus is Great Lakes diving, maritime history (both American and Canadian), shipping history, and shipwrecks. Other major topics include 1905 and 1913 storms, insurance, marine casualties, merchant vessels, sailing, shipbuilding/construction, and underwater logging.

The photocopies are from numerous historical collections and/or research institutions housing the collections, almost always identified in detail by Dr. Feltner. If the source information was on or in the folder, it was retained during processing. Of particular note are copies from the Louden G. Williams collection, Historical Collections of the Great Lakes, Bowling Green State University.

The contents includes: articles, bibliographies, copies of manuscripts, correspondence, essays, geological surveys, information on diving on shipwrecks, rigging and masting, marine vessel enrollments, insurance, legislation, maritime genealogy bibliographies (American and Canadian), newspaper clippings, Old Mariners’ Church, Detroit, photographs (some of which are originals), reports, ship salvage, shipwrecks, vessel inspections, underwater archaeological surveys, underwater heritage research, U.S. Lighthouse and Life-Saving services, and Dr. Feltner’s original notes, correspondence and essays. Boats of particular interest in this collection include the Calypso, the Challenge, the Chicora, the Daniel J. Morrell (built in 1906, sank in 1966), the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Huron Brave (a fictitious ship), and the Lady Elgin. Included are also materials concerning Dick Race, Jacques Cousteau, and Peter Elias Falcon. Materials from corporate authors include Association of Canadian Lake Underwriters, Board of Lake Underwriters, Bureau of Navigation, Inland Lloyds, Institute of Marine Engineers, Lake Underwriters (this is the American underwriters), U.S. Customs Service, U.S. Lake Surveys, U.S. National Archives, and U.S. War Department Corps of Engineers. Many locations are documented in this collection. Major, but not inclusive, locations include Buffalo, NY, Chicago, IL, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Mackinaw City, MI, Milwaukee, WI, Ontario, Canada, Port Huron, MI, Presque Isle, MI, Sandusky, OH, Sault Saint Marie, MI, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and Thunder Bay.

Of particular note, rare insurance materials are included in the collection. Also of special interest are diving educator’s materials, a single slide of an artist’s drawing of the Daniel J. Morrell breaking up in 1966 (See Box 28 Wreck files…), meteorological wreck charts and shipwreck locations, ship model plans/ building, and notes on how to conduct research.

This collection is likely one of the top ten marine history research collection in the United States, complied from research collections in national and international historical institutions. Original variant spellings were retained in the box and folder listing.

The Photographs folder includes one image each of a Northern Line vessel, the Edmund Fitzgerald, and Goderion.

All items in Oversize Folder 1 measure 11x17 inches. All items in Oversized Folder 2 measure 11x15 inches. The contents of Oversize Folder 3 have varying measurements as noted in the box and folder listing.

Arrangement: Collection materials are organized by size, then alphabetically and chronologically within original order.

Cataloging Note for Marine Historians: Please note that pre-existing Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) do not match normal maritime designations, especially for ship designations ex. Chicora of 1895 (Steamship). Also, Enrollments is not an official LCSH. The Archivist provided the most descriptive finding aid and best cataloging possible for this collection, in consultation with Professor Jay Martin.

Processing Note: Duplicate copies and peripheral non-Michigan materials, both primary and secondary sources, and miscellaneous notes were withdrawn from the collection during processing, a total of 1 cubic foot. Acidic materials and poor quality photocopies were photocopied and the originals were withdrawn. All withdrawn materials and duplicates were returned to the donor as per the donor agreement, amounting to 9.5 cubic feet. 70 titles were separately cataloged. 17 items were added to the Michigan Vertical Files.

Chief of the Lansing bureau of Booth Newspapers, Inc. Correspondence and other materials concerning his newspaper career and his interest in Michigan politics (particularly the election of 1932) and Michigan politicians Frank Murphy and Blair Moody.

The Jenkins collection consists of correspondence dating from 1931 to 1957, various subject files pertaining to issues of state government, and files of his expense accounts. Some of the individuals with whom Jenkins had correspondence included William A. Comstock, James A. Farley, John A. Hannah, Howard C. Lawrence, Frank Murphy, and Frank A. Picard.

Ann Arbor chapter of national service organization; administrative files, topical files, and publications.

The collection consists of four series: Administration, Music, Projects, and Publications and documents the club's institutional and community activities.

Correspondence, writings, research, and collected materials of Vittorio Re, Chief Chancellor of the Italian Consulate in Detroit, and noted author and lecturer on the history and experiences of the Italian-American community in Detroit and the state of Michigan.

The Vittorio Re collection includes personal and professional papers, as well as collected materials, related to Mr. Re's position as Chief Chancellor of the Italian Consulate in Detroit, and his research and writings on the Italian community in Michigan and Detroit. The collection is especially rich with material about life and activities of Italian communities in Michigan, prominent Americans of Italian decent, as well as discrimination and stereotypes faced by the members of Italian American community. The papers are arranged in the following series: Correspondence and Notes; Papers, Speeches, and Research; and Collected Materials.

The Ammon Hennacy Papers were acquired from the family of Hendrik Anderson, who had stored them for many years after Hennacy's Southwest sojourn. In the course of the years the papers were re-arranged, and in some cases mixed with Anderson's own papers. The bulk of the collection ranges from 1936-1944, although many items are undated.

These papers are particularly significant in their documentation of Hennacy's early years of study, his prison experiences, and his relationships with his family and various close friends, including Dorothy Day. Hennacy's notes and manuscripts document his attentive reading and study habits, while his handwritten "Gospel in Brief" includes his own cross-references (including to Tolstoy) and interpretations of the New Testament (a second volume of this project may be found in the University of Wyoming's American Heritage Center). Hennacy's letters are filled with political and social arguments; they document his constant effort to convince other people of his views.

In his personal papers, the notes on travels with Selma Melms in 1921-1925 are rich in detailed descriptions of places visited, people met, and miles traveled. Some of these latter notes appear to be written by Melms.

The Hennacy Papers are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Manuscripts, Printed Materials, Notes and Book Reviews, Personal files, Subject files and Hendrik Anderson papers.

Correspondence comprises roughly 1/3 of a linear foot. Of particular note are letters from Ralph Borsodi, Holley Cantine, Dorothy Day, Theodore Debs, Mohandas K. Gandhi, E. Haldeman-Julius, Hippolyte Havel, Thomas Keall, Lucy Parsons, Maximillian Olay, Boris Yelensky, and the Sunrise Farm Cooperative Community. The correspondence from Day, most of which is undated, is intimate in tone, touching on daily events as well as spiritual matters. Day coaches Hennacy through his conversion, complains lightly about people who hang around her but are "not really concerned in our point of view" (in a letter dated only "Saturday"), and frequently expresses worry about his health and safety. In one letter, Day indirectly addresses the physical attraction between them, and asserts her celibacy.

The letter from Gandhi is apparently not written in his hand, but appears to be signed by him. The signature, in different ink than the letter itself, matches Gandhi's as reproduced in published letters. The letter is marked "Yerawa Central Prison 3rd April," and includes a blue symbol, perhaps a censor's mark, at the top margin. Since Gandhi was in the Yeravda (or Yerawa or Yeravada) Central Prison (in Poona or Pune, Maharashtra, India) from March 1922 until February 1924, it is most likely that this letter dates from 1923. In response to a letter from Hennacy, Gandhi gently rejects Christian Science, and asserts his belief in God "...not in the hope that He will heal me, but in order to submit entirely to His will, and to share the fate of millions who, even though they wished to, can have no Scientific medical help." Gandhi adds that he often fails to carry this belief into practice.

Hennacy's outgoing correspondence is arranged chronologically. It includes his letters to Dorothy Day, to his family, the Fuller Brush Company (1923 to "Dad Fuller" and 1929 to Mr. Eckman), Upton Sinclair (1924, 1932, 1935), Gandhi (1933), President Roosevelt (1934), Emma Goldman (1936) and many others. While nearly all are dated, many are addressed only with the correspondent's first name. The letters are preserved as typed carbon copies in most cases, usually not signed by hand. They cover a wide range of topics, from personal relations to political and religious concerns, to the pragmatics of publication, travel and meetings.

The Manuscripts series contains both typed and handwritten manuscripts by Hennacy, including chapter drafts from his book on Christian Anarchism. The "Prison Writings" folder contains letters and statements produced by Hennacy during his imprisonment in 1919. These include detailed descriptions of prison conditions and Hennacy's own classification of prisoners according to their crime, background, ethnicity and honesty ("rat," "professional rat" and "potential rat").

Printed Materials contains Hennacy's clipping files, as well as articles published by Hennacy. It is not clear whether Hendrik Anderson might have added clippings to some of these files in later years.

The fourth series,Notes and Book Reviews, consists of three original Hennacy folders ("Anarchism Book Reviews," "Anarchism Notes and Articles," and "Extra Copies of Notes"), and a varied sample of Hennacy's research notes that have been re-foldered. Most of these are undated, although the dates may be extrapolated from the publication dates and sometimes from the home address Hennacy included. Hennacy's own inventory for his notes in 1938 are in the folder "Index to Notes."

Personal files and Subject files are both very small series, comprising a miscellany of materials. Of particular interest are the photographs, many of which are inscribed and a few of which are dated, and the "Honeymoon Hiking Adventure," a set of notes concerning Hennacy's travels around the country with his bride Selma Melms in 1921-1925.

The Anderson Papers, roughly 1⁄2 linear foot, date primarily from 1942-1944. They comprise leaflets, publications, and a negligible amount of correspondence. Most of the material concerns Anderson's efforts in pacifism and the Socialist Party in California and other western states.

The collection includes: personal and business correspondence, financial statements, contract information, certificates, sales reports, Christmas cards, Saginaw social club information, World War I information, and other materials.

The collection was process by different groups of student processors over years. Series 1 Papers, 1833, 1976, undated, 3.5 cubic ft. (in 7 boxes, 2 Ov. v.); Series 2 Papers, 1833, 2009, undated, 6.5 cubic ft. (in 13 boxes, 3 Ov. v.); Series 3 Sections 1-4 Papers, Approximately 6.25 cubic ft. (in 14 boxes, 3 Oversized Folders, 1 folder).

Series 3 includes materials mostly in English, but some are in German, which is noted in the Box and Folder Listing.

Section 1 consists primarily of business correspondence, 1903, 1940, and a few are undated. Boxes 1-3 are letter-size boxes, Box 4 is legal-size, and all are .5 cubic foot boxes.

Box 1 consists primarily of business correspondences, with a slight deviation from Abbie Glaize, even though her correspondences are business related, and from responses to job advertisements. The business correspondences primarily date from 1905 to 1910, with a sudden deviation at the end with late a folder consisting of 1916-1917 materials. The Abbie Glaize materials bring about a peak of interest, as later on her husband ends up filing for bankruptcy and the correspondence she sends out afterwards have a different tone to them.

Box 2 contains material from 1903 to 1917. While the box consists primarily of personal and family correspondences, there is one folder containing financial correspondence. But even the personal and family letters tend to have their own twists to them. Some folders consist of largely single-family subjects or persons of interest, such as the correspondence folders between Edward and Paul Morley.

Box 3 contains material from 1903 to 1918. The box contains a variety of materials, including continuing correspondences, financial statements, miscellaneous items, contract information, certificates, sales reports, and even a sarcastic response to the Women’s Rights movement by Walter Morley himself. The Sales Report folder consists of a sampling of reports that were saved, in which roughly 20% of the original documents were recovered.

Box 4 contains material from 1905 to 1918, with one item from 1940. This box contains a variety of materials, including correspondences, financial statements, and mixed materials. There are a few notable pieces to mention, however, including a special piece of correspondence from the mayor of Saginaw, William B. Baum, and a list of members of the Board of Trade.

Section 2 consists primarily of Business and Personal correspondence by Paul F.H. Morley in 1909, and 1911-1914. There is also one box of 1909 correspondence from Edward W. Morley. The collection is arranged chronologically and alphabetically.

Paul’s correspondence varies from personal letters to his wife, to a confrontation with Charter Features regarding one of their employees and his attempt to scam the Morley family (in box 6). Paul also corresponded frequently with John Prindle Scott, a composer from New York who would periodically visit Saginaw and teach voice lessons. He also received a poem written by Edwin L. Sabin, a poet from Clinton, Iowa (in box 2). This poem is not duplicated in the collection on Edwin Sabin at the University of Iowa. It is a witty piece commenting on advertising in the twentieth century.

Bert also sent his brother a series of sketches attributed to a D. Nelson (in box 6) demonstrating theater fashion. Bert’s letter indicates the artist wished to become a costume designer and hoped the Morleys would help him in this endeavor. No further correspondence with Bert or the artist regarding this matter was found in the collection.

Paul also seems to have been particular about the nationality of individuals in his household employ. Throughout 1914, he requested the service of an agency specializing in the procurement of German governesses as well as soliciting for the position himself. He seems very particular in his letters (in box 6) that he wants a governess of German origin who also spoke English extremely well. Some of these letters are in German. Paul also enjoyed having a Japanese cook and butler, and advertised for the positions when his old employees resigned (in box 3).

In 1911, Paul hired the Mooney and Boland Agency to send an “operative” to observe employees in the Saginaw Hardware store. The reports (in box 3) detail the actives in the store while the operative was there. The reports do not include any incidents of stealing, but there are a few references to employees work ethic and wasting time.

Section 3 includes Personal and Business Correspondence, 1914-1915, and 1920. In Box 1 (Box 11 in the encoded finding aid) are the following: Folder 1. Among the Business Correspondence there is a copy of a letter from a Mr. Smith, Register of Deeds suggesting that A.J. Morley list his wife on his personal property deeds.

Folder 2. Mr. A.J. Morley’s business correspondence shows him to be a rather amiable person. His business related letters often include personal anecdotes and personal inquiries after his employees and business partners. This is most apparent in A.J. Morley’s communication with his Secretary, Charles C. Rose, which he often signs as “Your Sincere Friend.” For further reference see Morley’s telegram to the Rose family in the Holiday Letters folder.

Folder 3. Among the Christmas Cards are many selections of non-denominational holiday greetings. Included in this folder is a card from a business associate, E.C. Atkins and Company Inc. Also included is an invitation to a holiday ball from the Gray Harbor Shriners Club. Another item of note is a card showing a racist rendering of an African-American “Mammy” looking after some affluent Caucasian children.

Folder 4. The Holiday Letter correspondence also includes interesting insights into the Morley family. Again we see A.J. Morley mixing personal and business correspondence in his holiday letters to family as well as business partners. Most of the letters give an update to the family’s status, such as where the children are attending schools and what achievements they have accomplished. Included is an interesting letter written by Mr. Morley to Headmistress A.G. Hensley regarding the grades his daughter, Helen, received. The report card is included. There are also several letters that A.J. Morley writes to his mother-in-law, Mrs. Hicok, referencing sending her to Hinsdale Sanitarium of Illinois. Additional letters regarding his wife, Elizabeth/Bessie/Betsy remark upon her ill health and “slight derangement” during the holiday season.

In Box 2 (Box 12 in the encoded finding aid)are found the following: Folder 1. Among the General Business Correspondence are several letters regarding the Wright, Stone and Wells Estates.

Folder 2. The Club Member Materials were kept of note to indicate the level of involvement Paul Morley had within his community as part of the Um-Zoo-Ee Dance Club, Saginaw Country Club and the Saginaw Canoe Club.

Folder 3. Paul Morley’s Hotel Requests indicate the high manners of the time period and the high status that his position demanded.

Folder 4. The correspondence between Paul Morley and his brother, Walter Morley, often reference the events of World War I, including an inquiry by Paul as to whether a war film would be made about the incident. There is also a mention of the scarlet fever. We also learn that Walter Morley had his car stolen in Detroit.

Folder 5. Paul Morley’s correspondence with George F. Schreiber is extensive. Paul supported George financially both during and after his college education, the reason for which is unknown. Included are a voluminous number of letters written by George as he traveled across country and by sea to Alaska. The two men wrote often in regards to World War I. Their correspondence revealed that Paul Morley Jr. contracted stipe anterior poliomyelitis, also known as polio. (For more information on George F. Schreiber refer to Elizabeth Edward’s Morley Finding Aid.)

Folder 6. There are also a significant number of letters written between Paul Morley and John Prindle Scott. Scott was a voice teacher in Saginaw before becoming the famous author, lecturer, educator, singer and composer. A photograph of Mr. Scott is included in the collection. (For more information on John Prindle Scott refer to Elizabeth Edward’s Morley Finding Aid.)

Folder 7. The correspondence of lawyer Wallis C. Smith includes several colorful anecdotes, such as the mention of a “German nobleman episode” as well as business with Improvement Co. and Consolidated Coal Co.

Folder 8. There is a very intriguing set of letters from the Morley children’s governess, Sophie Theilheimer, who accounts her life story as a Jewish girl from Germany raised to be a Presbyterian.

Folder 9. The various correspondence from landscape designer Aubrey Tealdi is worthy of note. The descriptions of the garden plans give the reader an idea both of how the grounds of the original state were arranged and the amount of wealth the Morleys had at their disposal. Blue prints of the original estate are included (See Oversized Folder 1).

Folder 13. This is a selection of letters regarding purchases paid from Tiffany’s Co. of New York. Included are several letters in which Paul Morley dictates, extensively, the manner in which his Christmas cards should be made.

In Legal Folder 1 are found the following: Of note are the contents of the Stocks and Statistics Folder. There is a listing of the persons employed by the company for the 1920 year. The listing is extremely detailed and broken up into statistics by month and occupation. There are also two information packets on stock that the company bought in the Heinz Company, of Heinz Ketchup, and Canadian Gold Bonds. This use of company resources to branch out into the world of finance is exemplary of the expanding finance market of the early 1920s. Also included in this section is a pamphlet regarding a status report of trade and goods of America and foreign markets. This is indicative of a growing awareness of global finance and was possibly a contributing factor to the Morley Company’s success.

Section 4 consists primarily of business correspondences, 1915-1919, and 1925. Box 1 (Box 13 in the encoded finding aid) has a variety of notices from several insurance companies (Aetna, the Guarantee Company of North America, and the New England Casualty Company) concerning at-work accidents, including a suspicious case, where a Geo. Gollifer was injured after running a thistle into his foot (1915- New England Casualty Co.). Account ledgers from 1918, list all of the businesses that owed money to the Morley Brothers, as well as reasons why the accounts were not paid. There is a letter from the Michigan Public Utilities Commission stating that the delay in receiving commodities shipped by railroad was caused by railroad car shortages, due to the retention of loaded cars full of coal, which had a poor market in Michigan. Plans on how and when to load cars to maximize efficiency are also included.

Other letters of interest are: a letter from a dissatisfied business, F.J. Reader and Sons, concerning barrels full of rotten apples, and one from the Michigan Inspection Bureau concerning improvements recommended for the sprinkler system.

There are correspondences with the Otis Elevator Company also. Morley hired the company to remove their old elevator and install a new one in the shop. Blueprints and design guidelines were attached and are located in the oversize folder.

A sampling of applications from 1919 has been retained in the collection to show skills and talents that were desired for employees of the Morley Brother’s Company. It appears that Morley Brothers was a popular company for young men, who had just returned home from service in WWI, to seek employment at.

Morley’s proof of membership to the Gateway Movement for the years 1916-1917 is also included. According to the membership form, the Gateway Movement was created to ‘combat Socialism.’

Box 2 (Box 14 in the encoded finding aid) contains materials from the years 1919 and 1925.

Internal notices that were circulated within the company include, one asking employees to stop leaving their bicycles in the storage room, and a reminder that the store closes at 5:00 pm, and, therefore, no one should leave to wash-up before then.

An inspection of the company was made in 1919 by the Standard Accident Insurance Company. Numerous repairs were required for the elevator.

Subscriptions to different labor magazines and to the Bay City Times Tribune to promote the “Buy in Bay City Campaign” of 1919, and the order of one hundred copies of Chet Williams’ book, “The Knack of Getting Ahead” are also included.

The letters from the American Bankers League in 1925 are indicative of the Revenue Act passed in 1926 by President Coolidge. The Revenue Act of 1926 reduced inheritance and personal income taxes, cancelled many excise imposts, eliminated the gift tax and ended public access to federal income tax returns, while also levying a rate of 13.5% on the net income of corporations. In the letters, leaders of the organization are arguing for support from members for a tax reduction and the elimination of the Capital Stock Tax.

The bank notices from 1925 announce multiple bankers’ decisions to charge for collections following the “laborer is worthy of his hire” ideology.

Other interesting correspondences include a letter from the Saginaw County Tuberculosis Association, asking the company to donate money for the Christmas season, and an invitation to the Annual Meeting of the Retail Merchants Credit Bureau.

A sampling of business receipts is also part of the collection and include one to the Detroit Police Dept., for shells, and the Adjustment Bureau.

Processing Note: Materials that were withdrawn from the collection include duplicates, peripheral mateirals, and acidic materials, which were copied and the copies then added to the collection, receipts, acknowledgements of payment, and other documents regarding finances. Five cubic feet total of material was withdrawn from Series 3 Sections 1-4 during processing.