Search

Tom Van Zoeren was a park ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. His collection contains oral history interviews relating to the history of the Sleeping Bear Dunes region and other Michigan localities.

The Van Zoeren collection contains oral history interviews conducted between 1979 and 2010, and includes copies of scanned photos and supporting documents. The interviews are available variously on audio cassette tapes and online. Transcripts or summaries are found in the collection for many of the interviews. The Van Zoeren collection is organized in two sections by format.

The first section contains analog files and audio cassette tapes. This section is arranged in series by family interview: Basch/Lanham/Van Zoeren oral history interviews, 1993-2000; George Burfiend oral history interviews, photo collection, and farm tour, 2005-2008; DeKorne family oral history and photographs, 2006; Doan family oral history interview, 2006; Dottie (Ashmore) Lanham oral history and photograph collection, 2003-2008; Alfred and Loraine (Olsen) Mason oral history interview and photo collection, 2001-2004; Leonard Thoreson oral history interview and photos, 2005-2006; and Frederick and Margretha Werner Farm oral history interview and photo collection, 2006-2007. These series contain information related to the families and interviews in the form of text, scanned and printed images, and audio and video recordings.

1. Basch, Laura (Oleson), of the Port Oneida, Michigan, area (audio cassettes and online)
2. Burfiend, George, relating to Burfiend farm and Port Oneida (online)
3. DeKorne, Jack relating to the family of Boudewyn and Kate DeKorne of Grand Rapids and Glen Lake, Michigan (online)
4. Fargo, Judy Carole and Ruth Ann Doan Jones, relating to the Frank and Alma Doan family of Croswell, Michigan ( online, filed under Doan family)
5. Lanham, Dottie, relating to her life and to Burdickville and surrounding area (online)
6. Lanham, John, of Burdickville, Michigan (audio cassettes and online)
7. Mason, Alfred and Lorraine [referred to as 'Loraine' in some collection materials] (Olsen), relating to their families, the family farms and the Port Oneida community (online)
8. Miller, Charles, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
9. Stuber, Mary Lou, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
10. Thoresen, Leonard, relating to his family, the family farm and the Port Oneida community (online)
11. Thoreson, Leonard, relating to the Frederick and Margretha Werner farm in Port Oneida (online, filed under Werner)
12. Van Noord, Trudy, relating to the family of Boudewyn and Kate DeKorne of Grand Rapids and Glen Lake, Michigan (online, filed under DeKorne family)
13. Van Zoeren, Jay, of Vriesland, Michigan, 1948 graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School (audio cassettes and online)

Additional files relating to these and other persons are available online.

The second section consists of one series of digitized material, oral histories, photos, and other historic materials from the Sleeping Bear Dunes region. The digital files were created or assembled by Van Zoeren and were received on an external hard drive. This series is further divided into subseries by type of material: Information on Farms, Families, etc.; Oral History Audio Files; Historic Images; Video Recordings; Genealogies; Census and Cemetery Records; Historic Maps; and Other Resources. Some of the content may be digitized versions of items in the analog portion of the collection.

Topographic quadrangle maps for Michigan.

Beginning in 1895, the U. S. Geological Survey published several series of topographic maps of Michigan at different scales and covering different size quadrangles (quadrangles are areas bounded by parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude). By the 1980s, the entire state had been mapped in one or another series of topographic maps. These maps show a variety of geographic features, including cultural features such as roads, buildings, and cemeteries, hydrographic features such as lakes and rivers, topographic features shown by contour lines and elevations, and vegetation. Maps of some areas of the state, especially southeastern Michigan, have been revised and reissued at more-or-less regular intervals, allowing users to trace urban development, erosion, and other changes over time. Other areas of the state, especially the northern Lower Peninsula and eastern Upper Peninsula, have been mapped only once.

Although many series of topographic maps have been issued for Michigan, The Michigan Historical Collections has collected only the following:

15 Minute, Scale 1:62,500: This was the first series issued for Michigan, beginning in 1895. The last new maps in this series were issued in 1963. The scale is about one mile to an inch. Each map covers an area 15 minutes of latitude by 15 minutes of longitude (or about 17 by 13 miles in the southern part of the state). Early maps in this series do not show vegetation.

15 Minute, Scale 1:48,000: Maps in this series were issued in the 1910s and 1920s, apparently as advance editions for 1:62,500 maps. The scale is about 3/4 of a mile to an inch, and each map covers a 15 minute by 15 minute area. Maps in this series do not show vegetation.

7.5 Minute, Scale 1:24,000: First published in 1934, this series began to replace the 1:62,500 series as the standard size for topographic maps. From 1963 to about 1980 all larger scale topographic maps for Michigan were issued in this series. (Beginning about 1980 publication of a new 1:25,000 series began, but publication of the 1:24,000 series continued.) The scale is 2,000 feet to an inch, or about 1/3 of a mile to an inch. Each map covers an area 7.5 minutes of latitude by 7.5 minutes of longitude (or about 8.5 miles by 6.5 miles in the southern part of the state). These maps are produced both with and without a green overprint showing vegetation. The Michigan Historical Collections collection of this series includes some of each type.

7.5 Minute, Scale 1:25,000: Maps in this series were first published about 1980. The maps are very similar to those in the 1:24,000 series except for the slightly different scale based on the metric system. The scale is 1/4 kilometer per centimeter, or about .4 miles to an inch. At this time, the Michigan Historical Collections holds only a small portion of the maps published in this series.

7.5 Minute, Scale 1:31,680: This series was issued in the 1930s and 1940s, mainly identified as "advance sheets" or "preliminary editions." Some of these maps do not show topography, but other than that they are very similar to those in the 1:24,000 series. The scale is 1/2 mile to an inch.

Specials: A few topographic maps have been issued for areas other than the normal quadrangles. Those held by the Michigan Historical Collections are found in this series.

Index Maps: Index maps have been published at irregular intervals by the Geological Survey to show all topographic maps in print for Michigan at the time of their publication.

Folios: In the early period of publication of topographic maps, folios were published for various quadrangles which included topographic and geological maps as well as text describing the geology of the area. Three folios were published for Michigan quadrangles: Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Menominee. The Ann Arbor and Menominee folios are cataloged in the atlas collection (MH/4/W319/1908/R963 and MH/4/W319/1915/R963 for two editions of the Ann Arbor folio, MH/3/M5/U58/1900 for Menominee). The Detroit folio is cataloged in the book collection (EB/2/W359/S554) and the maps have been removed and cataloged in the map collection (M/4113/.W3/1916/S5).

Other series of topographic maps have been issued by the Geological Survey, including maps at scales of 1:50,000, 1:100,000, and 1:250,000. Maps in these series, as well as maps lacking from the series held by the Michigan Historical Collections, may be found in the Map Library, 8th Floor, Hatcher Graduate Library, on Central Campus.

Some topographic maps of Michigan have been published by the U. S. Army Map Service and the U. S. Forest Service. Maps in these series are cataloged separately.

U. S. Geological Survey topographic maps held by the Michigan Historical Collections are listed in this finding aid. For each of the series described above, the maps are listed alphabetically. The titles are listed as shown on the maps themselves and on the index maps. Topographic maps are named for a prominent town or physical feature located near the center of the quadrangle. Other information shown for each map includes:

Coordinate location for the map. For the 7.5 Minute series this consists of the Geological Survey code for the quadrangle, based on 1-degree blocks of latitude and longitude plus an alphanumeric for each map. For other series this consists of the latitude and longitude of the southeast corner of the map.

The latest survey date listed in the lower left hand corner of the map. This is almost always the same as the date shown on the index maps (major exceptions are photorevised maps, which are indexed under the date shown here as the reprint date, and maps published in the 1980s, which are indexed under the date shown here as the print date).

The printing or edition date shown prominently in the lower right hand corner of the map.

The reprint date; the actual date of printing of the map. Reprints of maps with the same print date sometimes contain revisions. In the case of photorevised maps, the reprint date shown here is the date of the photorevision.

Whether the map was printed with a green overprint showing vegetation.

Whether the map is photorevised, or revised from aerial photographs without field checks.

Using the index maps in conjunction with this finding aid will allow a researcher to determine whether topographic maps exist for a particular area and whether the Michigan Historical Collections holds those maps.

Business and commercial family of Ionia, Michigan; correspondence and financial records of Angelo E. Tower and Osmond S. Tower; correspondence and business records of Louis S. Lovell, W.B. Heath, and George Webber, Ionia, Michigan, businessmen.

The collection was accumulated and donated by Ada Health Owsley, the daughter of W.B. Heath, who had himself married into the Tower family. Most of the collection relates to the business dealings of Tower family members. The most important exception is a portion of the correspondence dealing with the Civil War service of Angelo Tower, a captain with Company E, Sixth Michigan Cavalry. These papers include both letters to his family and other documents relating to his military responsibilities. The collection, both correspondence and financial records, documents the development and commercial growth of Ionia, Michigan, and includes various records of Louis S. Lovell, bank cashier W.B. Heath, and George W. Webber, president of the Second National Bank of Ionia. The fact that there are some papers of George W. Webber, a banking competitor to the Towers is curious. Perhaps a possible merger of the two Ionia banks led to the storage of retired records in a common area. Regardless, the banking records of Tower and Webber offer some insight into the commercial development of Ionia.

Pioneer Ann Arbor, Michigan family, involved in farming, then real estate, developed the Tuomy Hills area of the city. Papers include personal and business correspondence of Cornelius and Kathryn Tuomy and of other family members; ledger books, 1868-1890, 1911-1938, and diaries, 1920-1921, 1925, 1926, 1936 concerning business and personal affairs; also papers of Kathryn G. Tuomy as president of the Michigan Federation of Business and Professional Women; and photographs.

The Tuomy Family papers document the daily life of three generations of a pioneer Ann Arbor area family. The three linear feet of papers span the years 1840-1966 with the bulk of the material falling within the decades bound by 1905-1945. The papers have been divided into four series, a small set of documents with biographical information, a larger set of personal and business correspondence, and family material arranged as a set of topical files. There is also a box of unidentified family portraits

A strength of the Tuomy Family papers is the documentation of daily life for a prominent Ann Arbor family from 1900 until the 1960's. Kathryn G. Tuomy's materials provide good exposure to the life of an Ann Arbor woman who has a university education and a family business to maintain. The papers are weaker in their coverage of the Tuomy and Tuomy real estate business. There is only marginal documentation regarding Cornelius W. (Bill) Tuomy's time in political office as drain commissioner. The photographs are not strongly backed up by the written documentation regarding the Tuomy and Tuomy real estate office and properties.

Hamburg, Livingston County, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, family. Correspondence, newspaper clippings and photographs of the Lohmiller, Twichell, and Hollister families.

The papers of the Twichell family document three generations of the extended Twichell families. It includes extensive correspondence files, reminiscences of life on turn-of-the-century Michigan farm and of student life the University of Michigan, files relating to the family businesses including boardinghouses in Ann Arbor, and photographs of family members, towns in Michigan, and University of Michigan students. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence, Alphabetical Files, Photographs, and Sound Recordings.

Ukrainian-American publications collected from various sources.

The collection consists of publications, primarily from Ukrainian-American Michigan organizations and institutions.

Company established by Charles Attwood who was inventor and developer of a system of precast metal frame construction that came to be known as the Unistrut system. The company was originally known as Deceleco. The record group includes background and historical information about Unistrut; job files containing records pertaining to the planning and execution of Deceleco's contracts, 1929-1932; product literature and catalogs, 1927-1981; publications resulting from research into the Unistrut system of construction; and photographs.

The Unistrut Corporation records cover the establishment and development of two companies founded by the architect Charles Attwood. The records offer information about the products produced and sold by these companies. Included in the records are background information pertaining to the Deceleco and Unistrut companies, job files documenting the planning and execution of Deceleco contracts, catalogs and product literature, publications that resulted from research into the Unistrut system of construction, and photographs largely depicting tests of the space frame system designed by Charles Attwood.

The Michigan Conference of the United Church of Christ was formed from the merger of the Michigan Conference of the Congregational Church and the Michigan-Indiana Synod of the Evangelical and Reformed Church. The record group includes retired records of individual associations, conferences, and local churches. Also included are files on churches and pastors within the Conference.

This record group is comprised primarily of records of the associations and conferences that make up the United Church of Christ Michigan Conference. The records document the mergers between smaller conferences to make the larger ones of today. These records are largely made up of correspondence, minutes, agendas, conference materials, and programming information.

Besides records of the individual associations and conferences, the collection also contains an extensive amount of records from individual churches, which can be found in the "Records from individual churches" and the "Church files" series. Because their relationship to each other is unknown, these series were not combined. The "Church files" series are records that may have been stored by the Michigan Conference rather than the individual churches. The "Records from individual churches" concerns materials that belonged to the individual churches. Whether these churches belonged to the smaller associations that make up the Michigan Conference is unknown. Therefore, they were kept separate. More information on these series can be found in the individual series' description below.

The record group has been arranged into the following series: Michigan Conference; Associations and conferences; Woman's Home Missionary Union and related; Records from individual churches; Annual Meetings of Michigan Congregational Conference and of the United Church of Christ; Evangelical and Reformed Church; Church files; Photographs; Ministerial files; and Student ministry.

Formerly known as the Kalamazoo Congregational Association (1849-1938) and the Kalamazoo Association of Congregational-Christian Churches of Michigan (1938-1963). Correspondence, minutes, directories, membership records, and records of some churches in the association.

The record group includes minutes of annual meetings, correspondence, communications between the Association and the local churches, and other records documenting the organization and activities of the Association. Most of the records pertain to the period before the merger with the Evangelical and Reformed Church.

The series in the record group include: Record books; General correspondence; Church files; Other Records; and Conference Miscellaneous.

Association formed from the merger of the Grand Traverse, Lake Superior, and Cheboygan associations of the Congregational Church (later the United Church of Christ). Administrative records of the association and of the associations from which it was formed.

This record group contains both the records of the Grand Traverse, Lake Superior, and Cheboygan Associations prior to restructuring, and the records of efforts leading to the formation of the United Northern Association. Despite the absence of the early records of the Grand Traverse and Cheboygan Associations, this record group documents attitudes concerning the denominations which fused to form the United Church of Christ, as well as the organizational restructuring which occurred in the late 1970s.

The records of the Northern Association of the United Church of Christ are divided into five series: Michigan Conference, United Northern Association, Grand Traverse Association, Lake Superior Association, and Cheboygan Association.