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Collection

Elihu Bunker journal, 1797-1799

1 volume

The Elihu Bunker journal chronicles the seal-hunting voyage of the brig Rebecca from December 19, 1797-October 16, 1799. The ship traveled from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to the Cape Verde Islands, the Falkland Islands, and Mocha Island (off of the west coast of Chile).

The Elihu Bunker journal (63 pages) chronicles the seal-hunting voyage of the brig Rebecca from December 19, 1797-October 16, 1799. The ship traveled from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to the Cape Verde Islands, the Falkland Islands, and Mocha Island (off of the west coast of Chile).

The volume contains a combination of log entries made at sea and diary entries made on shore. Bunker regularly recorded the wind direction, the ship's course, and location, and remarks about daily activities onboard. Most remarks pertain to the ship's sails, making repairs, wildlife, and the ship's crew. Within the first few weeks of the voyage, Bunker reported a crewmember's death from smallpox and venereal disease (January 5, 1798).

In mid-February 1798, the Rebecca reached the Cape Verde Islands, where her crew took on salt and prepared for a longer voyage around South America. Before reaching the Falkland Islands in mid-May, the crew "Saw a large Blazing Star In the Northern Hemisphere" (March 22, 1798) and caught 4 porpoises for making oil (April 24, 1798). On June 25, 1798, after trading goods for seal furs and skins in the Falklands, the brig rounded Cape Horn, and in August the crew temporarily settled on Mocha Island, off Chile's western coast. Bunker and others lived under a leaky auxiliary boat while constructing a more permanent shelter, and Bunker described incidents on the island over the following 8 months, including his near drowning and the loss of 2 months' provisions (pp. 41-47). On May 10, 1799, the Rebecca left Chile for New York; the crew arrived there on October 16. The final 4 pages of Bunker's journal have an abstract of the entire voyage, including the Rebecca's daily latitude and longitude.

Collection

Elihu P. Chadwick diary, 1864-1866

1 volume

Online

Chadwick's diary (Mar. 10, 1864-Mar. 14, 1866) tells of camp and scouting duties in Missouri and Arkansas and forays against General Shelby; a steamer trip to take part in the engagement against Mobile; the overland march in "mopping up" operations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; the trek to San Antonio, Texas where they were part of the Military Department of the Southwest under General Sheridan, guarding the Mexican border and engaging in garrison and scouting duties. Special mention is made of the trouble with Colonel Mizner; the mutiny over rations and "unfair" orders with resulting court martial; a review of troops by General Sheridan; and a description of San Antonio.

Collection

Elizabeth Coffin Tuttle collection, 1857-[1900s]

23 items

This collection contains a journal and recipe book, family photographs, and other material related to Elizabeth Coffin Tuttle of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Lancaster, New Hampshire.

This collection (23 items) contains a journal and recipe book, family photographs, and other material related to Elizabeth Coffin Tuttle of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Lancaster, New Hampshire. Tuttle kept a Journal and Recipe Book (44 pages) between around 1875 and 1882. From January 11, 1875-July 16, 1875, she regularly wrote brief diary entries about food purchases, weather, and other topics. Though Tuttle continued to make brief notes about cattle prices and other financial transactions as late as 1882, the remaining pages are largely comprised of manuscript recipes giving instructions for making cakes, pies, puddings, other desserts, and a cure for smallpox. Two newspaper clippings are pinned into the volume: a recipe for "pop corn candy" and an obituary for Henry Lunt. Two late pages contain knitting instructions, and two additional small clippings are pasted into the volume's back cover.

Elizabeth Coffin wrote a 2-page Essay entitled "Account of a Freshet" on October 15, 1857. The manuscript is about a flash flood in northern New Hampshire following heavy rains.

The Photographs series (19 items) contains several types of materials. The photograph album holds 12 black-and-white photographs of Tuttle family members, such as "Mama Tuttle," in an informal outside setting; one shows a horse-drawn carriage. Of the 5 tintypes, 3 are housed in stamped metal frames, one with pictures of a drum and cannon and the words "The Union Now and Forever." The other 2 tintypes are pictures of a young boy and a young girl. The 11 card photographs show Winifred, Bert, and Edith Tuttle in 1888; a group of young women; a group of schoolchildren; the Atlantic Ocean; a farmhouse in Amesbury, Massachusetts; 3 structures in Newburyport, Massachusetts; a carriage parade; and 4th of July celebrations in Lancaster, New Hampshire. Two 20th-century color snapshots are pictures of the Theodore Atkinson Coffin house in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and another residence.

The Printed Items series is comprised of the following two items: a newspaper clipping about the death of Robert Tuttle and a pamphlet by Edward Melcher entitled A Sketch of the Destruction of the Willey Family by the White Mountain Slide, on the Night of August 28, 1826 (1879).

Collection

Elizabeth Musser journal, 1850

1 volume

Elizabeth Musser of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, kept a diary about her daily activities throughout the year 1850. She attended religious meetings, visited and received family members and neighbors, and performed household chores.

Elizabeth Musser of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, kept a 106-page diary about her daily life throughout the year 1850. Musser's brief entries pertain to her social life and home life, and most end with her signature or calligraphic flourishes. She baked, churned butter, sewed frocks and pillowcases, purchased goods, and performed other tasks. On one occasion, she mentioned selling butter that was to be shipped via railroad (November 25). The diary records Musser's occasional trips to Lancaster; her attendance at religious meetings, funerals, burials, and a baptism (April 20); and her regular visits to and from family members and acquaintances. One camp meeting Musser attended was hosted by African Americans (August 17). Many of her acquaintances were members of the Musser family, Lapp family, Houser family, McKillips family, Buckwalter family, Delinger family, Meyers family, or Dunlap family.

Collection

Elizabeth Rous Comstock papers, 1740-1929 (majority within 1860-1880)

0.5 linear feet

The Elizabeth Rous Comstock papers contain letters and writings related to Comstock's family, her Quaker ministry, and her social reform activities. The letters span her entire career with the greatest concentration of correspondence centering on her work with the Kansas freedmen's program and her family life. In addition to the Elizabeth Comstock material, the collection includes content related to her daughter Caroline, her grandchildren, and papers related to the Kempton family.

The Elizabeth Rous Comstock papers (282 items) contain letters and writings related to Comstock's family, her Quaker ministry, and her social reform activities. The letters span her entire career with the greatest concentration of correspondence centering on her work with the Kansas Freedmen's Association and on her family life. In addition to the Elizabeth Comstock material, the collection contains content related to her daughter Caroline, her grandchildren, and to the Kempton family.

The Correspondence series (151 items) contains 123 items related to Elizabeth Comstock and her family. The bulk of the collection consists of letters written by or addressed to Elizabeth Comstock between 1847 and 1890.

These letters fall into roughly two groups:
  • Elizabeth’s correspondence with her friends, acquaintances, and immediate family, particularly with her husband, daughter, and sister Caroline.
  • Correspondence related to Elizabeth’s work with social reforms and social justice, primarily concerning her relief work in Kansas in 1879 and 1880.

The family and friends correspondence primarily relates to everyday life, such as work, homemaking, visiting, family life; contemporary issues such as the Civil War and slavery; and news of friends and family, including illnesses, marriages, and deaths. Elizabeth wrote many of the letters, which document her perspective on her work, her marriage and relationship with her husband, and on religion and the Society of Friends. Elizabeth’s preaching, charitable work, and travels are often mentioned in these letters, including her trip across the Atlantic in early 1884. These letters cover both theoretical discussions of religious topics and discussions of the Society of Friends, its policies, and its schools. A subset of these letters regards Caroline De Greene’s serious illness and "mental suffering" in 1870, which may have been related to childbirth. Also of note is a letter from Elizabeth Steere that describes her experiences living in the remote Minnesota Territory (December 9, 1856).

The second group of Elizabeth's correspondence mainly consists of letters between Elizabeth and Joshua Longstreth Bailey, a dry goods merchant and philanthropist, who assisted her in her work with the Kansas Freedmen’s Relief Association from 1879 to 1881. Elizabeth discusses the logistics of supplying newly arrived African Americans with food, shelter, and a means of subsistence, and relates information about the migrants and their experiences in both the South and in Kansas. Elizabeth shares, in depth, her perspective on this large migration, which she refers to as "the Exodus." An item of note is a letter from John W. Snodgrass proposing a plan to buy land to aid resettled former slaves in Kansas (May 3, 1881). Other items concern Comstock's work to improve the lives of former slaves and prisoners during the Civil War, including a letter from Ed Howland who wrote to Comstock of a "plan before Congress to change the whole plan of taking care of colored people" (February 3, 1865). B. Dornblaser, the warden at the Illinois State Penitentiary, wrote to Comstock about pardoning Frederick Marx from Kentucky who was "tricked" into buying a stolen mule (April 5, 1865). She also communicated with Thomas Story Kirkbride, superintendent of the Philadelphia Hospital for the Insane (March 6, 1870).

The collection also contains material related to her daughter Caroline and to Elizabeth's grandchildren. Much of this is correspondence between Caroline and members of her family, regarding news, daily life, traveling and visiting, religion, work, and school. Of interest are letters of reference for Caroline "Calla" De Greene in support of continuing her education and recommending her for positions teaching French and German at the college level (May 2, 1893, July 11 and October 5, 1898, May 10, 1905, and March 19, 1906).

The Kempton Family material consists of 26 letters, which largely concern religious issues, everyday life, and news of family and friends. These include the 7 earliest items in the series, from 1827-1828, with the rest scattered throughout.

The Commonplace Book and Diary series (2 items) contains an 1839 commonplace book (52 pages) of poems and essays inscribed as belonging to Charity Kempton. Many entries center on the theme of a loved one leaving on a sea voyage. These include passages called "Seamen's Hymn," "Matrimonial Chart," and "The Old Oaken Bucket." The second item is Elizabeth Comstock's 34-page travel diary (8 blank pages) during the summer of 1878. It contains Biblical verses, brief descriptions of places she visited, notes on her activities, and notes on religious services she attended.

The Poems Series (10 items) contains handwritten copies of poems, all of which are religious in nature. Included among the 9 unattributed poems are a cautionary poem on dancing and drinking, a 16-page poem called "The Ministry of Angels," and a poem entitled "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism: A Dialogue in Verse." The single attributed poem is a copy of William Cowper's "God Moves in Mysterious Ways."

The Corrections for Caroline Hare's Life and Letters of Elizabeth Comstock series (1 item) is 7 pages of notes and corrections for Caroline Hare's biography of Elizabeth Comstock (see the Related Materials section for information on the Clements' copy of this book). The comments range from grammatical edits to insights into personal events and her ministerial efforts.

The Miscellaneous Writings series (25 items) contains non-correspondence material including: religious quotations, miscellaneous notes jotted down on scraps of paper, Friends meeting minutes, recipes, and essays on religion and marriage. Most of these items are unattributed but are likely from Elizabeth Comstock, Chastity Kempton, and others. Of note is a three-page item containing "Dying expressions of Soldiers," including the last words of a soldier on the Battlefield of Fredericksburg (December 13, 1862), and those of a man about to be hung in Nashville, Tennessee. This series also contains instructions for refining sugar, and remedies for common maladies, such as heartburn, dysentery, snake bites, and nausea, "By the celibrated Indian Doctor John Mackintosh, of the Cherokee Nation; None of which have ever before been communicated to the world" (undated).

The Documents series (11 items) contains various official documents related to the Comstock and Kempton families.

Of note are:
  • Elizabeth Comstock's ancestors’ 1740 marriage covenant between William and Mary Moore
  • A deed from Isaac Steer to Aaron Kempton in Woodstock, Michigan (1845)
  • A handwritten pass from Philip Henry Sheridan allowing Comstock and her companion Mary B. Bradford to travel by rail to Baltimore, through enemy lines (December 9. 1864)
  • A document entitled "The Colored Exodus. A Statement of Monies Received from Various States, Canada, and England.
  • Elizabeth's sister Lydia Rous' last will and testament (March 5, 1889).

The Accounts series (6 items) contains 3 lists of books to be sent to various Friends libraries and associations, 1 list of donated goods such as fabric and clothes addressed to E. Smith of Victoria Road, an 1875 bill for goods, and an item documenting money owed with interest for an unspecified purpose.

The Printed Ephemera series (24 items) includes miscellaneous printed material: passes to cross Union and Confederate lines during the Civil War; 8 "Bible Reading Leaflets;" two Quaker related essays; a fragment of a book labeled "Self-Communion" (pages 3-10); 4 poems (prayers); 4 event cards; and a catalogue for mechanical farming equipment. The collection also holds one of Comstock's hymn books entitled, Gospel Hymns and Sacred Songs (Words Only) , by P.P. Bliss and Ira Sankey. The handmade cover is reinforced with a portion of a postcard stamped March 9, 1878 (95 small pages of hymns).

The Newspaper Clippings series (50 items) is composed of printed items related to the Kansas Freedman's Relief program. These include several essays and articles written by Comstock and her colleagues, as well as newspaper stories about Comstock's activities aiding African American "refugees" in Kansas, who were suffering from sickness, poverty, and unemployment. Many of these include pleas for charity. The clippings come from newspapers across America, as well as from England.

The Prints and Photographs series (8 items) consists of 7 photographs, including 2 of Elizabeth and 1 of her daughter Caroline, one print of the residence of R. Hathaway in Rollin, Michigan.

The photographs depict:
  • Elizabeth Comstock, taken in Philadelphia for De Greene, undated
  • Elizabeth Comstock portrait, hand colored and in a small square wooden frame (Behind his photograph, as part of the backing, is a small picture of 7 angels with trumpets, clipped from a postcard).
  • Carrie Wright De Greene O'Harrow, 1881
  • Freddie Hare at age 4 ½, August 1874, labeled "for Carrie" (Carte-de-visite)
  • Unlabeled picture of a girl, undated
  • Woman reading (likely Caroline Hare), accompanying the letter dated February 22, 1882 (Carte-de-visite taken by J. Cooper)
  • A portrait of a woman in a small metal frame accompanying the letter from March 16, 1870.
Other Images include:
  • A machine catalogue with images of: Cooks Sugar Evaporator, Cross-Cut sawing machine, a victor mill, vertical mill with sweep below, and a back-geared mill
  • Ink sketch of Caroline Hare’s home in letter, February 13, 1870
  • An engraved portrait of Comstock in a newspaper clipping from early 1881
Collection

Elizabeth Sparks Adams papers, 1861-2001 (majority within 1930-1970s)

9.25 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Elizabeth Sparks Adams was a member of the Michigan Historical Commission from 1941 (when she was appointed as the first woman commissioner by Governor Murray D. Van Wagoner) until 1996. She and her husband, Judge Donald E. Adams, were also active in the Democratic Party, specifically in Oakland County and Waterford Township. Mrs. Adams also actively researched and collected materials on family and local history. The collection consists of files accumulated throughout her life, particularly during her service with the Michigan Historical Commission and the Michigan Democratic Party. Also included are clippings, correspondence, legal documents, and photographs related to family and local history.

The papers are divided into seven series: Personal Papers, Michigan Historical Commission, Michigan Historical Collections, Miscellaneous, Democratic Party, Compiled Information, and Collected Materials.

Collection

Eliza Ross journal, 1875

1 item

Eliza Ross wrote a daily diary for her child (or children) while traveling from Boston, Massachusetts, to Ipswich, England, on the Havilah in the fall of 1875. She commented on weather patterns, meals, aquatic animals, the ship's crew, and visits to the shore.

Eliza Ross wrote a 26-page daily diary for her child (or children) while traveling from Boston, Massachusetts, to Ipswich, England, on the Havilah from August 21, 1875-October 13, 1875. She commented on weather patterns, meals, aquatic animals, the ship's crew, and visits to the shore. The journal is written on loose pages.

Most entries focus on Ross's daily experiences and activities, and she often mentioned the meals she ate on the ship and (later) on shore. At sea and in port, Ross observed birds, fish, and dolphins, and she commented on the scenery during the Havilah's travels along Britain's southern shore. On one occasion, several men onboard caught a hawk (September 19, 1875). Ross discussed some aspects of the crew's daily routine, characterized the captain as a disciplinarian (September 29, 1875), and reported her "conclusion that a woman is no use at sea" (August 26, 1875). When the Havilah arrived at the Isles of Scilly, Ross and her traveling companion, George, telegraphed her mother to inform her of their safe arrival. Ross described the Isles of Scilly, though she did not visit the shore (September 27, 1875-September 28, 1875), and her shore excursions near Falmouth (September 29, 1875-October 1, 1875) and Ipswich (October 4, 1875-October 13, 1875).

Collection

Ella Dillard Bates diary, 1862

1 volume

Ella Dillard Bates, originally of Alabama, kept this diary from January to April 1862 while residing in the "upper country" of Georgia, likely in Bartow County. She wrote of domestic affairs, tending to her infant son, Horace, relationships with neighbors, gardening, her husband's travel and visits to plantations, and interactions with "servants," likely enslaved men and women. Occasional references to Civil War events also appear in the volume, as well as brief references to conflict with the likely enslaved "servants."

Ella Dillard Bates kept this diary from January to April 1862 while residing in the "upper country" of Georgia, likely in Bartow County. She wrote of domestic affairs, tending to her infant son, Horace, relationships with neighbors, gardening, her husband's travel and visits to plantations, and interactions with the household "servants," likely enslaved men and women. Occasional references to Civil War events also appear in the volume, as well as brief references to conflict with the likely enslaved "servants."

Ella's descriptions of Gustavus Bates' activities indicate that he was travelling to tend to business affairs, seemingly related to agriculture. He travelled to Allatoona, Acworth, Cartersville, Marietta, Covington, Cassville, Carsonville, and Atlanta and Ella noted instances when he dealt with corn and arranged for the slaughter and sale of hogs. At times, she wrote of him going to or returning from unnamed plantations, but his role at those sites is unclear. On several occasions, she referred to travelers staying with the family, including an African American man on his way to North Carolina (March 18).

Ella wrote of her infant son's health and development, daily activities, clothing, and relationship with his father. Several times she mentioned short trips taken with him, as well as the desire to get his ambrotype taken, "if he can sit still long enough." Entries also provide insight into the domestic work Ella Bates performed, including references to selling her butter, hardening lard, collecting broom straw, mending clothing, dealing with chickens, geese, and turkeys, gardening, and trading goods with neighbors. Ella also noted social visits and letters from family members, providing a glimpse into the work she performed tending to relationships and the family's social circle.

While Ella referred to those performing labor around her as "servants," it is likely that many if not all of these individuals were enslaved. Several people feature prominently, including Toney, of whom Ella wrote, "I think it is almost impossible for me to keep house without him" (January 3). Toney also appears throughout the volume performing various jobs like running errands or making deliveries, fixing Ella's garden, tending to candle molds, and other tasks. Likewise, a man named Ellick appears several times, running errands, salting meat, working with mules, and he appears to have had carpentry skills. Other named individuals who may have been enslaved workers appear only sparingly, performing various jobs.

Ella's diary provides glimpses into female domestic labor she oversaw. While unclear whether the women were enslaved, it is likely that they were. Mary and Francis labored in the household, cooking, cleaning, washing and tending to clothes, and other various tasks like sewing corn sacks and handling geese. Francis appears to have been pregnant, as Ella referred to her impending confinement (February 21). They may have also assisted in tending to Horace, as on April 7 Ella noted Mary falling with him. There are indications that a larger enslaved population was laboring for the family, including references to Francis "boil[ing] the hog feet & ears for the negroes" (January 8) and stopping with Gustavus to "see the servants plough" a field (April 11).

At times, the entries indicate conflict or resistance, including on January 13 when she wrote, "Some of the negroes have been trying to break in my hen house. I took Joe this evening and made him fix it up nicely." On January 17, she referred to May, a likely enslaved African American woman, as "impudent" and noted that upon being slapped "she was mad enough to knock me down." That same day she commented on Toney wanting to keep his clothes in the house, "if I do he will keep my dining room dirty all the time." Other events pertain to Mary who labored in the house, including her breaking a cup (January 20) and a workbox, which Ella accused her of doing to "steal my needles and thread" (February 17). Entries for February 21 and 22 refer to a man named Henry running away from a Mr. Cooper, and Ella commented about African American children "not let[ting] me raise many chickens this year" (March 28).

The diary includes passages that seem to imply conflict between Ella and a woman named Emma from Allatoona, who may have come to the Bates household with three young children (February 22). While unclear if Emma was enslaved, she may have been, as Ella wrote that "she is a splendid servant about a house" (February 24). Several days after the arrival, tension arose between Ella, Emma, and Gustavus, when Ella remarked, "Mr. Bates got so mad with me last night about Emma. He says he will never forget or forgive me for it as long as he lives" (February 27). On March 1, Ella acknowledged feeling jealous "about something I heard today it makes me sick," and on March 3, Ella stated her pleasure that Emma would be leaving; she departed on March 9, 1862.

Ella Bates occasionally referred to wartime events, including the fall of Nashville (February 26), Union forces taking "the engine from Big Shanty" (April 12 and 13), soldiers taking the railroad to Corinth (April 14), and anxieties about her husband enlisting in the Confederate Army (February 18, February 28, March 2, April 3, April 14). She also documented people in the household who ventured out to acquire newspapers, which may have been to follow wartime news among other purposes.

One page at the end of the volume appears to be a list of household tasks to accomplish, including those related to gardening, chickens, geese, and clothing. Several poems are also included at the end of the volume, including one entitled "Stone Mountain."

The inscriptions "Tennie Bates" and "T.M.B. Waverly Tenn" appear on the front pastedown and flyleaf, indicating the volume was in the possession of Tennessee Mae Bates, Ella Bates' granddaughter. Other names inscribed in the volume include "Aleck McClaren, Memphis Tennessee," "Miss Jennie Tidwill," and "G. H. Bates - 1861" suggesting Gustavus may have given the volume as a gift to Ella.

Collection

Ellen Rice journal, 1848-1849

128 pages (2 volumes)

The Ellen Rice journal contains the daily thoughts of a deeply religious woman devoted to her sisters and family, while she worked in her sister's household.

This intelligent, articulate young woman wrote in her journal every evening, recording far more than the day's events. Although she did note newsworthy items at the local and national level, she rarely gives the reader much of a clue what she had been doing all day long. The brief moments when she allowed herself to complain about her situation make it clear she worked long days attending to the needs of her nieces and nephews, and that she was responsible for most of the family's sewing. She chose not to dwell on drudgery. Instead, she celebrated her love of God, of Nature, and of her relatives, particularly her sister Susan.

Ellen felt close to God when she was close to Nature. In springtime, living in Boston made her "feel confined in a cage and long to soar away to my native element and live in the temple of Nature" (1:32). She believed that "no one can cultivate and watch the growth of Flowers, without feeling their hearts expand and fill with thoughts of God which exerts a beneficial influence upon the character. One ray of religious love sheds a light upon the character which no sunbeam can outshine" (2:11). She was occasionally critical of the preachers who did not deliver the word of God as purely as nature did. After one sermon, she accused the preacher of not having a "deep mind," and she chastised another for using "coarse and common" comparisons and expressions, even though his ideas were good (2:21, 1:53).

Ellen continuously returned to the concept of nature as a sublime channel to God:

"What pent up feelings it awakens to roam again o'er the hills among the trees, rocks and flowers. I look upon these as not merely inanimate objects, for there seems to be a connecting link between them and our spirits a something which awakens all the fine feelings and emotions of the heart and makes us keenly sensitive to the wisdom and Goodness of God and his love and mercy to us" (1:46).

In addition to connecting spiritually with God through nature, she was attuned to spiritual connections with people, through their letters. When reading "line after line traced by the loved one's hand, the image rises before me and I hear the spirit breathing the words I read" (1:17).

She felt divided between her home with Mary and her home with her parents, but there was one steady attraction that always made her old home in Wayland more appealing -- her sister Susan lived there. "My heart whose every chord vibrates to her own, yearns to be near her and enjoy the happiness which true sisterly love only can know," she frequently declared (2:3). After expressing her excitement that Susan would soon visit her, she added, "surely it is natural that I should rejoice at the thought of meeting a Sister whose love is pure and strong and in whom I find an echo for every thought and wish" (2:39).

Tension arose when her brother-in-law refused to let her go visit Susan, even though she could easily have been spared from his house for a few days: "I think he cares but little for me or my feelings, but I will not entertain unkind feelings towards him for Mary's sake" (1:38). Even though her relationship with William was cool, she resolved that if her sister died, she would willingly "give up all my youthful hopes and pleasures and devote my life to them, for I love them too well ever to trust them to the care of another" (1:30).

There were men in her life, or wanting to be in it, but she did not really respond to them. She visited and corresponded with Jared, and initially argued that men and women ought to able to have as close friendships as women were allowed to have. "I know it is not customary but that does not prove that it is wrong," she wrote, and insisted that she "can see no reason why those of different sex cannot be friends as well as those of the same" (1:20). A few weeks later, however, she decided to break off the correspondence "for several reasons," but her true feelings for him remained obscured. After they moved to Lexington, Mr. Thayer, a traveling daguerreotypist, fell for her, and startled her with his frank declarations. She told him she did not feel she could be any more than a "common acquaintance" of his, although she was "extremely sorry to disappoint his anticipations" (2:22). He eventually left town, after urging her to reconsider, and presenting her with her likeness in a beautiful case. The third suitor, Mr. Gammell, announced that he wanted her for his "chosen companion," but she remained unmoved (2:49). The cares of her sister's household overwhelmed her, and soon after she succumbed completely.

Collection

Ellis B. Merry papers, 1907-1989

2 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Senior and executive vice president of the National Bank of Detroit, later chairman of the board. The collection concerns business activities, personal interests, and travels. Included are business and personal correspondence, journals, travel materials, and other materials relating in part to his interest in amateur radio.

The Ellis B. Merry Personal Papers were assembled by Merry during his lifetime and include a number of documents from his years spent at the National Bank of Detroit. The collection, as arranged by his stepdaughter, Jean Dodenhoff, focuses primarily on his business activities, personal interests and travels. Materials found here include business and personal correspondence, journals, lists, some legal documents and publications, commendation certificates, travel itineraries, chronologies, reports, and memorabilia. There are a significant number of photographs documenting the boards of directors on which he served as well as the bank-related activities in which he participated. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Business Activities; Personal Activities; Personal Journals; Travel; and Photographs.