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

Edward E. Wilcox, a native of Franklin County, New York, wrote narrative recollections of hunting trips, painted watercolors, created sketches and drawings, and pasted photographs and newspaper clippings in this volume around the 1890s. Most of the material concerns hunting and fishing excursions in northern New York and southern Québec.

Edward E. Wilcox, a native of Franklin County, New York, wrote narrative recollections of hunting trips, painted watercolors, created sketches and drawings, and pasted photographs and newspaper clippings in this journal from approximately 1893-1896. Most of the material concerns hunting and fishing excursions in northern New York and southern Québec. The volume contains 200 pages, not all of which are used.

Wilcox wrote a 2-page introduction on June 2, 1893, intending to record details of his life for friends and family to discover after his death. In approximately 43 additional pages of prose, he wrote about his courtship with and wedding to Clara Stuart, his early years in New York City, numerous hunting and fishing trips in northern New York, and a summer vacation in New Hampshire and Québec. Two of the accounts describe a salmon run and an encounter with bears, and one pertains to a youthful prank. Some of the journal's watercolors, drawings, and sketches illustrate aspects of Wilcox's travel stories; most depict hunters, fishers, fish, rowboats, cabins, and woodland scenery. One pencil drawing utilizes shading to create the illusion of a nighttime view and appropriate shadows. Photographs include a picture of a man in a military uniform posing by a paper globe and paper cannonballs (possibly taken around 1917), studio portraits of an unidentified man and woman, a studio portrait of a man in his underwear, views of steamboats in a canal or lock, pictures of cacti in a desert, and a picture of hunters in a wooded area. Also present are interior shots of a shipping or similar commercial office and a man working in an enclosed office space, as well as street scenes. Two newspaper clippings concern E. E. Wilcox's use of shed human skin as a painting canvas and a painting he made as a young man.

This collection consists of 24 slips of paper with poems written by female students at Washington, Maine, in August 1853, to their teacher Ethelda Coggan. Many are affectionate or urge remembrance, and several of the verses are repeated by multiple students. All but one of the poems includes a ribbon affixed to the paper or evidence that a ribbon had formerly been affixed. Several include locks of hair or hairwork pieces tied into the ribbons. Two additional pieces of unsigned writing are also present. One appears to have been written at the end of the fall term, reflecting on the changes that occurred during the school season, including the death of a student's father, and on the relationships and fond memories created in the schoolhouse. The other piece is a manuscript draft of an essay on perseverance.

This collection consists of 24 slips of paper with poems written by female students at Washington, Maine, in August 1853, to their teacher Ethelda Coggan. Many are affectionate or urge remembrance, and several of the verses are repeated by multiple students. All but one of the poems includes a ribbon affixed to the paper or evidence that a ribbon had formerly been affixed. Several include locks of hair or hairwork pieces tied into the ribbons. In multiple instances, more than one student from a family appears to have written a poem, and the individuals from the same family used the same type of ribbons on their paper.

Two additional pieces of unsigned writing are also present. One appears to have been written at the end of the fall term, reflecting on the changes that occurred during the school season, including the death of a student's father, and on the relationships and fond memories created in the schoolhouse. The other piece is a manuscript draft of an essay on perseverance.

This collection consists of 24 slips of paper with poems written by female students at Washington, Maine, in August 1853, to their teacher Ethelda Coggan. Many are affectionate or urge remembrance, and several of the verses are repeated by multiple students. All but one of the poems includes a ribbon affixed to the paper or evidence that a ribbon had formerly been affixed. Several include locks of hair or hairwork pieces tied into the ribbons. Two additional pieces of unsigned writing are also present. One appears to have been written at the end of the fall term, reflecting on the changes that occurred during the school season, including the death of a student's father, and on the relationships and fond memories created in the schoolhouse. The other piece is a manuscript draft of an essay on perseverance.

This collection consists of 24 slips of paper with poems written by female students at Washington, Maine, in August 1853, to their teacher Ethelda Coggan. Many are affectionate or urge remembrance, and several of the verses are repeated by multiple students. All but one of the poems includes a ribbon affixed to the paper or evidence that a ribbon had formerly been affixed. Several include locks of hair or hairwork pieces tied into the ribbons. In multiple instances, more than one student from a family appears to have written a poem, and the individuals from the same family used the same type of ribbons on their paper.

Two additional pieces of unsigned writing are also present. One appears to have been written at the end of the fall term, reflecting on the changes that occurred during the school season, including the death of a student's father, and on the relationships and fond memories created in the schoolhouse. The other piece is a manuscript draft of an essay on perseverance.

The Horatio Noyes collection is made up of letters and essays pertaining to Louisiana sugar plantations, life on the Wyoming frontier, travels through the South, the history of astronomy, and other subjects.

The Horatio Noyes collection is made up of 5 letters (28 pages) and 2 essays (70 pages). Noyes wrote a detailed letter to his son Charles in December 1871 about his travels in rural Louisiana, including his impressions of riverboat steamers and sugar plantations. A later draft (unsigned) describes the author's travels in Virginia and North Carolina, with a detailed description of Richmond and observations about Southern culture. Two unsigned letters from late 1879 and early 1880 describe a soldier's life on the Wyoming frontier, with Horatio Noyes's requests for the letters to be proofed and returned to him. Two lengthy essays concern the history of astronomy and contemporary astronomical knowledge, particularly about the Solar System. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

The Isaac Oliver Best manuscripts are post-war reminiscences that combine personal experience, anecdotes, and secondary source information in relating the critical campaigns of the Union Army in the spring and summer of 1864.

The Isaac Best manuscripts were prepared in the 1880s or 1890s for the veterans organizations of the 16th and 121st New York Infantry Regiments. These include three extended essays, "Sheridan in the Shenandoah" (F6:1a), "The Siege and Capture of Petersburg" (F6.1b), and "Through the Wilderness with Grant" (F6.1c).

These essays are clearly-written post-war reminiscences in the grand old style of the Grand Army of the Republic, and contain both personal, anecdotal information about the incidents gathered first-hand, and information undoubtedly gathered from secondary sources. They focus on the critical campaigns of the spring and summer of 1864, after the arrival of Ulysses S. Grant both bathed the soldiers in blood and revitalized the hopes of the Army of the Potomac.

"Sheridan in the Shenandoah" includes a rapid, second-hand narrative of the struggle for the Valley in 1862 and 1863, and Best's personal recollections of the fall campaign of 1864. Particularly noteworthy are his accounts of the 3rd Battle of Winchester and Fisher's Hill, and a very detailed account of Cedar Creek. As an aside, Best comments that the importance of "Sheridan's Ride" has been much overplayed, and argues that much of VI Corps was not in flight and had never been broken at all. While he reserves praise for Sheridan, he argues that the emphasis on the importance of the ride robbed Gen. Horatio Wright of his due. Best also offers his analysis on the role of morale in shoring up the efforts of the armies.

"The Siege and Capture of Petersburg" is an attempt at a comprehensive retelling of the major events of the siege of Petersburg from the end of the Battle of Cold Harbor through the end of the war. Best witnessed the long, drawn-out battles in front of Petersburg during the summer of 1864, including the disaster at the Crater, and the several attempts to circumvent the Confederate defenses during the following winter. In 1865, it appears that Best was assigned to Sheridan's command during his final raid into Northern Virginia.

The essay "Through the Wilderness with Grant" includes detailed accounts of the Battle of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna River, and Cold Harbor, nearly all written from Best's recollections, including seeing several close friends killed. The end of the essay includes a generally positive appraisal of Grant's strategy.

The J. F. Rose collection contains lyrics for 3 undated patriotic and religious songs, as well as an early 20th-century essay about popular music during the Civil War.

The J. F. Rose collection contains lyrics for 3 undated patriotic and religious songs, as well as an early 20th century essay about popular music during the Civil War.

• "Along the Rio Grande," supporting the American cause during the Mexican-American War, with pencil annotations (2 pages)
• "Lost, O Forever Lost. The awakened Sinner," reflecting on salvation and the death of Jesus Christ (2 pages)
• "A Toast to Our Flag," a celebration of the American flag (2 pages)

The essay and its typescript are similar drafts of Rose's "Songs of the Civil War"; the manuscript version (36 pages) is an annotated draft, with portions absent from the typed copy (10 pages). The essay, written around 45 years after the war's conclusion, briefly traces the history of popular patriotic music in Europe and in the United States before discussing the Civil War-era's most popular tunes. Rose examined songs from the Union and Confederacy, citing many of the war's influential songs, such as "Maryland, My Maryland" and "John Brown's Body Lies Mouldering in the Grave." He analyzed several songs within the context of the wartime events that inspired them, including the story of the writing of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" by Julia Ward Howe. The typed copy of the essay ends abruptly, and is followed by the text of "Along the Rio Grande."

This volume contains a journal and two essays composed by New Hampshire native John Wheeler in 1859. He kept the journal between December 1858 and September 1859, detailing his experiences after moving to Albemarle County, Virginia, to teach school. He later wrote an essay in which he reflected on the cultural differences between New England and Virginia. In a second essay, he discussed "the three learned professions": law, medicine, and divinity.

This volume (205 pages) contains a journal and two essays composed by New Hampshire native John Wheeler in 1859. He kept a journal of his travel to, and experiences teaching in, Albemarle County, Virginia, between December 1858 and October 1859 (pp. 1-137); wrote an essay based on his experiences, focusing on cultural differences between New England and Virginia (pp. 139-174); and composed an essay on the professions of law, medicine, and divinity (pp. 187-216).

The first, and largest, portion of the volume is the journal Wheeler kept between December 1858 and October 1859, while he traveled to Albemarle County, Virginia, to teach school. The first two pages contain an introductory essay on the virtues of traveling, and pages 3 through 21 recount his journey from New Hampshire to Virginia, beginning on December 21, 1858. He mentioned multiple sightseeing destinations along the way, including Plymouth Rock (p. 5), and arrived in Charlottesville, Virginia, on December 31 (pp. 16-17). There, he made the acquaintance of the Durrett family, with whom he remained close throughout his stay in the South.

Wheeler began to keep regular journal entries on January 1, 1859 (p. 21), and thoroughly described his life as a schoolteacher, as well as his impressions of southern scenery and customs. Many entries mention the violent treatment of slaves, including men being lashed for stealing a pig (p. 77) and a legal case that ended with the sentence of execution (p. 84). Wheeler often attended religious services, commented on southern hospitality, and described the scenery, particularly the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wheeler did not keep his journal between January 23 (p. 67) and July 4 (p. 70), though he recorded the dates of planting and ripening of several crops (p. 68).

Wheeler left Albemarle County on September 26 (p. 121) and traveled to Luray, Virginia, where he witnessed the hanging of a female slave (pp. 123-126). From there, he traveled to Alexandria, where he provided a detailed account of a visit to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington (October 8, pp. 132-137). The journal concludes with a brief closing statement on page 137.

In the second section is an essay that Wheeler composed after he returned to his home in New Hampshire (pp. 139-174). He wrote about his impressions of the South and his experiences, often commenting on the differences between customs in Virginia and in New England.

The third part of the volume contains an essay about the history and characteristics of "the three learned professions": law, medicine, and divinity. It begins on page 197 and continues through page 216, though pages 176 to 184 are blank.

Three clippings from published works are laid into the journal: an image of King Umberto I of Italy, recently assassinated (pp. 174-175); and two pages of poetry (pp. 180-181).

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853, as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887. One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

This volume contains an anonymous journal of a voyage from Kennebunk, Maine, to New Orleans, Louisiana, and Cincinnati, Ohio, between December 9, 1852, and January 24, 1853 (21 pages), as well as poetry, short stories, and essays composed by a second unknown writer between May 1857 and February 1887 (117 pages). One poem and one story concern the Civil War, and the author frequently composed biographical essays about prominent individuals, families, and other topics.

The first 21 pages, titled "Journal of a voyage from Kennebunk to New Orleans," are made up of daily diary entries composed during a voyage from Maine to Louisiana and from Louisiana to Ohio. The author embarked from Kennebunk, Maine, onboard the Golden Eagle (commanded by Captain Nathaniel Thompson) on December 9, 1852, and made daily observations about life at sea. As the Golden Eagle approached Florida in late December, he described the scenery in the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and coastal Louisiana. On one occasion, the ship encountered a boat transporting slaves to New Orleans. The author arrived in New Orleans on December 28, where he wrote about some of his experiences in the city, such as a visit to the cattle market. On January 12, he boarded the steamer Yorktown for a journey up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Cincinnati. He noted the cities passed along the way, such as Vicksburg and Memphis, and described southern plantations, making note of their use of slave labor. On January 15, he reported that the Yorktown had taken a newly purchased African American family onboard, who entertained the passengers with dancing and music. By the final entry, dated January 24, 1853, the author had just passed Evansville, Indiana.

The volume also contains a commonplace book, in which the writer composed 117 pages of poetry, short stories, and essay. Several poems are translations of German poems by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Ludwig Uhland, and others appear to be original compositions. Among the latter is "Our Native Land," a patriotic verse written in March 1863, and additional poetry dated June 1869. The author wrote one short story in March 1862. An essay, "the Presentiment," consists of recollections of a war-era soldiers' relief society worker and a story respecting a woman's premonition of her own death. Biographical sketches and essays comprise most of the remaining material and are often annotated with small edits. Persons of interest include Horace Walpole, William Cowper, Nassau family members, Michael Faraday, Sir Philip Sidney, Norman Macleod, Dr. John Brown, and Henry of Navarre. Other essays concern the "Besor brook" in Judaea, the rivers of Babylon, and the telegraph.

A financial account between Charles Thompson and Nathaniel L. Thompson, settled in Kennebunk, Maine, on January 1, 1856, is laid into the volume.

This collection is made up of 4 essays that Michael B. Kenny wrote about his travels in France between December 1918 and February 1919. Kenny, an overseas secretary for the Knights of Columbus based in Paris, France, described Paris landmarks and visits to Angers, Château-Thierry, and Reims. He often wrote about the effects of the war on the locations he visited.

This collection is made up of 4 essays (6 total pages) that Michael B. Kenny wrote about his travels in France between December 1918 and February 1919. Kenny, an overseas secretary for the Knights of Columbus based in Paris, France, described Paris landmarks and visits to Angers, Château-Thierry, and Reims. During his time in Angers, France, in December 1918, he and his companions attended mass, helped officiate a series of boxing matches between American soldiers, and distributed sweets and other goods to hospitalized soldiers. Kenny noted his admiration for Red Cross nurses and also described the town's castle. In early January 1919, Kenny went to Château-Thierry, where he reflected on the United States Army's role in the eponymous battle that had taken place around six months prior to his visit. He celebrated the accomplishments of the 69th New York National Guard (later the 165th United States Infantry Regiment), an Irish regiment, and visited a military cemetery. At the time of his visit, previous inhabitants had slowly begun to return to the town.

Kenny's third essay concerns his trip to Reims, France, in late January 1919. While traveling to Reims by railroad, he viewed the extensive damage to the countryside, including shell holes big enough to form residential cellars. He saw little evidence of current human or animal presence, though he could usually locate each ruined settlement's Catholic church, which often formed the center of a cluster of homes. His description of Reims focuses on the city's near-complete destruction and abandonment, with empty shells lining the streets and obscuring the sidewalks. He noticed an unexploded shell that remained within a damaged cathedral. Kenny walked to a section of intact German trenches. The final essay includes descriptions of several Paris landmarks, including the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Consolation, Arc de Triomphe, Trocadéro, Eiffel Tower, and Les Invalides.

The Rees Cadwalader notebook contains copied poems and essays on a variety of topics, including several composed in memoriam.

The Rees Cadwalader notebook (48 pages) contains copied poems and essays on a variety of topics, including several composed in memoriam. The text on the inside cover indicates that Cadwalader kept the book for practicing his penmanship, and he may have been a student when he began the volume in 1801. The 16 entries are comprised of 12 poems, 3 essays, and a recipe for black ink. Two prominent themes are death and religious faith, often in conjunction, and the book contains narrative and introspective works, such as a story about the Doan outlaws and elegiac poems, respectively. Also of interest are a lengthy recollection of a dream experienced by Sarah Hunter, who twice saw visions of heaven and hell, poems about several types of love (including the love of God, spousal love, and a father's love for his daughter), and a tale of star-crossed lovers separated by their families' mutual hatred. Several compositions are attributed, and at least three were previously published: "An Address to the Deity" (published in the first edition of Anna Letitia Barbauld's poetry, 1773), "The Evening Fireside" (published in 1805), and "A Birthday Reflection" (published in The Friend, 1831). Pages 43-46 are missing, and page 47 is blank.