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

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Collection

Burbank family letters, 1861-1883

86 items

This collection contains 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863; Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867; and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883.

This collection (86 items) consists of 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Virginia; and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863 (42 items); Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867 (11 items); and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883 (31 items). The collection also includes a personal letter to Edwin Burbank (June 8, 1867) and an unsigned letter (November 22, [1882]).

William Henry Burbank wrote 33 and his brother Edwin wrote 9 of the 42 Civil War-era letters (April 28, 1861-June 17, 1863). William's first letters pertain to his service with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around Washington, D.C., in 1861, including his observations about martial law in and the desertion of Alexandria, Virginia, and his recollections of the First Battle of Bull Run (July 23, 1861). Both brothers' later letters concern their experiences with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around New Bern, North Carolina, from 1862-1863. The Burbanks described New Bern and its black population, reported casualties, and discussed the possibility of finding their brother Oscar a military job. Some of their letters, particularly Edwin's, recount Confederate attacks, Union Army expeditions, battles during the Goldsboro campaign, as well as attempts to relieve Confederate pressure on Washington, D.C. William's letter of March 16, 1863, contains a manuscript map of Union lines and encampments around New Bern. A few of the letters are addressed to the Burbank sisters.

The remaining correspondence includes 11 letters that Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while traveling to and living in Paris, France, from March 29, 1867-September 29, 1867; his first letter is dated at Glasgow, Scotland. He commented on his travels, his life in Paris, and the Exposition Universelle. The final group of letters concerns Ida Burbank's leisure activities on Cumberland Island, Georgia, and her travels to Brunswick and other nearby locales. She provided news of the relatives she stayed with during her time in the South, discussed life in Georgia, mentioned ships traveling to and from the mainland, and described visits to the beach. Three of her letters enclose newspaper clippings and dried flowers.

Collection

Burd-Shippen papers, 1738-1847

0.5 linear feet

The Burd-Shippen papers contain personal and business documents concerning Edward Shippen, Edward Burd, and their families and Philadelphian colleagues. Many of Major Edward Burd's items concern the 1st Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot in the early years of the Revolutionary War.

The Burd-Shippen papers (184 items) contain personal and business documents concerning Edward Shippen, Edward Burd, and their families and Philadelphian colleagues. Many of Major Edward Burd's items concern the 1st Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot in the early years of the Revolutionary War.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of approximately 75 letters addressed to Edward Burd and his son Edward Shippen Burd, with a small group of correspondence from Edward Shippen. The collection also contains ten items concerning Edward S. Burd and his legal colleague William Tilghman. The remainder of the collection is composed of receipts and various legal documents, most relating to Edward Shippen, including a receipt for a slave and a woman's petition against her husband for abandonment of their child.

Edward S. Burd's legal notebook (95 pages) covers from 1817 to 1846, and contains real estate transactions, illustrated plans of lots, title briefs, and cost lists.

Collection

Burlingham family letters, 1863

2 items

This collection is comprised of two letters (six pages) to Horace Burlingham, who had fled to Canada as a deserter from the 9th New York Infantry Regiment (Hawkins Zouaves) during the American Civil War. His father Waterman, mother Amanda, and sister Mary Burlingham wrote joint letters to Horace in 1863, from their farm at Edmeston, New York. Waterman filled five pages of the letters, expressing relief that his son made it over the border, updating him on the status of other deserters from the area, sharing his knowledge of Provost Marshall Cole's area of jurisdiction and methods, and offering related advisement. Waterman discussed Horace's wife Loverna and their daughter Theressa, who remained in Edmeston. He criticized Loverna's penchant for "new notions, and Castle Building" and her poor household management, and he recommended that she not join Horace in Canada. He also thought this was a good opportunity to teach Horace how to write letters (specifically capitalization) and provided details about laborers, agricultural product prices, and farm machinery. Horace's sister updated him on friends and family relationships, including the features of a newborn or infant baby. His mother added a note to let Horace know that she never forgets him.

This collection is comprised of two letters (six pages) to Horace Burlingham, who had fled to Canada as a deserter from the 9th New York Infantry Regiment (Hawkins Zouaves) during the American Civil War. His father Waterman, mother Amanda, and sister Mary Burlingham wrote joint letters to Horace in 1863, from their farm at Edmeston, New York. Waterman filled five pages of the letters, expressing relief that his son made it over the border, updating him on the status of other deserters from the area, sharing his knowledge of Provost Marshall Cole's area of jurisdiction and methods, and offering related advisement. Waterman discussed Horace's wife Loverna and their daughter Theressa, who remained in Edmeston. He criticized Loverna's penchant for "new notions, and Castle Building" and her poor household management, and he recommended that she not join Horace in Canada. He also thought this was a good opportunity to teach Horace how to write letters (specifically capitalization) and provided details about laborers, agricultural product prices, and farm machinery. Horace's sister updated him on friends and family relationships, including the features of a newborn or infant baby. His mother added a note to let Horace know that she never forgets him.

Please see the box and folder listing below for detailed information about each letter in the collection.

Collection

Burlingham family letters, 1863

2 items

This collection is comprised of two letters (six pages) to Horace Burlingham, who had fled to Canada as a deserter from the 9th New York Infantry Regiment (Hawkins Zouaves) during the American Civil War. His father Waterman, mother Amanda, and sister Mary Burlingham wrote joint letters to Horace in 1863, from their farm at Edmeston, New York. Waterman filled five pages of the letters, expressing relief that his son made it over the border, updating him on the status of other deserters from the area, sharing his knowledge of Provost Marshall Cole's area of jurisdiction and methods, and offering related advisement. Waterman discussed Horace's wife Loverna and their daughter Theressa, who remained in Edmeston. He criticized Loverna's penchant for "new notions, and Castle Building" and her poor household management, and he recommended that she not join Horace in Canada. He also thought this was a good opportunity to teach Horace how to write letters (specifically capitalization) and provided details about laborers, agricultural product prices, and farm machinery. Horace's sister updated him on friends and family relationships, including the features of a newborn or infant baby. His mother added a note to let Horace know that she never forgets him.

This collection is comprised of two letters (six pages) to Horace Burlingham, who had fled to Canada as a deserter from the 9th New York Infantry Regiment (Hawkins Zouaves) during the American Civil War. His father Waterman, mother Amanda, and sister Mary Burlingham wrote joint letters to Horace in 1863, from their farm at Edmeston, New York. Waterman filled five pages of the letters, expressing relief that his son made it over the border, updating him on the status of other deserters from the area, sharing his knowledge of Provost Marshall Cole's area of jurisdiction and methods, and offering related advisement. Waterman discussed Horace's wife Loverna and their daughter Theressa, who remained in Edmeston. He criticized Loverna's penchant for "new notions, and Castle Building" and her poor household management, and he recommended that she not join Horace in Canada. He also thought this was a good opportunity to teach Horace how to write letters (specifically capitalization) and provided details about laborers, agricultural product prices, and farm machinery. Horace's sister updated him on friends and family relationships, including the features of a newborn or infant baby. His mother added a note to let Horace know that she never forgets him.

Please see the box and folder listing below for detailed information about each letter in the collection.

Collection

Burton family collection, 1888-1940

14 items

The Burton family collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items pertaining to Clarence M. Burton of Detroit, Michigan, and two of his sons, Frank and Louis. The Burton brothers wrote about their travels in Europe during the interwar period, among other subjects.

The Burton family collection is made up of 8 letters, 1 indenture, and 5 other items pertaining to Clarence M. Burton of Detroit, Michigan, and two of his sons, Frank and Louis. The Burton brothers wrote about their travels in Europe during the interwar period, among other subjects.

The first item is an indenture concerning the sale of a lot of land in Detroit, Michigan (January 3, 1888). Correspondence includes letters by Louis Burton (July 2, 1901) and Frank Burton (July 11, 1903) about their travels in Europe and additional letters about the Burtons' personal lives and, occasionally, business affairs and political events. Frank Burton's letter to Charles Edouard Guilliume of the Bureau International des Poids & Mesures concerns Burton's pessimism about American attitudes toward the Treaty of Versailles (May 25, 1921), and Louis Burton's letter of March 30, 1929, relates to his anticipation of poor business returns for the year. Other items include a postcard with a printed advertisement for a genealogical history of the Burton family, 3 blank checks of Charles W. Burton, and a piece of stationery from the Burton Abstract & Title Company of Detroit, Michigan.

Collection

Bushrod W. Poor collection, 1837-1852

7 items

The Bushrod W. Poor collection contains seven letters written to Poor in central Massachusetts and New Hampshire by "Gibson," a friend, and Joanna Poor, his wife, between 1837 and 1852. Joanna composed six of the letters from her family's home in northern Vermont and from Lowell, Massachusetts, and discussed her life at home during her husband's search for employment.

The Bushrod W. Poor collection contains seven letters written to Poor during the early 19th century. The first item in the collection is a letter written to Poor by a friend, Gibson, who asked about the affairs of mutual acquaintances, and shared his philosophical musings in a two-page essay entitled "The Mind." The remainder of the collection consists of six letters composed by Poor's wife Joanna, when her husband was looking for work around Boston and, later, in Dubuque, Iowa. She occasionally discussed the affairs of local lawyers, particularly in an early letter from their native Vermont, where she stayed with family members, but focused more on financial difficulties, and on the hardship of being separated from her husband. During Bushrod's absence, Joanna spent her time visiting with the couple's parents and watching the children, and, though she expressed continued hope for his employment, she often believed their future prospects to be somewhat bleak. She frequently chastised him for not writing, and several times questioned his sympathy for her position, particularly while he traveled, and criticized his recent conduct.

Collection

Byron D. Paddock collection, 1862-1865

18 items

This collection contains correspondence, documents, and typescripts related to Byron D. Paddock's service in the 1st Michigan Light Artillery Regiment, Battery F, during the Civil War. Most of the manuscripts concern the Atlanta Campaign and its immediate aftermath.

This collection contains correspondence, documents, and typescripts related to Byron D. Paddock's service in the 1st Michigan Light Artillery Regiment, Battery F, during the Civil War. Manuscript letters, reports, and orders largely pertain to the regiment's actions during the Atlanta Campaign of 1864 and in its immediate aftermath, including the siege and surrender of Atlanta. A typescript includes extracts from published works regarding the 1st Michigan Light Artillery Regiment, a muster roll for Battery F with information about each soldier's disposition at the end of the war, and a Paddock's war diaries. The diaries concern Paddock's experiences between January 1, 1862, and April 15, 1865, particularly with regard to camp life, target practice, movements and marches, engagements with Confederate forces and batteries, and celebrations at the end of the war. A gap from September to October 1864 coincides with Paddock's furlough.

Collection

Cadwallader and Jane Colden manuscripts and leaf impressions, 1755, 1765 (majority within 1755)

1 letter, 1 manuscript with leaf impressions, and 1 newspaper clipping

This collection is comprised of a 4-page letter from surveyor and scientist Cadwallader Colden to botanist John Frederic Gronovius (October 1, 1755), in which he enclosed 17 pages of his daughter Jane's botanical descriptions and leaf impressions (1755).

This collection is comprised of a 4-page letter from surveyor and scientist Cadwallader Colden to botanist John Frederic Gronovius (October 1, 1755), in which he enclosed 17 pages of his daughter Jane's botanical descriptions and leaf impressions (1755). Cadwallader Colden mentioned that his previous correspondence may have been delayed on account of the capture of the packet by privateers, remarked on women and botanical study, praised his daughter's willingness to collaborate on botanical projects (and her possible discover of new genera), and expressed his esteem for Carl Linnaeus and the Linnaean system. Colden also mentioned the Royal Garden at Paris and referred to other scientists, including "Dr. Haller" [Albrecht von Haller] and "Mr. Calm" [Peter Kalm].

Colden enclosed a sampling of Jane's botanical work which contains descriptions of plants (e.g. cup, flower, chives, pistil, cover of seed, seeds, seat of the seeds, root, stalk, leaves) and leaf impressions.

The following list of represented plants employs her spelling:
  • No. 299: Diandria Monogynia
  • No. 302: [No name present]
  • No. 300: Tetriandria Digynia
  • No. 241: Pentandria Trigynia
  • No. 291: Didynamia Gymnospermia
  • No. 216: [No name present]
  • No. 215: [No name present]
  • No. 296: Clinopodium (Mountain-Mint)
  • No. 304: Monadelphia Polyandria
  • No. 153: Polyadelphia Enneandria
  • No. 297: Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua (Helenia)
Jane Colden's manuscript includes the following leaf and plant impressions:
  • No. 153: Polyadelphia Enneandria
  • No. 304: Monadelphia Plyandria
  • No. 297: Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua (Helenia)
  • [Not numbered]: Rubus
  • No. 296: Clinopodium (Mountain-Mint)
  • No. 291: Didynamia Gymnospermia
  • No. 299: Diandria Monogynia
  • No. 300: Tetriandria Digynia
  • No. 216: [No name present]
  • No. 215: [No name present]
  • No. 302: [No name present]

A single newspaper clipping from December 14, 1765, accompanies the Colden manuscripts. The clipping includes the text of a letter received by Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden, which prompted his "declaration that he would have nothing to do with the Stamps [Stamp Act, 1765] till the arrival of Sir Henry Moore." The printed letter threatens death to Cadwallader Colden if he were to enforce the Stamp Act. The printed letter contains the text of two labels that were affixed to the effigies of enemies of American liberties hung in Boston on November 4 at the Tree of Liberty.

Collection

Caleb A. Wall collection, 1835-1850

8 items

This collection is made up of personal letters addressed to Caleb A. Wall of Worcester, Massachusetts. Several items pertain to his time at the Friends' school in Providence, Rhode Island, including correspondence from former schoolmates such as Joseph W. Aldrich.

This collection is made up of 8 letters addressed to Caleb A. Wall of Worcester, Massachusetts, from May 15, 1835-December 31, 1850. The first two letters, written by Caleb's brother Joseph, concern arrangements for Caleb's return home from the Friends' school in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1835 and 1837. In 1839, David Slade wrote to Caleb Wall about his experiences at the school after Wall's departure. Joseph W. Aldrich, a fellow student, wrote 4 of the remaining letters from the school and from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he later lived. Aldrich reminisced about their time in Providence, shared news of the school, commented on the happiness of his marriage, described a recent gathering of Haverford School alumni, and discussed his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; he taught languages at the Haverford School in 1850. The final item, a letter from T. W. Butterfield, invites Wall to work at Butterfield's office in Worcester (December 20, 1845).

Collection

Calow Weld papers, 1836-1837

5 items

The Calow Weld papers contain five letters on major issues of the 1830s, including slavery, immigration, and education.

The Calow Weld papers contain five letters, spanning January 9, 1836-June 3, 1837. Schoolteacher Calow Weld wrote all of the letters to a friend, Philo Bund, debating several important issues of the day. In his letter of January 9, 1836, Weld described the classes he taught, and expressed a wish that the common schools be elevated to greater "eminence" and that teachers receive more respect. In other letters, he discussed slavery, which he considered a "national and moral evil," some possible scenarios of emancipation (March 12, 1836), and his belief that Congress had the power to abolish slavery (May 21, 1836). In his final two letters, Weld explained his opposition to foreign immigration, which he believed would "impair the tranquility of community" (July 30, 1836). On June 3, 1837, he elaborated on his position on immigration, arguing that the variety of cultures and languages in the world disproved the notion that people "were destined to live as one great and social family."