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This collection consists of 10 letters Edward Jones Williams and his wife, Helen Burton Williams, wrote to her mother and sisters in Wisconsin between 1908 and 1912, while the couple lived in the Panama Canal Zone, where Edward worked for the Isthmian Canal Commission. The correspondence provides insight into their daily lives in Central America.

This collection consists of 10 letters Edward Jones Williams and his wife, Helen Burton Williams, wrote to their relatives in Wisconsin between 1908 and 1912. Helen wrote 4 letters and Edward wrote 6.

Helen Burton Williams first wrote her sister, Margaret Breese, on January 1, 1908, describing her surroundings and life in the Panama Canal Zone. She expressed some of her frustrations with housekeeping and the local cuisine, and provided detailed descriptions of the environment and the people, especially the women. In her other 3 letters - one dated December 9, 1909, and two undated letters - she discussed Christmas celebrations, travel plans, and news about the Williams' daughter, Charlotte Mary.

Edward Jones Williams wrote the remaining 6 letters in the collection to his mother-in-law, Abbie M. Burton, and to other family members, including three addressed to "Mother," and one to his sister, Mary Hooker of Wausau, Wisconsin. He described daily life in the Panama Canal Zone, including Fourth of July preparations (June 7, 1909), Christmas celebrations at the local YMCA (December 21, 1909), local military tensions (December 21, 1909), increasing tourism (December 21, 1912), and family news. In his letter of December 21, 1912, he mentioned preparations for a visit by President William Howard Taft.

Edward composed a 3.5-page letter to his mother-in-law Abbie M. Burton (July 23, 1909), in which he mentioned the finances of the Isthmian Canal Commission. This letter also contains thoughts on Theodore Roosevelt's upcoming visit to Panama.

The James F. Smith Collection is made up of 20 letters and documents dating from the times of Brigadier General Smith's employment in the Philippine Commission and Secretary of Public Instruction in the Philippine Islands (1904-1906), as Governor General of the islands (1906-1910), and as a judge in Washington, D.C. The bulk of the materials pertain to Smith's services in the Philippines, with a particular focus on criticisms and arguments related to James F. Smith's favoritism or non-favoritism of Protestant versus Catholic missionaries' interests there, Catholic lands in the islands, education, and Henry D. Estabrook's speech on the American involvement in the Philippines. A particularly lengthy report pertains to a 1906 investigation of a possible arson in Oriental Negros, with charges that the people of Bais celebrated the destruction of the Luzuriaga church. The collection includes letters by U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, Bishops Jeremiah Harty and James Gibbons, and others.

The James F. Smith Collection is made up of 20 letters and documents dating from the times of Brigadier General Smith's employment in the Philippine Commission and Secretary of Public Instruction in the Philippine Islands (1904-1906), as Governor General of the islands (1906-1910), and as a judge in Washington, D.C. The bulk of the materials pertain to Smith's services in the Philippines, with a particular focus on criticisms and arguments related to James F. Smith's favoritism or non-favoritism of Protestant versus Catholic missionaries' interests there, Catholic lands in the islands, education, and Henry D. Estabrook's speech on the American involvement in the Philippines. A particularly lengthy report pertains to a 1906 investigation of a possible arson in Oriental Negros, with charges that the people of Bais celebrated the destruction of the Luzuriaga church. The collection includes letters by U.S. Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, Bishops Jeremiah Harty and James Gibbons, and others.

Please see the box and folder listing for detailed information on the contents of each item in the collection.

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

For an item-level description of the collection, with information about each manuscript, please see the box and folder listing below.