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

This collection contains six letters by Charles Barrell to his sister Mary and father George, while he attended the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria (1855) and while he traveled to Beirut and London (1857, 1859). The primary topic of his letters to Mary was the search for his own personal understanding of Christian religious belief. At the seminary, he expressed his deep frustrations with churches and rejected authoritative interpretations of scripture by clergymen. He explored Episcopalian evangelicalism, reflected on "Second-Advent" ministry, and traveled in the near East to find peace in his "heart & mind" and to seek independence from his family and financial support. Barrell harshly judged people who did not believe or practice religion "right," treated skeptically those who followed "the multitude," and expressed regular concerns about his reputation. His relationship with his father and his father's opinions of him and his activities are a regular topic of discussion.

This collection contains six letters by Charles Barrell to his sister Mary and father George, while he attended the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria (1855) and while he traveled to Beirut and London (1857, 1859). The primary topic of his letters to Mary was the search for his own personal understanding of Christian religious belief. At the seminary, he expressed his deep frustrations with churches and rejected authoritative interpretations of scripture by clergymen. He explored Episcopalian evangelicalism, reflected on "Second-Advent" ministry, and traveled in the near East to find peace in his "heart & mind" and to seek independence from his family and financial support. Barrell harshly judged people who did not believe or practice religion "right", treated skeptically those who followed "the multitude," and expressed regular concerns about his reputation. His relationship with his father and his father's opinions of him and his activities are a regular topic of discussion.

Please see the box and folder listing for details about the content of each letter.

The Cushing family collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items pertaining to the family and descendants of Boston merchant Hayward P. Cushing.

The Cushing Family collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items pertaining to the family and descendants of Boston merchant Hayward P. Cushing, including his son, Hayward W. Cushing.

The Correspondence series (124 items) is primarily made up of incoming letters to Hayward P. Cushing, Maria Peirce Cushing, and Hayward W. Cushing. The first item is a letter to Betsy Barber in Epping, New Hampshire (May 9, 1790).

Hayward P. Cushing received personal and professional letters from family members and business acquaintances from 1828-1870. His brother Nathaniel wrote of his life in Brooklyn and Grand Island, New York, in the 1830s and 1840s; one letter concerns his journey to Grand Island on the Erie Canal (August 9, 1835). Jane Cushing, Hayward and Nathaniel's sister, discussed her life in Scituate, Massachusetts, in the mid-19th century. Sophia Cushing, Hayward's cousin and his most frequent correspondent, reported on her financial difficulties, thanked him for his assistance, and shared news from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. Hayward P. Cushing received letters from his wife Maria while she vacationed in Maine, and from his daughter Florence. His business correspondence includes a letter about the sale of the brig Ann Tyler (January 23, 1858).

Maria Peirce Cushing's earliest incoming letters are courtship letters from Hayward P. Cushing, her future husband. After the mid-1850s, he wrote to her from Boston, Massachusetts, while she vacationed in Scituate, Massachusetts, and Frankfort, Maine. He provided news about his life and their children. Maria's sister Caroline discussed her life in Bridgeport, Maine, and a cousin named Abby described her life in Boston. In the mid-1870s, the Cushings' daughters Florence and Jenny wrote to their mother about their courses, textbooks, and experiences at Vassar College.

The final group of dated correspondence consists of incoming letters to Hayward Warren Cushing, including news from Massachusetts medical organizations operating in the 1880s and a series of 10 letters by his wife Martha, who described her trip to Europe in 1928. She discussed her transatlantic voyage and Mediterranean cruise on the Canadian Pacific ship SS Empress of Scotland, as well as her experiences in countries including Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Turkey, Italy, Israel, Egypt, Monaco, France, and England. She enclosed a postcard from Naples, Italy, in one of her letters.

Undated correspondence includes additional letters to members of the Cushing family, as well as picture postcards showing French surgeons, statues, and buildings.

The Journals and Notebooks series consists of 2 items. Florence M. Cushing kept a diary while visiting London from January 2, 1880-January 18, 1880. Her sightseeing excursions included trips to the British Museum, National Gallery, Windsor Castle, and Westminster Abbey. The notebook contains recipes, instructions, and scientific notes compiled by Hayward W. Cushing. Entries about building animal traps and tying knots are accompanied by explanatory illustrations. Other topics include medicinal formulas and chemistry, instructions for making types of ink (including invisible inks), and lists of items used on camping trips.

The Financial papers series is comprised of account books, receipts, and other records related to members of the Cushing and Peirce families.

• An appraisal of Hayward Peirce's estate in Scituate, Massachusetts, recorded in March 1827, with two sections listing the value of his personal property and transactions involving his land.
• H. M. Peirce's record of purchases, primarily of school supplies, from May 1834-April 1835. A printed notice about the estate of Silas Peirce is laid into the volume (May 21, 1920).
• Nathaniel Cushing's account book, pertaining to transactions with Nathan Cushing, from whom he primarily purchased groceries between October 1853 and August 1861.
• Hayward P. Cushing's account book concerns shares that he and Jane Cushing owned in railroad companies and banks (July 1849-July 1855). Additional financial notes relate to the settlement of related financial accounts.
• Account book recording Maria P. Cushing's investments and dividends (October 1870-January 1894); she received income from the estate of Silas Peirce, Sr., among other sources.

The Receipts, Checks, and Accounts (over 300 items) are arranged by person and company; each group of items is arranged chronologically. Nathaniel Cushing materials pertain to board, taxation, food, and other miscellaneous expenses. The Cushing, Hall, and Peirce documents concern financial affairs, including stock and bond investments. The group of items related to Hayward W. Cushing includes a large number of personal checks from many different banks, as well as additional accounts and documents. Among the financial papers related to Hayward P. Cushing is a receipt for Jane Cushing's board at the McLean Asylum for the Insane (December 31, 1869). The series contains additional accounts and financial records.

The Documents series (20 items) is made up of legal and financial contracts related to business partnerships, estates, and land ownership. The final item is an "Apple Pest Survey in Worcester County" for 1929-1931 (April 15, 1932).

The Drawings (3 items) are architectural drawings of methods for dropping masts (February 25, 1888), several floor plans (1919-1931), and an overhead view of an orchard (undated).

The Printed Items and Ephemera series includes 3 newspapers (1800-1864), 2 annual reports of the Boston Lyceum (1838 and 1840); a lecture by Benjamin Scott about the Pilgrims (1866); a reprinted love letter from John Kelly to an unidentified recipient (original 1817; printed in 1892); a group of check tickets from the Pullman Company; a printed calendar for 1870; a facsimile of The New-England Courant from February 1723; calling cards and invitations; and an embroidered piece of cloth.

The Genealogy series (14 items) consists of pamphlets, bulletins, newspaper clippings, and other items related to various members of the Cushing family from the 19th century into the early 20th century.

This collection contains 19 letters written to Margaret Cronin of Queens, New York, by her husband and brother while they served in the United States Army during the Second World War, and one letter to Mark Cronin from Private Murray R. Baxley. Ed Cronin, Margaret's husband, wrote 17 letters, in which he described his loneliness while in training at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, and his court martial and punishment for an unspecified act. The other soldiers wrote of life in England and in the Bronx Area Station Hospital.

This collection contains 19 letters written to Margaret Cronin of Queens, New York, by her husband and brother while they served in the United States Army during the Second World War, and one letter to Mark Cronin from Private Murray R. Baxley. Margaret's husband Ed wrote 17 letters to her between September 25, 1943, and February 24, 1944, while stationed at Fort Jackson, South Carolina; there, he served with a medical supply unit and, after October 1943, the 74th General Hospital. He described his life on the military base and mentioned specific books he had read, movies he had watched, and radio programs he had heard, which included a show presented by Bob Hope (September 22, 1943). More frequently, he discussed his listlessness and loneliness, and expressed his love for his wife and newborn daughter, Patricia, who lived in Long Island City, Queens. In later letters, he also voiced his concern for his mother's health, especially her recently revealed heart condition. In February 1944, two letters concern his time spent in a "stockade" for an unnamed offense, as well as the resulting court martial, punishment (a 60-day restriction and $18 fine), and repentance (February 11, 1944 and February 18, 1944). In his final letters, Ed complained of increased censorship and mentioned his unit's recent move to a classified location.

The collection also holds two letters written to Margaret by her brother Richard, who served "somewhere in England" during the late summer and early fall of 1943. On August 6, 1943, he mentioned his newly born daughter, Anne Marie (b. June 28, 1943), and described some sightseeing done in London. In his letter of September 14, 1943, Richard shared his longing to return to Astoria, Queens, as well as his reactions to recent family news, particularly to their mother's employment and to a recent proliferation of nieces and nephews. Private Murray R. Baxley wrote to "Miss Mark Cronin" on October 19, 1944, while recovering from malaria in the Bronx Area Station Hospital. He retracted his earlier declaration of love for a woman in Worcester, and requested a future meeting with Mark.

This collection is primarily made up of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Emily F. and Evangeline Brady. From 1943-1945, Emily F. Brady received letters from members of the United States military and from acquaintances in Cuba and South America, and from 1949-1950 she wrote letters to her siblings about her life in Chile and Brazil.

This collection is comprised of 121 items, mostly the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Emily F. and Evangeline Brady. From 1943-1945, they received letters from soldiers in the United States military and from acquaintances in Cuba and South America, and from 1949-1950, Emily wrote letters to her siblings about her life in Chile and Brazil. The only item that is not a letter is a photograph of four teenagers at a swimming pool.

The first group of letters consists primarily of incoming letters to Emily and Evangeline Brady. The first few items pertain to Emily Brady's unsuccessful efforts to secure teaching positions in Cuba, Chile, and at the Universidad Femenina de México. The Brady sisters later received letters from servicemen in the United States servicemen during World War II, including their brother George of the USS Birmingham; John Landry of the Army Air Forces' 110th Bombing Squadron; J. G. Francis Wilber ("Walt") of the Birmingham and Camp Elliot, California; and Michael Kimla of the 336th Army Medical Dispensary. Emily also received letters from Berta Montero in Havana, Cuba; Lopez Arias of Buenos Aires, Argentina; and C. E. Gonzalez ("Enrique") of Popayán, Colombia. The soldiers commented on many aspects of their service, such as Kimla's time in Puerto Rico, Landry's visits to London and other English cities, and Wilber's duties at a personnel center at Camp Elliot. Wilber also shared news of a visit to Mexico. One of Montero's letters encloses a Spanish-language printed program for a harp recital.

Emily Brady wrote to Evangeline, George, and others between December 23, 1949, and September 19, 1950, while she lived in Chile and Brazil. She described everyday life in Santiago, Chile, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and mentioned her travels to other towns, such as Huiscapi, Chile, and Porto Alegre, Brazil. In the summer of 1950, she often commented on recent World Cup matches. Her letter of May 17, 1950, has a very rough sketch of the layout of Rio de Janeiro.

The Howe family letters are made up of personal correspondence related to the family of Dr. Estes Howe of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Family members and friends wrote about subjects such as domestic and international travel, their social lives, and family news and health.

The Howe family letters (95 items) are made up of personal correspondence related to the family of Dr. Estes Howe of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Cambridge, Massachusetts. The bulk of the collection consists of letters by and to Dr. Howe in Cincinnati; Pomeroy, Ohio; and Cambridge, and to members of his family, particularly his wife Lois and their children James Robbins ("Robb") and Lois.

The collection includes letters to Lois Howe from a niece in Pomeroy, Ohio, in 1885, and undated correspondence from James Robbins Howe ("Robb") to his sister, Lois, pertaining to his experiences at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In a bundle of around 35 letters, Chester Wright wrote to "Louis" about his travels in Germany, England, and Scotland from July 7, 1892-May 14, 1893. Other items are personal letters to Mary White from Maria Denny Fay about her life in England in the 1850s. Fay commented on her transatlantic voyage and reported on dances and other social activities around "The Moor." Mary White’s letters are accompanied by typescripts. The collection includes a single newspaper clipping with an illustrated poem entitled "The Sultan."

This collection consists of 19 letters that Janie Grant wrote to her husband, Major J. A. C. Grant of the Gordon Highlanders, while living in Perth, Scotland, in August 1945. She discussed her efforts to meet him at London and Edinburgh following his upcoming discharge, anticipated their future life together, and complained of conflicts with family members.

This collection consists of 19 letters Janie Grant wrote to her husband, Major J. A. C. Grant of the Gordon Highlanders, while living in Perth, Scotland. She wrote letters almost daily between August 13 and August 31, usually 3 or 4 pages long, and discussed aspects of the couple's anticipated reunion and postwar domestic life.

Janie wrote 4 letters while traveling between Perth and Edinburgh by train, one from Edinburgh (August), one while on vacation at Lochearnhead (August 19), and the remainder from Perth. Though she most frequently focused on domestic and family affairs, on August 15 she commented on the end of the war, expressing her uncertainty about the future. Many letters concern Janie's attempts to meet her husband in either London or Edinburgh following his anticipated discharge in late September, including her difficulty securing hotel reservations. Other letters regard plans for their future, such as their attempts to find a temporary home, her desire to secure a servant for a cottage they planned to rent (August 23), and her future role as a housewife. She also mentioned the possibility of traveling to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and reported her frustrations and conflicts with family members.

Janie frequently wrote about her social life, shopping trips, dental and other health issues, female friends, and her efforts to dispose of letters from former lovers and male friends. By late August, she was anticipating a visit with her husband in Edinburgh around September 21.

This collection is made up of 39 letters that Paul Stevens wrote to his cousin, Hannah F. Stevens, about his life in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and his trips to Buenos Aires, Calcutta, and London while working as a ship's carpenter.

This collection is made up of 39 letters that Paul Stevens wrote to his cousin, Hannah F. Stevens, about his life in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and his trips to Buenos Aires, Calcutta, and London while working as a ship's carpenter.

Stevens composed 14 letters from Haverhill, Massachusetts, between December 24, 1854, and March 29, 1857. He commented on his social life, which included frequent attendance at religious gatherings, and his separation from Hannah and other family members in Maine. In 1856, he commented on the upcoming presidential election. From May 31, 1857, to June 7, 1860, Stevens wrote from Buenos Aires, Argentina; Calcutta, India; London, England; and "Saint Johns" about his experiences as a member of a ship's crew. He described his quarters, discussed aspects of sea life, and provided information about the cities where he stayed for lengthy periods of time, often noting the arrivals and departures of other vessels. Occasionally, particularly while in India, he mentioned recent news or political developments, and one of his letters contains a complaint about two recent passengers.

This collection is made up of personal letters related to the immediate and extended family of Philip Mason Sears, including his wife, Zilla MacDougall; his children, Charlotte and Philip Sears; Zilla's sister, Charlotte MacDougall; and Zilla's brother-in-law, Danish diplomat Henrik Kauffmann. Family members wrote about foreign travel, service in the United States Navy, and daily life in the United States and abroad from the mid-1910s to the mid-1960s.

This collection is made up of personal letters related to the immediate and extended family of Philip Mason Sears, including his wife, Zilla MacDougall; his children, Charlotte and Philip Sears; Zilla's sister, Charlotte MacDougall; and Zilla's brother-in-law, Danish diplomat Henrik Kauffmann.

Much of the early correspondence revolves around Zilla MacDougall Sears, including letters that she wrote to her parents, grandparents, and sister about her foreign travels and life in the United States in the 1910s and 1920s. She visited London, England, in 1916 and 1917, and went to Copenhagen, Denmark, and Berlin, Germany, in the early and mid-1920s. In 1925, she described her travels in China, particularly her experiences in Peking (Beijing). Zilla also discussed her life in Syracuse, New York, and family life in Dedham, Massachusetts, after her marriage to Philip Mason Sears in 1924. In December 1924, the couple received congratulatory telegrams. The collection also contains many telegrams from the 1920s and 1930s concerning family health and family travels, including items sent by William MacDougall and Philip Mason Sears.

Additional early items include letters that Henrik Kauffmann wrote to Philip Mason Sears in the 1910s and 1920s, and letters that Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann wrote to her parents and sister in the 1920s. Henrik and Charlotte's correspondence, often written on Danish stationery, concerns their travels and lives in China, India, Thailand, Japan, Denmark, and other locations. Prior to their marriage, Henrik discussed his excitement about Charlotte's upcoming visits and otherwise commented on their relationship. Correspondence from the 1930s includes additional travel letters and telegrams, and a group of letters to Zilla MacDougall Sears regarding her desire to purchase a Sicilian donkey from a company in Palermo in 1933. Zilla also wrote a letter to her mother on "swastika" stationery from Cuernavaca, Mexico (March 7, 1936).

Much of the material from the World War II era concerns the naval service of Philip Mason Sears and Philip Sears, Junior. The Sears children wrote a small number of V-mail letters to their father while he was stationed on the USS Fuller in the Pacific in 1942. From 1944 to 1946, Philip Mason Sears, Jr., wrote to his parents and sister about his experiences in the navy, including his participation in the V-12 Navy College Training Program at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, and his later experiences on a base in the Nevada desert. He often discussed his desire and attempts to gain entry into the aviation service and/or gunnery school. Additional correspondence from the early to mid-1940s includes letters that Charlotte Sears ("Poppin") wrote to her family about her studies and other experiences at the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Virginia. Many of her letters feature cartoonish doodles and drawings. Zilla MacDougall Sears also received letters her nieces and nephews, including David and "Liza Jane" (who included colored drawings of horses in her letter postmarked from Lake Placid, New York, on July 18, 1942). The Sears children also received letters from their aunt, Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann, then living in Washington, D.C.

After the war, the bulk of the collection is comprised of letters from Henrik and Charlotte MacDougall Kauffmann and Charlotte Sears (later Look) to Zilla MacDougall Sears. The Kauffmanns wrote to Zilla after returning to Denmark in 1946; among other topics, they discussed some of the lingering effects of the war. In the early 1950s, Charlotte Sears and her husband, David T. Look, wrote to Zilla about their experiences in Washington, D.C., including their work and leisure activities. In 1953, Charlotte described her travels in southern California and in Europe. The final items largely consist of Charlotte Kauffmann's letters to Zilla Sears from Switzerland and Denmark as late as 1963; while in Switzerland, she mentioned her participation in winter sports.

Additional materials include newspaper clippings about the death of Clinton MacDougall and the atomic bomb, the Sears children's school essays, and other miscellaneous manuscripts. A small number of picture postcards are present throughout the correspondence. The collection's photographs and negatives pertain to United States sailors and to people at leisure indoors and outdoors.