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

Belle D. Danforth compiled geography exercises in this composition notebook during 1891, when she was approximately thirteen years old. The volume principally focuses on the United States but also includes entries relating to Africa, Asia, and North America. Belle Danforth's exercises provide information on a standard list of topics, including details on the location, the "race of man" to be found in the area, native animals, vegetable life, resources, industries, productions, cities, countries and capitals, and government. However, Danforth did not always include answers for each in her entries, in particular only noting racial groups when writing about larger regions. She also included a hand-drawn map of the area with descriptive text relating to boundaries, bays and gulfs, capes, mountains, rivers, lakes, and cities.

Belle D. Danforth compiled geography exercises in this composition notebook during 1891, when she was approximately thirteen years old. The volume principally focuses on the United States but also includes entries relating to Africa, Asia, and North America. Belle Danforth's exercises provide information on a standard list of topics, including details on the location, the "race of man" to be found in the area, native animals, vegetable life, resources, industries, productions, cities, countries and capitals, and government. However, Danforth did not always include answers for each in her entries, in particular only noting racial groups when writing about larger regions. She also included a hand-drawn map of the area with descriptive text relating to boundaries, bays and gulfs, capes, mountains, rivers, lakes, and cities. Danforth's notes reflect how students were learning about regions' notable features and populations.

• Western and Eastern Hemispheres
• North America
• Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine
• New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey
• Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
• Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin
• Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas
• Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and California
• Michigan
• Asia (encompassing present-day West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia)
• Africa

A map of West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Kentucky appears to be missing, but textual information about the region is provided. Only a partial entry is present for Europe.

This collection contains reports, notes, and manuscript maps related to the actions of Task Force Poinier, a United States Army unit, between March and April 1945, as well as a narrative account of the 331st Infantry's experiences in France in January 1945. The reports provide detailed records of American military operations as Allied forces progressed eastward across Germany in the closing months of World War II.

This collection contains 3 reports, 3 pages of notes, 11 manuscript maps, and a narrative account of the 331st Infantry Regiment's experiences in France in January 1945, written by Technical Sergeant Davenport West. The reports provide detailed records of American military operations as Allied forces progressed eastward across Germany in the closing months of World War II.

The S-3 Worksheets series contains 3 typed reports on the actions of various units including Task Force Poinier (comprised of companies from the 88th Reconnaissance Squadron; the 18th Tank Battalion; the 809th Tank Destroyer Battalion; and the 7th Armored Infantry Battalion).

The first document (5 pages, incomplete) is a list of communications received from various units moving east through Germany toward the Rhine River on March 1 and 2, 1945. These communications often reported encounters with enemy troops and occasionally relayed information received from captured prisoners of war. The battalion receiving the communications was stationed in Wankum, Germany, near the country's western border.

The second report (20 pages) is comprised of daily communications compiled throughout March 1945. The typescript has occasional manuscript revisions and marginal notes. During the first part of the month, soldiers remained in camp and spent most of their time participating in training exercises, and on March 24 they began making preparations to join other troops attempting to cross the Rhine River. The orders received on March 24 pertain to several tactical considerations for the upcoming military action to establish an Allied line between Hamm and Soest, Germany. The resulting battle to capture the town of Dorsten is covered in detail between March 28 and March 31.

The third S-3 worksheet, an incomplete copy of a report entitled "Secret After Action Report" (2 pages), contains daily updates on Task Force Poinier's progress through Germany between April 1, 1945, and April 4, 1945.

The Manuscript Narrative and Notes series includes a narrative account and 3 pages of miscellaneous notes. The narrative is entitled "Travels of Too Bad: Le Havre to Herzberg," and chronicles an unidentified unit's experiences between January 5 and January 12, 1945, written by "an informal EM" (p. 1). After landing on January 5, the unit traveled through northern France, and the author described the countryside and the army's movements. Though the narrative ends near Nomény, [France], on January 12, a table of contents indicates that the full document was intended to conclude after the author's unit moved into Herzberg, Germany. The narrative is accompanied by 3 pages of notes.

Ten Manuscript Maps show various sections of Germany that the 7th Armored Infantry Battalion crossed in March and April 1945. These include detailed battle maps showing the location of various American units, as well as overlays of the battalion's route. An additional map is a sketch of the town of Dorsten, Germany.

This collection is made up of a letter, drawings, maps, and newspaper clippings related to David Wyrick's discovery of inscribed stones in a Native American burial mound near Newark, Ohio, in 1860.

This collection is made up of a letter, drawings, maps, and a newspaper clipping related to David Wyrick's discovery of inscribed stones in an Indian burial mound near Newark, Ohio, in 1860. The items were once bound together under the title "Hebrew Inscriptions alleged to have been dug up in Ohio, U.S.A." Wyrick wrote an 8-page letter to William Brockie, editor of The Sunderland Times, on September 8, 1860, about his archaeological exploits. He recounted his actions on June 29, 1860, the day of his discovery, describing the Newark burial mounds and the Hebrew-inscribed "Keystone" he discovered there. Wyrick addressed the possibility that he had been the victim of a hoax, but ultimately expressed his belief that the stone was a genuine ancient artifact, possibly a relic of one of the Lost Tribes of Israel. His letter also refers to the draining of a nearby artificial pond, the durability of the logs located on its floor, and the discovery of several skeletons in a burial mound.

Wyrick's letters contain references to enclosed drawings and maps (which are present in the collection). Four colored drawings include two- and three-dimensional views of each of the Keystone's four inscribed faces, a diagram of the burial mound where Wyrick unearthed the artifact, and a cross-section of a mound containing several skeletons. Three of the manuscript maps are overhead views of the Newark earthworks, including copies of maps by Caleb Atwater (1820) and Squier and Davis (1848), and Wyrick's own detailed map (1860). A final manuscript map is a view of an artificial lake near Utica, Ohio (undated). Some of the visual materials have lengthy captions written on the verso.

The final items in the Wyrick collection are two newspaper clippings published in The Sunderland Times on October 6, 1860, regarding the Wyrick excavation. One article reprints several lengthy quotations from Wyrick's letter to William Brockie, and the other contains translations of the stone's Hebrew inscriptions.

The Edward P. Smith journal pertains to Smith's experiences in Massachusetts and England from 1871-1872. He discussed his social activities, job offers, guest sermons he delivered after becoming a licensed preacher, and his intention to visit France. He also described fellow passengers from his voyage to England in the spring of 1872, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul du Chaillu.

The Edward P. Smith journal (82 pages), written in London on May 9, 1872, contains Smith's retrospective account of his experiences in Massachusetts and England between October 1871 and the spring of 1872.

The volume begins with Smith's recollections about his voyage from England to the United States on the Aleppo in October 1871. After arriving in Massachusetts, he mentioned his theological studies, which culminated with a license to preach (p. 7). Smith preached guest sermons in multiple Massachusetts churches while attempting to find a teaching job. During a visit to Concord, Massachusetts, he commented on the town's history and prominent residents, and drew a manuscript map of its landmarks (p. 38). The Worcester County Free Institute of Industrial Science hired Smith to teach modern languages. He desired to improve his knowledge of French by travelling to Paris and he solicited advice from Harvard professors such as James Russell Lowell and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (pp. 42-43).

Smith sailed for Liverpool onboard the Adriatic in late April 1872 and described some of his fellow passengers, including General Daniel Sickles and the explorer Paul Du Chaillu, who shared stories of his travels in Africa and Scandinavia. After arriving in Liverpool, Smith continued to London, where he attended a concert at Royal Albert Hall, also attended by members of the British royal family (pp. 78-80). The journal ends mid-sentence. A 7-page manuscript essay, "Decline and Fall of the Merovingian," is laid into the volume.

The Haiti collection contains approximately 132 items related to the social, military, and economic history of Haiti from the mid-18th century through the 19th century. The collection includes correspondence, documents, and a scrapbook. The scrapbook, compiled by Victor Advielle, chronicles the history of the island from 1803, during the last stages of its revolution, through the 1890s.

The Haiti collection contains approximately 130 items related to the social, military, and economic history of Haiti from the mid-18th century through the 19th century. The collection includes correspondence, documents, visual material, and a scrapbook. The scrapbook, compiled by Victor Advielle, chronicles the history of the island from 1803, during the last stages of its revolution, through the 1890s.

• Bonneau et Avril DS, Journal des travaux..., September 1780. La Grande Plaine, [St. Domingue]. Beginning with a list of enslaved persons by profession/type of labor or other details (six women, for example, are indicated as free per the will of M. Baugé). The journal follows, indicating plantation events and the distribution of enslaved workers at different labor or at the hospital. With content related to mill work, sugar production, placing persons in irons, and more.
• Lory, Plombard & Co. ALS to Mr. Guillaumier; November 6, 1783. Cap. News of his brother, finances, and matters relating to enslaved persons (including their health).
• [Jean-Baptiste] Arnaudeau ALS to Madame Veuve Fleuriau, January 26, 1788; Bellevue, [Saint Domingue]. To his aunt, offering condolences on the death of her husband. Recommends buying the Fortin land as it is good for cultivating sugar cane. Purchase of enslaved persons for a good price (10 men and 2 women). Production of sugar and land on the Fleuriau plantation.
• Legal document from 1790 relating to the complicated distribution of Pierre Douault's estate, including the coffee plantation he owned in Saint Domingue.
• Delaire, Painparay & La Maiguere ALS to M. Peyrac, 1791 December 24; Nantes, [France]. 2 pages. Has received news from Port-au-Prince about the ratification of the treaty between "les Blancs & les Gens de couleur." Comments on how the gens de couleur have dictated the law, which is harsh against whites, but upholding it supports peace and protects property holders.
• [Pierre-César-Charles, marquis de] Sercey Partially Printed DS to "l'enseigne St. Prix," 1793 September 1; [New York, New York], 1 page. In French. Written near the New York harbor aboard theÉole . Orders from Commander of the Leeward Islands, "Le Commandant de la Station des Iles de L'Amérique Sous Le Vent," to embark on the frigate Surveillante to continue the ship's service. On illustrated letterhead with a decorative header; the portion featuring three fleurs-de-lis is inked out. N.B. Sercey commanded a fleet of ships carrying colonists fleeing from St. Domingue during the Haitian Revolution to New York and then on to France.
• British officer L. Dichter letter, describing Haiti as the "Devil's own Country"; July 4, 1796.
• An autographed letter by Toussaint L'Ouverture, written on his personal stationery; [1796].
• Citoyen Dodge Gorham and Dodge Gorham et Compagnie partially printed certificates (2) and manuscript document (1) pertinent to the shipment of goods, including beef, on the ship Zéphir (Zephyr) September 12, 1797. Le Cap.
• A deposition providing a firsthand account of revolutionary activity in 1793; October 25, 1799.
• Lovise Munroe manuscript protest, 14 Fructidor [September 1, 1800]; Môle Saint-Nicolas, Saint Domingue. 6 pages. Official notary copy of the protest of Lovise Munroe, captain of the Schooner Two Brothers of Boston, which sailed out of Philadelphia bound with goods consigned to merchant John Lewis at Cap Français. Was forced into the port at Môle Saint-Nicolas, "having been Contraried by the Winds & Weather." General Hyacinthe Moïse ordered that Munroe would "be so good to land All the Articles Useful to the State, such as, Tar, Pitch, Gun-Powder, Muskets, Swords, Pistols, Lead, Bunting, Tin and Flints, these articles will be deposited in the Arsenal in the Manner Order'd and Citn. [Mansey] Colin charged with the sale of the Surplus of the Cargo, will take the Arrangements he shall think most suitable with General Moyse, for the reimbursement of these Articles and the best of his Interest." After the goods were sold, Lewis claimed that he did not receive any compensation for the long sojourn in Môle Saint-Nicolas, but instead needed money to pay for flour, cloth, and cordage for the vessel's use.
• Robert McTaggart letter to Philadelphia merchants [John Reed, Standish Forde, and Samuel Israel]; January 18, 1804. Cap Français. Respecting trade issues, stagnant markets, spoiled produce, government restrictions on coffee purchases. Reference to ships at harbor and difficulties with French privateers.
• Letter to Martin[-Pierre] Foache, April 6, 1804. Au Cap. Describes persecution of white residents preceding the massacre ordered by Jean-Jacques Dessalines.
• A ca. 1815 legal summary of a case regarding the difficulties of collecting bills in post-revolutionary Saint Domingue. References the inability of the French merchant Reveliere to establish a trading house in Saint Domingue around 1802, which forced him to sell his cargo with a military contractor, but payment was later suspended by a governmental decree. Notes the impact on third-party bearers of the bills.
• B[elfast] Burton [draft letters?] to [Richard Allen?], [1825]; Semana, Haiti. 2 pages. Two letters on opposite sides of a single sheet. Discussion of issues with Pierre Joseph Marie Granville (Jonathas Granville), governance, authority, "there is nothing equal to truth & honesty and industry..." Politics, meddling of Alexander, support but apprehensions regarding President Jean-Pierre Boyer, and the campaign to promote African American immigration to the Republic of Haiti.
• Eugène-Léopold-François Pesnel DS petition to Faustin Soulouque, [1856?]; Cherbourg, [France]. 14 pages. Petition by Pesnel, requesting Empereur Soulouque to grant compensation to Marie Jeanne Pesnel, his mother, for property and proceeds lost as a result of the Haitian Revolution. Marie's father Thomas de Launay owned dwellings north of Cap Français and in Borgne. He had lived in Saint Domingue for 45 years before his death in 1781. The properties, including a cafeterie, had an annual profit of around 300,000 francs. The capital was 6,000,000 francs, which would have increased considerably in the hands of merchant de Launay and his descendants. Pesnel's request include a lengthy affirmation of his Republican sentiments, love of freedom, and dislike of slavery. The last page of the petition includes a transcription of a baptismal record of Marie Jeanne de Launay.

Other items are two photographs, a copy of L'Écho de la Timbrologie that traces the history of Haiti (January 31, 1954), a Carte de l'Isle de Saint Domingue ([1759], housed in the Map Division), a 1788 postmark from "Cap Haitien," and a newletter about French colonial postmarks.

Victor Advielle compiled the scrapbook, entitled Notes sur Haiti, in Paris in 1895. In addition to newspaper clippings, speeches, correspondence, and government documents, the volume has a piece of music entitled "Les paroles sont de Mr. de la Soriniere danjou, Et la Musique de Mr. Boran de St. Domingue." The scrapbook pertains to Haiti's 19th-century history. The section entitled "Ma Correspondence avec Légitime" contains personal correspondence between Victor Advielle and François Denys Légitime, who later became president of Haiti (1888-1889). The material within the scrapbook is in French.

This journal reflects the experiences of Hiram B. Crosby, a New York City lawyer, during his trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the fall of 1872. As part of a prospecting party, Crosby analyzed the potential for iron mines near Iron Mountain, Michigan. He recorded his impressions of local scenery, commented on his daily activities, and described the area's Native American settlements and peoples. The volume contains 24 pen and ink drawings.

This 127-page journal reflects the experiences of Hiram B. Crosby, a New York City lawyer, during his trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the fall of 1872. As part of a prospecting party, Crosby analyzed the potential for iron mines near Iron Mountain, Michigan. Crosby began the journal on September 26, 1872, as he left New York City, traveling by railroad to Menominee, Michigan, via Sandusky, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. While in Ohio, he visited Jay Cooke on Lake Erie's Gibraltar Island (September 30, 1872), and pasted a pressed flower from the island onto the journal's first page.

After his arrival in Menominee, Crosby joined the members of his party and together they started out for Iron Mountain, where they planned to inspect specific areas for iron mining potential. In daily journal entries, Crosby recorded details of the group's travels along the Sturgeon and Menominee Rivers, particularly regarding local scenery and people. A few days into the trip, he fell from his horse while attempting to shoot a partridge, and suffered a fractured wrist (October 4, 1872); despite his injury, the trip proceeded smoothly, aided by the expertise of local Native Americans the group hired to make camp and guide the mining party. Crosby and the others frequently traveled by canoe, and he often described the guides and local Native American settlements, particularly at "Bad Water," near Iron Mountain.

On October 10, 1872, the explorers reached Iron Mountain and proceeded to examine the area. They set out again for Menominee shortly thereafter, and reached the town on October 15. There, Crosby inquired about the prices of shipping iron ore to Cleveland by boat (October 16). From Menominee, Crosby traveled to Escanaba, Marquette, and Houghton, Michigan, before heading to Detroit, which he described in several entries in late October. Crosby wrote the final entry in Detroit on October 26, 1872.

Three items are inserted into a flap in the front cover of the journal: 2 assurance tickets for Hiram B. Crosby from the Railway Passengers Assurance Company (November 14, 1872) and an advertising card for the Douglass House in Houghton, Michigan. A printed view of Marquette, Michigan, is pasted onto page 108 of the journal.

The journal also includes 24 pencil and ink drawings depicting scenes from Crosby's travels in the Upper Peninsula. See the Additional Descriptive Data section of this finding aid for an index of the illustrations.

The John Peddie collection is made up of a signed letter from John Peddie to William Henry Clinton, written from a bivouac on the "banks of the Bayoue Catalan" and dated January 24, 1815. Peddie wrote of "the fate of our unfortunate Expedition," referring to operations surrounding the Battle of Lake Borgne and the Battle of New Orleans. He enclosed a manuscript map and a copy of Charles Ramus Forrest's journal dated November 25, 1814-January 7, 1815. The letter and enclosures are part of the larger Henry Clinton papers.

The John Peddie collection includes a signed letter from John Peddie to William Henry Clinton, written from a bivouac on the "banks of the Bayoue Catalan" and dated January 24, 1815. Peddie wrote of "the fate of our unfortunate Expedition," referring to operations surrounding the Battle of Lake Borgne and the Battle of New Orleans. He offered his opinions about the causes of the British failures. Peddie requested Clinton's aid in securing a promotion.

Peddie enclosed a manuscript map of "Genl Lambert's position on the River Mississip[p]i," signed by John Fox Burgoyne, and a 15-page copy of Charles Ramus Forrest's "Journal of the Movements of the Army acting in the Southern part of the North American Coast." Forrest's account describes events from November 25, 1814, through January 7, 1815. He remarked on Major General Keane's command in Negril, Jamaica, the movements of the British Fleet as they proceeded to the American coast, and subsequent military decisions, maneuvers, and engagements leading up to the Battle of New Orleans. Forrest provided details on difficulties faced by British troops, including unfavorable tides and geography, and described military encounters with American forces. He also noted work on the Villeré Canal and included copies of orders and memoranda concerning military preparation and actions. Forrest concluded by summarizing the circumstances that stymied the British efforts in New Orleans, including their distance from supplies; the "impossibility of gaining intelligence" from locals, prisoners, and African Americans; the bad "nature of the Soil"; Americans' ability to prepare in advance and establish a strong line of defense; and the unexpected local opposition to the British.

The letter and enclosures are part of the larger Henry Clinton papers, though they are housed separately.

This volume is a typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

This volume is a 27-page typed journal of a group's canoe and camping trip on Lake George, New York, in the summer of 1892. The typescript is illustrated with 21 photographs of the campers, their equipment, and the scenery.

The Lake George camping party consisted of at least seven acquaintances: Charles W. Byrnes, Alice B. Byrnes, William L. Brown, Georgia B. Sumner, Edwin W. Andrews, Maybelle Ramsay, and R. C. Sargent. Maybelle and a man referred to as "the Doctor" left the group partway through the trip. The account, titled "Wotlarks: A Camping Journal," opens with an epigraph by William Henry Harrison Murray, followed by 24 pages of recollections. The campers embarked from Caldwell, New York, on July 31, 1892, spent 2 weeks on the lake, and then boarded a train for Boston from the area around Fort Ticonderoga on August 13, 1892.

The author of this typescript (possibly camper William L. Brown), described the scenery, meals, and notable incidents. He or she also quoted poems by P. Buchanan Read and Isaac Ogden Rankin. The 7 party members signed the final page of the typescript. Twenty-one photographs, pasted onto sturdy boards between pages of the journal, depict scenery around Lake George, the campers in their canoes, men and women posing with guns, a man fishing, the group near their tents, and other scenes.

The volume includes a carefully drawn or traced manuscript map of Lake George, marked with the places that the campers visited.

This volume, compiled in the 1820s, contains an encyclopedia article, extracts and writings, diagrams, tables, and newspaper clippings pertaining to the design and construction of canals.

This volume (450 pages), compiled in the 1820s, contains extensive information on the design and construction of canals. The first few pages include a manuscript subject index. Pages 1-155 consist of a printed encyclopedia article about canals, bound directly into the volume. Other articles and fragments of articles are included, including the entire entry for "Canada."

The remaining pages consist of manuscript extracts, writings, and notes about canals, illustrated with colored diagrams and drawings. The volume includes sections about types of locks; tunnels; drawbridges; excavation; building materials, labor, and costs; water supply; the effects of rain and evaporation on canals; and hydraulics. Sections focus on canals in the United States, England, Wales, and France. The manuscript contains tables of data about the number and length of canals in each country. Specific structures, such as the Ohio & Chesapeake Canal, Union Canal, and Erie Canal are described and used as examples throughout the text. Illustrations include diagrams of locks, tunnels, and canals; a depiction of a method for burrowing out soil using a horse and several workers (p. 370); and a map of France highlighting its canals (p. 424). Notes, newspaper clippings, and additional drawings are laid into the volume.

This journal is an 1854 English translation of Father Pedro Font's account of his travels from San Miguel de Horcasitas, Mexico, to San Francisco, California, and back between September 29, 1775, and June 2, 1776. Font traveled with a party under Juan Bautista de Anza, which included settlers bound for Monterey, Spanish soldiers, and other religious figures.

This journal is an English translation of Father Pedro Font's account of his travels from San Miguel de Horcasitas, Mexico, to San Francisco, California, and back between September 29, 1775, and June 2, 1776. Font traveled with a party under Juan Bautista de Anza, which included settlers bound for Monterey, Spanish soldiers, and other religious figures. This translation was created in "Monterey" on June 15, 1854.

The first 2 pages of the journal concern geography and the creation of a map of Font's travels. The bulk of the volume is comprised of diary entries that Font composed daily during periods of heavy travel and less frequently during stays at various settlements. The group departed San Miguel de Horcasitas on September 29, 1775, and reached San Francisco on March 27, 1776. After a brief rest, they set out on a return journey. They arrived in San Miguel de Horcasitas on June 2, 1776, having left around 200 settlers in Monterey, California.

Font provided the distances he traveled (in leagues), kept notes about interesting occurrences, recorded his approximate latitude and longitude, and described the scenery and settlements along the way. He often discussed the other members of the traveling party, who included soldiers, families, and priests, and commented on the group's encounters with Native Americans and on relationships between various groups of Native Americans. Font occasionally recorded native place names, and sometimes wrote lengthier descriptions for locales such as San Diego, San Francisco, and the "Palace of Montezuma" near Uturituc. The party celebrated fast days and other religious holidays.

The journal has a companion manuscript tracing of a map by Pedro Font, which is located in the library's Map Division. It is titled Mapa Correspondiende al D[ia]rio Que Formo el PF. Pedro Font del Viage Que [hizo] a Monterey y Puerto de San Francisco 7 [del Vi]age Que Hizo el PGarces al Moqui, [1854].