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

Written between 1831 and 1835, the Pennsylvania geography exercise book contains a series of school exercises about Pennsylvania, organized by county. Essays cover a diverse array of topics including the geography, architecture, and history of specific areas.

Written between 1831 and 1835, this volume contains a series of school exercises about the state of Pennsylvania, organized by county. Essays cover a diverse array of topics including the geography, architecture, and history of specific areas. Though the volume focuses on Pennsylvania at the county level, the cities of Germantown and Philadelphia are discussed at length. While writing about Germantown, the writer considers not only its history, but also the composition of its population, the religion of these settlers, relations with local Native Americans, natural geography, and its role in the American Revolution. The author treats Philadelphia in even more depth, devoting entire exercises to specific bridges and buildings (including the city's prisons, hospital, local British army barracks, poor houses, and the homes of notable residents such as William Penn and Robert Morris), "The Treaty Tree," foreign settlers, "The 'caves' of the first inhabitants," "Superstition and popular Credulity of the Early Inhabitants" (with a focus on the city's first Dutch and Swedish settlers), and its "Aborigines." Of particular interest is a lengthy discussion of William Penn and his history within the state. Together, the sections on Germantown and Philadelphia comprise roughly one-fourth of the volume.

The remainder of the book is devoted to exercises exploring Pennsylvania's various counties, as divided in the early 1830s (see below for a list of counties covered in the volume). The section on each county contains an initial introduction accompanied by a manuscript map (except in the case of Centre County) and at least one essay. These exercises are generally much shorter than those devoted to Philadelphia, and they focus primarily on geographic features such as rivers, hills or mountains, and soil. Other recurrent topics include roads or other improvements and (occasionally) larger towns or cities. Lancaster and Pittsburgh are among the settlements described in greater detail, though neither description matches the attention given to Germantown or Philadelphia. The exercise book provides a thorough, contemporary view of Pennsylvania in the early 19th century, from the established settlements on its Atlantic coast to the forests of its interior and its western boundaries.

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 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 letters that Lieutenant Russell G. Schlagal wrote to his wife Margery while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Schlagal discussed his experiences in India and on the island of Tinian, and he often illustrated his letters with ink sketches and watercolor paintings.

This collection is made up of letters that Lieutenant Russell G. Schlagal wrote to his wife Margery while serving in the United States Army during World War II. Schlagal discussed his experiences in India and on the island of Tinian, and he often illustrated his letters with ink sketches and watercolor paintings.

Russell G. Schlagal regularly wrote letters home to Margery, who remained in Dayton, Ohio, during the war. He responded to news of family members and acquaintances, and shared his love for Margery. Most letters concern Schlagal's daily experiences with the 28th Air Service Group in India (December 1944-April 1945) and on the island of Tinian in the Northern Mariana Islands (June 1945-March 1946). In India, he occasionally mentioned his encounters with local residents, and he described the wildlife, the scenery, and local customs. He frequently attended USO shows and movies. Schlagal later discussed his life on Tinian, where he remained until the spring of 1946. He continued to attend performances and films, and also participated in underwater sightseeing. After the end of the war, Schlagal wrote about the possibility and timing of his return home.

Schlagal illustrated some of his letters with ink sketches, ink drawings, and watercolor paintings. These depict buildings, objects, and scenery from India and Tinian. Occasionally, he used stationery with pre-printed scenes, and his letter of December 29, 1945, has a manuscript map of Tinian. On February 24, 1946, Schlagal composed a partially pictographic letter about his anticipated return home. He alternated words with pictures of animals, his wife, himself, and the island of Tinian.

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The U.S. Army Hospital Ship Marigold diary (105 pages) concerns a payroll clerk's experiences on the Marigold during a tour of duty in the Pacific Theater in the Second World War. The diarist described daily life onboard the ship, discussed crew discipline, and noted the places he visited. Hand-drawn illustrations and maps depict the Marigold's voyage through the Panama Canal and sections of the Papua New Guinea coast.

The first entry is dated in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 9, 1944, just prior to the Marigold's departure for the Pacific Ocean. The diary covers the author's daily experiences and observations through May 5, 1945, including his descriptions of scenery and details about ship life. In mid-October, he wrote about and sketched the journey through the Panama Canal (pp. 2-10). In November, he reported that the 6th had been "cancelled" as the ship crossed the International Date Line (p. 26) and that the 11th had been celebrated for the armistice (p. 28). His comments on everyday routines and experiences included observations on passengers, the weather, crew discipline, submarine scares, and air raids. Further entries follow the ship's progress toward New Guinea and the Philippines, where he mentioned destroyed cities such as Manila and its harbor (pp. 90-95). At the time of the final entry (May 5, 1945), the Marigold had just passed Hawaii on its return journey to the United States.

In addition to the Panama Canal sketch, the diary has maps of the Marigold's layout (p. 18); Finchhaven, Papua New Guinea (p. 29); the port at Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 38); and Hollandia Bay, Papua New Guinea (p. 58).

This collection contains 8 letters that Private Everleigh B. Ehrmann, Jr., wrote to his parents in Lackawanna, New York, while training with the United States Army during World War II. He described army training exercises for diffusing German bombs, preparations for combat in the Pacific theater, his health problems, and other aspects of military life. Four of his letters include illustrations.

This collection contains 8 letters that Private Everleigh B. Ehrmann, Jr., wrote to his parents in Lackawanna, New York, while training with the United States Army during the Second World War. He described the Army's training exercises for diffusing German bombs, preparations for combat in the Pacific theater, his health problems, and other aspects of military life. Four of his letters include illustrations.

Ehrmann first wrote while participating in the Army Specialized Training Program at Providence College, where he anticipated his examinations and explained a geometry problem he had encountered in one of his courses, illustrated with 3 graphs ([December 31, 1943]). His next 5 letters pertain to his training with Company I of the 328th Infantry Regiment at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, between April and May 1944, initially complicated by a recurring medical problem with his leg. Though Ehrmann received frequent treatments for his ailment, he participated in the unit's training exercises, including rifle range evaluations and mock battle scenarios. In addition to providing details about his daily routine, such as cleaning his rifle and hiking, he also described infiltration exercises and his work diffusing mines. In a letter postmarked May 29, he illustrated these exercises with a sketch of a soldier diffusing explosives and a diagram of a German mine.

After transferring to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and joining the 82nd Portable Surgical Hospital, Ehrmann mentioned a lecture by a "Lieutenant Lipkoff," who had served overseas with a similar unit, and drew a map of the area in which Lipkoff had served in New Guinea [June 22, 1944]. In his final 2 letters, he anticipated traveling to the Pacific Theater, an inference he had drawn after studying tropical diseases and learning concealment in southern swamps. He also expressed his belief that he might soon earn a corporal's rating, and drew a picture of his Army-issued machete [June 25, 1944].

This collection contains military records, photographs, printed publications, maps, and ephemera related to Horace Mitchell Miner's service with the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

This collection contains military records, photographs, printed publications, maps, and ephemera related to Horace Mitchell Miner's service with the United States Army Counter Intelligence Corps in North Africa and Europe during World War II.

The Military Papers series (27 items) contains reports, orders, and other material related to campaigns in North Africa and Europe during World War II. The documents pertain to military personnel, orders, intelligence procedures and policies, counterintelligence operations, and the progress of the war in Central Europe. A small group of items pertains to a tea hosted by King George VI and the queen consort, Elizabeth, in November 1943. The series includes Miner's military identification, a translation of a "captured diary" (Lemiers, [Netherlands], September 16, 1944-September 29, 1944); a document promoting Otto Sulzbach to SS-Sturmbannführer of the Waffen-SS, signed by Heinrich Himmler (December 8, 1941), a signed note of thanks by Heinrich Himmler (undated), and a Counter Intelligence Directive for Germany issued by the 12th Army Group headquarters (April 18, 1945). Later items include a 1953 essay by Horace Miner about the actions of the II Corps in Tunisia and Sicily, printed letters from George H. W. Bush and Gordon R. Sullivan (October 1991), and a veterans' newsletter (July 15, 1992).

The Photographs and Maps series is comprised of photographs, printed and manuscript maps, a photographic aerial map, and a group of arranged and mounted photographs and colored manuscript maps.

The group of mounted photographs and maps respect the German invasion of France in 1940. The maps show the Wehrmacht's increasing progress through Belgium, Luxembourg, and France, and the photographs depict German soldiers, military cemeteries, German soldiers' graves, military equipment, destroyed buildings, and concrete bunkers. Some items are annotated in German. Two loose photographs are images of the Buchenwald concentration camp after Allied liberation, and a third shows a plaque donated to Clifton College by former members of the 1st United States Army's Headquarters Regiment in 1991.

The Printed Items and Ephemera series contains manuals, articles regarding military campaigns, propaganda, and other items related to North Africa, Italy, and Germany. One handbook and two manuals concern the Allied Forces' counterintelligence operations. La Favola Vera del Britanno, an illustrated book in Italian, is a work of propaganda in the form of a children's book, negatively depicting Great Britain. Three books about Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the SS were published in Germany between 1933 and 1940. Six items in the series are catalogued separately (see below). Ephemeral materials include items written in Arabic, a humorous poster regarding best practices for civilian blackouts, and United States, United Kingdom, and Romanian flags.

This collection contains letters that 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Mitchell wrote to his mother in Illinois while serving in the United States Army during World War I. Mitchell discussed his experiences in training camps in the United States and his service and travels in France.

This collection contains around 85 letters that 2nd Lieutenant Joseph O. Mitchell wrote to his mother in Illinois while serving in the United States Army during World War I. Mitchell discussed his experiences in training camps in the United States (June 1917-September 1918) and his service and travels in France (September 1918-July 1919). The collection also contains ephemera items, writings, and a manuscript map.

Early items in the Correspondence series include a letter that Mary L. Mitchell received from Frederick W. Mann of the University of Illinois's Department of Architecture (April 19, 1912) and a letter that Joseph Mitchell wrote to his mother from Camp Wilson, Texas, during his time in the 1st Illinois Field Artillery Regiment (August 31, 1916). The bulk of the collection is comprised of Mitchell's letters to his mother from training camps in the United States and, later, from France and England, where he was a 2nd lieutenant in the 333rd Field Artillery Regiment. Mitchell commented on his daily activities at Camp Grant, Illinois; Camp Robinson, Wisconsin; Camp Mills, New York; and other camps. In the spring of 1918, he attended a lecture by Polish pianist Ignacy Paderewski (undated). While in France, he described his surroundings, especially after the armistice; he wrote less frequently about the war. Mitchell's letter of October 13, 1918, mentions the Germans' fear of African-American troops, and his letter of November 12, 1918, concerns the end of the war. An undated letter written around October 1917 contains a sketch of a sign depicting a German military helmet and a decorated German officer.

The Writings, Printed Items, Map, and Ephemera series (8 items) contains a 7-page typed account of the 161st Artillery Brigade's march from Camp Grant, Illinois, to Camp Robinson, Wisconsin, in 1918, attributed to Joseph O. Mitchell; the account encloses 9 labeled photographs of campsites. Other items include an unsigned note of commemoration for Mitchell's service from the "Architect's Office of the Board of Education;" a menu for a dinner held at Base Hospital 53 on May 8, 1919; a newsletter commemorating the 20th anniversary of officers' graduation from the Fort Sheridan Officers' Training Camps (1937); a note containing Mitchell's address; and 2 newspaper clippings. A manuscript map depicts the grounds of a monastery used to train and house American troops.

This collection contains letters that Belle Patterson Rosenberger, her husband Absalom, and one other correspondent wrote to Belle's brother, Willard Patterson of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and his family from 1910-1912. They discussed their work at the American Friends Mission in Ramallah, Palestine, and mentioned their travels in Palestine and the Mediterranean region. The collection also includes photographs and an advertisement.

This collection (41 items) contains items pertaining to the work of Absalom and Belle Patterson Rosenberger at the American Friends Mission in Ramallah, Palestine, in the early 1910s. Belle Patterson Rosenberger, Absalom Rosenberger, and an acquaintance named Laura wrote 34 letters to Belle's brother Willard and his family from 1910-1912, many of which are undated. The majority of the correspondence pertains to Belle's work at the mission and her travels in Palestine and the Mediterranean region. She and the Patterson family's other correspondents discussed fellow missionaries and described local customs, such as a funeral (February 12, 1911); they occasionally commented on current events, such as elections in the United States and the sinking of the Titanic (May 5, 1912). In one undated letter, Belle Rosenberger commented on her intention to resume her teaching career. Her letter of May 7, 1911, contains a sketched map of the coastline between Haifa and Acre.

The collection includes a printed facsimile of the handwritten "Bulletin No. 2," a 5-page document concerning missionary work that Absalom Rosenberger issued from the American Friends Mission on November 1, 1911. Five undated photographic prints show scenes from Palestine, such as men in a "gypsy tent," Palestinian women in formal dress, and girls lined up on their way to church. The final item is a printed advertisement for "Thuyoleum," a medicinal remedy.

The Grace collection consists of two manuscripts: "The Sea," an ecclectic compilation of a child's stories on nautical themes, and the Log of the Sea Wren, which includes narratives of Kenneth Grace's summer time cruises in Chesapeake Bay aboard the boats Sea Wren and Sea Bird.

The Log of the Sea Wren includes narratives of Kenneth Grace's summer time "cruises" in Chesapeake Bay aboard the boats Sea Wren and Sea Bird, 1910-1914. The entries map out Grace's activities during August 1910, June 1912, June and July 1913, and June and July 1914, and include accounts of sailing, camping, and, on occasion, staying ashore. Although nothing further is known about Grace, the duration of these cruises suggest that the "log" was kept during his summer vacations.

Among other points of interest in the log are a description of Sharp's Island and the ruins of its failed resort hotel, accompanied by Grace's hand-drawn map. The log also includes a real-photo postcard of a young boy, possibly Grace.

"The Sea," written earlier than the Log, is an ecclectic compilation of a child's stories on nautical themes, including sailing, work in ports, shipwrecks, and salvage operations. Some of the stories may have been copied from newspapers or magazines, but others bear the marks of having been written by, or altered by Grace. The most interesting features of the manuscript are the charming pencil illustrations of sailing vessels and sea life, and three highly imaginative maps done in water color. The authorship of the manuscript is based on the presence of Kenneth Grace's name on page 43 and elsewhere.