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

The Ray A. Johnson photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs of scenes from western Wisconsin and Minnesota.

The Ray A. Johnson photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs of scenes from western Wisconsin and Minnesota. The album (18.5 x 30 cm) has black pebbled cloth covers. Many photographs show scenes around Johnson's home in Dunn County, Wisconsin, including a street view of West Knapp, friends in outdoor settings, school groups, the Eau Claire High School classes of 1899 and 1900, the high school women's basketball team, and the school fan drill team. Three photographs show extensive damage in New Richmond, Wisconsin, likely from the 1899 tornado. Minnesota-related photographs show Minnehaha Falls, Minnesota State Fair buildings, and Native American burial mounds in St. Paul. Also included are images of locomotives from the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad; the Knapp, Wisconsin railroad station; four men standing on railroad tracks with a handcar; track construction with a Bucyrus steam shovel at work; the interior of a sawmill; and two Booth Line steamers, Argo andS.B. Barker. Individual portraits include an older man with a Grand Army of the Republic medal sitting among American flags, and a young girl posed outdoors with her dolls and accessories. Ray Johnson is included in several photographs, alone and among friends and family members.

The William Tipton sample photograph album contains 121 photographs taken by William H. Tipton at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania from circa 1884 to 1889. The images are group shots of former Civil War regiments, veterans, prominent politicians, and others, mainly taken at the Gettysburg battlefield and newly-erected monuments.

The William Tipton sample photograph album contains 121 photographs, originally mounted in an album. For preservation purposes, the photographs were removed from the album and mounted on archival cardstock (34 x 43 cm). Each photograph has been assigned a number corresponding to the original page number. Most pages displayed only one large photograph, but several had multiple smaller images, each of which has been assigned a letter following the page number. In six instances, photographs were originally mounted over other photographs, suggesting that the album was revised over time. Five of these photographs have a large "X" drawn through the image. These images are labeled as "under" + page number. In addition, four loose photographs were tucked between pages, and they are labeled with the page numbers they were between.

The album has a quarter-bound, black leather cover, and the leather spine is missing. The gilt title, though partially illegible, presumambly once read "Photographs, Gettysburg Groups."

The photographs were taken by William H. Tipton on the Gettysburg Battlefield from 1884 to 1889. Some of the pages are stamped with "W.H. Tipton, The Battlefield Photographer, Gettysburg, Pa." The majority of images have captions, either hand-written on the album page or directly on the photographic print, identifying groups and individuals. This album was one of several sample albums showing photographs available for purchase at W.H. Tipton's photo gallery. Original prices are included next to many of the images.

All of the photos in the album are group shots of men, women, and children, ranging from five to over one hundred people. In the majority of images, the men are wearing suits and have ribbons pinned to their chest; however, in some images, the men are dressed in military uniforms. The majority of images are of a particular regiment posing with their unit's monument, often taken at the dedication ceremony. The regiments represented are from many Union states including Connecticut, Indiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, with Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York regiments appearing most frequently. Although the majority of the images are of veterans and politicians from the Union side of the Civil War, some images include Confederate veterans. The 25th anniversary of the battle was commemorated with a three day reunion in July, 1888 that featured both Union and Confederate veterans. Photos 53-59B depict this reunion on the battlefield and feature Confederate Generals Wade Hampton and James Longstreet, in addition to Union generals, including Warner Miller, Daniel Butterfield, John Hartranft, Joseph Carr, Henry Slocum, Joshua Chamberlain, and Daniel Sickles. Sickles rests on crutches, as he lost his leg while fighting at Gettysburg.

Many of images were taken in either wooded areas or fields, with farms occasionally noticeable in the background. In photo 71, Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) and its observatory are visible in the background.

Politicians appearing in photos include President Grover Cleveland and Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks (57A), and Vice President Hannibal Hamlin (85). The photos also depict governors and former governors, including Ebenezer J. Ormsbee (Vermont), Elihu E. Jackson (Maryland), Joshua L. Chamberlain (Maine), Joseph R. Bodwell (Maine), James A. Beaver (Pennsylvania), Robert E. Pattison (Pennsylvania), Robert S. Green (New Jersey), Joseph B. Foraker (Ohio), Jeremiah M. Rusk (Wisconsin), Cyrus G. Luce (Michigan), Samuel J. Tilden (New York), John F. Hartranft (Pennsylvania), Wade Hampton (South Carolina), and Lucius Fairchild (Wisconsin). Many of these governors were former generals.

Fraternal organizations are also depicted in the album. Photo 36 is a group shot of the Improved Order of Red Men, specifically the Tonguwa Tribe; members of The Grand Army of the Republic appear in photo 38, and individual members may be present in other images as well.

As there were no African American units or "Colored Troops" at the Battle of Gettysburg, there are very few African Americans appearing in these photos. Photo Under 48 depicts an African American soldier standing next to a group of white soldiers. Photo 46 depicts a group of identified teachers, Native American students, and parents from the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The majority of Native Americans in this photo are wearing western clothing, with two men wearing traditional Native American dress.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, financial records, legal documents, photographs, speeches, and ephemera related to Ziba Roberts of Shelby, New York, and his family. Much of the material concerns his service in the 28th New York Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, veterans' pensions, reunions, genealogy, and estate administration.

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, financial papers, legal documents, photographs, speeches, printed items, and ephemera related to Ziba Roberts of Shelby, New York, and his family. Much of the material concerns his service in the 28th New York Infantry Regiment during the Civil War, veterans' pensions, reunions, genealogy, and estate administration.

The Correspondence series (approximately 110 items) includes a group of 17 items (1826-1852) related to the family of James Harland, an ancestor of Cynthia Dewey Roberts. Harland, who lived in Manchester, New York, received letters from his son William, who moved to Clarksfield, Ohio, around 1839. Shortly after his arrival, William described local marshes and discussed his land and the prices of various crops. His later letters concern his financial difficulties and his Christian faith. A letter of September 3, 1841, includes a small manuscript map of property lines.

The remaining correspondence pertains to Ziba Roberts and, to a lesser extent, his wife and children. The first item is a letter from his sister Henrietta dated March 14, 1858. Roberts regularly corresponded with family members and friends while serving in the 28th New York Infantry Regiment between January 1862 and April 1863. In his letters home (around 20 items), he described aspects of military and camp life, including food, hygiene, illness, long marches, and general boredom; several items concern his experiences in occupied Winchester, Virginia, in the spring of 1862 and his treatment after his release from Confederate prison. He sometimes commented on news of the war, expressing confidence in a Union victory. During this period, Roberts occasionally received letters from family members at home, who discussed farming, religion, and family news (5 items).

The Roberts correspondence resumes in 1886 and continues as late as 1937; most date between 1889 and 1912. Roberts received a series of letters from William W. Eastman in South Dakota, who wrote at length about his financial difficulties. Most of his late correspondence concerns Civil War veterans' affairs, particularly related to pensions and reunions. Some writers complained about the difficulty of receiving a pension, the health issues that affected former soldiers, and Roberts's own disability claim. One printed circular contains reminiscences by members of the 28th New York Infantry Regiment (printed and distributed in May 1892). In 1912, Ziba Roberts received letters from fellow veterans regarding the 28th Regiment's annual reunion; most expressed or implied a lasting sense of comradeship with their fellow veterans, though many declined the invitation on account of poor health or other circumstances (with some reflecting on whether deaths would put future reunions in jeopardy).

The latest correspondence, written in the 1920s and 1930s, concerns the Grand Army of the Republic, insurance policies, and Roberts and Sanborn family genealogy. One correspondent returned an essay written by Ziba Roberts in December 1916: "A Brief History of the Methodist Episcopal Church at East Shelby" (enclosed with letter dated February 27, 1924). Minutes of the 28th Regiment's 68th reunion, held in May 1929, note the death of Ziba Roberts and other soldiers.

Ziba Roberts wrote two Diaries between November 14, 1861, and December 31, 1862. His daily entries concern aspects of his service with the 28th New York Infantry Regiment in Maryland and Virginia, including his imprisonment in 1862. He wrote about marches, guard duty, drills, health, and rations.

The Documents and Financial Papers series (74 items) includes legal documents and financial papers dated 1864 to 1940. Correspondence, indentures, and mortgages pertain to land ownership, management of decedents' estates, and a legal dispute between William W. Dewey and Seneca Sprout in the 1890s. Four items are Grand Army of the Republic commissions for Ziba Roberts, dated between 1918 and 1922. One group of tax receipts pertains to payments made by Ziba and Cynthia Roberts as late as 1940.

The collection's account book originally belonged to Ziba Roberts in the late 19th century. Roberts recorded around 35 pages of accounts between around 1884 and 1919, including records related to everyday purchases of food and other goods, a female domestic worker's wages, road construction, and estates. A later owner recorded tax payments for the years 1922-1944.

The Photographs series consists of 2 photograph albums and 8 loose items. Together, the photograph albums contain around 120 cartes-de-visite, tintypes, and cabinet cards. These items consist of studio portraits of members of the Roberts, Dewey, Wolcott, and Sanborn families, as well as additional friends and family members. Most of the pictures, which feature men, women, children, and infants, were taken in New York.

The loose items are made up of photographs of Ziba Roberts, including a heavily retouched portrait and a corresponding print of the original image; portraits of soldiers in the 28th New York Infantry Regiment; pictures of Colonel Dudley Donnelly's tomb; and a group of soldiers posing by the High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument at Gettysburg. Additional items show a group posing for a souvenir photograph after a "balloon route trolley trip" in Los Angeles, California, and members of the Sprout family standing in front of their home.

The Speeches, Printed Items, and Ephemera series (30 items) includes Civil War materials, such as scores for the songs "We're Marching on to Richmond," "The Passing of the Veteran," "We Old Boys," and "Have You Got the Countersign"; and a printed booklet of war songs issued by the Grand Army of the Republic and related veterans' societies. Other items pertain to veterans' reunions and reminiscences. The series also includes two typed carbon copies of postwar speeches given by Ziba Roberts, "Seeing Lincoln" and "Lecture on Army Prison Life."

Additional pamphlets and ephemeral items concern New York political reforms, cholera, and a meeting of the descendants of Henry Wolcott. One newspaper clipping describes the career of William Ziba Roberts. The series includes a biography of George Dewey and history of the Dewey family (Adelbert M. Dewey, 1898). The final items are World War II-era ration books, with many stamps still attached.

The Genealogy series (21 items) is comprised of records related to the Roberts and Dewey families, and to the ancestors and descendants of Ziba and Cynthia Dewey Roberts. A manuscript volume contains approximately 35 pages of family trees; registers of births, marriages, and deaths; and the military service of Daniel Roberts (Revolutionary War) and Ziba Roberts (Civil War). Other items include additional registers, death notices, and notes.