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Dexter, Michigan, collector of materials relating to the history of railroading in Michigan. Correspondence, subject files, printed matter and photographs; contain material concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, the Manistee and Northeastern Railway Company, the Michigan Central Railroad, the Pere Marquette Railroad, and Ephraim Shay.

The Stoner collection contains about 3,600 photographs and negatives collected by Stoner, relating primarily to Michigan railroads. The collection also contains related manuscript materials.

Stoner's major collecting interests were in the Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk Western, and Pere Marquette Railroads and their predecessors, and in logging railroads, especially Ephraim Shay's railroad and others using Shay locomotives. Along with these lines, the collection contains photos of dozens of other railroads, not all in Michigan.

The photographs most commonly depict locomotives, often with their crews posed beside. Other common subjects are railroad stations (exteriors only), train wrecks, trains in motion, logging operations, carferries, railroad bridges, the Detroit-Windsor railroad tunnel, and street railroads.

Dozens of Michigan cities and towns and a number of places in other states are represented in the collection. Places depicted most often in the photos include Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Detroit, Durand, Frankfort, Harbor Springs, and Howell, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

The collection is organized into seven series: Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, Unclassified negatives, Papers, Classified negatives, and Duplicate material.

Appended to this finding aid are two indexes, one for railroads and company names, the other for subjects. The indexes contain references to all items in the Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, and Unclassified negatives series.

The index to railroads and company names indexes logging and industrial companies that operated railroads, as well as railroad lines themselves. It does not index locomotive manufacturers, nor does it index the names of railroad museums where some of the photos were taken.

The index to subjects indexes place names and topical subjects. It does not index the term "locomotives" since the majority of the photos in the collection would be indexed under that heading. Place names are indexed if the photo includes a view of some part of the place or of some event at the place. Close-up views of locomotives that do not show any background are not indexed by place, even if the description of the photo identifies where it was taken.

The Marcus Jamieson collection is made up of incoming personal letters to Jamieson from friends and his immediate family, as well as letters that he wrote to his future wife, Emma Crary of Webster City, Iowa. Jamieson received letters from Emma, his father, and numerous friends in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and other states while living in Grinnell, Iowa, between 1877 and 1883, and he received letters from his mother and brother in Grinnell, Iowa, while living in Warren, Pennsylvania, between 1891 and 1902. The letters pertain to numerous aspects of daily life, such as education, local news, and social activities.

The Marcus Jamieson collection is made up of approximately 90 incoming personal letters to Jamieson from friends and his immediate family, as well as 12 letters that he wrote to his future wife, Emma Crary of Webster City, Iowa. Jamieson received letters from Emma, his father, and numerous friends in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa, and other states while living in Grinnell, Iowa, between 1877 and 1883, and he received letters from his mother and brother in Grinnell, Iowa, while living in Warren, Pennsylvania, between 1891 and 1902. The letters pertain to numerous aspects of daily life, such as education, local news, and social activities.

T. W. Gilmore, Jr., and Marcia Gilmore frequently wrote to Jamieson from Ann Arbor, Michigan, between 1877 and 1881. They commented on their social activities, the city, and education. In one letter, T. W. Gilmore, Jr., drew a floor plan of the house in which he lived (November 3, 1878), and in others he mentioned aspects of student life at the high school and at the University of Michigan. Jamieson's father, Hugh A. Jamieson, wrote from Warren, Pennsylvania, and several friends shared news about their lives in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, and the Dakota Territory. Some commented on baseball, and one drew a sketch of a woman (August 22, 1879).

After 1880, Jamieson corresponded with Emily Crary ("Emma") of Webster City, Iowa. The couple's early letters primarily concern everyday news, but later letters reflect their transition into a more formal courtship. One letter has Jamieson's drawing of a picture of a fireman (August 6, 1882).

After a gap between 1884 and 1890, Jamieson's incoming correspondence resumes with letters from his brother Charles and his mother Julia, both of whom lived in Grinnell, Iowa. Charles discussed his educational experiences at Iowa College, and Julia provided news of her social life and of Emma's mother. The final item is a letter from a representative of Iowa College requesting a financial donation.

Additional material includes a wedding notice, a printed program, a flier of facts about Grinnell College, a newspaper clipping, and a photograph of an unidentified infant.