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

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown includes included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship.

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship. A test sheet at the end of the volume includes several practice penmanship elements, and pencil lines throughout indicate how Lydia Brown was keeping her writing straight.

• To Hope
• A Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer
• Charity
• Safety in Christ
• Say Why!
• Childhood
• Life
• Content
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity
• Humility
• Friendship
• Fortitude
• Modesty
• Patience
• Inscription on a Clock
• Friendship
• Sunset and Sunrise
• Reputation
• A Request
• Hope
• The Rose
• Friendship
• Time
• Repentance
• Prayer
• Religion
• The Happy Cottage
• A Thought
• Evening Cloud
• Extract
• An Epitaph
• Time
• Modesty
• Extract
• Repentance
• Life
• Prayer
• The Tear
• Sympathy

This volume was produced by Peter McGivney as a gift for his sister, Julia A. McGivney. Its entries are largely copies of popular song lyrics and some poetry. Many focus on sentimental themes like remembrance, familial relationships, love, death, and religion. A few patriotic titles were included. Peter McGivney elaborately decorated and illustrated the volume with paintings, pencil drawings, pen-and-ink embellishments, printed scrapbook die-cuts, and calligraphic titles and borders. He drew numerous patriotic images, including American flags, shields, eagles, Union soldiers, and a portrait of George Washington. Flowers, leaves, birds, and landscapes feature prominently, along with depictions of women. He drew several illustrations of hands holding calling/visiting cards filled out with the names of friends and family members. One watercolor illustration of an African American man accompanies the lyrics of a minstrel song.

This volume was produced by Peter McGivney as a gift for his sister, Julia A. McGivney. Its entries are primarily copies of popular song lyrics and some poetry. Many focus on sentimental themes like remembrance, familial relationships, love, death, and religion. Some patriotic titles are also included. Titles like "Little Low Cabin" and "Half Way Doings" were likely minstrel songs, and include racist dialect. One is accompanied by a watercolor painting of an African American man in striped pants and a blue overcoat standing at a table with a Bible on it and a whitewash bucket on the floor.

Peter McGivney elaborately decorated and illustrated the volume with paintings, pencil drawings, pen-and-ink embellishments, printed scrapbook die-cuts, and calligraphic titles and borders. He drew numerous patriotic images, including American flags, shields, eagles, Union soldiers, and a portrait of George Washington. Flowers, leaves, birds, and landscapes feature prominently, along with depictions of women. He drew several illustrations of hands holding calling/visiting cards filled out with the names of friends and family members.

• "The Lady’s Yes," by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
• "Write Me a Letter [from] Home," by Will S. Hays
• "[Darling] Minnie Lee," by Dexter Smith
• "Ella Ree," by Charles E. Stewart
• "God Bless My Boy at Sea," by T. Brigham Bishop
• "Little Robin, Tell Kitty," by Frank Howard
• "Killarney," by E. Falconer
• "Sunny Days," by Edwin Ransford
• "Remember Me," by M. W. Balfe
• "We Parted by the River Side," by Will S. Hays
• "The Last Rose of Summer," by Thomas Moore
• "Lottie Lee," by C. T. Lockwood
• "Kiss the Little Ones," by W. F. Wellman, Jr.
• "Kiss Me Mother E'er I Die," by W. Dexter Smith, Jr.
• "To a Beloved Woman," translated from Sappho
• "Driven from Home," by Will S. Hays
• "Bessy O'er the Lea" [e.g. "Darling Bessie of the Lea"], by George Cooper
• "Our Own," by Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
• "[When] The Corn is Waving, Annie Dear," by Charles Blamphin
• "A Woman's Question," by Adelaide Anne Proctor
• "Daisy O'Lynn," by M. H. McChesney
• "I'll Remember You Love in my Prayers," by Will S. Hayes
• "Don't be Angry With Me, Darling," by W. L. Gardner
• "The Good Bye at the Door," by J. E. Carpenter
• "Love On," by Eliza Cook
• "Sweet Genevieve," by George Cooper
• "When the [Autumn] Leaves are Falling," by J. E. Carpenter
• "Mother, Is the Old Home Lonely," by Arthur W. French
• "The Golden Side," by Mary Ann Kidder
• "Wait Till the Moonlight Falls on the Water," by Sam Bagnall
• "The Bells of Shadow" [e.g. "The Shandon Bells"], by Francis Mahony
• "Annie of the Vale," by G. P. Morris
• "My Pretty Jane," by Edward Fitzball
• "Silver Threads among the Gold," by Eben E. Rexford
• "When I Saw Sweet Nellie Home," by John Fletcher
• "Come Like a Beautiful Dream," by George Cooper
• "What Will I Do Without Thee," by Elmer Ruan Coates
• "Star of the Evening," by James M. Sayles
• "The Good Bye at the Door," by J. E. Carpenter
• "Memory Bells," by Henry Tucker
• "I Love the Merry Sunshine," by J. W. Lake
• "Every Home has Lost a Darling," by George Cooper
• "Wilt thou say Farewell Love," by Thomas Moore
• "A Sweet Face at the Window," by W. C. Baker
• "Faded Flowers," by I. H. Brown
• "The Blind Girl," by Joshua Swan
• "What Will I Do Without Thee," by Elmer Ruan Coates
• "Why Was I Looking Out," by Claribel
• "God Save the Flag," by Oliver Wendell Holmes

• "Fair Maid of Perth"
• "Arabella Dolora"
• "A little Puss"
• "Rebecca at the Well"
• "E Pluribus Unum"
• "Excelsior"
• "The French Iron Clad Solferino"
• "Volcano of Turrialba (Mexico)."
• "View of Paknam on the Memam. Farther - India"
• "The Rose of Orleans"
• "The Queen of Flowers"
• "Marriot's Aerial Steam Carriage. 'Avitor.'"
• "Love in Winter"
• "Dressing for the Masquerade"
• "William Penn first Settler of Pennsylvania 1675"
• "The Tambourine Player"
• "Love in Summer"

The Polly C. Bishop Mansfield Collection contains poetry and sewing produced by Mansfield while a young woman during the mid-nineteenth century. Four poems entitled "Remembrance," "Nevermore," "Friendship," and "Persevere" are written on both sides of a slim sheet of paper. Mansfield hand-sewed a stuffed fabric fish, drawing scales, gills, and eyes on it with ink. The fish is affixed with thread to a manuscript note that reads, "Sarah Heaton Stiles and Polly Bishop Mansfield had a bet on and Polly was to give Sarah a shad, in payment. And she (Polly) made this shad, perhaps about 1850-2. They were young women."

The Polly C. Bishop Mansfield Collection contains poetry and sewing produced by Mansfield while a young woman during the mid-nineteenth century. Four poems entitled "Remembrance," "Nevermore," "Friendship," and "Persevere" are written on both sides of a slim sheet of paper. Mansfield hand-sewed a stuffed fabric fish, drawing scales, gills, and eyes on it with ink. The fish is affixed with thread to a manuscript note that reads, "Sarah Heaton Stiles and Polly Bishop Mansfield had a bet on and Polly was to give Sarah a shad, in payment. And she (Polly) made this shad, perhaps about 1850-2. They were young women."

The Harriet Hodges commonplace book, created at an unknown location sometime in the 19th century, contains 25 pages of copied poetry, apparently from serial publications, including multiple entries titled "For an Album" and "From an Album." Other poems include "The Daughter's Dream," "Wee Willie," "The Legend of the Crossbill," "Address to Columbus dying," "Death of Napoleon," "The Bridal Day," and several fragments. Flipping the volume over, Harriet wrote eight pages of a story titled "Imogene Howard, or Self Conceit." The commonplace book is bound with a plaid cover.

The Harriet Hodges commonplace book, created at an unknown location sometime in the 19th century, contains 25 pages of copied poetry, apparently from serial publications, including multiple entries titled "For an Album" and "From an Album." Other poems include "The Daughter's Dream," "Wee Willie," "The Legend of the Crossbill," "Address to Columbus dying," "Death of Napoleon," "The Bridal Day," and several fragments. Flipping the volume over, Harriet wrote eight pages of a story titled "Imogene Howard, or Self Conceit." The commonplace book is bound with a plaid cover.

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary. He traveled to various places in northern California, took camping trips with friends, participated in outdoor activities, and attended dances and plays. Some entries reflect racial tensions in Stockton.

Joe Sanford of Stockton, California, summarized his weekend activities for the year 1949 in this typed diary (134 pages). The diary's frontispiece is a poem by Nick Kenny entitled "Youth."

Though he occasionally mentioned his schoolwork and grades, Sanford wrote most frequently about his social life and leisure activities, almost all of which involved his friend Glenn. They and other friends went camping, attended theatrical performances (often at the College of the Pacific) and dances, and participated in outdoor activities throughout the year. Sanford traveled around northern California, writing about trips with friends and family to Mount Diablo (April 1949), Yosemite National Park (June 1949), Santa Cruz (July 1949), and the "Old Hearst Ranch" (August 1949). He played saxophone in the school marching band and briefly participated in the Sea Scouts during the summer. Some entries refer directly or indirectly to Mexican and African-American residents of Stockton, including Sanford's attempts to communicate with persons who "spoke Mexican" and the presence of African Americans at a December school dance. Some clipped images of locations that Sanford visited and unidentified individuals participating in fishing and similar outdoor activities are pasted into the volume. Sanford's diary also contains pencil sketches of a man painting on a ladder, a birthday cake, and other subjects. A program from a school talent show is also pasted in.

This collection contains letters that M. Robert Rosenberg received while serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, as well as letters he wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg of Albany, New York. The collection also includes additional correspondence to Gertrude Rosenberg and a typed poem.

This collection contains letters that M. Robert Rosenberg received while serving in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II, as well as letters he wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg of Albany, New York. The collection also includes additional correspondence to Gertrude Rosenberg and a typed poem. Some items consist of multiple letters to M. Robert Rosenberg, Gertrude Rosenberg, or both.

M. Robert Rosenberg wrote to Gertrude Rosenberg about his military service at Lowry Field, Colorado, and Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma. He commented on his leisure activities, dates with "Rosalie," his attempts to publish a book, and the possibility of receiving a medical discharge. He received v-mail letters from friends in the army and a typed letter from F. G. Duffy of Neisner Brothers, Inc. in Rochester, New York, a potential postwar employer. A 4-page poem by G. A. Smith provides information about personnel stationed at Lowry Field in December 1943. Gertrude Rosenberg's other correspondents were a niece or nephew and a friend in Newark, New Jersey.

This collection contains 7 letters that Helen Eastman received in 1943 from Lee Blanchard, Therald Eastman, and H. W. Woodward, as well as 1 undated letter, 1 printed poem, and 1 pencil sketch. The men discussed their service in the United States Army and Navy; Blanchard described his experiences in North Africa and Italy.

This collection contains 7 letters that Helen Eastman received in 1943 from Lee Blanchard, Therald Eastman, and H. W. Woodward, as well as 1 undated letter, 1 printed poem and 1 pencil sketch.

Private First Class Lee Blanchard wrote 5 letters to Helen Eastman between June 27, 1943, and November 25, 1943, while serving with the 10th Field Hospital in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. He described the scenery from his travels and responded to news she sent from home. While in Sicily, he visited catacombs; he also remarked on ancient Greek and Roman ruins in Italy and in Constantinople.

On July 15, 1943, Seaman Second Class H. W. Woodward ("Willis") wrote to Helen Eastman from the United States Naval Training Station in Newport, Rhode Island, where he attended storekeeper's school. He related news of family and friends, and reported that he planned to graduate in August. Helen's cousin Therald Eastman wrote to the Eastman family on December 16, 1943, thanking them for a Christmas gift and reporting on his courses at the Field Artillery Replacement Training Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The final letter to Helen Eastman, an undated item signed by "Maurice," pertains to the Christmas season and provides family news.

The collection also contains a printed fragment of a poem entitled "Two Opinions," which presents a boy's opinion on the opposite sex, and a pencil drawing of a person in a high-collared uniform.

This collection is comprised of 104 items related to Private First Class John Marshal Holcombe III's service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Holcombe sent about 90 letters and other items to his parents and siblings in Farmington, Connecticut, while in training in Florida, South Dakota, and Utah in 1942 and 1943, and while serving in Africa between 1943 and 1945. He commented on various aspects of his training, the war, his health, and military life. The collection also contains 4 documents, 2 newspaper clippings, and 6 loose photographs related to Holcombe's military service.

This collection is comprised of 104 items related to Private First Class John Marshal Holcombe III's service in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Holcombe sent about 90 letters and other items to his parents and siblings in Farmington, Connecticut, while in training in Florida, South Dakota, and Utah in 1942 and 1943, and while serving in Africa between 1943 and 1945. He commented on various aspects of his training, the war, his health, and military life. The collection also contains 4 documents, 2 newspaper clippings, and 6 loose photographs related to Holcombe's military service.

The Correspondence series consists primarily of letters that John Holcombe III wrote to his parents, John Holcombe, Jr., and Marguerite Holcombe, and to his siblings, especially his sisters Ada ("Adie") and Gloria. Of the collection's 72 dated letters and other items, Holcombe composed 7 letters from the training center at Miami Beach, Florida, (June 1942-July 1942); 20 letters from the training center at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (July 1942-December 1942); 4 letters from Kearns, Utah (December 1942-January 1943); and 35 letters from North and Central Africa between (February 1943-May 1945). Other items are a telegram, 3 letters from other soldiers to the Holcombe family, a blank record sheet for "Bombing Practise" [sic], and a speech that Holcombe composed in honor of his parents' 25th anniversary. Of the 20 undated items, 19 are letters from John Holcombe III to his family; the final item is a typed copy of his poem "Tropic Fever."

Holcombe's letters relate to many aspects of his life as a soldier, both in training and on active duty. An asthmatic, he frequently commented on his health; for example, his letters from late 1943 mention his stay in a hospital after he contracted malaria. Other letters describe the scenery in the United States and in Africa, as well as African cultures. Holcombe frequently referred to his experiences in training, which included drilling and attending technical classes, and he sometimes reported news of the war, such as Italy's surrender. He requested news from Connecticut and often wrote personal asides for his sister Ada. His later letters often concern his relationship with other soldiers, and increasingly provide more detailed information about his duties.

• July 6, 1942: Hand-drawn diagram of Holcombe's quarters, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
• August 20, 1942: Printed chart for weather reports, filled out in pencil
• September 14, 1942: Photograph of an unidentified soldier sitting on a bunk
• October 14, 1942: Photographs of a soldier punting a football and a soldier next to technical equipment and a chalkboard
• January 12, 1943: Printed cartoon of a soldier washing dishes
• March 19, 1943: 8 photographs of Africans
• June 14, 1943: Poem dedicated to Ada Holcombe on her 19th birthday
• April 7, 1944: Unidentified plant leaf
• July 17, 1944: Enclosed poem dated July 11, 1944
• January 25, 1945: Small drawing of a stickwoman
• Undated: Printed cartoon of a soldier writing

Additionally, several letters dated after October 1944 have a wax seal, often labeled "The Seal of the Clan & Huck Finn."

• United States Army Air Forces Technical School diploma for John Holcombe III's completion of a radio mechanics course (November 27, 1942)
• Travel orders for John Holcombe III and other soldiers, United States Army Headquarters, West African Service Command (March 20, 1945)
• "Salvati Africa" ticket stub (undated)
• Humorous certificate for John Holcombe III's membership in the Marching and Mayhem Club, illustrated with cartoons depicting Japanese and German soldiers being wounded (undated)

The two Newspaper Clippings are a copy of The Spectator Daily (March 22, 1945), and a copy of a John D. Rockefeller, Jr., radio broadcast entitled "I Believe" (undated).

Six black-and-white Photographs illustrate scenes from Asmara, Eritrea, such as a market, a horse-drawn carriage, and buildings.

This collection is made up of letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II. She corresponded with servicemen in multiple branches of the United States Armed Forces during the early years of the war, and wrote over 150 letters to her future husband, Richard J. Szymczak, from September 1943-May 1945.

This collection is made up of approximately 200 letters that Phyllis Okoniewski of Buffalo, New York, wrote and received during World War II, 4 manuscript writings, and 6 newspaper clippings..

The Correspondence series consists of Phyllis Okoniewski's incoming and outgoing letters. From February 1941-August 1943, Okoniewski received over 40 letters from members of the United States Army, United States Army Air Forces, and United States Navy. They wrote about aspects of military life at bases such as Camp McClellan, Alabama; Camp Croft, South Carolina; Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida; Camp Pickett, Virginia; Seymour Johnson Field, North Carolina; Sampson Naval Training Station, New Jersey; Camp Gordon, Georgia; and South Kelly Field, Texas. The servicemen discussed their classes, possible assignments, daily routine, and leisure activities. Okoniewski occasionally composed drafts of letters to these soldiers, in which she discussed her life in Buffalo, New York. The bulk of the series (over 150 items) is comprised of Okoniewski's letters to her future husband, Richard Szymczak, between September 1943 and May 1945. She commented on news from home, activities with members of the Okoniewski and Szymczak families, her senior prom, and her love for Szymczak.

The Writings series (4 items) contains 2 drafts of an explicit poem about Adam and Eve, a recipe for "love cake," a parody of Longfellow's poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," and a typed joke about married women.

Five of the six Newspaper clippings relate to the Buffalo Bisons hockey team during the war. One of these lists war casualties from western New York on the reverse side. The sixth clipping is an image of members of the 95th Signal Company, 3rd Division, United States Army, surrounding a cow.

This collection is made up of over 170 letters that Staff Sergeant Lawson L. Lindberg wrote to his fiancé (and later wife), Elsa Kunze (referred to as "Dorothy" or "Dottie"), while serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Lindberg described camp life and his training exercises in the United States, and also wrote about his service in the Pacific Theater during the final year of the war.

This collection is made up of over 170 letters that Staff Sergeant Lawson L. Lindberg ("Lucky") wrote to his wife, Elsa Kunze (referred to as "Dorothy" or "Dottie"), while serving in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Lindberg described camp life and his training exercises in the United States, and also wrote about his service in the Pacific Theater during the final year of the war.

Lindberg wrote his first letter shortly after enlistment in December 1941; he commented on his experiences at the Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California, until April 1942, when he was transferred to Camp Elliot, California. At Camp Elliot, where he was a drill instructor, he discussed his unsuccessful attempt to transfer to the Air Corps. Lindberg spent the majority of the war in New River, North Carolina, and Camp Pendleton, California, where he trained with the 23rd Marine Regiment. He described aspects of camp life and military exercises, which included grenade training, rifle training, and large-scale maneuvers. He also reported his punishments after returning late from two furloughs.

Lindberg wrote about his love for Kunze, whom he married while on leave in August 1942; on one occasion, he shared his opinion that she should return to housekeeping after the war, despite having earned several promotions at her wartime job (March 11, 1943). Lindberg wrote less frequently after his deployment to the Pacific Theater in late January 1944, where he served in the Marshall Islands, Iwo Jima, and Saipan in multiple units, including the 5th 155mm Howitzer battalion. Lindberg's letters from overseas often pertain to strained relationships with his family members, including his mother and his older brother, Jack. In his final 2 letters, written from a transient center in October 1945, Lindberg anticipated his return to the United States.

Two of Lindberg's letters contain enclosures: a sexually explicit poem (November 22, 1943) and a photographic negative (July 8, 1945). Kunze also received several telegrams and V-mail letters, as well as a birthday card. Some of Lindberg's letters are written on United States Marine Corps stationery, depicting associated logos and a marine in dress uniform with a rifle.