Collections

Norris family of Ypsilanti and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Papers of Mark Norris, Ypsilanti businessman and postmaster; papers of his wife, Roccena Vaill Norris, local teacher and woman's rights advocate; papers of their son, Lyman, attorney and regent of the University of Michigan, 1883-1884; papers of Lyman's son, Mark Norris, Grand Rapids attorney and Grand Master of the Knights Templar in the United States; papers of Lyman's daughter Maria Norris, Grand Rapids physician; papers of Mark's son, Abbott Norris; and related papers of other family members, notably the Whittelsey family of Connecticut.

The Norris family papers consists of three linear feet of correspondence, business papers, and scrapbooks. The bulk of the papers are letters among various family members which contain a wealth of information about 19th century daily life, social conditions, business affairs, and local and state politics. This collection is especially useful in researching: women's history; Norris family and kinship interrelationships; early area settlement and local history; university student life at the University of Michigan and elsewhere; 19th century economic conditions and political issues; and 20th century Freemasonry.

Papers of Benjamin Douglass and his sons, Samuel T. Douglass, Detroit attorney and jurist, and Silas H. Douglas, professor of chemistry at the University of Michigan, and member of Douglass Houghton's Northern Michigan survey. Correspondence, scrapbooks, letter books, and miscellanea concerning family affairs, business and university activities; also contains records of the Douglass and Walker and Campbell Law Firm; and papers of individual members of Silas Douglas’ family, including his wife Helen Welles Douglas, their children Samuel T. Douglas, Marie Louise Douglas, and Catherine Hulbert Douglas, and other Douglas and Welles family members; and photographs.

The Douglass Family collection spans the period 1812-1911 and comprises eight linear feet of manuscripts, one linear ft. of photographs, three outsize volumes, and 1 folder of oversize materials. The collection include the papers of Benjamin Douglass and his two sons, Samuel T. (1814-98) a lawyer and Detroit judge, and Silas H. (1816-90), a professor at The University of Michigan. Although Silas came to use the family name of Douglas rather than Douglass, the paper indicate that there was little consistency.

The collection consists of personal and professional correspondence, letterpress books, business and legal papers, scrapbooks, photographs, and family materials. The collection, except for series of photographs and maps, is arranged by family member name.

Correspondence and other papers of Alde L. T. Blake, including exchanges with Jane Addams, Ben Lindsey, Governor Woodbridge N. Ferris, and Anna Howard Shaw, and other materials documenting Alde Blake's suffragist activities. Scrapbooks of William F. Blake largely concerning family history and business interests, and his correspondence; a volume containing copies of private and unofficial letters written by William Blake to various persons during his tenure as U.S. Consular Agent. A volume with copies of letters sent by Robert Blake in his capacity as U.S. Consular Agent serving in Canada, including detailed commercial report about London, Ontario in 1873. Freeman N. Blake's Law School notebook. Also, included a genealogical tree of Kutsche family. Correspondence, notebooks, wills, certificates, and other materials relating to other Blake, Kutsche, and Tuck family members. Visual materials include two photo albums, as well as numerous photographs (some oversize), daguerreotypes, and one tintype. Photographs include photos of Anna Howard Shaw, Jeanette Rankin, and others following a lecture by Dr. Shaw; also group photos, possibly of woman suffrage groups.

Scrapbooks of Warren S. Wilkinson, member of the board of the Evening News Association, publisher of the Detroit News. Scrapbooks relate to the life and work of James E. Scripps, founder of the Detroit News, and to the struggle over the sale of the newspaper to Gannett Company in 1985.

The collection contains scrapbooks assembled by Wilkinson relating to the life and work of James E. Scripps, as well as the machinations surrounding the sale of the Evening News Association to Gannett Company in 1985. Most of the scrapbooks have been copied for the library and the originals returned to the donor. The collection consists of photocopies of the scrapbooks along with scanned images of many of the photographs. Scanned photos are identified by the scan number noted on the reverse of the page.

The family scrapbooks document James E. Scripps's personal life and his family, the history of the Detroit News, Scripps family interests including the Detroit Museum of Art, the Scripps home on Trumbull Avenue in Detroit, and Trinity Episcopal Church located at the corner of Trumbull and Grand River Avenues in Detroit one block from the family home.

Wilkinson's scrapbooks titled "The Twilight of the Evening News Association" contain photos, correspondence, trial transcripts, financial charts, and commentary documenting the company's struggle for profitability in the 1960s and 70s, and negotiations and lawsuits over the sale of the company in the 1980s. The first volume in this sequence contains many photos of News operations from the early part of the twentieth century.

This collection comprises 28 American manuscript recipe books dated from 1793 to 1959 with the bulk dating from the nineteenth century. One of the books contains portions in German, while the rest are in English. Most regions of the United States are present, with the Northeast and Southern States best represented. Desserts represent the bulk of the recipes, cakes being the most popular. Some recipes include attributes to friends, family, or cookbooks, and some contain notes on quality of the dish. Directions for making medicinal remedies and practical household needs (such as cleaning product recipes or advice on fabric care) may also be included. Many volumes contain handwritten or printed inserts.

This collection comprises 28 American manuscript recipe books dated from 1793 to 1959 with the bulk dating from the nineteenth century. One of the books contains portions in German, while the rest are in English. Most regions of the United States are present, with the Northeast and Southern States best represented. Desserts represent the bulk of the recipes cakes being the most popular. Some recipes include attributes to friends, family, or cookbooks, and some contain notes on quality of the dish. Directions for making medicinal remedies and practical household needs (such as cleaning product recipes or advice on fabric care) may also be included. Many volumes contain handwritten or printed inserts.

All or most of the known authors of these recipe books appear to be by women. A man, James Campbell, authored the accounting portion of the Campbell receipt book and a male writer may have created the Manuscript Recipe Book, [1838]. Emma Hinricks Hilken is the only one known to have resided outside the United States when writing her recipe book (she resided in Frankfurt, Germany, for several years following her marriage). The women range in age from teenagers to the elderly and represent a variety of social backgrounds. Most of the recipe books were written or compiled in the second half of the nineteenth century, with some extending into the early twentieth. Approximately one-fifth of them were written in the first half of the nineteenth century or earlier.

See the box and folder listing below for a complete descriptive list of the recipe books present in this collection.

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers pertain to Revolutionary War veteran and Roxbury, Massachusetts, and Cincinnati, Ohio, merchant William Bosson (1753-1823 or 1824); his son William Bosson (1806-1887) and daughter-in-law Julia Burnett; his son Charles T. Bosson (1791-1864); and other family members. The collection includes original manuscripts, ephemeral items, publications, transcriptions, and copies of letters, documents, notes, and other items, largely dated between 1789 and 1899. In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index: Bosson Family Scrapbook Contributor Index.

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers pertain to Revolutionary War veteran and merchant William Bosson (1753-1823 or 1824); his son William Bosson (1806-1887) and daughter-in-law Julia Burnett; his son Charles T. Bosson (1791-1864); and other family members. The collection includes original manuscripts, ephemeral items, publications, transcriptions, and copies of letters, documents, notes, and other items, largely dated between 1789 and 1899.

The William Bosson Scrapbook includes approximately 140 manuscript and printed items largely dating from 1789 to 1899, including biographical sketches, reminiscences, reflections, correspondences, courtship and family letters, documents, an autobiography, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, engravings, railroad passes, and convention tickets. Of particular note are 10 documents signed by W. G. Brownlow and D. W. Senter; five letters sent by William Bosson to W. G. Brownlow; five biographical sketches and reminiscences related to the reception of the Declaration of Independence in New York, Thomas Hickey's betrayal of General Howe, General Joseph Warren, General Knox, and General George Henry Thomas; nine letters George H. Thomas sent to William Bosson between 1864 and 1868; four letters between Edward Everett and William and Charles Bosson; three letters of introduction for Charles Bosson exchanged between W. Heath and Elbridge Gerry, Elbridge Gerry and Henry Clay, and Josiah Quincy and John Rowan in 1813; one letter from Amos Kendall to Charles Bosson; one letter from Samuel Gilman to Charles Bosson; and one manuscript addressed to the Tennessee Teacher's State Association by W. G. Brownlow.

The scrapbook contains content pertinent to many subjects, including the Revolutionary War; the War of 1812; the Civil War; the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in Tennessee; Tennessee reconstruction; and Tennessee mining, cotton manufacture, railroads, government, and education (particularly the development of Common Schools) following the Civil War.

The Genealogical Papers series includes Colonial Dames applications, a Middlesex County genealogy, two transcriptions of William Bosson's autobiography for his sons, two transcribed copies of Thomas Mayo Bosson's "Genealogy of the Bosson Family," transcribed copies and photocopies of genealogical records, and genealogical notes and materials related to the Ushers, Hills, Denisons, Terrells, Powers, Newnans, and Bossons. The genealogical papers also contain two books of compiled information on the Bosson, Usher, and Hill families from items contained in the William Bosson Scrapbook and Genealogical Papers: a book Henry Loring Newnan refers to as the "Bosson-Usher-Hill book" in his letters, and two copies of "William Bosson 1630-1887 Seven Generations."

The genealogical papers include notable content on the Civil War, the First World War (in Richard Bosson's account of service in the Rainbow Division), and World War II (William Loring Newnan and Henry Loring Newnan Jr.).

The William Bosson family scrapbook and genealogical papers is a heterogeneous collection, spanning many years and pertaining to many individuals and events. Please see the box and folder listing below for details about individual items in the collection.

In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created a comprehensive writer index: Bosson Family Scrapbook Contributor Index.

The bulk of the William R. Day Collection concerns the life and work of William Rufus Day. There are also materials related to other immediate and extended family members. Some of the topics covered in the William R. Day Collection are the Spanish-American War; the United States Peace Commission; the Mixed Claim Commission concerning reparations from Berlin, Germany; and William Day's career as a lawyer and diplomat. Materials represented include correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, and manuscripts.

This collection contains a variety of materials including correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, and manuscripts. Although the bulk of the collection concerns William Rufus Day, there are materials related to other immediate and extended family members. Some of the topics covered in the William R. Day Collection are the Spanish-American War; the United States Peace Commission; the Mixed Claim Commission concerning reparations from Berlin, Germany; and William Day's career.

The Correspondence and Papers series consists of 3 subseries: William Day, Family, and Miscellaneous.

The William Day subseries is organized by date and includes correspondence related to the Spanish-American War, Cuba, Germany and the Mixed Claims Commission. In 1896 there are materials related to the Monroe Doctrine, silver and gold, and Venezuela and Cuba. The 1897 folder primarily has correspondence related to Spain and Cuba. The 1898 folder contains materials related to Cuba, Spain, Germany, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. The 1899 folder contains congratulations William Day received upon being appointed a judgeship as well as speaking requests. 1900-1911 contains remarks, information about a Day family land transfer, Day's McKinley manuscript, a map of Washington, DC, and a European military map. 1920-1923 has correspondence and papers related to the 18th amendment (prohibition), the Berlin agreement by the Mixed Claims Commission, and Day's retirement from the Commission. Biographical materials include biographies, a genealogy, ancestry from the Mayflower, and a memorial. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings related to William Day's work and life as well as that of his wife, Mary Elizabeth Schaefer, and his son, Luther Day. Topics are related to William Day's political and judicial career including the Spanish-American War, Cuba, and the Philippines, and Luther Days' career as a lawyer and politician.

The subseries Family includes four files. The folder for Luther Day, father of William R. Day, contains correspondence to Luther as well as papers related to him being elected a prosecuting attorney. The folder for Emily Spalding Day, mother of William R. Day, contains letters from her mother, sister, and cousin, as well as one letter from Emily to her mother. The folder for Louis Schaefer, father-in-law of William R. Day, contains letters to Louis from members of the Meiklehaus family and one letter from Louis Schaefer to his daughter on Schaefer's Opera House stationary. The Other Members folder contains letters and papers for other members of the Day family including Ellen Day, Laura Lyman, Frances Day, Lucretia Spalding, Honorable Spalding, Ida Barker, Luther Day (William R Day's son), Asa Spalding, and a pamphlet titled Industrial Peace with Justice which lists Stephen A. Day as the president.

The three miscellaneous folders contain papers and letters whose relationship to the Day family and William R. Day is unknown including a letter written in 1797 by Darius Morgan, a letter from 1795 to Ephraim Root, as well as some additional letters, a memo about being an officer of the United States, information relating to the Hero of Bitche, Red Cross instructions for knitting socks, and a list of names.

The Manuscripts series contains William Day's notebook related to his biographical project on William McKinley, Stephen Day's (William Day's son) notebook related to sales and cases he worked on, the dissertation of Joseph McLean about William Rufus Day submitted to New York University, and a folder of miscellaneous materials including a review of a German newspaper and an incomplete document about patent law and the rights of inventors.

The Newspaper series includes issues of the University of Michigan newspaper The Chronicle from 1868-1870 and an assortment of newspaper clippings from 1894-1950.

The Publications series brings together the published materials within the William Day Collection. They are mostly political in nature and relate to law cases, government documents and procedures, and political opinions. Also included are speeches given by William R. Day.

The Ephemera folder contains two items. One is an envelope for Goldie's Pens that begins "This packet contains as assortment (10) of the Goldie's, the highest grade of writing pens..." There is also a photograph of Robbie Hubbs on the packaging. Inside the envelope is a tissue that contains some unidentified seeds. The other item in the Ephemera folder is a carte de visite printed by Brand Artist. The portrait is undated and the subject unidentified, but it may be a young William R. Day.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook contains letters between members of the Watkins, Livingston, and Jay families; genealogical data recorded by Lucretia Elizabeth Hamersley Rylance; and miscellaneous drawings and newspaper clippings related to the families.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook includes 94 items relating to the Watkins and Livingston families. Lucretia E. Hamersely Rylance created the scrapbook in 1882 and included family correspondence retrieved from her Aunt Beebee's attic as well as her own genealogical research.

The bulk of the collection consists of 69 letters, with many written between sisters Susan Symmes and Judith Watkins. The letters primarily regard family news and concerns, noting health, marriages, and social visits. Additional topics mentioned include the American Revolution, the death of Governor Dewitt Clinton, the Peggy Eaton scandal, Cherokee removal, the nullification crisis, bank and tariff struggles, the anniversary of Andrew Jackson's Battle of New Orleans, the Panic of 1837, African American servants, Fanny Kemble Butler, and Austrian exile Giovanni Albinola. Letters from John Jay and his descendants are also represented in the collection. With women from prominent families penning many of the letters, the correspondence also highlights women's relationships, reading habits, engagement with financial matters, and occasionally thoughts on political affairs.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, a family tree, a cabinet card, a pen and ink drawing of a scene from a fairy tale, and colored pen and ink drawings of family coats of arms. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

This volume contains 18th- and 19th-century manuscripts, newspaper clippings, notes, and ephemera related to Reverend Samuel Peters and his descendants. The material concerns religion, the history of Connecticut, genealogy, and other topics.

This volume contains 18th- and 19th-century manuscripts, newspaper clippings, notes, and ephemera related to Reverend Samuel Peters and his descendants. The material concerns religion, the history of Connecticut, genealogy, and other topics.

The first 7 pages mainly contain newspaper clippings; most are dated 1887-1889 and relate to the history of religious legislation ("blue laws") in colonial Connecticut. Authors frequently referred to the work of Samuel Peters, especially his General History of Connecticut, and to the possibility that Peters fabricated his account. One article concerns the maintenance of Jonathan Trumbull's war office in the late 19th century. Samuel Peters's autograph and a page of notes are also pasted into the volume.

The clippings are followed by a 6-page manuscript account of the history, settlement, and early families of Hebron, Connecticut; and a 6-page manuscript biography of Samuel Peters, focusing on his education and religious duties. A page containing copies of documents pertaining to Samuel Peters is pasted into the volume, which is followed by three pages of manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and invitations.

The final section (approximately 140 pages) contains pasted-in manuscript letters to Samuel P. Bell of New York City (ca. 1880s-1890s), pasted-in manuscripts by Samuel Peters (late 1700s-early 1800s), and handwritten copies of correspondence by, to, and related to Bell, and to Peters and his descendants. Many of the early manuscripts concern religious subjects, such as baptism and the Episcopal Church. This section also includes a letter of sympathy that Samuel Peters wrote to Clara Meigs, widow of Josiah Meigs, after her husband's death (September 16, 1822).

Copied letters from the late 18th century and early 19th century include correspondence to Samuel Peters and letters from several members of the Jarvis family. Some are "signed" with autographs cut from contemporary manuscripts (not present) and pasted into the volume. Letters from the 1880s are addressed to and written by Samuel P. Bell, who corresponded with members of the Peters family about family history and genealogy. Newspaper clippings pasted into this section concern colonial Connecticut and biographies of members of the Peters family. The volume also includes an undated clipping outlining a proposal to make Great Britain a federation, an engraved portrait of John A. Graham, and an illustrated advertisement of the clipper Syren.

This scrapbook contains correspondence, documents, maps, and ephemera related to the family of Jabez Huntington of Norwich, Connecticut, including his sons and other descendants. The items pertain to the American Revolution, education, family history, and life in Connecticut from the 1770s to the 1830s.

This scrapbook (55 pages) contains correspondence, documents, and ephemera related to the family of Jabez Huntington of Norwich, Connecticut, including his sons and other descendants. The earliest item is a poem dedicated to Kitty Fell, written by William Apthorp in 1763, followed by a letter from William Hubbard to Andrew Huntington concerning Thomas Hutchinson's order to surrender Castle William to Colonel Dalrymple (September 13, 1770). During the Revolutionary War, Andrew Huntington received letters from his brothers Jedidiah and Joshua, who discussed escalating tensions in Boston in 1775, the gathering of Continental forces, and the progress of the war; he also received a note from Jonathan Trumbull excusing him from military duty (September 1, 1775). Other items from the late 18th century include love letters and poems to Maria Perit, cards admitting Perit to balls held at Yale College, and letters from "Lucy" at "Bethlehem" (possibly Bethlehem Female Seminary) to her brother.

A small number of items from the early 1800s pertain to the will and estate of Pelatiah Webster, Charles P. Huntington's father-in-law, and an 1802 return for the 20th Connecticut Militia Regiment. In 1814, Samuel Huntington wrote to his son Julian about his other sons' academic progress. In the 1820s and 1830s, Samuel received letters from acquaintances who discussed political issues, and in the late 1830s he wrote to his son William, discussing William's education at Wesleyan University and the possibility of his attending Harvard College. Some letters are addressed to Huntington family women, including letters from Lydia Sigourney to Mrs. Hannah Huntington (likely Andrew's wife); Maria Perit Huntington letters, often regarding literature and poetry; and letters to Ruth L. Huntington. One letter from P. H. Huntington to "Miss Perkins" contains genealogical information about the Webster, Perit, and Leffingwell families (August 13, 1891).

The scrapbook also contains documents, maps, and other materials related to the Huntington family. Visual items include property maps (cataloged separately); a photograph of Ebenezer Huntington's home in Norwich, Connecticut; a card photograph of Benedict Arnold's birthplace; and engravings of Norwich Bridge, women at leisure, and "Cromwell at Ripley Castle." Genealogical notes, poems, instructions for making a doll, and legal documents (many of which relate to property ownership) are also present. Newspaper clippings pertain to the history of the Huntington family, particularly to Jabez Huntington and his sons.