Collections : [Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library]

The collection, 2019, 5 cubic feet (in 10 boxes), was collected by Quita V. Shier to research her subsequent book on the topic, and includes research copies of military service records of the men in Company K from the National Archives and information from online censuses and newspapers documenting the First Michigan Sharpshooter Regiment, Company K.

The collection, 2019, 5 cubic feet (in 10 boxes), was collected by Quita V. Shier to research her subsequent book on the topic, and includes research copies of military service records of the men in Company K from the National Archives and information from online censuses and newspapers documenting the First Michigan Sharpshooter Regiment, Company K. The military service records document enlistment, pay, invalid status, death or discharge, and/or pension records in military forms and correspondence. Only a few images are included of tombstones or portraits of soldiers in obituaries. A few tax or land records are also included. The collection documents the lives and significance of the Company K soldiers during the Civil War era. This collection is organized alphabetically by the name of the soldier’s surnames. The originals are housed in the National Archives.

Collection includes genealogical information on the Courser, Richardson, and Kuiphof families.

This is a dense genealogy collection mostly about the Courser family, with some information on the Kuiphof and Richardson families. A number of older photographic images are scans. Two photographs and the large ancestry chart are laminated. Three oversized items are acidic and two are framed with glass.

Researchers may also be interested in the Elaine Coraleen Smith Courser Papers, [circa 1981], which is also housed in the Clarke Historical Library.

This collection includes business records, correspondence, and reference materials documenting Genter's carnival business and carnival and circus collecting interests. Also included is an oversized folder of mostly Michigan carnival and circus posters and window cards.

The collection, 1955-2010, and undated (4 cubic feet) documents Ray Genter’s fascination with, and collecting of, carnival equipment and collectibles under the business name of Genter Bros. Shows and Rides, Inc., and his carnival, Great Lakes Amusement.

Boxes 1-6 include subject files of general carnival and circus information; financial records of the purchase and sale of equipment and collectibles; catalogs and fliers; advertisements; insurance; various forms; correspondence with committees, suppliers, and concessionaires; contact information of various suppliers and concessionaires as well as fair committee members; and information documenting how the Muskegon Optimist Club, of which Ray was a member, brought circuses to Muskegon. A few newspaper clippings (copies) are included. Of particular interest to carnival historians will be the material concerning the formation of the Amusement-Safety Act of 1966 and its related board, as documented in the minutes and correspondence of the Michigan Amusement Association, an organization of carnival owners, 1985-1987. These folders are organized alphabetically and chronologically.

Boxes 7-8 include the route lists, 1984-1987, and financial documentation, forms, booking agreements, inspection logs, correspondence, and other materials relating to specific route locations and events. This information is alphabetical by town or event. Materials vary from folder to folder, but most include some correspondence and accounts.

Posters and window cards of circus and carnival advertisements, mostly late 20th century and Michigan-related, are included in an oversized folder at the end of the collection.

Processing Notes: A few general Muskegon, Michigan, items of historical value were transferred to the Michigan Vertical Files-Muskegon folder. All information with account or social security numbers, or other personal information such as income, health, or governmental financial support, were withdrawn from the collection, including job and housing applications, cancelled checks, and bank balance statements, as well as duplicate and blank forms and stationery, miscellaneous notes, illegible materials, and miscellaneous information or newspaper clippings. Withdrawn material totaled 2 cubic feet. In addition, several publications by the Michigan Association of Fairs and Exhibitions were separately cataloged. Non-Michigan publications are normally withdrawn from a collection during processing, but since many carnival suppliers are national, these were left in the collection to provide information to researchers.

Special Note: Those with allergies should use the collection with care as it has a mildewed odor, although there is no mold in the papers themselves.

This collection, collected by Cappel, documents her work with Kiogima on their book, including biographical material, clippings, and copies of books and translations by Ray Kiogima.

This collection, collected by Cappel, documents her work with Kiogima on their book. It includes Biographical Information on Kiogima, mainly clippings (copies) and Internet articles about him and his book, 2006; Biographical Information on Cappel from her website, 2006; Correspondence from Constance Cappel to Martha Bates, Editor of Michigan State University Press re: Kiogima's Odawa to English Dictionary, 2004; Cynthia Hayne's notes (copies) from Ray's Ottawa language class at Harbor Springs (Mich.), Spring 1976; an Introduction to Ray Kiogima's Book II, pp.1-3, by Cappel, 2004; Odawa Language and Legends: Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima, 2005 (2 copies); Odawa to English (copy) by Kiogima, 2004; Original Odawa voices: Andrew J. Blackbird and Raymond Kiogima, compiled and edited by Constance Cappel, 2004 (pp.1-8, draft); Ottawa Stories, translated by Ray Kiogima (copies), 2004; and an untitled Prayer (in Ottawa and English), undated, probably translated and prayed by Ray at the opening of a tribal meeting.

Collection of circus-related materials encompassing many formts, circuses, and circus-related organizations.

This collection of circus-related materials encompasses a wide span of years, 1905, 2011, and undated, many formats, and many circuses, both foreign and domestic, and circus-related organizations in 13.5 cubic ft. (in 16 boxes and 12 Oversized folders). Included are correspondence, photographs, postcards, posters, programs, newspaper clippings, advertisements, scrapbooks, coloring books, food containers, stickers, badges, arrows, articles, maps, tickets, and Christmas tree ornaments, among others. Some of these materials are reproductions. There are some carnival-related materials mixed into the collection. Although most of the materials are written or published in English, some items are written or published in other languages, notably Spanish which relates to his work with the Little Sisters of Jesus. A folder of biographical material and several of related correspondence with the Little Sisters of Jesus documents Father Jim’s life and activities. Some parts of the collection were donated to Father Jim by other circus fans, among them Kent Ghirard.

One of the most interesting aspects of this collection is the documentation of two organizations that provide and discuss pastoral care to those in circuses and other traveling shows: The Little Sisters of Jesus and the International Congress for the Pastoral Care of the Circus and Traveling Show People.

The Circus Fans Association, various Shrine circuses, Circus City, Circus World Museum, and the Circus Hall of Fame are documented, as well as many circuses, both foreign and domestic. For a complete list of circuses documented in this collection see the finding aid for both the boxes and oversized folders.

Please note: the collection has a strong mildew smell. Researchers and staff using the collection with allergies or asthma may wish to take precautions.

Processing Notes: A wide variety of publications, 94 titles, donated by Father Jim with his collection, have been separately cataloged as either books or serials, depending on their format.

Acidic materials have been copied and the originals withdrawn from the collection, as were duplicates. The total amount withdrawn from the collection during processing was 5 cubic feet.

Santer's papers, 1978, 2018, and undated, mostly consist of two major series, State of Michigan boundaries information and the drafts of his book, the Great Lakes Basin, 1984-1986.

Santer’s papers, 1978, 2018, and undated, mostly consist of two major series, State of Michigan boundaries information and the drafts of his book, the Great Lakes Basin, 1984-1986. Remaining materials in the collection include one folder each of: Biographical Materials, 2003, 2006, and undated; Articles and Presentations (copies), 1990, 2005; and a VHS Videotape, Monuments on the Landscape: Indication of a Changing Spirit in the Great Lakes Basin, for the Mecosta County Council for the Humanities, 1987. The collection is in good physical condition. Many of the materials are photocopies or reference materials. The collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically.

The largest series, including almost all of Santer’s correspondence, reference materials, a cookie cutter, presentation and meeting materials, Michigan Senate and House bill materials, petition, and samples concerning boundaries, borders, and maps document his ongoing, long-term efforts to convince Michigan legislators to legislatively acknowledge the current legal boundaries of Michigan, particularly on the Great Lakes, on all graphics and images. A Michigan boundaries map calendar in the collection was created by Michigan State University Geography 426 students in Spring 2005. Most of his correspondence, three folders, 1978, 2018, concerns general discussion about Great Lakes boundaries with Michigan politicians, government department personnel, organizations, and publishers. One folder of correspondence specifically concerns the boundaries of Michigan on drafts of the official Michigan quarter, 2002-2006.

His handwritten chapter drafts for his book, the Great Lakes Basin, 1984-1986, which he submitted to Michigan State University Press (MSU) in 1986, compose the next largest series. Chapter 6 drafts were not donated to the Clarke.

Research may also be interested in his collection focused on Mecosta County, Michigan, history at Ferris State University Archives.

Processing Note: 1 cubic foot of duplicates, reading materials, out-of-scope materials and acidic newspaper clippings were withdrawn during publication as well as six duplicate publications. Acidic clippings were photocopied and the copies were added to the collection. As per Santer’s request, all draft pages of his book were photocopied and the photocopies were returned to him. Five additional publications were separately cataloged. Lastly, three Big Rapids items were transferred to Ferris State University Archives.

The collection, 1974, 2019, undated, includes a mixture of mostly images, a news report Dick wrote about the blowout [natural gas well fire] east of I-75 near Waters, Michigan, in 1976, and biographical information on Bolton and Red Adair.

The collection, 1974, 2019, undated, includes a mixture of mostly Michigan oil and gas images that Dick photographed, mostly of or about the blowout [natural gas well fire] east of I-75 near Waters and Gaylord, Michigan, in June 1976; a news report Dick Bolton wrote about the blowout; and biographical information on Dick and Red Adair. There are eleven small slide boxes of slides and fifteen oversized photographic materials. The slides, collage, and galley prints are colored, whereas the rest of the photographs are black and white. Images include oil well workers, the Red Adair fire fighters, the blowout near Waters and Gaylord, Michigan, in 1976, the installation of oil rigs, and related views. Although all of Dick’s blowout images are dated June 7, 1976, they were actually photographed during the entire month that the fire raged. Five larger images are mounted, matted, or both. Miscellaneous slides include equipment, snow scenes, and fire in the woods. A 2021 addition to the collection is a yellow, plastic MSA safety hardhat, undated, used in 1976, with a felt and cotton lining with a plastic size adjuster. The hardhat has a red, white, blue, and black sticker of an oil well on fire with the text, Red Adair Co. Wild Well Control, Houston, Texas, Oil Well Fires-Blowouts. The hard hat measures 11 inches long, 6 inches high, and 9 inches in width.

Processing Note: Two Oversized boxes of mounted photographs, .25 cubic foot, which were published in local newspapers were withdrawn during processing.

This collection contains papers, publications, and information concerning the Harris family and Milling Company.

This collection contains papers, publications, and information concerning the Harris family and Milling Company. Boxes 1-2 include legal-size materials and Box 3 includes letter-size materials. There are three series in this collection; Harris business, personal, and Minnie Vroman Papers. Most of the materials were produced or collected by Richard O. Harris. The materials include adverting materials, inventories, price lists, product information, company publications, photographic materials, insurance and stock information, board of directors meeting minutes, correspondence, and company records and ledgers. The collection is organized by size, alphabetically and chronologically. Both boxes are legal-size.

Of special note are the Articles of Merger and Merger Agreement detailing how the Harris Milling Company was subsumed by the Nebraska Consolidated Mills Company, a badly damaged daguerreotype of an unknown white woman with a broach, who may be Jane Daniel Fulbright (see the last letter in Personal Correspondence folder), and papers for a milling course Richard O. completed.

Also in the collection are illustrative materials, including photographs and sketches of plans for transport trucks with the Harris Milling Company/FAMO logo in watercolor.

Related family materials include: miscellaneous items documenting Richard O. Harris’ daughter Mary Jane Harris (later Waterhouse)’s involvement with local stage events; papers of Minnie Vroman including a 1909 Chicago x-ray receipt and bills related to a week spent at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in 1917 for gastic issues. There are also papers and a photograph (with unidentified people, probably a Boy Scouts troop and leader) atop a submarine at the Beacon Institute of U.S. Submarine Base New London, Connecticut to which an unknown member of the Harris family was affiliated.

A 2019 addition (Box 3) includes a 1938 Central State Teachers College (CSTC) football schedule of home games on a football shaped program, and a CSTC lecture course season ticket for Kathleen Ordway. Mount Pleasant High School materials include: a 1925 student and staff photograph by T. T. Mock, Battle Creek, Michigan, outside the old high school (photocopy 8 pp.); a 1925 commencement program, a black and white photograph of the 50th reunion of the class of 1925 in 1975; and acidic blue line revision drawings (4 pp.), each of which measures 18x24 inches, of the new Mount Pleasant High School by Louis C. Kingscott and Associates, Inc, Kalamazoo (architects and engineers), April 20, 1953 including a presentation drawing, floor plans for the English, Social Science and Language unit, a floor plan for the science unit with a sectional view of the unit, and a floor plan of the commercial unit (in 1 Oversized Folder). Also included is the October 27, 2000 invitation to the historic marker dedication for Harris Mill. Last is John A. Harris materials including his Civil War service records (copies, 10 pp.), a photograph (copy), presentation reading notes of Anne Harris Hunnewell for the Pasadena Civil War Round Table about John Harris (4 pp.), and letter and envelope (copy) about the John A. Harris materials from Anne Harris Hunnewell to her Grandpa Richard. Also included are 1999 copies from the Internet of a list of John’s unit members (4 pp.), and a map of Eureka, Michigan (1 p.).

Processing Note:

Much of this collection was heavily damaged and was infested with stinkbugs. The archivist and processing student met with the university insect exterminator and determined these bugs were not a threat to the collection. All stinkbugs were contained and removed from the collection. Items with mold, mildew, water, or fire damage, as well as acidic papers were photocopied and withdrawn from the collection during processing, about 1 cubic foot total. Also, during processing one general Mount Pleasant item was added to the Vertical Files.

Three-dimensional items transferred to the CMU Museum in February 2019 where they can receive expert curatorial care include: keychain, patch, matchbooks, product cards, dog food and flour bags, Harris Milling Company FAMO Dairy Feed 100 lbs Bag Sketches (24% and 16%, each measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Broiler Ration 25 lbs Bag Sketches (1 is 20%, the other has no % indicated), each measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO 16% Dairy Feed 100 lbs White Bag Sketch, measures 18x12 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Cloth 10lbs Bag, stamped “Emergency Quality Milled Under Gov’t. Order W.F.O. 144,” measures 16.5x10 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Cloth 10lbs Bag, measures 17x10 inches, undated; Martha White’s FAMO Self-rising Enriched Bleached Flour .5lbs Bags, (1 plain, 1 with images), each measures 11.5x5.5 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Self-rising Bleached Flour Paper 10lbs Bag, stamped “Emergency Quality Milled Under Gov’t. Order W.F.O. 144,” measures 19.25x10 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company Hi-Value Dog Food Paper 25lbs Bag, measures 31x11 inches, undated; Harris Milling Company FAMO Beef Builder Paper 50lbs Bag, measures 34.5x16 inches, undated; Harris Milling Sample Bag (linen) and Harris Ranch Almond Bag (cotton), undated; and a booklet: Michigan. Dept. of Agriculture. Selection…, 1961.

The papers include newspaper article, Central Michigan University Faculty Association letters, personal correspondence, and copies of Chaffer's publications.

The Papers consist of newspaper articles, Central Michigan University (CMU) Faculty Association (FA) letters, personal correspondence to fellow colleagues, copies of Chaffer's published articles, 1972-1985 and Mathematics Department photographs, prints from digital images, 2001-2005. The Shepherd [Mich.] Argus newspaper article (copy) describes a mathematical workshop for high school students run by Professor Chaffer. Letters are from the FA, highlighting the disputes over the changing of contracts and payments regarding union dues. The personal correspondence is between Chaffer and Mr. Martin Gardner, concerning "magic cubes."

Papers include biographical information, personal correspondence, photographs, clippings, writings about Japan and some in Japanese, and World War II memorabilia. One notebook is written in German, 1884, with later cake recipes written in English in the back.

The Robert Knott Papers consist of biographical information, high school related records, personal correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, individual writings and World War II memorabilia. The topically grouped material is arranged alphabetically. Photographs include the Knott family, the Knott family farm, and Robert Knott’s military service. Personal writings cover Knott’s childhood, teaching in Japan and working on the family farm. Correspondence includes letters and postcards to Robert Knott from family and acquaintances. This collection contains a World War II Victory Pack. This collection also includes Robert Knott’s dog tags, World War II pins, and a World War II honor medal. A special note is given to a notebook dated 1884 written in German, which contains notes and comments on books, the 23 Psalm, poems, authors, and English recipes. One oversize folder contains a large picture of Robert Knott, materials related to Carson City High School, and baggage paperwork from his travels to Japan by ship.

Processing Note: Several hundred slides of Japan in the collection were transferred to the University of Michigan’s Center for Japanese Studies. Eight LP records and a laminated butterfly display were transferred to Central Michigan University’s Museum.