Collections

The Gabriel Francher Collection contains biographical materials, letter book, and an article of agreement.

The collection consists almost entirely of typed English transcriptions of letters, mostly Franchere’s, from two letterbooks of the American Fur Company, 1835-1837 (8 folders) and 1838-1840 (8 folders), of his Remarks made on a visit from Lapointe to the fishing stations of Grand Protage, Isle Royal and Ance Quiwinan (1839) (in French with typed, English transcription, copies, 1 folder), and an original agreement, 1838, with French and English versions, and a related original letter, 1847, in French, concerning a fishing agreement between Pierre Jacoiff, Simon Favreau, and Franchere, as agent for the American Fur Company (1 folder). Biographical materials (copies, 1 folder) are also included.

The collection includes 1960s photostatic copies and English transcripts of Fr. Richard’s correspondence and other materials.

The collection includes 1960s photostatic copies and English transcripts of Fr. Richard’s correspondence and other materials. There are no original Richard materials in the collection. The collection was probably copied from various archives including the Clements Library and the Library of Congress. Among the correspondents are other Catholic prelates, Francis Navarre, the Michigan Legislature, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, William Woodbridge, Alexander Fraser, and St. Anne’s Parish. The collection is arranged mostly chronologically.

Other papers (copies) include Richard’s last wills and testaments, October 1, 1806 and October 31, 1821; his inventory, 1833; a report about a fire in Detroit, 1809; petitions to the Michigan Legislature, including one promoting the education of Indians, 1809; papers about the Society of Catholic Schools in Michigan, 1815; and testimonies of court cases involving Fr. Richard, 1823.

Most of the letters and other papers were written by Fr. Richard in French. Topics cover political, religious, and educational matters and Detroit.

Information about and correspondence with Fr. Richard may also be found in the Richard digital project collection, Francis Navarre, St. Anne’s Church, and Charles J. Walker Collections in the Clarke Historical Library, as well as in numerous books. Item-level index cards are also available to assist researchers.

Digitized letters, legal documents, notes, honors, awards, certificates, ecclesiastical notes, sermons, small publications, images, and other materials created by or about Fr. Gabriel Richard, biographical materials, and project administration materials.

In 2018, at the behest of the Archdiocese of Detroit (AD), the Clarke Historical Library digitized letters, legal documents, notes, honors, awards, certificates, ecclesiastical notes, sermons and documents, small publications, images, and other materials created by or about Fr. Gabriel Richard. During processing the paper copies printed from the combined digitized project resulted in 16 boxes (7.75 cubic feet) of materials. Original manuscripts were in the Early Church Records and Gabriel Richard Collection, 1735-1835, 4 manuscript and 2 oversized boxes, housed at the Archdiocese of Detroit (AD) Archives, and the collection of Monsignor Edward J. Hickey, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, 1767-1976, 4 cubic feet, housed at Sacred Heart Major Seminary Archives (SHMSA), Detroit. This resulting collection also includes biographical material on Richard; finding aids for both original paper collections; spreadsheets (file naming lists) which list and describe the folder contents of both original collections linked with digital file folder numbers; and paper prints created from the watermarked JPEG files which were converted to PDF files. Please note that three folders listed on the spreadsheets were not given to the Clarke for digitizing, including: SHMSA Box 2 folders 1-2 and Box 8 folder 1. Part of the agreement with the AD is that the Clarke has permission to allow researcher’s access to the digital project collection paper prints only in our reading room, not online. The collection is mostly in English, although there are numerous letters and documents in French. Hickey transcribed letters in his collection from French into English. Some of the publications are in various combinations of English, French, Latin and German. The Clarke also has many hardcopy versions of most of the publications about Richard found in this collection. There is also a list of legal terms in Latin and a letter that might be in Dutch. There are some inconsistencies due to spelling in original documents. Copyright questions should be referred to the AD.

The collection is organized alphabetically by the name of the original collection. The folder labels are AD 1-1 or 1-2, indicating the first two folders in the original AD or SHMSA collection. Further description of each folder content has been added to this box and folder listing from the original finding aids to assist researches, but is not found on this collection’s labels in the boxes. Original folder listing continues in this collection’s boxes. For example, in this collection, Box #7 includes the last AD folders originally from AD Box 2. AD 2-30 through 2-33, and the beginning of the first Hickey box SHMSA 1-1 through 1-9.

Originally oversized materials were housed out of order in oversized boxes in both AD and SHMSA. As a result of digitizing all prints now fit into legal-sized folders. For example, oversized AD-13 is in folder AD-13, not in a separate folder or box marked as oversized items.

The Early Church Records and Gabriel Richard Collection, 1735-1835, 4 manuscript and 2 oversized boxes, is housed at the Archdiocese of Detroit (AD) Archives. The collection contains some of Father Richard’s papers as well as papers of other Detroit settlers. The appointment of Frederick Rese as the first bishop of Detroit is in the collection, as are documents relating to the parishes of St. Antoine in Monroe and St. Felicity in St. Clair Shoes. The collection documents the growth and development of the Catholic Church in Detroit in the late 18th and early 19th century.

In addition, the collection includes books thought to have been printed on Richard’s press and a few items that belonged to Father Richard.

The collection is organized in five series: I.Correspondence and Legal Documents, 1782-1834; II. Financial Records, 1802-1832, This series contains materials relating to the financial and business transactions of GR (both personal and on behalf of the Church of St. Anne) as well as private citizens in the Detroit area. Included are such items as promissory notes, ledger and accounting records, receipts and bills of sale.; III. Personal Papers and Notes, undated, The series has material relating to GR’s discussions of the theories and principles of various academic subjects.; IV. Printed Materials, 1735-1831, This series contains printed materials relating to GR’s work in the community as well as Detroit history. Included are US Congressional bills with provisions regarding efforts to educate and care for deaf-mutes.

The collection of Monsignor Edward J. Hickey, Chancellor of the Archdiocese, 1767-1976, 4 cubic feet, is housed at Sacred Heart Major Seminary Archives (SHMSA), Detroit. This material was transferred to the AD in 2017 and is on deposit there from SHMSA. The collection includes: artifacts and documents related to Father Gabriel Richard and the early history of the Diocese of Detroit. The collection may only be accessed with the permission of the SHMSA Library Director. Monsignor Hickey transcribed numerous original letters of Father Richard in French, and then translated them into English. There are also texts of speeches and talks given by Monsignor Hickey on the subject of Father Richard; pamphlets and articles by others on the life of Father Richard; a list of the books in the private collection of Father Richard; paintings, photographs and prints of Father Richard and important places in his life; and other material pertaining to Monsignor Hickey and his family. The collection mostly follows the original organization by Father [Earl] Boyea. The collection was inventoried by Steve Wejroch, Archivist for the Archdiocese of Detroit, in August 2017.

The collection is organized in eight series: Box 1: Articles on Gabriel Richard; Box 2: Gabriel Richard’s Correspondence; Box 3: Honors to Gabriel Richard, 1929-1948; Box 4: Honors to Gabriel Richard, 1949 – Present; Box 8: Richard Correspondence – Originals

The collection consists of newsletters mainly about employees and company events, 1982-1986.

The collection consists of various company newsletters produced by the Division for its employees, 1982-1986. The newsletters mainly note news of employees, such as who is sick, retired, or deceased, and notifications of various employee or company events. The newsletters are not specifically about union events or topics.

This collection consists of personal information, journal entries, poems, and correspondence of Gene Stratton-Porter, 1904, 1914 - 1924, 2019, and undated.

This collection consists of personal information, journal entries, poems, and correspondence of Gene Stratton-Porter, 1904, 1914 - 1924, 2019, and undated, .5 Cubic Feet (in 1 box). The collection is organized alphabetically. All the correspondence is photocopies.

A large portion of the collection consists of letters sent from Gene Stratton-Porter to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cochrane, close friends of hers. These letters talk about her writing, surroundings (people, objects), and the environments (nature) she was in. There are also journal entries, where Stratton-Porter makes observations about the world around her. The box also includes poems with markings and edits that were probably made by Gene Stratton-Porter herself. At times, the markings themselves appear to be in another’s handwriting other than Stratton-Porter, in which the reader can make out through the content notes. Topics in her poems typically are nature and emotions. Gene made frequent mention of what her writing meant to her and how it made her feel. This correspondence helps to understand Stratton-Porter on a deeper, more emotional level. Some collection highlights include “A Collection of Poems” by Gene Stratton-Porter, edited poems and short stories, and letters revealing a deeper understanding of her love for nature. Most of the letters are typed. Some letters, from her later life, are addressed from California, her final permanent residence, to various parts of the country, including Arkansas, New York, and Indiana. Most of the letters, however, do not contain a location.

Processing Note: One folder of duplicates was withdrawn from the collection during processing.

Collection documenting Custer, the 7th Cavalry, the Battle of the Little Bighorn and resulting National Park and Cemetery, Native Americans, Reno's court martial and reburial, monuments, memorials, Custer family member, Custer's horse, and related topics.

The George A. Custer Collection covers a wide variety of material documenting Gen. George A. Custer, members of the 7th Cavalry, the Battle of the Little Big Horn, and the Battle of the Little Big Horn National Park and Cemetery, and Native Americans involved in the battle, in articles, clippings from newspaper and periodicals, maps, organizational materials, newsletters, photographs, postcards, drawings, broadsides, manuscripts, drafts of publications, song lyrics, and other materials that Frost, Kuhlman, Luther, and other Custer authors wrote, collected, researched, and discussed in their personal correspondence with each other.

The major Custer authors are well documented in this collection, including: Fred Dustin, Lawrence A. Frost, Tal Luther, and Charles Kuhlman. Biographies, obituaries (when available), and lists of their books from the CMU catalog have been included in their biographical folders to assist researchers.

There are so many interesting items in the Custer Collection, that it is hard to select a few for further discussion here to benefit researchers. It must be said that the collection covers every possible aspect of the Battle of the Little Big Horn and the roles of Custer and various Native Americans in it. Memorials, monuments, paintings, drawings, and plays about Custer and the Battle of the Little Big Horn are also documented. The materials in the collection varies from romantic, pro-Custer materials that are wholly to partially inaccurate, to book manuscripts and correspondence of authors offering a critical analysis of the actual facts as determined from personal observations of the battlefield and years of methodical research.

Some unique items of interest are a copy of the bill granting Mrs. Custer a pension, 1877 (from the Congressional Record); clippings on Custer Movies and TV Programs (for a laugh); articles about the artwork in the collection and the drawings and paintings (prints of) themselves; notes on and the Transcripts of the Reno Court of Inquiry, Stenographic Reports of Testimony (3 volumes in 3 folders); and various clippings and other materials regarding Custer’s horses, fellow officers and troopers, and Reno’s trial and eventual reburial. Manuscripts of books and the correspondence between Custer researchers and authors are also of interest to the serious Custer researcher.

An item of particular interest is the March 24, 1930 letter to Mr. Bruce from R.G. Custer, suggesting that Mr. Bruce not publish his “Comments” on the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Custer’s reason for this was that “Mrs. Custer is living-the same- Poor woman, she has suffered enough, “ It is obvious from this letter that serious Custer researchers knew by 1930, if not earlier, that the myths surrounding the Battle of the Little Big Horn were a joke. Yet, to avoid hurting Mrs. Custer feelings, and probably to avoid recriminations by the pro-Custer press and public, critical analysis of the battle and Custer’s role in it were, for the most part, suppressed until after Elizabeth Custer died in 1933.

Most of the Custer Collection in the Clarke Historical Library came from Tal Luther. His Custerania collection included: posters, drawings, prints, photographs, correspondence, notecards, the Kuhlman and Luther Papers, manuscripts and drafts of various publications by various authors, maps, periodicals, including oversized newspapers, and miscellaneous items. The vast majority of Custer-related books, now cataloged separately in the Clarke, also came from Luther.

Many of the newsletters and some periodicals in the Custer Collection were purchased separately by the Clarke on a subscription basis for a few years, after the bulk of the Luther collection had arrived.

Additional information on Custer related topics, not in this collection, may be found in the Clarke’s general vertical files and Lewis vertical files, and the postcards, photographs, and biographical portrait collections in the Clarke.

The collection is organized alphabetically and chronologically. Abbreviations and incorrect spellings in article titles are faithfully represented in the box and folder listing. For example, Little Bighorn is sometimes spelled Little Big Horn.

Processing Notes: Due to the extreme physical deterioration of many of the periodicals and articles in this collection, as well as some of the draft manuscripts of books and other materials, many items have been photocopied and the originals withdrawn from the collection.

A small collection of Mrs. George A. (Elizabeth) Custer’s was donated to the Clarke as part of Luther’s collection. When it was accessioned in 1983, the Elizabeth Custer collection was separately cataloged.

Most of the published books and serials that were part of the collection have been cataloged separately.

This collection is not composed of President Ross' official presidential papers. It is an artificial collection collected by Archivist Marian Matyn from newspapers, reports, updates, publications and university-wide emails.

This collection is not composed of President Ross' official presidential papers. Rather, it was culled from newspapers, reports, updates, publications and university-wide emails. The collection, 2009-2018, bulk 2012-2018, includes any information about Ross, his presidency, statements he made, CMU News Announcements documenting CMU history, people, events and changes during his administration and some information which predates but affected or is relevant to his administration. Major events during his tenure included: Budget Deficit/ Cuts, 2016-2017, CMU’s 125th Anniversary, 2017; the Executive Order on Immigration, January 30, 2017 (see also the Muslim Ban March collection in the Clarke); and the racist incident on campus (see Hitler Valentine Card Statement and Information, 2017 folder). CMU opened a $95 million Biosciences Building — the largest construction project in its history, funded through state, private and university dollars in January 2017; and although the process began under Interim CMU President Kathy Wilbur, CMU opened America's 137th College of Medicine (CMED) under Dr. Ross' direction and graduated its first physicians in 2017. Other topics documented in the collection include: Academic Reorganization, 2017-2018; the expansion of CMU’s medical/health studies programs into the Center for Integrated Health Studies, April 2018; and CMU Women’s Basketball team which won both the MAC and NCAA championships, 2018.

In addition, copies of any major published reports from the Ross administration which came to the Clarke are in the CMU vertical files.

Information about the March 2, 2018 shooting on CMU’s campus is in a separate collection as its impact and CMU responses to it continued after President Ross retired.

The Collection contains various personal materials of George, Henry, and Ruby Carpenter, as well as materials of Elictus McCormack, Berry McKelvey, Otto Russ, and Effie, Simpson.

The collection consists of various real estate records, including deeds, mortgages, land contracts, and biographical materials of the Carpenters. There are letters sent between Ruby Musgrove, her mother, and her brother, Billy, of Arthur, Nevada, where they farmed, 1915-1918. There are also miscellaneous real estate records of unrelated people who conducted business with the Carpenters.

Homemade glass slides (39) document historic buildings, fort, rock formations, and harbors of Mackinac Island (Mich.), Arlington Hotel, Petoskey (Mich.), Pointe Aux Barques lighthouse, Chicago (Ill.), including one of a statue of Abraham Lincoln by August Saint-Gaudens in Lincoln Park, and buildings and statues of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (2) seen in 1898-1899, and miscellaneous slides of other locations.

The collection consists of 39 homemade slides documenting Lamont, Mackinaw Island, and Petoskey, Michigan; Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse in Port Hope, Michigan; Chicago, including buildings of the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 seen in 1898 and 1899; two ships, the launch of the Illinois, April 22, 1899, and the U.S.S. Oregon, returning from the Philippines, 1898; and an interior view of a home in Denver, Colorado; the exterior of Hadden Hall in Debyshire, England; a view of a dock, possibly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and a few unidentified, miscellaneous slides. Many of the homemade slides have manufactured labels on which are typed “No.,” “Subject,” and “Manufactured by Geo. H. Luther, Austin, Ill.” Some of the slide labels are just slips of paper. The information on the slide labels is handwritten unless otherwise specified in the inventory as being typed. While most of the slides are undated they are clearly a set, so they were likely all made between 1898 and 1899. The slides were not originally numbered, but are now (if they have a label) to facilitate retrieval and use by researchers. The collection probably was in part created and in part collected by George H. Luther. Overall the slides are in good condition and are housed in their original box.

Papers consist mostly of drafts of Stengren's translation of Kierkegaard's Relation to Hegel, by Dr. Niels Thulstrup.

The papers, 1972-1980, 1985, and undated, consists mainly of handwritten and typed drafts of Prof. Stengren’s translation of Kierkegaard’s Relation to Hegel by Niels Thulstrup (1980). Also included is Professor Stengren’s correspondence concerning this book with Dr. Niels Thulstrup of the Soren Kierkegaarde Selskabet, Copenhagen, Denmark, and the editors at Princeton University Press. Some of Dr. Thulstrup’s correspondence as well as miscellaneous notes and citations are in Danish. Some of the Danish material has been translated into English.

Processing Notes: Duplicate copies of handwritten drafts and several galley proof drafts were withdrawn from the collection during processing.