Collections

Papers document Minor's academic career, tests, syllabi for his many classes, and some Central Michigan University committee meeting minutes, lists of members, constitutions, and related correspondence, as well as some biographical and family materials.

The majority of the collection documents Professor Minor’s academic career at University High School, Chicago, 1907, 1912-1917, and 1921-1922; Kalamazoo Central High School, Kalamazoo, 1921-1924; and CMU, at least 1924 through 1946. The Kalamazoo and Chicago materials are mainly tests and some syllabi for the many classes he taught, and a few pieces of correspondence. Among the CMU academic materials in this collection are tests for many courses, meeting minutes and related materials of the Curriculum Committee, departmental correspondence and correspondence to Professor Larzelere, as well as other related materials. Also included are lists of members, constitutions, and related correspondence, 1927-1942, of the CMU. Cliophiles Club, a student history organization. Some History 201/English 416 student papers from an extension course Professor Minor taught in Bad Axe, Michigan, in 1945 are also included. One of the paper researched Ora Labora, a German communal settlement that existed in Huron County, Michigan, from 1862 to 1871.

One of the more interesting topics documented in Professor Minor’s CMU academic papers is the League of Nations Association assemblies. Related correspondence, notes, and other materials on the assemblies exist for 1929 through 1935 and 1939. Participating Michigan students and professors attended an annual meeting at the University of Michigan, where they represented various countries they had studied and about which the participants had accumulated data. For international peace advocates, like CMU President Anspach, this was an important event for both students and professors to attend.

Also of interest are Naturalization Educational Record Cards, 1916-1924. These mainly blank form cards document twelve immigrant men who took night courses from Professor Minor while he taught in Kalamazoo. Basically names and addresses are given, as well as some notation of their attendance in classes. One card notes that the man documented is a German mechanic. Additional biographical notes on six of the men as found on AncestryPlus are included.

Professor Minor is personally documented in the Biographical Materials, 1924, 1927, 1934 [2005] (copies); a few of his Publications; and some generic Correspondence with the Boys Brotherhood Republic in Chicago, an organization which helped juvenile delinquents find satisfying and honest employment, 1914, 1916. The only material of a somewhat personal nature is that Professor Minor’s family Budgets for 1921 and 1923.

The collection, 1927-1962, and undated, documents the company history of Valley Chemical Company, through meeting minutes, photographs, company history, forms, bylaws, accounts, and stock certificates.

The collection, 1927-1962, and undated, totals 1.25 cubic feet (in 2 boxes, 4 Oversized volumes,), and documents the company history of Valley Chemical Company, through meeting minutes, photographs, company history, forms, bylaws, accounts, and stock certificates. All the boxes in the collection are .5 cubic foot letter-size boxes. Loose stock certificates within scrapbooks were collected, sleeved, and placed in a folder in box 2.

The collection is organized by size and then alphabetically and chronologically.

Researchers may also be interested in the Muskegon Rendering Company (Muskegon, Michigan) organizational records, 1937, 1939 which are also housed at the Clarke.

Processing Note: During processing a small number of duplicates and blanks were removed from the collection and returned to the donor as per the donor agreement.

The collection consists of the company's business correspondence, 1894-1900.

In general, the correspondence was addressed to the Company from field sales personnel working in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana, reporting their sales, failures, and market potential. Most of the correspondence concerns the tactics and interference of salesmen of the National Publishing Company of Boston, a chief competitor, which eventually bought out the Union Publishing Company in 1899. Also included are scattered accounts, invoices, and expense accounts, as well as materials relating to H. O. Kenyon’s involvement in the Kenyon and Thomas Company, manufacturer of Hale’s ointment.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 2 consists of 0.75 cubic feet (in 2 boxes), Acc#3074, Voegel Fish Hatchery/Boulton Collection. This collection consists of 277 film negatives, varying in size, all undated, 6 black and white photographs, undated, and 6 postcards, 1925 and undated. Some of the original sleeves of the plates in Box 1 noted “See Boulton album.” Topics in Box 1 include home interiors, cemeteries including Green Hill Mausoleum, street, farm, and outdoor scenes, fishery operations views, Mammoth Spring Roller Mills, woods, fences, lumber, vehicles, etc. Topics in Box 2 include landscapes, places, fields, equipment, people, vehicles, boats, animals, cemeteries, etc. Out-of-state locations documented include Mammoth Springs, Arkansas; Frisco Station, Oklahoma; Devil’s Saddle, Utah; Martinsburg, West Virginia; Friers Point, Mississippi; Northville Hatchery, San Marcos, Texas; the Mississippi River; and Hot Springs, Arkansas.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 5 consists of 0.75 cubic ft. (in 2 boxes) Acc#2643, Spanish-American War images. Box 1 includes 52 and Box 2 contains 19 film negatives in homemade glass casings, #807-1740, #1742-1760, all undated, each measures approximately 5x4 inches. Topics include views of Washington, D.C., war camp, streets and buildings, camp, officers, soldiers, horses, tents, two unidentified African-American girls, three unidentified African American boys, an unidentified native man with a mule cart full of furniture, parade ground, railway, people, animals, etc.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 4 consists of 0.50 cubic ft. (in 1 box), Acc#3073, Crowe Glass Negatives. The collection consists of 92 glass-plate negatives #1-96, undated, circa 1913-1916. Most of the plate measure 5x7 inches. Topics include views of Alpena, Crescent Island, Grand Lake, Presque Isle Bay, Misery Bay, Whitefish Point, Hubbard Lake, Fort Mackinac, Thunder Bay Island, Sulpher Island, and Partridge Point, streets, buildings, a circus, parade, elephant, cage, clown, animals, boats, swimming, river, Iroquois Hotel, and homes.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 3 consists of 2.00 cubic ft. (in 4 boxes) and has no Acc# or related names. The collection consists almost entirely of glass-plate negatives, but also includes 8 film negatives and notes. The negatives vary in size. Some of the negatives or accompanying notes date the majority of the images from the 1860s-1889. Some of the original sleeves of the plates in Boxes 1-3 noted “See Boulton album.” Topics in Box 1 include views of Alpena including streets, buildings, homes, Camp Alger, Thunder Bay Island, Island Lake, and Oxbow, as well as logs, sailboat, and life saving boat. Box 2 topics include Alpena, Rapid City (Antrim County), buildings, dam, bridge, river, railroad images, boat, fairgrounds, baseball, etc. Box 3 images also include Alpena and Rapid City images as well as some of Mackinac Island, including people, buildings, streets, race, sports, fairgrounds, etc. Box 4 covers the same topic matter as Boxes 2-3 and also includes images of Professor Crocker’s Educated Horses.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 6 consists of 1 cubic ft. (in 2 boxes) Acc#3072, Sepull Glass Negatives. The identity of Sepull is unknown. Box 1 includes 49 glass-plate negatives #1-55, undated, circa 1902-1904. Each plate measures approximately 5x7 inches. Topics include Alpena, Stubbs Long Lake and Ox-box, streets, buildings, lake, canoe, car, engine house, lighthouse, mill, dock, snow, logs, train, river, dam, animals, homes, fire damage. Box 2 includes 55 glass-plate negatives #56-140, 1892-1906 and undated. Each plate measure between 4x3 inches and 5x7 inches. Topics include Alpena, St. Clair River, Thunder Bay River, Middle Island, Partridge Point Bluffs, Horseshoe Falls, Niagara Falls, Belle Isle, Bear Island, Grass Isle, and Barr Isle, streets and buildings, people, boats, life saving station, river, logs, farm, animals, homes, etc.

Photographic materials collected by the Trelfas, documenting a wide range of Michigan and national people, places and events.

This collection, 6.25 cubic ft. (in 14 boxes) 1849-1925, and undated, was donated over a period of time by one or both of the Trelfa brothers and is divided into six series. The series were established by accession number and topic matter. For a more detailed listing see the Box and Folder Listing. Overall the collection is in good physical condition.

Series 1 consists of 1.25 cubic ft. (in 3 boxes), Acc#3071, Boulton Collection. The collection consists of numbered glass-plate negatives #176-242, 244-332, and 330-345-3, dating between 1886-1916, as well as unnumbered plates. Size of the plates varies. Some of the original sleeves of the plates in Box 1 noted “See Boulton album.” The identity of Boulton is unknown. Topics include views of Alpena, buildings, logs, rivers, ships, homes, and fire damage. Some of the original sleeves of the plates in Boxes 2-3 noted “From Dorothy MacDonald”. Her identify is unknown. Images cover the same topics as those found in Box 1, as well as an elephant, animals, Partridge Point, and Thunder Bay.

The collection includes various business records of the Traverse City Wagon Works.

The collection consists of various business records of the Traverse City Wagon Works, 1903-1923, and undated, including journals, ledgers, and receipts.

Mold Alert: The collection is quite dirty and not in good condition overall. There is what appears to be dried mold on many pages. Patrons should be careful in using the collection if they have any type of allergies or breathing issues.