Collections

1961-1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention Collection includes: correspondence, meeting minutes and Action Journals, public hearing summaries, phone messages, notes, television and radio transcripts, testimony, calendars, agendas, press releases, pamphlets, election results, newspaper clippings, public statements and remarks, and photographs.

The collection contains meeting minutes and Action Journals, correspondence, public hearing summaries, phone messages, notes, calendars, agendas, television and radio transcripts, testimony, calendars, agendas, pamphlets, press releases, election results, newspaper clippings, public statements and remarks, and photographs about the 1961-1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention, or Con-Con. There is also a Saginaw County Circuit Court jury summons card. Besides the jury summons card, the collection materials focus on Charles Anspach running as a delegate and his contributions to Con-Con.

The papers include correspondence, diaries, journals, accounts books, tintypes, prayerbooks, sermons, hymns in Ojibwa, a New Testament in English and Seneca, and photographic images.

Family papers, 1765-1964, and undated, include: correspondence relating to Rev. Bingham's associations with the Baptist Missionary Society, Boston, his ministry at the Tonawanda Indian Mission in New York State, the Baptist Indian Mission at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and his social activities in Grand Rapids, Michigan; diaries of Bingham and his wife, journals, account books, and tintypes. Also included are prayer books and hymns in Ojibwa, Bingham's sermons, in English, and a New Testament in both English and Seneca. Among his correspondents is John Claude Buchanan, his son-in-law, whose letters relate to Buchanan's service with the 8th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War, 1861-1864. Three boxes of photographic images complete the collection.

The collection includes correspondence relating to Bingham’s associations with the Baptist Missionary Society, Boston, his ministry at the Tonawanda Indian Mission in New York State, the Baptist Indian Mission at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and his social activities in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Correspondents include John Claude Buchanan, Bingham’s son-in-law, relating to his service with the 8th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War.

The collection is also available on 19 reels of positive microfilm Acc# 359 (Section 4, 1 reel) and 444 (18 reels). Some letters are available on 2 reels of positive microfilm Acc# 614 of the American Baptists Foreign Mission Society, 1800-1900, American Indians and 1814-1900, France.

The collection includes the Owsley family papers, both personal and business, of Ada, her siblings and their families, her parents, grandparents, and other relatives.

The collection includes the family papers of all of Ada’s relatives who are named above and her papers, 1856-1945. She also collected children’s art and display materials, 1950-1960 and undated (Boxes 3-7). Most of the materials document Ionia, Michigan, business records, including accounts of Angelo E. Tower when he was postmaster of Ionia, 1886-1890; Tower and Thompson Lumber Company, ledger and legal papers, 1868-1882; Webber Block (housing) papers, 1929-1936; Webber and Wilson (George W. Webber and H. J. Wilson’s mercantile business) ledger, 1866-1867; and Webber Road Construction Company, 1921-1937. There are also some legal records regarding the Topinabee Hotel, 1931, which was on Mullet Lake, near Cheboygan, Michigan. Unidentified land records are filed at the end of Box 2, and children’s art is housed in flat boxes 3-7.

Papers include correspondence, photographs, including a diary and photographs of Foochow, China, 1899-1901, a biography of Michigan poet Will Carleton, and other materials.

The collection includes personal correspondence between Thompson and William R. Longstreet, a bookkeeper and religious leader in Saginaw, Michigan, 1891-1895, concerning the nursing of patients, social and religious affairs, a trip to New York, in 1892, and welfare work of the Jefferson Avenue Epwarth League. There is also a diary of Isabelle Longstreet, describing her missionary work in China, June 1899-October, 1901 and a brief biography of Will Carleton (1845-1912), a notable Michigan poet.

The collection documents the activities of the Aladdin Company and its founding family, the Sovereigns, from 1907 until 1989. The Aladdin Company was a manufacturer of catalog "kit homes" in Bay City, MI second in sales volume only to Sears Roebuck & Company. The collection includes company records, sales records (including building projects as part of WWI and WWII war efforts), Aladdin Company advertising materials, order and construction information, and personal records of various members of the Sovereign family - including the court records of the William Sovereign v. Mary Sovereign divorce case.

Mold Alert: Virtually the entire collection suffered from mold and mildew infestations, and in some cases water and mold had damaged items beyond repair. Most, but not all, of the collection has also been fumigated. Researchers should use the collection with care.

The Aladdin Company records, approximately 350 cubic feet, were discovered in a very disorganized state in 1994 in an abandoned Bay City warehouse. V Only the films, architectural drawings and plans had remained largely intact and in their original filing order. Most of the company’s other records had become disorganized. A few records were found in file cabinets while others were in rolling vaults, the combinations for which had been lost. Boxes of material lay scattered in various locations, and much paper simply had come to rest on the floor.

Because of the condition the records were found in, most of the collection’s order has been imposed upon the records. The collection is generally organized according to record type or major functions within the company. In addition, some miscellaneous groups of material have been placed at the end of the collection.

The collection is organized into eleven series: Corporate, Financial, Advertising, Order Department, Construction, Shipping Bills, Suppliers Transit & Mill Sites, Sovereign Family, Photographs and Films, Books and Magazines, and Miscellaneous. Detailed description of each series is found below.

The collection includes incorporation papers, directors’ meeting minutes, contracts, stock records and other basic corporate information, office manuals and procedures, studies, financial statements, appraisals, inventories, payroll, catalogs, advertising material, publications, art work, floor and construction plans, orders, billing lists, invoices, mailing lists, price bills, real estate records, personal records of the Sovereign family (including court records), photographs, films, magazines, and books.

Researchers may also be interested in the Addition to the Aladdin Collection and separately cataloged publications by and about Aladdin kit homes in the Clarke Historical Library.

How to prove that your house is an Aladdin kit home:

Researchers trying to prove that they own an Aladdin kit home, should begin their research in the Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981. If you know which year your house was built, begin with the volume/s for that year and search for the last name of the first owner. If you cannot find the owner’s name, that means a carpenter or a man who owned a construction company ordered the house for the owner. You will need to review each entry in that volume searching for any entries ordered in the same style and in the same town or city as your house. To determine the style, look at an Aladdin catalog for the year when your house was purchased. Many styles remained the same in the catalogs over decades. Once you locate your home in the Order Log Book, note the Customer Order Number. This important number will take you to a specific Customer Order Form somewhere in another subseries, Customer Order Forms, 1914-1918, Boxes 93-154. Each Customer Order Form provides detailed information about the home ordered including style, cost, options selected and any custom changes, name of person who ordered it, to whom it will be shipped, and date.

If you are uncertain as to which year your house was built, there are two possible ways to proceed. One is to take an estimated guess, based on style and family lore, and review some Aladdin catalogs from that period and hope you find a house that looks like yours. Then search in the Log Books within that time period for homes in the style and location that matches yours. Another approach is to check the chain of title from when you bought or inherited your house. That should list the earliest owner, verifying the date of construction, unless your house was not the first built on the property

Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981, 3 cubic feet (in 3 boxes, #90-92):

Aladdin Small Order Log Books, 1914-1981, function as indexes of those who ordered Aladdin buildings, mostly houses, and direct researchers to specific Customer Order Forms, pages which describe each building in detail as ordered. The Small Order Books is a subseries of records in Series #4 Order Department. Immediately after the Log Books in Series 4 are the Customer Order Forms, 1914-1981, 62 cubic feet (in 62 boxes, #93-154).

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Description:

The Log Books are both volumes and loose pages. The majority are volumes with information written by hand, in penmanship. Typed information is only found in loose pages which could be fed through a typewriter.

Log Books may have information for one or more years in them. Some Log Books overlap with other Log Books. From the 1950s forward there are always more than one volume/year.

Most log books simply have dates on the cover, others have titles written on, taped on, or printed on the covers such as Order Book, Orders, Record, Order Number Book, etc. Sometimes other forms of volumes were used by Aladdin agents, for example phone number and address books. In order to distinguish one volume from another when the Log Books have no title and there is more than one volume for the year, information such as color of cover or size is noted in the folder label, or Volume I or II was added to the folder label and on the log book’s first page in pencil by Archivist Marian Matyn in 2022 prior to their being digitized.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Organization:

Log Books are organized chronologically by year in the boxes. Information within each Log Book is organized chronologically by year ordered and then alphabetically only by first letter of the surname of the person who ordered an Aladdin building. The list of names is in the chronological order in which people purchased homes, so the order numbers are in numerical, although not consecutive, order within each alphabetical run.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Information Within them:

Each Log Book contains the following information for each order: date of order, name of a person who ordered the building or house, and Order Number. Additional information often includes house style, for example Pilgrim #2, and address of purchaser at the time of purchase. The address is usually the address to which the house kit was shipped by rail, which might be closer to the carpenter or construction company than the house site. Sometimes the mailing address of the owner is included. Miscellaneous notes may be included for such things order changes or cancellations. These notes were added after the order was recorded and are always handwritten, even on typed pages.

Aladdin Small Order Log Books: Physical Condition:

Like the rest of the collection, the series pages all suffer from some degree of mold and were fumigated. Researchers should use the original materials with care. The log books are in overall fair physical condition. Many volumes have damaged or loose spines, pages, and covers. The pages also suffer from acidification and dirtiness. Some pages have edge damage.

Series Description:

The first series of records has been labeled Corporate and Administrative (boxes 1-12). The Corporate records form the core legal records of the company. They include incorporation papers, directors’ meeting minutes, contracts, stock records and other basic corporate information.

Within the Administrative records are found material relating to the firm drawn together from various locations in the warehouse. It is almost certain that the material placed in this series was originally located in several distinct files. Office manuals and procedures found in this series do much to reveal how Aladdin’s records may have originally looked and various aspects concerning the structure of the company. Detailed folders exist for a number of government and industrial projects (see related plans in Construction series). Various self-studies, particularly the 1961 problem report, are helpful in giving an idea of how the firm viewed its challenges during its final years. Also of interest are the “Co-operator” files of 1913-1922. Sovereign family lore claims that the firm’s founders placed great emphasis on the comments of this Massachusetts customer and often gave much credit to her for helping them “think through” the business.

The information contained in the Financial series (boxes 13-34) provides a fairly complete picture, both in summary and detail, of the financial condition of the company. The Financial series records cover the year 1910-1984, thus they present a very complete chronological picture of the firm’s finances. The annual financial statements summarize the detailed information contained in the much more specific general journal and other financial books. These are followed by appraisals and inventories. Also included in this series is payroll and other employee-related information, although non-financial employee information is found in the Corporate and Administrative series.

For many researchers, the Advertising series (boxes 35-63) will prove particularly important. It has been divided into three sub series: Material re. Advertising and Its Effectiveness, Direct Mail, and Art Work and Floor Plans. Material re. Advertising and Its Effectiveness represented ads placed in magazines across the country that invariably invited readers to send in their name and address to receive a catalog. Aladdin was very proud of the fact that it relied exclusively on this device to develop its catalog mailing list. Much of the series is composed of “source reports,” which analyze the effectiveness of advertisements placed in various publications.

The heart of the company’s advertising was its annual catalog, which is found in the Direct Mail sub-series. Follow-up advertising material, which has been filed with the catalogs, was sent out according to a pre-determined schedule. Although the amount of the follow-up, and in some cases pre-catalog mailings, varied year by year, Aladdin was generally very aggressive in both announcing that the annual catalog was coming and in following up with notes telling customers about the “lost opportunities” and higher prices they would face unless they ordered their new home “immediately.”

Early in the company’s history, Aladdin published several periodicals extolling their products and relating stories about the “Aladdin family” (composed of anyone who purchased an Aladdin home). Incomplete runs of these publications, including the Wedge (1913-1916), the Aladdin Magazine (1916-1918), and Aladdin’s Weekly (1919-1920), are placed at the end of the Direct Mail sub-series.

Also found under the Direct Mail sub-series are the Industrial Catalogs published by Aladdin the 1920s and aimed at corporations interested in group purchases. Housed with these catalogs are also some additional sales material aimed at corporate purchases, price lists, and a few floor plans and other miscellaneous related material.

The Art Work and Floor Plans contains the art work, a few photographic images, and catalog floor plans that were prepared primarily for the annual sales catalog, although some art prepared for other advertising is also found here. Many additional photographs used in the annual catalog are found in the Photographic series.

The Order Department series (boxes 64-153) consists largely of three sub-series: Mailing Lists, Price Bills, and Orders.

Mailing Lists is an extensive group of three by five cards giving the addresses of catalog recipients. Found only for the final few years of the company’s existence, they nevertheless give some idea of the scope of the firm’s mailings.

Price Bills were assembled to calculate the actual cost of each product to the company. Pricing was obviously critical to the company’s success. To monitor costs, each house model received a price bill, which detailed the cost of all materials therein. These records were arranged in alphabetical order by model name. Several alphabets were created, some covering one year while others covered a more extended period of time. Also in this sub-series is pricing information about “specifications” and “options and allowances.” “Specifications” were colored sheets that listed the standard features in a particular house model. “Options,” better or additional items on an order, added to the price of the house. “Allowances” were omissions of standard features which lowered the price of the house.

Most price bills, specifications, options and allowances date from 1940 or later. Price lists are fairly complete beginning in 1934, with a few earlier ones. Unit price lists are generic lists of materials, apparently for use in pricing the various house models.

Orders are a voluminous sub-series that records information regarding each home purchased from the firm. Orders are accessible in two ways. Alphabetical indexes arranged by customer name give access to order forms taken from 1914 until the company’s closing. Beginning in 1949, there are also some indexes by order number.

The order forms themselves are arranged numerically by order number. For practical purposes, however, this represents a chronological arrangement, since orders were given the next available number as they were received. Order forms are the heart of the company’s sales records. They contain information regarding the name and mailing address of the purchases, the model purchases, specifications such as color of interior paint, stain, or roofing shingles, options or allowances the customer requested, and any special instructions or orders.

Researchers seeking information about specific houses should be aware that order forms do not usually include information about where the house was erected. For most of its history, Aladdin shipped houses to a railroad station specified by the purchaser. The purchaser was responsible for moving the material from the railroad station to the construction site. Thus the order form usually includes only the railroad station to which the house was shipped. The mailing address given is that of the purchaser at the time of purchase. Obviously, most individuals would not erect a new house at the same mailing address as where they were living prior to buying a new house. Thus the order forms, by themselves, cannot be used to confirm that a specific structure is, in fact, an Aladdin home.

Sample order forms and instructional notes are contained in the folders in the first order form box. Most order forms received with the collection were in bound, water damaged volumes, necessitating copying order forms and disposing of the originals. A few forms (probably no more than six) could not be separated from the covers and were lost. Even in these cases, it is likely that a record of each order survives in the order indexes.

The Construction series (boxes 154-235) is, like the Administrative series, an artificial gathering of architectural drawings and other construction-related items that likely once made up several files. Although it is composed of many sub-series, the three most significant components of Construction are the Plans for Catalog Models, Plans for Special Orders and Plans for Government and Industrial Projects.

Plans for Catalog Models were organized alphabetically by house model name. Most date from 1947 or later and the series is nearly comprehensive for the post-World War II period of the company. The sub-series consists largely of pencil and ink drawing on mylar (which could be copied onto diazo prints or blueprints and a few sepia prints). All print types are housed together. A full set of plans might include ten sheets or more. Often, numerous plans were done for a house model. Sometimes these changes represented updating of the model to meet changing consumer tastes while in other cases the alternates reflected modifications needed to accommodate various options such as brick veneer, “reverse” plan, or panelized construction. “Filing plans” were usually three plan sheets submitted to the local building inspector for approval. Filing plans are often included with other plans but sometimes are not well identified.

Plans for Special Orders represent orders from individuals sufficiently different from the company’s basic existing house models to require a unique set of drawings rather than an “options” list. Special plans seem to have begun ca. 1940, but most of those which survive date form the 1960s to 1982. The content of the Special Plans sub-series is essentially identical to that found in the Plans.

The Government and Industrial Projects sub-series includes projects for the U.S. government or its allies in World Wars I, II, and the Korean War, or for companies doing essential war work. Most of the projects date from the Second World War but plans exist for three large World War I projects: Fort Snelling, Minnesota; Fort Myer, Virginia; and the Austin Motor Company; Birmingham, England (housing). The Government and Industrial Projects sub-series includes drawings for many, but not all, of the projects listed in the Administrative series. The discrepancy between this sub-series and the Administrative series was created because, according to a former draftsman for Aladdin (1947-1954), the firm disposed of many drawings from the World War II era. Bunk houses and huts sold to industrial concerns are listed in the order logbooks as well as in the Government and Industrial sub-series.

Also housed in the Construction series is the Local Developments, Real Estates and Rentals sub-series. This sub-series primarily documents the real estate speculation of Otto Sovereign in the Bay City area. It includes records of the Bay City Homebuilders Company (ca. 1916-1937, scattered), and the Bay City Commercial Reality Company (ca. 1923-1942), the Lenox Park subdivision (1916-1942), and other real estate firms.

Also found in the Construction series are Suppliers’ Invoices sub-series. These were sampled and include records from 1957-1958 (incomplete), 1965, 1974-1975 (1974 incomplete), and 1980-1981. Discarded were the invoices from 1966-1974, 1976-1979. No invoices dated before 1957-1958 were received.

The Shipping Bills series contains shipping bills, which were standard lists of materials in each house model. A copy was sent to the customer with the house shipment. These were continuously updated to reflect modifications in construction and are usually dated. Shipping Bills series covers the years 1939-1982. They are arranged in alphabetical order by house model name. A random sample of special order shipping bills was retained with the remainder discarded.

The Suppliers, Transit and Mill Sites series is largely concerned with sources of materials and shipping houses to customers. There is also some correspondence concerning potential mill sites and suppliers.

The Sovereign Family series consists primarily of non-Aladdin business records, correspondence, litigation and information regarding the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club. Business records found in this series primarily document the real estate speculation of Otto Sovereign in the Bay City area. It includes records of the Bay City Homebuilders Company (ca. 1916-1937, scattered), the Bay City Commercial Realty Company (ca. 1923-1942), the Lenox Park subdivision (1916-2942) and other real estate firms.

The correspondence is predominately to and from William J. Sovereign, covering the period 1944-1963. It includes personal material, business correspondence other than Aladdin, and information regarding charitable activities. Also found in the series is the court record of Sovereign family litigation in the case of William F. Sovereign vs. Mary K. Sovereign. Finally there is documentation regarding the Bay City Yacht Club (now the Saginaw Bay Yacht Club). Both William J. and Otto E. Sovereign were prominent members of the club.

The Photographs and Films series primarily includes photographs of Aladdin house models, government and industrial buildings, the Aladdin mill and related activities, as well as photographs of completed houses (and some construction series) sent in by owners. Likewise, the films document the Aladdin building method and the 1949 Wonder House. There are also photographs of Aladdin Company functions and Sovereign family members. Much of this material compliments information found in the Advertising series.

Books and Magazines series includes competitors’ catalogs: Hodgson Houses, 1918 and 1933; Bennett Homes, 1928; Sears Roebuck Millwork [c.1922]; and Gunnison [U.S. Steel] Homes, 1954. This series also includes a book and several articles about readi-cut and prefabricated housing.

There are an approximately 80 linear feet of additional Aladdin materials that are unprocessed and awaiting fumigation as of July 8, 2010.

The collection consists mostly of personal Sovereign family materials rather than Aladdin company records. Formats include paper, photographs, negatives, slides, films, oversized scrapbooks, blueprints, homework, some business records, and court and legal documents. MOLD/ALLERGY ALERT: Please note that the collection was treated in spring 2012 for mildew and mold and then deacidified. Some of the materials retain an unpleasant odor. Researchers with allergies should be careful when using the collection.

MOLD/ALLERGY ALERT: Please note that the collection was treated in spring 2012 for mildew and mold and then deacidified. Some of the materials retain an unpleasant odor. Researchers with allergies should be careful when using the collection.

Aladdin Company is organized by size and then into the following sub-series, which are organized alphabetically and chronologically:

Aladdin Advertising, 1920-1969, and undated, in 1 box, 1 Oversized folder (.25 cubic ft.). This is advertising about Aladdin products. Oversized items include a Dog and house drawing with text,“I, too own an Aladdin…”, undated, and “Good houses never grow old”, undated.

Aladdin Business Dealing, which includes business agreements, correspondence, reports, employee records and photographs, 1918-1980, and undated, in 2 boxes, 1 Oversized folder (1 cubic ft.).

Aladdin-Founders of Aladdin, 1911-1975, undated, which consists mostly of Will J. Sovereign’s journals, 1927-1963, a few of these are Will F. Sovereign’s diaries. The series also includes photographs, legal correspondence, accounts, death information, stock certificates, and other certificates and information about the founders, in 4 boxes (3.25 cubic ft.). There is correspondence from “Nig” (Nigel) a friend in Box 6. Of special interest is “Transcript to Lewis, Edmond, and Watkins vs. United States, Filed February 1923,” a transcript to a court case regarding the theft of founder of the Aladdin Company, Will J. Sovereign’s yacht, the “Aladdin,” by rum runners from Canada during Prohibition.

Aladdin Housing, 1911-1983, undated, which documents some of the houses Aladdin sold, customer communications, and 1826 McKinley House, in a variety of formats including memorabilia (a tool belt and Aladdin lamp), various photographic materials, articles in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.).

Aladdin Miscellaneous, 1921-1989, undated, with manuals, articles, and reports from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Bay City, Michigan, Portland, Oregon, and Wilmington, North Carolina in 2 boxes (.75).

Aladdin Oil [business interests], 1927-1972, and undated in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.) including photographic materials, advertising, legal records, information on the Roscommon Well and Pere Marquette Railway Company.

The Divorce Case, 1951-1970, and undated in 3 boxes (2.25 cubic ft.). The series, documenting the very long, acrimonious divorce case between Mary and Will F. Sovereign which resulted in Michigan’s No Fault Divorce Law, is notable for the amount and types of information. This series contains a vast amount of spy and detective information in regards to the two parties involved in the case, transcripts from the detectives’ notes and from recorded phone calls, photographs, lawyer correspondence and memoirs, and court documents.

Family papers are organized by size and subdivided by names of the creator, and include:

Billy Sovereign Papers, consists of Awards and Certificates and photographic materials, 1955-1958, and undated, in 1 box (.5 cubic ft.). Of interest here is “Billy’s College Career, 1966, 1971,” which includes notes and homework from Central Michigan University. See Sovereign Youth/Academic and Divorce Case series for more information on Billy.

Jeanette Lempke Sovereign Papers, 1916-1980, and undated, in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.). Her papers include photographs, articles, awards and various certificates about her career, material documenting her marriage, crash, death [not from the crash], and estate.

Sally Sovereign Papers, 1928-1970, and undated, in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.). Her papers include correspondence to/from Sally, photographs, and miscellaneous.

Will F. Sovereign Papers, 1922-1981, and undated, in 1 box (.5 cubic ft.) include business and personal correspondence, including personal correspondence from someone named “Tiny”, 1972-1976, accounts, awards and certificates, and photographs.

Will F. Sovereign War/Military Papers, 1941-1947, and 1957, and undated, in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.) include a diary, correspondence, photographic material, government and military documents, propaganda, and a diary, 1942-1943. Will tried several times to enlist and eventually served in 553rd Army Air Force Base unit from July 15, 1944 to January 24, 1946.

Sovereign Youth/ Academic, 1906-1971 (scattered), and undated, in 2 boxes (.75 cubic ft.) includes homework, certificates, degrees, birthday information, childhood letters and memorabilia, awards, and information on the academic careers of Billy, Sally, and Will F.

There are seven Oversized folders, the contents of Advertising, Business Dealing, and Family papers are described in the series description above.

The last three Oversized folders include various types of architectural records. See the Box and Folder Listing for more detail. Folder #5 is Miscellaneous, 1909-1952 (scattered) and undated, and includes company charts, plans for furniture and Aladdin home parts, and various properties. Folders 6 and 7 consist mostly of blue-line prints of houses, notably Residence for Mr. and Mrs. W.F. Sovereign, Bay City, the yacht “Aladdin”, and land plots in Bay City, Midland, and Saginaw, Michigan.

Oversized volumes. Four of these oversized volumes are acidic scrapbooks about the company and family, three are dated 1929, and one is dated 1929-1932. The two others oversized volumes include a lovely, published, undated volume entitled Industrial Housing in a velvet cover (in box), and a business volume entitled Cars Forwarded which documents the shipping of Aladdin products in railroad cars, 1937-1941.

Other formats include films and slides. There are eleven films, #1 is of Aladdin ranch homes being built, undated; #2 is of a St. Patrick's day parade in Bay City, 1959; and #3-11 are of an air show at James Clements Airport, Bay City, 1972. Also, there is a slide box of slides on Aladdin finished products, a mill building, church construction, and family, mostly Billy Sovereign (See Box Listing for more detail.)

Collection includes essays, research notes, biographical information, correspondence to Hyma and legal documents.

The collection includes Hyma's essays, research notes, biographical information, correspondence and legal documents.

Business correspondence, political advertising, and letters of Albert J. Dann.

The collection consists mainly of Dann’s business correspondence concerning advertisements for his newspaper, printing jobs, bills, receipts for his equipment, and supplies purchased. There is one official ballot for a Lake Odessa election in 1918 and political advertising, 1918-1919. Of special note are 32 letters from various Michigan soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces in France, during World War I, describing the countryside and conditions after the armistice. These letters were published in the Lake Odessa Wave.

The records consists of the company's historical files, library records, and bookplates.

The records are organized into Alert Fire Engine Company records (financial records, meeting minutes, lists of members) and the Adrian Fireman’s Library Association records (constitution, by-laws, donor lists, financial records, and book plates), on which are printed the rules and fines of the Library.

Diaries of Alexander B. Weeks, photograph of Weeks and wife, Sarah, and biographical materials.

The collection consists of three of Weeks’ diaries, volume 1) January 1, 1851- September 20, 1851, volume 2) September 21, 1851- February 29, 1852, and volume 3) October 2, 1853- December 15, 1857. The collection is organized alphabetically In the first diary, Weeks noted social and family news, visitors, the weather, major newspaper stories, and patrons or “sitters” who sat for “their likenesses.” He also commented several times about his daughters, particularly little Manty who was teething, learning to talk, walk, and was inoculated.

In the end of volume 1 and all of volume 2, Weeks vividly described his voyage to Brazil with Charles Deforest Fredricks, his fellow passengers, weather, other ships seen, seasickness, etc. Once in Brazil, Weeks noted his busy business, social activities, his friends Charles Saturnino Masoni and George Penabert, the natives, landscape, religious and other customs, slavery, and the local political struggles between Rosas, the Provincial Governor of Buenos Aires, and Gen. Urquiza. Similarly, he describes the beginning of his return voyage home and Montevideo, Uruguay, as well as correspondence with his family, and how much he misses them.

The first two diaries have some of Week’s poetry in the rear of the volumes and a few notes and doodles on the inside covers. The name of the printers who created the book in Pernambuco, Brazil, is pasted on the inside front cover of volume 2.

In his third diary Weeks documented his domestic life and business transactions in Toledo, Ohio, and Detroit, covering the same topics as in the first diary, before his voyage. The third diary is missing its front cover. The first page is divided into columns to serve as an account book. The headings of the columns are: Date, Names, Residence, Size, Price, Case, D/P (D/P probably means: Daguerreotype/Photograph).

Biographical Materials include: Week’s business cards from Poughkeepsie, undated (circa 1841?), a bill to an estate for money owed to Sarah Ann Weeks, August 5, 1870, and a photograph (copy) of Sarah and Alexander Weeks.

The collection The collection, 1906, 2017, and undated, 1.25 cubic ft. (in 3 boxes) consists mostly of 284 glass-plate negatives mostly documenting building, people, and events in Alger, Michigan, 1906, 1911-1916, 1919 and undated.

The collection, 1906, 2017, and undated, 1.25 cubic ft. (in 3 boxes) includes 284 glass-plate negatives, one of which has two different images on it (#819-820) and two film negatives, mostly documenting building, people, and events in Alger, Michigan, 1906, 1911-1916, 1919 and undated. Most of the images are dated, or if undated date from, 1911 through 1916. There are a few 1906 images of California oil fields and derricks (3), and a man washing a buggy dated 1906, and an undated image of a southwestern Indian village, taken on a train, probably dates from the 1906 California trip. There is only one 1919 image, that of two seated women by a front window/ awning of a store with a dog, another store in background, July 1919.

In Box 3 (.25 cubic foot) there is one folder of notes October 1911-February 1917 by the photographer in various detail of which images were taken when, sometimes specified to days, sometimes not within the month, with names of subjects and some other details, such as Mrs. Allen’s birthday party (copies, 2017). There are images with dates for which there are no notes, for example 1906 and August 1912. There are original notes from the photographer for which there are no specifically identified images, such as September, November-December 1912, June 1914, Feb. 1915, Aug 1916, Feb. 1917. There are dated images for which there are no original notes, for example July 1915, Sept. and Nov. 1916, July 1919. Sometimes the notes and the images have slightly different dates, for example three baseball game images are dated May 6, 1916 but the notes say May 7, 1916. A number of the descriptions are to vague to match with specific images, such as all the names of men and MC [Michigan Central] Depot. There are six images of the depot, but not enough data to decipher which image was taken in which month and year. There are also a number of baby portraits, but again, not enough data to match the write baby image and name.

Another folder includes prints of a sample of the plates, undated. One of the images is of ships in a harbor and that glass-plate negative is not extant in the collection. Notation in pencil by the archivist links the image to the negative.

Also included in Box 3 (.25 cu. ft. box) is a Lewinstein Jewery Company (Midland, Mich.) Jewelry box, rectangular, crushed, purple velvet, cream satin lining, 6.5x4.25x1 inches, undated.

Most of the negatives have a date (written in various ways by the photographer), and/or number, or, more rarely, additional descriptive information, written onto the back of the plate. Some were grouped in paper or sleeves with numbers, dates, or additional information. Descriptive information which was written onto the back of the plate are noted in the Box and Folder Listing in “quotation marks,” while descriptive information that was that was on the original sleeve, papers surrounding a pile of negatives, or on the original paper Notes from the photographer are noted in the Box and Folder Listing in ‘commentary marks’. Some glass-plate negatives have no number, no information, and in a few cases the numbers or dates are obliterated by time or emulsion damage. The span of plate numbers ranges from #1 to 920, and there are many large gaps in the number sequence. The number sequence does not always follow chronological order. If undated images resemble closely other dated images, the same date has been added to the undated image in brackets [].

Sometimes the photographer gave different images the same number, in which case the archivist has given one an A and the other a B in the description to tell them apart.

#258A May 1914 large group dressed up seated at laden picnic table, may be ‘Picnic Dunn’s Grove May 1914’ or ‘May 3, 1914 Mrs. Allen’s birthday party’ (see #247-248, 255, 258B)- minor emulsion issues on edges, May 1914 and #258B in May 1914 pile, group or men, women, boys standing, sitting on porch with pillars, mostly wearing hats, sign reads ‘our high grade Indian remedies for sale here,” may be ‘Picnic Dunn’s Grove May 1914’ or ‘May 3, 1914 Mrs. Allen’s birthday party’(see #247-248, 255, 258A), May 1914.

If there is no number, but the image clearly relates to an/other numbered image/s, the archivist has noted the relationship by…. #253 “5/10/14” little girl seated in a child’s wagon, barn and large wagon in background (see no#after253), May 10, 1914 and #253 “5/10/14” little girl seated in a child’s wagon, barn and large wagon in background (see no#after253), May 10, 1914 and No#after#253 “5/10/14” little children, boy holding handle of child’s wagon, little girl seated in wagon, wagon and houses in background, same girl in #253 (see #253), May 10, 1914.

If there is no number, but the image clearly relates to an/other unnumbered image/s, the archivist has noted the relationship by……. No#oil1 ‘California 1906 oil derricks’ – some emulsion damage, 1906 and No#oil2 ‘California oil fields, 1906’ – emulsion damage around edge, 1906 and No#oil3 ‘California oil fields, 1906’ – emulsion loose at top edge, 1906.

If the image has no# and does not directly to another image the archivist has given it a number noting something distinctive, when possible, in the image, like this: No#bicycles man, two boys wearing hats by large, leafy tree, one with scooter, four bicycles – emulsion flaking off on side, bottom edges, undated.

At the time the photographer relied upon good outdoor light and did not use any type of flash bulbs. Therefore most of the images are taken outside on a sunny day in the summer, although there are some images taken on snowy days, and some images taken when the trees are bare, either early spring or late fall. A few outside hunting images were probably taken in early fall.

Only a few inside images exist, two inside a church, one inside a store, and a few of women or children inside a house or studio.

Most of the images involve people, buildings and events, mostly in Alger, Michigan. Individual and group portraits, a picnic, birthday party, a skating party, a baseball game, hunting, and family and neighbor gatherings predominate. Men, women, children, and babies and a railroad section crew of six men are documented. Buildings in Alger include the school, Kern’s store, a drug store, Post Office, Methodist Episcopal Church, now Alger United Methodist Church, land store, and other downtown buildings, houses, and barns. The Michigan Central Railroad tunnel and a bridge are included. Vehicles include horse drawn buggies, wagons, a child’s wagon, a truck, and a REO car, circa 1905-1906. Horses, a dog and a dead dear are documented.

Images probably or definitely not taken in Alger include Southern Pacific train and engine, the oil fields and derricks of California and an image of southwestern Indian village.

Physical condition notes: All the negatives measure 4x5 inches. Most of the glass-plate negatives are in overall good condition, although a number (as noted in their individual description) have some emulsion damage, usually along the edges, and a few have stains. Two have an edge broken off, one edge is missing, the other is in the negative sleeve. One glass plate (#828) is bright yellow in color. The jewelry box has been crushed to close further than designed. It is rectangular, 6.5x4.25x1 inches, covered in purple velvet with a cream satin lining, undated.

This collection, 1969-2010 (Scattered), and undated, includes one folder each of multiple topics related to Central Michigan University and Michigan indigenous history.

This collection, 1969-2010 (Scattered), and undated, includes one folder each of the following topics: Central Michigan University (CMU) Anti-war Movement, 1970, 1972; CMU Campus Diversity, 1971, 1992; CMU Chippewa Education Committee, Materials, 1989-1993; CMU Faculty Association, Historical Materials, 1977, 1984, 2000, undated; CMU Indian Education Project Ad Hoc Committee meeting minutes and proposals, 1970-1972; CMU. Multicultural Center, Meeting Minutes, Background Materials, 1985-1990; CMU Native American Programs, 1986-2003, including clippings (copies) list of members and correspondence of the Native American Studies Council, materials re: indigenous conferences at CMU; CMU Vietnam Moratorium materials, 1969-1971, including: a brochure that accompanied the film documentary of the Moratorium, 1969; original photographs, some of which were used in the brochure and are partially identified by Prof. Littlefield's notes, 1969; and copies of memorandums sent between CMU Pres. William B. Boyd, CMU Vice Pres. for Student Affairs Al Miles, and the CMU Faculty Advisory Council about CMU student protest actions of April 19-21, 1971, such as starting fires on CMU land, sleeping on the lawn, and other general protest actions; Gaming Expansion Study, 1991-1998 for the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe with memos, correspondence, data results, Final Report to the Stakeholders of the Saginaw Chippewa Tribe Gaming Expansion Evaluation Project, 1996, Casino Impact Study Committee minutes. group questions and comments; Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver, 1995, 2007, which is copies of federal information explaining the waiver and related clippings; Michigan Native American Materials, 1994, 2010, which includes copies of clippings on Indian casinos and federal tribal recognition; Native American Fishing Rights in Michigan, 1971, 2009, includes Report of the Governor's Special Task Force on Indian Fishing Rights, 1971, clippings (copies), bibliographies and lists of sources, 1980, 2007. The collection is organized alphabetically by topic and is in good physical condition.

Lists of dead Civil War soldiers buried in various Michigan counties, genealogies, and other related materials.

The collection includes lists of dead Civil War soldiers buried in various Michigan counties, genealogies, and other related materials re: Michigan Soldiers of the War of 1812.

Papers include: drafts, transcripts, and carbon copies of Field's stories, and a scrapbook of his column, the Far Parade.

The collection includes Smith’s correspondence with several magazines and publishers relating to his short stories and his only published novel, The Muskamming Red Head (1932), a signed copy of which is separately cataloged in the Clarke Historical Library; papers concerning several writing courses which he took through correspondence; drafts, typescripts, and carbon copies of typescripts of his writings; and one scrapbook of clippings of his newspaper column, “The Far Parade.”

This artificial collection consists of Alma (Mich.) miscellaneous.

The collection, 1918, 1935, and undated, includes internal business correspondence and purchase receipt documents for Gamble-Skogmo in the Great Lakes area. Additionally, there are documents pertaining to Alma Masonic Lodge Membership, which includes the application and acceptance certificate of Alma College’s President Harry Crooks. One oversized folder of photographic portraits of men (3), undated, unidentified completes the collection. This is an artificial collection of material found in an Alma (Mich.) building while it was being renovated.

Processing Note: .25 cubic foot of duplicates, including copies of materials from the Clarke, reading materials, and blank cards were removed from the collection during processing. Also, some documents were photocopied, the copies were retained and the originals were removed.

Family papers of Amasa B. Watson are divided into the following series: Amasa B. Watson Papers, Amasa B. Watson Family and Associates Papers, Mrs. Martha A. (Brooks) Watson Papers, and Miscellaneous Papers The papers include: biographical materials; family correspondence; business correspondence, mostly related to lumber and timber, but also the Republic National Convention, 1888; education of his nephews at the Michigan Military Academy (Orchard Lake, Mich.); General Orders, 1861; and after his death, his wife's correspondence related to the building of his mausoleum and the Amasa B. Watson Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Post No. 395.

Family Papers, 1854-1932 and undated. The collection is divided into the following series: Amasa B. Watson Papers, Amasa B. Watson Family and Associates Papers, Mrs. Martha A. (Brooks) Watson Papers, and Miscellaneous Papers. Most of the collection documents Watson's business interests in pine lands and lumber sales.There are five folders of lumber correspondence with Hull and Watson; later M. B. Hull and Company, and finally Hull, Ulrich, and Company, 1879-1888, and four folders of related receipts and land taxes, 1860-1888. Eventually, Hull became executor of Watson's estate.

Family correspondence often relates to pine and land interests inherited from Watson. Family correspondence from his siblings concerns lumber and shingle sales. Correspondence from Watson's adopted sons, James and John Mead, is more personal in nature, and quite warm. In the correspondence, the boys describe their lives and experiences at school.

In the family and associates papers, there is correspondence with the family lawyer (and son-in-law) Thomas F. Carroll, and Watson's Mississippi agent, D. D. Carter, concerning land and estate concerns, 1903-1923. Correspondence to James and John Mead also concerns these issues, 1892-1894. The papers of Philander J. Mead (d. 1853), paternal grandfather of the Mead children and father of William J. Mead, are of little interest except where they concern pine and land interests. The papers of William W. Mead, 1888-1932, cover mostly his and his aunt/ mother's business concerns, estates, and the building of Amasa Watson's mausoleum. William was his aunt/ mother's right hand man. Mrs. Watson's papers cover her husband's estate, mausoleum, and land and timber business concerns. The Amasa B. Watson Grand Army of the Republic (G. A. R.) Post 395 correspondence documents Mrs. Watson's donations, both to Post 395 and to individual Civil War veterans. The G. A. R. letterhead has an illustration of Watson as an older man. Also included is a 1912 meeting booklet listing the Post's officers and regular meetings, held on the first and third Friday of each month at 325 Central Avenue. The booklet has an oval portrait of Amasa B. Watson on the title page.

Additional family and miscellaneous papers relate to land patents, mostly copies, 1884-1919, and abstracts of titles of Amasa B. Watson's land, created for his heirs and for legal purposes. Biographical information and a carte-de-visite of Amasa B. Watson in his Civil War uniform complete the collection.

Photocopies made from 2 reels of microfilm of company related materials including correspondence (copies), index card, and finding aids (copies) of other, related collections.

This is an artificial collection of related materials, pulled together by topic. Included in the records are correspondence to/from Samuel Abbott, who served as the Collector at Michilimackinac (1812-?) and as manager for the Company, 1812-1848 (and longer?). Some of the correspondence is from James Abbott, Samuel’s brother, who was also a manager for the Company in the Detroit, Michigan, area. (There is no further information available on the Abbotts.) Other records include expense accounts for transportation to the Council in the summer of 1825. The Shipping / Receiving book provides good information of prices paid per pelt, for everything from mink to rat skins. There is an Indenture of Mortgage signed by John Jacob Astor, 1827, in the Mortgage Records, and a Capital Stock certificate of the Mackinac, Lake Superior Copper Company, 1845, in the Correspondence. These materials are all photocopies made from 2 reels of microfilm.

Additionally, there are index cards to assist researchers using the records. The related American Fur Company business records of Mackinac Island, Michigan, to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, 1817-1834, are available on microfilm at the Clarke, as are books about the Company.

See also numerous related reels of microfilm on the American Fur Company, the Mackinac Island Collection, and the Abraham Wendell Collection.

On April 13, 2001, the paper collection, which had been on deposit at the Clarke, was returned to Mackinac State Historic Parks as part of the Sault Sainte Marie Collection. The microfilm of this American Fur Company Collection is at the Clarke, Reels 1-2, Microfilm MSS F-52.

This collection includes images, newspaper clippings and articles, financial records, reports, pamphlets, recognition materials, letters, and newsletters.

This is an addition to the American National Red Cross Isabella County Chapter (Mich.) Organizational Records collection. This collection includes images, newspaper clippings and articles, financial records, reports, pamphlets, recognition materials, letters, and newsletters. Of particular interest are: materials related to the Mount Pleasant Indian School, a poem about soldiers who fought in the Iraq War, and Hurricane Hugo relief efforts. Except for one legal-size folder, everything else in the collection is letter-size.

Processing Note: Approximately .25 cubic foot of materials was withdrawn from the collection during processing, including national publications, general Michigan materials, duplicates, and originals which were acidic or damaged. Photocopies of acidic or damaged materials were added to the collection. Some objects were transferred to the CMU Museum, including: a framed display of Red Cross pins, three miniature Red Cross vehicles, a nursing uniform with top, pants, and hat, two metal first aid boxes with supplies within them, and a few national publications.

The collection includes charter, meeting minutes, financial records, annual reports, correspondence, scrapbooks, and other organizational records.

The Isabella County chapter records include meeting minutes, annual reports, correspondence, financial records, fund-raising campaign materials, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous relating to the chapter’s operations and activities, 1917-1979. Four Red Cross uniforms that were donated with this collection were transferred to the Central Michigan University Museum in October 1976.

The collection includes records of Amos, Ebenezer (Civil War correspondence), and Fred H. Gould of New York (State) and Owosso (Michigan).

The collection includes a variety of family records.

Amos Gould’s records include: personal correspondence, 1828-1872, family correspondence, 1875-1912, Civil War correspondence mostly from Ebenezer to Amos or Ebenezer’s wife and children, 1862-1864, railroad business records, 1852-1881, lumber business correspondence and papers, 1867-1882, business correspondence, 1849-1915, receipts of business transactions, 1830-1883, legal papers, including briefs, trail records, contracts land contracts, mortgages, agreements, indentures, and deeds, 1832-1885 from New York and Michigan, and more legal records and tax receipts, 1848-1932, book receipts, 1870-1879, trial records of cases Amos and his associates tried, 1842-1877, railroad receipts, 1857-1864, and letter books, day books, and account books, 1839-1935. Also included are five eagle buttons. Additional Amos Gould buttons are in the Display Items collection.

Papers relating to Ebenezer include: Civil War correspondence mostly from Ebenezer to Amos or Ebenezer’s wife and children, 1862-1864, courtship and marriage correspondence from Ebenezer to his wife Irene Beach, 1845-1866, and business correspondence and miscellaneous, including a scrapbook of obituaries and family news, 1868-1936.

Papers relating to Fred H. Gould include his diaries, 1892-1931, and personal correspondence to/from Fred, 1870-1872, and undated.

Overall the collection provides a good look at life in a small Michigan town (Owosso), multiple business interests, especially land and lumber, and personal life before, during, and after the Civil War. There are also letters from Gould’s brother-in-law, Dr. J. N. Graham, on early medical practices, such as the use of chloroform in Michigan.

Processing Notes: Due to size differences among the boxes, some boxes are shelved out of numerical orders. Boxes # 74-75, 108-120 are cubic foot boxes, the rest are .5 cubic foot boxes. Folder level processing was completed, but the inventory is at box level. Some materials are still tri-folded in their original wrappings, not in folders, or in unlabeled folders.

Diaries, 1866-1920, some biographical materials of Andrew Jackson, a farmer in Livingstton and Ingham counties, Michigan, and a work diary, 1897, probably of one of his farm workers.

Except for some brief biographical materials, 1920, and undated, the collection consists entirely of Andrew’s diaries, 1866-1920. His diaries document farm work, the weather, family visits, funerals, deaths, births, farm workers, health, and purchases and sales of goods, cattle, and crops. There is also a work diary, 1897, probably by a farm worker of Andrew’s.

The majority of the correspondence is between Andrew and his extended family and friends, 1862-1865, but other materials date to 2012, or are undated.

The collection is composed mainly of correspondence between Andrew and his extended family written mostly between 1862 and 1865. There is also a letter from 1867 and several which are undated. The majority of the correspondence is between Andrew and Eliza, with correspondence to/from Amara. The majority of the letters concerns farm life and what to do on the farm. Of particular note is a letter dated Sept. 17, 1864 from Seymour Clark to Amara Bachelder from a Camp near Atlanta, Georgia, describing the siege of Atlanta. There is one folder devoted to writings and poems written or copied by Andrew while he served during the Civil War. In the Miscellaneous No Name folder there is a poem called “Love Letter to a Soldier.” The Oversized folder includes newspaper clippings and a bounty form for Andrew. The first folder in the collection contains biographical information on the above mentioned people. Illustrations are limited to letterhead.

Political Campaign Objects, 1920-2017, undated, contains materials relating to American politics, specifically presidential races and state-level campaigns in Michigan.

Political Campaign Objects, 1920-2017, undated, contains materials relating to American politics, specifically presidential races and state-level campaigns in Michigan. The collection is organized by size, format, and chronologically and alphabetically. Correspondence between the donor and Michigan Governor James Blanchard, President Johnson, and President Obama, as well as invitations to mostly presidential inaugurations and other political events are in Box 1. Political memorabilia such as campaign pins and bumper stickers for both national and state-level campaigns are also included. There are campaign memorabilia items such as mint tins and candy wrappers for presidential candidates Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump.

Box 2 has the topic of Berlin Wall Fragment, 1989, Stamps, Detroit Topics and Great Lakes Vessels, 2001, and War Ration Book of Kathryn M. Rowe of Vickery, Ohio, 1943.

Box 3 features a Riegle US Senator paper visor and a blue Dukakis ’88 mesh ballcap.

Campaign apparel is found in Oversized Folder No. 1 are a yellow ACLU T-shirt promoting abortion access and Bill Clinton graphic t-shirt about re-uniting America. There are two Elizabeth Warren posters from her presidential campaign and a cardboard coat hanger of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Oversized Folder No. 2 has a red crewneck sweatshirt in white text stating (Engler=Union Buster).

Box 4 includes 2 glass steins and 1 porcelain mug. The mug is white porcelain with red, white, and blue stars, strips and a ribbon motif with the words “84 Democratic National Convention.” The chipped mug was manufactured by Porcelain by Paula, Inc., California, the official supplier for the convention, as noted on the bottom of the mug. The mug measures four inches high and three inches in diameter The two clear glass steins are the same. Each stein feature a blue motif of the white house with an eagle, flag, branches, and stars ringed by the words “President and Vice President Inauguration 1997.” Each stein measures five inches high and three inches in diameter. The steins are in excellent condition.

Box 5 includes mostly political pins, the majority of which are for presidential campaigns, documentation of the 1988 Democratic National Convention, including pins, photographs, passes, and an assorted of other political campaign objects, such as a comb, nail file, a few newsletters, a postcard, and other items.

Oversized Folders 3-5 include more campaign apparel: a Black, cotton book bag with white trim and strap, with McGovern/Shriver in red embroidered font on the front, undated [1972], with a note from Shagena who carried her books at CMU in it; a Democratic National Convention Atlanta 1988 vest worn by participants; and a Jesse Jackson presidential campaign poster, 1988.

Processing Note: Approximately .5 cubic feet of duplicates were withdrawn from the collection. The matches were removed from the matchbook.

The papers consist mainly of drawings, blueprints, tracings, elevations, building specifications, and biographical materials.

The collection is organized by format and size. Box 1 consists of tracings, Box 2 mostly of tracings. Boxes 3-8 are rolled blueprints and architectural drawings (8.5 cubic feet). Each rolled drawing may include: building blueprints, tracings, elevations, and other related architectural drawings. These are housed in large telescope style boxes. Box 9-10 include one folder of biographical materials and building specifications. All of the materials are in good condition. Some of the specifications suffer from being stored rolled around the blueprints and are somewhat bent out of shape. The strength of the collection is obviously the drawings and building specifications. Materials vary in size and were boxed by size to fit into as few boxes as possible.

The collection includes papers (series) of Ardith Westie, Charles Westie, combined papers Ardith and Charles Westie, and papers of John E. Westie.

The collection includes papers (series) of Ardith Westie, Charles Westie, combined papers Ardith and Charles Westie, and papers of John E. Westie. The collection is in good condition and is organized by series, size, alphabetically and chronologically.

The first series consists of the papers of Ardith Westie, about 2.5 cubic feet (in 3 boxes) which is split into five sub series: Biographical, Community, Personal Correspondence, College Years, and CMU. The series documents her outstanding high school years, very active college years at CMU, her later career at CMU, her personal friendships, and her social community interests and activities

Ardith’s Biographical materials sub-series, 1933-2000 (scattered), undated, includes photographs of her throughout her life, high school materials.

Her Community papers sub-series documents her activities and interests including mother interest groups and GAP, Mount Pleasant’s Group Action for People, as described in her biographical section.

Her Personal Correspondence sub-series, 1931- 2013 (scattered), undated, includes, in many cases, 70 years of friendship with female college friends, including Jane Yost Stone, who was Ardith’s college roommate for three years, as well as some of their boyfriends and male friends, and with her family. The young men wrote in the 1940s of waiting to be drafted, of training and serving, and missing friends. Elmer White was also associated with the Michigan Press Association. Some v-mail examples are in the men’s war correspondence. The women’s correspondence reflects the evolution from their college interests, through marriage and work, raising and caring for children, to grandchildren, losing spouses, to living as seniors. The baby announcements in the Lucy Booth Bradley and Gladyce Ellis folders are adorable. Most of this correspondence is to Ardith. During her college years she wrote at least weekly to her family, usually her mother, but also to her twin sisters, Carmen and Janice, and received an equal amount of mail in return. They sent mostly letters and postcards, as well as holiday and birthday cards. Ardith wrote about her classes, expenses ($6 was sufficient for her to survive for two weeks with money to spare), clothing needs, friends, her CMLife work, and of her feelings. After she and Chuck married, he sometimes wrote or typed within her letters to her family. Her mother and sisters wrote about the family’s health, social and farm activities, finances, her sisters’ classes and social life, church events, and news of extended family and friends. The few references to World War II mainly concern men being drafted or dying. One of the interesting letters is in April 1942 where Ardith notes she was studying for exams when Chuck burst in and announced he had to report for the draft on April 30.

Within the Family Correspondence are two examples of commercially produced greeting cards with racist depictions of African American children. The first is on a January 4, 1940 New Year’s card, and features a naked black child inside a barrel. The second is on a February 19, 1942 birthday card and has a black girl hanging laundry, bent over, showing her patched underwear.

Ardith also corresponded less frequently with friend and fellow War Years alum, Senator Robert P. Griffin with clippings (copies) documenting the visit of President Gerald R. Ford to CMU to inaugurate the Robert P. Griffin Endowed Chair.

Ardith’s College Years sub-series, 1938-1942, document her very involved life as a CMU college student, as a member of multiple groups, including Kappa Delta Pi and Masquers (the CMU dramatic club), her homework, notes, and essays, clippings, accounts, dance books with pencils, diaries, some correspondence, and her 1942 valedictorian address. Her commencement program is in her Personal Correspondence to/from Family.

Her CMU sub-series, 1945-1993, and undated, documents Ardith’s work and leadership with the CMU Alumni Association, Housing Committee, Summerfest, CMU 75th and Centennial celebration including history and awards, and the creation and dedication of the Peace Grove, 1995.

The Ardith and Chuck Westie Papers, approximately .5 cubic foot, include personal and CMU materials, including CMU projects and other projects they worked on together, and people with whom they both corresponded, 1940s-2015, and undated, including the CMU War Years Gatherings or Reunions and the CMU Peace Grove Memorial in honor of the CMU students who died while serving their nation in World War I and II. Lists of these students are in the related correspondence. They corresponded with many friends including fellow CMU alums Norm Johnston, a prison history author, and Robert E. McCabe, the architect of the Detroit Renaissance Center. Both Westies researched and documented the history of the First United Methodist Church of Mount Pleasant, of which they were members.

Charles “Chuck” Westie’s Papers, approximately 3 cubic feet, are divided into the sub-series of Biographical materials, College Years, and CMU materials from when he was a professor at CMU

His Biographical Materials sub-series, 1937-1981 (scattered) and undated, includes photographs of Charles, 1937-1993, undated, while a student and professor, and his Personal Correspondence, from family and friends, 1937-1940s, undated. There are examples of his correspondence to Ardith and her family in her Personal Correspondence to/from Family folders 1940 and forward. Charles strongly questioned the WWII before he was drafted. He later wrote letters of support for men seeking conscientious objector status, 1969-1972. Charles wrote powerfully about his attitude about war in an untitled [anti-Viet Nam] article, 1969, referring to his experience at Normandy and how he witnessed many American soldiers and friends die. There is a letter and poem to Ardith about his thoughts about the death of his dear friend John Evans after viewing John’s wedding photographs, July 1944. Related to this is 1946 correspondence to/from Ed Slavinsky’s family. Ed and Charles met in the Percy Jones Hospital when Charles was recovering from losing his leg and Ed was suffering from “battle fatigue,” later called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

His College Years sub-series, 1937-1943, include: Charles’ Central Michigan College of Education B.S. degree and commencement materials, 1945; his academic transcript, 1943, his commencement invitations, and program, 1945; English papers, plays and poems he wrote or participated in; correspondence to friends, mainly his then girlfriend, Lillian Hunt, Masquers (dramatic club) materials, and photographs of his college buddies and girlfriends; a CSTC (Central State Teachers College) pennant and Chippewa Pledge. An oversized photograph album with wooden covers, with a front cover carved by Chuck with an image of an Indigenous man and pinecone, includes images before and during his college years. Photographs which became loose from the volume are in a large envelop boxed with the album.

The majority of Charles’ CMU materials sub-series focuses on his academic career, committee work, and interests while at CMU. Well documented in his papers are his efforts to form and the early years of the CMU Faculty Association (FA). which began as the Mount Pleasant Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. There are correspondence, memos, reports and newsletters, and oversized reports of Committee Z, which investigated and reported on CMU faculty salary compensation compared to faculty nationally. This subseries documents the hostility between the faculty and the administration, and evidence of faculty who were fired or whose tenure, promotions, and salary increases were delayed or denied in retaliation for their complaints and union activity by the administration. Charles communicated with administrators, faculty, professors, Michigan and national union officials, and politicians, including Senator Guy Vander Jagt.

His papers document the Sociology Department and its successor, the Sociology and Anthropology Department, with meeting minutes, memos, reports, and examples of Charles’ tests. There is documentation of committees or topical projects or CMU units he helped create or in which he actively participated. The major projects and committees in his papers include: the CMU Centennial, Art Gallery, the Honors Program, the Museum, the Peace Grove, Veit Woodland, Lem Tucker scholarship, Indigenous education, and the all Ojibwa Boy Scout Troop 606, handicapped and non-traditional CMU students, foster children, and Korean orphans supported by CMU.

Also documented in his papers are CMU student protests and related activities including Jane Fonda speaking at CMU, 1970; President Boyd’s reaction to the community at CMU, and the suspension of CMU African American students in 1970.

Ardith and Chuck corresponded with or documented significant CMU people including presidents Abel, Anspach, Boyd, and Foust, Norval Bovee, D. Louise Sharp, Rolland H. Maybee, and Senator Robert P. Griffin.

There is one box of legal-size materials of Charles’ related to his CMU career and interests, There is also one Oversized folder which includes: a Bicentennial Declaration of Human Rights for Handicapped Persons, by the CMU Office of Career Development for Handicapped Persons [1976]; a poem about Sigma Kappa, undated; and a handmade poster advertising the 1969-1970 classics film schedule.

The Papers of John E. Westie, 1957-1973, undated, .5 cubic foot (in 1 box) is the last series in the collection. With the exception of his C.P. [College Preparatory] high school English papers, 1964-1965, and two brief notes (copies) from President Anspach, 1957, 1960, his papers focus on his successful fight to have the government classify him as a conscientious objector during the Viet Nam War. His correspondence and paperwork with the Isabella County draft board, Selective Service, his lawyer, and between he and his wife, Sandy, and his parents, demonstrate his efforts and the difficulties he overcame. This series includes publications from or by the government about the selective service process, and more from or by religious organizations that advocated for conscientious objectors, the Central Mennonite Committee and the United Methodist Church, the Midwest Committee for Draft Counseling and its Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, and the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors. Newspaper clippings (copies) about the draft or conscientious objectors, 1965-1972, undated, complete the series.

Researchers may also be interested in other collections in the Clarke documenting the history of CMU, the Faculty Association, Mount Pleasant, and other topics in this collection. Charles’ World War II material is in the state Archives of Michigan.

Processing Note: 31 cubic feet of duplicate publications, miscellaneous materials, most envelopes, blank forms, drafts, vitas, information with social security numbers, and peripheral materials were withdrawn from the collection. Very acidic materials and poor-quality photocopies were photocopied and only the new copies were retained in the collection. 68 Michigan postcards were added to the Clarke’s Michigan Postcard Collection. 20 monographs and 10 issues of magazines re: CMU history and conscientious objectors were separately cataloged. Envelopes were retained if that was the only way to identify the address of the sender. The postal date from the envelope was added in pencil to undated correspondence. Whenever possible, undated correspondence without envelopes was dated from the letter’s contents and context.

The collection includes financial and legal records, correspondence, and stock certificates of the Arivaca Mill Company (Arivaca, Ariz.).

The collection includes legal records, correspondence, telegrams, stock certificates, and other materials related to the AMM and C Co. Correspondence and legal papers concerning other business interests of both Witherells are also included.

Papers include mostly photographs, negatives and audiotapes of 19th century people, architecture, farms, churches, probably in rural Michigan, and 1960s Michigan politicians, political events and gatherings.

Most of the collection is photographs and negatives. The 19th century photographs have been reshot by a modern camera. Subject headings of photographs were ones used by Arnold Bransdorfer. Some photographs are quite faded. Almost all of the photographs are black and white.

Among these are images of what is presumably rural Michigan and many photographs of Michigan Republicans and Republican political gatherings in the 1960s. There is one photograph of Robert Kennedy at a political gathering.

Related Michigan Republican political publications, news releases, and a statement are among the paper materials. The correspondence discusses some of the photography work Arnold Bransdorfer did as Michigan Senate Photographer. Michigan Republicans documented here include William Milliken, G. Mennen Williams, George Romney, and Guy Vander Jagt, among others.

The audiotapes, mostly 1965-1968, and undated, relate largely to Michigan political press conferences, speeches, and advertisements, although Richard Nixon is documented at an unspecified time, as well as a speech by Walter Reuther in 1967. Different genres of music are also recorded on the audiotapes.

The collection includes art and posters of Central Michigan University arthletes, speakers, student events, programs, museum, and the biological station on Beaver Island.

The collection includes art, drawings and prints from them, of CMU athletes and buildings, early 1990s, and CMU posters, 1975-2013, and undated. Posters include the topics of: Beaver Island, Admissions, Athletics, CMU and You Day, Programs/Speakers Series, Scholarships, School of Music, Student Services, Graduate Studies, Extended Degree Programs, Panhellenic, Leadership Institute, Minority Affairs, Study Abroad, Museum, and University Theatre. The art and posters are all in good condition. The art was generated by Church, probably Eugene Church, who in the early 1990s was CMU’s director of publications, public relations unit.

Within each folder, posters and art are organized by topic, size, and date. They are described by title, size, and date.

The papers include accounts, land papers, correspondence, miscellaneous, and printed materials.

The collection includes Arthur Bronson’s Accounts, 1817-1843 and undated; Land Papers, 1833-1844, for Illinois, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, New York (State) and Kings County, and Wisconsin; Legal Papers, 1828-1849; Correspondence, 1820-1848 and undated; Miscellaneous, 1825-1843 and undated; and Printed Materials, including maps, laws, land sale fliers and advertisements, etc., 1815-1867 and undated. Companies documented include the Peru Iron Company, Union Bank of New York, and the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company.

Some of Arthur’s papers are found in the collections of his father and brother, Isaac and Frederic Bronson, and in the Bronson Family Papers. Bronson papers housed at other institutions are available at the Clarke on 30 reels of positive microfilm (Micro. Mss. F-40). These include Arthur’s letters, 1825-1838?, 1815-1844 and accounts, 1823-1844 (reels 3-5); letters, 1822-1834 (reels 9-10); letters, 1838-1844 (reels 13-16); legal cases, undated (reel 19); letters, 1835-1836 (reel 22); and accounts, 1846-1865 (reel 23).

For additional letters of Anna Eliza (Bailey) Bronson, see the Bronson Family Papers finding aid.

Letters to Arthur Bronson may also be found in the Charles Butler Papers (3 reels of positive microfilm, Mss. Micro. F-79).

Collection includes Moral Re-Armament newsletters, newspaper clippings, news releasees, and magazines; correspondence to/from Shera; and miscellaneous materials.

The collection is organized alphabetically by type of material, and chronologically within folders. Most of the collection consists of local school newsletters, state and national newspaper clippings, news releases, 1941-1949 (Scattered), and the New World News magazines, 1945-1947, which document the interests, activities, and ideals of MRA.

Correspondence includes that to Arthur Shera and his family, 1944-1949, and from Arthur to Howard Davidson of New World News, 1945-1946, a MRA periodical, and to various people 1948-1949. Also included are mailing correspondence, press releases, forms, and programs,1946-1946, and undated, for Ideas Have Legs, which was first a book and later a play, which disseminated the ideals of the MRA.

Miscellaneous materials in the collection include an organizational history and biographical materials on Arthur Shera from a variety of online sources; Book Order Forms 1945-1947; Lists of Food for Europe from the Grand Rapids (Mich.) team, 1946; Lists of Names, 1944, 1947, and undated (these are likely various mailing lists, rather than a list of members), the very brief play, Where are you?, undated; and some miscellaneous poems by Arthur and other members of the MRA, 1945, 1947, and undated.

The papers include Augustus Gansser's biographical materials, speeches, correspondence, American Expeditionary Field materials, Michigan National Guard scrapbooks, Prohibition articles, and United Spartans of America materials. Also included are papers of his brother, Emil B. Gansser, and photographs of World War I, National Guard, and Spanish-American War veterans.

The collection richly documents Gansser’s experiences in the Michigan National Guard and veterans associations, as well as lists of Michigan soldiers killed in actions and troop rosters. The collection has a wide variety of photographs of encampments, officers, and units (group) photographs.

Michigan National Guard troops documented in this collection include: the 63rd Infantry; 125th Infantry; 32nd Division; 1st Battalion, 33rd Infantry, Company B; 119th and 120th Field Artillery, 32nd Division Band; and the 3rd Battalion, 125th Infantry. Camp MacArthur; Waco, Texas; the Division Headquarters for the 125th-128th infantries is also documented, as well as some general orders and circulars.

Gansser’s political career is documented in his Political Correspondence, 1905-1915, Correspondence and “Letters to the Editor,” 1911, and Correspondence from his Constituents, 1929. There is also Correspondence from Michigan Governor Fred M. Warner and Michigan Representative George A. Loud. A few drafts of his political Addresses (Speeches), 1911-1915, are also included in the collection.

Gansser’s activities in veterans groups, his non-political business interests, family correspondence, and two scrapbooks that belonged to his brother, Emil B. Gansser, complete the collection.

Artificial collection of miscellaneous materials related to Michigan automobiles, car companies, trucks, racing, racecars, motorcycles, advertising, etc.

The collection includes miscellaneous materials from vertical files, advertising materials, black and white photographs, catalogs, manuals, newspaper clippings (copies), and other materials documenting car companies, trucks, racing, racecars, motorcycles, and the general history of automobiles.

Law firm records include legal records of estates, divorces, chancery cases, and debt collection, correspondence, and numerous land records. McKee family records are also included.

The collection includes many types of legal records, including: Estates, Divorces, Chancery Cases, and debt collection papers. Correspondence is from clients, lawyers, legal firms, banks, and various land offices. Some of the larger case files include those of the Bank of Lansingburgh (New York) and the Indian Mill Creek Salt Company (Grand Rapids, Mich.). Numerous land records include: State Tax Deeds, Indentures, Mortgages, Bounty Lands for Veterans and their widows, Deeds, Plat Maps, and Receipts for land. The firm had many clients in Michigan and New York (State).

McKee family records include family correspondence, 1840s-1874, undated; legal cases, and Aaron McKee’s (father of James McKee) inheritance case, 1856-1864. Also included is the 1862 license for Ball and McKee and a letter of protest over the removal of the soldiers’ memorial in Grand Rapids, 1908.

Processing Note: Personal materials of John Ball were apparently removed when this collection first came to the Clarke and became the John Ball Family Papers.

Papers include consists of copies of Basil’s notes on his family, diaries from 1904, a bound version of Diary of a ninety-eighter, and the cover page and maps of Cumming’s book.

There are three versions of Basil’s diary. The first version is the handwritten original, which he kept in Alaska, along with a more legible 1904 version. The second version is a typescript that closely follows the original, probably written after 1910. The third version was published by John Cumming as Diary of a ninety-eighter. (Copies of this book are separately cataloged in the CMU libraries.)

The diary described Basil’s trip, mining experiences, companions, Nels Seaver and Ed Burmeister, and Alaska in detail.

The collection consists of copies of Basil’s notes on his family, diaries from 1904, a bound version of Diary of a ninety-eighter, and the cover page and maps of Cumming’s book.

The collection documents the activities and history of the Bay View Association of the Methodist Church in Bay View, Michigan.

The collection consists of published materials of the Association, including Catalogue/Bulletins, 1892-1985; various programs; by-laws; periodicals; and brochures. The collection documents the goals, history, and activities of the Association.

Collection of correspondence to Donaldson as editor of the Dearborn Independent, and some typescripts.

The collection consists primarily of correspondence of Donaldson in his editorial role at The Dearborn Independent from British author, Lady Cynthia Mary Evelyn (Charteris) Asquith (1887-1952); American novelist Homer Croy (1883-1965); Alabama author, Charles J. Finger (1869-1941), winner of the Newberry Award for his Tales from the silver lands; and Margaret Elizabeth Sangster (b. 1894), American poet and novelist. The correspondence mainly discusses articles submitted for publication, works in progress, ideas, and views on contemporary literature. Also included are typescripts of articles submitted by Finger.

The collection documents the activities and interests of Bernice Watson before, during, and after serving in the 64th Michigan Legislature, 1947-1948.

The collection documents the activities and interests of Mrs. Watson before, during, and after serving in the 64th Michigan Legislature, 1947-1948.

The collection includes publications, meeting minutes, and photographs related to the American bicentennial.

The collection consists largely of publications regarding the American Revolution bicentennial, the celebration of the bicentennial in Michigan, and Michigan Week before and during the bicentennial, 1963-1968 and 1971-1989. Materials include magazine and newspaper articles (copies), newsletters, reports, a few photographs and meeting minutes, and other materials from federal, Michigan, and local bicentennial councils and commissions. A large, although incomplete, run of the Bicentennial Times [Wash.: American Revolution Bicentennial Administration], 1974-1976 (Scattered) is also included, as are a number of special or collectors’ editions of bicentennial newspapers, fliers, bulletins, a calendar, and an issue of Superman Salutes the Bicentennial, 1976. Most of the materials were mailed to John Cumming, who later donated them to the Clarke.

Processing Note: Numerous, miscellaneous generic advertising fliers were withdrawn from the collection during processing because they were of minimal importance in documenting the bicentennial.

Collection of copies of trial testimony, sworn statements, correspondence,and other materials collected by Earl Young, Detroit's City Attorney in the late 1930s about the Black Legion.

The materials are copies of trial testimony, sworn statements, correspondence, and other materials collected by Earl Young, Detroit’s City Attorney in the late 1930s.

The papers include biographical materials, miscellaneous, photographs, postcards, and an autograph album.

The collection includes biographical materials, miscellaneous, photographs, postcards, and an autograph album. An inventory is available to assist researchers.

Collection includes love letters, postcards, notes, and telegrams sent between Kenneth Blass and his future wife Marie F. Kleiner, 1922-1927. Kenneth's letters document his membership in and activities with the Ku Klux Klan.

The collection consists of love letters, postcards, notes, and telegrams sent between Kenneth and Marie during their four year courtship, 1922-1927. Materials are organized chronologically, with a typed transcript of the correspondence on the front and the original materials (often a letter and envelope) on the back of a polyester page. The pages are organized chronologically into binders. One folder of press releases about the collection is included in the front of Box #1.

The letters provide a view of courtship, life, one-room schoolhouses, teaching, the daily struggles of a working man, and love in the 1920s. Kenneth was a member of the Ku Klux Klan. His letters notes his attitudes about and various social activities of the Ku Klux Klan in Michigan in the 1920s. He wanted to be married in a Ku Klux Klan ceremony, but Marie declined this idea.

The collection consists of correspondence, reports, minutes, photographs and negatives, publications, and newspaper clippings (copies) of units within the Council.

The collection consists of correspondence, financial and membership reports, and meeting minutes relating to Summer Trails Council, Saginaw Bay Area Council, and Lake Huron Area Council. Much of the correspondence and related materials concerns issues related to the merger of Summer Trails and Valley Councils in 1961 and the consequent transfer of ownership of Bear Lake Scout Camp. Also included are copies of newspaper clippings regarding scouting activities, 1936-1976 (scattered) and a nearly complete run of Saginaw Bay Area Council Scouter (later Lake Huron Area Council Scouter) (newsletter), 1961-1972. The Articles of Incorporation for both Bay City (Summer Trails) and Valley Trails Councils are also included. There is also an entire box containing photographs of camp activities and buildings as well as of general Scouting events. Oversized photographs, which are glued onto cardboard for an exhibit, document the organizational meeting of the council on June 29, 1971 at Delta College.

Part of the pre-merger troops are documented in the records of the BSA. Paul Bunyan Council No. 259 (Midland, Mich.), which is also in the Clarke.

The collection consists of photographs, artifacts, publications, and newspaper clippings (copies) of the Council.

The collection mainly consists of photographs, artifacts, some of the Council’s publications, and newspaper clippings (copies). The oversized materials consist mostly of merit badges glued onto cardboard, probably for an exhibit display, information about the history of the badges, and a retirement plaque presented to Arthur E. Henry in 1974. Most of the collection documents the dedication and early use of the P. B. S. R., 1959-1971 and undated.

Several artifacts and other materials of peripheral value to the collection, i.e. generic Scout items, were withdrawn during processing. Relevant Jamboree books were added to the Clarke’s book collection.

The papers include personal and business papers of seven members of the Bronson and Brinckerhoff families.

The collection includes personal papers and business papers of various members of the Isaac Bronson Family, including: Ann Bronson (1810-1840), Isaac’s daughter; Anna Eliza (Bailey) Bronson (dates unknown), Arthur’s wife; Anna (Olcott) Bronson (d.1850), Isaac’s wife; Charlotte (Brinckerhoff) Bronson (1818-1861), Frederic’s wife; Harriet Bronson (1798-1835), Isaac’s daughter; Laban Bronson (dates unknown); and Oliver Bronson (1799-?), Isaac’s son.

Also included are six volumes, letter books, and scrapbooks of Frederic Bronson (1850-1900), son of Frederic Bronson (1802-1868), while he lived at Verna Farms. The volumes deal with horse and stock breeding.

For additional information, see the Isaac, Arthur, and Frederic Bronson Papers, and the Troup and Brinckerhoff Family Papers.

Bronson Family Papers, 1760-1865, housed in other institutions are available on 30 positive reels of microfilm. (Micro Mss F-40).

Additional reels concerning Isaac, Arthur, and Frederic are noted in their finding aids.

the collection contains guest books,account books, inventories, history, payrolls, patient reports, and visitor register.

The collection consists mostly of account books, staff payrolls, inventories, reports of patients admitted, discharged and expired, guest books, and a visitors register.

The photographs document Central Michigan University students engaging in political protests over various issues including rape, fracking, pipelines, gender equality, the use of fossil fuels, and the use of water bottles versus tap water, 2011-2015.

The photographs document CMU students engaging in political protests over various issues including rape, fracking, pipelines, gender equality, the use of fossil fuels, and the use of water bottles versus tap water. Most of the protests were held in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, but the Student Environmental Alliance, 2011, occurred in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Webpage information about the RSOs copied from their Facebook pages in 2015 for SAGE (Students Advocating Gender Equality), Student Environmental Alliance and Take Back The Tap (TBTT) is included in the first folder in the box.

This collection includes correspondence, track blueprints, various schedules, financial accounts, and other materials.

The collection originally was in small packets of related materials which accounts for overlapping chronological sequences. It is organized by format, location, and date into Correspondence, some with Track Blueprints, Movements of Trains, Track Schedules, and various Financial Account Books, 1846-1960.

The collection consists of Schock's recording business correspondence and the actual recordings, mostly of Mount Pleasant area businesses, organizations, people and schools.

This collection consists of Schock’s recording business correspondence, documenting arrangements and ideas for recorded interviews, commercials, dance recitals, and musical recordings, mostly of Mount Pleasant people, businesses, schools, and organizations, and Central Michigan University faculty and students musical productions, 1991-1997, and undated. Included are paper business correspondence, notes, drafts of scripts, as well as informational materials about the businesses and organizations (1 cubic ft.), and the master and draft cassette recordings (in 6 cassette storage boxes). The Mary McGuire School cassettes document activities school teachers and students pursued after receiving a unique state grant. Hash marks in folder descriptions indicate illegible words written on the cassettes.

The David Schock 2021 addition, 1989, 2021, and undated, consists of various videos Schock contributed to with and without the help of Central Michigan University (CMU). Box 8 contains all health-related videos with majority focusing on HIV/AIDS awareness and a few focusing on various systems of the body. Box 9 includes education-related videos, such as a series titled Problem Solving Students, a series from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education videos, and other educational resources. Boxes 10 and 11 house videos filmed in collaboration with the Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) that feature multiple public service announcements (PSAs) and Roll Call videos. Box 12 features raw footage of Schock’s documentary Road to Andersonville. Included with this are interviews for the documentary. Box 13 contains miscellaneous film that do not fit into a clear category. Some examples of this are VHS tapes about quail egg hatching, sculptures, and music.

Box 14 contains materials related to Justice Elizabeth Weaver. Schock helped write Justice Weaver’s book, a copy of which is separately cataloged in the Clarke. Also included are correspondence and interview release forms and Thelma South Schaibly’s 1994 publication of short stories to teach children morals and the meaning of life.

A few folder titles require further description, which we received from the Donor in April 2021. NGS is the abbreviation for the National Geographic Society. Schock created a video for them about geographic education with Mike Libbee of the CMU Geography Department. PDS is likely in collaboration with OHSP. The Hospice Experience documented hospice in Mount Pleasant. The Audition Crashes were stock footage of crashes for the OHSP projects, for example Life’s a Wreck, a film about physics concepts.

The addition is organized by topic, format, and chronological order.

Boxes 8-13 are each 1 cubic foot boxes and Box 14 is .5 cubic foot.

Researchers may also be interested in his personal papers collection, other recordings, and the papers of Elizabeth A. Weaver, which are separately housed and cataloged in the Clarke.

Copyright Note: Copyright is complicated for this collection. CMU holds the copyright for materials used in programs for the CMU Education Materials Center, including interviews from the early 1990s with young people infected with AIDS. The copyright for the Interfaith Ministries immigrant labor tapes, used for final appeals, is held by the Interfaith Ministries, Schock holds the copyright for the Road to Andersonville documentary material, regarding ceremonies held for Michigan Native Americans buried at Andersonville Prison in Andersonville, Georgia.

Permission/Release forms: The only interview permission/release form in the collection is for an interview with one of Elizabeth A. Weaver’s relatives (see Box 14).

The collection includes Enders' research papers documenting the Ku Klux Klan, mostly the Michigan Klan. Papers include demographics, articles he wrote or published, articles (copies) from various sources, membership cards, photographic materials, and memorabilia.

The papers consists mostly of demographics and articles about the Michigan Klan, including chapters for Cal’s intended book; newspaper articles copied from microfilm and lists of the articles from Michigan and Klan newspapers; and membership information cards. The cards are disorganized and may contain census or local election information, marital status, type of employment, children, and address information. There is a nice variety of black and white and colored photographs and slides of Michigan Klan parades, meetings, a funeral, and the Chicora KKK quilt with members names embroidered on it. Also included are a sheeted figurine and Klan publications, including songbooks and copied articles about the Klan in Indiana and the U.S.

Most of the collection has been photocopied onto acid-free paper.

The collection is unique and valuable for the research of white supremacists in Michigan. It is particularly valuable for the study of average Michiganders, including men and women who joined the Klan up to 1924. There is substantial documentation of the activities of local Klans.

The problems leading to the failures of the 1924 attempt to elect a Detroit mayor and ban private schools are well documented, as are the financial problems and the high profile murders committed by Klan officials.

More Lewis D. Capen material may be found in the Ku Klux Klan (Mecosta County, Mich.) collection and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Millbrook Level Lodge No. 219 (Millbrook, Mich.) organizational records.

The collection includes papers, volumes, photographic materials, keys, and blueprints. The focus of the collection is Michigan ferries and the Ann Arbor Railroad Company ferries, but other ferries and boats are also documented, as well as railroads, towns, related topics, and people.

The papers are divided into two main series: Captain Bacon’s personal materials (approximately .5 cubic foot), and Ferries, Ferry-Related Materials (the rest of the collection).

Captain Bacon’s personal materials include mostly correspondence about ferries, shipping, shipping history, his dismissal, Benzie Area Historical Museum, his membership cards, photographs, and legal documents.

The Ferries and Ferry Related Materials include employment agreements and memorandum between company employees and the company, usually the Ann Arbor Railroad Company related to ferries; Ann Arbor Boat Company organizational records, 1916-1958; photographs, blueprints, correspondence, certificates of inspection and enrollment, sales records, reconstruction records, licenses, financial records, casualty records, log books, marine shop time books, keys, specifications for parts, mostly propellers, oil and lubrication books, and other materials documenting numerous ferries including the Ann Arbor No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, Arthur K. Atkinson (originally Ann Arbor No. 6), Badger, City of Midland 41, City of Green Bay, City of Milwaukee, Viking (originally Ann Arbor No. 7), Wabash (originally City of Green Bay), and the Grand Haven; Ann Arbor Railroad Company organizational records re: trains and ferries, 1895-1992, undated; Benzie Area Historical Museum and Historical Society materials; Correspondence from Superintendents of Steamships; information on various railroads, ship building companies; information on Benzie, Elberta, and Frankfort, Michigan; Information Bacon was going to include or not include in his book; various I.C.C. (Interstate Commerce Commission) dockets, decisions, and applications concerning railroads and car ferries; Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company materials; related court cases, particularly about abandonment of the ferries or parts of railways; materials documenting Michigan and other railroad reorganization or rationalization plans; various annual reports; newspaper clippings (copies) of many ferries, railroads, and related topics; numerous reports; job information, lists of positions and duties. Other materials document (somewhat) unions, such as BRAC (Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks); administration units, and officers, such as the Association of Maritime Officers.

Besides I.C.C. and railroad plans railroads are also documented in stock certificates, passes, calendars, tariffs, and other materials. Specific railroads well documented in the collection include the Ann Arbor Railroad Company, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company/ Chessie System, and the Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad Company. Other railroad companies for which at least one item is found in the collection include: Escanaba and Lake Superior, Grand Truck Western, Green Bay and Minnesota, Manistee and North-East, Manistique and Lake Superior, and Pere Marquette, and Conrail.

Photographic materials includes photographs, negatives, postcards, and slides, and is comprised of three main subgroups, railroads, ships (ferries and other boats, ships), and lumbering. The Ships section is by far the largest portion of photographs focusing mainly on car ferries. Car Ferries across Michigan are featured, notably the: Ann Arbor Car Ferry 1-7, Arthur K. Atkinson, the Badger, Viking, Ludington Car Ferry, Sparta, and several from Wisconsin. The collection is extensive and covers the time period between 1880s to the early 2000s. Many of these images were in acidic photograph albums or scrapbooks from which they were removed. There are also some oversized photographic materials. Slides are found in Box #25. Lumbering is documented solely through photographs, 1899-1915, undated.

Oversized materials include various car ferry records, photographs, some maps showing railroad property and lines, and blueprints (9 Oversized folders), as well as other materials. The blueprints are mainly ferry propellers, shafts, valves, deck arrangements, and other parts. The blueprints are housed in a map cabinet due to their size.

Ferry keys are found in two small boxes (Boxes #23-24).

In Box 15, item 1, the license for Art Frederickson is really unusual. Art was an Ann Arbor captain who was well known on the lakes. He and his wife, Lucy, wrote several books on the car ferries and sold shipwreck maps in the 1960s-1970s. Their collection was sold to the Institute for Great Lakes Research (now the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes) at BGSU. Seven books about ferries, trains, ships, and shipwrecks by Arthur C. Frederickson are separately cataloged and in the Clarke’s book collection.

In Box 15 the last item, Development and Design of Lake MI Car Ferries, Paper Presented, 1948, by Art Zuehlke, who was the man at Manitowoc Shipbuilding. There is a memorial to him at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Collection is at the museum.

Spelling Note: There were inconsistencies in the collection as to how car ferries or carferries are spelled, as well as Michigan, Mich., or MI, and the way company names are abbreviated. These inconsistencies were continued in the Box and Folder listing. If Bacon titled a folder with an acronym, such as BRAC, that is how it is presented here, with a note to explain what BRAC is. Sometimes vessels were listed as M/V or M.V. (motor vessel) or S.S. or S/S (steam ship) and sometimes not.

Processing Note: Approximately 18 cubic ft. of duplicates, materials that were fragile, acidic, or moldy, and had to be photocopied, materials that included social security numbers, any materials of investigations and grievances of ferry employees, Bacon’s personal bills, medication directions, and any reading, blank, or peripheral materials were withdrawn from the collection. In addition, a large number of publications 121 items were separately cataloged as books, manuals, or serials, and added to the Clarke publications collection.

Allergy Note: Please note that some of the materials have a musty smell to them, especially most of the oversized volumes. Researchers with allergies should use these materials with care.