Collections

Battle Creek, Mich. historian and collector of rare books and manuscripts. Much of Lowe's research was devoted to the life and career of Black abolitionist Sojourner Truth. The collection contains material related to Sojourner Truth and includes biographies and bibliographies, book reviews, clippings, songs, images and photographs, etc. Other materials in the collection include letters of John G. Whittier, George W. Cable, correspondence of Lowe with writer Gerald Carson, diaries of Lowe's 1963 trip to Europe, as well as miscellanea and photographs.

The collection is arranged into two series. The Sojourner Truth (collected material) series includes biographies and compiled biographical information about Truth, bibliographies and book reviews, obituaries, tributes, newspaper articles, images of portraits, photographs, songs, and other information relating to the life of Sojourner Truth. Of special interest is a scrapbook that was kept by Frances Titus, Sojourner Truth's assistant.

Most of the Sojourner Truth files have been microfilmed except for a folder of material which came to the library after the 1965 filming. A few photographs that were microfilmed in 1965 were reported missing. These images are only available on the microfilm.

The Other Materials series contains items concerning Lowe's various activities and interests, including Battle Creek history and personalities, her travel diaries, and materials related to her friendship with writer Gerald Carson. Also included collected autographs and papers of individuals, including authors John Greenleaf Whittier and George Washington Cable. Also of note are letters of D. J. Van Schnell who wrote to members of the Oldfield family that contain watercolor drawings indicative of English life in the late 1930s and the early years of the World War II.

Gladys Galvin kept this school notebook between winter and summer terms of 1888. She filled 107 pages with vocabulary lists (pages 1-46), copies of poetry (pages 47-48, 62-66), and arithmetic and algebra (pages 49-61, 67-107). She apparently copied the mathematical exercises from a textbook; the poetry is by John G. Whittier and Charles Kingsley. The volume has printed two-color (blue and red plus black and white) covers depicting "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" show, with one vignette of the show and portraits of a buffalo, Chief Good Face, William F. Cody, and Chief Red Shirt. The back cover bears a history of Buffalo Bill and the Wild West Show.

Gladys Galvin kept this school notebook between winter and summer terms of 1888. She filled 107 pages with vocabulary lists (pages 1-46), copies of poetry (pages 47-48, 62-66), and arithmetic and algebra (pages 49-61, 67-107). She apparently copied the mathematical exercises from a textbook; the poetry is by John G. Whittier and Charles Kingsley.

The volume has printed two-color (blue and red plus black and white) covers depicting "Buffalo Bill's Wild West" show, with one vignette of the show and portraits of a buffalo, Chief Good Face, William F. Cody, and Chief Red Shirt. The vignette shows Native American men on horseback in the background with Buffalo Bill on horseback in the foreground. The cover text states, "The CONGRESS of the "ROUGH RIDERS" gathered from various parts of the world. BUFFALO BILL on his famous horse 'DUKE'. The back cover bears a history of Buffalo Bill and the Wild West Show.

Papers include original correspondence to Whittier, typed transcripts of the same, poems, writings, biographical materials, memorials, and correspondence by Whittier, and miscellaneous.

The collection includes approximately .75 cubic feet of original correspondence, mostly to Whittier 1829-1890, undated, approximately .5 cubic ft. of typed transcripts of the same, about 20 folders of Whittier’s poems, writings, biographical material, memorials, correspondence by JGW, 1835-1889, and miscellaneous, 1840-1892, undated. Of particular note are correspondence with Charles A. Dana, Ralph W. Emerson, Oliver W. Holmes, Lydia Maria Child, Dorothea Dix, Henry W. Longfellow, Henry B. Stanton, and Frances E. Willard regarding poems and abolition. There are also 10 letters to Whittier from his brother, Matthew F. Whittier and several letters from Elizabeth Whittier (?) and other relatives. Signatures are listed as signed. There is also an incomplete item-level index in Box 3.

The collection is also available on one reel of positive microfilm Acc#443 and the index is available on positive microfilm Acc#359 (section 2). The Clarke also houses books and poems by or about Whittier.

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

The Letters, Documents, and Other Manuscripts of the Duane Norman Diedrich Collection is a selection of individual items compiled by manuscript collector Duane Norman Diedrich (1935-2018) and the William L. Clements Library. The content of these materials reflect the life and interests of D. N. Diedrich, most prominently subjects pertinent to intellectual, artistic, and social history, education, speech and elocution, the securing of speakers for events, advice from elders to younger persons, and many others.

For an item-level description of the collection, with information about each manuscript, please see the box and folder listing below.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The content of these letters, sermons, documents, and other materials reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich (1903-1996), most prominently subjects pertinent to Christianity, home, and the family.

The Blandina Diedrich Collection is a selection of manuscript items compiled by her son Duane Norman Diedrich and dedicated to her memory. The manuscripts reflect the life and interests of Blandina Diedrich, most prominently Christianity, home, and the family. Items include sermons from prominent ministers or preachers of different Protestant denominations, documents related to church operations and discipline, letters by prominent and everyday persons respecting their faith and beliefs, correspondence of missionaries, and reflections on religion's role in all manner of human endeavor.

The collection is comprised of over 260 letters, manuscript sermons and hymns, documents, and other items. For a comprehensive inventory and details about each item in the collection, please see the box and folder listing below.