Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Brown family photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs (mostly cyanotypes) showing the home, neighborhood, family members, and friends of Phildelphia textile manufacturer Crosby M. Brown (1857-1906) and his wife Addie O. Brown (1857-?).

The Brown family photograph album contains approximately 100 photographs (mostly cyanotypes) showing the home, neighborhood, family members, and friends of Phildelphia textile manufacturer Crosby M. Brown (1857-1906) and his wife Addie O. Brown (1857-?).

The album (31 x 26 cm) begins with the birth of May Marguerite Brown in October or November, 1888, and focuses on the subsequent visits of relatives and neighbors, including the Mayers, Crosby M. Wright, and Aunt Ellen Smedley. Images include family group portraits, exterior and interior views of the large family home at 63rd and Median Streets, winter scenes at nearby parks, and views of the neighboring homes of John Bell, Mr. Hess, and Jacob Jones. Other photographs depict Brown family visits to Ellen Smedley at "Bala" in Bryn Mawr (Pennsylvania), to Norwalk (Ohio), and a fishing trip to Waterville (New Hampshire). Also included are views of mill clerk F. A. Reinstein in his office, and industrial buildings from 33rd and Walnut Streets in Philadelphia (possibly the family textile mills).

The Brunger papers consist primarily of letters from United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during Brunger's service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. He wrote of his life at sea and responded to news from home about his wife and his son, Francis David Brunger, Jr., who was born in December 1944. Additional material includes a photograph, documents, printed material, and ephemera.

The Brunger papers consist primarily of correspondence written by United States Navy Seaman Francis D. Brunger to Alice Louise Harrington, his girlfriend and eventual wife, during his service in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War.

Of the 294 letters in the Correspondence series, Brunger wrote 246 to Alice, whom he called "Bone." The letters trace the couple's relationship from their early courtship through their engagement, marriage, and birth of their first son ("Stinky"). Francis often wrote of his desire to return to his family. In his earlier letters, he discussed his intention to join the navy following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and Alice's budding nursing career. He wrote of different aspects of military life throughout the remainder of his naval career, including daily life onboard the Farenholt and the Rooks, and his training in Shoemaker, California. During the spring and summer of 1945, he shared his anticipation for the end of the war, and by late August he believed he would soon receive a discharge. Though he seldom reported military engagements, his friend Joe wrote Alice about some of the Farenholt's military actions near Guadalcanal (March 30, 1944). Other acquaintances wrote to Alice about their experiences in the army. The collection also has a group of letters addressed to Charles Brunger, Francis's brother, who served at the United States Naval Training Center in Sampson, New York.

The Photograph shows a newborn child.

The Documents series contains an insurance policy for Alice Brunger from the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company (November 5, 1944).

Printed Material includes a newspaper clipping reporting the birth of Francis D. Brunger, Jr. [December 1944], a clipping relating draft results from Oswego County, New York (undated), and the March 1943 edition of The Colby Alumnus.

The Ephemera series (19 items) contains birthday and other greeting cards from Francis D. Brunger to his wife and son, instructions for making baby formula, a menu for a Christmas dinner held at the United States Navy Receiving Station in Shoemaker, California [December 25, 1944], a "Safety First for Your Baby" pamphlet, a birthday poem and drawing on V-mail stationery, two short poems, two printed programs for religious services, three key tags, and a newspaper clipping featuring four color "Blondie" comics.

The Bryant family papers contain personal correspondence addressed to Emma Alice Bryant ("Alice") of Mt. Vernon, New York, and to her parents, Emma Frances Spaulding Bryant and Colonel John Emory Bryant. Alice's friend Bernice wrote about her life at Ulysses S. Grant University in Athens, Tennessee, and Emma's sister Margaretta described her life near Earlsville, Illinois. Julius Christian Zeller and his wife Alice were newlyweds who sent news of their lives in Kickapoo, Illinois.

The Bryant family papers contain 9 letters addressed to Emma Alice Bryant ("Alice") of Mt. Vernon, New York, and to her parents, Emma Frances Spaulding Bryant and Colonel John Emory Bryant.

Bernice, a friend of Alice's, wrote 3 letters in 1892 about her experiences at Ulysses S. Grant University in Athens, Tennessee, where she was a senior. She discussed her education, social activities, news from Athens, and mutual acquaintances who attended the college, such as Julius Zeller, Alice's future husband. Her letter of June 20, 1892, encloses newspaper clippings about weddings and other events, and she described the opening of an African American Baptist church (July 30, 1892). Margaretta Spaulding, Emma Spaulding Bryant's sister and Alice Bryant's aunt, wrote letters to Emma (June 21, [1892]; August 28, 1892) and Alice (October 1894) about her daily life in Earlsville, Illinois.

Julius Zeller's 2 letters are a love letter to Alice Bryant about his previous relationship with their mutual friend Bernice and about his studies at Ulysses S. Grant University (January 15, 1893) and a letter to his mother-in-law, Emma Bryant, written shortly after his marriage to Alice ([January 23, 1895]). The second letter concerns newlywed life. Alice Bryant wrote one letter to her parents about life in Kickapoo, Illinois, shortly after moving there (January 11, 1895).

This commonplace book, produced by an anonymous farmer from the Bucks County, Pennsylvania, region primarily contains passages relating to farming and husbandry. Along with farming accounts and documentation of livestock, agriculture, and dairy production, the commonplace book also features material on the Agricultural Society of Bath. Newspaper clippings comment on medicine, recipes, and farming. Illustrations of fences, sheep, floor plans, property drawings, and a detailed diagram of the "cropping plan" for 1826 appear in the volume.

The creator of the volume references European agricultural societies, data and agricultural systems, and popular agriculturalists, such as George Culley (1735-1813) and Charles de Lasteyrie (1759-1849). The volume provides detailed information on growing crops, managing soil, and tending to livestock.

The Buffalo (N.Y.) Police Reports contain brief statements regarding criminal activity, missing persons and animals, and other police department affairs throughout the first half of 1887. Many reports include descriptions of suspects and stolen goods.

The Buffalo (N.Y.) Police Reports (1 volume, 410 pages) pertain to criminal activity, missing or escaped persons, and police department affairs in Buffalo, New York, from January 10, 1887-June 29, 1887.

Each entry contains a brief description of a complaint, usually with information about the location and nature of the crime, the name of the complainant, and a description of the suspect(s). Most reports concern missing persons, missing animals, and stolen items. The missing persons reports often list common haunts, possible travel plans, place of origin if not Buffalo, and distinguishing characteristics. On January 18, two young women were to be sought among the city's brothels; on April 4, a woman was wanted for abandoning her husband and children. A few persons had escaped from prisons or asylums, and others were runaways. Some records pertain to crimes such as begging, peddling, and counterfeiting, and to the police department's administrative affairs.

The volume also records suspects accused of crimes including rape and assault; on February 5, for example, Hiram Aaronson was sought and arrested for the rape of a seven-year-old girl. Some entries contain additional notes about resolutions, often through the arrest of perpetrators and the repossession of stolen goods.

The Buffalo Soldiers carte-de-visite album contains cartes-de-visite and tintype photographs of African American soldiers, civilian men and women. Some of the photographs were taken in Webster, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota).

The Buffalo Soldiers carte-de-visite album contains 16 cartes-de-visite and 7 tintype photographs taken circa 1870s and 1880s, now housed separately. Included are formal studio portraits of unidentified African American and Caucasian civilians and soldiers. Some individuals posed in pairs or groups. Many of the photographs, including some of the cartes-de-visite of African American soldiers, were taken in the Dakota Territory. The original album (12cm x 15cm) has covers bound in blue cloth; a metal shield is attached to the front cover.

The Buffum-Bartlett papers contain correspondence addressed primarily to cousins David Buffum and Elisha Bartlett. Buffum's incoming letters frequently concern news of his brothers Horace, John, and James, who moved west during the mid-19th century, and Bartlett's incoming letters pertain to his career as a medical practitioner and lecturer.

The Buffum-Bartlett papers contain correspondence addressed primarily to cousins David Buffum and Elisha Bartlett. Buffum's incoming letters frequently concern news of his brothers Horace, John, and James, who moved west during the mid-19th century, and Bartlett's incoming letters pertain to his career as a medical practitioner and lecturer.

Several early items have political content; for example, in a letter to his father, Thomas, one of the Buffum brothers described a visit to Washington, D.C., that included a meeting with President Martin Van Buren in the White House and two trips to the United States Capitol, where he and his companions heard Daniel Webster, John Calhoun, and Franklin Pierce (September 11, 1837). Much of the Buffum correspondence consists of letters by Maria Buffum, who shared news of her sons' lives in Illinois and California. In one of her letters, to David and his wife Maria, she passed along a story that James had told her about a Virginia slave owner on the hunt for slaves who had stolen $1500 from him (November 28, 1839). During the late 1840s, Maria wrote to her husband David, who was working in New York, about acquaintances and family members, particularly their infant child.

Doctor Elisha Bartlett's incoming correspondence consists of both professional and personal letters, many of which pertain to his work as a medical educator throughout the 1840s. Items include several schools' recommendations and solicitations and letters about medical practices and family news. Many of the personal letters between the Buffums and Bartletts mention news of each family, suggesting that the families remained close.

This photograph album contains 10 albumen prints related to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Massachusetts.

This souvenir photograph album (12cm x 18cm), which contains 10 albumen prints, is bound in blue pebbled book-cloth and has the title "Album Photographs[,] Bunker Hill Monument" stamped in gold on its cover. The first 2 pictures show the Bunker Hill Monument (a stone obelisk) and the statue of Colonel William Prescott, respectively. The remaining 8 photographs are aerial views of Charlestown and the surrounding area taken from the monument, showing residences, industrial buildings, the Charlestown Navy Yard, and the Charles and Mystic Rivers. Sailing ships are visible in many of the aerial views. The album belonged to Lucia K. Hathaway, who inscribed her name on its first page on November 15, 1884.

This collection contains 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863; Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867; and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883.

This collection (86 items) consists of 3 groups of letters between members of the Burbank family of Medford, Massachusetts. William Henry and Edwin C. Burbank wrote to their mother and siblings while serving in the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in Washington, D.C.; Alexandria, Virginia; and New Bern, North Carolina, from 1861-1863 (42 items); Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while living in Paris, France, in 1867 (11 items); and Ida Burbank wrote home about her life on Cumberland Island, Georgia, during the winter of 1882-1883 (31 items). The collection also includes a personal letter to Edwin Burbank (June 8, 1867) and an unsigned letter (November 22, [1882]).

William Henry Burbank wrote 33 and his brother Edwin wrote 9 of the 42 Civil War-era letters (April 28, 1861-June 17, 1863). William's first letters pertain to his service with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around Washington, D.C., in 1861, including his observations about martial law in and the desertion of Alexandria, Virginia, and his recollections of the First Battle of Bull Run (July 23, 1861). Both brothers' later letters concern their experiences with the 5th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in and around New Bern, North Carolina, from 1862-1863. The Burbanks described New Bern and its black population, reported casualties, and discussed the possibility of finding their brother Oscar a military job. Some of their letters, particularly Edwin's, recount Confederate attacks, Union Army expeditions, battles during the Goldsboro campaign, as well as attempts to relieve Confederate pressure on Washington, D.C. William's letter of March 16, 1863, contains a manuscript map of Union lines and encampments around New Bern. A few of the letters are addressed to the Burbank sisters.

The remaining correspondence includes 11 letters that Edwin C. Burbank wrote to his mother and sisters while traveling to and living in Paris, France, from March 29, 1867-September 29, 1867; his first letter is dated at Glasgow, Scotland. He commented on his travels, his life in Paris, and the Exposition Universelle. The final group of letters concerns Ida Burbank's leisure activities on Cumberland Island, Georgia, and her travels to Brunswick and other nearby locales. She provided news of the relatives she stayed with during her time in the South, discussed life in Georgia, mentioned ships traveling to and from the mainland, and described visits to the beach. Three of her letters enclose newspaper clippings and dried flowers.

The Burd-Shippen papers contain personal and business documents concerning Edward Shippen, Edward Burd, and their families and Philadelphian colleagues. Many of Major Edward Burd's items concern the 1st Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot in the early years of the Revolutionary War.

The Burd-Shippen papers (184 items) contain personal and business documents concerning Edward Shippen, Edward Burd, and their families and Philadelphian colleagues. Many of Major Edward Burd's items concern the 1st Battalion of the Pennsylvania Regiment of Foot in the early years of the Revolutionary War.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of approximately 75 letters addressed to Edward Burd and his son Edward Shippen Burd, with a small group of correspondence from Edward Shippen. The collection also contains ten items concerning Edward S. Burd and his legal colleague William Tilghman. The remainder of the collection is composed of receipts and various legal documents, most relating to Edward Shippen, including a receipt for a slave and a woman's petition against her husband for abandonment of their child.

Edward S. Burd's legal notebook (95 pages) covers from 1817 to 1846, and contains real estate transactions, illustrated plans of lots, title briefs, and cost lists.