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Collection

Albert D. Noble, Jr., Glass Negatives Collection, 1885-1910

92 glass plate negatives, 33 photographic prints, 1 CD-R, 2 clippings

The Albert D. Noble, Jr., glass negatives collection consist of 92 glass plate negatives made by photographer Albert D. Noble, Jr. as well as 33 photographic prints, 2 newspaper clippings, and a computer disk with 180 digital images (including additional photographs by Noble, Jr. and copies of older family portraits).

The glass plate negatives are contained in two boxes and include images of Noble, Jr.'s childhood home in Grand Rapids and other private residences and public buildings in the area as well as views taken in Detroit of Noble, Jr.'s family's Christmas decorations, community ice skating, bicycling in the countryside, rural buildings, and regional parks including Belle Isle Park. The majority of images depict people, activities, and scenes from summer vacations to places like Orchard Lake and Upper Straights Lake; a group visit to the French Lick Springs Hotel in Indiana in 1902; views from the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York in 1901 (misidentified in Bayard C. Schoettle's publication Glass Negatives: Albert Dewitt Noble, Jr. as an event based in Grand Rapids); and numerous studio portraits of family members, acquaintances, and the noted elocution teacher Edna Chaffee Noble (no relation to Noble, Jr.). The glass plates are in a variety of sizes (16.5 x 21.5, 12.5 x 20.5, 11.5 x 16.5, and 10 x 12.5 cm) and each is stored in individual paper slipcases. Some but not all of the splipcases provide information regarding an image's subject matter. Most of the plates are in good condition, with only a few displaying cracks and none being broken. 33 photographic prints (31 unmounted and 2 mounted) are also present and include an image of several cows near a body of water, two mounted albumen prints of "Orchard Lake Cottage," two silver platinum prints showing an unidentified house and a sailboat, 16 unmounted gelatin silver prints showing various domestic, industrial, social and architectural scenes (most of which are represented in the glass negatives), and a series of 11 unmounted snapshots and 1 negative transparency showing scenes from Roseland Park Cemetery and the gravesite of Edna Chaffee Noble. Two newspaper clippings from the July 16 1899 Detroit Free Press Art Supplement related to Noble, Jr.'s second place finish in a photo competition are also included.

The CD-R accompanying the collection contains about 180 scanned images including all 92 of the glass plates present in the collection, approximately 75 additional photographs produced by Noble, Jr., and several photographs of trophies awarded to Noble, Jr., by the Grand Rapids camera club. The CD-R also includes images of early Noble family portraits that were scanned and retouched by Schoettle during his preparation for Glass Negatives: Albert Dewitt Noble, Jr.

Collection

Amelia Lippincott and Esek Hartshorne Williams letters, 1833-1848 (majority within 1838-1841)

23 items

This collection is made up of the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Amelia Lippincott Williams of New York City and her husband, Esek Hartshorne Williams of Red Bank, New Jersey. The bulk of the collection is comprised of 15 letters that Esek wrote to Amelia during their courtship and while traveling for business reasons during the first few years of their marriage. Amelia and Esek received the remaining 7 letters from friends and family members in New York and New Jersey.

This collection is made up of the incoming and outgoing letters of Amelia Lippincott Williams and her husband, Esek Hartshorne Williams. Esek wrote 16 love letters to Amelia during their courtship and early married life. Amelia also received 2 letters from friends and 1 from a niece named Mary. Esek received 1 letter from Amelia, 2 from his brother George, and 1 from a friend.

Amelia Lippincott was living in New York City when she received 7 letters from Esek H. Williams of Red Bank, New Jersey, between April 22, 1833, and November 10, 1834 (including 1 undated). His letters are affectionate and flirtatious, and often refer indirectly to the couple's romantic relationship. Esek Williams shared news from Red Bank, occasionally mentioned his work in a local store, and, on November 4, 1834, joked about Amelia's political awareness and her support of the Whigs.

After their marriage, Esek wrote 9 letters to his wife while he traveled west for business reasons; he sent 6 of these letters from Michigan in the winter of 1840-1841. He described his experiences near Fredonia, New York (December 13, 1840); Cleveland, Ohio (December 19, 1840); and Kankakee, Illinois (February 14, 1841). He mentioned his lodgings and modes of travel, and often remarked about his love for his wife and children, who remained in New York City. He spent much of his journey in southeast Michigan, where he had financial interests, and provided Amelia with news of his arrival and activities in Detroit (January 1, 1841, and January 10, 1841) and Ann Arbor (March 7, 1841). He discussed financial matters, including his difficulties with state-issued currency, "Michigan money," which he referred to as the only currency in regular circulation in Ann Arbor (March 7, 1841). On a later trip to Michigan, he noted the economic conditions in Detroit (January 1, 1843). On July 2, 1848, he composed his final letter, written from Marshall, Michigan; he expressed his intent to sell his farm in Ann Arbor. Two of his letters have pencil sketches of horses.

Amelia Lippincott Williams received dated personal letters from R. Montgomery, who shared her thoughts on fashionable hats (May 26, 1835), and a woman named Catherine Lent, who hoped Amelia could soon visit (October 1, 1835). Undated letters include 3 from friends and acquaintances, including one in which Amelia's niece Mary mentioned an outbreak of measles and a large social gathering in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Esek H. Williams received two brief personal letters from his brother George.

Collection

Amos Beebe Eaton collection, 1822-1867 (majority within 1822-1836)

59 items

This collection contains letters that United States Army lieutenant (and later general) Amos Beebe Eaton wrote while training at the United States Military Academy and traveling in New York, Connecticut, Ohio, and Michigan. His early letters reflect the daily life of cadets at West Point in the mid-1820s, and his later letters to his wife provide family news, as well as information about the Army and contemporary politics.

This collection (59 items) contains letters that United States Army lieutenant (and later general) Amos Beebe Eaton wrote to his grandmother, Tryphena Cady of Canaan, New York, and to his wife, Elizabeth Selden Eaton.

Eaton wrote 6 letters to his grandmother between September 14, 1822, and March 26, 1826, while attending the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He described cadets' daily lives at the academy, including their physical regimen, and discussed the possibility of remaining in the military after graduation. Though he considered applying for the marine corps or becoming a doctor, he stayed with the army, and wrote 3 letters to his grandmother between April 16, 1828, and October 21, 1830, while he served at the Hancock Barracks near Houlton, Maine. A group of 5 letters, written to his sister and grandmother from Fort Niagara, New York, between February 21, 1831, and November 8, 1833, concern his movements with the army and his family life, including news of his new wife and young daughters. He also described Fort Niagara and shared some of his opinions on enlisted men. He wrote to his grandmother from Fort Gratiot, Michigan Territory, on July 7, 1834, commenting on his distrust of the pursuit of recognition.

Between 1832 and 1836, Eaton wrote to his wife Elizabeth ("Betsy") while he traveled in New York, Connecticut, Ohio, and Michigan, on military and personal business. He often mentioned family members, religious sentiments, and general details of his daily life. Two letters were written from Detroit during the Black Hawk War, in which he briefly mentioned ill soldiers, his opinion about the mistreatment of Native Americans, and the military's pursuit of Black Hawk (July 24 and 30, 1832). In another he discussed foreign relations with France as well as abolitionism (February 12, 1836). The collection also contains 2 letters that Eaton wrote while serving as Commissary General of Subsistence in 1867.

Several letters are addressed to Amos Eaton. One, written by "Gordon" on August 10, 1832, comments on the public reaction to and possible consequences of a recently published letter of Amos's, wherein he attributes the cholera outbreak in the military during the Black Hawk War to the mistreatment of Native Americans. Also included is a letter that Amos Beebe Eaton's father wrote to his son with extracts of his communication with New York Senators about the motivations behind Eaton's statements, a partial copy of the offending letter, and the impact it had on his military career (September 21, 1838). Other material includes one letter addressed to Elizabeth Eaton from a sibling (July 3, 1836) and a copied document signed by several recruits, stating that they had recently received pay (June 9, 1835).

Collection

Anthony Wayne family papers, 1681-1913

7 linear feet

The Anthony Wayne family papers contain correspondence, diaries, documents, and accounts relating to several generations of the Wayne family of Pennsylvania. Of particular note is material concerning Anthony Wayne's service in the American Revolution and the Northwest Indian War, and William Wayne's service with the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. The Manuscripts Division has created a list of the names of the letter-writers in the collection: Wayne Family Papers Contributor List.

The Correspondence and Military Documents series (Volumes 1-17) contains approximately 1,450 items (3.5 linear feet), spanning 1756-1853, and arranged chronologically. The bulk of the series is correspondence, but it also contains various types of documents, including legal materials, military returns, land surveys, and lists.

Anthony Wayne

The 18th-century material in the collection (Volumes 1-10) relates primarily to the career of Anthony Wayne, including his surveying activities; acquisition and maintenance of a plantation near Savannah, Georgia, and the activities of Native Americans in its vicinity; service in the Revolutionary War; and leadership as commander-in-chief of the Legion of the United States during the Northwest Indian War. It includes incoming correspondence from numerous notable government and military officials, as well as a considerable amount of Wayne's outgoing correspondence and memoranda.

A portion of materials in the collection shed light on Wayne's activities and opinions during the American Revolutionary War, in which he served as a brigadier general. On November 22, 1777, Wayne wrote to Thomas Wharton, the "president" (i.e., governor) of Pennsylvania, on the subject of recruitment, arguing that allowing the hiring of substitutes and the paying of an "enormous bounty" would hinder efforts to attract soldiers. He also discussed the importance of uniforms to morale, arguing that they caused "a laudable pride which in a soldier is a substitute for almost every other virtue." Additionally, Wayne exchanged several letters with a friend, Colonel Sharp Delany, in which they discussed various war-related matters. On July 26, 1780, he provided a defense of his raid on Bull's Ferry, which failed and resulted in substantial American casualties. Other letters pertain to Wayne's injury from a musket-ball lodged in his thigh (November 12, 1781), his uniform (May 10, 1783), and the concerns of Savannah merchants who feared the loss of protection after the British evacuation (June 17, 1782). Also of interest is a memorandum spanning the dates June 20, 1777-October 21, 1780, in which Wayne gave his criticisms of the decisions of the Executive Council and of the Continental army in Pennsylvania, and complained of demoralization of the troops, especially the Pennsylvania Line.

A large number of letters and documents, particularly in the late 1780s, pertain to Wayne's rice plantation in the vicinity of Savannah, called Richmond and Kew, which was given to him by the state of Georgia for his wartime service there. Wayne took out large loans in order to revive the estate in 1785, two years after he left it "in a depreciating state" (June 29, 1783) to return to Pennsylvania. Wayne's letters describe his great difficulty in purchasing affordable slaves to work the land, his efforts to produce and sell rice and corn, and the scarcity of currency in Georgia, which compounded his troubles turning a profit. The papers also document Wayne's struggle to repay his loans and his dispute with his creditors, which became particularly intense in 1787, and resulted in his loss of the plantation in 1791. On that subject, he wrote, "I have been in treaty with my Persecutors" (March 1, 1791). His primary correspondents on these matters were William Penman, James Penman, Adam Tunno, Samuel Potts, Sharp Delany, and Richard Wayne.

Several items during this period also refer to the ongoing conflict between white settlers in Georgia and Native Americans there. One letter to Wayne from Benjamin Fishbourn concerns a Creek uprising in Georgia, during which the natives burned homes and absconded with corn and rice ([October 1786]). Although Wayne claimed that "the Indian depredations in this State have been so much exaggerated as to deter any purchasers" (February 20, 1788), he nonetheless kept track of many strife-filled incidents. On October 7, 1788, he wrote, "We are all confusion here on account of the Indians and Spaniards - the first carrying off our Negroes and other property - the latter Countenancing and protecting them!" He also described the imprisonment of his tenants by Native Americans (October 7, 1788), the abandonment of plantations by white settlers out of fear of "depredations" by natives (December 5, 1788), and the arrival of troops in the south to challenge the Creeks (December 5, 1791). On October 21, 1789, he wrote that he and his neighbors expected an "Indian war" at any time. After Wayne left the south permanently, he continued to receive periodic reports on conflicts between natives and white settlers, including an attack on Creeks at "Buzzard Town," during which whites killed and imprisoned many natives, as described in letters dated October 26 and December 17, 1793. Also of interest is a list of settlements in the Upper and Lower Creek Nation, including towns and villages called "The Buzzard Rost," "New Youga," "Swagelas," and "Cowetaws" (July 2, 1793).

The collection also documents several aspects of Anthony Wayne's political career, and includes his notes on the Constitutional Convention, including his assertion that "The Constitution is a Dangerous Machine in the hands of designing men" (filed at the end of 1788). Also of note are his several letters to President George Washington, requesting favors for himself and his friends, and a letter describing Washington's visit to Savannah, during which Wayne escorted him around the city (May 18, 1791). Well-represented is the conflict between Wayne and James Jackson over the election of 1791 for a seat in the 2nd United States Congress to represent the 1st District of Georgia.

A large portion of the collection concerns Wayne's prosecution of the Northwest Indian War as commander-in-chief of the newly created Legion of the United States between 1792 and 1796. Early letters and documents record the Legion's travel across Pennsylvania, gathering recruits en route (June 8, 1792); the smallpox inoculations for the soldiers (July 6, 1792); the arrangement of men into sublegions (July 13, 1792); Secretary of War Henry Knox's decision to delay operations until after the winter (August 7, 1792; August 10, 1792); and the foundation of Legionville, Pennsylvania, the first formal military basic training facility in the United States (November 23, 1792). Numerous letters concern military administration, including provisioning, appointments and promotions, furloughs, and other routine matters. Discipline of the troops was also a frequent concern, and Wayne and his correspondents frequently made references to desertion, disciplinary measures, the distribution of whiskey as a reward for successful target practice, and courts martial. Examples of the latter include the court martial of Captain William Preston, whom Wayne called "a very young Officer-with rather too high an idea of Equality" (June 25, 1795); the case of a private, Timothy Haley, who was convicted but released under pressure from the civil courts (July 1, 1795); and the proceedings against Lieutenant Peter Marks for "ungentleman and unofficer-like conduct" (July 20-21, 1794). A booklet covering July 19-August 2, 1793, contains a number of court martial proceedings, for such offenses as drunkenness while on guard duty and use of abusive language.

The correspondence and documents created during this period also shed some light on various Native American tribes in the Midwest and their encounters with Wayne's forces. In a letter to Wayne, Henry Knox frets over the yet-unknown fate of Colonel John Hardin, who died in an ambush by the Shawnee (August 7, 1792).

Also addressed are the following conflicts:
  • Attack on Fort Jefferson by a Potawatomi force (September 9, 1792)
  • Attack on a forage convoy near Fort Hamilton by Native Americans (September 23, 1792)
  • Attack on Fort Washington, resulting in the capture of three prisoners by native forces (October 2, 1792)
  • Attack on Fort St. Clair by 250 Native Americans under Little Turtle (November 6, 1792)
  • Skirmishes with Native Americans in southern Ohio (October 22, 1793) in which "the Indians killed & carried off about 70 officers leaving the waggons & stores standing"

Also of interest is a description by Israel Chapin of a Six Nations council at "Buffaloe Creek," which lists some of the attendants: "the Farmer's Brother, Red Jacket and Capt Billy of the Senkas; the Fish Carrier, head Chief of the Cayugas,; Great Sky head chief of the Onondagas; and Capt Brandt of the Mohawks; and great numbers of inferior Chiefs" (December 11, 1793). On January 21, 1794, Wayne voiced his suspicions concerning peace overtures from "Delaware, Shawanoes and Miami tribes" and accused them of buying time in order to "secure their provisions, and to remove their women and children from pending distruction." Jean-Francois (sometimes known as John Francis) Hamtramck, commandant of Fort Wayne, wrote very informative letters to Wayne, discussing the Native American traders in the area and the possibility of starting a trading house at Fort Wayne (February 3, 1795), the arrival of Potawatomi at the Fort (March 5, 1795), and a meeting with the Le Gris, chief of the Miamis, whom he called a "sensible old fellow, in no ways ignorant of the Cause of the war, for which he Blames the Americans, saying that they were too extravagant in their Demands in their first treaties" (March 27, 1795).

The Battle of Fallen Timbers receives only minor attention in the collection in the form of letters, expressing praise for Wayne's victory, from army paymaster Caleb Swan (October 19, 1794) and Francis Vigo (February 22, 1795). However, efforts to end hostilities are well documented with such items as a copy of the Treaty of Greenville (August 3, 1795), Wayne's account of the signing and its impact on various tribes and their leaders (August 14, 1795), and letters from several civilians requesting help in locating family members captured by Native Americans (June 1, 1795; July 27, 1795).

Isaac and William Wayne

After Anthony Wayne's death in December 1796, the focus of the series shifts to his son, Isaac Wayne, and then to Wayne's great-grandson, William Wayne (née William Wayne Evans); the activities of the two men occupy much of the material in Volumes 11-16. Early letters mainly pertain to the family matters and finances of Isaac Wayne, including the ongoing settlement of his father's estate and various claims against it. Several items relate to his career, including an acceptance of the resignation of a soldier from Erie Light Infantry Company during the War of 1812 (March 27, 1813), and a circular letter urging support for his candidacy for governor of Pennsylvania (October 3, 1814), which was ultimately unsuccessful. Other topics include his refusal of a nomination to Congress (February 1824); requests for information about his father by historians and biographers; the August 1828 death of his son Charles, who served in the navy; and other political and family matters discussed by Wayne. His primary correspondents include William Richardson Atlee, Charles Miner, Callender Irvine, Samuel Hayman, and various members of Evans family, to whom he was related through his sister Margaretta.

The bulk of the letters postdating 1850 relate to William Wayne. Early correspondence concerns his courtship with his future wife, Hannah Zook, in 1852, the death of Isaac Wayne on October 25, 1852, and various social visits and family concerns. On March 14 and 15, 1860, Wayne wrote to his wife about travel through Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Erie to Meadville, Pennsylvania. Though he stayed in the prominent Monongahela House, he described Pittsburgh as a "dirty village," and unfavorably compared the "Western Penitentiary" to its counterpart in Philadelphia, "the Castle on Cherry Hill." He noted that Cleveland "is said to be the handsomest City in the Union," but reserved his opinion on this point.

The collection also contains six letters written by Wayne during his Civil War service with the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry. On June 27, 1862, he wrote to his wife from James Island, South Carolina, concerning his regiment's role in building fortifications and mounting guns. He also commented on General George McClellan and his cautious strategy. Wayne wrote the remainder of the letters from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. On October 13, 1862, three days after the Confederate raid on Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, Wayne wrote about rumors concerning "the movements of 'secesh' along our border" in what he suspected was an attempt to interfere with the election of 1862. In another letter, he expressed disappointment that he had arrived at camp too late to accompany a group of new recruits to Washington (November 3, 1862). Of interest are four letters from Wayne's friend, Joseph Lewis, which relate to Wayne's attempt to resign from the army, as well as five items relating to General Galusha Pennypacker. The Pennypacker correspondence includes a sketch of his service, written by Edward R. Eisenbeis (December 24, 1865), and letters concerning his recovery from severe wounds received at the Second Battle of Fort Fisher in 1865. Also of interest are several postwar letters to and from General George A. McCall concerning his meetings with Wayne.

The Manuscripts Division has created a list of the names of the letter-writers in the collection: Wayne Family Papers Contributor List.

The Letter Books series contains three volumes of Anthony Wayne's outgoing military correspondence. The periods covered are June 4, 1792-October 5, 1793 (Volume 30), April 12, 1792-June 21, 1794 (Volume 31), and October 23, 1793-September 20, 1794 (Volume 32). The letters are official and semi-official in nature and pertain to army administration, encounters with Native Americans, troop movements, provisioning, and other topics.

The Land Documents series (Volume 17) contains land indentures, surveys, and deeds relating to several generations of the Wayne family, 1681-1879. This includes numerous documents relating to the Waynesborough estate and illustrating its possession by various family members. The surveys pertain to such matters as the line between Easttown and Willistown in Pennsylvania, several surveys performed for James Claypool in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and a drawing (including several trees) of the land of James Rice. Also included is a vellum land indenture dated October 3, 1732, between Anthony Wayne's father, Isaac, and a widow named Mary Hutton.

For other land documents, see the following surveys by Anthony Wayne in the Correspondence and Documents series:
  • Land in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania (December 15, 1764)
  • Wayne property in Easttown and Willistown, Pennsylvania (January 12, 1767)
  • Newtown, Chester County, Pennsylvania (January 12, 1767)
  • Waynesborough, Chester County, Pennsylvania ([ca. 1784])
  • Survey notes on a tract of land reserved by Wayne on the Little Setilla River, Georgia (July 23, 1786)

The Other Legal Documents series (Volume 17) spans 1686-1868 and contains wills, inventories, certificates, financial agreements, and other document types. Included are several documents related to the death of Samuel K. Zook, brother-in-law of William Wayne, at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863; certificates related to the Ancient York Masons, Pennsylvania Society of the Cincinnati, and the American Philosophical Society; and several articles of agreement concerning financial transactions between various members of the Wayne family. Also of note are the wills of Anthony Wayne, Mary (Penrose) Wayne, Elizabeth Wayne, William Richardson, and others.

The Diaries and Notebooks series (Volumes 17-20) contains 19 diaries and notebooks written by various members of the Wayne family between 1815 and 1913. Of these, Charles Wayne wrote one volume, an unknown author wrote one, William Wayne wrote ten, and William Wayne, Jr., wrote seven. The books have been assigned letters and arranged in chronological order. The Charles Wayne notebook, labeled "A," covers 1815-1816 and contains algebraic equations and notes from Charles' lessons at Norristown Academy in Pennsylvania. Volume "B," written by an unknown author, dates to about 1820 and contains a number of medicinal cures for ailments such as cholera, snakebite, consumption, jaundice, and dysentery, as well as notes on the weather and references to agriculture and a few daily events.

William Wayne, the great-grandson of Anthony Wayne, wrote volumes "C" through "L," documenting the years 1858 to 1872, with a gap from November 11, 1861-August 13, 1862. The volumes record Wayne's pre-Civil War agricultural pursuits, his service with the 97th Pennsylvania Infantry, and his postwar activities. Of particular interest are the entries that Wayne wrote while posted on Hilton Head Island in August 1862, as well as his brief descriptions of the arrival and processing of recruits at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in October of the same year. He also referenced Pennsylvania politics, the elections of 1863 and 1864, and the reaction of Philadelphians to the news of Lincoln's assassination. Also worth noting are Wayne's accounts of the Confederate cavalry raids on Chambersburg in November 1862, the Gettysburg campaign, and Wayne's attempts to recover the body of his brother-in-law after Gettysburg. Postwar, Wayne wrote on such topics as Reconstruction (August 14, 1866), a cholera outbreak in New York (November 4, 1865), and election fraud and rioting in Philadelphia (October 14, 1868).

William Wayne, Jr., wrote diaries "M" through "S," 1883-1913, with a gap between September 30, 1902, and April 19, 1911. These contain near-daily brief entries on weather, family life, health, and Wayne's interest in politics. Included is a description of an unveiling of a Sons of the Revolution monument (June 19, 1893), the illness of his wife, Mary (Fox) Wayne (February 28, 1884), and Wayne's work during an election (February 19, 1884).

The Account Books series contains 24 volumes, spanning 1769-1856. The earliest volume ("A") covers approximately 1769 to 1780, and contains accounts for unknown transactions, as well as scattered memoranda concerning travel between Ireland and North America and several references to schooling. Volume "B" is Anthony Wayne's military account book for 1793-1794, which lists monthly pay to various members of the Legion of the United States. Volumes "C" through "S" encompass a large amount of financial information for Anthony Wayne's son, Isaac, for the years 1794-1823. Volumes "T" through "X" are overlapping financial account books for William Wayne, covering 1854 through 1877. Also included is an account book recording tannery transactions and activities of the Wayne family in the 18th century (Volume 29), and a book of register warrants drawn by Anthony Wayne on the paymaster general in 1796 (Volume 34)

The Anthony Wayne Portait and Miscellaneous series contains an undated engraved portrait of Wayne by E. Prud'homme from a drawing by James Herring. Also included are various newspaper clippings, genealogical material, and printed matter representing the 19th and 20th centuries.

Collection

Arthur J. Lacy Papers, 1891-1975

10 linear feet — 2 oversize folders — 1 oversize volume

Detroit, Michigan, attorney and judge, Democratic candidate for governor in 1934. Correspondence, legal case files, family materials, speeches, essays, diary notes, financial materials, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, and transcript of oral interview.

The Arthur J. Lacy collection consists of correspondence and other papers documenting his political activities within the Democratic party and career as a Detroit attorney. The collection has been divided into the following series: Biographical information; Personal letters; Professional correspondence and related papers; Lacy Family papers; Speeches; Early personal materials; Writings, essays, etc.; Financial files; Miscellaneous; Newspapers clippings; Photographs; and Legal files.

The Lacy Collection documents particularly well Lacy's major legal cases (Wilson vs. White, the Ford Stock Tax Case, Mary A. Rackham Estate) and his transition from conservative Democrat to conservative Republican. His letters home from Valparaiso, Indiana and Ann Arbor and his letters to his future wife Beth Garwick give a detailed picture of college life in the 1890's. Major subjects covered in the public papers are the Detroit Domestic Relations Court, problems of taxation and banking in the depression, Lacy's friendship with James Couzens, and the campaigns of 1932 and 1934. A series of notes Lacy wrote to himself from 1915-1928 and 1946-1956 reveal his political ideals, personal morality, and his relationship to his family.

Within the Professional Correspondence and related papers series, the researcher will find correspondence with many notable political and business figures. These include John W. Anderson, William R. Angell, Art Baker, Arthur A. Ballantine, C.C. Bradner, John V. Brennan, Thomas E. Brennan, Prentiss M. Brown, Wilber M. Brucker, George E. Bushnell, Daniel T. Campau, Harvey J. Campbell, John J. Carson, E.R. Chapin, John S. Coleman, William A. Comstock, Calvin Coolidge, Grace G. Coolidge, Frank Couzens, James J. Couzens, John D. Dingell, Patrick J. Doyle, William J. Durant, Henry T. Ewald, Mordecai J.B. Ezechiel, James A. Farley, Homer Ferguson, Woodbridge N. Ferris, Clara J.B. Ford, Edsel B. Ford, Joseph Foss, Fred W. Green, Alexander J. Groesbeck, Edgar A. Guest, James M. Hare, Herbert C. Hoover, J. Edgar Hoover, Kaufman T. Keller, Stanley S. Kresge, David Lawrence, Arthur F. Lederle, John C. Lehr, Fulton Lewis, Percy Loud, William G. McAdoo, William McKinley, George A. Marston, Eliza M. Mosher, Frank Murphy, George Murphy, William J. Norton, George D. O'Brien, Elmer B. O'Hara, Hazen S. Pingree, Mary A. H. Rackham, Horace H. Rackham, Clarence A. Reid, George W. Romney, Eleanor Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Alexander G. Ruthven, W.M. Skillman, Albert E. Sleeper, Edward D. Stair, Arthur E. Summerfield, William H. Taft, Joseph P. Tumulty, Arthur H. Vandenberg, A. VanderZee, Murray D. Van Wagoner, Henry F. Vaughan, Carl Vinson, Matilda R.D. Wilson, Clarence E. Wilcox, and R.A.C. Wollenberg.

The Lacy Family papers are rich in detail about life in Michigan in the nineteenth and early twentieth century; the surviving letters document family crises and Lacy's role in them as the oldest and most successful child and later, as family leader. Lacy was the family genealogist and he collected and preserved the family correspondence of his uncles and aunt, some of which date back to the 1850's.

Collection

Austin W. Curtis Papers, 1896-1971

2 linear feet — 1 oversize volume — 1 oversize folder

Assistant to George Washington Carver at Tuskegee Institute, later a Detroit, Michigan, businessman. Correspondence and other papers of G. W. Carver relating primarily to experiments with soil improvement and the discovery of new applications for the peanut and other Southern agricultural products; newspaper clippings and memos relating to Curtis' campaign for Congress in 1958 and his work with Carver; and photographs.

The Curtis collection has two parts: papers of George Washington Carver that Curtis collected while in Carver's employ; and papers of Curtis mainly relating to his business activities with A.W. Curtis Laboratories of Detroit, Michigan, and also his unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1958. The Carver papers are of the most significance, relating to Carver's experiments with soil improvement and his discovery of new applications for the peanut and other agricultural products of the South.

Collection

Balthazar Korab photograph collection, circa 1950-1997

1 linear foot

Architectural photographer based in Troy, Mich. Photoprints and copy negatives, chiefly a portfolio entitled "Man's Presence," a study of Michigan's manmade environment.

Representing but a tiny fraction of Korab's oeuvre, the collection held at the Bentley Library will nevertheless appeal to a broad range of researchers. Especially in a collective sense, Korab photographs are not only about architecture and architectural photography, but also about art, technology, modernism, photography's history, the environment, urbanism, ruralism, and the creative process itself. They also document one individual's spirited commitment to a life's work -- work expressed both analytically and emotionally.

The essence of the collection is a Korab portfolio entitled Man's Presence, a study of Michigan's man-made environment that drew him to dozens of towns, cities and rural areas in the upper and lower peninsulas. Photographs capture the quiet magnificence of silos and barns, the elegance of 19th century mansions, the utilitarian architecture of iron foundries and grain elevators. There are also pictures depicting ways man has wasted resources (an abandoned lumber mill, a barren tract of bulldozed land. A superb example of Korab's lifelong fascination with vernacular architecture, Man's Presence is a deliberate effort to capture on film Michigan worlds that otherwise might go unnoticed or become lost to future generations.

The collection is comprised of three series: Biographical Materials; Man's Presence Contact Sheets; and Man's Presence Copy Prints and Copy Negatives.

Collection

Bankole Thompson papers, 2006-2018

0.25 linear feet — 18.42 GB (online)

Online
Bankole Thompson is a Michigan award-winning journalist and author who served as the senior editor of the Michigan Chronicle newspaper in Detroit from 2006 to 2015. He is known for his coverage of the 2008 presidential election and his one-on-one interviews with Barack Obama. The collection includes a selection of Thompson's writings and speeches, two books, biographical information, and episodes of Thompson's radio show.

The Bankole Thompson papers (0.25 linear feet and 18.42 GB) include writings and speeches, books, biographical information, episodes of his radio show, and information about the court case Edwards v The Detroit News and Thompson. The materials have been organized into one series, the Bankole Thompson papers.

Collection

Beeson family papers, 1765-1956 (majority within 1765-1898)

137 items

The Beeson family papers consist of genealogical notes, travel journals, business documents, and correspondence relating to several generations of the Beeson family, who settled in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in the 18th century, and later migrated to Michigan and Wisconsin.

This collection consists of 137 items, including: 55 items relating to financial matters -- receipts, bank and stock records, subscription lists, etc.; 39 items relating to Beeson family history and genealogy, including handwritten notes, and a 33-page typed transcription; 11 letters written by members of the Beeson and Lukens family (related to the Beeson family by marriage); 2 travel journals; 1 daily diary; 1 oversized journal, containing entries on family history, genealogy, and travel; 6 maps, including one pasted onto the flyleaf of the oversized journal; 9 newspaper clippings; 6 legal documents; 7 miscellaneous items; and one unidentified photograph.

The majority of the financial documents consist of lists of stockholders and subscriptions for the Union Bank of Pennsylvania. One document, a receipt for glassware dated 9 August 1827, is written on the illustrated letterhead of the glass manufacturer Bakewell, Page & Bakewell, of Pittsburgh.

The history and genealogy notes concern the branch of the Beeson family that was instrumental in the founding and settling of Uniontown, Pennsylvania. Two descendants of this branch, Edward Beeson and Jacob Beeson (b. 1807), contribute diaries and journals to the collection.

Jacob Beeson's 1829-1830 travel journal (with occasional notes in shorthand) relates, in brief but lively entries, a journey from Uniontown to New Orleans, to help an uncle in the mercantile business. While traveling by steamer down the Mississippi, Jacob Beeson gives colorful descriptions of his fellow passengers and shipboard events. "We had scarce went 500 yds. when we were rous'd by the cry of ‘a man overboard'--drop the Stern Boat, etc. I rais'd my eyes from the book & they were immediately fix'd on the face & arm of a Slave who had pitch'd himself from the Bow of the Boat. He was between the Steamer & her boat when I saw him. By the time he got to where I saw him, he appear'd tired of his sport. He gave a piercing scream & sunk amid the Billows. The Boat was dropped awhile for him but twas to no purpose." (27 March 1829) Jacob describes going to the theater in New Orleans (13 May 1829); the landscape and climate of the area east of New Orleans (8 September 1829); a visit to "Crabtown", at Bayou St. John, where Spaniards subsisted solely by fishing for crabs (23 May 1829); battling a forest fire (14 February 1829); and the inadequacy of his boarding house fare: "For dinner, we have the standby dish of bacon, venison, cornbreads and sour milk served in tea cups, handed round on a waiter that for aught I know to the contrary performed the same service prior to the Revolution. For Supper we have the remains of dinner with the addition of coffee that would be better off than on the table." (16 June 1829) He takes several business trips by boat along the gulf coast. The journal ends with a trip North up the Mississippi in early 1830. A later diary kept by Jacob Beeson in 1873 records the business and personal affairs of a now-settled business and family man living in Detroit Michigan.

Edward Beeson provides much of the family history and genealogy in the collection. His handwritten notes, both loose and in a large bound journal, chronicle Beeson family history and lore, and contain names, dates, and narratives of his direct ancestors, and sketchier details of the wider Beeson clan.

Edward Beeson is also the author of two interesting travelogues. The first is included in the journal he kept in an oversized volume, originally intended for shipping manifests for the shipping agent Monson Lockwood, each page headed with an illustration of ships and a lighthouse. In this journal, Edward recounts a trip he takes from Wisconsin west to Kansas in 1866. He describes the towns he visits on the way, and reflects on the scars left by the Civil War. In Aubry, on the Kansas/Missouri border, his Quaker sense of outrage at the violence perpetrated by both sides is aroused by the abandoned and burnt-out homesteads:

"At this place a cavalry camp was maintained during the greater part of the war. From here the lawless Jayhawkers often started on their thieving raids into Missouri and this was also made a place to be retaliated on by the equally desperate and thievish bushwackers and guerillas of Mo. …Here a voice raised for humanity, honor, mercy, justice or freedom of speech was made the occasion for suspicion, persecution, and defamation, often ending in the murder or robbery of the luckless men who dared to think or speak. These scenes of violence, and the always present danger of life and property, had the effect of almost depopulating the country. The graves of the victims of violence are scattered over the country. The bare chimneys of burned houses loom up on the prairie, monuments of vandalism and violence such as the world has seldom seen. They stand there in the desolate silence pointing upward to heaven -- upward ever -- as if to remind the victims of war who sleep in graves nearby, that mercy and justice alone is to be found above." (9 September 1866, p. 78).

Edward Beeson's second travel journal is an account of a trip to Italy, taken by Edward Beeson and his family in 1877-1878. While his daughter, Abbie Beeson Carrington, takes voice lessons, Edward observes Italian life and customs, largely in and around Milan, and is particularly struck by the overall poverty of the region. Edward reports on the Italian diet, domestic arrangements, attitudes toward religion, and local funeral customs. He is present in Rome for the funeral of King Victor Emmanuel II, and attends celebrations commemorating the 1848 Italian Revolution against Austrian rule.

Five of the maps in the collection are hand-drawn survey maps, likely of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, dated from 1830-1850, with one undated. The sixth map, an undated, hand-drawn map of Uniontown, labeling buildings of significance to the Beeson family, is pasted onto the flyleaf of Edward Beeson's oversized journal.

Collection

Benjamin C. Stanczyk papers, 1944-1975

3 linear feet — 12 oversize volumes

Judge of Common Pleas. Correspondence and other materials relating to politics and to Polish-American interests.

The collection relates primarily to his interest in the Democratic Party in Michigan and to his involvement in Polish-American activities and organizations.

Collection

Benjamin F. Graves papers, 1815-1950 (majority within 1848-1903)

2.5 linear feet

Circuit court judge and Michigan Supreme Court justice; his wife, Ann Lapham Graves, was a Battle Creek educator and civic leader; their son, Henry B. Graves, was a Detroit lawyer. Family correspondence concerning life in Battle Creek, Michigan, student life of H. B. Graves at the University of Michigan, 1879-1882, Kansas land speculation, 1883-1885, the Spanish-American War and legal affairs; personal journals and circuit court and Supreme Court record books of B. F. Graves; and photographs.

The Benjamin F. Graves papers consist of family correspondence concerning life in Battle Creek, Michigan, student life of H. B. Graves at the University of Michigan, 1879-1882, Kansas land speculation, 1883-1885, the Spanish-American War and legal affairs; personal journals and circuit court and Michigan Supreme Court record books of B. F. Graves; and correspondence of Henry B. Graves and Ann Lapham Graves. The collection has been arranged by name of individual family member: Benjamin F. Graves; Lapham family; Henry B. Graves; and Miscellaneous.

The correspondence of Benjamin F. Graves includes letters from Henry B. Brown, December 26, 1890; Julius C. Burrows, March 17, 1869; James V. Campbell, 1858-1883; Isaac P. Christiancy, June 1868, November and December 1862, February 1873, August 1877; Thomas M. Cooley (throughout); Donald M. Dickinson, undated and December 1883; Alpheus Felch, December 1894; and John W. Longyear, April 1864 and March 1865.

Collection

Borman Family Papers, 1923-1991 (majority within 1960-1987)

7 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

The Borman Family is a prominent Detroit area Jewish-American family and is best known for opening a string of supermarket chains throughout southeastern Michigan. Farmer Jack Market was the most successful venture, but others before it included Food Fair and Savon. Founded by two Russian-born brothers, Borman's Inc. remained a family-run business until 1987 when Farmer Jack was sold to the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P). This collection primarily represents the family business, but also covers the Borman Family's extensive involvement in the Detroit and Jewish-American communities.

The papers of the Borman Family relate primarily to their Detroit area supermarket chains and includes organizational papers related to Borman's Inc. and Farmer Jack. Substantial visual materials are to be found throughout the collection documenting all aspects of the business, but especially public relations activities. This collection also contains materials related to the Borman Family history and the Bormans' lives outside of the supermarket business.

Collection

Bryant Walker papers, 1873-1931

10 linear feet

Detroit, Michigan attorney, shell collector and student of conchology. Correspondence, notebooks, and lists relating primarily to his interest in mollusca and shell collecting; also copies of family letters, 1830-1841, written from Buffalo, New York, Grand Rapids and Detroit, Michigan; a University of Michigan student notebook from a course in physics, 1874.

The Bryant Walker collection consists largely of correspondence from throughout the world with conchologists. There are, in addition, his manuscripts of his writings, various lists, charts, and inventories, and miscellaneous family materials and a University of Michigan student notebook of a class on physics.

Collection

Burton family collection, 1888-1940

14 items

The Burton family collection is made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items pertaining to Clarence M. Burton of Detroit, Michigan, and two of his sons, Frank and Louis. The Burton brothers wrote about their travels in Europe during the interwar period, among other subjects.

The Burton family collection is made up of 8 letters, 1 indenture, and 5 other items pertaining to Clarence M. Burton of Detroit, Michigan, and two of his sons, Frank and Louis. The Burton brothers wrote about their travels in Europe during the interwar period, among other subjects.

The first item is an indenture concerning the sale of a lot of land in Detroit, Michigan (January 3, 1888). Correspondence includes letters by Louis Burton (July 2, 1901) and Frank Burton (July 11, 1903) about their travels in Europe and additional letters about the Burtons' personal lives and, occasionally, business affairs and political events. Frank Burton's letter to Charles Edouard Guilliume of the Bureau International des Poids & Mesures concerns Burton's pessimism about American attitudes toward the Treaty of Versailles (May 25, 1921), and Louis Burton's letter of March 30, 1929, relates to his anticipation of poor business returns for the year. Other items include a postcard with a printed advertisement for a genealogical history of the Burton family, 3 blank checks of Charles W. Burton, and a piece of stationery from the Burton Abstract & Title Company of Detroit, Michigan.

Collection

Carl M. Weideman Papers, 1921-1972 (majority within 1932-1934)

3 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 2 oversize volumes

Detroit, Michigan trial attorney, Democratic Congressman, 1933-1935, and Wayne County Circuit Court Judge. Correspondence and other materials concerning his term in Congress, national and local politics, and various judicial decisions; miscellaneous diaries, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks concerning his association with the American Turners Association (German-American athletic society), Detroit, Michigan politics, and the election and recall of Detroit Mayor Charles Bowles; and photographs.

The collection consists of correspondence, primarily from the period when Weideman was a member of Congress; files relating to his election campaign and to a few of the issues of the time; and miscellaneous other materials from his career with the Wayne County Circuit Court and as a member of the American Turners. There is also an extensive series of scrapbooks detailing his professional and civic activities and several folders of photographs.

Collection

Carmen A. Roberts Papers, 1972-1981

0.5 linear feet — 1 volume

Member of the Detroit school board and a leader of the anti-busing movement in Detroit. Correspondence, speeches, clippings, legal brief, organizational miscellanea, and collected pro- and anti-busing materials; also photographs and motion picture film.

The Roberts papers document her activities in the anti-busing movement in the Detroit area in the mid-1970s. The papers include correspondence, speeches, clippings, legal brief, organizational miscellanea, and collected pro- and anti-busing materials. There are also photographs of anti-busing demonstrations and a motion picture film of 1976 anti-busing rally.

Collection

Carolyn S. Burns papers, 1943-1968

8 linear feet

Files relating to her work with Italian-American organizations, especially the American committee on Italian Migration, the American-Italian Business and Professional Women's Club, and the Piemontese Ladies Social Club; papers concerning her interest in U. S. immigration law and the problems of displaced persons and refugees; files relating to her Catholic faith and work for Catholic missionary organizations, notably the Friends of Sts. Peter and Paul Missionaries; and files concerning Democratic Party politics and her work during the 1966 senatorial campaign of G. Mennen Williams.

The papers of Carolyn Sinelli Burns portray a woman with many interests and talents. Particularly gifted as an organizer and fund raiser, Carolyn Burns involved herself with the problems of displaced persons and refugees, with Catholic missionary societies, with immigration law reform, and with Democratic Party affairs. Unifying her many diverse interests is a belief in the dignity of all mankind, a belief she received as part of her Catholic faith.

The Burns' collection is divided into six broad categories: ethnic organizations; immigration reference file; United Nations material; religious material; the 1966 G. Mennen Williams senatorial campaign; and a miscellaneous file.

Collection

Charles J. Merz Photograph Album, 1888-ca. 1910

approximately 147 photographs in 1 album

The Charles J. Merz photograph album contains approximately 147 images, the majority of which show places and people around the area of Detroit, Michigan, during the late 19th and early 20th-centuries.

The album (27 x 36 cm) has maroon faux leather covers with "Photographs" stamped on the front and shows signs of considerable wear, including a damaged spine and detached front cover. While the album contains some traditional formal portraits, the majority of the photographs of people are more candid snapshots in nature. Images are presented on 9 x 12.5 cm prints with four to a page. Most photographs were taken in the Detroit-area (presumably all or mostly by Merz), with images including pictures of Belle Isle Park, elevated perspectives of city streets, boats (such as ferries, sailboats, and cargo boats) on the Detroit River, scenes from the aftermath of the Buick and Sherwood factory fire, Elmwood Cemetery, bridges, railroads, carriages, and family and friends in informal settings, including one portrait of an individual dressed in blackface. Also of interest are 32 photographs related to a militia group, with images showcasing training sessions such as rifle practice and marching drills, tongue-in-cheek portraits of militia members posing humorously in front of their tents at camp, and four views of a military parade in Washington, D.C. near the U.S. Capitol. The militia group being documented was likely the volunteer militia known as the Detroit Grays; one photograph is captioned “Detroit Gray’s Camp Sylvan Lake” while “Detroit Grays” also appears on flags present in some of the images. It may be the case that Merz was a member of the Detroit Grays. There are also a few images taken in Chicago and Colorado, including views of Michigan Avenue and the Garden of the Gods.

Several details help provide a date range for this album. One caption below a photograph of young men with bicycles simply reads “1888,” while the Buick and Sherwood factory fire (the aftermath of which is depicted in several images) took place in 1892. A flag visible in one of the militia camp photographs also reads, “Detroit Grays Organized May 7, 1895,” and a picture of the side paddle ferry Greyhound indicates that it was part of the White Star Line, which acquired the Greyhound in 1902. Finally, the caption of a view of the Belle Isle Power House states that the site represented is “where the casino is today.” Since a casino was built at that location in 1907, this would suggest that the album may have been compiled a number of years after the photos were taken.

Merz himself is identified in a photograph showing him holding a box camera and standing next to two other young men on a city street. He is identified in the caption as “Charles J. Merz Photographer,” and stands alongside two other young men identified as "Charles Rapp" and "Gus Hartman." A self-portrait of an unidentified young man and his camera taken in a mirror could also possibly be Merz, and he appears to show up in other photographs as well. He may also be pictured some of the militia photos, but due to the general lack of captions it is difficult to be certain. Two unused pages at the end of the album are covered with childish doodling, including one drawing adjacent to the inscribed name “Olive Merz”, Charles’s daughter, which would suggest that the album was once in the possession of the Merz family.

Collection

Charles Stuart Kennedy papers, circa 1900-1966 (majority within 1937-1961)

13 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Detroit, Michigan physician and member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1946-1961. Reports, correspondence, and agendas of meetings of the Board of Regents, the Workers Education Service, the American College of Surgeons and World War II; and photographs.

Charles Stuart Kennedy papers consist of reports, correspondence, and agendas of meetings of the Board of Regents, the Workers Education Service, the American College of Surgeons and World War II; and photographs. The collection is comprised of three series: Board of Regents, Personal Materials, and Taiwan Material.

Collection

Charles William Ungermann papers, 1915-1967

1 linear foot — 2 oversize folders

Detroit, Michigan, police officer. Scrapbooks containing material concerning the Detroit Police Department and Ungermann's career; also photographs.

The collection consists of scrapbooks relating to his career, to the activities of the police department, and to civil defense activities. The photographs in the collection are of Detroit, Michigan buildings, streets, people, and activities, especially as they relate to the work of the Detroit Police Department; group and individual portraits and photographs of Detroit Police, and photos of police training; photos of war bond drives and other war work during World War II; and photos of WJR radio broadcasting during the 1930s.

Collection

Charlotte and Martha Wray papers, 1839-1872

0.25 linear feet

Online
This collection contains the incoming and outgoing correspondence of Charlotte and Martha Wray, sisters who lived in Washington County, New York; Detroit, Michigan; and Iowa in the 19th century. The letters span Martha's time as a schoolteacher in Detroit, Michigan; Charlotte's work as a teacher in Albany, New York; and Charlotte's experiences in Iowa prior to the Civil War.

This collection contains approximately 110 letters, of which Charlotte Wray wrote about 90 to her sister Martha. Additionally, Martha and Mary Jane Wray each wrote 1 letter, and Charlotte and Martha Wray received about 18 letters from cousins and other family members. Charlotte's letters discuss her experience as a schoolteacher and her life in Albany, New York, and in Iowa, where she lived after the late 1840s. Charlotte's letters also include content on the arrival of new immigrants, her declining health, and her husband's medical practice during the Civil War.

The earliest items in the collection include a 1-page essay by Mary Jane Wray, Charlotte and Martha's sister, titled "of Solitude" and dated September 18, 1839, and a poem Charlotte wrote about her sister. The correspondence begins on May [15], 1842, with a letter from Martha about her arrival and teaching in Detroit. When Mary Jane traveled to Detroit in 1844, she wrote home about the birth and first weeks of her son Van (August 25, 1844).

Charlotte wrote approximately 20 letters to Martha after moving to Albany, New York, around October 1845, where she taught school. She gave news about her life and friends in Albany, such as her intent to turn down a marriage proposal (January 19, 1846) and student expenses at the New York State Normal School (March 15, 1846). In a later letter from Albany, written around the summer of 1846, she explained her reasons for leaving the school, based on the belief that she could earn more money sewing.

After June 22, 1847, Charlotte wrote approximately 70 letters to Martha describing her married life with Thomas. They moved to Garnavillo, Iowa, in the summer of 1847. She informed her sister about life in Iowa, including her travels, the experiences of other new immigrants, and her homes in Garnavillo, Farmersburg, and Monona. Charlotte also discussed married life and her husband's medical practice. She reflected on the Civil War in two letters, mentioning the draft, financial aspects of the war, and her husband's wartime medical practice (August 21, 1862, and February 1863). Following Charlotte's death around March 1863, Martha received 7 letters from her brother-in-law, who described Charlotte’s final sickness and death (March 31, 1863) and the devastating impact on the family.

Collection

Chicago photograph album, [ca. 1885]

1 volume

The Chicago photograph album contains pictures of buildings, park landscapes, and people in Chicago, Illinois; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Detroit, Michigan. Items include interior and exterior views of a Chicago home, portraits of small groups of individuals, views of gardens in John Ball Park (Grand Rapids, Michigan), and a photograph of a steamboat in the Detroit River.

The Chicago photograph album (14cm x 18cm) contains 24 photographic prints, each placed in a 9cm x 11.5cm window. The first item is an exterior view of a home located at 5828 Indiana Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, and the following eight items are interior views of parlors and a dining room; one shows a woman sewing. The album includes six photographs of John Ball Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with various garden scenes and a shot of two women in a small horse-drawn carriage, and one photograph of the steamer "The North Land" passing Belle Isle near Detroit, Michigan. One item features the Michigan Soldiers' Home in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and another shows a woman feeding a group of birds there. The remaining six items are informal group and individual portraits taken in Washington Park (Chicago, Illinois) (2 items), Palmer Park (Detroit, Michigan) (1 item), "Our Back Yard" (Chicago, Illinois) (1 item), and unidentified outdoor locales (2 items); two men posed by a bicycle in Washington Park. The album's cover is decorated with a colored floral pattern, with a gray geometric pattern near and covering the spine.

Collection

Clara McCarron autograph album, 1887-1893

1 volume

This autograph album contains 33 signatures from male and female acquaintances of Clara McCarron of Detroit, Michigan, which she collected between 1887 and 1893.

This autograph album contains 33 signatures from male and female acquaintances of Clara McCarron of Detroit, Michigan, which she collected between 1887 and 1893. Many of McCarron's friends wrote quotations, poetry, and other brief messages beside their names. Minnie Doran (April 1, 1887) and Grace Maley (June 2) shared brief humorous thoughts on marriage, and Chikanori Tomohira's message is accompanied by a note in Japanese (January 23). Some signatures are accompanied by sets of dates. The volume was originally manufactured as a diary, with pre-printed lines for each calendar date. Colored illustrations for each month are accompanied by brief "birthday wish[es]." The book's cover has a relief illustration of a hand, writing on paper with a pen.

Collection

Clarence J. Huddleston transcript of oral interview, February 12, 1968

1 items (32 pages)

Detroit, Michigan attorney who worked in banking, an associate of James J. Couzens. Transcript of an interview in which Huddleston comments on Couzens and the banking crisis in Michigan during the Great Depression.

Comments on Couzens and the banking crisis in Michigan during the depression.

Collection

Claude Thomas Stoner Photographs and Papers, 1870s-1977

9 linear feet (in 13 boxes)

Dexter, Michigan, collector of materials relating to the history of railroading in Michigan. Correspondence, subject files, printed matter and photographs; contain material concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, the Manistee and Northeastern Railway Company, the Michigan Central Railroad, the Pere Marquette Railroad, and Ephraim Shay.

The Stoner collection contains about 3,600 photographs and negatives collected by Stoner, relating primarily to Michigan railroads. The collection also contains related manuscript materials.

Stoner's major collecting interests were in the Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk Western, and Pere Marquette Railroads and their predecessors, and in logging railroads, especially Ephraim Shay's railroad and others using Shay locomotives. Along with these lines, the collection contains photos of dozens of other railroads, not all in Michigan.

The photographs most commonly depict locomotives, often with their crews posed beside. Other common subjects are railroad stations (exteriors only), train wrecks, trains in motion, logging operations, carferries, railroad bridges, the Detroit-Windsor railroad tunnel, and street railroads.

Dozens of Michigan cities and towns and a number of places in other states are represented in the collection. Places depicted most often in the photos include Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Detroit, Durand, Frankfort, Harbor Springs, and Howell, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

The collection is organized into seven series: Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, Unclassified negatives, Papers, Classified negatives, and Duplicate material.

Appended to this finding aid are two indexes, one for railroads and company names, the other for subjects. The indexes contain references to all items in the Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, and Unclassified negatives series.

The index to railroads and company names indexes logging and industrial companies that operated railroads, as well as railroad lines themselves. It does not index locomotive manufacturers, nor does it index the names of railroad museums where some of the photos were taken.

The index to subjects indexes place names and topical subjects. It does not index the term "locomotives" since the majority of the photos in the collection would be indexed under that heading. Place names are indexed if the photo includes a view of some part of the place or of some event at the place. Close-up views of locomotives that do not show any background are not indexed by place, even if the description of the photo identifies where it was taken.

Collection

Commerce and Industry of Michigan Web Archives, 2010-2014

23 archived websites (online; multiple captures)

Online
Web collection of websites created by various organizations and individuals whose focus is commerce and industry in the State of Michigan, archived by the Bentley Historical Library using the California Digital Library Web Archiving Service crawler from 2010-2015 and the Archive-It web archiving service beginning in 2015.

The Web Archive of Michigan's Commerce and Industry collection contains archived websites created by various businesses and industry driven organizations of the State of Michigan. The websites have been archived by the Bentley Historical Library, using the California Digital Library Web Archiving Service crawler from 2010-2015 and the Archive-It web archiving service beginning in 2015. Access to all websites archived by the Bentley Historical Library is available at: https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.

Web Archives include websites of corporations, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations who call the state of Michigan home. The collection is especially strong in documenting economic development efforts in Detroit and all of Michigan, historic businesses and industries, and distinguished individuals who belong to these communities.

The year that appears next to the website title in the contents list indicates the date that the website was first archived. Archived versions of the site from later dates may also be available.

Collection

Cynthia L. Muñoz papers, circa 1941-2011, scattered

1 items (58 pages) — 1.47 GB (online) — 7 digital audiovisual files

Online
Cynthia L. Muñoz is a Detroit native and U-M Dearborn graduate who identifies as half Mexican/Spanish and half Polish/Hungarian. Materials in this collection include Muñoz's unpublished memoir, Vietnam War period correspondence from her uncle Ed Ryba, and family interviews, and photographs.

The Cynthia L. Muñoz papers are comprised of materials related to the Muñoz and Ryba families. The collection includes correspondence from Muñoz's uncle "Ed" Ryba over the course of his time in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, an unpublished memoir written by Muñoz as part of the Immigrant Memoir Project, and family interviews and photographs.

Collection

Daniel Cherrin papers, 2008-2009

76.3 MB (online)

Online
Press Secretary and Director of Communications for the City of Detroit and Mayor Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. following the resignation of Kwame Kilpatrick. Includes records of finances, official communications and news stories, and Cockrel's work on various initiatives such as support for the auto industry, Cobo Center expansion, Angel's Night, and Detroit's bond ratings.

Digital records were created and/or maintained by Cherrin during his tenure as Press Secretary and Communications Director for Detroit. The Daniel Cherrin papers document the City of Detroit's and Mayor Ken Cockrel's efforts to move beyond the resignation of Kwame Kilpatrick and promote civic and fiscal responsibility while navigating the larger financial crisis of 2008.

Collection

David Doss collection, 1899-1975 (majority within 1899-1955)

0.2 linear feet

Collection of photographs and other material documenting various locations, communities, and organizations in Michigan.

Collection of materials (mostly photographs) that document social, cultural, religious, and daily life in the state of Michigan and at the University of Michigan. Photographs depict locations throughout the state and groups of people. Materials are in the following categories: graduating classes, social societies and clubs, University of Michigan, views and scenes.

Collection

David Emil Heineman papers, 1899-1912

18 volumes (in 3 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

Detroit, Michigan, merchant and attorney, state legislator from Wayne County, Michigan, later Detroit city councilman; scrapbooks, photographs, and miscellanea.

The collection is comprised mainly of eighteen scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings with some photographs documenting both the political career of Heineman and the politics of Detroit, in general in the period of the first decade of the twentieth century. There is also a photograph album of the Heineman home, and memorial clippings following his death.

Collection

Department of Communication Studies (University of Michigan) records, 1926-1995

9.3 linear feet (in 10 boxes)

Formerly called the Department of Journalism; includes administrative files, records of sponsored workshops, conferences, and lectures; faculty personnel files; and records of internship programs, including reports from students interning at local Michigan newspapers.

The Department of Communication record group consists of ten linear feet of records dating from 1926 to 1995 and processed in four accessions. The pre-1984 accessions document the Department of Journalism. The 1984 accession includes materials accumulated by professor Marion Marzolf. The 1986 accession represents records created through the merger of Journalism with Speech and the records of the new department's chairman after the merger was accomplished. The 1996 accession contains material similar to the earlier accessions with the exception of material relating to the graduate Master in Journalism degree program and the decision to suspend the program.

The original accession (Boxes 1-5) documents Department of Journalism activity from 1928 to 1981 (primarily 1950-1970). The accession has been divided into three series: Administrative Files; Faculty Personnel Records; and Internships, Fellowships and Scholarships.

The 1984 accession consists of three series of records: those from a 1977 conference, "Kerner Plus 10: Minorities and the Media," those from the University of Michigan student chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, and those from the student chapter of Women in Communications, Inc. (WICI). Both the Kerner conference records and the WICI records reflect the involvement of Professor Marion T. Marzolf in the Department of Communication.

The 1986 accession dates from 1964 to 1986 (primarily 1975-1984). It represents the records kept by Peter Clarke, last chairman of the Department of Journalism and first chairman of the Department of Communication, the files of William E. Porter, who served as chair after Clarke's resignation in 1981, and a few documents of John D. Stevens, who succeeded Porter in 1984. The accession has been divided into two series, Chairman's Correspondence (1964-1985) and a Topical File (1949-1986).

Collection

Department of History (University of Michigan) student papers, 1930-1987

7 linear feet (263 papers)

Student papers, 1930-1987 prepared for classes in history at the University of Michigan (primarily Michigan history class taught by Lewis G. VanderVelde, but also including research papers for classes taught by Sidney Fine and others); topics concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; and local community history.

The student papers are organized alphabetically by author in two series, which are similar in date range and topics covered. Topics of papers concern Michigan social and political history; Michigan biography and bibliography; local community history and University of Michigan history. A topical index to the papers is available in the first box of the collection.

Collection

Detroit News records, 1856-1991 (majority within 1912-1982)

164.5 linear feet (in 180 boxes) — 33.4 GB (online)

Online
The Detroit News was a prominent daily newspaper founded by James Edmund Scripps in 1873. The success and expansion of the paper is largely attributed to Scripps' son-in-law, George Gough Booth. The collection contains photographic materials including glass plate negatives, film negatives, and photographic prints of various sizes as well as scrapbooks of newspaper clippings from the Detroit News.

The Detroit News records, 1856-1991 (164.5 linear feet) consist of photographic materials including glass plate negatives, film negatives, and photographic prints of various sizes as well as scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings from the Detroit News. The arrangement of the collection is alphabetical and maintains original order as far as could be discerned. In instances where multiple formats were stored together, they have been rehoused separately for preservation purposes. Researchers are encouraged to review the entire container list of this finding aid to identify corresponding materials of different formats within the collection, which have been indicated.

The researcher will find that a significant portion of the photographic materials depict interior and exterior views of the Detroit News building designed by Albert Kahn and erected in 1917. Additional topics of photographic materials include the radio station, WWJ and various events hosted by the News. Images of the Scripps and Booth families as well as employees of the Detroit News are also present among the collection. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, which present a broad range of subject matter as covered by a daily metropolitan newspaper. All of the glass plate negatives and a selection of film negatives have been digitized and can be viewed by following the links in the container list of this finding aid.

Collection

Detroit Urban League records, 1916-1992

96 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 5 digital video files

Online
Social Service organization serving the Detroit African American community, affiliate of the National Urban League; includes minutes of the Board of Directors, correspondence and topical files of Executive Directors and Presidents, budgets and financial records, and papers concerning National Urban League conferences and Green Pastures Camp; also departmental files relating to community services, housing, vocational services, health and welfare, job development and employment, and education and youth incentives; and photographs.

The records of the Detroit Urban League include minutes of the Board of Directors, correspondence and topical files of Executive Directors and Presidents, budgets and financial records, and papers concerning National Urban League conferences and Green Pastures Camp; also departmental files relating to community services, housing, vocational services, health and welfare, job development and employment, and education and youth incentives. The records also include photographs of chapter activities, meetings, and ceremonies; photos of buildings and staff (notably executive directors, John Dancy and Francis Kornegay); also films.

Collection

Dorothy McCauley papers, 1961-1989

1.5 linear feet (in 2 boxes)

Newsletters and minutes of executive committee of the Dav-Joy-Lin-Dex Community Council; newsletters of area block clubs; files relating to her community and organizational involvement; published materials; and photographs.

The McCauley collection consists of the records of the Dav-Joy-Lin-Dex Community Council but including as well files documenting McCauley's other community activities. Of most importance in understanding the work of the Council are its News Bulletins which date from 1960 to 1989. In addition to neighborhood news, the bulletins included notes about city government, particularly as they related to this local neighborhood. The News Bulletins were also the place where McCauley informed the community about the Council's various petition drives.

As executive secretary of the Council, McCauley wanted her group to act as a clearinghouse of information about matters of neighborhood concern. Her collection reflects this interest. Besides material about the Council, McCauley also preserved records about the various block clubs that made up the Council. The great bulk of these relate to the Dexter-Elmhurst Advisory Board, but there are also newsletters for the Glynn Court Block Club and the Calvert Civic Block Club.

Collection

Ed Beach photographs, 1931-1948

2.5 linear feet (in 5 boxes)

Ed Beach was an amateur photographer whose photographs document his hometown of Howell, Michigan and historical sites in other Michigan communities. His collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses.

The Ed Beach collection consists of photographic negatives (with some prints) and albums with prints of historic plaques and markers, statues of famous statesmen and their gravesites, early school buildings, historic houses, gristmills, sawmills, and county courthouses. Other subjects include tourist sites in Michigan (such as Greenfield Village or Mackinac Island) and state parks, especially those in the Upper Peninsula. His hometown of Howell, Michigan is also heavily documented.

The Beach collection is arranged into three series. In the Kodak series the negatives measure 2 3/4 by 4 1/2 inches in size and cover the years 1931 to 1948. The Leica series consists of 35-millimeter strips and were taken between the years 1936 and 1938. The third series consists of seven albums of carefully identified photographs.

An item-level listing of the contents of the Kodak and Leica series is available at the library. To aid researchers a geographic and subject index has been created and is attached to this finding aid. These indices provide the best introduction to the collection.

Beach created the photograph albums around broad topics, and each has a title. The albums include: "Michigan Historic Places," "Around Lake Erie in Ontario. Trip to Chicago Century of Progress," "Michigan Courthouses," "Michigan Ships, Monuments, Historic Places, Buildings, Creek Scenes," "Indian and Trail Markers," "Around Michigan: Historic Places, Buildings, Mills, Dams, Bridges, Masonic Buildings," and "Michigan Governors' Homes, Michigan Trees, Old Buildings of Michigan." The photos in the albums include Beach's negative number.

Collection

Eddie K. and Mary D. Edwards papers, 1980-2024, undated

0.5 linear feet — 51.49 GB (online) — 1 oversize folder

Online
Reverend Eddie K. Edwards (1936-2004) was a Christian preacher and community activist in Detroit, Michigan. In 1976, he founded the Joy of Jesus faith-based nonprofit organization in Detroit. This organization sought to help Detroit residents—primarily neighborhoods and families experiencing poverty—through a summer camp and other programs, like the Ravendale Area Revitalization Project (R.A.R.E.). He was married to Dr. Mary D. Edwards, who was involved in Joy of Jesus and who currently serves as an author, life coach, and minister. The collection includes ten digital recordings of interviews and television programs featuring Rev. Eddie K. Edwards, Joy of Jesus publications, biographical information about Rev. Edwards, as well as papers related to the ministry of his wife, Dr. Mary D. Edwards.

This collection documents the activism and ministry of Reverend Eddie K. Edwards and his wife, Dr. Mary D. Edwards. Manuscript materials are separated into two series documenting the work of both ministers.

Rev. Eddie Edwards' series contains Edwards's biographical information, letters received on the occasion of Rev. Edward's retirement, and memorial publications and articles. Of special interest is the 1996 publication "Re-Neighborhooding Revitalization Manual for the Re-Neighborhooding Detroit Program." The manual was based on the results of a survey conducted among the residents of a 38-block area of Ravendale community on the eastside of Detroit, near the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Also included are digital images of a Point of Light a ward, memorial for Rev. Edwards, and an "Others" Award from the Salvation Army.

Audio-visual materials include a documentary by broadcast journalist Mort Crim, an audio recording of an interview with Edwards by Evangelical radio host Al Kresta in "A Vision for our Detroit", a video recording of a sermon delivered by Edwards at the Second Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Detroit, a video recording of the first annual Friends of Joy of Jesus Banquet in 1991, an episode from the Christian Television Network (CTN Live!) featuring Edwards, a Detroit Public TV program entitled "A Neighborhood Redeemed", a Sue Marx film in which Edwards is presented the 1991 Winning Ways Award, and a few videos made by the church including an interview with Caroline Thomas and Bob Ivory, a "New Child Development Plan" as described by Edwards, and a program highlighting Joy of Jesus' plan for solving urban decay presented in "A Hand Up, Not a Hand Out".

Dr. Mary Edwards' series consists largely of her works published through Leaves of Gold consultancy, a publishing consultancy started by Dr. Edwards in 2007. Among those publications are her autobiography, meditations and ministry materials, and collections of prose and poetry tied to her Widows with Wisdom work. Her papers also include a collection of her writings that document the history of Joy of Jesus Ministries. Of special interest is the description of the 52-questions needs assessment survey that was prepared and conducted by Dr. Edwards. This project resulted in the 1996 "Re-Neighborhooding Revitalization Manual."

Collection

Edward G. Kemp papers, 1922-1962, undated

1.3 linear feet — 1 oversize volume — 1 oversize folder

Edward Gearing Kemp was an attorney who served as legal adviser of Frank Murphy. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, and other materials related to Kemp's work with Murphy and other professional activities, and memorabilia.

Mainly correspondence related to Kemp's professional affairs, particularly his work with Murphy in the Philippines and Kemp's service as an Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General and at the U.S. Bureau of the Budget. Kemp's correspondents included Henry M. Bates, Thomas E. Dewey, Arthur S. Flemming, J. Edgar Hoover, Charles E. Hughes, Cordell Hull, Robert H. Jackson, J. Weldon Jones, George A. Malcolm, Frank Murphy, Chase S. Osborn, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, among others.

A scrapbook, 1933-1962, with photographs, clippings, and other memorabilia relating to Kemp's public career and his association with Frank Murphy. The Philippines-period photographs depict Murphy, his sister Marguerite Murphy, Kemp, other members of Murphy's staff (e.g., Murphy's secretary Eleanor Bumgardner) and their families, as well as scenes in the Philippines. Materials related to Kemp's career in Washington include mostly newspaper clippings, letters, invitations, and memorabilia.

The collection also includes a small amount of biographical information and miscellaneous material (personal applications and notes, work-related notes, summaries of reports, etc.)

Collection

Edward H. Suydam Detroit drawings, ca. 1940

2 volumes

This collection comprises of two volumes of original graphite pencil on paper illustrations by Edward H. Suydam for Arthur Pound's Detroit: Dynamic City. The 35 illustrations (37 x 29.5 cm) detail various monuments, parks, streets, and squares throughout Detroit circa 1940.

This collection comprises of two volumes of original graphite pencil on paper illustrations by Edward H. Suydam for Arthur Pound's Detroit: Dynamic City. The 35 illustrations (37 x 29.5 cm) detail various monuments, parks, streets, and squares throughout Detroit circa 1940.

This collection not only contains all the original illustrations for Detroit: Dynamic City, but two additional illustrations never published. The headpiece illustrations are not included in this collection, only the plate illustrations.

All illustrations are in pencil. The frontispiece, "Cadillac Square," also has colored pencil. The first volume contains 17 illustrations and two reproductions found with the originals. The illustrations as titled in Detroit: Dynamic City or on the illustration itself include "Grand Circus Park" (not included in published book), "The Eastern Market," "The Grosse Point Yacht Club," "Capitol Square," "Detroit Skyscrapers," "River Rouge Ford Plant," "The Court House," "The New Library," "Harmonie Square," "Cadillac Square," "Times Square," "The Financial Center-Down Fort Street," "Washington Boulevard," "The Detroit River: The Boat Racecourse," " Detroit Athletic Club," "Industry on the Detroit River: Ambassador Bridge," and "The Casino on Belle Isle."

The second volume contains 18 illustrations and three small copies of illustrations housed at the back. The illustrations as titled in Detroit: Dynamic City or on the illustration itself include "The Detroit Club," "St. Mary's Church," "Fox Creek," "Hulbert Memorial Gate, Old City Waterworks and Park" (correct spelling is Hurlbut), "Down Jefferson Ave," "Cadillac Square" (not included in published book), "The University of Detroit," "Fort Street Church and Union Station," "Automobile Factories on Jefferson Ave," "Grand Boulevard and the General Motors and Fisher Buildings," "Library Square," "The City Hall," "The New Art Museum," "Negro Tenements and Trees of Heaven," "St. Joseph's Church," "Griswold Street and Alley," "The Ambassador Bridge," and "Looking Down Woodward Avenue from Grand Circus Park."

Detroit: Dynamic City was just one of many volumes in a series by D. Appleton-Century Company, titled "Century City Series," covering major U.S. cities. Most, if not all, were illustrated by Edward H. Suydam.

Collection

Edward M. Honey photographs, 1903-1929

0.3 linear feet

Detroit, Michigan, resident; Detroit area construction photographs.

The collection consists of construction photographs of buildings in Detroit, Michigan in the period of 1903 to 1929. The collection also includes two albums, in one of which there are photographs of Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor in 1912.

Collection

Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit, Mich.) photographs, circa 1980

0.2 linear feet (including 157 copyprints)

Photographs relating to Detroit and to Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.

The collection consists of copyprints made from color slides taken by Mark C. Stevens, secretary-treasurer of Elmwood Cemetery. Included are views of Detroit, the neighborhood around the cemetery, scenery within the cemetery, and gravestones, monuments, and markers. The collection also includes a transcript of commentary made by Stevens on each of the photographs.

Collection

Emerson Frank Greenman Papers, 1888-1984 (majority within 1924-1972)

7 linear feet (in 8 boxes)

Emerson Frank Greenman was a prominent Michigan archaeologist who served as Curator of the Great Lakes Division of the Museum of Anthropology at the University of Michigan from 1945 to 1965. The Greenman papers include correspondence, administrative materials related to the Camp Killarney field school in Ontario, Canada, site files for archaeological sites in Canada, research and topical files, scrapbooks and photographs.

The Emerson Frank Greenman Papers are comprised of six series: Correspondence, Camp Killarney, Research and Miscellaneous Files, Photographs, Scrapbooks, and Canadian Site Files.

Collection

Emily A. Bellair autograph album, 1861-1878 (majority within 1861-1864)

1 volume

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances in the early 1860s. Emily Bellair was from Detroit.

The Emily A. Bellair autograph album contains signatures and poetry of many of Emily's acquaintances throughout the early 1860s. She received the book, whose decorative cover bears the title "Wreaths of Friendship," from W. E. Gentle, who inscribed a two-page letter proclaiming the pair's friendship. Family members also contributed autographs and poetry, including several poems dedicated specifically to Emily that explored themes of friendship and parting. Her brother, Albert F. R. Arndt, wrote a poem from Cairo, Illinois, after he had "gone off to the seat of War." (March 16, 1862). The final page contains a copy of "Auld Lang Syne," as well as several shorter poems that are darker in mood than the other verses.

The autograph album also contains six black and white illustrations:
  • "Escape of Carrara"
  • "Wreaths of Friendship," depicting a ship in a stormy sea
  • "The Bird Trap"
  • "The Bride"
  • "Kishna"
  • Unlabeled: A scene with a tree-lined pond
Collection

Episcopal Church. Diocese of Michigan records, 1830-2016

66.5 linear feet — 12 oversize volumes — 3 oversize folders

Bishops files, records of executive and administrative bodies and of diocesan organizations, staff files, parishes and mission's materials, and visual materials and sound recordings.

The records of the diocese of Michigan have been arranged into the following series: Bishops' files, Executive and administrative bodies, Diocesan organizations, Diocesan programs, Diocesan staff, Parishes and missions, Clergy, Audio and visual material, and Miscellaneous.

The record group is most valuable for its documentation of the history of the diocese and the individual churches within its administration, with a lesser amount of material pertaining to religious functions performed and to the operation of diocesan administrative groups and departments. For a number of reasons, there is scant material pertaining to the administration of the diocesan office or to the special programs that have been initiated by it over the years. Some of this material may be found in the papers of individual bishops whose papers have also come to the library and are separately cataloged. These include Samuel McCoskry, Samuel Smith Harris, Charles D. Williams, Herman Page, and Richard Emrich.

Collection

Ethnic and Cultural Communities of Michigan Web Archive, 2010-2014

57 archived websites (online; multiple captures)

Online
Web collection of websites created by various ethnic and cultural communities of the State of Michigan, archived by the Bentley Historical Library using the California Digital Library Web Archiving Service crawler from 2010-2015 and the Archive-It web archiving service beginning in 2015.

The Web Archive of Michigan's Ethnic and Cultural Communities collection contains archived websites created by various ethnic and cultural communities of the State of Michigan. The websites have been archived by the Bentley Historical Library, using the California Digital Library Web Archiving Service crawler from 2010-2015 and the Archive-It web archiving service beginning in 2015. Access to all websites archived by the Bentley Historical Library is available at: https://archive-it.org/organizations/934.

Web Archives include websites of African American, Arab American, Native American, Asian American and other ethnic communities and organizations who call the state of Michigan home. The collection is especially strong in documenting African American, Arab American, and Native American communities, business, religious, cultural and civil rights organizations, as well as distinguished individuals who belong to these communities.

The year that appears next to the website title in the contents list indicates the date that the website was first archived. Archived versions of the site from later dates may also be available.

Collection

F. Clever Bald papers, 1917-1919, 1936-1970

7 linear feet

Professor of history and director of the Michigan Historical Collections at the University of Michigan; professional correspondence, lecture and research notes, speeches, writings, and personal miscellanea.

The F. Clever Bald collection includes correspondence, speeches, lecture and research notes, and manuscripts of published and unpublished research writings. Of interest is Bald's manuscript of his "The University of Michigan in World War II." Other World War II materials include completed questionnaires which he sent out to Michigan colleges and universities relating to their activities during the war. There are also letters (1944-1946) received from Chester A. Antiau discussing his work with the U. S. Army Information and Education Service during World War II including comments on conditions in Italy and Germany. Other parts of the collection are the letters he wrote while serving in the 111th Ambulance Company. Other files concern his activities with the Michigan Historical Collections, the Civil War Centennial Observance Commission, and the Algonquin Club of Detroit.

Collection

Felix J. Rogers papers, 1982-2005 (majority within 1987-2001)

7 linear feet — 1 oversize folder

Physician involved with peace organizations, notably Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization opposed to nuclear weapons testing and the construction of nuclear power plants. Files relating to activities with the Physicians for Social Responsibility - Detroit, and with the Episcopal Peace Fellowship.

The Felix J. Rogers papers document Rogers' activities in local peace movements from the 1980s until 2005. The collection has been divided into four series of material which document aspects of Rogers' personal life and the three peace organizations with which Rogers was most closely associated: Physicians for Social Responsibility-Detroit, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and the Cranbrook Peace Foundation.

Collection

Ferry Family (Dexter Ferry) papers, 1758-1989 (majority within 1855-1959)

23.5 linear feet (in 25 boxes) — 7 oversize volumes

A pioneer Detroit, Michigan family, established the Ferry Seed Company and other business enterprises, active in civic and cultural affairs. Papers document the family and its business, cultural, political and philanthropic activities.

The Ferry family papers document the rise to prominence of this family who first gained their fortune as seed merchants. The papers also reveal the workings of other Detroit businesses, the development of the Detroit Institute of Arts, turn-of-the-century Michigan politics, and the suburban development of Grosse Pointe. The papers span the years 1758 to 1989 with the bulk of the materials covering 1855 to 1959. The collection consists of: account books, ledgers, journals, and business reports; blue prints, deeds, titles, abstracts, and mortgages; correspondence (business and personal); appointment books, diaries, scrapbooks, and clippings; receipts and tax returns, photographs, and printed miscellanea. It is important to note that the Michigan Historical Collections does not house all extant Ferry materials. The donor, Dexter M. Ferry, III, retains possession of several early account books, ledgers, and journals related to D.M. Ferry & Co.; he also kept some family correspondence and virtually all photographs.

The Ferry family papers arrived at the Michigan Historical Collections in an order based on when the donor reviewed the materials. In the course of reprocessing, this order was altered, and an arrangement assigning primacy to the generation of Ferry who created the document was followed. This reprocessing has resulted in three series: Historical and Background, materials predating Dexter M. Ferry; Dexter M. Ferry; and Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. The few problems presented by overlap between generations are duly noted in the contents list. Within these generational series the materials are arrayed in business, personal, philanthropic, and political subseries. Given the natures of the family and the family business, the researcher should note that murkiness exists between subseries divisions. In general these dividing principles work well. They preserve Dexter M. Ferry, III's original order at the folder level while facilitating access by independent researchers.

The strengths of the Ferry collection are myriad. The family correspondence provide unique insight into a family which grew wealthy but remained close-knit. Especially interesting are the long runs of correspondence between Dexter M. Ferry and his mother, Lucy Ferry Crippen, and Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. and his mother, Addie Miller Ferry. The former run reveals much about the fluid society of late nineteenth-century Detroit, and the latter reflects the pressures of more rigidly defined social strictures. The correspondence between Ferry, Jr. and his sisters, Blanche Ferry Hooker and Queene Ferry Coonley, are illuminating on the handling of the family business in the changing economic climates of the twentieth century.

Some facets of the development of the Detroit business community are well documented as the family invested heavily in local real estate and business. The strengths of the present collection revolve around the Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. materials relating to business and finance in Detroit from 1920 to 1950, particularly the banking community's reaction to the crisis of the Depression. The links between automobile touring, the good roads movement, and the development of ancillary industries to support the burgeoning automotive industry are fairly well documented by Dexter M. Ferry, Jr.'s papers. Young Ferry's close association with the development of the Detroit Institute of Arts is extremely well documented and these papers provide a case study of twentieth century patronage.

A somewhat refracted view of Michigan politics at the turn of the twentieth century is provided through the scrapbooks and clippings on Dexter Ferry's failed campaign in 1900 for governor of the state. The papers are stronger in their documentation of Dexter Ferry, Jr.'s political involvement with the local governance of Grosse Pointe. Here the details of community control are thoroughly covered by correspondence, reports, and minutes.

Collection

Fort Wayne Indian Agency collection, 1801-1815

3 volumes

Online
The Fort Wayne Indian Agency collection consists of a letterbook kept by Indian agents John Johnston and Benjamin Franklin Stickney; an English-to-Ottawa dictionary, likely written by Stickney; and a memorandum book kept by Johnston during his time at Fort Wayne.

The Fort Wayne Indian Agency collection consists of a letterbook kept by Indian agents John Johnston and Benjamin Franklin Stickney; an English to Ottawa dictionary, likely written by Stickney; and a memorandum book kept by Johnston during his time at Fort Wayne.

The Fort Wayne Indian Agency Letter book (189 pages) was compiled by agents John Johnston (April 15, 1809-November 30, 1811) and Benjamin F. Stickney (April 18, 1812-October 1, 1815), who documented all accounts, disputes, complaints, and other occurrences that transpired between the soldiers at the fort and the Native Americans. The letterbook records the agency business during the critical years before and during the War of 1812, when Fort Wayne was a vital part of American frontier defenses. The volume is comprised of copies of letters, speeches, circulars, and documents, to and from the agents and various departments of the United States government. The correspondents include Presidents Jefferson and Madison; Secretary of State James Monroe, Secretaries of War Henry Dearborn, John Armstrong, and William H. Crawford; the governor of Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison; and Michigan governors William Hull and Lewis Cass; as well as several Indian chiefs (listed in Additional Descriptive Data). The entries contain lists of supplies received at Fort Wayne, lists of supplies and gifts extended to the Indians, receipts for work done at the garrison, reports on Indian activities, speeches addressed to the Indians, accounts of the war on the frontier, and reports about other conflicts in the area. The volume concludes with a 13-page "statements and observations relating to the Indian department" which summarizes Stickney's efforts during the War of 1812. For a complete transcription of the letterbook, along with a thorough index, see:

Thornbrough, Gayle. Letter Book of the Indian Agency At Fort Wayne, 1809-1815. Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society, 1961.

The English to Ottawa dictionary (40 pages) contains phonetic spellings for English words in the language of the Ottawa Indians (the Ottawa speak a dialect of Ojibwe). The book, likely composed by Stickney, contains words for mammals, fowl, birds, fish, reptiles, elements (earth, water, wood, stone, clay, etc.) plants, trees, body parts and facial features, food, maladies, medicine, feelings (love, malice, envy etc.), celestial features, weather, clothes and other goods, numbers, colors, and useful phrases. In addition to providing information on the Ottawan language, the dictionary relates concepts and terms that were important to the Americans. This volume was likely never published.

John Johnston kept the Fort Wayne memorandum book (145 pages) during his tenure as Indian agent at Fort Wayne, from 1802-1811. The volume contains both personal and official material. The first entry was March 20, 1801, when Johnson was appointed by General Henry Dearborn to be a clerk in the War Department. He arrived at Fort Wayne on September 20, 1802. The volume contains several lists of supplies for Fort Wayne and for gifts to the Indians, and records bills and accounts from the Indian agency and the War Department. Many of the accounts concern Indian agent William Wells (1802-1803). Johnston also made notes on his daily responsibilities, of enquiries into food and supplies, and on people traveling to and from Fort Wayne and Washington D.C.; Dayton, Ohio; and Detroit, Michigan. Several entries relate to Native Americans, and discuss Little Turtle's adopted son and the husband of Little Turtle's daughter. Among Johnston's personal notes are financial records for planting his farm and orchard in 1808. The memorandum book provides information about life in the Indiana Territory in the early 19th century.