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

The Barrett family papers contain the correspondence between Joseph Chandler Barrett and his fiancée, Sarah A. Hillard, during their courtship and the early years of their marriage, as well as personal letters written by family members and friends.

The Barrett family papers contain the correspondence between Joseph Chandler Barrett and his fiancée, Sarah A. Hillard, during their courtship and the early years of their marriage, as well as additional letters written by family members and friends. Joseph often wrote and received letters about education in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and on one occasion mentioned attending a lecture about Germany delivered by Charles L. Brace (January 10, 1852). The enclosure in the March 3, [1859] letter is a four-page printed "Report of the Superintending School Committee" of Durham, New Hampshire. A large portion of the collection consists of the Barretts' correspondence during their courtship, and family letters about news and events, with occasional remarks about religious habits and views. Additional letters from family members and from acquaintances provide a picture of daily life in New England in the decade preceding the Civil War.

This collection contains responses to a series of 66 questions posed by the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture regarding farming practices and production in Danvers, Massachusetts. The responses, provided by local residents and collected by the Danvers Agricultural Society, concern aspects of farming life such as environmental conditions, farmers' practices, and production figures for specific crops and animals.

This collection (11 items) contains responses to a series of 66 questions posed by the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture regarding farming practices and production in Danvers, Massachusetts. Specific topics include the arability of local land, types and numbers of crops grown and products produced, practices related to cattle and sheep, and the use of manure. The first item, a reminder about an upcoming meeting, also has brief notes from a previous meeting (August 13, 1814). The remaining items relate to the farming survey, including an undated 10-page booklet with Ebenezer Putnam's answers to questions 37-42. The booklet includes a draft of the Danvers Agricultural Society's official response to the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, written by Andrew Nichols ([January 14, 1815]).

• Anonymous: 12 questions numbered between 10 and 40
• Anonymous: Questions 42-47
• George Osgood: Questions 49-54
• John Perry: Questions 31-36
• Ward Pool: Questions 42-48
• Johnson Proctor: Questions 1-6
• Simeon Putnam: Questions 19-24
• [Thorndike] Proctor: Questions 13-18
• [Jonathan] Walcut: Questions 55-60

The George Erving collection consists of letters and a document about Erving's financial affairs, such as his attempt to receive compensation after fleeing his Boston home during the Revolution. Other items include letters that Erving wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo.

This collection contains 12 letters and 1 document about George Erving's financial affairs and Boston commerce in the early 19th century. Eight items pertain to Erving, including letters that he wrote to his nephew, Samuel Waldo, and incoming letters from merchants in Boston and England. In one letter to Waldo, Erving complained about his inability to receive compensation from the British government following the British evacuation of Boston in 1776 (February 19, 1796), and one document grants him power of attorney for his nephew. The remaining 5 items relate to life in Massachusetts in the early 19th century; writers commented on the tea trade (January 26, 1802), vacationing (August 23, 1816), and the death of Salmon Chase (August 12, 1806), among other subjects.

The Gideon Aldrich collection contains material related to Aldrich's time at the Friends' Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early 1850s, the bulk of which consists of his incoming correspondence from family and friends.

The Gideon Aldrich collection contains material related to Aldrich's time at the Friends' Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island, in the early 1850s. His mother Phebe and several of his siblings, particularly Mary, wrote many of the earliest letters in the collection. In their letters, they updated him on the events that colored their daily lives, and often alluded to their devout Quaker beliefs; several of the letters from December 1850 relate to a measles outbreak reported at the Friends' School. Gideon's friends wrote most of the later letters, in which they expressed their affinity for a variety of personal interests, including baseball (March 17, 1852), sleighing, and other leisure activities. One letter from Huldah H. Sawyer paints a picture of early San Francisco, extolling the weather but lamenting the frequency of death in the city and the questionable morality of local women (February 11, 1853). Together, the letters represent the concerns and daily happenings of Quaker life in mid-19th century Massachusetts. In addition to the correspondence, the collection also holds three books used by Gideon Aldrich while at school; these include two penmanship exercise books and a composition book, which contains essays on topics such as a Quaker quarterly meeting, a description of Uxbridge, and a "Skating Party" (1851). Other material within the collection includes an 1853 valentine, several quotation cards, and a newspaper clipping.

The Ira J. Patch letter book contains letters that Patch wrote about his interest in collecting and trading autograph documents and signatures by prominent American politicians. Patch discussed possible trades with fellow collectors, provided lists of material he wished to acquire, and expressed his desire to receive copies of publications regarding the history of Massachusetts.

The Ira J. Patch letter book (56 pages) contains around 45 letters that Patch wrote from March 24, 1856-February 5, 1857, about his interest in collecting and trading autograph documents and signatures by prominent American politicians. He discussed possible trades with fellow collectors, provided lists of material he wished to acquire, and expressed his desire to receive copies of publications regarding the history of Massachusetts.

Patch most frequently wrote to fellow autograph collectors, sometimes providing lists of famous individuals whose autographs he desired and those which he was willing to send in return. He often discussed specific trades and provided names of other collectors. Patch's letter to Lewis J. Cist of St. Louis, Missouri, dated March 28, 1856, lists United States presidents, vice presidents, cabinet secretaries, attorneys general, and postmasters general, as well as signers of the Declaration of Independence. In other letters, Patch referred to his interest in collecting signatures from governors of Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. He explained his attempt to focus on specific subjects, and also mentioned some areas that he did not collect in, such as Revolutionary War generals' manuscripts and paper money. On at least two occasions, Patch purchased items by British monarchs.

Patch sometimes wrote to publishing firms about his desire to obtain copies of publications such as the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the Records of Massachusetts, and the History of Boston. Two letters to his uncle, Alvah C. Smith of Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, pertain to transactions with Smith's acquaintance "Mr. Morse"; Patch shared his initial displeasure and subsequent satisfaction with the items that Morse offered (April 14, 1856, and April 17, 1856). Patch wrote letters to former Massachusetts governors Marcus Morton and George S. Boutwell on May 8, 1856, requesting the names of council members who had served during their administrations; he later thanked Morton for his prompt response (May 14, 1856). One personal letter from Patch to a friend concerns the Know-Nothing Party, the 1856 presidential election, and Patch's pride in voting for John C. Frémont and "liberty" (July 17, 1856).

This collection is made up of individual financial documents and letters from Massachusetts, primarily composed during the early months of 1787. Among other subjects, the material concerns the state's economic climate and military forces commanded by Major General Benjamin Lincoln during Shays' Rebellion.

This collection is made up of individual financial documents and letters from Massachusetts, primarily composed during the early months of 1787. Among other subjects, the material concerns the state's economic climate and military forces commanded by Major General Benjamin Lincoln during Shays' Rebellion.

Among the items directly related to military forces are notes, documents, and accounts for the supply of rations, other provisions, and wages to military troops (5 items) and a request sent by Adam Wheeler to Benjamin Lincoln, for safe passage. Massachusetts Militia officer William Shepard wrote 2 letters to Benjamin Lincoln and Colonel Ezra Badlam about raising troops to defend the Massachusetts government against rebel forces (February 22, 1787, and February 24, 1787).

The collection includes a petition letter that Timothy Fuller sent to the Massachusetts legislature on behalf of many residents of Princeton, Massachusetts, enumerating and discussing several of their complaints against the state government. In addition to voicing their concerns about high legal fees and the salaries of public officials, the residents of Princeton attempted to disassociate themselves from recent violent conflicts (February 1, 1787). One additional item records accounts between the estate of Elisha Doane and Samuel A. Otis of Boston, Massachusetts, dated between August 20, 1783, and March 12, 1784.