Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Documents and correspondence relating to some soldiers in the U.S. 339th Infantry and related units, who fought in northern Russia in 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

Documents and correspondence relating to some soldiers in the U.S. 339th Infantry and related units, who fought in northern Russia in 1918-1919 (known as the Polar Bears). Includes copies of military discharge papers, correspondence between the library and family members about names omitted from the library's online Polar Bear roster, and miscellaneous other biographical documents. The collection includes a small number of digitized images and documents scanned or photographed by donors who have retained the original items

Lawyer in Detroit, Mich., who served as adjutant and judge advocate in the U.S. 339th Infantry during the Allied Intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes biographical and genealogical information, family correspondence, a history of the Manchester, Mich., High School class of 1907; war diary, July-Nov. 1918; correspondence, financial material and memorabilia relating to his war service and veterans' activities; and photographs.

The papers include biographical and genealogical information, family correspondence, a history of the Manchester, Mich., High School class of 1907, a war diary, July-Nov. 1918, describing his activities in Archangel, two letters, 1931 and 1932, answering questions about various aspects of the Archangel campaign, and Polar Bear Association financial records, 1926-1930. Photographs include group portraits of units of the 339th Infantry, portraits of Lewis in uniform, and photo of Charles E. Lewis (Sr.) in front of his shoe store in Manchester, Mich..

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

Collected transcript of Ballard's diary and a letter to his family, copies of photos and of published materials relating to his service.

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

This collection is divided into three series, Papers, Visual Materials, and Memorabilia.

The Papers Series includes five letters Andrews wrote to family with detailed descriptions of northern Russia and of his thoughts and activities; a notebook containing dates of arrivals and departures, briefly noting place and activity; a postcard written by Andrews dated June 20, 1919 and memorabilia.

The Visual Materials series includes a portrait of Andrews in uniform and at veterans activities. Of the ten photographs in this series, the only dated photograph is the portrait of Andrews in uniform which is dated 1919-1920.

The Memorabilia series includes Andrew's military identification tag, an undated Military Patch, Speak French: A Book for the Soldiers, 1917, and a wallet which includes Andrews' American Legion membership card, 1930-1932; Boy Scouts of America adult member certification, 1933; Knights of Pythias membership dues official receipt, 1928, 1930; and La Société des Quarante Hommes at Huit Chevaux membership card, 1931.

Soldier from Petoskey, Mich., member of Co. A, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes scrapbooks, orders, citations, casualty lists, and field message book.

The collection includes two scrapbooks containing a letter, Nov. 16, 1919, of Theodore R. McPhail, describing the 339th Infantry's homecoming parade in Detroit, poems, and newspaper clippings relating to the fighting in Russia, the mutiny of March 1919, the return of the 339th Infantry to Detroit, the return of the bodies of men killed in Russia, and later Polar Bear activities. Also included are rosters, certificates of promotion, lists of citations, and lists of casualties for Co. A, a cartoon by "Bug" Culver, a map of the Archangel area with areas of operations marked, lists of the bodies returned in 1929, and a receipt book of Captain Otto Odjard

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

The John Peterson papers consists of photocopies of military discharge papers and other official documents and a 1960 invitation to Polar Bear reunion and also a photograph of Peterson in uniform.

Member of 337th Ambulance Company who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes interview and miscellaneous papers.

This collection contains physical files as well as digital reproductions. In this finding aid, the collection has been arranged into one series, Papers.

This collection contains digitized sound recordings (Folder 1); the original sound recordings are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donor before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

Papers include an interview with transcription of John Percey Clock and Lawrence K. Montgomery of Charlevoix, Mich., who served in Company K, 339th Infantry, interviewed by John Robert Clock June 25, 1978. Also miscellaneous papers relating to Clock's service and activities of the Polar Bear Association.

Collected materials include Civil War diary (1863) of William Harts, soldier with Co. B, 1st Michigan Infantry; also papers of Leon Bell, member of 339th Infantry (Polar Bears) sent to northern Russia after World War I.

Member of Co. G, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition" and officer in the Polar Bear Association. Collection includes papers on the committee sent to Russia in 1929, to recover the bodies of men slain during the expedition, including material on their reinterment in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery, Troy, Michigan, and the dedication of the Polar Bear monument.

The collection includes a copy of a petition, Feb. 1919, from people in Detroit asking for the withdrawal of American troops from Archangel; a diary, July-Sept. 1929, describing his trip to Russia and the search for bodies; correspondence, 1929-1930, regarding the commission and its work; a list of the bodies recovered and a map showing the location of some bodies found around Kodish; papers relating to the reinterment of the dead in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery; a 1965 memoir of the 1929 commission, and two letters, 1966 and undated, from Arthur Wickham relating his memories of service in Archangel. Also included are bulletins, meeting notes, speeches, eulogies, and programs of the Polar Bear Association and the constitution and bylaws of the Polar Bear Post, No. 436, Veterans of Foreign Wars.

The Michigan Historical Collections Topical Photograph Collection offer a broad and varied glimpse into nearly one hundred years of Michigan history, from the 1860s into the 1950s. The provenance of most of the photographs has been lost and therefore these images have been grouped together by subject into an artificial accumulation. Subjects depicted range from industry and transportation to clothing styles and social customs.

The photographs in this collection were received from various sources. Subjects include carriages, automobiles, Great Lakes shipping, railroads, and mass transit, especially street railroads. There are also images documenting activities within the mining, forestry, and lumber industries, mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Also included are photographs of various ethnic groups and their societies, notably of Native Americans (1870s-1930s) of the Manistee and Ludington, Michigan, areas. Some of the images are street views and private residences in various Michigan towns and cities. Of interest are photographs of Michigan units taking part in the Spanish-American War and the "Polar Bear Expedition" of World War I. There is also a series of bookplates, [acquired from?] William H. Bicknell, many of which relate to the University of Michigan.