Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

The Franklin H. Bailey collection contains correspondence, diaries, a scrapbook, photographs, and other materials (including military discharge papers, Civil War songbooks, and scientific papers). 56 letters written to his parents in Adrian, Michigan from 1861-1865 detail his time in the military, with references to camp life, religion, sickness, concern over money matters, and skirmishes in which he was engaged, including a graphic account of the battle of Pittsburg Landing. An additional undated Civil War letter from Minerva Bailey's first husband, Levi Greenfield, reports on rumors of victories at Richmond and Vicksburg. Later correspondence includes letters he wrote to his wife while on a trip abroad in 1873 and a scrapbook of letters, 1880-1901, primarily concerning educational matters. Diaries (1865-1883) at least partially written in Pitman shorthand provide additional information on his war service, student life at Hillsdale College, finances, and teaching and scientific interests. A poem titled "Big Yank" refers to the Peninsula Campaign in 1862.

Alpena, Michigan, resident. Correspondence, including a letter from Thomas Wentworth Higginson and a letter describing Goodrich's Civil War experience in the 115th New York Volunteers at the Battle of Morris Island, South Carolina, genealogical material, recipe book, and miscellanea; also photographs.

Fred Stanley Goodrich papers consist of correspondence, including a letter from Thomas Wentworth Higginson and a letter describing Goodrich's Civil War experience in the 115th New York Volunteers at the Battle of Morris Island, South Carolina, genealogical material, recipe book, miscellanea and individual and group photographs of Goodrich family members. The collection is noteworthy for a detailed description of the Battle of Morris Island in South Carolina during the summer of 1863.

Surveyor of lands in northern Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula; Macomb County land speculator; journal of his surveying expedition along the shores of Lake Superior, letters received, historical essays, family materials.

The George Cannon collection consists of letters, a journal, historical essays written for the Macomb County Historical Society, and various land records, including some surveying notes. Most of the letters were received by Cannon or other members of his family. There is in these letters much documentation relating to the Upper Peninsula and to the history of the settlement of Macomb County. Of especial interest are those letters and documents relating to the border dispute between Wisconsin and Michigan (particularly in the period of the first decade of the 20th Century) arising out of a surveying error in the 1830s. Many of the letters are from Upper Peninsula businessman and University of Michigan Regent Peter White.

Other items of interest are essays and lectures of the students who attended the Stony Creek Lyceum Rochester School where Cannon taught in the 1840s, a few Civil War letters from his brother Levi Cannon who served with Co. B of the 22nd Michigan Infantry, and essays Cannon wrote on his surveying mentor William A. Burt and on the early settlement of Macomb County.

George W. French served as 1st Lieutenant of the Michigan 10th Cavalry from 1864-1865 in the Union army. The collection includes materials related to his wartime activates as well as post-war correspondences and forms.

The George W. French Papers consist of wartime records of the Michigan 10th Cavalry dating from 1863 to 1865. Included are lists of quartermaster stores, requisition forms, and other supply documents of the 10th Michigan Cavalry and 8th and 9th Tennessee Cavalry. Also French's Officer Commission signed by Michigan Governor Austin Blair. Post-war documents include personal correspondence, French's military pension forms, and other assorted personal papers dating to 1906.

Vermontville, Michigan, family. Civil War correspondence and diaries of Joseph B. Griswold, musician in the Second Michigan Cavalry, and later Assistant Surgeon in the Fourth Michigan Infantry; also material concerning the land transactions of Roger W. Griswold; and miscellaneous clippings, photograph, correspondence, and printed material.

The Griswold family papers includes materials for both Roger W. and Joseph B. Griswold. The bulk of the collection consists of letters, diaries, and other materials of Joseph B. Griswold relating to his Civil War service. There is a diary concerning his year as a musician in which he notes the weather, the days when they played for dress parade and guard mounting, and an occasional serenade for someone such as General Pope. He comments on camp duties, food, a trip down the river, some hospital duties, saying, "This hospital business I detest ... wish I was back in the regiment," his own bout with dysentery; and his wanting to go home. "I'm sick of soldiering. Wish I was out ... but what's the good of wishing."

In the 4th Infantry, he wrote some thirty letters to his sister. He describes quarters, their moves from camp to camp from Huntsville, Ala. to San Antonio, Texas, and caring for the sick and wounded. There is much chit-chat about home folks and affairs; his occasional dinners out with Southern families in which there are young ladies, with perhaps a musical evening to follow; church services; and Christmas southern style.

The diary, which supplements these letters, also tells of social calls, dances, a fox hunt, card games, church services, rides into the country on his horse, drinking among the men, and horse racing in their camp in San Antonio in which his horse is entered. The drinking water is bad, and he is often sick with diarrhea. Mosquitoes bother both men and horses. He comments on food or the lack of it and on camp gardens. He thought some of setting up a medical practice in San Antonio, but instead returned to school.

Otsego, Michigan, family. Letters to Mrs. Sabra Hager discussing personal and family affairs, including mention of neighbors leaving for the Pikes Peak gold rush; also ninety letters from her husband, Phineas A. Hager, of Co. B, Nineteenth Michigan Infantry, twenty-five from her son, William H. White, Sixth Michigan Infantry, and three from Henry Stark of Sixth Michigan Infantry, concerning their service in the Civil War.

Letters to Mrs. Sabra Hager discussing personal and family affairs, including mention of neighbors leaving for the Pikes Peak gold rush. 90 letters from her husband, Phineas A. Hager in which he tells of camp life and duties in the army of the Cumberland, the weather, food, sickness, and news of the Otsego men in his regiment. He comments on the death of his stepson, William White, on bushwhackers, slavery and the Southern people, and on the officers in his regiment. He describes the fighting before Atlanta in which action he was killed. Much of each letter is given over to home and business affairs. Also includes 25 letters from William H. White in which he describes camps Fort Wayne and McKim and camp life and duties; ship transportation to other camps such as Ship Island and Baton Rouge; and a Thanksgiving dinner. He tells about food and exchanging food with the natives, picket duty, sickness, and the use of contrabands in camp. He comments on officers and on slavery.

Letters to his wife, Mary Soule, written while serving as an officer in the Union Army during the Civil War; Civil War diary, 1863-1865; a letter from Byron Stoddard of the Sixth Michigan Infantry; correspondence, 1890-1904, with J. C. Leonard who collected materials for University of Michigan Museums throughout the western part of the United States; literary manuscript of Annah May Soule; and photographs.

Portraits and photographs of Soule and his wife, Maryy Soule; group photograph of the officers of Company D, Sixth Michigan Infantry, 1861; and album, ca. 1865, of Civil War soldiers, most of whom were members of the Sixth Michigan Infantry.

Papers of Helen B. Van Tyne and earlier members of the Belfield family. Civil War papers and family correspondence of Henry H. Belfield, founder of the Chicago Manual Training School; and papers, 1944-1971, of Helen Van Tyne, Ann Arbor, Michigan civic leader and member of the citizens advisory council of the Washtenaw County Juvenile Court, concerning her interest in the problem of juvenile delinquency, the Michigan League for Planned Parenthood, the Michigan Council on Women in Business and Industry, and the James Foster Foundation.

The papers of Helen Van Tyne consist of materials relating to two major areas: Mrs. Van Tyne's involvement in various Ann Arbor-area civic organizations from the late 1940s until the late 1960s, and a collection of family papers, photographs, and ephemera, particularly relating to her grandfather, Henry Holmes Belfield (1838-1913). The collection has been divided into three series: Organizational Affiliations, Personal Papers, and Belfield Family Papers.

Flint, Michigan industrialist; governor of Michigan, 1865-1868. Correspondence concerning land speculations, lumbering, and political activities; correspondence of his son primarily relating to estate and land holdings; speeches, notes and other papers detailing his gubernatorial administration; deeds and other papers concerning land purchases in Ohio, Iowa, and Michigan; newspaper clippings, biographical material and obituaries; journals, diaries, notebooks, letter book, political scrapbook, 1866-1869, executive journal of state of Michigan, 1865-1867, farm records and accounts; and photographs.

The Crapo papers have been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Personal and Biographical; Political; Business records; and Miscellaneous (mainly financial). The collection relates primarily to the career of Henry H. Crapo with the files dating after 1869 pertaining to the business activities and political activities of his son W. W. Crapo.

In 1992, the bulk of the Crapo papers was microfilmed. This finding aid begins with a listing of the contents of the microfilm followed by a container listing of those portions of the collection which were not microfilmed. For reasons of preservation, the researcher should use the microfilm copy. Access to the original materials will be limited to the unmicrofilmed portions of the Crapo papers.

The collection includes two diaries, for 1864 and 1865. In the 1864 diary, Dean tells of directing and supervising men in erecting and operating sawmills and building storehouses, hospitals, bridges, etc. around Lookout Mountain and Chattanooga. He also writes of the move from there to the siege of Atlanta and the occupation of Atlanta; of deserters, prisoners, destruction of railroads, regimental inspections, and camp life in general; and of the return march to Chattanooga in six and one-half days. The 1865 diary (Jan.-June), kept while he was in Chattanooga, tells about the weather, building barracks, duties, social activities, the surrender of Lee, death of Lincoln, and mustering out. Also includes miscellaneous citations, commissions, legal documents relating to his military service and his work as regent, and a statement (notarized by Dean) of Victor C. Vaughan pertaining to the Douglas-Rose dispute, 1878.