Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

James and Sybil (Hunter) Irwin were early setters of Washtenaw County, Michigan. Their two sons, John E. and (James) Leman Irwin, fought in the Civil War as volunteer members of the 20th Michigan Infantry. Correspondence, diaries, and ledgers from these and other branches of the family are preserved in the Irwin family papers.

The James and Sybil Irwin family papers feature letters written from various Civil War battlefields and encampments by the brothers John E. and (James) Leman Irwin. There are four additional Civil War letters from cousins Samuel H. Row, James H. Irwin, S. Baker, and S.H. Loveland, as well as a transcription of William B. Irwin's journal. The collection also provides insight into the lives of Michigan farmers in the second half of the 19th Century and early 20th Century by way of letters, ledgers, photographs, and diaries. In addition, the correspondence record details the experience of prospectors on the Minnesota Iron Range and life on a Great Lakes freighter. Also extant are sketches by Harriet (Hattie) Irwin, poetry by Harriet and Civil War veterans John E. Irwin and Samuel H. Row, and some early documents pertaining to the North Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church.

The James and Sybil Irwin family papers are divided into the following series largely as maintained by the donor: Civil War Materials; the Baker-Rice and Irwin Families; the individuals Amy (Rice) Irwin, Fred C. Irwin, Harriet S. Irwin, Isaac Irwin, James and Sybil (Hunter) Irwin, John E. Irwin, Max H. Irwin, (James) Leman Irwin, and Max H. Irwin; the North Sharon Methodist Episcopal Church; Miscellaneous items; and Postcards.

Lawyer at Coldwater, Michigan, Civil War officer, U.S. Marshal of Eastern District of Michigan and Minister to Belgium. Correspondence from family, friends and associates regarding personal and business affairs, military matters, and Democratic politics; miscellaneous other materials and photographs.

The John G. Parkhurst collection consists of correspondence from family, friends and associates regarding personal and business affairs, military matters, and Democratic politics; miscellaneous other materials and photograph. the collections has been divided into the following series: Correspondence; John G. Parkhurst Civil War service; John G. Parkhurst diplomatic and other activities; and Other family materials, business records, and miscellaneous.

First president of University of Michigan, 1817-1821, Presbyterian minister in Detroit, Blissfield, Michigan, and Elyria, Ohio; professor at Hamilton College; correspondence, diaries, sermons, speeches, and papers of other family members.

The John Monteith microfilm collection consists of correspondence, diaries, sermons, and papers of other family members. The originals of these materials are also available at the library; to best preserve the originals, access is limited to the microfilm copies.

The correspondence includes letters from Monteith to members of his family and others discussing current events, his work, travel, places visited, temperance reform, slavery, and bank failures. There are also letters to/from Monteith's wife, Abigail, his daughter, Sarah, his sons George, John Jr., Charles, and Edwin, and scattered letters from other relatives and friends. George's letters cover his service as an officer in the Fourth Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Besides the letters there are diaries kept by Monteith (1815-1838), notes on his library, sermons and a volume of sermon outlines, speeches, notes on class lectures and other subjects, personal account books, a notebook (1820) containing Chippewa-English vocabulary, student notes (1797-1798) taken by Alexander Monteith at Dickinson College. In addition, there is a manuscript play written by John Monteith Jr. entitled, "The Raging Firelands," and a biography of Abigail Monteith, written by her son, Edwin (1859).

Of special interest is the annual report, Nov. 1818, of John Monteith to governor and judges of Michigan Territory concerning the University of Michigania.

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, family. Correspondence, photographs, and other papers of John Johnston, fur trader, son John McDouall Johnston, Indian interpreter for Henry R. Schoolcraft, and other family members; including letters containing impressions of Indian life and historical materials concerning Indian grammar and folklore, and the history of the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, region. Includes letter, Jan. 24, 1822, from John Johnston to Lewis Cass discussing Indian affairs.

The Johnston family papers contains approximately seven inches of correspondence, writings, clippings, and photographs. The collection falls into three series: Johnston family papers, Collected historical and Indian materials, and Photographs.

The Slatford Bird families were residents of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Correspondence and family papers, including letters, 1851-1853, of John Slatford written from the California gold fields describing his activities.

The Slatford and Bird family papers were collected by Julia Bird Martin, who was the great grand-daughter of Job Slatford and grand-daughter of Jane Slatford Bird. The collection consists of family correspondence from various members of both the Slatford and Bird families. The collection not only relates to family matters, but also includes letters of John Slatford written from the California gold fields, 1851-1853. In addition there are clippings, photographs, postcards, and family memorabilia.

Michigan Democratic congressman, 1847-1851, Republican governor, 1855-1858, and U.S. Senator, 1859-1861; correspondence and genealogical papers of the Bingham and Warden families of Livingston County, including letters from Kinsley, his wife Mary Warden, his son James (First Lieutenant, Sixteenth Michigan Infantry, who died in 1862), and Robert Warden, Jr.; correspondence concerning family affairs, political and legislative matters, Bingham's inauguration in Lansing, Michigan, in 1857, and the Civil War; letters to Warden from friends in Scotland and Camillus, New York including one from Henry S. Sinn about slavery and the Civil War; and diary, 1862-1863, kept by Mrs. Bingham.

The Bingham papers are comprised of two series, Correspondence and Other Materials, reproduced on four rolls of microfilm. The Correspondence series includes personal letters (originals and typescripts) between members of the Bingham and Warden families. There is extensive correspondence (1848-1861) between Bingham and his wife, Mary Warden Bingham, during his absences while serving in government offices in Lansing, Michigan and Washington, D.C. There is also a substantial correspondence from James W. Bingham, writing to his parents during his boarding school years at the Normal School in Ypsilanti, Michigan and one year while studying at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Later letters between James and his mother were written while James was serving with Co. H, 1st Michigan Infantry at Alexandria, Va., and then in Chicago and Peoria, Ill., as a recruiting officer in Co. B, 2nd Battalion, 16th U.S. Infantry (with which he was later on active duty in Kentucky). The letters concern the attitude of the citizens of Alexandria towards the Michigan troops, the assassination of Colonel Ellsworth, the Zouaves, social and camp life, marches and skirmishes, political news of the day and the towns in which he was encamped. Bingham died of disease at Bardstown, Ky., Nov. 9, 1862. The collection also includes three letters from Kinsley S. Bingham concerning the Battle of Bull Run. Also of interest are letters in 1850 referring to John, a nephew who participated in the California Gold Rush, where he died. The Other Materials series includes political speeches written by Kinsley S. Bingham, as well as newspaper clippings related to his death and memorial, and to the deaths of both of his sons. There is also genealogical notes made by family members for both the Bingham and Warden families, newspaper clippings about later family members, letters between extended family members, and miscellaneous and ephemeral materials.

Professor of history at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan; correspondence, family materials, scrapbooks, and photographs.

The Chase collection consists of correspondence, family materials, scrapbooks, and photographs. The correspondence dates from 1894 to 1955. One folder of letters is between Chase and James Cochran in which they discuss southern and northern attitudes toward Blacks. The family materials include letters of his mother Delia to Clara and Mary Noyes, and thirteen letters of the Chase-Beach family. There are also genealogical papers and a manuscript of "Personal Recollections of the Civil War" by Delia Chase. The scrapbook series includes letters, clippings, programs and photographs. One volume concerns Wilbert B. Hinsdale, Northern Michigan University, the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, and the Chase family. Correspondents include: James B. Angell, Harriet Bates, Alberta Chase, Cornelia Chase, George W. Chase, Edna Ferber, Archibald MacLeish, Thomas Mann, Ambrose M. Shotwell, Shirley W. Smith, Isabel Van Tyne, and Alexander Woolcott.

Official correspondence, notes, and instructions received while serving as U. S. Minister to France and Secretary of War; also official documents of the Michigan Superintendency of Indian Affairs, 1819-1831, and the Office of Indian Affairs, 1814-1817 and 1822-1829, relating in part to Cass's work in negotiating land treaties with the Indians of the Michigan Territory.

The microfilm was acquired by Professor Nelson Vance Russell in the course of his research on the life of Lewis Cass. The originals of the records are in the National Archives and Records Administration. The files have been arranged by record group number which correspond to the various departments and agencies with whom Cass was associated as territorial governor, as diplomat, or, in the case of the War Department, as Secretary. The series in the collection are: United States Minister to France, United States Secretary of War, Michigan Superintendency of Indian Affairs, and United States Office of Indian Affairs. Cass's work with the Indians as governor of the Michigan Territory is documented in these last two series.

Washtenaw County, Michigan minister, local historian and public official; correspondence, sermons, and collected papers relating to the history of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, Michigan.

Except for a scattering of correspondence and sermon notes, the bulk of the Davis collection relates to the Washtenaw County Pioneer Society and to the history of Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County. Included is correspondence of Ezra and William S. Maynard, biographies of early pioneers, papers relating to the development of the temperance movement in Washtenaw County, the history of Northfield, Sylvan, and Ypsilanti Townships, Michigan; papers, 1881, concerning the First Congregational Church of Salem Township, Michigan; and papers, 1866, concerning the Ann Arbor Sunday School Convention.

The Macomb family papers chronicle the lives of an important family in southeast Michigan over a period of ninety-one years, from 1806 until 1897. The collection contains information pertaining to Major General Alexander Macomb's personal life and military career. This includes biographical information, Macomb's Last Will and Testament, poetry, and letters pertaining to military promotions, battles, legal claims, and public events. The collection also contains family letters authored by or addressed to Macomb's first wife Catherine, his sister Jane Macomb, daughter Jane Octavia (Macomb) Miller, Maria Bleecker Miller (Mother-in-law to Jane Octavia (Macomb)) Miller, associates, and later generations of the family. The majority of these family letters focus on genealogy and everyday life events.

This collection highlights a small portion of the Macomb family's history between 1806 and 1897. The collection is composed primarily of family letters, however a large portion of the collection comprises of letters and documents pertaining to Major General Alexander Macomb's military career and personal life. This includes but is not limited to a letter of intent addressed to President John Quincy Adams seeking a position as Major General. The letter also mentions the likes of Army Commander Winfield Scott, Statesman John C. Calhoun, and General Andrew Jackson. Another of Macomb's letters serves as permission and instructions to Captain Benjamin Bonneville regarding Bonneville's request to further explore the western portion of the United States, specifically the Oregon Trail. This expedition would eventually broaden the path for westward expansion. Additional materials include General Macomb's Last Will and Testament, a typed summary of his life and career, a letter to General Johnathan Williams describing the events leading up to the Battle of Plattsburgh and the battle itself, and a letter to the United States Court of Claims from attorney's acting on behalf of Harriet Macomb, second wife and widow of General Macomb.

The Catherine Macomb series contains letters written by Catherine Macomb, Alexander Macomb's first wife. The series includes six letters written to various friends and family members over a period of fifteen years between 1806 and 1821. This includes a December 10, 1814 letter written by Catherine to Maria Bleecker Miller describing her intentions to reunite with her husband, General Macomb, shortly after his September 11, 1814 victory at Plattsburgh (also known as the Battle of Lake Champlain). This victory was a defining moment in the War of 1812 as it led to the signing of the Treaty of Ghent which ended the war on December 24, 1814. The series also contains letters addressed to Elizabeth Spencer (Eliza or Mrs. Cass), wife of Lewis Cass, first governor of the Michigan Territory. Catherine also authored a letter in which she mentions Commodore Isaac Chauncey. The remainder of the collection is comprised of letters authored by or addressed to various associates and family members including family friend Henry Authon, General Macomb's sister Jane Macomb, his daughter Jane Octavia (Macomb) Miller, Maria Bleecker (Mother-in-law to Jane Octavia (Macomb) Miller)),and later generations of the family. These letters chiefly discuss family ties and contain general well-wishes and goings on.