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

Back to top
Number of results to display per page
View results as:

Search Results

approximately 300 photographs in 3 volumes

The Abraham Lincoln assassination book illustrations collection consists of 300 photographic reproductions likely produced during the 1960s of various 19th-century photographs, paintings, illustrations, maps, diagrams, posters, and ephemera related to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The Abraham Lincoln assassination book illustrations collection consists of 300 photographic reproductions likely produced during the 1960s of various 19th-century photographs, paintings, illustrations, maps, diagrams, posters, and ephemera related to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The collection provides a thorough pictorial history of Lincoln's assassination and its aftermath using photographic reproductions of select period sources. The reproductions are contained in three volumes that have been grouped into five thematic sections: "Assassination" and "Flight and Capture" (Volume 1); "Trial and Execution" and "The Funeral" (Volume 2); and "Funeral at Springfield" (Volume 3). Each thematic section is introduced with a typed index that identifies images and their original sources, which are often listed in abbreviated forms. Image sources that are cited include the Library of Congress (LC), National Park Service (NPS), Chicago Historical Society (CHS), National Archives (NA), New-York Historical Society (NYHS), Lincoln National Life Foundation (LNLF), Illinois State Historical Library (ISHS), Leslie's Illustrated, Harper's Weekly, Claude Simmons (C.S.), and more. While the subject and source of each image are noted, but there is no accompanying text or narrative concerning the events. This collection appears to have been assembled in relation to the prospective publication of an illustrated book on the topic, possibly during the 1960s as a centennial piece. Many of the photographs have chapter and page notations on the back, though there are no specific references to the author or the intended title of the prospective book.

The indexes for each thematic section are as follows:

Part I: Assassination (Volume 1)
  • Second Inauguration - LC
  • Mary Lincoln - LC
  • Abraham Lincoln - LC
  • Major Henry Rathbone - NPS
  • Clara Harris - LC
  • Lincoln Closed Coach - CHS
  • Points in Downtown Washington - LC
  • Ford's Theater from the South - ISHL
  • Ford's from the North - ISHL
  • Star Saloon Next to Ford's - NPS
  • Simulated Night View
  • Playbill April 14, 1865 - NPS
  • Laura Keene - LC
  • Dress Circle - NPS
  • Orchestra and Parquette - NPS
  • Interior Plan - NPS
  • Box 7 and 8 - US Signal Corps
  • Box, Orchestra, Dress and Family Circles - ISHL
  • Stage and Box - Ford Museum
  • Full Stage - NPS
  • Diagram of Stage - From Pitman
  • Stage with Explanatory Key
  • Setee Used in Box - NPS
  • Chair in Which Lincoln Sat - NPS
  • Plan of Box - From Harper's Weekly, 4-29-65
  • Doors Leading to Box - F. Leslie's Ill. News. 5-13-65
  • Stick Used to Bar Door - NPS
  • Seating Arrangement in Box - NPS
  • Booth's Knife and Dagger - NPS
  • John Wilkes Booth - NA
  • The Deringer - NPS
  • Berghaus Sketch from F. Leslie's I.N. 4-29-65
  • Treasury Guards Flag - NPS
  • Berghaus Sketch - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-6-65
  • Booth's Spur - NPS
  • Booth's Boot - NPS
  • Berghaus Sketch - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-20-65
  • Dr. Charles Leale - LC
  • "Borne by Loving Hands" Bersch Painting - NPS
  • Simulated Night View of Petersen House
  • Room Where the President Died - NPS
  • Front Parlor - NPS
  • Back Parlor - NPS
  • Plan of the Petersen House
  • Plan with Key
  • Contemporary Sketch - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-20-65
  • The Alexander Ritchie Painting - LC
  • Contemporary Sketch - F. Leslie's I.N. 4-29-65
  • Enlargement from the Bachelder Painting - Brown U.
  • Diagram of the Wound - from Eisenschiml
  • Seringer with Probe, Bone and Ball - NPS
  • The William Seward House - NPS
  • Attack on Seward by Paine - from Hawley
  • Secretary of State William Seward - LC
  • Lewis Paine (Powell) - LC
  • Frederick H. Seward - NA
  • Paine's Revolver and Dagger - NPS
  • Paine (LC) and Sketch from Harper's Weekly
  • House Where Lincoln Died Present Day - NPS
  • Ford's Theater Years Later - NPS
  • William Clark, Occupant of the Rear Bedroom - NPS
  • Corp. James Tanner - NYHS
  • Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles - NPS
  • Secretary of [W]ar Edwin M. Stanton - LC
  • The Rev. P. D. Gurley - LC
  • Surgeon General J. K. Barnes - NA
  • Journalist friend Noah Brooks - ISHL
  • Close Friend Dr. Alonzo Henry - ISHL
  • Robert Lincoln - ISHL
  • Edwin Booth - NA
  • John T. Ford - NPS
  • Dr. Charles A. Leale - Nat. Lib. Medicine
  • Kirkwood House - C.S.
  • John Nicolay, Lincoln, John Hay - NPS
  • The Fatal Deringer - NPS

Part II: Flight and Capture (Volume 1)
  • Rear of Ford's - NPS
  • Escape from Theatre - NPS
  • Area Behind Ford's - NPS
  • Assumed Flight Through City - NPS
  • Anacostia Bridge - NPS
  • Distant View - LC
  • Flight to Garrett's Farm - NPS
  • Surratt House, Surrattsville - NPS
  • Road from Surrattsville - NPS
  • Dr. Mudd's House - NPS
  • Bedroom at Dr. Mudd's, Dr. Mudd
  • Path to Zekiah Swamp - C.S.
  • St. Mary's Bryantown - C.S.
  • Samuel Cox Residence - NPS
  • Bryantown Hotel - NPS
  • Thomas Jones - NPS
  • Thomas Jones House - NPS
  • Old Brawner House, Pt. Tobacco - NPS
  • Pages from Booth's Diary - NPS
  • Believed Departure Place Potomac - C.S.
  • Dents Meadow - NPS
  • Crossing the Potomac - Baker's Book
  • Mrs. Quesenberry's House - NPS
  • Dr. Stewart's Home - C.S.
  • Remains of Dock, Port Conway - C.S.
  • The William Lucas Cabin - NPS
  • Historical Marker - C.S.
  • A Controversial Poster - NPS
  • Col. Baker, Lt. Baker, L. C. Conger - NYHS
  • Lt. E. P. Doherty - NPS
  • Col. Lafayette Baker - NA
  • Boston Corbett, Lt. Doherty - NA
  • Boston Corbett - LC
  • Garrett's House - NPS
  • Goldman Inn, Bowling Green - C.S.
  • Highly Imaginative Sketch
  • Contemporary Sketch - NPS
  • Plan of Garrett's Yard - NPS
  • Removal of Booth from Barn - CHS
  • As above - from Frank Leslie's Ill. Mag.
  • Booth's Death - from Baker's Book
  • Booth's Guns Found in Barn - NPS
  • Booth's Revolver - NPS
  • Booth's Compass - NPS
  • Keys Found on His Body - NPS
  • Pictures on His Body - NPS
  • " " " "
  • " " " "
  • Returning With Booth's Body - NPS
  • Post-mortem on the Montauk - NPS
  • Surious Burial - from F. Leslies Ill. Mag
  • Burial of Booth - from Baker's Book
  • Paine's Pickaxe - NPS
  • Arrest of Paine at Mrs. Surratt's - NPS
  • Boston Corbett - Boston U.

Part III: Trail and Execution (Volume 2)
  • Old Capitol Prison - NPS
  • Monitor "Saugus" - NA
  • Transferring the Prisoners - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-26-65
  • Arrival at the Old Penitentiary - NPS
  • Cell Block - Harper's Weekly 7-8-65
  • Paine Hooded - F. Leslie's 5-27-65
  • Lewis Paine - LC
  • George Atzerodt - LC
  • David Herold - LC
  • Sam Arnold - LC
  • Michael O'Luaghlin - LC
  • Edmond Spangler - LC
  • Dr. Samuel Mudd - NPS
  • Mary Surratt - LC
  • Sketch Surratt House - NPS
  • Mrs. Surratt's House - LC
  • Floor Plan Courtroom - from Pitman
  • The Conspirators - LC
  • Scene at the Trial - Harpers W. 6-10-65
  • The Courtroom - LC
  • The Military Commission - LC
  • The Commission sketch - NPS
  • Some Members of the Commission - NA
  • " " " - NA
  • " " " - NA
  • Judge Joseph Holt - NA
  • Reverdy Johnson - NA
  • Maj. Gen. Thomas Ewing, Jr. - LC
  • Attorneys John Clampitt, William E. Doster
  • Benn Pitman - LC
  • Louis Wiechmann - NPS
  • Booth's Note for Andrew Johnson - NPS
  • Spangler's Rope - NPS
  • Howard's Livery Stable - LC
  • Incriminating Picture from Surratt House - NPS
  • Senator James Lane - NA
  • Senator Preston King - NA
  • President Andrew Johnson - NA
  • Anna Surratt - NA
  • Remodeled Old Penetentiary - C.S.
  • Father Jacob A. Walter - NA
  • Prison Scenes from Old Print
  • Before the Execution - LC
  • The Graves - LC
  • Awaiting the Prisoners - LC
  • Reading the Orders - LC
  • Adjusting the Nooses - LC
  • Final Scene - LC
  • Mary Surratt Plaque - from Confederate Museum
  • Mary Surratt's Grave - C.S.
  • Fort Jefferson Dry Tortugas - NA
  • Tunnel at Fort Jefferson - NPS
  • Dr. Mudd Plaque at Fort Jefferson - NPS
  • Old and New Gravestones for Dr. Mudd - C.S.
  • Spangler's Grave at St. Peter's - C.S.
  • Booth's Grave, Greenmount Cemetery, Baltimore
  • John Wilkes Booth - Mus. City of New York
  • John Surratt as a Papal Guard - LC
  • Joh[n] Surratt - LC
  • Returning John Surratt for Trial - Harper's W. 2-19-67
  • David Herold. an early photo - NA

Part IV: The Funeral (Volume 2)
  • Abraham Lincoln - LC
  • The White House - LC
  • The Capitol - LC
  • The East Room - NPS
  • Services in the East Room - Harper's W. 5-6-65
  • Pass Funeral Service Contemporary sketch
  • Draped Treasury Building - NYHS
  • The Casket - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-13-65
  • Washington Hearse - LC
  • The Procession - F. Leslie's I.N. 5-6-65
  • " "
  • The Procession Forming - NPS
  • " " - LC
  • Turning Into Pennsylvania Ave. - Harper's W. 5-6-65
  • The Procession - London Illustrated News
  • Route of the Funeral Train - LNLF
  • Willie Lincoln - ISHL
  • The Funeral Coach - NPS
  • Interior of Car - NPS
  • At Harrisburg - ISHL
  • The State House Harrisburg - CHS
  • Train at Harrisburg - LNLF
  • The Train at Philadelphia - ISHL
  • The Philadelphia Hearse - LNLF
  • Independence Hall - from Peterson
  • Philadelphia - ISHL
  • Philadelphia Scene - ISHL
  • The Philadelphia Hearse - CHS
  • Scenes at Philadelphia - NA
  • " "
  • Portion of Train in Railroad Yards - LNLF
  • Crossing the Ferry to New York - from Valentine
  • Arrival in New York - from Valentine
  • The Procession Forming New York - NYHS
  • " " " "
  • New York City Hall - LNLF
  • At the City Hall - LNLF
  • The Body at City Hall - ISHL
  • New York Procession - ISHL
  • " " " "
  • The New York Hearse - LC
  • Death Certificate - NPS
  • Scene at New York - NYHS
  • Scenes in New York - from Valentine
  • " " " " "
  • Notice of Ceremony Lincoln, Illinois - ISHL
  • The Arch at Sing Sing - NPS
  • After the Procession at Albany - Albany Institute
  • Buffalo Hearse - Buffalo & Erie Co. Hist. Soc.
  • Procession at Buffalo " " " " "
  • " " " " " " " "
  • Monument Park Cleveland - CHS
  • At Cleveland - CHS
  • Scene at Cleveland Contemporary sketch
  • Cleveland - LNLF
  • Cleveland - LNLF
  • Monument Park - LNLF
  • At the State House Columbus ISHL
  • Procession at Columbus - LNLF
  • Funeral Arch Indianapolis - LNLF
  • Hearse and Horses Indianapolis - LNLF
  • Hearse and Casket Indianapolis - LNLF
  • Hearse and Casket Indianapolis - LNLF
  • Stop at Michigan City - LNLF
  • Typical Smalltown Depot - ISHL
  • Train at Chicago Illinois Cent. RR
  • Removal of Coffin Chicago Cont. Sketch
  • The Chicago Arch - LC
  • Chicago Procession - Harper's Weekly 5-27-65
  • Entering the City Hall - CHS
  • The People at City Hall - CHS
  • The Catafalque in City Hall - Harper's W. 5-20-65
  • Chicago & Alton Locomotive No. 57. - ISHL
  • Railroad Timetable, Chicago to Springfield - ISHL
  • Notice of Observance Ilion
  • Memorial Paradeat San Francisco - Soc. of Calif. Pioneers
  • Memorial Service at Bloomington - CHS
  • Services in London, England - London Ill. News May 1865

Part V: Funeral at Springfield (Volume 3)
  • The Chicago Delegation - ISHL
  • Lincoln Herndon Law Office - Georg Studio
  • Illinois State House - ISHL
  • The Unused Tomb - ISHL
  • Draped Lincoln Home - ISHL
  • Draped Lincoln Parlor - ISHL
  • Official Pass - ISHL
  • Just Completed Catafalque - ISHL
  • Second View Catafalque - ISHL
  • Filing Into State House - ISHL
  • Waiting to Enter - ISHL
  • Across from the State House - ISHL
  • Filing Past the Catafalque - Harper's Weekly 5-27-65
  • Front of Lincoln Home - NPS
  • "Old Bob" - ISHL
  • Draped House and Horse
  • Order of Procession to Oak Ridge - ISHL
  • The Borrowed St. Louis Hearse - ISHL
  • The Forming Procession - LNLF
  • Route of the Procession
  • Plan of Oak Ridge - ISHL
  • The Gate at Oak Ridge - ISHL
  • General View of Oak Ridge - ISHL
  • Awaiting the Procession - NYHS
  • The Temporary Tomb - ISHL
  • The Services - ISHL
  • Contemporary Sketch
  • Directors of the Monument Association - ISHL
  • Closeup of the Vault - ISHL
  • Interior of the Temporary Tomb - ISHL
  • The Present Tomb - Ill. Inf. Ser.
  • Exterior of Present Tomb - Georg Studio
  • Mary Todd Lincoln - NPS
  • Thomas (Tad) Lincoln - ISHL
  • Bishop Simpson - ISHL
  • Interior of Catacomb as left by Thieves (From John Carroll Power)
  • Funeral Procession Entering Oak Ridge Cemetery - NYHS

1 result in this collection

10 items

This collection is made up of ten items, mostly correspondence, written by or about Adlai Ewing Stevenson (1835-1914) and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (1900-1965).

This collection is made up of ten items, mostly correspondence, written by or about Adlai Ewing Stevenson (1835-1914) and Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (1900-1965).

Visual material includes one press photograph by Ed Walston of Adlai Ewing Stevenson II with President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and one woodblock print of Adlai E. Stevenson II by Jacob Steinhardt.

Please see the box and folder listing below for more details about each item in the collection.

1 result in this collection

0.75 linear feet

The African American and African Diaspora Collection is comprised largely of individual letters, documents, and other manuscript items relating to slavery, abolition movements, and aspects of African American life, largely dating between 1781 and 1865.

The African American and African Diaspora Collection is comprised largely of individual letters, documents, and other manuscript items relating to slavery, abolition movements, and aspects of African American life, largely dating between 1781 and 1865. Topics addressed in the letters and documents include the experiences and work of enslaved persons in the North and South; the buying and selling of enslaved men, women, and children; participation in the French and Indian War, American Revolution, and Civil War of African descended persons; abolitionists and abolition societies; the American Colonization Society; the lives of formerly enslaved persons; African American education; and many other subjects. For details on each document, see the inventory located under "Detailed Box and Folder Listing"

1 result in this collection

0.75 linear feet

The Albert E. St. Germain collection contains correspondence, military documents, and other items relating to the St. Germain family. The bulk of the collection pertains to Albert St. Germain's service in the United States Army's press service in Europe during and just after World War I.

The Albert E. St. Germain collection (over 190 items) contains correspondence, military documents, and other items relating to the St. Germain family. The bulk of the collection pertains to Albert St. Germain's service in the United States Army's press division in Europe during and just after World War I.

The Correspondence series (28 items) is made up of personal letters related to members of the St. Germain family. Sisters Clarinda (1 item) and M. Clementina (8 item) wrote French-language letters to their parents from the Convent of Mercy in Meriden, Connecticut, between 1894 and 1900. Other convent correspondents included Sister Teresa, who invited the St. Germain family to a ceremony (August 10, 1896), and Sister M. Augustine, who sent a telegram about Sister Clementina's death in November 1900. A woman named "Leontina" wrote 4 letters to Leon St. Germain from Québec in 1905.

Albert E. St. Germain wrote 6 letters to his mother and 2 letters to his brother Oscar while serving in the United States Army in France during and immediately after World War I. He described his travels in France and discussed some of his duties in the press section. In 1919, an acquaintance named J. Morgan wrote Albert St. Germain a personal letter and a letter of recommendation. Later correspondence includes a letter that one of Albert's children wrote to him in 1959, a letter about the 50 reunion of the Bulkeley High School class of 1914, and a World War II-era greeting card from the South Pacific.

The Documents series is divided into two subseries. Military Documents (97 items) are mostly comprised of news bulletins and intelligence summaries providing details about the Allied war effort in France from September 1918-November 1918, as well as 2 copies of Gerald Morgan's recollections about service as Chief Field Censor for the American Expeditionary Forces, written in February 1919. Department of Labor and Personal Documents (15 items) include intelligence tests, Albert St. Germain's employment history, a blank naturalization form, documents related to Leon St. German's estate, and documents regarding field stations during World War II.

The Photographs series (3 items) contains 2 formal card photograph portraits of an unidentified couple and of Albert E. St. Germain, as well as a photograph of Albert E. Saint Germain, in uniform, shaking hands with a French soldier. The latter photograph is enclosed with a copy of the New York newspaper that ran the photograph on August 4, 1918.

The Writings and Pencil Sketch series is comprised of 7 copies of stories that Albert E. St. Germain wrote around the World War I era. The writings include an account of his interactions with a French citizen during the war, a camping trip, and various other subjects; some of the drafts have manuscript notes. The collection has duplicate copies of 2 stories. The series includes a pencil drawing of "Le Vieux Moulin."

The Printed Items series (29 items) is divided into four subseries:
  • The Cards and Currency subseries (4 items) consists of 3 business cards of Albert E. St. Germain and a French banknote.
  • The Maps subseries (5 items) contains printed maps of the Moselle River, the Rhine River, and Bar-le-Duc, France; one of the Rhine River maps was produced for members of the army of occupation. Also included is a blueprint map of properties that Leon St. Germain owned in Waterford, Connecticut.
  • The Pamphlets subseries (6 items) has the following items: a retrospective and commencement program related to the Bulkeley School class of 1914, a cover from a copy of The Louis Allis Messenger, a page from a printed recipe book, a pamphlet about the United States flag, and a copy of the United States Constitution with additional information for use in passing the country's citizenship examination.
  • The Newspapers subseries (13 items) contains around 10 articles about World War I, the Bulkeley School, Albert E. St. Germain, and army censorship. The newspaper articles originate from papers in Connecticut and France. Three copies of The Stars and Stripes, dated 1918, are also present.

The Address Book and Fragments series (14 items) includes manuscript, typed, and printed fragments, and an address book that Albert St. Germain owned while working for the United States Department of Labor.

The Artifacts series consists of a brown leather satchel.

1 result in this collection

1 linear foot

The Alexander family papers document the family, life, and early career of pianist Margaret June Alexander (also known as Vonya Alexandre) throughout the early 1900s. The collection is made up of two journals kept by her mother, Myrilla M. Anderson, plus letters, writings, artwork, family photographs, printed programs, sheet music, and other materials related to this Decatur County and Indianapolis, Indiana, family.

The Alexander family papers document the family, life, and early career of pianist Margaret June Alexander (also known as Vonya Alexandre) throughout the early 1900s. The collection consists of two journals kept by her mother, Myrilla M. Anderson, plus approximately 1 linear foot of letters, writings, artwork, family photographs, printed programs, sheet music, books, newspaper clippings, and other materials related to this Decatur County and Indianapolis, Indiana, family.

Margaret's mother, Myrilla Anderson Alexander, wrote two journals during Margaret's early life and stages of her musical career. The first, kept between 1894 and 1896, documents Myrilla's experiences during Margaret's infancy and a list of musical lessons, associated fees, and required books. The second journal covers 1907 to 1917, and focuses primarily on Margaret's musical performances, complemented by enclosed newspaper clippings, correspondence, and programs.

The Alexander family papers include Myrilla M. Anderson Alexander's sketchbook of ink, watercolor, and charcoal illustrations. A hand bound book appears in the collection, written for Myrilla Alexander by R. E. Sylvester, which contains poetry and sketches.

The collection includes 4 letters by Myrilla Alexander, picture postcards, calling cards, 2 blank living wills from the state of Florida, and a 1945 marriage certificate for Carl F. Grouleff and Vonya Kurzhene. A typed document titled "Remembrances of Anna Stover and Edith Surbey" recounts the friends' lives from their early education through their ongoing religious charity work. Other items include a handwritten description of Margaret June Alexander's 1913 performance at Carnegie Hall, a list of quotations, and a certificate regarding the eligibility of Mary Alexander Tarkington and Caroline Anderson Haugh to join the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Approximately 110 photographs depict Margaret June Alexander, her performance partner Mischel Kurzene, and members of the Alexander, Anderson, and Tarkington families. An address book kept by Myrilla Alexander includes addresses and birthdays of family and friends.

The collection's printed items include programs for musical events, sheet music, newspaper clippings, and two books. Approximately 50 programs reflect Margaret June Alexander's musical career between 1907 and 1927. Obituaries for members of the Alexander and Tarkington families appear within the collection's newspaper clippings. Multiple copies of an undated, printed advertisement for "Dr. Alexander's Effervescing Headache Powders" are also present. The collection's 2 books are G. W. H. Kemper's A Medical History of the State of Indiana (Chicago: American Medical Association Press, 1911) and Joseph Tarkington's Autobiography of Rev. Joseph Tarkington (Cincinnati: Curts & Jennings, 1899).

1 result in this collection

28 items

The Allaire-Gibbons papers contain letters, receipts, and other material related to the early steamboat industry and, more specifically, to the 19th-century business affairs of James P. Allaire, Thomas Gibbons, and William Gibbons.

The Allaire-Gibbons papers contain letters, receipts, and other material related to the early steamboat industry and, more specifically, to the 19th-century business affairs of James P. Allaire, Thomas Gibbons, and William Gibbons.

The Correspondence series (16 items) consists primarily of business correspondence addressed to Thomas Gibbons, William Gibbons, and James P. Allaire. The earlier material in the series (1822-1837) is related to the Gibbons family's business affairs and often pertains to the legal disputes between Thomas Gibbons and Aaron Ogden. These include several letters from William Gibbons to his father, in which he discusses the impending court case as well as his own personal affairs. The majority of the series consists of later material (1837-1849) related to James P. Allaire's business interests, including the manufacture of steamboat engines. Interspersed with these items are receipts for parts related to Allaire's industrial operations.

The Documents series (12 items) contains receipts related to steamboats owned by James P. Allaire as well as 20th-century material about the early steamboat industry and the town of Allaire, New Jersey. The series includes 5 receipts for steamboat supplies (1828; 1856), including material for the Swan, the Thistle, and the Emerald, all Gibbons-owned ships whose engines were supplied by Allaire. The series also includes a document signed by the crew of the Swan affirming the receipt of their wages for April 1828. Later material in the collection includes two postcards of watercolor pictures of Allaire, New Jersey, and two articles, from the Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society (January 1949) and American Heritage (October 1963), respectively. These relate to the early steamboat business, and to the role of Thomas Gibbons in its development.

1 result in this collection

Approximately 2 linear feet

The Benjamin Brown collection is made up of correspondence, documents, and artifacts related to the showman's career as a circus owner in the early 1800s. Many of the letters relate to his journey to Egypt between 1838 and 1840, as he attempted to procure giraffes for an American menagerie company; to his other travels; and to the contemporary American circus industry.

The Benjamin Brown collection is made up of correspondence, documents, and artifacts related to the showman's career as a circus owner in the early 1800s.

Letters, documents, and printed materials concern Brown's early ventures as a show owner, including correspondence and financial records pertaining to his travels in the Caribbean and to the northeast coast of South America in the early 1830s. These materials document the difficulties of transporting exotic animals by sea, the type of equipment necessary to run a circus, and other logistical issues.

A later group of letters and documents reflects Brown's experiences in Egypt, where he traveled as an agent of the June, Titus, Angevine & Company, attempting to purchase giraffes. Many of these letters are from Stebbins B. June, who was also in Egypt at the time, and several items relate to George R. Gliddon, United States consul in Cairo. Brown's friend Gerard Crane wrote about Brown's business affairs in New York, and frequently reported the increasingly frail health of Brown's father. Benjamin Brown received a letter from P. T. Barnum, who asked him to find a pair of fortune tellers for Barnum's museum. He also inquired about locating a pony small enough to accommodate his performer Tom Thumb (June 29, 1843). While in London, Brown frequently received letters from his sister, Eudocia Brown Noyes, who wrote of the Brown family farm and provided other news from Somers, New York.

The collection includes playbills and broadsides advertising Brown's circus; Brown's marriage license (March 20, 1841); a pencil sketch of Brown; two passports; and three fragments of an Arabic-language scroll, offering protection to the bearer. Later material includes newspaper clippings from 1879, 1880, and 1931, on Brown's life and career, as well as an audio tape of an interview with his grandson, Benjamin Brown.

Box 2 of the collection includes correspondence, documents, printed items, photographs, and audio recordings related to the history of Benjamin Brown, the circus, and Somers, New York. Principally organized around the career and research of Carrie Brown Rorer (1903-1969), President of the Somers Historical Society and Benjamin F. Brown's great-grandaughter, the material provides insight into public history, memory, and research on the circus. Included is a typed document, "Circus History: Recollections by Benjamin Brown (1877-1962) as told to Carrie Brown Roher, (1903-1969), who was one of his three daughters," which details memories of Benjamin F. Brown and family stories about him.

Benjamin Brown acquired clothing and artifacts, including the following:
  • Two shoes, [1800s]
  • Burnoose, [1800s]
  • Black circus jacket, [1800s]
  • Pipe stem and bowl
  • Two rocks
  • Fragments from an ostrich eggshell
  • Canopic jar lid
  • Two small boxes
  • Ushabti figure
  • Harpocrates figure

The Egyptian figures may date to around 600 BCE.

1 result in this collection

25 items

The Bing Crosby collection includes 21 letters and documents from Crosby's professional and personal life, three photographs or photograph reproductions, and one autograph musical quotation. Most letters and documents are in regards to Crosby's film projects during the 1940s and 1950s, especially White Christmas (1954).

The Bing Crosby collection includes 21 letters and documents from Crosby's professional and personal life, three photographs or photograph reproductions, and one autograph musical quotation. Most letters and documents are in regards to Crosby's film projects during the 1940s and 1950s. Multiple documents pertain to the film White Christmas, including a letter confirming the early script approval by the Paramount Picture Company, and a planning document for the presentation of names in the credits.

See the box and folder listing below for details about each item in the collection.

1 result in this collection

90 items

The Bleecker Houston papers consist of papers and photographs which pertain to Houston's service in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II.

The Bleecker Houston papers consist of 90 items all of which pertain to her service in the Women's Army (Auxiliary) Corps during World War II. The collection consists of 49 photographs, four photograph negatives, 32 military papers, and five miscellaneous items. The photographs include five of Bleecker Houston herself, four military photographs (including an encampment, a photo of a group of soldiers, red cross vehicle, and a prop plane), 12 photographs of Douglas MacArthur and several other officials, three photographs of the signing of the surrender of Japan, four scenic photos taken in London, and 18 photographs (of photographs) of the sinking of the Bismarck.

Houston's military papers contain 15 documents pertaining to her duties and five documents regarding her training and enlistment in the WAAC. Sergio Osmana and Douglas MacArthur authored 5 documents to the people of the Philippines to provide assurance and to induce a fighting spirit. In a General Order, MacArthur expresses his appreciation to his troops, staff, and the Philippine people. Two documents pertain to Houston's son, John Thomas Simmons Jr., and one pertains to John T. Simmons.

In addition, the collection includes a manuscript piece of sheet music "Women's Army Corps," a certificate of appreciation from St. Mary's County Commission for Women, and two V-mail political cartoons from John Simmons to Houston. The five miscellaneous items include three newspaper clippings related to Bleecker Houston, and two pieces of Japanese currency used by the military.

1 result in this collection

351 pages

The Box Butte County (Nebraska) jail record, kept by the sheriff, is a register of prisoners' names, infractions, dates of residency, disposition, and related financial accounting from 1887 to 1966.

The jail record for Box Butte County begins in October 14, 1887 and concludes February 14, 1966. The ledger, maintained by the Sheriff, is divided into two parts: first, an incomplete alphabetical register of defendants, and secondly, a chronological record of prisoner's names, crimes, dates of residency, disposition, and financial accounting. The ledger records a variety of infractions, such as drunk and disorderly behavior, assault, adultery, rape, robbery, theft, forgery, gambling, destroying railroad property, and illegal train-riding. The early, less populated years seem to have been fairly free of crime, with only five partial pages devoted to the entire span from 1887 to 1901. The few crimes that were reported are generally very minor in nature.

During Prohibition, the preponderance of crime related to the production, distribution, and consumption of alcohol (e.g. bootlegging, drunkenness, possession of still, and sale of liquor to Indians) With the advent of the automobile, the infractions include moving violations, such as speeding, driving without lights, driving without a license, reckless driving, "joy riding", driving while intoxicated, and auto theft (replacing horse-stealing). At lease two persons, one with Hispanic surname, were jailed for possession of marijuana (1948 and 1950). Given the paucity of data, it is difficult to identify any clear patterns of change in criminal behavior, however, during and after the Second World War, the number of offenders with Native American names appears to increase significantly, perhaps reflecting a trend toward integration into town life.

1 result in this collection