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

The Washington Irving Snyder collection contains several letters and diaries relating to the Civil War service of Washington Irving Snyder, of the 11th Michigan Infantry, and his brother, James Madison Snyder, of the 25th Michigan Infantry. Also included are several miscellaneous pieces of 19th-century ephemera.

The Washington Irving Snyder papers, 1862-1898, contain 25 items: 2 letters, 2 diaries, 13 offprints from Photographic History of the Civil War, and 8 pieces of ephemera.

James Snyder wrote the first letter on January 23, 1863, to his brother (presumably Irving Snyder), describing the poor health of his regiment (25th Michigan Infantry), his impressions of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and some orders which he found peculiar. The second letter, written by W. Frankish to Snyder's parents, is a notice of Irving Snyder's death and the circumstances surrounding it (October 5, 1863).

Also included in the collection are eight ephemera items: an illustration of Major-General John Logan; a photograph of Borden M. Hicks of the 11th Michigan Infantry; an 1864 dance card for a "May Party" held in Elgin, Illinois; an undated postcard from Havana, Cuba; an order for the 33rd Michigan Infantry during the Spanish-American War, dated August 1, 1898; and a souvenir program for the inauguration of President Benjamin Harrison. The last four items have no direct connection to the Snyder family.

The Diaries series contains two pocket diaries kept by Irving Snyder during his service in the 11th Michigan Infantry. The first contains 194 pages covering January 1-December 31, 1862. In it, Snyder described movements around Kentucky and Tennessee, duties, health, and interesting incidents in very brief, near-daily entries. He did not write between September 15 and November 8. In his March 12 entry, Snyder wrote about a visit to Sulphur Springs near Shepherdsville, Kentucky, where he was treated to good whiskey by a generous saloonkeeper. On April 11, he described his arrest of two soldiers for getting drunk and abusing superior officers while on duty. Throughout the year, he kept meticulous records of letters sent and received.

The 1863 diary contains 30 pages of very short entries, for January-March and September of 1863. In early January, Snyder wrote briefly about the Battle of Stones River (Second Battle of Murfreesboro), noting that he took part in driving the Confederates across the river (January 2, 1863). Entries become somewhat more detailed and frequent beginning September 1, including descriptions of time spent in the woods for several days, of wounds sustained during the Battle of Chickamauga (September 20, 1863), about his transfer to a hospital, and about updates on the wound that killed him on October 5, 1863, five days after his last entry.

The Washington & Jefferson College Student album contains carte-de-visite portraits of Jefferson College students and various other individuals, many of whom are identified. Several of the college students belonged to the fraternity Delta Tau Delta. Many photographs originated in Washington, Pennsylvania; Canonsburg, Pennsylvania; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Washington & Jefferson College Student album (13cm x 18cm) contains 79 cartes-de-visite, 1 tintype, and 1 lithograph. The original brown leather cover, now detached, has a partially raised geometric design and two metal clasps; a floral design is carved into the sides of the pages. Most items are individual portraits of young men, though a few pictures of women and children are also present, including a group portrait of four women and three men. One carte-de-visite has a decorative border printed directly on the card backing.

Many of the individuals pictured signed their photographs and wrote brief notes; several of the men photographed in Washington and Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, mentioned their membership in the Delta Tau Delta fraternity. A large number of photographs are attributed to George C. Gillett of Ann Arbor, Michigan; the album contains a portrait of University of Michigan professors Alonzo Benjamin Palmer, Samuel Glasgow Armor, and Corydon L. Ford; and a lithograph of the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor. A number of the other portraits taken in Ann Arbor are signed by men who took courses in medicine at the University of Michigan during the 1860s. The volume includes one portrait of a young child that may have been taken postmortem and one carte-de-visite with artificial coloring.

This volume is a record of costs associated with mortgage foreclosure cases filed in Michigan's Second District Court in the early 19th century, personal financial records of Michigan Supreme Court justice George Miles, and notes on mortgage foreclosures and similar legal cases filed primarily in Washtenaw County, Michigan, between 1847 and 1858.

This volume records costs associated with 8 mortgage foreclosure cases filed in Michigan's Second District Court in the early 19th century (20 pages); personal financial records of Michigan Supreme Court Justice George Miles, kept between May 27, 1839, and March 9, 1841 (16 pages); and notes on mortgage foreclosures and similar legal cases filed primarily in Washtenaw County, Michigan, between 1847 and 1858 (29 pages). One item laid into the volume documents the payment of costs associated with the case of Wilson & Cobb vs. Levi Rogers (February 19, 1848-August 24, 1852).

A. M. Gould, a clerk with Michigan's Second District Court, kept 20 pages of detailed records of filing costs and similar expenses related to 8 court cases, most of which were mortgage foreclosures. These include filing costs, the costs of creating copies of documents, and similar charges.

• Frederick M. Sanderson vs. Harvey Norton and others
• James E. Hays vs. Mary E. Hays
• Ormsby & Page vs. Howard Norris, et al.
• Hawkins & Wilson vs. H. H. Neff
• Miles Wilson vs. David P. Hinson
• Jagger & Varrick vs. Calvin Townson
• Levi Walker vs. William J. Moody
• Calvin F. Austin vs. Charles T. Moffett

The second portion of the volume, 16 pages, is a record of cash received and expended by George Miles, in account with Miles & Wilson, between May 27, 1839, and March 9, 1841. Miles often traveled throughout southeast Michigan, including trips to Detroit, Adrian, and Ypsilanti. One entry mentions Michigan governor William Woodbridge.

The final part of the book contains 29 pages of notes on many court cases heard in the "Circuit Court for the County of Washtenaw in Chancery" between January 19, 1847, and March 1858. Most of the cases involved mortgage foreclosures, and notes often mention the plaintiffs and defendants, motions and related documents filed, and associated fees. A divorce case related to Murray Speer of Pinckney, Michigan, is mentioned, but with no associated notes. Though the majority of cases pertain to Washtenaw County, Michigan, others took place in Livingston, Kalamazoo, and Eaton counties. The case of Ebenezer Wells and Franklin L. Parker against James Fuller, Jr., of Eaton County, Michigan, relates to land held in Ionia, and is accompanied by a newspaper clipping (April 4, 1857). Two additional items are laid in: a scrap of paper with calligraphic writing, and a short note.

This account book (approximately 120 pages) documents payments made by the overseer of the poor in Waterford, New York, to destitute men and women between January 1922 and December 1931. Most disbursements consisted of groceries and coal, though some individuals received medical assistance or shoes. Each of 569 unique entries contains the recipient's name, age, gender, country of birth, and cause of poverty, along with the amount and type of relief provided.

This account book (approximately 120 pages) documents payments that the overseer of the poor in Waterford, New York, allotted to destitute men and women between January 1922 and December 1931. Most disbursements consisted of groceries and coal, though some individuals received medical assistance or shoes. Each of 569 unique entries contains the recipient's name, age, gender, country of birth, and cause of poverty, along with the amount and type of relief provided.

Both men and women, who are represented almost equally, received allowances for reasons such as illness or old age. Some women required assistance because of their husbands' inability to provide sustenance (on account of death, incarceration, or inability to find work). Though most recipients were born in the United States, the account book includes payments made to persons born in Canada, England, Italy, France, Poland, and Argentina. Records dated from 1922 to 1928 comprise around 20 pages; the remainder is dated from 1929 to 1931.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook contains letters between members of the Watkins, Livingston, and Jay families; genealogical data recorded by Lucretia Elizabeth Hamersley Rylance; and miscellaneous drawings and newspaper clippings related to the families.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook includes 94 items relating to the Watkins and Livingston families. Lucretia E. Hamersely Rylance created the scrapbook in 1882 and included family correspondence retrieved from her Aunt Beebee's attic as well as her own genealogical research.

The bulk of the collection consists of 69 letters, with many written between sisters Susan Symmes and Judith Watkins. The letters primarily regard family news and concerns, noting health, marriages, and social visits. Additional topics mentioned include the American Revolution, the death of Governor Dewitt Clinton, the Peggy Eaton scandal, Cherokee removal, the nullification crisis, bank and tariff struggles, the anniversary of Andrew Jackson's Battle of New Orleans, the Panic of 1837, African American servants, Fanny Kemble Butler, and Austrian exile Giovanni Albinola. Letters from John Jay and his descendants are also represented in the collection. With women from prominent families penning many of the letters, the correspondence also highlights women's relationships, reading habits, engagement with financial matters, and occasionally thoughts on political affairs.

The Watkins and Livingston family scrapbook also includes newspaper clippings, a family tree, a cabinet card, a pen and ink drawing of a scene from a fairy tale, and colored pen and ink drawings of family coats of arms. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information about each item.

The volume contains diary entries and copied letters, obituaries, and recipes relating to the Watt family and the military service of several of its members.

The 58-page Watt family record book contains diary entries from several family members; genealogical information; a tintype photograph laid into the volume; and copied poems, recipes, and letters. The writings date to 1863-1865, with the exception of one 1885 entry.

Gertrude Watt appears to have written or copied most of the record book's content. The volume begins with four pages of diary entries concerning teaching and visits from family members in January 1864 (pp. 1-4); recipes for pickled cherries and peaches (p. 12); and several undated obituaries and memorials copied from newspapers, concerning the death of her cousins, James Brisbane (Company A, 7th Ohio Infantry) and Joseph Applegate (Company A, 105th Ohio Infantry) in the Civil War (pp. 18-25). Further diary entries covering November and December 1864 discuss teaching, health, and daily life (pp. 27-30), followed by a copied letter to "Miss Watt" by J.W. Alexander of the 34th Ohio Infantry, in which he informed her that her brother Charles had been captured, and that many of the prisoners lacked hats, shoes, and coats (p. 31). On page 33, Gertrude wrote an 1885 entry describing how she had suffered and whom she had lost since 1864. This is followed by a copied poem entitled "Sympathy," a recipe for jelly cake, four pages tracing Gertrude's ancestry (pp. 42-45), and three pages of diary entries, likely written by Gertrude's brother, John K. Watt(s) of the 4th Iowa Infantry, for June 15th, 16th, and 27th, 1863. In these entries, the writer described camping near Vicksburg and the threat of a Confederate attack (pp. 57-59).

The collection consists of six penmanship exercises composed between 1815 and 1817 by Eirene Smith (aged 13), Nancy Smith (aged 14-16), Mary Smith (aged 17), and Loreney Stone (aged 17), likely students in the same class in Wayland, Massachusetts. The exercises consist of copied poems entitled "The Rose," "To Eliza," "On The Seasons," "To The Lilly," "Epitaph," and "Lines Written in a Winter's Walk."

The collection consists of six penmanship exercises composed between 1815 and 1817 by Eirene Smith (aged 13), Nancy Smith (aged 14-16), Mary Smith (aged 17), and Loreney Stone (aged 17), likely students in the same class in Wayland, Massachusetts. The exercises consist of copied poems entitled "The Rose," "To Eliza," "On The Seasons," "To The Lilly," "Epitaph," and "Lines Written in a Winter's Walk."

This 32-page account ledger documents sales made by an as-yet unidentified printer in or near Waynesboro, Virginia, from 1901 to 1904. Most entries include the date of purchase, the purchaser's name/business, quantity and type of items sold, prices, and occasionally markings indicating the receipt of payments. The types of items sold include circulars, envelopes, billheads, letterheads, notices, statements, ball invitations, memos, tickets, folders, booklets, blanks, notes, reports, printing jobs, and at least one typewriter. Quantities of sold items largely range from the low 100s to 1,000 pieces. Purchasers included the Henckels, J. A. Patterson, the Stuart Draft Mill Company, the Belmont Hotel, Blue Ridge Furniture Company, Bean's Photo Gallery, Basic Lithio Spring Company, Union Baptist Church, Union Sunday School, Presbyterian Church, Crimora Mine Company, F. M. White & Bro., and many others. In July 1901, the printer received orders of tickets and receipts for a Baptist bazaar.

This 32-page account ledger documents sales made by an as-yet unidentified printer in or near Waynesboro, Virginia, from 1901 to 1904. Most entries include the date of purchase, the purchaser's name/business, quantity and type of items sold, prices, and occasionally markings indicating that payments had been received. The types of items sold include circulars, envelopes, bill heads, letter heads, notices, statements, ball invitations, memos, tickets, folders, booklets, blanks, notes, reports, printing jobs, and at least one typewriter. Quantities of sold items largely range from the low 100s to 1,000 pieces.

Purchasers included the Henckels, J. A. Patterson, the Stuart Draft Mill Company, the Belmont Hotel, Blue Ridge Furniture Company, Bean's Photo Gallery, Basic Lithio Spring Company, Union Baptist Church, Union Sunday School, Presbyterian Church, Crimora Mine Company, F. M. White & Bro., and many others. In July 1901, tickets and receipts were ordered for a Baptist bazaar.

A note on the final page states: "Nihilist / Holt Nihil Henkel."

This collection contains 3 letters (32 pages) that Thomson W. Webb ("Tommie") wrote to her sisters and aunt while visiting family members in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in March 1891. She reported extensively on her social outings, which included dances, parties, and interactions with local men.

This collection contains 3 letters (32 pages) that Thomson W. Webb ("Tommie") wrote to her sisters and aunt while visiting family members in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in March 1891. She reported extensively on her social outings, which included dances, parties, and interactions with local men.

While in Mississippi, Webb, her brother Whitney, and an unnamed sister stayed with their Aunt Alice and various cousins, who included Sam and Alice. Webb spent much of her time attending formal social gatherings, such as traditional balls, and related stories of her experiences with local men, both at social events and during visits. She also discussed clothing and food, described a ride on a "flying jennie" (March 17, 1891) and shared her enjoyable experience at a "euchre party," despite knowing that her aunt would disapprove (March 21, 1891).

This collection is made up of three letters that Weeden Butler of London, England, wrote to U.S. Senator Pierce Butler in 1790 and 1791. He commented on the French Revolution and provided news of family members and acquaintances, particularly Pierce's son Thomas.

This collection is made up of three letters that Weeden Butler of London, England, sent to U.S. Senator Pierce Butler in 1790 and 1791. Writing from Chelsea, Weeden provided news of Pierce's son Thomas, discussing the boy's maturation and, to a lesser extent, his studies. He also commented on the progress of the French Revolution, expressing his belief that reports of "massacre and murder" had been greatly exaggerated. His letters briefly mention other topics, such as finances and news of acquaintances.