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

The Dyer Papers contain approximately 1,000 letters written by Bostonian Charles J. Dyer while living in Europe as an aspiring singer, along with photographs, documents and newspaper clippings.

The Dyer Papers contain approximately 1,000 letters written by Bostonian Charles J. Dyer while living in Europe as an aspiring singer, along with photographs, documents, newspaper clippings, and sheet music. Nearly every week, Dyer wrote to his parents in long, descriptive letters, and the collection appears to be a nearly complete record of his days as a music student. His letters create an intimate running commentary on expatriate life, music, and travel.

The Charles R. Underhill, Jr. collection consists of approximately 103 photographs, 3 letters, and 10 items of miscellaneous documentation and ephemera related to Charles R. Underhill, Jr.’s employment with RCA Photophone, which saw him travel around the country installing motion picture theater projector equipment.

The Charles R. Underhill, Jr. collection consists of approximately 103 photographs, 3 letters, and 10 items of miscellaneous documentation and ephemera related to Charles R. Underhill, Jr.’s employment with RCA Photophone, which saw him travel around the country installing motion picture theater projector equipment.

Many of the photographs present in this collection appear to have once been part of an album or scrapbook which may have been compiled and captioned by Underhill, Jr.’s sister, Marguerite Allare Underhill Goetz (1895-1970). Images of interest include views of numerous movie theaters, street scenes, and landscapes in various locations in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C; photos of P-2 projector equipment manufactured for RCA by General Electric; snapshots of Underhill, Jr. and family members including his parents, wife, and daughter taken in various locations during work-related travels; photos of movie theater managers John M. Bernardi (Roxy Theatre, Williamsport, Pennsylvania) and Paul O. Klingler (Rialto Theatre, Lewiston, Pennsylvania); a portrait of Harold Graffius, projectionist for the Rowland Theatre in Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania; and pictures of several theatre organists.

Additional items include Underhill, Jr.’s projected service schedule beginning June 1, 1935; his service schedule for the month of July 1931; a list of films reviewed by Box Office for the year 1933; an undated letter from Rialto Theatre manager Paul O. Klingler regarding an unknown article that had originally been attached; a letter from Ike Benny of Pastime Theatre in Lewiston requesting Underhill, Jr.’s help regarding equipment issues dated October 9 1930; a letter from W. K. Glodfelter regarding an upcoming local meeting of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees dated November 9 1931; and a broadside advertising the Rivoli Theatre of Johnstown, Pennsylvania ; posters advertising the McVeytown Theatre in McVeytown, Pennsylvania; an issue of the Charleroi Mail advertising the opening of the 1935 fall film season at the Menlo Theatre in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.

This collection contains correspondence between Charles W. Chase, Jr. ("Pete") and his wife, Harriet P. Johnson, during their courtship and throughout the early years of their marriage. The couple's courtship letters highlight social aspects of everyday life in the Florida Keys just before the First World War, and a series of letters from Charles illuminates the experience of a naval officer stationed along the Atlantic coast during the war.

This collection contains correspondence between Charles W. Chase, Jr. ("Pete") and his wife, Harriet P. Johnson, during their courtship and throughout the early years of their marriage. The couple's courtship began around 1912, and they wrote each other frequently before their marriage in mid-October of the following year. Pete, who worked for his father at the Florida Keys Sponge & Fruit Company, often mentioned aspects of his work and frequently made arrangements to see Harriet, who lived in Key West and who shared details of her active social life in her own letters to Pete. As the wedding approached, the couple focused on plans for the day, and both anxiously anticipated the ceremony, with Pete counting down the days by early October. After the wedding, they wrote less frequently until April 1917, when Pete joined the United States Navy in anticipation of the nation's entry into World War I. An ensign, he was assigned to the U.S.S. Barney at the Charleston Navy Yard, and though his military service was voluntary, he greatly missed his wife and young child, who lived for a time in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Several letters from 1918 reflect his efforts to find a local apartment where they could join him. While at Charleston and, later, Norfolk, Virginia, Pete regularly wrote of daily naval life, which he found tiresome, and about his leisure activities, which included many trips to movies and, occasionally, to the theater. By 1919, Chase, a lieutenant stationed on the U.S.S. Anniston, focused his efforts on obtaining a transfer to inactive duty following the war; his father intervened on his behalf, but it is unclear whether their efforts were successful. Pete later wrote to Harriet while he worked for several real estate companies located in Miami Beach, Florida, and also received several letters from his young daughter Sarah between 1931 and 1939.

The Chilocco Indian School collection consists of 1 piece of realia, 1 school yearbook, 1 pamphlet, 1 manuscript, 1 graduation certificate, and 107 photographic images in various formats related to the Chilocco Indian School in northern Oklahoma.

The Chilocco Indian School collection consists of 1 piece of realia, 1 school yearbook, 1 pamphlet, 1 manuscript, 1 graduation certificate, and 107 photographic images in various formats related to the Chilocco Indian School in northern Oklahoma. Many of the images are portraits of individuals, structures, and activities associated with the Chilocco Indian School; most are individual and group portraits of Native Americans, but there are also several images showing school buildings, agricultural activities, sports teams, and white American adults and children. The majority of the images are real photo postcards from the 1910s.

A total of 16 tintypes (mostly 8 x 5 cm) are present in the collection. Included are studio portraits of Native American men, women, boys, and girls wearing western clothing. Many of the tintypes have been moderately hand-colored. None of the subjects nor their tribal affiliations have been identified.

Also present are 18 photographic prints (6 unmounted and 12 mounted). The 6 unmounted prints are all 11 x 6.5 cm snapshots taken in 1920 that appear to have been taken by tourists and were once stored in a photograph album. Inscribed captions include the following: "Gold Fish Pond Chilocco OK 1920"; "Three Indian Boys"; "View of the lake at Chilocco"; "Little Girls Dormitory at Chilocco Government School 1920"; "Dairy at Chilocco"; "Chilocco OK Indian School Stadium 1920." Of the mounted photographs, there are 10 of approximately the same size (8.5 x 6.5 cm; all albumen prints) that show individual and group studio portraits of Native American men, women, boys, and girls. The remaining two mounted photographs (12.5 x 8.5 cm and 10.5 x 6.5 cm respectively; both albumen prints) are studio portraits of a very young Native American girl and a Native American boy with his mother which bears the verso inscription "T. Wolf." None of the subjects nor their tribal affiliations have been identified.

Real photo and photomechanical postcards (mostly 14 x 8.5 cm) make up the remaining 73 photographic images in this collection. Most images consist of individual and group portraits of Native American and white people, the latter of which many appear to have been affiliated with various Indian Agencies and/or boarding schools.

Items of particular interest include an image of a young Native American boy captioned "Jim McKay's kid"; a studio portrait of an unidentified Native American man by George B. Cornish; a studio portrait of a man possibly identified as "Red Fox" through an inscription on the verso; a studio group portrait of an unidentified married Native American couple captioned "New Year Eve. 08-09" in which the photographer appears to have edited the negative by painting fake snowflakes on the subjects; a group portrait of Umatilla Agency superintendent E. L. Swartzlander's children Lawrence and Inez; views of Chilocco Indian School buildings such as Haworth Hall, Home One, the Printing Department, and the inside of a classroom; and three photographs showing young men dressed in World War I-era army uniforms.

Sports-related images include group portraits of the 1912-13 Chilocco men's basketball team, the 1906 and 1915 Chilocco women's basketball teams, the 1945-46 Chilocco men's football team, and a Chilocco men's baseball team from an unknown year.

A relatively small number of postcards have been signed. Of the postcards that have signatories, there are eight signed by Samson B. Harjo (Seminole; name also spelled "Sampson B. Harjo"); one signed by "John Wolf" (tribal affiliation unknown); one signed by "Silas Beal Brown"; three signed by Chief Tishomingo's grandson Joe F. Factor (Chickasaw); and five signed by Umatilla Agency clerk Alvin Barbour.

The Alvin Barbour postcards (6 in total) are the only postcards in the collection that contain correspondence. Writing from Pendleton, Oregon, Barbour was in communication with a girl at the Chilocco Indian School named "Anna" of unknown tribal background who appears to have come from the Umatilla Agency. In one postcard with a view of a school building dated March 4 1914, Barbour expresses delight that Anna was "pleased with the pennant" he sent her and that he hopes it will "remind you of home and of the sender." In another postcard bearing an outdoor portrait of Barbour dated April 18 1914, Barbour states that he is glad Anna has recovered from an illness and that he sent her some Easter lilies. Two postcards dated April 27 1914 show images of Barbour and a Native American girl from the Umatilla Agency identified as "Ruth" taking turns sitting on a fallen tree trunk. Two postcards do not bear any correspondence and include an outdoor portrait of Barbour (signed "Yours very truly, Alvin Barbour") and an unsigned outdoor group portrait of Barbour with two other men posing on a bridge.

The realia item is a double-handled silver basketball trophy (10 x 15 x 6 cm) bearing the engravings "Chilocco Basket Ball League 08" and "Bird's Head - Escudero - Du Bois - Taylor - Jones." The trophy was awarded to "Team Jones" in 1908 after they won all four of their matches in their five-team intramural league. "Bird's Head" may possibly be Jesse Bird's Head, while "Escudero" may possibly be Cipriano Escudero (approximately 1882-?).

Printed publications include a 1932 Chilocco Indian School senior class yearbook as well as an illustrated libretto and associated program from a 1907 Chilocco Indian School production of Hiawatha. The front cover of the libretto bears the inscription "Lulu Gregory, Tonkawa, Okla."

The manuscript item consists of a three-page handwritten document regarding the "Crimson" flag of an unidentified University Preparatory School (possibly the Tonkawa U.P.S.) and its importance being "similar to that of the Stars & Stripes to the United States." The document is unsigned and undated.

Also present is a graduation certificate (51 x 40.5 cm) granted by the Chilocco Indian School in 1897 to Myrtle M. Long (tribal affiliation uncertain). The diploma was signed by Superintendent Benjamin F. Taylor, principal teacher Philena Everett Johnson, and teacher Anna D. Burr.

This collection contains 7 items related to clothing drives and fundraising efforts organized by the New York City-based Chinese Women's Association to help Chinese war refugees during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War. These include letters and postcards requesting monetary and in-kind donations, as well as reprints of related newspaper articles.

This collection contains 7 items related to clothing drives and fundraising efforts organized by the New York City-based Chinese Women's Association to help Chinese war refugees during the early stages of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945). In two printed form letters, the association stressed the urgency of the situation in China, requested assistance from "China's sympathizers in America," and specifically referenced the necessity of food and clothing (November 1, 1937 and undated). Three undated postcards, two of which are addressed to Mrs. C. C. Morrison of Granville, Ohio, have preprinted messages asking for pledge to boycott Japanese products (1 item) and for donations of clothing and medical supplies (2 items). Two additional items contain reprints of three newspaper articles about the association's fundraising efforts; these include "Racial Group Breaks Precedent" (The New York Times, April 11, 1937), "Hope for China Seen in Women" (North Shore Daily Journal, January 12, 1938), and "Church Service League Will Aid China Refugees" (North Shore Daily Journal, January 12, 1938).

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with added specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Chris H. Jorgensen, a Danish immigrant who lived in Harlan, Iowa; California; and New Braunfels, Texas, kept this notebook from 1891 to 1959. He wrote in English and Danish languages, Pitman shorthand, and some version of English abbreviation. Jorgensen used the notebook to document genealogy and family relationships, listing out birth, marriage, and death dates as well as relatives' names and locations. He also maintained other lists relating to purchases of automobiles, household appliances, and clothing, with some specifics such as dimensions, mileage, and where they were acquired. The volume includes a list of books kept from 1893 to 1958 documenting Jorgensen's wide-ranging interests in religion, literature, philosophy, and sciences. Jorgensen also included very brief diary entries from 1895 to 1908 and 1947 to 1959, primarily noting places he worked, including lumber camps and vineyards in California. Two photographs, presumably of Jorgensen, are laid into the volume.

Jorgensen's notebook features multiple lists documenting his life, such as a timeline of his life from birth to 1938 when he moved to New Braunfels, Texas. Several sections of the volume are dedicated to Jorgensen genealogy, listing out family births, deaths, marriages, names of cousins, and other notable events like his father's naturalization as an American citizen on September 13, 1887. Other lists document the type of transportation he owned, when they were acquired, as well as purchasing details and their mileage. He also listed out dates and details about goods he purchased, like hats, watches, typewriters, electric washers, glasses, pens, and more, sometimes with their dimensions. He listed out businesses and medical practitioners, particularly optometrists, he appears to have frequented. He copied some of his official documents, like licenses, his naturalization certificate, and a warranty deed. Some of these copies provide physical descriptions of Jorgensen.

Chris Jorgensen wrote lists of publications he owned or read from 1893 through 1958, including books, periodicals, and other texts. He read deeply from religious works, with several relating to spiritualism, Mormonism, Unitarianism, Catholicism, Swedenborgianism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism, Seventh Day Adventism, Christian Science, and others. Other publications relate to California, science and agriculture, temperance, almanacs and geography, education and music, philosophy and ethics, and more. Jorgensen was also actively reading literature, ranging from classics like Aristotle, Milton, Dante, and Shakespeare to contemporary works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Jack London, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jules Verne, Willa Cather, H. G. Wells, Friedrich Nietzsche, Richard Wright, among many others.

Jorgensen titled two sections of the notebook "diaries," writing brief entries from 1895 to 1908, after he moved to California. He primarily recorded the lumber camps, vineyards, and other places where he worked. He also wrote about items he purchased and notable events like natural occurrences and workplace accidents. The diary entries begin again in 1947 and continue until 1959, with brief notes about places he may have been, various businesses and purchases, and some events like the end of rationing in 1947, the 1948 presidential election, a lunar eclipse, among others.

Portions of the notebook are challenging to decipher, as they are written in a combination of Pitman shorthand, Danish, English, and a currently unidentified form of English abbreviations. Some of these entries appear to include dates and some form of financial accounting. Jorgensen appears to have a particular interest in ethnology, natural history, and books, as references written in standard English appear intermixed with Pitman shorthand entries relating to these topics. Some of the entries appear to document visits to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and another to a county fair in Iowa, seeming to note exhibits or content seen.

Several thumb prints made in ink are present in the volume, as well as several stamps used for his name and address. One features a bicyclist falling off his bike. Two photographs are laid into the volume, presumably of Jorgensen.

The majority of this collection consists of correspondence related to the families of David B. McCreary and his daughter, Sophia McCreary Clark ("Sophy"), both of Erie, Pennsylvania. David and his wife, Annette, corresponded with family and acquaintances throughout the mid- to late 19th century, including the Civil War era and the Spanish-American War era. The letters of Sophy, her husband Henry, and their daughter Annette span the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This collection (4 linear feet) consists primarily of correspondence related to the family of David B. McCreary of Erie, Pennsylvania. The earliest item is a letter signed and attested by various military officials declaring Henry Clark of Private Taylor's company unfit for military duty (June 2, 1815-July 8, 1815). The bulk of the collection begins in 1846, with most early material consisting of personal correspondence addressed to (and between) David B. McCreary and Annette Gunnison of Erie, Pennsylvania. Many of these letters contain personal and family news and document the social history of antebellum Erie, as well as David's time at Washington College and in Kentucky. Between 1858 and 1860, much of the correspondence is addressed to Chauncy G. Clark of Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania, including several letters from Homer J. Smith of Palo, Michigan, and his wife, who provided news of their family.

Throughout the Civil War, much of the correspondence relates to the 145th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, such as letters that David B. McCreary received from soldiers' wives and other family members regarding their loved ones in the regiment. He and his wife Annette also received personal letters that occasionally mentioned aspects of the war. Two letters from Jonas Gunnison concern names of drafted men (October 19, 1862) and the presumed death of "Charley," a soldier who had gone missing (December 20, 1862). David McCreary also wrote to his daughter Sophy during the war. David and Annette McCreary continued to correspond between themselves and with others after the war. They wrote several letters to their son Wirt during his time at the United States Naval Academy and received one letter from Wirt about his service on the USS Dorothea in 1898, just before an anticipated assignment in Cuba.

Much of the post-Civil War correspondence concerns Sophy McCreary, Henry A. Clark, and their children. In the mid-1870s, Sophy wrote a lengthy series of letters to Harry Beatty of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that continued sporadically into the early years of her marriage. During this period, Henry A. Clark was beginning his legal career in Fall River, Massachusetts, and received many letters from "Fred," an acquaintance from Harvard. The collection also has business correspondence dated after Clark's return to Pennsylvania, which concerns his work with the Edison Electric Light Company and other firms, as well as his various judicial and political offices. Incoming letters to Annette McCreary Clark, the daughter of Sophy McCreary and Henry A. Clark, are also present, as are letters from the younger Henry Clark to Sophy McCreary Clark, his mother. In addition to newspaper clippings, advertisements, memorial service programs, and other ephemera enclosed in letters, the collection has a series of personal and commercial postcards.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York. Among many represented subjects are the educational and social lives of women in New York during the early 1800s, legal aspects of land ownership and estate administration, and land along Long Pond in Rome, Maine.

This collection is made up of correspondence, legal documents, financial records, maps, and ephemera related to the descendants and extended family of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut; Auburn, New York; and Albion, New York.

The collection's correspondence includes letters from the children and other descendants of Dr. Joseph Cole of Sharon, Connecticut, and Auburn, New York, between 1817 and 1942. Most of the early letters in the collection are addressed to sisters Laura Altie and Mary Parsons Cole from female friends in New York. Several correspondents, including Mary Ann Kellogg and Chloe Hyde, were students at Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, in the 1820s and 1830s. Kellogg provided a detailed description of the school before its main building was constructed (June 24, 1821), and Chloe Hyde later shared information about her coursework and the lives of fellow students. Other acquaintances told the sisters of their religious and social lives in different areas of New York, including Lanesborough, Buffalo, and Albany.

Almeron and Dan Cole received letters from friends, family, and business acquaintances, including their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather. These include 7 letters by Frances M. Elliott, who wrote Dan, her future husband, in 1835 and 1836 about her life in Scottsville, New York, and her anticipation of their upcoming marriage. Letters from the 1840s to mid-1860s are most frequently addressed to the Cole brothers and to their brother-in-law, Hiram Foote Mather, about business affairs. Many regard legal matters in Niles and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

After the mid-1860s, much of the correspondence is composed of personal and business letters between David Hyde Mather, his brother-in-law George McClure Welles, and his brothers Joseph and John Mather, who moved out West in the late 1800s. Mather also received many personal letters from his niece, Harriet Prentiss Welles, during her time as postmistress of Great Bend, Kansas, who discussed her personal finances and loans. The papers also contain some of Daniel H. Cole's business correspondence. Other correspondence from this period includes letters between George McClure Welles and Lewis Hunt about Harriet Prentiss Welles's share of Almeron Cole's estate, and personal correspondence addressed to Mary Jane Cole of Albion, New York. She received letters from many female acquaintances and a series from her cousin, D. Williams Patterson, tracing the genealogy of the Hyde family to the mid-18th century.

A selection of letters from the 20th century relate to Marston Taylor Bogert, Morrison McMath, and Lizette Harrison. Between 1912 and the 1920s, Bogert corresponded with several people in Maine, regarding property along Long Pond near Rome, Maine. Other letters relate to the family of Morrison H. McMath, a lawyer from Rochester, New York. A late series of letters by Elizabeth ("Lizette") P. Harrison of Portland, Oregon, to Ada Howe Kent of California, reflects her financial troubles and emotional state during the early years of the Great Depression.

Legal documents include papers relating to the Newton and North Hempstead Plank Road Company; New York Supreme Court Cases heard between 1848 and 1894; estate administration papers; and financial documents and records. The Cole family papers contain documents concerning taxes paid on land holdings in Rome, Maine, in the early 20th century, including property held by Edward F. Bragg in Belgrade, Maine.

Materials relating to education include six checks from the 1860s made out to Phipps' U. Seminary, a 1906 report card for a student at the United States Naval Academy, and an undated "Report Book" containing two essays. An assortment of ephemeral items and manuscript maps of Marston T. Bogert's property along Long Pond in Rome, Maine, also appear in the collection.

The Cole family papers also contain essays, notes, and poetry. Items of note include an 1850s manuscript response of the County of Orleans, New York, to recent actions of slaveholding states, calling for attendance at a Republican Party convention in Syracuse; a 1925 essay entitled "The Beginnings of Modern Spiritualism in and Near Rochester," by Adelbert Cronised; a lengthy typed travelogue of India; and an essay on the history of the Isthmus of Panama and the Panama Canal.

The Cornelia Hancock papers consist primarily of the Civil War correspondence of Hancock, who served as a nurse for the Union Army in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and Virginia from 1863-1865. The collection also includes brief accounts of Hancock's experiences during the war, as well as several items of ephemera.

The Cornelia Hancock papers consist primarily of the Civil War correspondence of Cornelia Hancock (1840-1927), who served as a nurse for the Union Army from 1863 to 1865. Other items within the collection include photographs, accounts of Hancock's experiences during the war, and several items of ephemera.

The Correspondence series includes 168 dated letters, 15 undated letters and fragments, 2 military passes, and 1 fragment of cloth. The dated letters cover the period from July 31, 1862-January 12, 1866, with the undated fragments most likely from the Civil War period. Two additional letters, dated August 27, 1890, and April 25, 1892, are also included in the collection.

The great bulk of the correspondence was written by Cornelia Hancock to her mother Rachel, her sister Ellen, and her niece Sarah, during Cornelia's time serving as a nurse in Pennsylvania and Virginia; her mother and sister occasionally returned letters giving news of the family in New Jersey. Other correspondents represented in the collection include Cornelia's brother, William N. Hancock; Caroline Dod, the mother of a soldier who died during the war; and several soldiers who expressed gratitude for Hancock's work. In her letters, Cornelia discussed in some detail her work as a nurse during the war, including several accounts of specific wounds and illnesses. Slavery and the social and economic conditions of freedmen are focal points of the letters written during Hancock's time at the Contraband Hospital in Washington, D.C. Though most of the letters concentrate on wounded soldiers and military hospitals and treatments, Hancock and others often expressed political opinions, reported on developments in the war, and shared news of loved ones in the field or back home.

An early series of letters documents Hancock's experiences at the Camp Letterman Hospital after the Battle of Gettysburg, when she first noted "There are no words in the English language to express the sufferings I witnessed today…" (July 7, 1863). A few months later, in October 1863, Hancock left for Washington, D.C., where her letters document her time working with African American refugees at the Contraband Hospital. Twice, she related encounters with President Lincoln. Robert Owen, a former United States ambassador to Italy, once "read to us a speech that he read to the President one Sunday…The subject was the Pardoning power vested in the President. He said that Abraham listened with all his attention then asked him if he would give it to him and also had him promise he would not have it published for the present, said he would read and consider it well. [Lincoln] Complimented Mr. Owen, told him he had been of much service to him in many ways" (October 25, 1863). On another occasion, Hancock recounted a personal glimpse of Abraham Lincoln: "Little Meenah Breed and I went to the White House, and I told you I would encounter the President- sure enough there he stood talking to some poor woman. I did not stop him because he was in a hurry but I know him now and I shall. It is a much easier matter to see him than Stanton" (October 29, 1863). Other letters from this period pertain to the state of escaped slaves (November 15, 1863) and the state of the anti-slavery movement: "Where are the people who have been professing such strong abolition proclivity for the last 30 years[?] Certainly not in Washington laboring with these people whom they have been clamoring to have freed" [January 1864].

In February 1864, Hancock moved again to work with the 3rd Division of the 2nd Corps at Brandy Station, Virginia. Hancock was here during the Battle of the Wilderness, the aftermath of which is represented in Hancock's accounts and in a letter of Henry Child to his wife, Ellen (née Hancock), wherein he warns, "You will hear of another terrible battle yesterday" (May 12, 1864). Soon after the Battle of the Wilderness, Hancock accompanied the Union Army during their march through Virginia. Items from this period include a description of a "rebel house…The house was visited by our Cavalry guard and found deserted, also that the the [sic] gentleman owning the house was a chief of Guerillas, consequently the house was burned to the ground" (May 3, 1864, author unknown). In June 1864, Hancock spent a few days at White House, Virginia, before eventually stopping at City Point, Virginia, where she remained until the end of the war. During this period, she reflected on what had become normal experiences in the time she spent with the army: "A shell explodes every little while, not far away. About as much account is made of it as the dropping of a pin at home. Habit is a wonderfull [sic] matter" (June 7, 1864).

At City Point, Hancock continued to work with the ill and wounded soldiers of the Union army, and in many of her letters, she described specific soldiers or wounds she treated. Among these soldiers was Charlie Dod, a New Jersey native who served with Cornelia's friend Henry Smith. Dod's August 17, 1864, letter is included in the collection, as well as two notes by Cornelia relating that "Capt. Dod is now dying in my bed" (August 27, 1864) and "Capt. Dod of Henry's company died in my bed today. His mother arrived in time to see him just one day and night…The scene was very affecting and I shall never forget it" (August 27, 1864). Charlie's mother, Caroline Dod, became an occasional correspondent after this time and continued to hold Cornelia in high regard throughout the rest of her life. Another notable item from this period is an official Union army pass allowing Cornelia to travel to and from Washington, D.C.; this is enclosed in a letter from Rachel Hancock dated October 20, 1864.

By the spring of 1865, the Union army was closing in on Richmond, and Cornelia Hancock was near the Confederate capital when it fell. On April 3, 1865, she reported, "This morning we could see the flames of Petersburg lighting the skies[. I] suppose the rebels are compelled to evacuate the place. Our troops can enter now at any time…Gen Weitzel entered Richmond this morning at 8 A.M. There is great rejoicing here of course." Even better was the feeling of release that accompanied the end of the fighting: "The situation is splendid the air so fresh and altogether it seems like getting out of prison to get away from C[ity] P[oint] we were there so long" (May 13, 1865).

The undated papers and fragments appear at the end of the collection and include eight letters and fragments written by Hancock as well as five letters from Caroline Dod. These appear to date from the Civil War period. One fragment was written on the reverse side of a table of contents from the 8th volume of Connop Thirlwall's History of Greece.

• A January 3, 1866, letter of reference from Robert Dale Owen, a friend of Dr. Henry Child, stating that the "bearer of this, Miss Cornelia Hancock…is about to visit the South, there to aid in the education of the children of freedmen," and giving a glowing account of Hancock's merits.
• An August 27, 1890, letter from Caroline B. Dod, in which she reflected on the death of her son and expressed continuing gratitude for Hancock's sympathy during his final hours. The letter is accompanied by its original envelope, which was used by a later owner of the material to house Robert Owen's letter of reference for Cornelia Hancock (January 3, 1866) and an undated Swarthmore Library ticket with manuscript biographical notes on Owen.
• An April 25, 1892, letter from S. B. Dod to Cornelia Hancock, in which he explained that his mother had left Hancock a legacy in her will as a token of "her appreciation of your great kindness to my brother Charlie."

• January 8, 1864: A pass authorizing Ellen Child and one friend to travel "over Chain and Aqueduct Bridges and Alexandria Ferry, within the lines of the Fortifications"
• January 12, 1864: A pass authorizing "Miss C. Hancock team, driver, and Contrabands to Arlington Va and return."
• "A piece of the ornaments upon the flag of the 116th Pa. Vol." Verso: "Capt. Shoener's Regt." (Undated)

• A 10-page typescript with unattributed manuscript annotations. Topics include the personality of Hancock's father and an account of her time at Gettysburg, told in the first person. This text is the basis for some of the biographical information included in published editions of Hancock's letters.
• A 10-page incomplete typescript written well after the war, with unattributed manuscript annotations. The text is a first-person account of Hancock's war experiences near the end of the war. Of particular interest is a recollection that "April 8th Abraham Lincoln visited our hospital." The typescript is the basis for much of the biographical information included in published editions of Hancock's letters.
• A first-person manuscript fragment, written in the style of a diary and with a note on the reverse that the author, likely Cornelia Hancock, "would like this sent to mother and have her copy it." The note also says that "Soldiering now days is hard work."
• An incomplete third-person account of Cornelia Hancock, covering the very beginning with her journey to Gettysburg "with Mrs. Elizabeth W. Farnham, who was an eminent writer," in July 1863.
• An 8-page manuscript account of Cornelia Hancock's departure for the theater of war. The manuscript includes two slightly different copies of the same material, and a lapse into the first person suggests that Cornelia Hancock is the author.

The Cornelia Hancock Obituary is a small newspaper obituary published on January 1, [1928], entitled "Civil War Nurse Dies, Closing Busy Career." The item was not part of the original accession and was discovered in a book in the Clements Library in 1985.

• A 4" x 6" photograph on card stock showing a party of women and military men gathered in front of several tents. The photograph is labeled "Cornelia Hancock." [1860s]
• A newspaper clipping "Queen of Field Nurses at Ninety in Feeble Health," recounting the decline of Florence Nightingale. [1910]
• Five identical sheets of paper bearing the letterhead of the Association of Army Nurses of the Civil War. The letterhead includes a list of officers of the organization. One sheet is marked, "To Cornelia," and is slightly torn.
• A book jacket from the 1937 edition of South after Gettysburg; letters of Cornelia Hancock, 1863-1868.

The following card photograph from the collection is currently housed in the graphics division:

• "Capt. Charles Dod[,] A. A. Gen. in Gen. Hancocks staff. 2nd Corps[,] A.P." Portrait of Charles Dod, by [Frederick August] Wenderoth & [William Curtis] Taylor, Philadelphia, ca. 1864.