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

The Committee on Legislation for the International Exposition of 1892 compiled meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and other material between September 1889 and April 1890. Under the leadership of Senator Chauncey Depew, the committee worked with the New York-based Committee for the International Exposition of 1892 in an attempt to persuade the United States Congress to award an upcoming world's fair exhibition to the city of New York.

The Committee on Legislation for the International Exposition of 1892 compiled meeting minutes, correspondence, reports, and other material between September 1889 and April 1890. Under the leadership of Chauncey Depew, the committee worked with the New York-based Committee for the International Exposition of 1892 to attempt to persuade the United States Congress to award an upcoming world's fair exhibition to the city of New York.

The Committee on Legislation met periodically between September 19, 1889, and January 21, 1890, and discussed various cities' efforts to win congressional approval for the country's upcoming world's fair. At its first meeting, the group chose Senator Chauncey Depew as its chairman and millionaire William Earl Dodge Stokes as its secretary, among other officers. Throughout its existence, the committee regularly discussed the work of the larger Committee for the International Exposition of 1892, with whom they often coordinated their efforts, and reported developments from Washington, D. C., with respect to determining the fair's location. Among other actions, the committee suggested distributing pamphlets to damage Chicago's reputation and, therefore, its chances of winning the exposition (November 25, 1889, p. 35). The group also reacted to reports that the city of New York did not actually desire to host the event.

Correspondence, reports, a drafted legislative act, and a newspaper clipping are pasted into the volume. William McMurtrie Speer, journalist and secretary of the Committee for the International Exposition of 1892, frequently sent typed letters about cross-committee cooperation and recent developments. The legislative committee also received typed and manuscript letters from local supporters, such as Luigi Palma di Cesnola of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (November 19, 1889, p. 19), other related committees, and United States congressmen. Also included are reports that William Stokes composed a 14-page printed draft of a "Proposed act of Congress" that would award the fair to New York (October 4, 1889, p. 13). The newspaper clipping, from the New York Herald, urges the committee to send representatives to Washington, D. C., a tactic already employed by competing cities (December 7, 1889, p. 83). The final item is a 4-page report concerning the Committee on Legislation's financial expenditures (April 7, 1890, p. 117).

This commonplace book contains 21 poems, 1 pressed flower, and 4 pages of manuscript music. Items originally laid in the volume, a map of United States Army encampments near Corpus Christi, Texas, and a drawing of a Spanish house in St. Augustine, Florida, are housed separately. Many of the poems relate to romance, and 3 are attributed to Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

This commonplace book contains 21 poems, 1 pressed flower, and 4 pages of manuscript music. Most poems are 1-2 pages in length, and the longest is 4.5 pages. Five poems are accompanied by epigraphs, including one in Greek from Aeschylus's Oresteia, one from a Latin elegy by Sextus Propertius, and one from Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite. The book is divided into three sections, with 56 blank pages separating the first two sections, and 1 page separating the final two sections.

The first section (24 pages) contains 12 poems, three of which were inspired by the poetry of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832). Subjects include nature, knights of "A hundred Years ago," and love. The second section (22 pages), entitled "Poems under various dynasties," has 9 poems about a man's love, grief, loss, and longing for his beloved. The third section (4 pages) consists of manuscript sheet music for 3 songs

The book came with two illustrated items. Two manuscript maps were drawn on the same page by Ann Maine Wells: a view of the "Camp of the Army of Occupation, Texas," near Corpus Christi, Texas; and a portion of the Texas Gulf Coast shoreline from the Rio Grande to Corpus Christi. The second item is an ink drawing by W. H. B. of an "Old house at St. Augustine" built of coquina stone and plaster (1857).

• First section
  • "Little Mosses, Golden Mosses"
  • "Daiduchus" (with German epigraph from Goethe’s poem "An den Mond")
  • "At the Ford"
  • "A Hundred Years Ago"
  • Untitled ("O foolish flowers!...")
  • Untitled ("It is over; let me rest...")
  • "From Goethe"
  • "Evening" (with note: "On Lake Horicon")
  • Untitled ("Yesterday is dead!...")
  • Untitled ("I drew it to its full soft length...")
  • "From Goethe"
  • "From Goethe (Book of Zuleikha)" (with Greek epigraph from Aeschylus's Prometheus Bound)
• Second section: Poems Under Various Dynasties
  • Untitled ("Ours is a simple tale of love...")
  • Untitled ("Thou art my morning and my evening star...")
  • Untitled ("Evening shades are falling...")
  • Untitled ("Winter's in love with the springtime...")
  • Untitled ("I have a little darling, a winsome little pet...")
  • Untitled ("Oh gentle, uncomplaining face...") (with Greek epigraph from Aeschylus's Libation Bearers)
  • Untitled ("Dear, forgive me if I weep...") (with Latin epigraph from Propertius's Elegiarum)
  • Untitled ("Without a word, without a sign...") (with penciled epigraph from Chaucer's Anelida and Arcite)
  • Untitled ("Ah, the fearless little heart...")
• Third section
  • "Melody" (with lyrics)
  • "Nevermore" (without lyrics)
  • "Would thou wert here!" (without lyrics)

This manuscript is a student's condensed transcription of Charles Morton's Compendium Physicae. It lacks the mnemonic verses and diagrams found in Morton's work.

This volume is a 68 page student transcription of Charles Morton's Compendium Physicae. Previous catalogers tentatively identified the student as Nathaniel Chauncey (1681-1756).

The Conesus Lake Camping commonplace book contains poetry, drawings, and autographs compiled by a group of friends who camped near the New York lake in August 1889.

The Conesus Lake Camping commonplace book contains poetry, drawings, and autographs compiled by a group of friends who camped near the New York lake in August 1889. The loosely bound, 32-page volume opens with an inscription from William Cullen Bryant's poem "The Painted Cup," (p. 1) and also includes a copy of "Of a'the Airts the wind can blaw…," a poem by Robert Burns (p. 3). Of particular interest is a cheerful and humorous narrative poem composed by a woman staying with several female friends under the watchful eye of a chaperone, Aunt Margaret, and a male "protector," Rob. The poem, entitled "Camping Out," describes each of the six members of the camping party and includes a few of their adventures as well as a hint of nostalgia (pp. 19-25; p. 10). The book also contains a series of short cheers associated with prestigious colleges, including Princeton and Yale (p. 12), and, two ink drawings of three male friends: Newton Shepard, William S. Church, and F. B. Foster. One drawing, a tree labeled "Log Cabin" and adorned by an owl (p. 5), appears to be a detail of a larger image of a log cabin labeled "Eagle Point" (p. 32). The book also contains a number of autographs collected from camp visitors from around the country.

The Connecticut Comptroller records are comprised of 69 letters to Leman W. Cutler, who was the state's comptroller from 1861-1865. Town officials corresponded with Cutler about bounty payments to families of soldiers serving in Connecticut regiments during the Civil War. Some items pertain to the taxation of insurance companies from other states and to other financial issues.

The Connecticut Comptroller records are comprised of 69 letters to Leman W. Cutler, who was the state comptroller from 1861-1865.

Town officials corresponded with Cutler about the bounty payments to the families of soldiers serving in Connecticut regiments during the Civil War. Some sought clarification of procedures regarding payments to soldiers' wives, children, and other dependents, and many provided details about individual soldiers and their dependents. Cases dealt with issues such as estranged couples, war widows, and deserters. Writers occasionally described economic hardships and stated their reasons for believing that a particular individual should receive a bounty. The letters also pertain to payments owed to the family of a prisoner of war (August 14, 1862), to the children of a soldier who had divorced his wife (December 5, 1862), and to the families of disabled veterans (February 24, 1863, and March 11, 1863). One correspondent from Concord, New Hampshire, questioned whether a 16-year-old boy's enlistment in a Connecticut regiment entitled his mother, then living in New Hampshire, to payments from the state of Connecticut (June 6, 1862). Some of the letters include Cutler's notes about his inquiries into the writers' complaints, which often required checking muster rolls and contacting military officers.

Some of Cutler's correspondence concerns other aspects of his duties as comptroller, such as a request that the Ladies Soldier's Aid Society of New Haven, Connecticut, be permitted to use rooms in the statehouse (January 15, 1863). Cutler also received 6 letters about the state's taxation of "foreign" insurance companies (those based in other states) and a letter about the Norwalk Horse Railway Company (February 15, 1863).

The Connecticut Woman's travel diary recounts the author's social activities during several weeks spent mingling with high society in New York City; Washington, D. C.; Aiken, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina.

The Connecticut Woman's travel diary (56 pages) recounts the author's social activities during several weeks spent mingling with high society in New York City; Washington, D. C.; Aiken, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout her trip, she spent much of her time at balls and meeting with acquaintances and notable figures, among them Attorney General Charles R. Devens, a daughter or daughter-in-law of Zachary Taylor, and Admiral William Rogers Taylor. While in the capital, the author and her traveling companion, Isabella, made a trip to the White House to meet Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes (p. 3). Though the diarist focused on social prestige and social customs, she reported her brief impressions of Forts "Sumpter" and Moultrie in Charleston (pp. 38-39).

This collection is made up of 8 letters that Constance and Samuel C. Lewis wrote to his mother, Elizabeth Lewis of Springfield, Pennsylvania, about life in Iowa in the late 1850s. They commented on farm work, their sons, and their health.

This collection is made up of 8 letters that Constance and Samuel C. Lewis wrote to his mother Elizabeth Lewis, of Springfield, Pennsylvania, about their life in Iowa in the late 1850s. Constance wrote regularly to her mother-in-law from September 9, 1858-November 27, 1859, while living in Trenton, Iowa. Samuel contributed to 3 of his wife's letters. The Lewis family owned a farm that produced rye, wheat, and Hungarian grass, and the letters often concern farm labor, hired hands, livestock, agricultural production, and the cost of goods. Constance thanked her mother-in-law and acquaintances for gifts and discussed housekeeping issues, such as wallpapering, and her work on the farm. She often reported news of her sons, Johnny and William, and of her neighbors.

The Constantin family papers are made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items related to the family's involvement in transatlantic shipping in the early 19th century. Personal and professional acquaintances corresponded with Barthelemy Constantin and his son Anthony of Bordeaux, France, and New York City, and the Constantins also compiled accounts, inventories, and receipts.

The Constantin family papers (1 linear foot) are made up of correspondence, financial records, and other items related to the family's involvement in trans-Atlantic shipping in the early 19th century.

The Correspondence series (around 330 items) contains personal and business letters, most of which were addressed to Barthelemy Constantin and Anthony Constantin from 1806-1809. Most items pertain to the Constantins' ship brokering business, finances, and shipments of goods between Europe and the United States. Personal letters to Anthony Constantin from his father, Barthelemy Constantin, and his brother, Simon Constantin, provide personal advice and news from Bordeaux. In a letter of August 9, 1806, Simon warned Anthony about potential military conflicts, and later letters from that year concern financial difficulties and disputes.

The Documents and Financial Records series (around 275 items) is divided into five subseries. The Accounts and Account Books subseries (8 items) pertains to cargo shipments, and 2 items also contain copies of business and personal letters. The Invoices and Receipts subseries concerns ships carrying building supplies, clothing, and other cargo between Bordeaux and New York. Fifteen printed Import Price Lists concern the wholesale prices of goods in Bordeaux and Nantes in 1806-1808. Twenty-five Inventories detail the goods aboard ships and other materials of the shipping business. The Financial Documents and Inventories of the Brig Batavian subseries includes cargo inventories and receipts of goods received in New York.

Anthony Constantin's Waste Book (8" x 12", 44 pages) has personal correspondence, poetry, accounts, and drawings. Visual subjects include architecture, a portrait, sketches of combs with pearls, and a drawing of a skeleton holding a sickle and a bottle. The Poem Book (4" x 6", 35 pages) belonged to Eloise Maria Le Comte. Miscellaneous items include an incomplete newspaper article about female heroism and a printed document, "Instruction contenant les principals dispositions des ordaonnances et reglemens applicables aux ecoles primaires de filles," as well as other items.

The Constantine Richard Schaefer papers primarily consist of incoming correspondence to Constantine Richard Schaefer of Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Constantine Schaefer papers (126 consist primarily of Correspondence (119 items) pertaining to Dr. Constantine Richard Schaefer of Indianapolis, Indiana, and to his father, Constantin. Constantin Schaefer wrote the earliest letters (in German) from Indianapolis and New York City. Prior to 1883, most of these were addressed either to "Lieber Anna" or to Constantine ("Richard" or "C. Richard") in Worms, Germany. The bulk of the material relates to the Indianapolis physician rather than to his father, and comprises both personal and professional correspondence. The letters from the mid- to late 1880s are mostly Philadelphia and New York booksellers' responses to Constantine R. Schaefer's inquiries about available titles. His friend Oscar often shared news of his life in Terre Haute, Indiana, and his cousin Henry provided updates on members of Schaefer's extended family. A few letters and postcards are addressed to Anna Schaefer.

Much of the professional correspondence directly concerns Constantine R. Schaefer's medical practice, with content pertaining to medical equipment, publications to which Shaefer subscribed, and medical equipment. The collection also has several receipts for medical supplies and notes from the dean of the University of Indianapolis Department of Medicine. The Documents series (7 items) includes a certificate giving the 1841 birthdate of Constantin "Schöefer," a pamphlet offering "Valuable Pointers" for various medical tonics, Constantine R. Schafer's credentials for the 1890 meeting of the American Medical Association, and a catalogue offering medical supplies.

The United States Continental Army record book contains weekly and monthly military returns for various Continental Army brigades and regiments between March 1778 and August 1783.

The United States Continental Army record book is an elephant folio with 98 leaves, containing military returns for March 1778 to August 1783. The volume begins with returns for March 7, 1778, for brigades "under the immediate command" of George Washington stationed at Valley Forge. The regular weekly and monthly reports document the number and types of commissioned and non-commissioned officers, staff, and "rank and file members" at the brigade and regimental level. Also present are records of any alterations since the last return, including the number of soldiers killed, injured, deserted, transferred, and promoted. Various functions within the Continental Army, including artillery, cavalry, and "sappers and miners" are represented periodically within their own tables, as are invalids. After the Continental Army left Valley Forge, the adjutant general produced statistics on brigades and regiments encamped at White Plains, New York (August 1778); Fredericksburg, Virginia (October 1778); Middlebrook, New Jersey (March 1779); and New Windsor, New York (January 1781).

On December 8, 1780, the adjutant general recorded the returns of the Southern Army, commanded by Nathanael Greene. Also included are returns for regiments under General Heath in March 1781 and for Sheldon's Legion in May 1782. The volume ends with returns for August 16, 1783, and Adjutant General Edward Hand signed the final page.