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

This recipe book, which belonged to William D. Wilkins of Detroit, Michigan, in the mid-19th century, contains instructions for making several kinds of baked goods and puddings.

This recipe book (80 pages, not all of which are used), belonged to William D. Wilkins of Detroit, Michigan, in the mid-19th century. The first 33 pages consist of recipes for cakes, cookies, gingerbreads, puddings, jellies, "domestic yeast" (p. 27), "hop beer" (p. 31), and a "knickerbocker pickle" (pp. 53-54). The volume also contains instructions for using molasses as a preservative (p. 28), dyeing paper blue, and calculating a numerical puzzle (pp. 62-63). Page 51 includes a brief record of accounts with Ann English; one entry gives the value of a bonnet.

This collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, a typescript, and a photograph related to William D. Workman's appearance on a television program about the integration of schools in the South, originally aired on September 29, 1957. Workman received 23 responses over the following days. Writers most frequently expressed their support of segregated schools, and many also commented on race relations and other political issues concerning the South.

This collection contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, a typescript, and a photograph related to William D. Workman's appearance on a television program about the integration of schools in the South, originally aired on September 29, 1957. Workman received 23 responses over the following days. Writers most frequently expressed their support of segregated schools, and many also commented on race relations and other political issues concerning the South.

Most items in the Correspondence and Newspaper Clippings series are letters of thanks Workman received shortly after his television appearance. Viewers and listeners sent 23 acknowledgments in letters, postcards, and telegrams, most written on September 30, 1957. Though the overwhelming majority of correspondents provided positive feedback, one provided a strongly negative response. Most letters originated from viewers in southern states, who lauded Workman for his comments on the effects of integration policies on the South, and often expressed their own opinions and thoughts on racial issues and on relations between the North and South. Writers overwhelmingly supported segregation. Many referred to the right to self-governance, and a man named Ed. C. Dennis, Jr., jokingly referred to the possibility of South Carolina seceding from the Union. One woman also noted her father's service in the Confederate Army, and many writers commented on recent desegregation attempts in Little Rock, Arkansas. A few correspondents also shared their feelings, usually negative, about Jews and Catholics. Workman received newspaper clippings and pamphlets on similar topics, particularly on religious and political issues; one took exception to the upcoming film Island in the Sun, which featured interracial romances. The series also holds a bundled group of letters between Workman and producers at CBS, who thanked him for his participation in the program.

The Typescript and Photograph series contains a typescript of the "Report on Integration," which aired on CBS television on September 29, 1957, and on CBS radio on September 30, 1957, as well as a black-and-white photograph of the panel participants.

The William Eighinger ledger contains two sections: a ledger kept by a Baltimore shipping merchant between 1798 and 1801 and math problems and copied compositions compiled by George Eighinger in 1850. The accounts pertain to the shipment of goods between North America, the Caribbean, and Germany, and the copied material includes a narrative told from the point of view of a slave.

This volume contains 2 sections: a ledger kept by a Baltimore shipping merchant between 1798 and 1801 (about 105 pages) and math problems and copied compositions compiled by George Eighinger in 1850 (5 pages).

The financial records intermittently cover the period from October 1, 1798, to June 24, 1801, on pages numbered 47-144 and 188-211; some pages have been torn from the book. The accounts concern the affairs of a Baltimore shipping merchant who imported linens and other items from Europe while exporting coffee, tobacco, sugar, and other goods to Bremen, Hamburg, and other German ports. Each entry reflects a transaction with a merchant, and the ledger often records the names of the ships carrying the cargo, as well as inventories, prices, the names of shipmasters, and consignment agents' marks. The ledger occasionally includes costs of storage or insurance. On December 31, 1799, the bookkeeper recorded "postage of 1798 & 1799" (pp. 131-133). Cartoonish drawings illustrate a few pages throughout the accounts (e.g. pages 93 and 239).

The pages numbered 235-239 contain arithmetic problems, copied prose, and cartoons by George Eighinger, who received the book from Nash G. Camp on March 4, 1850. The pages, which are labeled "Compound Subtraction" and "Compound Addition," include a narrative told from the point of view of a slave (p. 235).

William E. Lewis recorded daily diary entries about his experiences in the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment from March to September 1903. He commented on aspects of life at Camp George H. Thomas, such as drill, an extended trip to an off-site firing range, and military personnel.

William E. Lewis recorded around 150 pages of daily diary entries about his experiences in the United States Army's 7th Cavalry Regiment from March 2, 1903-September 8, 1903. He commented on aspects of life at Camp George H. Thomas in Chicamauga, Georgia, such as drill, an extended trip to an off-site firing range, and military personnel.

Lewis titled his diary "Happenings of the Seventh Regiment of Cav. stationed at Camp Geo. H. Thomas Chickamauga Park." Lewis regularly recorded discharges, illnesses, promotions, and transfers. He occasionally provided background information on soldiers such as "Private Beatty," a Civil War veteran (April 10, 1903); Juan Otero, a Cuban native who was born in Spain (April 15, 1903); "Quartermaster Sergeant Crombie," a member of the 7th Cavalry during the Battle of Little Bighorn (June 5, 1903); and Frederick Toy, a champion marksman and veteran of the Battle of Wounded Knee (June 9, 1903). The diary reports officers' suspicions about civilians selling moonshine to soldiers (June 16, 1903) and a band member's dishonorable discharge and sentence to hard labor for "instrumental insubordination" (July 9, 1903).

Other entries focus on daily camp activities, which included training exercises such as the "monkey drill" and firing practice. On one occasion, the regiment held an athletic competition (June 17, 1903), and Lewis often mentioned baseball games between teams of soldiers. From late July to late August, the 7th Cavalry Regiment marched to an off-site firing range. Entries from this period name the towns where the regiment camped and describe aspects of the march. Lewis shared a story about soldiers' attempt to capture a "wild dog" (August 16, 1903).

The book has 1 poem by Lewis, "The Regulars" (March 21, 1903), and his thoughts about the human desire to experience life from different perspectives (for example, as a member of a different race) (April 8, 1903). In his entry of June 25, 1903, he commemorated the anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn.

The diary of William Ellis Jones documents nine months of service in the Crenshaw Battery, Virginia Light Artillery, by a 24-year old private. Jones describes the mustering of Crenshaw’s Battery on March 14, 1862, participation in several battles, including the Battle of Gaines’ Mill and the Second Battle of Bull Run, and meeting Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

The diary of William Ellis Jones is contained in a single volume and covers the period of Jones’ service in the Confederate States Army between March 14 and December 31, 1862. Jones apparently found the mostly-blank book on the battlefield at the Gaines’ Mill; it had previously belonged to a Union Soldier named William Daugherty. Jones tore out most of the used pages and transcribed a narrative he had been keeping into the book, but Daugherty’s signature and a few of his notes remain.

Jones’ record begins when he was mustered into service in Crenshaw’s Battery, Virginia Light Artillery, and contains brief but extremely rich daily entries describing morale among Confederates, the intensity of battle, and frequent illnesses and deaths. Jones also described receiving medical treatment for several health problems (June 14: “Feel much better this morning, the calomel acting with talismanic effect on my liver”), the execution of deserters (August 19: “…the prisoners were marched up to their graves, preceded by the band playing the dead march and their company with loaded muskets”) and meeting Stonewall Jackson (August 11: “He… looks on the ground as if he lost something; altogether he presents more the appearance of a well-to-do farmer than a military chieftain.”).

In a particularly long entry on June 27, Jones described participating in the Battle of Gaines’ Mill, covering his psychological state, the “terrifically hot” enemy fire, and the battle’s casualties. Jones’ diary is a literate and observant record of nine months of service in Crenshaw’s Battery.

The typescript of William Putney's history of Battery I, 2nd Illinois Artillery Regiment, bound and stamped in gold with the title, was presented to the captain of the battery, Charles M. Barnett, as a Christmas gift in 1897. Putney was only the final editor and compiler of the history, which was based on the recollections, letters, and diaries of a number of men in the regiment, with snippets culled from sources as diverse as Sherman's memoirs, reminiscences from soldiers in other regiments, and popular histories.

The typescript of William Putney's history of Battery I, 2nd Illinois Artillery Regiment, bound and stamped in gold with the title, was presented to the captain of the battery, Charles M. Barnett, as a Christmas gift in 1897. Putney was only the final editor and compiler of the history, which was based on the recollections, letters, and diaries of a number of men in the regiment, with snippets culled from sources as diverse as Sherman's memoirs, reminiscences from soldiers in other regiments, and popular histories. The full, and rather complex history of authorship of the volume is discussed in his preface.

In many ways, Putney's narrative is characteristic of the genre of post-war reminiscences, in its selectivity and its tendency to gloss over or reimagine certain events. It is not, however, as thoroughly sanitized as many memoirs, and presents some of the unpleasantries of military service and the war with a surprising freshness. Inclined toward a literary style, Putney balances small, humorous anecdotes, mostly personal in nature, with larger-scale perspectives on the campaigns and conflicts in which the Battery was embroiled. The intrusion of narratives drawn from high ranking officers (such as Gen. Sherman) provides some insight into the average soldier's post-war opinions on what was significant about their experience, but it is the recollections of the minutiae of service, the practical jokes played by soldiers, their everyday coping, that makes Putney's memoir so valuable.

The History of Battery I includes a roster of the battery, with brief notes on the post-war activities of each member. The manuscript maps are probably copies of some printed works rather than recreations from memory. They depict 1) Route of Battery I from 1862 to 1865; 2) military and naval operations about Island No. 10; 3) the last day of the battle of Chickamauga and the route of Battery I; 4) Chattanooga Campaign; 5) the Atlanta Campaign.

William Handy received 4 letters from family members in the early 1850s. His aunt, his father, and a sibling discussed the health and news of family and acquaintances.

William Handy received 4 letters (9 pages) from his aunt Louise (January 30, 1851) and his father, Lewis Handy (September 27, 1851; October 30, 1851; and April 14, year unknown). A sibling contributed to Lewis Handy's letter of October 30, 1851. Handy's aunt reported on her lodgings in "Rochester," where she was sitting in an ailing man's room while writing the letter, and requested news of the Handy family. She cautioned William about falling in love and wrote that she "should rather fall into a hogshead of molasses" (January 30, 1851). Lewis Handy wrote an extended account about the illness and death of his son Jason, William's brother, in his letter of September 27, 1851, and later discussed the possibility of finding work on a whaling voyage to pay some of his debts (October 30, 1851). He also wrote about his daughter Almira's fragile health and expected death (April 14, year unknown).

The William H. Sherzer Hawaii photograph album contains approximately 320 images documenting a cross-country car camping trip beginning at Michigan State Normal College professor William H. Sherzer's home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to California, and then by ship to Hawaii.

The William H. Sherzer Hawaii photograph album contains approximately 320 images documenting a cross-country car camping trip beginning at Michigan State Normal College professor William H. Sherzer's home in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to California, and then by ship to Hawaii. The album (29 x 20 cm) has woven grass covers, black paper pages, and includes numerous handwritten captions. Photographs of the American Southwest and California include views of natural features and rock formations in New Mexico, Arizona (including cliff dwellings near Roosevelt), and the Mojave Desert; the Grand Canyon; and Lick Observatory. The traveling party appear to have had their vehicle shipped to Hawaii along with them. Hawaii-related images include views of buildings and streets in Waikiki and Honolulu; the interior of a cottage; rice harvesting; scenic views of Kauai, Waimea, Mo'okini Heiau, Puna, Kohala, and the lava fields of volcanic regions; the steamships Wilhelmina and Matsonia; and a photograph of Elizabeth Lahilahi Webb outside the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. Additional images include scenes from a trip to Alexandria, Arlington, and Mount Vernon in Virginia as well as Washington, D.C., mainly consisting of views of tourist attractions as well as a visit to Sherzer's sister Dr. Jane Sherzer.

This collection consists of manuscript copies of Sir William Monson's six books on naval history and theory, written by him in the first half of the 17th century. The volumes contain accounts of English voyages around Europe, contemporary assessments of rival navies and of international trade, and stories of famous voyages, including those of Magellan and Columbus.

This collection consists of manuscript copies of Sir William Monson's six books on naval history and theory, which the English naval officer wrote in the first half of the 17th century. The cover of each book is stamped with a decoration and the letters "W M." The volumes contain accounts of English voyages around Europe, contemporary assessments of rival navies and of international trade, and stories of famous voyages, including those of Magellan and Columbus.

• Volume 1
  • History of English conflict with Spain, ca. 1585-1602
  • Voyages of Sir Francis Drake
  • Voyages of other English sailors, including lists of ships and their commanders
• Volume 2
  • History of English conflict with Spain, ca. 1588-1636
  • Timeline of important encounters with Spain
• Volume 3
  • Structure of and hierarchy within the English admiralty
  • Contemporary naval life, including notes on punishment at sea and officers' duties
  • Notes on current Spanish naval strength
  • How to fight naval battles
  • Trade with the East Indies
• Volume 4
  • Important historical voyages, including those of Magellan and Columbus
  • Voyages of Sir Francis Drake
  • Exploits of Cortés
  • Geography of Africa, inland seas, and the Northwest Passage
• Volume 5
  • A plan to prevent the French from landing in England
  • Proposals for how to fight a war against Holland
  • The security of English shores
  • Trade with the East Indies and West Indies, particularly for tobacco
  • "A Project how to Ruyne Spaine"
• Volume 6
  • Trade with Holland and the West Indies
  • "what is necessarie for a plantacon in, Lewis"
  • Notes on salt, casks, and fishing
  • "A Story of 2 Piratts" [Pirates]
  • "The favours England have done Holland" and assessments of Holland
  • The books of Sir Roger Williams

This volume largely consists of William N. Ames's logbook entries for the 369-ton whaleship Martha, Master Joseph Wheldon, January 14-March 25, 1838 (14 pages and fragments of pages). The Martha departed Hudson, New York, heading for the Indian Ocean with stops at Gough Island and Madagascar. The remainder of the volume is pages or fragments of pages for the ship Alexander Mansfield, 1832, including the poem "The Yankey Privatear" (4 pages); one letter fragment; and pages of additional accounting and poetry (9 pages).

This volume consists largely of William N. Ames's logbook entries for the 369-ton whaleship Martha, Master Joseph Wheldon, January 14-March 25, 1838 (14 pages and fragments of pages). The Martha departed Hudson, New York, heading for the Indian Ocean with stops at Gough Island and Madagascar. The remainder of the volume is pages or fragments of pages for the ship Alexander Mansfield, 1832, including the poem "The Yankey Privatear" (4 pages); one letter fragment; and pages of additional accounting and poetry (9 pages).

William Ames kept daily entries for the first three months of the Martha's voyage, documenting wind speed and direction, latitude and longitude, shipboard activities, and sightings of marine life. Multiple entries contain sightings of blackfish (pilot whales), finback whales, white whales, and birds. On single occasions, he mentioned seeing a dead whale, whales feeding, and porpoises. On March 6, 1838, he noted: "hard winds hard luck and No Whales is to hard Never mind we live in hopes of beter luck and more whales for the future."

The front pastedown bears six whale stamps, haphazardly applied (three tails and three bodies).