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

Volume 54 of William Sargeant's Collectanea consists of manuscript transcriptions of travel accounts and geographical and historical data about a number of foreign countries. These transcriptions are extracts of published materials from the 1780s and 1790s.

William Sargeant's Collectanea: Voyages and Travels, vol. 54 is a paper-bound notebook of 400 pages with a 7-page index of locations and sources. The volume is a commonplace book of Sargeant's manuscript transcriptions of passages from a number of published travel accounts and historical and geographical works, dated from the 1780s to the 1790s. The original authors of Sargeant’s transcriptions include men of renown, such as George Vancouver, Jean François Galaup de la Pérouse, and Thomas Pennant (see Controlled Access Terms for a detailed list of locations represented and the names of the authors from whom he copied).

Approximately a third of the notebook is a copy of parts of the "Voyages of La Pérouse." Jean François de Galaup, Comte de la Pérouse (1741-1788) led expeditions of scientists and geographers to locate the Northwest Passage from the Pacific. These three expeditions were described in the four volumes in French of "Voyages...", which was translated into English and published in 1788.

The volume does not include any indication of why Sargeant transcribed some passages versus others, or why he wrote them in this particular order. The passages discuss a variety of topics: vegetation, geological features, natural resources, climate, sea travel, and overland travel. He also transcribed material on the inhabitants' physical features, clothing, culture, agriculture, industry, and home construction.

A few of Sargeant’s transcriptions describe North America and North American people. Among them are details about the people of Port Mulgrave and "Port des Francais," Alaska (from Dixon and La Pérouse, respectively) and Monterey Bay, California (also from La Pérouse).

Jacob van Zwaluwenburg's memoir contains a discussion of his experiences during the Civil War along with an account of his childhood in the Netherlands and America.

Jacob van Zwaluwenburg's autobiography contains discussion of his experiences during the Civil War along with an account of his childhood in the Netherlands and America. He discusses his family, schooling, and religious upbringing in the Hervormde Kerk (Reformed Church in the Netherlands). He describes the ocean voyage and Erie Canal journey which brought the family to Michigan.

Van Zwaluwenburg describes his wartime experiences in the 16th U.S. Infantry, from his humorous efforts to volunteer through the end of his enlistment. He provides particularly detailed descriptions of the battles of Shiloh and Stones River and the fighting around Chattanooga. His account centers on the experiences of a private and strays little into the fields of politics and the evaluation of generals. Although there are a few geographical and chronological errors, the account provides an interesting view of the common soldier in the regular army.

The journal is in both manuscript and typescript; however, the two are not entirely the same. The typescript copy, 36 pages long, follows the manuscript copy, 33 pages long, with only minor differences until page 18 of the manuscript and page 22 of the typescript. From this point the copies differ greatly, although they cover roughly the same events. The manuscript is incomplete, lacking an ending.

Manuscript copy of a report by Manuel de Mier y Terán on Native Americans living in Texas, providing information on their numbers, characteristics, locations, and songs.

The volume contains a 54-page manuscript copy of Manuel de Mier y Terán's Spanish-language report on native people of Texas, entitled Noticia de las tribus de salvages conocidos que habitan en el departamento de Tejas, y del número de familias de que consta cada Tribu, puntos en que habitan y terrenos en que acampan , which he submitted to the Mexican government in 1828. Terán's assistant and draftsman, José María Sánchez y Tapia, produced the undated copy from Terán's manuscript. Terán's report provides quantitative and qualitative information on 29 tribes residing in Texas, including the Lipanes, Comanches, Huecos (Wacos), Tahuácanos, Cherokees, Kicapoos (Kickapoos), Iguanés, and Cadós (Caddos). He provided an approximate number of families in each tribe, detailed information on their locations, and sometimes commented on their habits and ways of life. On the Comanches, he noted that upon the death of a comrade, they killed the horse and broke the weapons which had served the deceased (pp. 6-7). For the Huecos (Wacos), he described the division of labor between men and women (p. 12). In addition to numbers and locations of various groups of Native Americans, Sánchez recorded several eight-measure songs, including lyrics, associated with the Táncahues, Tejas, Nadacos, and Iguanes tribes. In the back of the volume are an unfinished watercolor landscape and the lyrics to a song entitled "La Ausencia."

This volume contains excerpts from Walley Chamberlain Oulton's 1812 play The Sleep Walker, or, Which is the Lady?, as well as excerpts from the works of Shakespeare and other sources.

This volume (28 pages) contains excerpts from Walley Chamberlain Oulton's 1812 play The Sleep Walker, or, Which is the Lady?, as well as excerpts from other works. Pages 1-7, 16-19, and 25-28 contain excerpts from The Sleep Walker; pages 8-15 and 20-24 contain copied excerpts from other sources, most frequently Shakespeare's plays. The lines from Oulton's play vary only slightly from an 1813 published version; one notable difference is a lengthier concluding monologue by the character Somno. The other excerpts are written under the names of prominent English actors from the early 19th century, including members of the Kemble and Siddons families. The volume has the bookplate of Erastus Tefft, which has an engraving of a Native American gazing at a European settlement.

This volume, which may have belonged to a Scottish teacher, contains pencil drawings of everyday objects and notes related to instruction in art and geography.

This volume, which may have belonged to a Scottish teacher, has pebbled covers, with the title "Sketch Book" stamped in gold on the front. The first section, "Specimen course for Second Year Higher Grade," contains 6 pages of pencil drawings. The subjects include books, plants, household items, a shoe, a water tank, an umbrella, a broom, a basket, and a hand. The final page of drawings includes the note: "Complete course with interiors & outdoor work."

The second part of the volume is a 2-page chart titled "Geography. Scheme of Work," with tables of geographical subjects for students at various levels. Each month's course included the study of a country or geographical region, a "practical" subject, and a "physical" subject. The areas represented are primarily European nations; British colonies such as South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and India; North and South America; Asia, and Pacific islands. The teacher offered practical instruction in navigational concepts, the use and creation of maps, and surveying, and offered instruction on various geological topics such as the Earth's atmosphere, climate, and physical features such as volcanoes and glaciers.

This volume contains an introduction to land surveying and its underlying mathematical principles. Included are practical problems, illustrated examples, and reference tables.

This volume (174 pages) contains an introduction to land surveying and its underlying mathematical principles. Included are practical problems, illustrated examples, and reference tables.

The book, entitled "Land Surveying," opens with an introduction to geometry and trigonometry then focuses on practical surveying applications (around p. 49). Definitions, theorems, and problems are illustrated with diagrams and example problems. The remainder of the volume (pp. 142-174) pertains to surveying measurements, methodology, and tools. The author explained different measurements, such as Scottish units, English units, and the "chain," and applied mathematical principles to surveyors' practices. Many problems include ink-and-watercolor pictures of irregularly shaped lakes or fields, and several concern locations referred to as "Broom Park," "Mire Park," "Farm Park," and "Hill Side Farm." Additional subjects of study are land division and measuring levelness. The volume also contains tables of measurements. Decorative geometric drawings, done in ink with the occasional addition of watercolors, are interspersed throughout the book.

Manuscript Passages from the Greek Testament, with English Translations by Cotton Mather is a twenty-six page manuscript, containing selected verses from books of the New Testament. Some verses are in Greek, some are in English, and others are in both languages.

Manuscript Passages from the Greek Testament, with English Translations by Cotton Mather is a twenty-six page manuscript by an unknown hand, containing selected verses from books of the New Testament. Some verses are in Greek, some are in English, and others are in both languages.

Pages 1-3 include verses from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Acts. They are not in order by book, chapter number, or verse number. The remaining 23 pages contain verses and partial verses from all of the books of the New Testament except Philippians, Titus, and Philemon; most are from Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. Short phrases in many of the English verses are underlined and alongside them are Greek translations in parentheses. Although the manuscript is not explicitly subdivided, some verses are grouped by verb usage. For example, part of page 20 groups Romans 5:5, Romans 5:11, 1 Corinthians 7:37, 2 Corinthians 1:24, and others together. They each contain some variation of the verb ίστημι.

The manuscript is bound with an undated portrait engraving of Cotton Mather, by H.B. Hall's Sons, New York. A letter from Thomas J. Holmes, librarian at the William Gwinn Mather Library in Cleveland, Ohio, to J.C. Wheat, librarian at the William L. Clements Library (May 13, 1935) is laid inside the front cover of the volume. In the letter, Mr. Holmes offers his opinion regarding whether or not the manuscript is in the hand of Cotton Mather; he is uncertain.

Franz Liszt's Canzone Napolitana is a signed, 4-page manuscript musical score. The manuscript includes notations and measures that were removed before publication.

Franz Liszt's Canzone Napolitana is a signed, 4-page musical score. The manuscript includes notations and measures that were removed before publication.

The James M. K. Reed Collection consists of four undated items relating to Reed's services as an instructor of practical penmanship in mid-19th century Pennsylvania. It includes two calligraphic drawings of American eagles, one of which is holding a ribbon and flying above a feather quill. The other two items in the collection are subscription lists for students. They detail the terms for the penmanship classes and list patron names, the number of scholars, and whether fees were paid. One list identifies the locale of the classes as being in the vicinity of Patterson's Mills, likely in Pennsylvania. The other list provides no location, but notes the classes are co-taught by "Reed & Boyd" and includes several calligraphic drawings of birds and a feather quill.

The James M. K. Reed Collection consists of four undated items relating to Reed's services as an instructor of practical penmanship in mid-19th century Pennsylvania. It includes two calligraphic drawings of American eagles, one of which is holding a ribbon and flying above a feather quill. The other two items in the collection are subscription lists for students. They detail the terms for the penmanship classes and list patron names, the number of scholars, and whether fees were paid. One list identifies the locale of the classes as being in the vicinity of Patterson's Mills, likely in Pennsylvania. The other list provides no location, but notes the classes are co-taught by "Reed & Boyd" and includes several calligraphic drawings of birds and a feather quill.

This collection consists of letters and portions of letters expressing the author's affection for and devotion to the recipient.

This collection consists of letters and portions of letters expressing the author's affection for and devotion to the recipient and continually reaffirming his devotion. The letters were written around the late 19th century.

This collection is made up of over 1000 pages of notes for around 250 Christian sermons.

This collection is made up of notes for around 250 Christian sermons, written in the late 18th or early 19th century. The sermon notes occupy over 1000 densely written pages. The majority of the sermons are based on Biblical verses from Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms, and the New Testament.

This 8-page, hand-sewn manuscript volume is comprised of approximately 24 textile weaving patterns. It appears to date from the late 18th or early 19th century. The covers bear illustrations of a lion, a deer, and a man in a top hat, as well as various words and math problems.

This 8-page, hand-sewn manuscript volume is comprised of approximately 24 textile weaving patterns. It appears to date from the late 18th or early 19th century. The covers bear illustrations of a lion, a deer, and a man in a top hat, as well as various words and math problems.

• Stripes
• Pillows
• New plain black velveteen
• Diaper
• Herringbone
• Tick
• Single denim
• Eight shaft cord

The weaving patterns appear to give guidance on the orientation of the warp and weft to achieve a particular textile. The names Susan Thomas and Susan Nichols are inscribed on the inner cover, as well as North Kingston, [Rhode Island].

This collection is an undated 53-page manuscript, containing portions of the English translation of a work of organ music theory and practical application by German organist and instructor Wilhelm Schneider. The manuscript's first page corresponds to page 87 of Schneider's Practical Organ School . . . to which is added a complete Treatise on Harmony and thorough Bass. Translated and Adapted to the wants of Young Organists (Boston: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1851). Afterward, the manuscript follows a different organization from the printed work—chapter one of the manuscript corresponds, for example, to chapter two of the published version. A comparative analysis has not been completed, though a cursory review suggests that the manuscript has textual and possibly other variations from the published version.

This collection is an undated 53-page manuscript, containing portions of the English translation of a work of organ music theory and practical application by German organist and instructor Wilhelm Schneider. The manuscript's first page corresponds to page 87 of Schneider's Practical Organ School . . . to which is added a complete Treatise on Harmony and thorough Bass. Translated and Adapted to the wants of Young Organists (Boston: Oliver Ditson & Company, 1851). Afterward, the manuscript follows a different organization from the printed work—chapter one of the manuscript corresponds, for example, to chapter two of the published version. A comparative analysis has not been completed, though a cursory review suggests that the manuscript has textual and possibly other variations from the published version.

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).

This incomplete 312-page manuscript catechism contains a series of questions and answers about religious faith, including the doctrine of predestination, the creation of the world, Jesus Christ, and the form and contents of prayer. A marginal note by a different 18th or 19th century hand suggests that this is "perhaps the writing of N Chauncey Hatfield or Samuel Wh[illegible]."

This incomplete 312-page manuscript catechism contains a series of questions and answers about religious faith, including the doctrine of predestination, the creation of the world, Jesus Christ, and the form and contents of prayer. A marginal note by a different 18th- or 19th-century hand suggests that this is "perhaps the writing of N Chauncey Hatfield or Samuel Wh[illegible]."

The manuscript begins with a discussion of heaven and hell, and proceeds through additional topics, often accompanied by scriptural references. Each subject is part of a continuing question-and-answer process, often based on a previous answer, and many themes recur frequently. Several brief proverbs appear on the final page.

The White Mountains vacation photograph album contains 26 photographs taken by amateur photographer brothers Thomas Avery Hine and Charles Gilbert Hine related to a twelve-day carriage tour of the White Mountains by a party of eight travelers in July of 1883.

The White Mountains vacation photograph album contains 26 photographs taken by amateur photographer brothers Thomas Avery Hine and Charles Gilbert Hine related to a twelve-day carriage tour of the White Mountains by a party of eight travelers in July of 1883. The album (18 x 27 cm) is half bound with black leather and brown boards and gilt title reading "Chronicles of our White Mountain trip, July, 1883." An inscription inside the front cover reads "Miss Mary A. Barnard, compliments of T. A. & C. G. Hine." The album consists of albumen prints glued to thick cardstock (opposite printed text) and glued onto the facing page.

Scenic images include views of Tuckerman's Ravine, Pemigewasset River, Franconia Notch, Lake Chocorua, Lake Winnepesaukee, Profile Mountain, and Mt. Lafayette. Other images of interest include views of two horse-drawn carriages on the road, the traveling party relaxing on a dock and posed atop a boulder, and the Crawford House and Thorn Mountain House hotels. Photographs are accompanied by a printed narrative of the journey written by Ellen T. Cheever Rockwood.

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown includes included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship.

Lydia Brown compiled this notebook of copied poems, principally religious and moral in nature, sometime in the early nineteenth century. She often drew calligraphic titles and other embellishments, including borders, flowers, and leaves. Several times throughout the volume, Lydia Brown included "A E 12" after her name, possibly an abbreviation for the Latin phrase "aetatis," indicating she may have been 12 at the time of writing and the volume could have served as an educational exercise for learning penmanship. A test sheet at the end of the volume includes several practice penmanship elements, and pencil lines throughout indicate how Lydia Brown was keeping her writing straight.

• To Hope
• A Paraphrase of the Lord's Prayer
• Charity
• Safety in Christ
• Say Why!
• Childhood
• Life
• Content
• Faith
• Hope
• Charity
• Humility
• Friendship
• Fortitude
• Modesty
• Patience
• Inscription on a Clock
• Friendship
• Sunset and Sunrise
• Reputation
• A Request
• Hope
• The Rose
• Friendship
• Time
• Repentance
• Prayer
• Religion
• The Happy Cottage
• A Thought
• Evening Cloud
• Extract
• An Epitaph
• Time
• Modesty
• Extract
• Repentance
• Life
• Prayer
• The Tear
• Sympathy

This volume contains lists of Royal Navy ships active in the early 19th century, including information about each ship's size, number of crewmen, number of guns, and origin.

This volume (390 pages) contains lists of Royal Navy vessels in the 19th century, organized by type (see list below) and number of guns. Each set of facing pages consists of a table of information about each listed ship's tonnage and dimensions, total number of guns, number of guns on each deck, number of crewmen, and construction place and year; some entries contain only partial information. A column labeled "by whose Draught" contains information on vessels' origins; some had been captured from the Spanish, French, Dutch, and Danes from the 1790s to 1808, and some had noted similarities to other vessels. A few late pages note ships' locations in English ports such as Deptford, Woolwich, Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, and, in three cases, at Halifax, Gibraltar, and Bombay.

As a youth, Cletus Setley of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 31-page sketchbook around the period of the American Civil War. He created pencil doodles, pencil sketches, and pencil and watercolor illustrations of people, ships, caricatures (including anthropomorphic creatures), and a possible story narrative. One page is headed "1864 Members of Company," including Cletus Setley and other names organized by military rank. The volume has brown leather wrappers, and the cover reads, "No. 1 Meredith Henderson & Co."

As a youth, Cletus Setley of Reading, Pennsylvania, kept this 31-page sketchbook around the period of the American Civil War. He created pencil doodles, pencil sketches, and pencil and watercolor illustrations of people, ships, caricatures (including anthropomorphic creatures), and a possible story narrative. One page is headed "1864 Members of Company," including Cletus Setley and other names organized by military rank. The volume has brown leather wrappers, and the cover reads, "No. 1 Meredith Henderson & Co."

• Woman doing laundry/ holding washtub
• A person on horseback
• A building [bearing a similarity to John Setley's storefront]
• Woman holding a key next to a door marked "East," beside a small anthropomorphized quadruped
• Male performer or dandy
• Red and blue block text, "UNION"
• Ships in the shape of a horse, with men holding spears and shields
• Hunter aiming a gun at a stag
• Hunters shooting at elephants
• American sailing ships
• People and anthropomorphic creatures
• Man fleeing from dark-skinned persons armed with spears and other weapons
• Shipwrecks
• A lifeboat
• A storefront with a sign reading "JOHN SETLEY" listing flour, seed, and other dry goods
• Sidewheel steamboat
• One page of caricatures, anthropomorphic beings, women, witches, and devils
• Self-portrait, "The names of my valentines Squirt irish women & the Laundry women & to a Zouvave [Zouave] stingy man & the gallent [?]ing the [queshten?] grocer & long shanks"
• Self-portrait and building
• Sketch of a woman with a pipe in her teeth, labelled "IRISH WOMAN". On the same page is a pencil sketch of what may be a quilt block design.
• Performers, possibly for a circus or side-show

A few of the pencil and watercolor illustrations appear to relate to a story of hunters, possibly in Africa, their encounters with indigenous peoples, and a subsequent shipwreck.

The Cuba collection contains around 91 individual manuscripts (mostly documents) related to the economic, racial, and political history of Cuba largely from the early to the late 19th century. The collection primarily focuses on the indentured servitude of Chinese workers, as well as Cuba's enslavement, trade, and manumission of largely African people. Another subset of the materials relates to 19th century insurrections and filibusters on the Island, including the López Expedition and Cuban resistance pertinent to the Ten Years' War.

The Cuba collection contains around 91 individual manuscripts (mostly documents) related to the economic, racial, and political history of Cuba largely from the early to the late 19th century. The collection primarily focuses on the indentured servitude of Chinese workers, as well as Cuba's enslavement, slave trading, and manumission of largely African people. Another subset of the materials relates to 19th century insurrections and filibusters on the Island, including the López Expedition and Cuban resistance pertinent to the Ten Years' War. The collection includes correspondence, documents, business records, citizenship certificates, death records, and contracts. The bulk of the materials were created in or relate to activities or people in Havana. Others relate to Santiago de Cuba.

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