Collections

The collection is arranged into three small series: Correspondence, Studley Family, and Other Papers. Included in the collection is a scattering of correspondence, diaries, 1860 and 1873, of trip in Florida and Europe, a scrapbook, and newspaper clippings concerning the activities of the Studley family, 1855-1910.

Ann Arbor, Michigan attorney, American consul in British Guiana in 1905, and U.S. Congressman, 1911-1913. Political and business correspondence, notes and addresses, and other materials relating to his business interests and political career; also papers concerning his trips to Alaska, British Guiana, and Panama.

The Wedemeyer collection includes political and business correspondence, notes and addresses, and other materials relating to his business interests and political career. There are also papers concerning his trips to Alaska, British Guiana, and Panama. Some of his correspondents included Russell A. Alger, James B. Angell, Gerrit J. Diekema, Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Harrison, Frank Knox, Charles E. Townsend, James Schermerhorn, Henry C. Smith, and Fred M. Warner.

Internationally recognized librarian; director of the University of Michigan Library. Correspondence and subject files relating to professional activities.

The Bishop papers consist of personal and professional files documenting William Warner Bishop's activities apart from his work as librarian at the University of Michigan. The librarian's files were separately received and continue to be maintained as part of the records of the University of Michigan Library.

William Wilson Cook (1858-1930) was a University of Michigan alumnus and New York attorney, author, and philanthropist whose financial contributions to the University of Michigan funded the construction of the Martha Cook Building and Law Quadrangle. Consists of a portrait engraving of Cook and photographs of Cook's sculpture on display in the Martha Cook Building.

The collection consists of a portrait engraving of Cook and photographs of Cook's sculpture on display in the Martha Cook Building.

The William Young papers center on the lives of William Young and his son-in-law John McAllister, Jr. The strengths of the collection are its documentation of William Young's careers as printer, publisher, bookseller and paper maker; the Associate Presbyterian Church; John McAllister's antiquarian interests; and the personal lives of the Young and McAllister families.

The William Young papers center on the lives of William Young and his son-in-law John McAllister, Jr., and through these lives document a wide scope of business, cultural, family and religious history both in America and Scotland. The strengths of the collection are its documentation of William Young's careers as printer, publisher, bookseller and paper maker; the Associate Presbyterian Church; John McAllister's antiquarian interests; and the personal lives of the Young and McAllister families.

The earliest papers in the collection date from William Young's days as a Scottish seminarian, and include valuable information on the Associate Presbytery of Scotland. A group of letters written after the Youngs' removal to America, 1784, documents European interest in the new nation: the immigrants received many letters from Scottish friends (and potential emigrants) inquiring into the details of America life. Young kept certain business concerns in Scotland; his brother Stephen and Agnes Young's brothers, William and John McLaws, were all active in the book trade, and their correspondence provides some insight into the burgeoning international book business.

The backbone of the collection is the correspondence relating to William Young's diverse business enterprises from the 1780s through 1820s. Among the later material, the correspondence between William Young McAllister and his thirty-year-old son, William Mitchell McAllister (7:54 and 56), stands out as illustration of a father's displeasure over his son's mismanagement of affairs during the disastrous panic of 1873. Also interesting is a plaintive letter written by the 52 year-old Thomas H. Young (7:59) in 1876, asking his aging father to bail out his business with a handout of $5,000.00. Box 8 contains a large quantity of receipts, accounts, and other business papers of Young's, along with information on the tangled settlement of Young's estate (8:30) and information on the settlement of other estates. Additional information on Young's estate is located with the oversized material (see Separation Record).

The Young Papers also contains rich resources for study of the history of the Associate Presbyterian Church in America. One of the smallest Presbyterian denominations, the Associate Presbyterians preserved few primary resources and little survives from their presence on the American scene; the Young Papers contain some of the earliest records known for that church (folder 8-37). Among other Associate Presbyterian ministers represented in the collection is Rev. Thomas Hamilton (1776-1818), William Young's son-in-law. Much of the work compiled by John McAllister Jr. in compiling the Associate Presbyterian volume of Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit, is preserved in folder 8:10.

Yellow fever in Philadelphia (1793) and the nation's first major cholera epidemic (1832) are both well documented through letters containing medical information, largely confined to home remedies and professional advice on medicines. There is some discussion of Frances Stevenson's illness which cost her the use of a leg, resulting in her use of a prosthesis (6:88). In addition, there is a detailed report on the body of Dr. William R. Grant in 1852 (folder 7:6).

The photographs associated with the collection include valuable insights into family relations within both the Young and McAllister families (1:1 to 1:8), particularly when seen in conjunction with the large number of personal letters between family members. William Young's instructions to his housekeeper (3:54), John McAllister's consultations with his wife on business matters, race relations in Philadelphia (5:9, 6:11), relations with a mother-in-law (4:58), and the execution of Robert Morris's seldom-mentioned and ne'er-do-well son Charles (4:21) are among the topics discussed. Perhaps the wittiest correspondent is Mary Ann Hunter, a friend of Eliza Young McAllister, whose observations on Philadelphia society in the first decades of the 19th century are trenchant and insightful and read almost like a novel.

The Willis family papers consist of correspondence from family members in Battle Creek, Michigan and Washington, D.C. to Milton Willis about family matters and business.

The Willis family papers consist primarily of letters sent to Milton Willis from his father, stepmother, and siblings. Letters from Milton's sister Lydia describe her life in Battle Creek as well as news and gossip about acquaintances, she also frequently mentions her work keeping house, and various illnesses of her and her father. The letters from Henry Willis to his son also mention health and disease frequently, as well as Henry’s business plans, including trying to set up a water system for the city of Battle Creek. Henry’s letters reflect his Quaker background and he often uses the words “thee” and “thou.” The letters from the family in Washington also concern general family news and possible business prospects, though Phoebe occasionally writes about goings-on in town and the social engagements of the president.

The collection also contains a telegraph informing Milton of Phoebe’s death, Milton’s calling card, a few business letters, and a few letters written to Milton from friends in Battle Creek. Many of Henry Willis’s letters are on Chicago and Grand Truck Railroad stationary, the envelopes of which include a print of the Railroad line from New York to Chicago, through Michigan.

Newspaperman, lobbyist for the National Rivers and Harbors Congress, and spokesman for the United Spanish War Veterans. Correspondence, scrapbooks, speeches, business papers and account books relating primarily to his work as a lobbyist.

The Davenny collection is comprised of the following series: Correspondence and other papers; United Spanish War Veterans Organization; National Rivers and Harbors Congress; and Other materials. The National Rivers and Harbors Congress series provides insight into the financing and operation of the lobby. Much of the correspondence in this series is with M.A. Thompson, secretary and treasurer of the organization.

Miscellaneous correspondence, membership material, constitution, agreement with the University of Michigan; also presidents' files, 1997-2002.

The record group consist of a scattering of early records from the 19th century, including some correspondence and a notebook from the Wilson Ornithological Club, Cambridge, Mass. The bulk of the records date from the 1960s and consist of files of various individuals holding office within the organization as president or in some other position.

This collection is comprised of 72 nineteenth century cookie cutters--as well as a few presses and molds--made from a variety of materials such as tin, wood, plaster, and clay. These are of historical significance and rarity and were collected by Ohio resident Bruce Winchester. This collection is part of the Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive in the Special Collections Research Center at the University of Michigan Library.

The collection is comprised of 72 nineteenth century cookie cutters--as well as a few molds and presses--made from a variety of materials such as tin, wood, plaster, and clay.

The Winston Churchill collection contains 11 items related to various aspects of Churchill's life, written by Churchill, his wife, and their acquaintances. Of particular interest are Churchill's annotated notes for a speech he delivered at the University of Miami's commencement ceremonies on February 26, 1946. In his speech, Churchill discussed U.S.-British cooperation during World War II, the importance of secondary education, and the education of servicemen returning from the war.

The Winston Churchill collection contains 11 items related to various aspects of Churchill's life, written by Churchill, his wife, and a few of their acquaintances. The earliest item in the collection is a letter by Churchill's father, Randolph Spencer Churchill, relating to a request for a speech (July 11, 1889). The remainder of the items deal directly with Winston Churchill's life, including a letter written by Churchill to James B. Pond about Churchill's anticipated visit to North America in 1900 (September 11, 1900). Other material pertains to political and personal affairs, including two letters regarding historic plates sent to the Churchill family. Churchill's typed notes, with manuscript annotations, used for a commencement address he made at Miami University on February 26, 1946, concerning the U.S.-British cooperation during World War II, the importance of secondary education, and the education of servicemen returning from the war. Other items related to Churchill's activities in Miami include a printed copy of his address and two photographs of Churchill during the event. Also of interest is a letter written by architect Leo Sylvester Sullivan, who attended school with Churchill in the early 1900s. Sullivan recalled Churchill's extensive oral preparations, and remembered, "Every stuttering sentence was repeated over & over again & was altered to avoid the stutter" (July 6, 1956). The collection includes a copy of The New York Times from January 25, 1965, with two copies of a Special Supplement regarding the life and death of Winston Churchill. See the box and folder listing below for a detailed inventory of the collection.