Collections

Back to top

Search Constraints

Start Over You searched for: Level Collection Remove constraint Level: Collection Date range Unknown Remove constraint Date range: Unknown
Number of results to display per page
View results as:

Search Results

Collection

Cadwallader and Jane Colden manuscripts and leaf impressions, 1755, 1765 (majority within 1755)

1 letter, 1 manuscript with leaf impressions, and 1 newspaper clipping

This collection is comprised of a 4-page letter from surveyor and scientist Cadwallader Colden to botanist John Frederic Gronovius (October 1, 1755), in which he enclosed 17 pages of his daughter Jane's botanical descriptions and leaf impressions (1755).

This collection is comprised of a 4-page letter from surveyor and scientist Cadwallader Colden to botanist John Frederic Gronovius (October 1, 1755), in which he enclosed 17 pages of his daughter Jane's botanical descriptions and leaf impressions (1755). Cadwallader Colden mentioned that his previous correspondence may have been delayed on account of the capture of the packet by privateers, remarked on women and botanical study, praised his daughter's willingness to collaborate on botanical projects (and her possible discover of new genera), and expressed his esteem for Carl Linnaeus and the Linnaean system. Colden also mentioned the Royal Garden at Paris and referred to other scientists, including "Dr. Haller" [Albrecht von Haller] and "Mr. Calm" [Peter Kalm].

Colden enclosed a sampling of Jane's botanical work which contains descriptions of plants (e.g. cup, flower, chives, pistil, cover of seed, seeds, seat of the seeds, root, stalk, leaves) and leaf impressions.

The following list of represented plants employs her spelling:
  • No. 299: Diandria Monogynia
  • No. 302: [No name present]
  • No. 300: Tetriandria Digynia
  • No. 241: Pentandria Trigynia
  • No. 291: Didynamia Gymnospermia
  • No. 216: [No name present]
  • No. 215: [No name present]
  • No. 296: Clinopodium (Mountain-Mint)
  • No. 304: Monadelphia Polyandria
  • No. 153: Polyadelphia Enneandria
  • No. 297: Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua (Helenia)
Jane Colden's manuscript includes the following leaf and plant impressions:
  • No. 153: Polyadelphia Enneandria
  • No. 304: Monadelphia Plyandria
  • No. 297: Syngenesia Polygamia Superflua (Helenia)
  • [Not numbered]: Rubus
  • No. 296: Clinopodium (Mountain-Mint)
  • No. 291: Didynamia Gymnospermia
  • No. 299: Diandria Monogynia
  • No. 300: Tetriandria Digynia
  • No. 216: [No name present]
  • No. 215: [No name present]
  • No. 302: [No name present]

A single newspaper clipping from December 14, 1765, accompanies the Colden manuscripts. The clipping includes the text of a letter received by Lieutenant Governor Cadwallader Colden, which prompted his "declaration that he would have nothing to do with the Stamps [Stamp Act, 1765] till the arrival of Sir Henry Moore." The printed letter threatens death to Cadwallader Colden if he were to enforce the Stamp Act. The printed letter contains the text of two labels that were affixed to the effigies of enemies of American liberties hung in Boston on November 4 at the Tree of Liberty.

Collection

Caius Julius Solinus, Polyhistor manuscript, circa 15th century

1 volume (172 pages)

This Caius Julius Solinus, Polyhistor manuscript was produced circa 15th century in Italy and is 86 leaves (plus 4 blank) in a seventeenth-century Italian vellum binding.

This Caius Julius Solinus, Polyhistor manuscript was produced circa 15th century in Italy and is 86 leaves (plus 4 blank) in a seventeenth-century Italian vellum binding. The chapters begin with ornamental capital letters, some colored in green or yellow. The text is a Latin manuscript of Caius Julius Solinus's Polyhistor, discussing natural history, religion, and social questions in the regions known to the Roman Empire circa the middle of the fourth century AD. This copy is a palimpsest, with the previous writing indicating a notarial register or account book from the early fourteenth century. One leaf bears the date 1308 (recto, leaf 53).

The bound volume includes a Di Casa Minutoli Telgrimi stamp and the following colophon: "C. Iulii Solini sive gramatici Polyhistor ab ipso editus et recognitus de situ orbis terrarum & de singulis mirabilibus quae in mundo habentur"

Collection

California and Western Tour photograph album, 1893

1 volume

The California and Western Tour photograph album contains commercial and amateur photographs of scenes in Yosemite National Park, Yellowstone National Park, California, New Mexico, and other locales. The volume includes a group of photographs taken at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois, in 1893.

This album (23cm x 30cm) contains 67 commercial and amateur prints of scenes in various locales, particularly in the western United States. The album is bound in red pebbled leather with small gold trim. Many of the photographs are commercial prints as large as 19cm x 24cm, with captions and negative numbers. Manuscript captions accompany some of the items, often with information about the size of natural features shown. Pictures of rock formations, waterfalls, rivers and lakes, and geysers are most common, along with shots of architectural landmarks and groups of tourists. Prominent photograph locations include Yosemite National Park (9 items), Garden of the Gods (4 items), New Mexico (3 items), the Columbia River (3 items), and Yellowstone National Park (20 items). The album has 2 pictures of Niagara Falls, one of which was taken in winter.

Though the album focuses on natural scenery, several photographs show various types of buildings, such as missions in California and New Mexico, hotels in California, the Lick observatory, a group of buildings at the Shasta Springs retreat, a railroad dining car interior, and the exterior of a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, California. Scenes of horse-drawn carriages fording the Fire Hole River in Yellowstone National Park and passing through a tunnel cut into the trunk of a large tree in Yosemite National Park are present, as are other group photographs. One shows "Miss E. P. Gould" riding a horse, and another shows a group of men fishing on Yellowstone Lake. An 1888 portrait of John C. Frémont, his wife Jessie, and their daughter shows them standing in front of the "Fremont tree" in Redwood Grove. A final group of photographs consists of pictures of various buildings constructed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois.

Collection

California travel photograph album, 1898

1 volume

The California travel photograph album (17.5 x 14 cm) contains twelve gelatin silver print views of various travel destinations in California in 1898.

The California travel photograph album (17.5 x 14 cm) contains twelve gelatin silver print photographs of various travel destinations in California in 1898. Captions are written below each photograph.

Collection

Calvin A. and Albert H. Irish diaries, 1865-1866, 1885

2 volumes

The Calvin A. and Albert H. Irish diaries consist of 2 volumes. Calvin A. Irish kept a diary from January 1865, during the end of his service in the Union Army, until May 1866. His son, Albert H. Irish, also wrote a diary in 1885.

For his diary, Calvin used a printed almanac entitled Vermont Directory and Commercial Almanac for 1865. The entries are mostly short and detail his daily activities and experiences, including the distance he marched, the weather, letters that he sent or received, and work that he accomplished. The small volume was also Calvin's financial ledger.

Calvin's son Albert also wrote daily records in an almanac entitled The American Diary 1885. The first 2 manuscript pages are comprised of a few verses and adages. Albert's entries are short and include information about the weather, school, chores, odd jobs, and visits of his friends and neighbors. The almanac also contains a short cash-management ledger and brief descriptions of the Irish family's cows.

Collection

Cameron Mackenzie collection, 1943

5 items

This collection is made up of 5 letters that members of the United States Army wrote to Captain Cameron Mackenzie from September 17, 1943-October 27, 1943. The soldiers commented primarily on military life.

This collection is made up of 5 letters that members of the United States Army wrote to Captain Cameron Mackenzie From September 17, 1943-October 27, 1943. The soldiers commented primarily on military life. Mackenzie received 4 letters from men that he had served with in the 170th Field Artillery Battalion or other units, and received one letter from his uncle, Lieutenant Colonel George H. Davis. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

Collection

Camp Hancock letters, 1917

3 items

An anonymous United States Army sergeant wrote these 3 letters (18 pages) to his mother while serving at Camp Hancock, Georgia, between August and December 1917. "Herb," a member of Company D, 103rd Engineer Regiment, reported on his regiment's work laying pipes and about several aspects of military life.

An anonymous United States Army sergeant wrote these 3 letters (18 pages) to his mother while serving at Camp Hancock, Georgia, between August and December 1917. "Herb," a member of Company D, 103rd Engineer Regiment, reported on his regiment's work laying pipes and on several aspects of military life.

In each of his letters, "Herb" encouraged his mother not to worry about him, and he took pride in his work with the military and in his continuing advancement through the ranks; he was expecting a commission as lieutenant. He also mentioned some of his regiment's duties, which included laying pipes for newly constructed buildings at Camp Hancock and building temporary bridges for other units on bivouac assignments. Herb described other aspects of camp life, such as the comings and goings of other soldiers and his leisure activities, which included trips to nearby Augusta and football games. In two of his letters, he discussed the reorganization of the army's cavalry and artillery units, and in one letter, he mentioned English and French guest officers' instruction in trench warfare (November 11, 1917).

Collection

Camp Lin-E-Kin photograph album, ca. 1920

1 volume

The Camp Lin-E-Kin photograph album (16 x 24 cm) contains 36 photographs of people and activities at a girls' camp in Maine.

The Camp Lin-E-Kin photograph album (16 x 24 cm) contains 36 photographs of people and activities at a girls' camp in Maine. Images depict varied activities: hiking, boating, dancing, and calisthenics. Of interest are numerous photographs of girls wearing costumes and a group wearing swimming outfits, an image of a cabin interior with girls writing letters and knitting, and two photographs of girls holding cameras. An envelope with 10 additional photographs is laid in the album.

The album has a black cloth cover tied with string; housed in a grey board wrap with blue cloth spine.

Collection

Canedy Family Hair album, 1863

1 volume

This small hand-made volume contains 24 locks of men and women's hair, some of them tied with ribbon, braided, or looped. While its creator is not indicated, internal evidence suggests that Maryette Canedy of Northfield, Minnesota, likely compiled the booklet in 1863, to document friends and relatives in Minnesota and Vermont. A pencil, colored pencil, and ink illustration of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers is pasted on the front cover. Its inscription includes "Miss Emely [Shurpy?] drawing," her residence in Northfield, Minnesota, and the date of January 25, 1863.

This small hand-made volume contains 24 locks of men and women's hair, some of them tied with ribbon, braided, or looped. While its creator is not indicated, internal evidence suggests that Maryette Canedy of Northfield, Minnesota, likely compiled the booklet in 1863, to document friends and relatives in Minnesota and Vermont. A pencil, colored pencil, and ink illustration of a woman holding a bouquet of flowers is pasted on the front cover. Its inscription includes "Miss Emely [Shurpy?] drawing," her residence in Northfield, Minnesota, and the date of January 25, 1863.

Each lock of hair is accompanied by one or more of the following types of information:
  • The name of the individual who provided the hair.
  • The place the person lived, such as Stanford [i.e. Stamford, Vermont]; Wilmington, [Vermont]; North Adams, [Massachusetts]; and Northfield, Minnesota.
  • Short sayings or further identifying information. For example, the entries for Charles C. Phipps, Anna Phipps, and Anna Canedy mention their relationship to the compiler: grandfather, grandmother, and mother, respectively.
  • The age of the individual when the clipping was taken.

Maryette Canedy's hair sample is missing.

Collection

Captain William C. Bacon Michigan Car Ferries Collection, 1883, 2010, and undated

27 cubic foot (in 25 boxes, 5 Oversized folders)

The collection includes papers, volumes, photographic materials, keys, and blueprints. The focus of the collection is Michigan ferries and the Ann Arbor Railroad Company ferries, but other ferries and boats are also documented, as well as railroads, towns, related topics, and people.

The papers are divided into two main series: Captain Bacon’s personal materials (approximately .5 cubic foot), and Ferries, Ferry-Related Materials (the rest of the collection).

Captain Bacon’s personal materials include mostly correspondence about ferries, shipping, shipping history, his dismissal, Benzie Area Historical Museum, his membership cards, photographs, and legal documents.

The Ferries and Ferry Related Materials include employment agreements and memorandum between company employees and the company, usually the Ann Arbor Railroad Company related to ferries; Ann Arbor Boat Company organizational records, 1916-1958; photographs, blueprints, correspondence, certificates of inspection and enrollment, sales records, reconstruction records, licenses, financial records, casualty records, log books, marine shop time books, keys, specifications for parts, mostly propellers, oil and lubrication books, and other materials documenting numerous ferries including the Ann Arbor No. 1, No. 2, No. 3, No. 4, No. 5, No. 6, No. 7, Arthur K. Atkinson (originally Ann Arbor No. 6), Badger, City of Midland 41, City of Green Bay, City of Milwaukee, Viking (originally Ann Arbor No. 7), Wabash (originally City of Green Bay), and the Grand Haven; Ann Arbor Railroad Company organizational records re: trains and ferries, 1895-1992, undated; Benzie Area Historical Museum and Historical Society materials; Correspondence from Superintendents of Steamships; information on various railroads, ship building companies; information on Benzie, Elberta, and Frankfort, Michigan; Information Bacon was going to include or not include in his book; various I.C.C. (Interstate Commerce Commission) dockets, decisions, and applications concerning railroads and car ferries; Michigan-Wisconsin Transportation Company materials; related court cases, particularly about abandonment of the ferries or parts of railways; materials documenting Michigan and other railroad reorganization or rationalization plans; various annual reports; newspaper clippings (copies) of many ferries, railroads, and related topics; numerous reports; job information, lists of positions and duties. Other materials document (somewhat) unions, such as BRAC (Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks); administration units, and officers, such as the Association of Maritime Officers.

Besides I.C.C. and railroad plans railroads are also documented in stock certificates, passes, calendars, tariffs, and other materials. Specific railroads well documented in the collection include the Ann Arbor Railroad Company, Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company/ Chessie System, and the Detroit, Toledo, and Ironton Railroad Company. Other railroad companies for which at least one item is found in the collection include: Escanaba and Lake Superior, Grand Truck Western, Green Bay and Minnesota, Manistee and North-East, Manistique and Lake Superior, and Pere Marquette, and Conrail.

Photographic materials includes photographs, negatives, postcards, and slides, and is comprised of three main subgroups, railroads, ships (ferries and other boats, ships), and lumbering. The Ships section is by far the largest portion of photographs focusing mainly on car ferries. Car Ferries across Michigan are featured, notably the: Ann Arbor Car Ferry 1-7, Arthur K. Atkinson, the Badger, Viking, Ludington Car Ferry, Sparta, and several from Wisconsin. The collection is extensive and covers the time period between 1880s to the early 2000s. Many of these images were in acidic photograph albums or scrapbooks from which they were removed. There are also some oversized photographic materials. Slides are found in Box #25. Lumbering is documented solely through photographs, 1899-1915, undated.

Oversized materials include various car ferry records, photographs, some maps showing railroad property and lines, and blueprints (9 Oversized folders), as well as other materials. The blueprints are mainly ferry propellers, shafts, valves, deck arrangements, and other parts. The blueprints are housed in a map cabinet due to their size.

Ferry keys are found in two small boxes (Boxes #23-24).

In Box 15, item 1, the license for Art Frederickson is really unusual. Art was an Ann Arbor captain who was well known on the lakes. He and his wife, Lucy, wrote several books on the car ferries and sold shipwreck maps in the 1960s-1970s. Their collection was sold to the Institute for Great Lakes Research (now the Historical Collections of the Great Lakes) at BGSU. Seven books about ferries, trains, ships, and shipwrecks by Arthur C. Frederickson are separately cataloged and in the Clarke’s book collection.

In Box 15 the last item, Development and Design of Lake MI Car Ferries, Paper Presented, 1948, by Art Zuehlke, who was the man at Manitowoc Shipbuilding. There is a memorial to him at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. The Manitowoc Shipbuilding Collection is at the museum.

Spelling Note: There were inconsistencies in the collection as to how car ferries or carferries are spelled, as well as Michigan, Mich., or MI, and the way company names are abbreviated. These inconsistencies were continued in the Box and Folder listing. If Bacon titled a folder with an acronym, such as BRAC, that is how it is presented here, with a note to explain what BRAC is. Sometimes vessels were listed as M/V or M.V. (motor vessel) or S.S. or S/S (steam ship) and sometimes not.

Processing Note: Approximately 18 cubic ft. of duplicates, materials that were fragile, acidic, or moldy, and had to be photocopied, materials that included social security numbers, any materials of investigations and grievances of ferry employees, Bacon’s personal bills, medication directions, and any reading, blank, or peripheral materials were withdrawn from the collection. In addition, a large number of publications 121 items were separately cataloged as books, manuals, or serials, and added to the Clarke publications collection.

Allergy Note: Please note that some of the materials have a musty smell to them, especially most of the oversized volumes. Researchers with allergies should use these materials with care.