Collections

Photographs showing operation of a stump puller near Gladwin, Michigan.

The collection consists of photographs showing the operation of a stump puller near Gladwin, Michigan.

This manuscript, titled "615 Books" is an inventory of the library of C. F. Lyman. Each entry includes the number of volumes and title of the work. The entries appear to be organized by subject. A broad list of subjects includes math, geology, travel, Napoleon, literature, history, art, religion, and chemistry.

The inventory was written in a printed blank book "Specimens of Penmanship, written by..." sold by S. G. Simpkins, 21 Tremont Row, Boston. The cover bears a printed image of two children, one on a swing set up inside a barn, and the phrase "Every thing must be done at the time" (emphasizing a lack of idleness in favor of personal development and the pursuit of success). The back cover bears a printed tables of coins, weights, measures, time, and more.

In August 1861, Frank Shepard enlisted in the 1st Michigan Cavalry. His papers consist of 8 letters written to his wife, Amanda, during the early months of the Civil War.

The collection consists of 8 letters written by Frank Shepard to his wife, Amanda, during the early months of the war. Frank's letters are thoughtful, highly literate and display a deep affection for his wife and a devotion to duty. Shepard anticipated that if received a commission, he would bring his wife to the "seat of the war" to be near him, but under any circumstances, she was a great comfort to him, even if she were not the most faithful of correspondents. "If I am away from you, perhaps not see you for some time I have the consolation of knowing," he wrote, "that although I am absent I am not forgotten, neither shall I be while life lasts, and reason holds her throne" (1861 November 29).

Noteworthy in this small collection are letters in which Shepard ascribes the backward appearance of southern cities (Washington, D.C.) to the degrading influence of slavery, and in which he writes of a soldier's desire for action, rather than the dry routine of camp life. "What Patriotic American would not rather die upon the battle field, or in the camp, than in the Palace, or Mansion." His description of Camp Brodhead, Md., and of the daily routine of soldiers is also excellent.

This volume contains C. G. Bush's manuscript musical score for his two-act opera "Miles Standish," composed in 1865 and 1866, and adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem of the same name. The score was written in ink but includes additional notes and corrections in pencil. The volume includes the libretto, act and scene titles, lyrics, and musical notations.

This volume contains C. G. Bush's manuscript music score for his two-act opera "Miles Standish," composed in 1865 and 1866 and adapted from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem of the same name. The score was written in ink but includes additional notes and corrections in pencil. The volume includes the libretto, act and scene titles, lyrics, and musical notations. A manuscript note at the bottom of page 109 reads "Jan. 9th, 1866."

The complete title for this work is "Miles Standish. Opera in Two Acts 1865. Words By H. W. Longfellow. Music By C. G. Bush." It was written for four solo characters: Miles Standish, Bass; John Alden, Tenor; Priscilla, Soprano; and Messenger, Bass. An additional chorus of "Sailors, Villagers &c &c" is also included.

The front cover bears a gold embossed leather nameplate that reads, "MILES STANDISH. COMPOSED BY C.G.B."

This account book, probably kept by a physician in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, contains entries relating to medical and physical care, and others relating to clothing, foodstuffs, fabric, and services rendered. The entries were dated between 1807 and 1849 (bulk 1807-1814) and many refer to members of the Chaffee family. The accounts include dressing wounds, making visits to patients, and dispensing medicine, with the names of patrons, medicines, and costs.

This account book, probably kept by a physician in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, contains entries relating to medical and physical care, and others relating to clothing, foodstuffs, fabric, and services rendered. The entries were dated between 1807 and 1849 (bulk 1807-1814) and many refer to members of the Chaffee family. The accounts include dressing wounds, making visits to patients, and dispensing medicine, with the names of patrons, medicines, and costs. One entry appears to have been added later, dated 1849.

Laid into the volume are a recipe for syrup and copies of various documents, including one settling the estate of Jonathan Chaffee in 1819.

This volume consists of orders purchased by Jonesville, Michigan, merchants Champlin & Co. between 1846 and 1849. Entries note the date, the firm they were dealing with, items purchased, shipping information, and more.

It appears that Champlin & Co. were purchasing from dealers in New York, Cleveland, and various Michigan sites. Their principal supplies were Matthew V. B. Fowler, Pratt Woodford & Co., Ralph Mead & Co., and others. They were acquiring medicines and medical equipment, a large number of books and publications, foodstuffs, staples, stationery, and much more. A list of merchandise from March 1848 may be an inventory of the store's goods.

The rear of the volume consists of a 15-page section, possibly recording consignments, principally of patent medicines and items such as medical materials, garden seeds, and Bibles.

Chandler (Charlevoix County, Mich. : Township) school district and township records.

The collection includes township and school district records organized by size, then alphabetically and chronologically.

Papers include correspondence, notebooks, legal documents, essays, and photographs.

The Chaney Family Papers include correspondence, notebooks, legal documents, essays, and photos, which are arranged alphabetically by topic. The correspondence spans almost 120 years and consists of correspondence between family and friends. A letter from L. W. Caryl to Henry Chaney, dated 29 July 1832, describes a method for early diagnosis and cure of cholera. Between May 1837 and January 1838, Isabella Caryl (then living in New York) received letters from several of her former school mates (who called themselves “The Hill Girls”) who had moved to Detroit. Among the notebooks is one of Willard Chaney’s medical notebooks. Of the seventeen photos in the collection, only one, Marjorie Chaney Bow (Henry’s granddaughter), is identified.

Niles, Michigan business family involved in various business endeavors, including mining; business papers and plans.

This collection includes business papers of the family of Henry Austin Chapin of Niles, Michigan (1813-1898), his son, Charles Augustus Chapin, of Chicago, Illinois, (who died between 1913 and 1915), and the heirs of Charles Augustus Chapin.

The collection includes business papers relating to the family's operations, including leases, reports, and maps of Chapin Mining Company, operators of the Chapin Mine. There are also leases, correspondence and legal papers of Indiana and Michigan Electric Company relating to power dams at Buchanan and Berrien Springs, Michigan. Other portions of the papers include newsletters and related material of the American Manganese Producers Association; and papers relating to the Chapin Memorial (First) Presbyterian Church, Niles, Michigan.

The Chapman family papers consist primarily of letters between John W. Chapman of Brooklyn, New York, and his immediate family, written around the turn of the 20th century. Most of the letters relate to his daughter, Sarah Dimon Chapman ("Sallie"), including a series of letters written to her by her mother, Mary C. Chapman, with advice for Sallie's European travels, as well as later letters to John and Mary from Sallie's husband, Lewis Witherbee Francis.

The Chapman family papers contain about 98 items, of which 85 are letters exchanged by members of the Chapman family around the turn of the 20th century. John W. Chapman and his wife, Mary Dimon Chapman, received incoming letters from numerous family members and other acquaintances, such as Mary's father, Charles Dimon. Of the 85 letters, 42 pertain to their daughter Sallie and her husband, Lewis Witherbee Francis. In 1896, Mary Chapman wrote 12 letters to Sallie in which she offered her opinions about several European countries while Sallie was traveling abroad. Her letters occasionally enclose newspaper clippings. Sallie also received letters from her father, grandparents, and other relatives and acquaintances throughout the late 1800s. She and her husband occasionally wrote to her parents, reporting on their health and news from New York City. In one letter, Lewis commented on the stock market and the assassination of President William McKinley (September 15, 1901). A woman who signed herself "Aunt Cordelia" also wrote to John and Mary Chapman on the same subject, sharing her feelings about the shooting and about anarchists (September 8, 1901). Many of these letters are written on stationery with printed letterheads from hotels and businesses, including two of John W. Chapman's professional letterheads.

The collection also contains receipts from Sallie Chapman's purchases in France in July 1896, calling cards, a printed report on the expenses of the Union Pacific System (July 30, 1901), some cat fur kept as a souvenir, and an illustrated newspaper clipping on the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough.