Collections

The Clark-Arnold letters contain correspondence addressed to Celestia Mary Clark (née Dean) and to other members of her family throughout the latter half of the 1800s. The collection includes correspondence written by her first husband, Thomas S. Arnold of Herkimer, New York, during their courtship in the late 1850s; letters from her friend and second husband, Charles A. Clark of Owego, New York, in the 1880s; and letters written by her daughter Etta while she traveled abroad in the 1880s and in 1890.

The Clark-Arnold letters (69 items) contain correspondence addressed to Celestia Mary Dean (who later used the surnames Clark and Arnold) and to other members of her family throughout the latter half of the 1800s. Thomas S. Arnold of Fairfield and Herkimer, New York, wrote to Dean, his cousin and fiancée, Celestia Mary Dean, between 1856 and 1858, the year they were married. He expressed his feelings for her and wrote about his social life and family. Additional letters from this period include some from Nancy A. Nelson to Ann Elira Arnold concerning farming and Nancy's social life in Madison, Wisconsin; in one letter, she discussed the settlement of her late husband's estate and encouraged Elira to visit Madison (January 2, 1858).

Three letters written between 1858 and 1872 include one providing news of Nathan Arnold's family (1865), and two by Simeon M. Dean, who described his work at a tannery in Port Hope, Michigan, in 1870 and 1872. The remainder of the collection (1880 and 1890) consists of material addressed to Celestia Mary Dean (now using the surname Arnold) by her friend and future husband, Charles A. Clark of Owego, New York, and by her daughter, Etta M. Arnold. Clark discussed his social life and his career as a lawyer and judge in Owego (September 21, 1880), and Etta wrote several letters during her travels through Europe, including trips to England in 1880, to Germany in 1881, and to England and Wales in 1890. She described the European scenery, particularly in London and Oxford. Celestia also received one letter from her cousin, S. J. Bowen (May 26, 1881).

This collection is made up of correspondence, diaries, writings, documents, and other items related to the Clarke family of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire. The materials concern the Civil War, life in 19th-century New Hampshire, education, and other subjects.

This collection contains correspondence, diaries, writings, documents, and other items related to the Clarke family of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Correspondence series (approximately 920 items) comprises the bulk of the collection. Most of the correspondence written between the 1850s and the early 1870s is made up of letters between and addressed to William Cogswell Clarke, Anna Maria Greely Clarke, and their three eldest children: Stephen Greely Clarke and his wife, Lydia Mason Wight Clarke; Anna Norton Clarke and her husband, Robert M. Appleton; and Julia Cogswell Clarke. A few letters by Mary Ann Wight are also present. Letter enclosures include a lock of hair, plants, cartes-de-visite, and newspaper clippings.

The Clarke family's personal correspondence focuses primarily on life in and news of Gilmanton and Manchester, New Hampshire throughout the 19th century. Writers discussed religious beliefs and activities; romantic relationships, courtship, and marriage; births and deaths; social activities; teaching and education; politics; and other subjects. During the Civil War, some writers shared news of battles, regiments, casualties, and the general progress of the war.

After 1871, many items are incoming and outgoing letters between and addressed to Julia C. Clarke, her sister Anna, and their mother. Some of Julia's letters pertain to her life in Framingham, Massachusetts, while Anna Clarke Appleton and Anna Greely Clarke provided news from Lake Village, New Hampshire, and Manchester, New Hampshire. During the 1880s, Julia wrote a series of letters to William H. Ladd, discussing newspaper advertising (particularly with regard to schools); her experiences in Lake Village, Kents Hill (Maine), and Boston, where she worked for the Chauncy Hall School; and advice for Ladd's upcoming visit to Europe. Groups of enclosed newspaper clippings contain advertisements for educational institutions. Other late personal letters to members of the Clarke family concern travel in Asia, estate administration, and finances.

Additional correspondence from the 1870s to the 1910s includes a large number of business letters, including many related to Stephen G. Clarke's legal career. Other groups of correspondence include letters to Edward Reilly of San Francisco, California, about mining concerns in Arizona and New Mexico; to Lafayette H. De Friese of New York City about the timber industry and shipments of logs; and to a man named "Bagley" of New York City. Other personal correspondence includes love letters from "Dolph" to "Sadie" and letters related to O. F. Bryant, who taught at or attended Chauncy Hall School. New York City lawyer Ernest G. Stevens received several business letters in the early 1910s.

The Diaries and Journals series consists of 5 items. Anna Maria Greely (later Clarke) kept 2 diaries from October 12, 1828-June 19, 1829, and June 26, [1872]-September 21, 1872. Her entries, which were written mostly on loose scraps of paper, concern daily life, social calls, and activities with family members and acquaintances. The later diary contains frequent mentions of Clarke's children. The remaining items concern an unidentified author's Bible readings and Christian beliefs (September 12, 1858-April 24, 1859); "Mrs. Robinson's" desire to write a journal for the benefit of her 7-year-old daughter Kitty, who required instruction in housekeeping (July 1, 1868); and Emma F. Moore's "Two Days on the Concord River," describing her travels with a companion (undated).

The Writings series is comprised of essays (15 items), published articles (2 items), letters to the editor (6 items), drafts (2 items), rejected submissions (9 items), "A Reading of the Will: A Farce" (1 item), "Seminal Weakness" (1 item), poems (30 items), and a speech. The essays, by Stephen G. Clarke, Lydia M. Wight, and Anna Greely Clarke, concern topics such as politics and history, morality and religion, English and Latin grammar, teaching and education, and horse breeding. The rejected submissions are primarily poetry, including one about African Americans. "The Reading of the Will" is a farce and "Seminal Weakness" is a lengthy essay on the male reproductive system. Many of the poems concern religion and nature. The 54-page speech is a presidential address delivered by Dr. Nahum Wight before the New Hampshire Medical Society. He discussed the society's history and goals, medical history and education, and his own medical career.

The School Papers series contains Latin Exercises (5 items), Academic Notes (19 items), Debates (2 items), and items related to the Chauncey Hall School (21 items). The academic notes and debates largely pertain to Stephen G. Clarke's studies, including items regarding animal classification and birds. One lengthy debate considered whether men were influenced more by women or money. The Chauncy Hall School subseries consists of newspaper advertisements, several copies of a printed advertisement, and correspondence from recipients of a circular and from managers at the Pittsburgh Chronicle Telegraph and the Chicago Tribune. One item is an invitation to the school's "Promotion Day," held on June 12, 1894.

The Documents series is divided into two subseries. Financial Documents (10 items), most of which concern Stephen G. Clarke, include accounts, receipts, a promissory note, and bank checks. One document between Willard B. Farwell and the American Machine Gun Company concerns the ownership of Farwell's inventions and patents. Printed Documents (11 items) include certificates regarding Stephen G. Clarke's attendance at Harvard University (July 16, 1855) and Josephine Evarts's license to practice medicine in Connecticut (April 1, 1929), documents regarding the activities of the American Folklore Society and the Wednesday Club (1892 and undated), and descriptions of an invention, the Hussey Motor Battery, by Willard B. Farwell (undated). A price list for advertisements in the Chicago Tribune and a sign regarding the treatment of animals in a scientific laboratory are also present.

Newspaper Clippings (12 items) include obituaries for William C. Clarke, articles about the Clarke family, advice for young writers, advertisements, and poetry.

The Photographs series (2 items) contains a portrait of an unidentified man, likely taken around the 1860s or 1870s, and a picture of a home and its large front garden. Both prints are mounted on large cards.

The Genealogy series consists of family trees written into a bound volume of blank genealogical tables that belonged to Julia C. Clarke. The tables concern ancestors of Julia C. Clarke and their families; some lineages are traced back as far as the 1600s. Many of the pages have cut-out sections to coordinate records across different trees and pages.

Family from Flint, and East Saginaw, Michigan; family correspondence.

The collection consists of papers and a photograph album. The papers, 1830-1919, of the Clarke and DeLand family of Flint and East Saginaw, Michigan. Clarke family materials include correspondence of Daniel Clarke and family, notably letters of Mary Flint (Mrs. Daniel Clarke) written from Argentina, 1837-1844, and letters of William Flint Clarke, written while he was a student at the University of Michigan, 1869-1873. DeLand family materials consist of correspondence of Charles V. DeLand and family, including letters of his daughter, Dell DeLand Clarke. The collection also includes miscellaneous writings and printed material, and an early account book of Leonard G. Perry. The photograph album is contains portraits of the members of the class of 1873 of the University of Michigan. This album also contains portraits of members of the faculty, views of University buildings, and various group images.

The Clarke family photograph album contains photographic prints taken during trips to New England, New York, and other locales from 1898-1902. The photographs show natural scenery, buildings of interest, soldiers, and family members.

The Clarke family photograph album (25cm x 32cm) contains 240 photographic prints, including cyanotypes, taken during trips to New England, New York, and other locales from 1898-1902. Of the prints, 232 are pasted onto the album's pages (usually four to a page) and eight are laid in; each mounted photograph has a caption, sometimes humorous. The title "Photographs" is stamped in gold on the album's brown leather cover.

The photographs depict buildings, street scenes, and natural scenery in places such as Marshfield, Vermont; Weirs, New Hampshire; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Lynn, Massachusetts; Catskill, New York; and Washington, D.C. The compiler noted places of interest in the family's history, such as Erastus Burnham's grave and the Burnham family farm in Marshfield, Vermont. Some interior views of private residences and schoolhouses are included, as are photographs of prominent locations such as the Vermont State House, the United States Capitol, Independence Hall, the Lee family home in Arlington, Virginia, "Rip Van Winkle's house," and the New York City skyline. Sailing ships, the paddlewheel steamer Mount Washington, and the battleships Indiana and Massachusetts are also pictured.

The photographer attended parades featuring elephants from the Forepaugh-Sells Brothers' Circus, celebrating the 50th anniversary of Lynn, Massachusetts, and the welcoming of United States soldiers as they returned from Cuba after the Spanish-American war. Group portraits include men, women and young schoolchildren. Women are shown riding bicycles, playing the piano, and wearing costumes such as a soldier's jacket and a puritan's dress. One picture, entitled "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," is a double exposure of a woman in different poses.

This collection includes postcards nostly created by children and teens in various Michigan cities which competed in the Clarke Historical Library DigMichNews Contests, 2015-2019.

This collection includes postcards created by children and teens in Alpena, Milford, and Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, from the 2015 competition 1 cubic ft. (in 2 boxes). Milford won the competition in 2015. A folder of information about the 2015 competition is in the front of box 1.

The 2016 competition postcards 6.75 cubic feet (in 14 boxes) include those created by children and teens in pre-schools, and both public and private schools in Alpena, Clinton County (supporting DeWitt Public Library), Houghton Lake, L’Anse. In addition to children’s postcards there are several folders of homemade crafty postcards created by adults in the Houghton Lake Public Library Craft Group. All of the Polish News competition postcards were homemade by adults associated with the Polish News in Detroit. Alpena won the competition in 2016. Schools were identified whenever possible. When identification was not specific minors are identified as students. A folder of information about the 2016 competition is in the front of box 3.

The 2017 competition postcards, 4.25 cubic feet (in 9 boxes), include those created by children and adults in L’Anse, Leelanau, New Baltimore, Oceana, and Utica. Three-dimensional, art, reproduced art, and composite image postcards are included. Specific schools or institutions were not identified. L’Anse won the competition in 2017 with Utica a close second. A folder of information about the 2017 competition is in the front of Box 17.

The 2018 competition postcards, 2 cubic feet (in 4 boxes), include those created by children, and a couple of adults, in Albion, Detroit, East Grand Rapids, Pontiac, Saugatuck, and Utica. Art and reproduced art postcards are included. While no specific schools were identified as contributors, Saugatuck District Library was identified as an institution were children created children’s art postcards for the competition. Saugatuck won the competition in 2018 while Utica came in second. A folder of information about the 2018 competition is in the front of Box 25.

The 2019 competition postcards, 1.5 cubic feet (in 3 boxes), include postcards mostly created by children. Postcards created, or probably created, by adults include some in the Grandville folder, including five reproduced historical photographs, and postcards in the Sparta Retirement Community and Sparta adults folder. Identified Sparta schools or school districts include: Algoma Christian Schools, Appleview Elementary, Kent City Schools, Ridgeview schools, and Sparta Middle and High schools. Sparta won the competition over Grandville. A folder of information about the 2019 competition is in the front of Box 30, and a folder about the 2020 competition is in the back of Box 32. Only a few people people identified themselves by first names in the Algoma, Kent City, Ridgeview, Sparta schools, and Sparta Retirement Community folders.

The collection is organized alphabetically by year of competition, city, then by topic. The collection is ongoing.

Processing Note: Duplicate mass-produced postcards were sorted and withdrawn from the collection. This includes approximately 4 cubic feet (2015), 1 cubic foot (2016), 1.5 cubic (2017), 1 cubic foot (2018), and 1.5 cubic feet (2019). The remaining postcards were compared to the existing Michigan postcards in the Clarke. Non-duplicates were then filed into the Michigan postcards collection. None of the children’s postcards were duplicates.

Resident of Pittsfield Township (Washtenaw County, Mich.), who served with Co. H, 20th Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. Diary describing his experiences during the Siege of Petersburg, Va.

Diary describing his experiences during the Siege of Petersburg, Va.

Attorney, Michigan State Representative, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court; biographical information, topical files, and visual materials

The papers of Clark J. Adams are arranged into three series: Biographical, Topical, and Visual Materials. The papers relate to his career as an attorney and public servant.

Papers of Clark J. Charnetski (1942- ), a physicist who specialized in holographic research and development at Conductron Corporation in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he was the Associate Research Physicist and Chief Holographer. This collection contains materials relating to the administrative background of Conductron Corporation, materials relating to holography in Michigan collected by Charnetski, papers and presentations given by Charnetski and Conductron Corporation, notes, drawings, information relating to patents of Charnetski and others at Conductron, as well as detailed papers regarding the projects that Charnetski conducted while at Conductron.

The Clark J. Charnetski papers contain materials relating to the administrative background of Conductron Corporation, materials relating to holography in Michigan collected by Charnetski, papers and presentations given by Charnetski and Conductron Corporation, notes, drawings, information relating to patents of Charnetski and others at Conductron, as well as detailed papers regarding the projects that Charnetski conducted while at Conductron. This collection is of value to those interested in the history of holography, especially as it relates to the state of Michigan. The collection is divided into four series: the Administrative series, the Scientific Works series (divided into three subseries: Collected Materials, Papers and Presentations, and Patents and Inventions), the Projects series, and the Mechanical Drawings series.

The majority of this collection consists of correspondence related to the families of David B. McCreary and his daughter, Sophia McCreary Clark ("Sophy"), both of Erie, Pennsylvania. David and his wife, Annette, corresponded with family and acquaintances throughout the mid- to late 19th century, including the Civil War era and the Spanish-American War era. The letters of Sophy, her husband Henry, and their daughter Annette span the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This collection (4 linear feet) consists primarily of correspondence related to the family of David B. McCreary of Erie, Pennsylvania. The earliest item is a letter signed and attested by various military officials declaring Henry Clark of Private Taylor's company unfit for military duty (June 2, 1815-July 8, 1815). The bulk of the collection begins in 1846, with most early material consisting of personal correspondence addressed to (and between) David B. McCreary and Annette Gunnison of Erie, Pennsylvania. Many of these letters contain personal and family news and document the social history of antebellum Erie, as well as David's time at Washington College and in Kentucky. Between 1858 and 1860, much of the correspondence is addressed to Chauncy G. Clark of Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania, including several letters from Homer J. Smith of Palo, Michigan, and his wife, who provided news of their family.

Throughout the Civil War, much of the correspondence relates to the 145th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, such as letters that David B. McCreary received from soldiers' wives and other family members regarding their loved ones in the regiment. He and his wife Annette also received personal letters that occasionally mentioned aspects of the war. Two letters from Jonas Gunnison concern names of drafted men (October 19, 1862) and the presumed death of "Charley," a soldier who had gone missing (December 20, 1862). David McCreary also wrote to his daughter Sophy during the war. David and Annette McCreary continued to correspond between themselves and with others after the war. They wrote several letters to their son Wirt during his time at the United States Naval Academy and received one letter from Wirt about his service on the USS Dorothea in 1898, just before an anticipated assignment in Cuba.

Much of the post-Civil War correspondence concerns Sophy McCreary, Henry A. Clark, and their children. In the mid-1870s, Sophy wrote a lengthy series of letters to Harry Beatty of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that continued sporadically into the early years of her marriage. During this period, Henry A. Clark was beginning his legal career in Fall River, Massachusetts, and received many letters from "Fred," an acquaintance from Harvard. The collection also has business correspondence dated after Clark's return to Pennsylvania, which concerns his work with the Edison Electric Light Company and other firms, as well as his various judicial and political offices. Incoming letters to Annette McCreary Clark, the daughter of Sophy McCreary and Henry A. Clark, are also present, as are letters from the younger Henry Clark to Sophy McCreary Clark, his mother. In addition to newspaper clippings, advertisements, memorial service programs, and other ephemera enclosed in letters, the collection has a series of personal and commercial postcards.

The collection includes glass-plate negatives and prints of Clarkston, Michigan, people and buildings.

The collection nicely documents the people and buildings of Clarkston, Michigan, from the late 19th century through the 1920s. The collection includes both glass-plate negatives and some photographic prints which were printed from glass-plate negatives which are not in the collection. The only dated images, identified in the book, are dated 1906, 1910, 1913, 1917, and 1920s. Most of the images are undated.

The glass-plate negatives are all in good condition. They should be handled with care by patrons wearing gloves. They measure 4x5, 5x7, or 6.5x 8.5 inches. They have been divided by size and then by topic. Topics include Portraits of Groups, Children, Couples, Men, and Women; Houses; Photographers; Public Buildings; Schools; and Miscellaneous (funeral flowers, a collage of images, etc.). One glass-plate negative portrait of a photograph of a man in a mat includes “Grayling, Imperial Art Studio” on the mat.

The photographic prints made from glass-plate negatives are also in good condition. They measure 5x4 or 8x10 inches. They are divided into the same topics and include another topic, People with Horses. The prints are fine quality for the most part, showing great details. At least one of the prints was made from a partially broken plate with missing pieces (see Photographs, 8x10, Men Portraits, Undated). It is clear from the style of hair and clothing in these prints that a majority of them may date from the 1880s. None of the people are identified. It is possible that the photographic images are actually from another collection and may not be Clarkston natives. Over time it is possible that the two boxes came to be together because of size only. This, however, can not be proven at this point.