Collections

This account book contains financial notes and receipts related to John Eckert, who lived in Silver Spring Township, Pennsylvania, in the early 19th century.

This account book contains financial notes and receipts related to John Eckert, who lived in Silver Spring Township, Pennsylvania, in the early 19th century. The pre-printed volume, originally intended to be a receipt book, contains three receipts between John Eckert and other individuals in 1845 and 1846, including one for school taxes. Eckert recorded notes about the financial and in-kind gifts he presented to his children as they left home from 1851-1865 (7 pages). His sons and daughters who left included Sarah, Daniel, Jacob, Mary, Elizabeth, and Harriet. Two pages of notes by one of Eckert's children record his assets in October 1867, including furniture and livestock. The volume's endpapers are printed instructions on how to make receipts, including examples.

Essick's diary details his activities with the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry in and around Washington, DC, particularly drills, parades, and the doldrums of camp life and army food.

Essick's diary details his activities with the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry during the regiment's entire three month service, expect for the four weeks when Essick was ill. The 4th Pennsylvania saw little action and Essick's diary focuses on drills, parades, and the doldrums of camp life and army food. A continuing thread of the diary is the topic of uniforms, including descriptions of the efforts undertaken to provide uniforms to the troops of the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry.

This collection is primarily made up of letters that John E. Ford sent to his mother and sisters in Athens, New York, while serving in the United States Navy between October 1917 and February 1919. Ford described his training at Pelham Bay, New York, and his service along the East Coast on the USS Indiana.

This collection (33 items) includes 32 letters that John E. Ford sent to his mother and sisters in Athens, New York, while serving in the United States Navy between October 1917 and February 1919. Ford's earliest letters pertain to his experiences at the United States Naval Training Station at Pelham Bay, New York, including his military education and leisure activities. After December 12, 1917, he wrote from the USS Indiana, discussing the ship's movements along the East Coast and describing his activities while on shore leave. On one occasion, he participated in a military parade at Coney Island, New York (May 19, 1918). In late 1918, Ford referred to the influenza epidemic, which led to the closure of public spaces in several southern locations. Ford sometimes wrote on YMCA and Knights of Columbus stationery; one letterhead contains a picture of a man lying in a hammock with the caption "All Night In and Beans for Breakfast" (October 7, 1918). The collection also includes an undated letter from John's brother Lawrence (or Laurence) to their sister Florence about his life in Crescent, New York.

This collection is made up of a diary, 18 letters, 13 receipts, and other materials relating to John Egan Rapp during and after his service in Swett's Battery of the Mississippi Light Artillery. His diary spans just over year of his service in the Confederate Army and the bulk of the remainder of the collection pertains to his postwar life in Conyers and Atlanta, Georgia.

This John Egan Rapp collection is made up of a diary; 18 letters and a telegram; a group of receipts, a recipe, three newspaper clippings, two short lists of genealogical material, three empty envelopes, an advertising flyer, three blank voter oath forms; and a published history of the Battle of Chickamauga. These materials pertain to Rapp's life during and after his service in Swett's Battery of the Mississippi Light Artillery. His diary spans just over year of his service in the Confederate Army and the bulk of the remainder of the collection pertains to his postwar life in Conyers and Atlanta, Georgia.

Diary. John Egan Rapp kept his 96-page pocket diary between October 2, 1862, and November 23, 1863, during his service in Swett's Battery, Mississippi Light Artillery. He wrote in pencil, which has since become smudged and is at times so faded that it is difficult to read. At least one page of the diary has been torn out. Rapp routinely recorded where his unit camped each night, the number of miles they marched each day, rations issued, and enemy locations. He wrote some of his longest entries when his artillery unit was engaged in the battles of Murfreesboro (December 1862 and January 1863) and Chickamauga (September 19-25, 1863). He described harsh living conditions near Tazewell, Tennessee in October 1862, "we have had but half rations for the last week and tonight none is to be had." A week later, they camped in the woods near Knoxville in cold weather with no tents, with some men lacking shoes or adequate clothing. This contrasts with Christmas of 1862 when they were at College Grove, Tennessee, "General Liddell has prepared a barbecue for the Brigade--is expected to be a brilliant affair--number of ladies are expected and every preparations are made to receive them." Wet and weary after five days and nights "on the field" at the battle of Mufreesboro, he wrote, "our horses have not had anything to eat in thirty-six hours and have traveled 26 miles since midnight" (January 4, 1863). He mentioned seeing Gen. Joe E. Johnson reviewing the troops (December 10, 1862), and Jefferson Davis riding along the line (October 11, 1863). Although "elected" to become Lieutenant after the death of the serving officer, he wrote, "But declined." (October 11, 1863). On page 44 of the diary (December 22, 1863), Rapp wrote a farewell letter to one of his sisters (probably Elizabeth, Mrs. Thomas Postlewait) saying that if he died he hoped his diary would make its way to her, and that he owed the "onley few moments of happiness I ever new" to her. Much of the second half of the diary notebook consists of notes, addresses, accounts, etc. -- some refer to amts. of ammunition (Round Shot, Canister, Shell)--under the heading "List--Gun Napolean" are records of type of ammunition used, weight of ammo, distance in yards, and remarks about gun performance.

The collection's Correspondence (18 letters, a telegram, and three loose envelopes) spans April 13, 1864-October 30, 1891. John E. Rapp wrote four of the letters; his sister Elizabeth C. [Rapp] Postlewait (1833-1922) wrote two; his brother-in-law Thomas H. Postlewait (1826/28-1903) wrote two; his sister Emily [Rapp] Hair (1844-1915) wrote one; his cousin Dr. William E. Rapp (1819-1880) sent one; his cousin Enoch Thompson (1808-1898) wrote one; and P. K. Montgomery sent one. Most of the remaining letters are business related.

John E. Rapp wrote the two earliest letters in this collection during the Civil War. On April 13, 1864, he informed his wife that he was awaiting the arrival of his second "Certificate of Disability." About three weeks later, P. K. Montgomery advised Rapp how he could safely cross the Mississippi River at St. Joseph, Louisiana, despite Yankee gunboats, "Crossing is done in Canoes and mostly by Night. The horses have to Swim the River . . . The charges are pretty high as the Boats have to be kept some distance in the Country and hauled in when needed." (May 8, 1864). Dr. William E. Rapp's Reconstruction Era letters from Franklin Parish, Louisiana, described difficulties resulting from the disruption of mail and railroad service. "We have not mails here yet & consequently, scarcely ever get a letter except by the boats in the winter by way of New Orleans. No Rail Road in operation from here to Miss. River & no navigation now, so that we are cut off from the world." (Oct. 11, 1867). He also commented several times on the use of freedmen as a labor force, "We have been trying the planting with the Freed men, but not to any great success . . . Labour is much wanting in this country as not more than half of the Freedmen are of any account & none very valuable." (October 11, 1867). "I am striving as usual to make a fortune with free Negroes, which is rather a slow business . . . I am working, or feeding about 35 hands & their families & sometimes they pay for it, and sometimes they don't." (March 30, 1879).

A November 18, 1881, letter from Emily (Rapp) Hair in Ohio expressed her wish to make peace with her brother, John E. Rapp. She was unaware that he had a wife and family, so the brother and sister must have been out of touch since at least 1863, and it is possible that they quarreled over his decision to fight for the Confederacy. A single letter dated October 10, 1886, written by a railroad official, described a raid that John E. Rapp was ordered to make on thieves poaching fish from railroad property. "...two men who fished the pond every day or night during the past week & that these parties had taken over 500 fish, the most of them they had put in their own private pond for future use." Also of interest is a letter from Rapp's 83-year-old cousin Enoch Thompson, who claimed to have written the first accurate description of the creation of the Universe. "Moses wrote a run and jump darklantern description of the Creation of this world . . . This historic account of the structure of the Universe I have written for your perusal is, in all probability, the first Historic description of the Universe ever written by man in any age of the world and therefore may be considered something new under the Sun, and might serve as a relic in the future." (October 30, 1891).

The Documents, Receipts, Newspaper Clippings, and Other Manuscripts include 13 receipts, a recipe for "copaiba," two short lists of genealogical material, three undated newspaper clippings, one advertising flyer, and three blank Fulton County, Georgia, voter oath forms from 1891.

The receipts include four for quarterly tuition at The Gordon School in Atlanta, Georgia, for Rapp's son Fred in 1891, and one for tuition at the Atlanta Classical School in 1892. Also among the receipts is one dated May 8, 1876, acknowledging that Station House Keeper W. A. Bonnell received "the body of one Henry Redding, alias Wm. Christopher." On the back of the receipt is a penciled note, "$4.00 Guard House fee." This is a reference to a "colored" convict who escaped from the convict camp near Marietta, Georgia, with five other prisoners, March 23-24, 1876. Despite searching an 8-mile radius with dogs, the men made a clean escape, and a $25 reward was offered for each man. Redding was recaptured about six weeks later, and for a time was confined in the Station House mentioned in the receipt of May 8, 1876. As the May 5, 1876 issue of the Atlanta Constitution wryly put it, "Henry Redding, who has been sentenced to the penitentiary for lifetime and 20 years additional, is now a guest at the Hotel de Bonnell." Henry Redding's serious problems with the law began in 1869. He and two other "negroes" were convicted of arson for starting a fire in a jail where they had been detained, in an attempt to escape. They received a sentence of hard labor for life after being convicted of arson. While serving this sentence Redding escaped from a convict camp near Marietta, Georgia, in 1876 and was recaptured six weeks later. Eleven years later, in 1887, he applied to Governor Gordon to reduce his life sentence to 20 years. Based on an earlier court decision that "an attempt to burn a jail in order to effect an escape is not arson," and in consideration of the long term Redding had already served, the Governor ordered him "forthwith discharged from confinement" (The Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 6, 1887, p. 7).

The newspaper clippings include one entitled "The Gallant Charge" about Cheatham's Division at Franklin, Tennessee, one about a reunion of Confederate veterans, and the last an obituary for John E. Rapp's son Joseph W. Rapp

The collection includes a 16-page Confederate imprint entitled GREAT BATTLE OF CHICAMAUGA: A concise History of Events from the Evacuation of Chattanooga to the Defeat of the Enemy (Mobile, 1863) by S. C. Reid of the Mobile Tribune, with John E. Rapp's penciled annotation on the margin of page six correcting the account of Swett's Battery's part in the battle.

This collection is made up of 4 albums containing photographs related to the United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force during World War II and the Korean War, including items showing the Tuskegee Airmen, and family photographs related to an African American family. Some materials, including several manuscript and ephemera items, indicate that the albums may have belonged to John Ellis Edwards, a native of Steubenville, Ohio.

This collection is made up of 4 albums (220 total pages) containing photographs related to the United States Army Air Corps and United States Air Force during World War II and the Korean War, including items showing the Tuskegee Airmen, and family photographs related to an African American family. Additional items, including manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and ephemera, are laid into each volume. One of the albums has embossed illustrations of three military planes and a military aviation badge on its front cover, along with the printed title "Tuskegee Army Flying School." Some of the materials indicate that the albums may have belonged to John Ellis Edwards, a native of Steubenville, Ohio.

The earliest materials pertain to the military service of African-American servicemen during World War II, including formal portraits of pilots and other members of the United States Army Air Corps who trained at the Tuskegee Institute and pictures of military aircraft. Other items concern United States Air Force operations during the Korean War, including numerous photographs of African-American and white servicemen attending dinners with one another and with local women; several images show a live performance by Les Brown & His Band of Renown and female singers. Many of these images also feature military aircraft and radio equipment, and some are scenic views of the Philippines and Okinawa. The albums also include photographs of civilian airplanes and aerial views of unidentified lands. A small number of the military photographs are official images licensed by the United States Army and Air Force.

The remaining items are primarily informal family photographs taken in Ohio, Atlanta, Georgia, and other unidentified locales between the 1950s and mid-1970s. Many show family members posing near a decorated Christmas tree, and others show automobiles and neighborhood streets. The latest photographs include color photographic prints and school photographs of children. Other non-military pictures include an autographed group portrait of Three B's and a Honey and photographic postcards with studio portraits.

Each of the albums contains several loose items such as additional photographs, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. Most of the clippings pertain to military aviation during World War II and the Korean War, particularly regarding the Tuskegee Airmen. Other printed items are invitations and graduation programs related to the Tuskegee Institute, a church program from Griffiss Air Force Base, colored illustrations of the Republic P-47 Thunderbolt and Bell P-39 Airacobra aircraft, a military memorandum about radio codes, and a sheet with several reproductions of United States Army and Air Force insignia. The collection includes three letters written by John Ellis Edwards, including a V-mail letter to his father.

The papers include notes, unpublished papers, drafts, and related correspondence, mostly about Madeline La Framboise, Charles H. Salter, and Ulysses S. Grant.

The Papers are divided into Correspondence (4 folders) and Papers (approximately 1 cubic ft.). The Papers include his completed papers, drafts of the papers, and research notes, as well as Related Correspondence, 1968-1995, and undated. Most of the material relates to his biographies of Madeline La Framboise and Brevet Major Charles H. Salter. There are several smaller papers on other topics, including women fur traders. All of the materials are undated except for the General and Related Correspondence.

Books that were originally part of the collection have been separately cataloged.

Madeline La Framboise (circa 1780-1846), a fur trader at Mackinac Island, was a squaw who married Joseph La Framboise, another fur trader at Mackinac Island.

Charles H. Salter (died 1892) of Detroit, Michigan, was a Civil War veteran. He enlisted in Detroit at age 21 in April 1861 in Company A of the Michigan First Infantry. Salter mustered out in August 1861, and re-entered service in Company E, Sixteenth Michigan Infantry as a Second Lieutenant. He was commissioned as a First Lieutenant in Company B in August 1862. In September 1864 Salter became the Acting Brigade Inspector and was commissioned as a Brevet Major of the U.S. Volunteers for his courage and bravery throughout the war. He was discharged in January 1865. Salter died on March 23, 1892. (This information is from the Regimental History of the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry, p.141.). Other Civil War materials may be found under Civil War notes and “Such an opportunity” draft, about General Ulysses S. Grant.

Methodist minister; Correspondence and other papers relating primarily to his ministerial career.

The collection divides into three series: Correspondence; Ministerial Papers; and Miscellaneous.

The John E. Merritt letters contain correspondence from Merritt to his uncle, Lewis Merritt, pertaining to his work for the Rocky Mountain Oil and Development Company in Duluth, Minnesota, and Elko, Nevada, in the early 20th century.

This collection (32 items) is made up of letters that John E. Merritt wrote to his uncle, Lewis Merritt, about his work for the Rocky Mountain Oil and Development Company in Duluth, Minnesota, and Elko, Nevada, from 1901-1905. Merritt, who served as the company's vice president and, later, as its general manager, frequently discussed oil drilling and finances, particularly regarding company stock. In his letter of March 19, 1903, he described a legal dispute with a contractor. His letters also contain news of the Minnesota branch of the family. Merritt generally used the company's stationery for his letters.

Republican member of the Michigan state legislature (House and Senate, 1971-1990); governor of Michigan (1991-2003); active member of the Republican Governors' Association and the National Governors' Association. The Engler collection consists primarily of materials created and maintained by Governor Engler and his staff during the period when he was governor, 1991-2003. Other records include papers from his several terms in the Michigan House and the Michigan Senate. The collection includes papers files, photographs, sound recordings, videotapes, memorabilia, and some electronic files. The gubernatorial files are arranged mainly by unit or functional responsibility within the governor's office. These series are Executive Office, Communications Division, Legal Division, State Government Affairs, Legislative Affairs Division, Operations Division, External Affairs, Scheduling, Washington DC Office, and Office of the First Lady. Topics extensively documented include state welfare and school funding reform, reorganization of state boards and commissions, notably the restructuring of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, and Republican party politics.

The John Engler papers are the most important source available for the study of Michigan's state government from 1991 to 2002. The collection is particularly strong on the topics of welfare and school funding reform, state government reorganization and the rising impact of the National Governors' Association in state and national politics. Engler's efforts to attract commerce to Michigan are also well-documented. The materials are arranged into two main subgroups: Pre-gubernatorial Papers and Gubernatorial Papers. The bulk of the material relates to Engler's gubernatorial career, therefore, the analysis that follows focuses primarily on this subgroup.

The materials in the "Gubernatorial Papers" subgroup are arranged according to the offices and subdivisions of the governor's office that created them. This means that the governor's speeches and press releases, for example, may be found within a grouping or "series" called "Communications Division," within the "Gubernatorial" subgroup, while legislative histories for various public acts may be found within the "Legislative Affairs" series.

While some kinds of documents were produced uniquely by one division, other kinds were produced in several divisions of the governor's office. The governor's correspondence, for example, was drafted and approved by several different staff members. Letters to important business and political leaders may be found within the "Executive Office" series, the "State Government Affairs" series, and the "Washington DC Office" series in particular. There no comprehensive chronological correspondence file.

In using the collection, the researcher should think functionally and ask who would have created the information sought. For example, the policy advisors in the State Government Affairs Division created individual topical files which gathered together correspondence and research materials to support briefing memoranda which they presented to the governor, while the speechwriters in the Communications Division often gathered different types of materials to help them shape the presentation of the same policies to the public.

During the 1930s, and possibly longer, John E. Pokorny was employed by Ford Motor Company as an assistant to Harry Bennett in personnel and security matters. Whether as part of his job or on his own time, Pokorny collected information on supposed subversive organizations in the Detroit, Michigan, area and, for Ford, investigated Communist infiltration oflabor unions. John Pokorny collected most of the materials in this collection to document supposed subversive activities in the Detroit area and in the United States in general. This collection largely reflects Pokorny's collecting practices and not his personal papers; hence, the collection is arranged similar to a subject file. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject or name with most of the material dating from the 1930s. Most of the original folder titles have been maintained from Pokorny's original arrangement. News clippings comprise a majority of the contents of the collection and most of these are photocopies of the originals. The collection also contains printed materials (leaflets, brochures, flyers), some manuscript material, and a few photographs.

John Pokorny collected most of the materials in this collection to document supposed subversive activities in the Detroit area and in the United States in general. This collection largely reflects Pokorny's collecting practices and not his personal papers; hence, the collection is arranged similar to a subject file. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject or name with most of the material dating from the 1930s. Most of the original folder titles have been maintained from Pokorny's original arrangement. News clippings comprise a majority of the contents of the collection and most of these are photocopies of the originals. The collection also contains printed materials (leaflets, brochures, flyers), some manuscript material, and a few photographs. In a few instances, cross-references have been made within the collection, e.g. between the National Labor Relations Board and Edward Burke. Any reference was indicated on a piece of8.5"xl4" paper in the front of the folder. There are possibly even more cross-references than are formally indicated; however, the subject matter and organizations represented in the collection overlap to a degree and it would be very difficult to make note of every instance. Therefore, one who is interested in a specific topic is advised to look through other folders that may be somewhat related. A case in point is the American Coalition. Although the group has a specific folder heading under Aliens (meaning immigrants), more papers originating from the group can be found in folders such as Govermnent - Legislation, Politics (I). There are some materials that deem a specific mention or more explanation. The folder on Civil Liberties contains flyers/leaflets, letters, meeting minutes from various groups, such as the Professional League for Civil Rights, Civil Rights League, National Federation for Constitutional Liberties, and the National Emergency Conference for Democratic Rights. Much of this relates to Detroit-based activities. The third folder on Communism contains 2 lists of suspected Communists in the Detroit area in 1932. Each is about 40 pages long. This folder also has correspondence from 1931 to 1933 to and from the hnmigration and Naturalization Service on the activities of "aliens" and suspected Communists. In his position in the Personnel Dept. for the Ford Motor Company, Pokorny received a number of letters from men seeking employment, often after having served in the military. These materials are located in the first and third folders for the Ford Motor Company. The folder Government - Court Bill contains information on the 1937 idea to increase the number of U.S. Supreme Court justices from nine to fifteen. The folder entitled "Military" relates mainly to the Michigan Military Area of the U.S. Army and the reserves. The Michigan United Auto Workers folder contains 6 photographs of individuals, although only two of them are identified. An additional variety of photographs can be found in Box 2. These depict: fires in Detroit (8); Niagara Falls; a photo of two unidentified men; the crashed plane of Major Resonatti, Italian Ace; John Philip Sousa's burial, March 10, 1932; a 1932 fire at the National Soldiers Home (Dayton, OH); and several copies of the installation of officers of the National Sojourners picturing Pokorny and other members. A newsprint copy of this last photograph can be found in the folder Pokorny Personal. This folder also contains correspondence from organizations with which he was involved, greeting cards, his Army commission certificates, and programs from events.