Collections

This collection consists of two volumes of lecture notes that James B. Gibbs compiled while he was a resident student at Yale Divinity School in 1846. The lectures, delivered by Yale professors Nathaniel W. Taylor, Chauncey Allen Goodrich, and J. Gibbs, concern a range of theological and philosophical topics, including the history and practices of Christianity, information about other religions, and contemporary philosophical thought regarding ethics and government.

This collection consists of two volumes of lecture notes that James B. Gibbs compiled while he was a resident student at Yale Divinity School in 1846. The first volume contains approximately 520 pages of lectures on moral philosophy, natural theology, moral government, and evidences of Christianity. The second volume contains approximately 400 pages of Nathaniel W. Taylor's lectures on Revealed Theology, lectures by Professor J. Gibbs on Christianity and other world religions, lists of different kinds of materials within the Bible, and Chauncey Allen Goodrich's lectures on the duties of clergy and on religious missions.

Volume 1 (approximately 520 pages) concerns studies in both religion and philosophy. The first 262 pages are devoted to "Mental Philosophy," a series of essays or lectures on numerous topics about ethics and philosophy. Following are 25 pages on "Moral Philosophy," a brief course on philosophical principles that relate to theological studies. A discussion of moral government begins on the 26th page. The author often refers to the work of famous philosophers, including John Locke and David Hume. Further discussion of natural theology opens on page 74, with 20 lectures by Professor Taylor covering the next 100 pages. Pages 181 to 263 are devoted to "Evidences of Christianity," including answers to several anticipated objections. The volume has an index.

Volume 2 (approximately 400 pages) begins with 268 pages of lectures by Professor Nathaniel W. Taylor. The series, entitled "Revealed Theology," covers a diverse array of religious topics, including the history and intricacies of numerous Christian doctrines. These are followed by 21 lectures (43 pages) delivered by Professor J. Gibbs concerning theological study, including an outline of topics in theology and of its various branches. The first lectures concentrate on defining relevant terms, followed by several lectures on non-Christian religions, including Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Other material pertains to the practice of studying theology, and addresses topics such as the history of canonical Christian texts and the differences and similarities between the stories within the four Christian Gospels.

Following these lectures are 71 pages of supplementary lists and other material about the Bible and about non-Christian religions. Lists concern several specific topics about Christianity, such as events in the Bible, symbolism used in apocalyptic visions, and comments on outside theologians. The next 31 pages cover Professor Chauncey Allen Goodrich's lectures on Christian revivals, including the history of revivals and the philosophy behind them. The final sections, also delivered initially by Goodrich, concern the duties of "Pastoral Office," including information on some distinctions between certain Christian denominations and on running a congregation (25 pages), and discuss Christian missionary work (3 pages).

The front pages of this volume contain a brief note about Professor Nathaniel W. Taylor's death (March 15, 1858) and a portrait of Taylor. The final pages are an index to Taylor's lectures on revealed theology.

This collection is made up of autobiographical manuscripts, correspondence, documents, and family photograph albums related to James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of the items pertain to Pond's service during the Civil War and both father and son's lecture business.

This collection is made up of autobiographical manuscripts, correspondence, documents, and family photograph albums related to James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of the items pertain to Pond Sr.'s service during the Civil War and both father and son's lecture business.

The Pond Family Papers series includes one box containing miscellaneous correspondence ranging in date from 1896-1932, Civil War related material, autobiographical sketches, family photographs, and personal photograph albums.

The Civil War related material includes a few items relating to James Pond's Civil War service in the 3rd Wisconsin Cavalry, among which are a typescript of official reports relating to the massacre at Baxter Springs, Kansas, a printed poem on the massacre, and a printed notice of the death in the 1880s of William T. Brayton of the 3rd Cavalry. Pond also collected other reminiscences of the war, including an autobiographical account of Mrs. Horn, wife of a Missouri surgeon, which includes a description of Quantrill's raiders pillaging town and taking her husband prisoner, and a memoir of Edward P. Bridgman, a soldier in the 37th Massachusetts Infantry who served with John Brown in 1856, and may have known Pond.

More than half of this series consists of autobiographical manuscripts, parts of which, at least, were published as magazine articles. Most of these focus on his early years (prior to 1861) when he and his family were living a marginal existence in frontier Wisconsin and when he was a young man in search of a livelihood. The collection includes three major manuscripts, each present in several copies or versions, all of which are related to each other - "A Pioneer Boyhood," "The American Pioneer: My Life as a Boy," and "Pioneer Days" - plus there are less polished manuscripts of childhood and Civil War reminiscences. All appear to have been written initially in 1890, though some copies were apparently made several years later. In addition, there is an autobiographical sketch "How I got started in the Lecture Business" in which he describes his part in Anna Eliza Young's "apostatizing" and entering onto the lecture circuit.

The collection also contains 5 photograph albums. These volumes contain over 800 personal photographs taken between 1896 and 1902, including many pictures of family members at leisure both indoors and outdoors and Pond's business acquaintances from his lecture agency. Travel photographs include views of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Winnipeg, Manitoba, as well as a group of pictures taken during a visit to England, Switzerland, and Germany in 1901. European items include a series of colored prints, located in Volume 4. The albums contain images of locomotives, railroad cars, and steamships. Volume 1 contains images of the inauguration of William McKinley and Volume 2 contains images of crowds gathered for a GAR parade in Buffalo, New York. Throughout the albums are glimpses of various lecture tours and clients including John Watson (Ian Maclaren) and Anthony Hope in Volume 2 and Francis Marion Crawford in Volume 3. Other notable figures include Sam Walter Foss and William Dean Howells in Volume 1, Charles W. Blair and Edward William Bok in Volume 3, and Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Charles William Stubbs, Robert Stawell Ball, Horace Porter, Frank Thomas Bullen, and Israel Zangwill in Volume 4. In addition to the albums, there are loose photographs of family, James B. Pond Jr., and the Adventurers' Club of New York. Oversized photographs are housed in Box 3.

The Pond Lecture Bureau Papers series consists of one box containing client files (arranged chronologically), loose photographs, and ephemera. Much of the content consists of correspondence between clients/prospective clients and photographs of clients (likely for promotional material). This series spans from 1877 to the 1940s covering periods of ownership from both James B. Pond, Sr. and Jr. Some of these clients are as follows: Henry Ward Beecher, Reverend Joseph Parker, Thomas DeWitt Talmage, Leon Pierre Blouet, Reverend John Watson (Ian Maclaren), William Winter, Edward Rickenbacker, Harry A. Franck, Gunnar Horn, Maurice Brown, and Major Radclyffe Dugmore. Unidentified oversized photographs and a scrapbook are housed in Box 3.

Photographic collection consists mainly of undated glass-plate negatives and photographs of Mount Pleasant, Michigan, buildings and street scenes, Central Michigan University buildings, staff, students, and numerous images of Apaches in Arizona and Sioux in South Dakota.

The collection includes glass-plate negatives, one Kodak safety film negative, a postcard, prints created from the negatives, duplicates of the prints, and some original prints for which there are no extant negatives. Some of the photographs are mounted on board, postcards, or other paper. Some of the glass-plate negatives were sent by Clarke staff in the early 1970s to the University of Michigan where prints were created from the plates. Additional prints were created over time. The prints originally created from the plates measure 4”x5”. Later copies measure 5”x7” and 8”x10”. The glass-plate images have very sharp detail. The miscellaneous images in the collection vary in size and are mounted on postcards, soft paper, or board. A total of 75 negatives and 185 images (including copies) compose the collection.

The collection is divided by format, then alphabetically organized by topic. Box 1 includes Biographical Information (copies, 1 folder) and Photographs. Box 2 includes Glass-plate Negatives.

Most of the original images were taken by James C. Freeman. Some are signed on the back “J. C. Freeman” or have notes from Mary, such as an image of Mount Pleasant rooftops in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, General Views folder, which reads on the back “Papa took this picture from the courthouse cupola Mt. P.” Other images have notations on them and include either James or Mary’s names or both.

After the collection came to the Clarke, it was widely dispersed over time between many general Michigan photograph files. The unlabeled boxes of negatives were housed in the old map room of the Clarke. In 2007 a request was made to recompile as much of the collection as was possible. This collection is the result. For some images there are multiple negatives, multiple prints, multiple copies, or no copies or no negatives.

The collection includes James C. Freeman’s local photographs of downtown Mount Pleasant, Michigan, buildings, notably the Isabella County Courthouse, general views of town, a baseball game, a train by the depot, and three men fishing. Also included are photographs of Central Michigan University (CMU) buildings, and the only extant photograph of Mr. Grawn at CMU with faculty, which is dated 1917-1918. One image of the Old Main building has a notation on the back of the print which states that it was used by the 1893 Mount Pleasant newspaper in an article about the groundbreaking at CMU. An etching based on the photograph was actually used in the paper, not the image itself. Many images of the Mount Pleasant Indian School, mostly of buildings and a few of staff and students, are also included. None of the other photographs are dated, but they all appear to be from the 1890s.

Many images of Apaches and Sioux, Indian schools on their reservations, Sioux teepees, and western scenic scenes, one of which is labeled “below rim Grand Canyon” are also in the collection. Whites and Native Americans are shown in the school and scenic views. These images were originally divided simply into Sioux or Apache folders. Most Apache reservations are in Arizona, as is the Grand Canyon. The archivist was unable to determine which Apache tribe/s are represented in these images or precisely where the images were taken, except that they were likely taken in Arizona. The Sioux images are from an unspecified South Dakota reservation.

The western and scenic views have either [Apache] or [Sioux] at the end of their label indicating their folder of origin. The archivist maintained the folder labels following the arrangement used in the Michigan general photographs collection folders at the Clarke as much as possible to allow patrons who have used the photographs in those folders to find photographs of interest in this collection.

This collection contains documents related to a lawsuit between James Gibbs and Joseph E. Embertz of Caroline County, Maryland. Gibbs, a free African American, sued Embertz to regain possession of a "spotted sow."

This collection contains 6 documents related to a lawsuit between James Gibbs and Joseph E. Embertz of Caroline County, Maryland. Gibbs, a free African American, sued Embertz to regain possession of a "spotted sow" worth $5, which Embertz had allegedly stolen and retained illegally. The material documents most of the case's history and includes an affidavit and summons. Constable Alexander Ridegway is frequently mentioned in the documents.

The collection consists mainly of meeting minutes, interoffice memos, letters, and position papers on various topics of interest to the university, and a folder of biographical information.

The collection consists mainly of meeting minutes of several committees or councils on which Hageman served; interoffice memos, letters, and position papers on various topics of interest to the university, including Core Values, the Indigenous Working Group, and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Program; and a 2001-2002 Annual Report of Facilities Management and supporting documentation. Also included is a folder of biographical information.

Processing Notes: During processing, a large number of CMU publications (.5 cubic ft.) was removed from the collection and interfiled into the CMU vertical files.

This collection is made up of six letters written by Private Kirwin to his mother while serving in France between August 1918 and December 1919 with the American Expeditionary Forces. He mentioned Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Armistice of November 11, 1918, and he utilized colored, printed "Y.M.C.A," "Salvation Army," or "American Red Cross" stationery.

This collection is made up of materials related to James M. Curtin, including his brother Will's letters about his travels in France in the spring of 1919, photographs taken in France in 1919, a narrative of the Curtin siblings' visit to Europe in 1961, and drafts of a short story.

This collection is made up of 7 items related to James M. Curtin of Marcellus, New York, and his siblings. His brother Will wrote letters to his mother and siblings from Paris, France, on March 13 and May 18, 1919; one is written on stationery of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. Will Curtin described life and leisure activities in Paris, and recounted his travels around France, including a trip to Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Two photographs taken on May 11, 1919, show "Mr. Curtin" and three women posing with soldiers near Reims Cathedral. The collection contains 2 undated drafts of a short story by James M. Curtin, entitled "A Misadventure on a Spring Holiday" (27 pages and 32 pages, respectively).

The final item is an unsigned manuscript (96 pages) regarding a "European Trip Taken in 1961 by Genevieve, Mary and James Curtin" (August 7, 1961-October 5, 1961). The narrative consists of daily entries about the family's travels in Ireland, France, and Italy, including extensive travel within the Republic of Ireland and visits to Lourdes, Nice, Rome, and Paris. The author recorded many details about the family's Irish ancestors, particularly those who settled in New York and Iowa, and discussed their sightseeing activities in Cork, Galway, the Aran Islands, Connemara, Dublin, and other locations. While in southern France and Rome, the family visited several churches; on one occasion, they witnessed a private speech by the Pope. The Curtins saw many ancient landmarks while in Rome and then flew over the Alps to Paris. While there, they took a trip to the Palace of Versailles. The account ends mid-sentence with the family's return to New York after a transatlantic journey on a Holland-American Line steamer.

The James Mease journal documents two trips taken by Mr. Mease of Philadelphia: the first to eastern Pennsylvania in 1835 and New York State and the second to Washington, D.C. in 1841.

James Mease kept his journal during two separate periods: during a trip through eastern Pennsylvania and New York state, August-September 1835 (pp. 1-62), and during a journey to Washington, D.C., in the summer of 1841 (pp. 63-75). Laid into the volume is a half-sheet containing a partial letter by Mease to one of his sons and some travel notes.

Although the journal is not signed, it has been attributed to Mease because of direct references it makes (pp. 16, 71) to his essay "Description of Some of the Medals Struck..." The handwriting was subsequently shown to match other Mease manuscripts in the Clements Library. Mease's On Utility of Public Loan Offices and Savings Funds by City Authorities (1836) is of interest in that the journeys recorded in the first part of the Clements Library's journal appear to have been taken to gather information for that work.

Two themes run throughout Mease's journal. The first is his strong sense of history. Mease was careful to note historical events which had occurred on sites he was visiting -- making reference both to events which he had witnessed and about which he had read. The second theme is his interest in people, particularly the "common man." Mease enjoyed the friendship and society of some of the most noted persons of his day, yet he was fascinated by a visit with an ordinary citizen, exploring that person's life story, which he would record in his journal.

The James M. K. Reed Collection consists of four undated items relating to Reed's services as an instructor of practical penmanship in mid-19th century Pennsylvania. It includes two calligraphic drawings of American eagles, one of which is holding a ribbon and flying above a feather quill. The other two items in the collection are subscription lists for students. They detail the terms for the penmanship classes and list patron names, the number of scholars, and whether fees were paid. One list identifies the locale of the classes as being in the vicinity of Patterson's Mills, likely in Pennsylvania. The other list provides no location, but notes the classes are co-taught by "Reed & Boyd" and includes several calligraphic drawings of birds and a feather quill.

The James M. K. Reed Collection consists of four undated items relating to Reed's services as an instructor of practical penmanship in mid-19th century Pennsylvania. It includes two calligraphic drawings of American eagles, one of which is holding a ribbon and flying above a feather quill. The other two items in the collection are subscription lists for students. They detail the terms for the penmanship classes and list patron names, the number of scholars, and whether fees were paid. One list identifies the locale of the classes as being in the vicinity of Patterson's Mills, likely in Pennsylvania. The other list provides no location, but notes the classes are co-taught by "Reed & Boyd" and includes several calligraphic drawings of birds and a feather quill.

The collection documents social and political protest issues in the United States, mostly 1960s-1980s.

Political protest pins collection, 1941, 1984, and undated. The collection documents social and political protest issues in the United States, mostly 1960s-1980s. Pins are grouped into general topics: Michigan and gay rights pins (4); Justice and peace pins (12); Patriotic, elections and political pins (12); Health care and insurance pins (7); Radical students, union pins (11); Vietnam and other war and nuclear protest pins (19); Women, women's rights and pro-choice, ERA pins (16). Pins are mostly in good shape, but some are a little rusty, clouded, smeared or chipped. Pins are small, medium and large in size.

Additional collections by/about Kohrman are housed at the Clarke, while the ACS. Midland Chapter records are on loan to the Clarke.