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Collection

Will Hathaway papers, 1980-2000

2 linear feet

Will Hathaway, an Ann Arbor resident and University of Michigan graduate, is an activist mainly involved in peace and arms control issues. Hathaway's papers document his involvement in issues while a student at the University of Michigan, his involvement in the arms control lobby, and his efforts in organizing a 1999 community forum on nuclear weapons abolition.

Hathaway's papers document his involvement in issues while a student at the University of Michigan, his involvement in the arms control lobby, and his efforts in organizing a 1999 community forum on nuclear weapons abolition. His papers have been divided into three series: University of Michigan Activism, Arms Control Lobbying, and Nuclear Weapons Abolition Community Forum.

Collection

William A. and Junius S. Smith papers, 1862-1865

19 items

Brothers from Marion, Mich., Gus and June Smith both enlisted in the 22nd Michigan Infantry in August, 1862. Their letters depict their first year of service and provide useful descriptions of camp conditions, health, and morale in the regiment. The collection also contains four receipt rolls, returns, and other documents signed by Gus for material issued to his company.

The Smith brothers' collection is a slender, but significant one, documenting the combined Civil War service of two brothers from Marion, Mich. Seven letters are written by Gus, five by June, and one letter was written jointly. Gus' letters tend to be more descriptive, perhaps because he was an officer or because he was more enthusiastic about soldiering, or perhaps because June was so often plagued with ill health.

Their letters from the fall of 1862 through the summer of 1863, all written home to their family, depict their first year of service and provide useful descriptions of camp conditions, health, and morale in the regiment, and contain the expected inquiries about affairs at home. Because they are sporadic correspondents, a detailed sense of their family relations or military experiences does not clearly emerge, but individual letters rise well above the mundane. Perhaps the two most interesting are an undated letter from Gus, probably written in the fall, 1862, describing his tent and living conditions in Kentucky, and his letter from May, 1863, crowing over his promotion to captain. The collection also contains four receipt rolls, returns, and other documents signed by Gus for material issued to his company.

Collection

William A. Bates journal, 1912

1 volume

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912.

The William A. Bates journal chronicles Bates' travels through Scotland and England in July 1912. In a series of daily diary entries, Bates covered the entire trip, including his transatlantic passages on the Baltic and Oceanic. Bates and two companions, John S. Bates and Dudley Bates Lawrence, set off on the Baltic on July 3, 1912, and spent 8 leisurely days onboard making acquaintances and playing shuffleboard. The author pleasantly noted a large number of Yale graduates also making the trip, and discussed the trio's indecision regarding their upcoming plans. On July 11, the passengers arrived in Liverpool, and the three companions made their way to Glasgow by train, where they began a month of sightseeing around Scotland and England. As the group journeyed across the country to Edinburgh, Bates paid particular attention to the landscape, and often noted golf courses and cricket pitches. After spending a few days in Edinburgh, the travelers went to St. Andrews, where they spent two days on its legendary golf links (July 16-17), and then on to North Berwick, where they again played golf. On July 21, they left Scotland for York, where they viewed the city's cathedral, and moved onward to Cambridge, where Bates recorded his impressions of university students and of the pleasant town. After arriving in London on July 25, they spent several days touring local landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, where they attended a church service. Following a week filled with theatrical outings and museums, the three companions boarded the Oceanic in Southampton on July 31. During the return journey, Bates noted several aspects of life on the ship, including his first-class view over the steerage deck and the presence of several Olympians onboard.

Collection

William Abbatt collection, 1927-1931

5 items

The William Abbatt collection contains correspondence related to Abbatt's authorial and editorial work about the American Revolution.

The William Abbatt collection contains correspondence and a newspaper clipping related to Abbatt's scholarly work about the American Revolution. The four letters in the collection represented Abbatt's efforts to ensure historical accuracy throughout his work. Specific subjects addressed in the collection included the historiography of the American Revolution and of Benedict Arnold's invasion of New York, archival records of two members of the Continental Army, the proper use of military titles for retired officers, and Return Jonathan Meigs' involvement in Montgomery's attack on Québec. The newspaper clipping, mounted on the back of a printed petition from George Wilkes to the House of Representatives (December 10, 1848), commemorated a site related to Benedict Arnold's Québec invasion, which was flooded following the completion of a local dam.

Collection

William A. Carter typescript, 1857-1859

1 item

This collection is made up of typescripts of letters that William A. Carter sent to his wife Mary from July 1857 to January 1859. Carter described his journey from Kansas to southwest Wyoming throughout 1857 and later discussed his life at Fort Bridger, where he became a prosperous sutler. Many of the letters refer to Native American tribes and to ongoing conflicts between Mormons and United States troops.

This collection (71 pages) is made up of typescripts of letters that William A. Carter sent to his wife Mary from July 28, 1857, to January 23, 1859. From September 1857 to January 1858, Carter wrote about his journey from Atchison, Kansas, to Camp Scott and Fort Bridger, Wyoming, describing the changing landscape and aspects of daily life as part of a traveling wagon train. He referred to Native American tribes such as the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Snake, and Sioux, sharing news of reported attacks on other wagon trains and mentioning a friendly encounter with a group of Sioux. Carter and his companions also feared attacks by groups of Mormons and he commented on the ongoing conflicts between Utah Mormons and U.S. troops. After reaching Fort Laramie in October 1857, the party sometimes travelled alongside U.S. forces under the command of Philip St. George Cooke; during this time, Carter relayed reports of heavy fortifications around Salt Lake City.

In early 1858, Carter wrote several letters from Camp Scott in southwest Wyoming, joining U.S. troops in their winter camp. There, he pursued a mercantile career; his letters from this period sometimes refer to the large sums of money that could be earned by transporting freight between the Utah Territory and "the States" back east. By mid-1858, Carter had settled at Fort Bridger, where he was officially appointed sutler in June 1858; he later became postmaster as well. At Fort Bridger, Carter shared news of the Utah War, reported on his finances, and discussed his plans to build a store; on one occasion, he discussed a visit to Salt Lake City. He increasingly referred to his unhappiness about being separated from his wife and children and eventually announced his intention to bring them to Wyoming. By January 1859, he anticipated a reunion with his family.

Collection

William A. Comstock Papers, 1899-1949

14 linear feet — 2 oversize folders

Alpena, Michigan, businessman, University of Michigan regent and Democratic governor of Michigan, 1933-1934; correspondence, diaries, business papers, and other items, concerning Democratic party affairs, state and national elections, real estate and financial transactions, and photographs.

The William A. Comstock papers document activities of a businessman/promoter and a Democratic Party functionary. Although the collection dates from 1902 to 1949, the bulk of the papers date from 1919 to 1932, the period of Comstock's primary business involvements. The collection has been arranged into five series: Correspondence, Other Papers and Records, Business Record Books, Diaries, and Photographs.

Collection

William A. Craker Diaries, 1915-1951

2 cubic feet (in 3 boxes)

The collection consists of the diaries of William A. Craker, 1919-1951, son of missionaries to the Chippewa Indians, and later a farmer and Superintendent of the Leelanau County farm and home, later known as the Infirmary.

The collection consists almost entirely of his diaries, 1919-1951, giving daily accounts of his activities, church attendance, work, and family. The entries are brief to moderate in length and detail. Also included is biographical information on Craker and a diary of Carrie Craker, 1920.

Collection

William A. Hiltner papers, 1942-1991

11 linear feet

Astronomer, professor of astronomy at the University of Chicago, later at the University of Michigan. Biographical material, correspondence, topical files, teaching materials, research files, and photographs relating to professional interests, including his interest in photoelectric photometry leading to the discovery of interstellar polarization; also files relating to various observatories.

The papers of William A. Hiltner cover his active role both in the Department of Astronomy at the University of Michigan and in the field of astronomy in general. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence and topical files. Also included are some teaching and research materials and files relating to his professional associations.