Collections

This collection contains 28 letters written to William Campbell in 1825 regarding ongoing efforts to survey land for the construction of a road in southeastern New York. Surveyors reported on their progress from various locations, including distance traveled, opinions of local residents, and reports on survey-related finances.

This collection contains 28 letters written to William Campbell in the second half of 1825 regarding ongoing efforts to survey land for the construction of a road in southeastern New York. Campell was chief engineer for the project and received surveyors' reports about their progress.

The various agents primarily wrote from towns in southeastern New York such as Cooperstown and Red Hook. Many correspondents recorded the distance they traveled in a week, often between 18 and 25 miles, provided updates on their finances, and noted recent drafts made on behalf of the survey. Several mentioned moving along the "Windham Route," and many commented on regional geographic features, residents' opinions about local navigation, and possible route variations. Two of the letters contain small manuscript maps of natural features: November 20, 1825 (unsigned letter) and November 28, 1825 (letter by Ira Davenport).

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" and "A New Song Called the Gaspee."

This 30-page notebook by William Case Clark of South Kingston, Rhode Island, contains very brief notes on the 1776 British attack on Newport, Rhode Island, a copy of the numbers of soldiers of different ranks killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill, financial accounts for the purchase of foodstuffs in the 1780s, and a weather journal spanning January to May 1775. Clark also copied extracts from the poems "The Ballad of Chevy Chase" (9 pages) and "A New Song Called the Gaspee" (3 pages).

The final page of the volume bears an illustration of a sailing ship.

William C. Fraser kept this diary while serving with the Pioneer Corps, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, during the Civil War. In daily entries, Fraser recounted his movements, commented on skirmishes with Confederate troops, and noted his daily activities, often related to construction.

William C. Fraser kept this 60-page diary while serving with the Pioneer Corps, 3rd Division, 17th Army Corps, from May 6, 1864-June 18, 1865. Most of his daily entries pertain to his movements in Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia; he often noted the names of towns and rivers he passed during his travels, as well as the time of Reveille. Fraser wrote about his work with the Pioneer Corps, which involved building earthworks and fortifications, setting up pontoon bridges, and working at a hospital; on one occasion, he tore down slaves' huts to collect wood for army use (January 25, 1865). Though he primarily worked in a support position, he occasionally participated in skirmishes with Confederate troops. Fraser's later entries relay news of the war, including the surrenders of prominent Confederate armies and the death of Abraham Lincoln. Two entries concern dental work (August 27, 1864, and April 19, 1865).

The diary arrived at the Clements Library with a copy of A Manual of Military Surgery. Prepared for the Use of the Confederate States Army (housed in the Book Division). William C. Fraser reportedly picked up the volume while in Georgia and sent it home to his family in Wellsville, Ohio. A newspaper clipping laid into the volume concerns the Battle of Atlanta, including a casualty list for the 78th Ohio Infantry Regiment (July 24, 1864).

Professor of physics at the University of Michigan (1947-1988); director of the cyclotron laboratory, 1962-1977; inventor of method and apparatus for measuring the velocity of a projectile and of an automatic timing and sequence-indicating system used in swimming. Series in the collection relate to cyclotron laboratory and research; department of physics activities, including history; professional organizations; swimming judging and timing system; University of Michigan committee assignments; and photographs.

The William C. Parkinson Papers consist of 5.25 linear feet of documents relating to the professional career of physics professor William C. Parkinson, spanning years 1950 through 1990 with the bulk of the material dating from 1950 to 1980. The papers were received in two major accession in July 1991 and May 2012.

The first accession was broken into five series: Cyclotron, Physics Department, Professional Organizations, Swimming Judging and Timing System, and University Committees. There is also a folder entitled "Biographical/Historical Information" at the beginning of the collection which includes a 1974 vita and a publication on the cyclotron laboratory of which Parkinson was director.

The 2012 Accession included additions to the Cyclotron and Physics Department series and two new series: Consulting and Visual Materials.

Detroit, Michigan businessman and civic leader. Business correspondence relating to Weber's activities as a dealer in timber lands, his role as a member of the Art Commission in the development of Detroit, Michigan's Cultural Center, his involvement in the construction of the Detroit-Windsor bridge and tunnel and his activities during World War I; and correspondence and class notes of his sons, Harry B. and Erwin W. Weber, while attending University of Michigan; also photographs, including family portraits, aerial views of Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, photographs of the construction of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge, and glass negatives of family vacations in Upper Michigan, Ontario, and Quebec; and maps of land and timber holdings

The William C. Weber papers cover 28 linear feet (30 boxes), outsize folders, and 15 outsize volumes. Besides information on timber and mineral lands in Michigan, the important aspects of the Weber papers include information on the development of the Cultural Center of Detroit and Weber's very controversial role in it, items on the Detroit-Windsor bridge and tunnel and the development of the Border Cities, and the papers of his two sons, especially the letters they wrote as students at the University of Michigan and their class notes and examinations.

There is one foot of materials related to the Cultural Center (Box 19 and outsize folders) and another of the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel and Ambassador Bridge (Box 20 and outsize folders).

Architectural site plans and property maps of the Detroit Cultural Center are also found in the outsize unbound material.

The collection includes maps relating to Weber's his land holdings in northern Michigan and Windsor, Ontario, including maps of land survey, of timber estimates, and tax and title status for Michigan lands, maps of Windsor subdivisions, maps of coal mining region around Caryville, Tennessee and property maps of the Detroit Cultural Center.

William Jones' Civil War correspondence provides a thorough documentation of one young recruit's service in the 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. A literate and entertaining writer, Jones' letters include comments on his superiors, his religious views, and secessionists and the southern population.

William C. Jones' Civil War correspondence provides a thorough documentation of one young recruit's uneventful service in the 38th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Having taken ill just as his regiment entered into its first action during the Vicksburg Campaign, Jones' letters -- all addressed to his mother -- include no battle accounts and no stories of confrontations with the enemy. They are, however, a fine resource for examining the routine of army life, from the camps outside Baltimore to steamer travel on the Mississippi to camp life in Louisiana. A literate and entertaining writer, Jones' letters include comments on his superiors, his religious views, and secessionists and the southern population.

The collection contains two letters addressed to Jones's mother, one from the Capt. J. P. Richardson (Co. A), and the other from Walter W. Hammond, referred to as the "poet of Cambridge." Both letters reassure Mrs. Jones of her boy's well-being.

Member of the 72nd Ohio Infantry during the Civil War. Letters (photocopies) describing life as a soldier and Caldwell's impressions of the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg.

Photocopies of letters describing Caldwell's life as a soldier and his impressions of the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg.

This scrapbook contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, ephemera, and other material about New York businessman William C. Roberts. Most items pertain to the New York Standard Watch Company and other business ventures. One group of letters concerns Roberts's efforts to gather biographical information about Civil War veterans.

This scrapbook (around 100 pages) contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to various personal and business ventures of New York businessman William C. Roberts. Most of the items are advertisements, other ephemera, and newspaper clippings concerning the New York Standard Watch Company, the Republican Club of the City of New York, and the Chatham & Lebanon Valley Railroad. Some items include biographical sketches of William C. Roberts and other prominent New York businessmen, and one group of clippings pertains to Roberts's unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1892. The scrapbook contains photographs and printed portraits of William C. Roberts and a photograph of a Chatham & Lebanon Valley Railroad locomotive (page 61).

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, Roberts received a small series of letters from Civil War veterans and veterans' relatives responding to his requests for autographs, photographs, and information for planned biographical sketches. Two of the letters provide narratives about individual soldiers' experiences. Additional correspondence includes telegrams and a letter from Chauncey Depew about recruitment for the Republican Club of the City of New York (March 19, 1898). The scrapbook contains a small number of items related to Roberts's personal life, such as a business card, a certificate of his admission to Harvard Law School, and an invitation to his wedding.

Soldier with the 31st Michigan Volunteer Infantry during the Spanish-American War. War-related documents, including bills, orders and passes, and pension applications; also financial materials, 1901-1902, relating to his involvement in the Ann Arbor Gun Club; and photographs.

The William D. Corson collection is primarily an accumulation of the momentos of a number of the men of the 31st Michigan Volunteer Infantry. Materials include newspaper clippings concerning the Michigan 31st both in Chattanooga and in Cuba, bills of purchases by the commissary in Cuba (many of these for cigars), orders and passes issued through the office of Captain Ross Granger, souvenirs, and photographs.

The collection also contains insurance policies, including those from the period of Corson's duty during the Spanish-American War and pension applications for veterans of the war. These applications were solicited by law firms and seem to represent a thriving local industry.

The rest of the collection contains material collected after the Spanish-American War when Corson was a saloon proprietor. Included are photographs of the saloon taken around 1910. Corson was also the secretary and treasurer of the Ann Arbor Gun Club and kept shooting scores, bills, receipts and an account book of the club. An oversized group portrait shows Corson and other members of the club.

In addition, the collection includes photographs of family and friends, Ann Arbor scenes, a group portrait of the veterans of the 31st Michigan Volunteer Infantry, and photos of military activities, while training in the United States and while stationed in Cuba. A number of advertising cards for several local Ann Arbor businesses are included and probably date prior to 1910.

This 49-page document contains the proceedings of the court martial of Captain William Dearmond, held in Augusta, Georgia, in the summer of 1798. Dearmond, an officer in the cavalry regiment of Georgia's Richmond County Militia, was accused of disobeying orders and resisting a subsequent arrest. He was ultimately cleared of all charges.

This 49-page document contains the "Proceedings of a General Court Martial begun and holden at the house of Mrs. Fox in the City of Augusta on Wednesday the 20th day of June 1798," at which Captain William Dearmond, a member of the Richmond County militia cavalry, was tried for disobeying orders and for subsequently resisting arrest. The trial lasted from June 20, 1798, to July 4, 1798. This document includes witnesses' testimonies, including those of Dearmond's commanding officer, Major Fox. Lieutenant Colonel Jesse Sanders presided over the court martial, along with Captain Yancey Sanders, Captain William Wilkins, Captain Hugh Blair, Captain Charles Ward, Captain Thomas Waggoner, and Lieutenant Nathan Thomas; David B. Butler served as Judge Advocate.

On May 2, 1798, Dearmond's unit participated in a regimental review in Augusta, Georgia, and his unit did not advance when ordered. Dearmond was subsequently charged with willful disobedience, along with several other charges, and protested the legitimacy of an attempted arrest on May 10. That same day, he reportedly ordered a Lieutenant Carter, his subordinate officer, to disband his troop. On July 4, the final day of his trial, Dearmond was cleared of all charges.