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Papers of Helen B. Van Tyne and earlier members of the Belfield family. Civil War papers and family correspondence of Henry H. Belfield, founder of the Chicago Manual Training School; and papers, 1944-1971, of Helen Van Tyne, Ann Arbor, Michigan civic leader and member of the citizens advisory council of the Washtenaw County Juvenile Court, concerning her interest in the problem of juvenile delinquency, the Michigan League for Planned Parenthood, the Michigan Council on Women in Business and Industry, and the James Foster Foundation.

The papers of Helen Van Tyne consist of materials relating to two major areas: Mrs. Van Tyne's involvement in various Ann Arbor-area civic organizations from the late 1940s until the late 1960s, and a collection of family papers, photographs, and ephemera, particularly relating to her grandfather, Henry Holmes Belfield (1838-1913). The collection has been divided into three series: Organizational Affiliations, Personal Papers, and Belfield Family Papers.

Correspondence, reports, and financial statements, dealing with the foundation's support of marriage counseling, child guidance programs, and other social programs.

The James Foster Foundation records (0.5 linear feet) document the organization's charitable activities between 1950 and 1963, with the bulk covering the period 1950-1956.

The collection is arranged into folders containing background clippings, bylaws and governing documents, board minutes, financial materials, and correspondence. In addition, there are a few files relating to specific activities of the Foundation, notably the evaluative research in social work conducted by David French and the Michigan Welfare League, a marriage counseling program for Washtenaw County, and a Michigan Foundation's conference sponsored in 1954.