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Ann Arbor, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois family. Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials.

The Pond Family papers consist primarily of correspondence and other materials of architects, Irving Kane (1857-1939) and Allen Bartlit Pond (1858-1929) documenting family matters, European travels, their involvement in the civic and social life of Chicago, and professional activities. The collection has been divided into four subgroups: Allen B. Pond papers; Irving Kane Pond papers; papers of other family members and miscellaneous; and visual materials.

Correspondence comprises the bulk of both the Allen and Irving Pond subgroups. This correspondence consists almost exclusively of exchanges between the brothers when they were separated because of travel, and with their parents and sister. There is little correspondence with clients, professional associates, or others outside of the family. The letters, however, are often detailed and revealing of the thoughts and activities of the Pond brothers. In addition to the usual descriptions of landscapes and social events when traveling abroad, their letters contain many comparisons of European and American trends in architecture, housing, the development of cities. To their family and with each other, the brothers also wrote of their non-professional interests: Chicago politics, social settlements in the city, humanitarian causes, and their involvement with various literary groups. Of note in the Allen Pond papers are letters containing references to Jane Addams and her work at Hull House. There are also accounts they received from family about Jane Addams and her talks when visiting Ann Arbor. Letters concerning Jane Addams are dated Sept. 1896; Jan. 1898; Sept. 18, 1898; Jan. 22,1900; Mar. 1901; May 28,1901; June 15,1901; undated 1901; Apr. 21,1902; July 7,1902; Aug. 18,1902; Feb. 16, 1903; Jan. 12,1904; Jan. 23,1905; Feb. 1905; May 29,1907; Mar. 1908; and Apr. 1908.

Their sister, Mary Louise and their mother, Mary Barlow (Allen) Pond wrote weekly of family affairs and the social and cultural events of Ann Arbor. Both comment extensively on the ideas and activities of many of the leading intellectual and literary figures of the day - William James, John Dewey, Kipling, Wharton and Shaw - as well as on their daily interactions with Angells, Cooleys and other prominent Ann Arbor families. Unfortunately, there are few surviving letters from Allen and Irving to the family in Ann Arbor. Much of the information in the collection about their work is therefore by indirect reference only.

University of Michigan graduate, Class of 1929, member of the Delta Chi fraternity, the Aces Club and the Trojan Club. Scrapbook contains photographs and ephemera documenting Fisher's immediate family, friends, travels, and time as a student. Images include depictions of fraternity and social club activities, graduation exercises, major sporting events, and the University of Michigan's Frosh-Soph Spring and Fall Games.

The Sol Fisher scrapbook contains mostly identified photographs documenting Fisher's immediate family, friends, his travels, and University of Michigan campus life. This includes the 1926 and 1927 Frosh-Soph Spring and Fall Games, and the 1925 Western Conference championship football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Other photographs document Delta Chi fraternity, Aces Club and Trojan Club activities, and the 1927 and 1929 Senior Swing Out exercises. Of note, are three Delta Chi photographs in which chapter members are posing with a small boy of color (identity unknown). A caption above one of the photographs states "Delta Chi-Help."

Also found within the scrapbook are photographs depicting several buildings on U-M campus, including the Law School, Martha Cook building, College of Engineering, and the Student Union building. Other photographs show prominent structures in Detroit, Mich., including the former General Motors Headquarters building and the construction of the Detroit-Windsor Bridge (the Ambassador Bridge).

Remaining materials within the scrapbook include commencement programs and ephemera, publications, and correspondence. Of note is what appears to be a 1928 prank letter addressed to Fisher in which a woman by the name of Sunshine is asking for his hand in marriage.