Agnes Dolan Collins diaries, 1944-1980
40 volumes (in 1 box)
Diaries describing daily events, work activities, church attendance, weather.
40 volumes (in 1 box)
Diaries describing daily events, work activities, church attendance, weather.
23.5 linear feet (in 25 boxes) — 1 oversize folder
The papers of Alexander Winchell are those of an orderly man who carefully documented his own life through well-organized correspondence, diaries, notebooks, and scrapbooks. Winchell kept thorough evidence of his activities, writings, lectures, and thoughts, for most of his life. The only area that seems poorly documented is his university teaching. The collection does not appear to include significant material relating to relationships with students in the classroom.
"Alexander Winchell, an editorial tribute," published in The American Geologist (Feb. 1892, MHC call number DB/2/W759/A512), includes a year-by-year account of Winchell's life, based on the papers, and probably written by his brother N. H. Winchell. Although there are no footnotes in this work, it provides a useful summary of Winchell's activities and clues to the existence of documentation in the collection.
The collection is divided into six major series: Biographical, Correspondence, Diaries and journals, Writings and lectures, Reference and research files, and Scrapbooks; and three smaller series: Visual materials, Processing notes, and Card files.
Winchell's bibliography is located in Box 1 (the most complete copy is in the "Permanent memoranda" volume), and drafts of many of his writings are found in Boxes 8-14. Copies of many, but not all, of Winchell's publications are found in the MHC printed collection. The card catalog includes details for all separately cataloged items. There are also three collections of pamphlets that are not inventoried: two slightly different bound sets prepared by N. H. Winchell after Alexander Winchell's death (MHC call numbers DA/2/W759/M678/Set A and DA/2/W759/M678/Set B) and a two-box collection of pamphlets collected by the University Library (MHC call number Univ. of Mich. Coll./J/17/W759).
6 linear feet
The Sawyer collection consists of correspondence and other papers of Alfred I. Sawyer, his wife Sarah Toll Sawyer, their daughter Jennie Toll Sawyer, and other members of the Toll family. The collection, in addition to family matters, relates to Sawyer's career as a homeopathic physician, his advocacy of the study of homeopathy within the curriculum of the University of Michigan, and his extensive activities within Masonry. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Various subjects -- Sawyer and Toll families; Homeopathy and homeopathic practice; and diaries of Sawyer and his daughter Jennie Toll Sawyer.
7 linear feet — 1 oversize folder — 19 folders — 1 tube
The Bourquin collection consists of landscape architectural drawings, professional papers, and visual materials documenting the careers of Alice and Jessie Bourquin. The collection has been divided into the following series: Landscape Architectural Drawings; Jessie Bourquin Papers; Alice Bourquin Papers; Joint Projects and Activities; Hillwood Subdivision; and Photographs and other Visual Materials.
0.3 linear feet — 1 oversize volume
Correspondence of John Allen, co-founder of Ann Arbor, Michigan, his wife, Ann, and their children, largely concerning family affairs and travels, including journey to California in 1850, and the prospects of settlement in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois; biographical and genealogical material, including family histories and reminiscences by James Turner Allen; and plat book (1830's) of Ann Arbor containing plats of land purchased by Allen from the United States.
Photographs, including portraits of John and Ann Allen and James T. Allen; photos of other family members.
8 linear feet — 1 oversize volume — 1 oversize folder
The collection is divided into the following series: Family records and correspondence; Helene Allmendinger papers; Ina Allmendinger papers; Ann Arbor Organ Company; Harriet Birch papers, Other family members; Miscellaneous, and Photographs.
1 folder (25 items)
Correspondence written while Girod was living in the Philippines concerning living conditions and medical care. Letters describe Girod's daily life on the American base and her impressions of the Philippines.
6 linear feet — 6 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder
The Alpheus Felch papers details the active life of this nineteenth century Michigan public servant. Not only are public issues discussed in the correspondence files but the researcher will also gain an understanding of some of the personal problems associated with public service. The collection also includes several files of other family members.
2.5 linear feet (in 3 boxes)
The collection is divided into four series, Officer Records, Newsletters, Directories, and Visual Materials.
23 items
This collection is made up of the incoming and outgoing letters of Amelia Lippincott Williams and her husband, Esek Hartshorne Williams. Esek wrote 16 love letters to Amelia during their courtship and early married life. Amelia also received 2 letters from friends and 1 from a niece named Mary. Esek received 1 letter from Amelia, 2 from his brother George, and 1 from a friend.
Amelia Lippincott was living in New York City when she received 7 letters from Esek H. Williams of Red Bank, New Jersey, between April 22, 1833, and November 10, 1834 (including 1 undated). His letters are affectionate and flirtatious, and often refer indirectly to the couple's romantic relationship. Esek Williams shared news from Red Bank, occasionally mentioned his work in a local store, and, on November 4, 1834, joked about Amelia's political awareness and her support of the Whigs.
After their marriage, Esek wrote 9 letters to his wife while he traveled west for business reasons; he sent 6 of these letters from Michigan in the winter of 1840-1841. He described his experiences near Fredonia, New York (December 13, 1840); Cleveland, Ohio (December 19, 1840); and Kankakee, Illinois (February 14, 1841). He mentioned his lodgings and modes of travel, and often remarked about his love for his wife and children, who remained in New York City. He spent much of his journey in southeast Michigan, where he had financial interests, and provided Amelia with news of his arrival and activities in Detroit (January 1, 1841, and January 10, 1841) and Ann Arbor (March 7, 1841). He discussed financial matters, including his difficulties with state-issued currency, "Michigan money," which he referred to as the only currency in regular circulation in Ann Arbor (March 7, 1841). On a later trip to Michigan, he noted the economic conditions in Detroit (January 1, 1843). On July 2, 1848, he composed his final letter, written from Marshall, Michigan; he expressed his intent to sell his farm in Ann Arbor. Two of his letters have pencil sketches of horses.
Amelia Lippincott Williams received dated personal letters from R. Montgomery, who shared her thoughts on fashionable hats (May 26, 1835), and a woman named Catherine Lent, who hoped Amelia could soon visit (October 1, 1835). Undated letters include 3 from friends and acquaintances, including one in which Amelia's niece Mary mentioned an outbreak of measles and a large social gathering in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Esek H. Williams received two brief personal letters from his brother George.
3.3 linear feet
The American Civil Liberties Union of Washtenaw County records include minutes, correspondence, newsletters, reports, mailings, and clippings, among other miscellaneous materials. In addition to the Washtenaw branch records, there are also materials from the Michigan state affiliate, the ACLU of Michigan, as well as limited materials from some other local branches and a small amount of material from the national level of the ACLU. The records of this collection are divided into four series: Washtenaw County Branch; ACLU of Michigan; Other Local Branches; and National.
8 microfilms (negative)
The White collection consists of microfilm of correspondence and other papers dating from the period when Andrew Dickson White was professor of history and English literature at the University of Michigan, 1857-1867. The correspondence is with colleagues and University of Michigan administrators, and relates to his professional activities and to his life in Ann Arbor.
1 linear foot
The collection contains prints and 35 mm negatives of photographs taken between 1964 and 1980. The photographs primarily document student protests and other student political activities at the University of Michigan, as well as some other campus activities, including political speakers and social and musical events. Some events outside of Ann Arbor are also documented, including the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago and a Ku Klux Klan meeting in Dearborn, Mich.
The photographs are arranged chronologically, and are described in the following list by topic and date. Some undated photographs are grouped at the end of the sequence. Although the bulk of the collection is made up of negatives, for most topics the collection also contains prints of selected frames. In some cases there are no prints, and in a few cases no negatives. The list indicates these cases.
Prints and negatives are filed in parallel sequences in the collection, both in the same order.
38 linear feet — 257.6 MB (online)
The Ann Arbor Community Foundation (Ann Arbor, Mich.) records (38 linear feet and 257.6 MB) include administrative materials such as topical files, correspondence, and event planning materials. The collection also contains grant files, publications, photographs, press clippings, and records from the organization's Youth Council.
1 linear foot
The Ann Arbor Camera Club records includes a run of the Wide Angle News, by-laws, membership materials, scattered correspondence, and contest material.
3 linear feet
The records of the Ann Arbor Cooperative Society relate to its activities as a non-profit cooperative. While some material is extant documenting the early years, the majority of the record group is focused on the period from 1970-1983. Around a third of the available records are minutes to board meetings and financial statements, referring to the cooperative as a whole. The rest of the record group pertains to individual committees, projects, programs and activities.
This record group is excellent as a case study of a non-profit cooperative. The records provide information concerning the organization, its purpose, operation, finances and services. It is arranged in two series, Administrative Records and Board of Directors and Financial Records, with materials from the second accession incorporated into each of the series' files. While an attempt was made to place materials on specific activities and committees in separate topical -files, information concerning these can be found in the minutes of the board of directors, where all items concerning the cooperative society were discussed and reviewed.
4 linear feet
The records of the Ann Arbor Hills Association (AAHA) document the association's interests, concerns and general business. These records have survived and been sent to the Bentley Historical Library by Mrs. Elizabeth (Betty) Brown, one of the association's long-standing members and secretary for several decades. Perusal of the records will reveal the intricate intertwining of the association's life with that of Mrs. Brown.
The records have been divided into three series. Each series has been organized alphabetically, for the most part. Within sub-series the records may reflect subject organization rather than alphabetical or chronological organization. The 1996 accession has not been described in detail.
12 linear feet
The record group provides substantial documentation of issues of racial discrimination in employment and housing in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the period of 1957 to 1993. Included are files relating to the establishment of the commission, minutes (through 1993 with some gaps), memoranda (1968-1970), topical files, early case files (1965-1970), and student intern projects and reports of members of the community practice program within the University of Michigan School of Social Work.
1 volume
This volume (8" x 12", 145 pages) contains the double-entry bookkeeping records of a merchant based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1849. The unidentified merchant sold a variety of goods to customers in and around Ann Arbor, Pittsfield, Whitmore Lake, Webster, and Hamburg, Michigan. Most pages contain running accounts for specific individuals, with debits and credits noted in two columns. Notes along the margins of many pages indicate the customer's specific location in eastern Washtenaw County or southern Livingston County.
Though the merchant most often recorded sales of "sundries," the accounts occasionally specify items such as hats, shoes, coffee, ribbon, a broom, and sugar. Occasionally, he paid for errors made in previous bills. Customers paid in cash or in kind, most frequently with foodstuffs or items of clothing and sometimes with more unusual items, including a horse and buggy (p. 14). One note concerns a boarder named Carpenter who moved into a home in late August 1849 (p. 97). Though the merchant most frequently dealt with men, the ledger documents accounts with a few women and several firms. A fragment from a letter to Charles W. Butler concerning unsold land, dated January 19, 1833, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is laid into the volume between pages 144 and 145.
14 linear feet (in 15 boxes) — 37 oversize volumes — 1 oversize folder — 3.67 GB (online)
The series in this record group include: Election returns; Bonds; Assessment Rolls; Miscellaneous; City of East Ann Arbor; Council proceedings; Scrapbooks; Ann Arbor Park Commission; Village of Ann Arbor (Lower Town); Photographs; Recycling and Environmental Issues; and Other City Records.