Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

The Camilla Sink journal contains entries about Sink's daily life from 1857-1876, as well as genealogical information about her descendants, essays about her life and character, and a diary that one of her children kept in 1900. Camilla Sink's entries, copied by her children into this single bound volume, pertain to her life and her children's lives in New York, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

This volume (994 pages) contains Camilla Sink's journal, copied by one of her children (February 1, 1857-November 1, 1877, pp. 1-837); poems, biographical sketches, proverbs, and genealogical information (pp. 838-928); and a diary kept by one of Sink's children (January 1, 1900-December 10, 1900, pp. 928-994).

Camilla Sink's journal entries are prefaced by remarks about her life, death, and character, written by one of her children. Sink wrote almost daily from February 1, 1857-April 13, 1877, but illness led her to write only sporadically until her final entry on November 1, 1877. She most frequently commented on the weather, her social activities, and news of her children and their families. Sink lived in Rome, New York, and spent time visiting her family in Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago, Illinois; and Elkhart, Indiana. Sink provided news of her illnesses and ailments, or those of her children and other acquaintances, and sometimes discussed her feelings about bereavement and aging. Some of her entries from the spring of 1861 mention marching soldiers; in mid-April 1865, she wrote about the death of Abraham Lincoln and the journey of his funeral train. On September 29, 1876, she recounted a visit to Washington, D.C., and entries from early October 1876 concern her visit to the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia.

The second section of the volume contains poetry, writings, biographical sketches, and genealogical information copied by and written about Camilla Sink and her descendants. Poetry and proverbs concern topics such as bereavement, and one of her children wrote a memorial poem in her honor (pp. 886-887). Genealogical information pertains to the births, marriages, and deaths of Camilla Sink's parents, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A second series of journal entries, written by one of Camilla Sink's children, concerns the author's daily life and social activities in 1900. Items laid into the volume include a photographic postcard with a girl's portrait; a newspaper clipping; 3 certificates related to the academic progress of Chester Weier and Gladys Kleckner in Monroe, Michigan (June 20, 1907-June 14, 1912); and a certificate regarding Gladys Kleckner's confirmation at St. Stephen's Church in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, on March 14, 1915.

Peter Atkin of Liverpool, England, and his son George received 10 letters regarding Peter's nephew, Englishman William D. Hope, between 1862 and 1866. Hope, an aspiring pharmacist, wrote 5 letters to his uncle and 3 letters to his cousin about his desperate financial situation, his attempts to find work in England, his experiences serving with the Union Army in the Civil War, and his life in Illinois in the year following the war. Two other acquaintances wrote to Peter Atkin about a visit Hope made to Nova Scotia in 1862 and about Hope's financial hardships.

Peter Atkin of Liverpool, England, and his son George received 10 letters regarding Peter's nephew, Englishman William D. Hope, between 1862 and 1866. Hope, an aspiring pharmacist, wrote 5 letters to his uncle and 3 letters to his cousin about his desperate financial situation, his attempts to find work in England, his experiences serving with the Union Army in the Civil War, and his life in Illinois in the year following the war. Two other acquaintances wrote Atkin about a visit Hope made to Nova Scotia in 1862 and about Hope's financial hardships.

Dr. William Denison of Newport, Nova Scotia, wrote Peter Atkin on August 6, 1862, concerning William D. Hope's recent professional visit and his local love affair, since broken off. William D. Hope wrote the following 4 letters to Peter Atkin and George Atkin, his uncle and cousin, respectively, while traveling around England between September 22, 1862, and May 2, 1863. Hope discussed his unsuccessful love affair with "Miss Paint" in Nova Scotia, and lamented his poor financial fortunes. He described his attempts to find work, as well as his difficulties in doing so, which he attributed to the machinations of a relative, David Hope. In his letter of September 22, 1862, he mentioned the dampening effect the Civil War had on business affairs in North America. Andrew Paton also wrote to Peter Atkin on January 26, 1863, expressing his displeasure at Hope's situation and his failure to call on Paton in Glasgow, Scotland.

Hope's letters from North America begin on December 1, 1863. In the 4 letters that follow, he described his work for the Union Army at Hart Island, New York, and at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee (2 letters, December 1, 1863, and January 19, 1865, 13 pages), as well as various aspects of his life after the war (2 letters, August 8, 1865, and August 20, 1866, 9 pages). He reported on his experiences as a medicine dispenser for a hospital on Hart Island, recounted his travels from New York to Tennessee, and explained his duties with the quartermaster's department at Lookout Mountain. He also commented on the progress of the war, on the perceived American prejudice against Englishmen, and on the war's effects in Illinois. In his letter of December 1, 1863, he described the New York City draft riots of 1863, during which he was almost fatally shot, and he mentioned the recent hanging of the Lincoln assassination conspirators in his letter of August 8, 1865.