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Collection

Atwell-Hicks Map Collection, circa 1838-1902

40 items

Ann Arbor, Mich., civil engineering, surveying, and planning firm. Cadastral maps, showing land ownership, of Washtenaw County and Ann Arbor, Mich.; also maps of mill sites on Huron River at Broadway in Ann Arbor. Many of the maps drawn by J. B. Davis.

The maps in this collection were not created by Atwell-Hicks, but were apparently acquired by the firm in the course of its business.

There are four groups of maps in the collection: Plat maps of Washtenaw County (20 maps), Plat maps of Ann Arbor (11 maps), Maps of mill sites along the Huron River at Broadway in Ann Arbor (7 maps), and Miscellaneous (1 map).

Plat maps of Washtenaw County include one map for each township, which show names of initial land purchasers and subsequent landowners through about the 1850s. Plat maps of Ann Arbor are cadastral maps (show property boundaries) and some show land ownership as well. Maps of mill sites along the Huron River at Broadway in Ann Arbor show in great detail the complex of mills, millraces, dams, and outbuildings in the Broadway area. Miscellaneous includes one map of a lake in Lenawee County.

Collection

Claude Thomas Stoner Photographs and Papers, 1870s-1977

9 linear feet (in 13 boxes)

Dexter, Michigan, collector of materials relating to the history of railroading in Michigan. Correspondence, subject files, printed matter and photographs; contain material concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, the Manistee and Northeastern Railway Company, the Michigan Central Railroad, the Pere Marquette Railroad, and Ephraim Shay.

The Stoner collection contains about 3,600 photographs and negatives collected by Stoner, relating primarily to Michigan railroads. The collection also contains related manuscript materials.

Stoner's major collecting interests were in the Ann Arbor, Grand Trunk Western, and Pere Marquette Railroads and their predecessors, and in logging railroads, especially Ephraim Shay's railroad and others using Shay locomotives. Along with these lines, the collection contains photos of dozens of other railroads, not all in Michigan.

The photographs most commonly depict locomotives, often with their crews posed beside. Other common subjects are railroad stations (exteriors only), train wrecks, trains in motion, logging operations, carferries, railroad bridges, the Detroit-Windsor railroad tunnel, and street railroads.

Dozens of Michigan cities and towns and a number of places in other states are represented in the collection. Places depicted most often in the photos include Ann Arbor, Cadillac, Detroit, Durand, Frankfort, Harbor Springs, and Howell, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario.

The collection is organized into seven series: Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, Unclassified negatives, Papers, Classified negatives, and Duplicate material.

Appended to this finding aid are two indexes, one for railroads and company names, the other for subjects. The indexes contain references to all items in the Classified photos, Unclassified photos, Albums, and Unclassified negatives series.

The index to railroads and company names indexes logging and industrial companies that operated railroads, as well as railroad lines themselves. It does not index locomotive manufacturers, nor does it index the names of railroad museums where some of the photos were taken.

The index to subjects indexes place names and topical subjects. It does not index the term "locomotives" since the majority of the photos in the collection would be indexed under that heading. Place names are indexed if the photo includes a view of some part of the place or of some event at the place. Close-up views of locomotives that do not show any background are not indexed by place, even if the description of the photo identifies where it was taken.

Collection

George Robert Swain photographs and papers, circa 1870-1947 (majority within 1913-1947)

20 linear feet (in 34 boxes) — 1 oversize folder

University of Michigan staff photographer, 1913-1947 and commercial photographer in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Collection includes some manuscript material but is primarily photographic prints and negatives made by Swain. Photo subjects include university buildings, faculty, and student activities, archeological expeditions to the Near East and, Ann Arbor scenes and landscapes form his travels in the western United States and Canada.

The papers and photographs of George R. Swain mainly document Swain's accomplishments as university photographer at the University of Michigan from 1913 to 1947. Researchers should note, however, that this is only a sampling of the photographer's work during these years. The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan has an extensive collection of Swain's archaeological negatives and prints, and researchers interested in his full career will want to also look at the Kelsey collection. The Bentley Library material, while including several folders of fine photographs Swain made on his travels with Professor Frances Kelsey, for the most part documents Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan.

The collection at the Bentley Library consists of three series: Miscellaneous Papers; Photographers Log; and Photographs (prints; negatives; and lantern slides. Since the bulk of the collection is comprised of early twentieth century images of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan, the materials will be of most interest to researchers searching for visual documentation of this part of the state in that time period. There are very few materials beyond the visual, although the lengthy captions attached to many overseas images and the essays, diaries, and letters, are extremely interesting and offer insight into how Swain approached his craft, both as a professional photographer and in his personal work.

Collection

James Ritchison Breakey papers, 1860-1969 (majority within circa 1934-1969)

1 linear foot

Ypsilanti, Michigan, attorney, Washtenaw County circuit court judge. Papers concerning family history, Masonic activities, and legal interests; also photographs.

The Breakey papers includes personal and professional papers, files relating to his participation in different Masonic organizations, and photographs. Of special note is correspondence exchanged with U.S. Supreme Court Judge Tom C. Clark. There are also notes Breakey made concerning the visit of William Jennings Bryan to Ann Arbor. The photographs include portraits (photos and silhouette) of family members, including William F. Breakey; photos of homes, including the James A. Breakey farm near Cheney, (Crawford County) Michigan; photos of Ann Arbor and University of Michigan buildings; and photos of the Cleary College commencement in 1958.

Collection

Janette Estelle Miller papers, 1886-1970

2 linear feet

Congregationalist missionary to Angola, and other members of the Miller family. Family letters, missionary newsletter, personal diaries concerning life in Hancock and Detroit, Michigan; Miller family materials; and photographs.

The collection consists of personal papers of Janette Miller and other members of the Miller family. The collection includes family letters, missionary newsletter, personal diaries concerning life in Hancock and Detroit, Michigan, photographs, and Miller family materials.

Collection

Lyman E. Cooley papers, 1865-1917

4 linear feet

Chicago, Illinois engineer, editor The American Engineer, member of the International Deep Waterways Commission. Professional correspondence relating to the Chicago Drainage Canal, the St. Lawrence Waterway, the Lakes-to-the-Gulf Deep Waterway Association, the controversy over the location of an isthmian canal between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, 1897-1898, and other public works consulting projects.

The Lyman Cooley papers reflect his interest in the Chicago Drainage Canal, the St. Lawrence Waterway, the Lakes to the Gulf Waterway, the Nicaragua vs. Panama Isthmian Canal controversy, and public works in the period 1880-1915. Comprised mainly of correspondence, the collection does include a few miscellaneous notes and reports.

Collection

Mullett Family papers, 1665-1924 (majority within 1825-1924)

1 linear foot — 1 oversize folder

Williamston, Ingham County, Michigan, family. Financial records, clippings, and correspondence relating to Mullett Farm and John Mullett, surveyor; extract, 1864, from Meridian Township Register Book; letterpress book, journal, and correspondence, 1852-1893, of John H. Forster, surveyor, agent for Pewabic Mining Company, Hancock, Mich., and later owner of Springbrook Farm, Ingham County, Michigan; diary, 1840-1841, of Catherine Hall; and map, 1859, of Mullett Farm; and photographs.

The Mullett family collection contains many useful descriptions of the state, and is a good source of information for some of the state's economic and topographic conditions during the 19th century. The papers, 1825-1936, are broken down into four series.

Collection

Sam Sturgis photograph collection, 1860s-1970s

10 linear feet (11 boxes including 1 oversize box)

Photographs collected by Sam Sturgis and Hazel Proctor of Ann Arbor, Michigan; including businesses, street scenes, buildings, people, and activities in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Chelsea, Dexter, Dixboro, Manchester, Saline, and Ypsilanti, Michigan. (Copy negatives and copy prints.)

The Sam Sturgis collection consists of photographic prints and copy negatives of Washtenaw and Livingston County life from the 1860s through the 1970s. Collected by Ann Arbor photographer Sam Sturgis and Ypsilanti banker Hazel Proctor from a variety of known and unknown sources, the collection represents many aspects of life in Ann Arbor, Brighton, Chelsea, Dexter, Dixboro, Manchester, Saline and Ypsilanti. Main subject categories include churches, schools, businesses, buildings, University of Michigan buildings, staff, students and campus life, streets, panoramic views, rivers, recreation and family life, including residences, men, women, and children. Evolving modes of transportation, such as railroads, interurban streetcars, automobiles, and airplanes are also depicted.

Prints and negatives are divided into two parallel series, with negative use restricted to Bentley staff for preservation and security purposes. Each series is arranged alphabetically by city or town and, within each geographical grouping, in the order in which Sturgis collected the items. Sturgis began donating his collection to the Bentley in 1966, and, as items continue to be received, numbering is continued within each geographical grouping, in the original collecting and numbering order established by Sturgis. While some numbers were originally intended by Sturgis to designate the origins of the item, if known, this information has also been added to the item description under the heading "source" to facilitate patron and staff use. The Bentley does not hold a complete set of prints and negatives. Information on the current availability of both prints and negatives is included in each item listing.

Each photograph has a unique identifying number. The "Sturgis Number" consists of a one or two-letter series code, followed by a numerical number with decimal or alphanumeric number, such as AA 267.21 or AA 35A. the collection is arranged by city as follows

City Sturgis Code Number of Images
Ann Arbor AA ca. 1500
Brighton BB 148
Chelsea C 156
Chelsea-Manchester CM 119
Dexter D 124
Dixboro DI 45
Manchester M 123
Saline S 57
Ypsilanti Y 150

An item list of all photographs with description, date (if known), source and photographer, if known, follows the summary contents list on page three of the introduction.

Information on whether the photograph has been published and therefore has further information provided elsewhere is also included in each item description. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs listed as "published" have been published in a series by the Ann Arbor Federal Savings Bank (AAFSB), with editorial supervision by Sam Sturgis and Hazel Proctor. Availability of the respective print and negative concludes each item entry.

The following books, published by the AAFSB in the early 1970s, are annotated with Sturgis' photograph numbers and may be used as a partial guide to the collection. While two copies of each publication are available for consultation in the reading room, only one of each set has annotations. Descriptive captions in these publications as well as the annotated numbers may differ from actual photograph numbers and other information about the photographs. Any reference to these annotations should be verified with the item lists and vice versa to assure accuracy because of occasional inconsistencies. The AAFSB publications with Bentley call numbers are listed as follows:

  1. Proctor, Hazel. Old Ann Arbor Town. 1974. Copy 1 annotated. EC 2 A216.5 P964
  2. Sam Sturgis. Memories of Old Ann Arbor Town, 1967. Copies 1 and 2 annotated. EC 2 A613.5 S935
  3. Proctor, Hazel. Old Brighton Village. 1974. Copy 1 annotated. EC 2 B856.3 P964
  4. Proctor, Hazel. Old Chelsea Village. 1972. Copy 2 annotated. EC2 C516.5 P964
  5. Proctor, Hazel. Old Dexter Village. 1973. Copy 1 annotated. EC 2 D526.5 P964
  6. Proctor, Hazel. Old Manchester Village. 1974. Copy 2 annotated. EC 2 M268.5 P964
  7. Proctor, Hazel. Old Saline Village. 1975. Copy 1 annotated. EC 2 S165.5 P964
  8. Proctor, Hazel. Old Ypsilanti Town. 1974. Copy 2 annotated. EC 2 Y86.5 P964
Collection

Shaw Family (Shiawassee County, Mich.) papers, 1877-1977

3 linear feet — 1 oversize volume

Papers, 1877-1926, of William Shaw, physician in Morrice, Michigan, including diaries, notebooks, and records of patient appointments and accounts; patient books, 1884-1891, of brother, Alexander Shaw, physician in Watertown, Dakota (later South Dakota); papers, 1907-1977, of Milton Shaw, son of William and Anna Shaw, Lansing physician including correspondence, diaries, professional files, and materials relating to medical career in the military, especially letters written during World War I; and photographs.

The Shaw family papers date from 1877 to 1977 and contain materials principally relating to the medical careers of three family members. Included are 25 volumes (1892-1926) containing patient appointments and accounts of Dr. William Shaw. Among his other papers are diaries and notebooks pertaining to his early career in the schools at Motherwell, Ontario, Canada where he taught for eleven years from about 1877 to 1888. Also included in the collection are the patient books of Dr. Alexander Shaw (1854-1892). There is one folder of correspondence written by Harold Shaw, to his parents, William and Anna, during World War I while serving with the 85th Division.

The papers of Dr. Milton Shaw (1889-1977) constitute the principal part of the collection and reflect his active professional career. His papers include correspondence to his parents, William and Anna, from France during World War I as well as materials concerning the other phases of his military career including his involvement with several veterans organizations. Dr. Milton Shaw's connections with professional and service organizations were numerous and involved positions on the governing boards of the Michigan Welfare League and the Michigan Heart Association as well as the Directorships of the University of Michigan Alumni Association (1946-1949) and the Ingham County Chapter of the American Red Cross (1933).

The Shaw family papers also includes visual material such as family portraits; military related photographs; and depictions of University of Michigan student life including classroom medical activities, class portraits, reunions, a scrapbook, and photographs of unidentified women medical students.

Collection

Squier Family papers, 1843-1977

4 linear feet

Papers of the Squier family of Battle Creek, Michigan. Include letters and diary of John E. Hickman, Civil War soldier in Co. C, 13th Michigan Infantry; letters and miscellanea of Theodore L. Squier, Sr., University of Michigan undergraduate student, medical student and instructor ca. 1914-1921 and Nina La Barge Squier, student in the University of Michigan Nurses' Training Program, 1919-1920; and letters and miscellanea of several family members who served in WWII. Also some records of the American Manufacturing Company of Battle Creek, Michigan.

The Squier Family Papers are organized into nine series, eight series of documents related to specific members or branches of the family and one series of photographs.