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The Ante papers consist primarily of the World War II-era correspondence of 1st Lieutenant Frank G. Ante, written to Betty Jane Jacober, his sweetheart and, later, wife, throughout his time in the army.

The Ante papers consist primarily of the World War II-era correspondence of 1st Lieutenant Frank G. Ante, written to Betty Jane Jacober, his sweetheart and, later, wife, throughout his time with the army. The earliest letters in the Correspondence series date to Ante's time in New Albany, Indiana, where he worked for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company; these reveal his loneliness and desire to return to Betty in Cincinnati. Soon after the war broke out, Ante attempted to enlist and, though initially unsuccessful, entered training at Camp Barkeley, Texas, in the late summer of 1942. Ante wrote to Betty daily and shared numerous anecdotes about life in the army, including a description of his time in Officer Candidate School and his experience with censored correspondence. Ante left for England on October 8, 1943, and once in England was assigned to censorship duty; he occasionally mentioned the Army's mail policies, particularly in relation to censorship. In early 1944, Ante frequently commented on the Allied military efforts in Europe, including the D-Day invasion and his experiences as the army marched eastward into Germany. On May 7, 1945, the "very bitter" Ante provided his frank reaction to the massive celebrations that followed the German surrender, criticizing Americans for their joy at an outcome purchased at a heavy human cost. Throughout his letters, Ante was warmly affectionate toward Betty, and he continuously looked forward to his return to Ohio.

Other material in the collection includes V-mail addressed to Ante from his sister, Mary, during his time in Europe, numerous Greeting Cards Betty sent to her husband, and Miscellaneous material including orders for soldiers occupying Germany, two poems, and a newspaper clipping.

The Naghel exercise book, entitled Cahier de navigation, is a mathematical workbook on the art of navigation. The volume once belonged to Captain Francis Naghel, and includes documents and correspondence related to two of his descendants.

The Naghel exercise book (162 pages), titled Cahier de navigation, is a mathematical workbook on the art of navigation. The volume once belonged to Captain Francis Naghel, and includes documents and correspondence related to two of his descendants.

The navigational instructions comprise 143 pages of the volume. Individual sections often pertain to a rule with related examples and mathematical problems that often require fairly complex solutions. The volume covers specific topics such as plotting navigational courses, determining one's position, and using nautical instruments to establish direction and location. Many of the examples show practical applications and are illustrated by geometric figures or drawings of related nautical tools, and some also contain relevant charts.

• Compass (p. 47)
• An oblique sphere showing signs of the zodiac, with a picture of a small rowboat in the lower left corner (p. 73)
• Navigational problem illustrated by a half-globe and two sailing ships (p. 127)

The final 19 pages consist of pasted-in documents pertaining to Naghel and two of his descendants. These are a document certifying Naghel's American citizenship, dated June 12, 1806; a letter to Naghel's wife from her brother, Emanuel West (October 21, 1825); and documents that relate to Edward Q. Naghel, a dentist from New Albany, Indiana, and to Charles E. Naghel, a Marine commended for his work with the 1930 census in Alaska. The volume is bound in vellum.

The Otto C. Thompson family photograph album contains group and individual portraits of family members, pictures of farms and scenery in rural Indiana, and views of downtown New Albany, Indiana, taken during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Otto C. Thompson family photograph album (16.5cm x 30cm) contains 130 photographic prints taken from September 14, 1898, to 1916. The album covers are missing. Pictures are pasted one or more to a page, and most are captioned. The majority of images were created from 1898-1913.

The photographs depict middle-class life in the Midwest with portraits and views of urban and rural scenery, family and business activities. Included are views of downtown New Albany, Indiana in the early 20th century, and views of two of the city's Presbyterian churches. Other locales include Lafayette, Indiana; Borden, Indiana; and Mitchell, Indiana. Of particular note are a group of three images showing the exterior, interior, and signage of Otto C. Thompson's gramophone dealership at 107 East Main Street. A page of notable portraits of men includes a mail-carrier and a hunter with ammunition belt. Other portraits show Sherley Thompson as an infant and toddler, children bathing in a washtub, and photographs of various individuals family groups taken outdoors, sometimes doing farm work or posing by houses. A large group appears gathered around an early automobile and another posed at the time of a funeral. Other vehicles pictured include an interurban electric car in a snowy winter landscape, paddlewheel riverboats, and steam trains in motion along the countryside and emerging from a tunnel. A group is shown riding a miniature train in front of St. Louis Union Station. Some images feature farm animals such as horses, cows, pigs, sheep, and chickens, and others were taken during the flood of 1913.