Collections : [Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library]

History of the club, its members and activities in programs, photographs, awards, correspondence, scrapbooks,newspaper clippings (copies), meeting minutes, and other materials.

The collection mostly consists of the Clubs’ scrapbooks, photographs, and awards, and other records documenting the Club’s activities, programs, and members.

Collection contains dedication program, invitations, faculty minutes, pageant materials, Student Council materials, and term papers from Mount Pleasant High School.

The collection was the property of Miss Constance M. Stenenga, a high school English teacher at Mount Pleasant High School, who compiled a history of the high school with three high school seniors Sue Brown Morrow, Delores Conkright, and Faye Lou Brasington in 1955/1956. A copy of the printed history is in the collection.

The collection consists of miscellaneous materials relating to the high school, the student council, homecoming, and school pageant, term papers on the history of the school, student newspapers, commencement programs, 1956-1969, and some newspaper clippings (copies). A 1957 program for the dedication of the new high school is included.

The collection includes copies of reports, clippings, published sources, manuscripts and notes on the school.

The collection consists almost entirely of photocopied newspaper clippings, notes, primary and secondary source materials, and reprints of photographs. The Clarke does not hold copyright for the secondary source material and photographs. Most of the primary source material was copied from the National Archives. Other materials come from the Clarke’s collections and various published sources, while the photographs were copied from originals in the Cumberland County Historical Society (Pennsylvania). Some notes by Jennifer Wood are included.

The collection includes newspaper clippings (copies) of topics related to the school's buildings, people, and events, 1892-1913 and 1926-1928, scattered afterwards to 1971, copied in 2003.

The collection compiled in 2003 and later added to in 2018, documents various aspects of the Mount Pleasant Indian School, 1892-1913, 1926-1971 (scattered). The collection was compiled from microfilmed Mount Pleasant, Michigan, newspapers in the Clarke Historical Library’s collection, by then Clarke student, Christa Zawaideh, and Clarke staff member, Jennifer Wood, in 2003. The names and dates of the newspapers are written on the back of the photocopied pages, unless they are already part of the copied text. A small amount of cross-referencing, particularly with school employees, has been done.

The Mount Pleasant Mission Organizational Records, 1892-1969, undated, document the history of the Countryside United Methodist Church (CUMC) and mid-Michigan Evangelicals.

The Mount Pleasant Mission Organizational Records, 1892-1969, undated, documents the history of the Countryside United Methodist Church (CUMC) and mid-Michigan Evangelicals. The collection is organized by size and chronologically and alphabetically. Boxes 1 and 2 include annual reports of the Evangelical Sunday School Secretary’s Records, detailing how many people attended, the name of teachers, and weekly donation amounts during each meeting 1937-1950. There are two records of Ladies Aid congregations within the church, Bethel Ladies Aid 1938-1945, and Union Evangelical Church Ladies Aid, 1921-1924. Also included are records of the Mount Pleasant Mission Michigan Conference of the Evangelical Association and Evangelical Association Chippewa Trustees, 1893-1950. Lastly, there is a memorial booklet for the foundation of the organization Memorial Booklet, October 8, 1933.

Evangelical Association Chippewa Trustees, 1893-1950, contains records during the first meeting in the new church building, led by Reverend Warren Brown. The entries that continue the year 1903 in Mount Pleasant Mission Michigan Conference of the Evangelical Association, 1903-1921, are placed in the back of the book.

Material in Union Evangelical Secretary Report, 1926-1929 is very acidic. Otherwise, the collection is in good physical condition.

The oversized material contains the organization’s record book which details the church’s organizational history and changes made during each pastorate, previous members, and records of life events such as marriages, deaths, and baptisms. Also included in oversized material is a printed poster on paper of the 50th Anniversary Jubilee Session of the Michigan Conference Evangelical Association. Lastly, there is a photograph of the First Women’s Society Chippewa Evangelical Church, with members’ names listed on the back.

The collection includes: correspondence, meeting minutes, committee reports, scrapbooks, photographs and negatives, and printed materials of the organization, and items relating to the Michigan State Federation of Women's Clubs. The collection is ongoing.

The Mount Pleasant Woman’s Club organizational records consist of materials from 1894 forward which document the activities of this community organization. The collection was originally subdivided into three series, Minutes, General Administration, and Scrapbooks.

The Minutes series contains Club meeting minutes from 1894 to 1996, and 1999-2003, which are part of the Recording Secretary’s Files. Both sets of minutes are arranged chronologically. These provide the richest source of information on club activities throughout the years. They are nearly complete with only two gaps, 1902-1905 and 1916-1917. Information from these time periods can be found in Scrapbook 1. Some of the bound volumes of minutes contain membership lists, attendance records, bills and receipts.

The General Administration series consists of materials from 1896 to 1998 which primarily document activities of club committees and divisions. Types of materials found here include: reports, committee minutes, histories of the Club, Mount Pleasant Community Calendars, the constitution and bylaws, correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, annual programs, certificates, awards, and a photograph. Major topics of this subgroup include; Club House Committee, Health Division, Home and Garden Division, and the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs. A wide variety of information is present in the subgroup, but tends to be quite scattered and not comprehensive.

The Scrapbooks series includes Scrapbooks which primarily contain, and may include annual and specific meeting programs, reports, bylaws, photographs and recipes. It appears that the books were created by several different sources and seem to form a couple of different roughly chronological series: Volumes 1-5 cover the years 1895 to 1960 and Volumes 6-8 span the years 1939 to 1960. Volumes 9 and 10 are special cases; 9 contains only annual programs, while 10 is primarily made up of photographs which document a wide variety of Mount Pleasant area topics. Subjects covered in volume 10 include: schools, farming, barns, sports, agricultural extension service, oil and gas, girl scouts, Central Michigan College, churches, and recipes.

Several printed works pertaining specifically to the Michigan State Federation of Women’s Clubs were transferred from this collection to the Clarke book collection.

Portions of this collection were microfilmed by the Clarke Historical Library in 1994. The master negatives are on file in the microfilming department of CHL.

Additions to the collection since 1994 include various administrative materials, meeting minutes, guest books, photographic materials, and more oversized Scrapbooks.

The 2024 addition to the Mount Pleasant Women’s Club collection, mostly found in Boxes 13-14, is mostly composed of materials organized by year. Within these folders are newsletters, members’ volunteer hours, ESO (Epsilon Sigma Omicron) reports, yearbooks, awards, certificates, photographs, correspondence, handbooks, executive board meeting minutes, treasurer’s reports, budgets, dues reports, End of the Year reports and narratives, bylaws, new member’s handbook, Northeastern District newsletters, and GFWC Michigan statistical report forms. This addition also contains photographs of general gatherings, a club centennial event, the arts group, bird housebuilding, and nature walks; a trifold, handbook, programs, materials related to the ESO book reading club including yearly and cumulative statistics, scrapbook materials, photocopies of newspaper clippings, and correspondence with the Embers restaurant from whom the club rented out space for their meetings. Materials related to finances include audit reports, a general ledger, the treasurer’s book and reports. Included with the treasurer’s book are three Exchange Saving Bank account books and materials related to the leasing of a meeting place from St. John’s Episcopal Church. Box 10 contains membership cards that are sorted into active and inactive members as of 2024. They are arranged alphabetically. Some cards have notes about due payments or why the member is no longer active because they are deceased, moved away, or left the group. Behind some cards is correspondence from that member about why they are rescinding their membership. The cards date from approximately 1950 and 2010. Ten items were interfiled into Box 1-12.

Boxes 1-3, 6, 13-14 are cubic foot boxes. Boxes 4, 7, 9-12 are .5 cubic foot boxes. Box 5 is a flat scrapbook box, Box 8 is a .25 cubic foot box. The Oversized scrapbooks are unboxed, stored flat with flags in them. Most of the collection is in very good condition. The exceptions to this are a few scrapbooks and the guest book with wooden covers, the pages of which are quite acidic.

Biographical materials, photographs of her Alma, Michigan, garden, and postcards of Mrs. Francis King, stock certificates and scrapbook of Francis King.

The collection consists mostly of black and white photographs (copies) and other documentation of Mrs. King’s garden in Alma, Michigan. Some of the images include the Kings, their children, Ackney, pets, farm animals, and structures, such as walls and benches, in the garden. There are also photographs of a church decorated with flowers, probably by Mrs. King. Also included are copies of biographical materials, and postcards that Mrs. King sent to relatives and Ackney. Stock certificates and a scrapbook represent Francis King. The scrapbook documents his life, political and business interest, 1908-1911, through photographs, newspaper clippings, notes, and correspondence. The Clarke also has some of Mrs. King’s books.

The papers are mostly business correspondence relating to the Saginaw Valley and Saint Louis Railroad Company, 1872-1891. Other business, school, and personal materials are included.

Most of the collection is business correspondence relating to the Saginaw Valley and Saint Louis Railroad Company, which opened in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1871. Other business, school, and personal materials are also included.

Papers of Nellie Finley, as a student and a teacher, and her family of Parma, Michigan.

Family Papers, 1881-1978, and undated, measures 25 cubic ft. (in 25 boxes, 1 Oversized folder). It consists of the papers of Nellie Finley and her family, including correspondence, teaching materials she used as a student and a teacher, notebooks, scrapbooks, published materials, photographs, and miscellaneous. The correspondence, in Boxes 1-21 and 25, includes letters, notes, telegrams, greeting cards, and postcards, and may include newspaper clippings and/or photographs, mostly exchanged between Nellie and her friends and relatives, 1881-1934, and undated. It is not always possible to determine the relationships between the correspondents, but this has been noted, when possible. The collection is mostly organized in alphabetical and chronological order with published and miscellaneous items after correspondence. There are also receipts, speeches, miscellaneous materials, certificates, recitation and student notebooks, and a few miscellaneous scrapbooks and recipes. Box 21 consists entirely of greeting cards organized by holiday or occassion. Published items in Boxes 22-24 include pages of partial directories of Michigan teachers, 1886-1903, and a directory of superintendents and principals, 1890-1891. Of note among the published volumes are Michigan poet Will Carleton's Everywhere, January-December 1911, Christoforo’s Method for Mandolin (Music Instruction Book, Copyright 1897 - John Church Co.), and the 77th Annual Report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction of the State of Michigan w/ Accompanying Documents for the Year 1913-1914.

Note: The abbreviations ND stands for Nellie May Davis and NDF for Nellie D. Finley.

Box 25 (Acc# 72943) includes family correspondence, some of Nellie’s early school materials she created as a child, and materials documenting Masonic organizations such as the Order of the Eastern Star, Michigan State Normal School, and Michigan insurance companies.

The Oversized folder includes Nellie and Theron’s marriage certificate, 1912, and Nellie’s Parma High School diploma, 1904. Also included is an oversized, undated, post-Civil gravure print of Orlando H. Moore holding a bugle and wearing a cape in civilian clothes. He does not appear to be related to the Finleys.

Processing Note: Prior to 1997, students and perhaps Clarke staff simply foldered this collection and likely maintained its loose original order. The original finding aid is no longer accessible on the computer due to software changes. Due to other priorities it was decided not to re-process the collection or individually cataloged published materials. Box 25 was a late addition in 2011 which was processed by the Archivist. A formal finding aid with biographical section and scope notes were not created until 2011 by Archivist Marian Matyn.

Processing Note: Eight oversized Masonic certificates of Edgar A. Guest were donated with Acc# 72943. These were added to the existing Guest papers.

Family Correspondence of Nelson Bebee

Most of the letters between John and Nelson and their sisters and friends concern their health, the weather, and news of family and friends both at home and in the service. John also wrote about picket duty (December 31, 1861); “killing niggers” (January 14, 1862); visiting girls (January 17, 1862, January 25, 1862); Jefferson Davis (February 17, 1862); George B. McClellan (April 23, 1862); and the Mechanicsville Battle (June 27, 1862).

Nelson wrote briefly and mostly that he was often ill and had the mumps and about Rebels fighting (both on April 16, 1863); the draft and the dead on battlefields (November 3, 1863, October 2, 1864); about Rebel POWs, some of whom joined the US Navy (“Navie”) (October 31, 1862, November 18, 1862, June 12, 1864, June 22, 1864, December 9, 1864); Copperheads and the 1864 convention (September 4, 1864, November 9, 1865). Letters about John’s death can be found from July 4 and 19, 1865.

There are also letters about Grant and Lee and fighting in Virginia, from Harrison to Nelson (1864?); about General Hooker, from Ferdon to Maggie (March 8, 1863); and about taking goods from Southern plantations (October 31, 1862).

John and Nelson both had bad penmanship and spelling skills. Several of the letters are badly faded and one is stained. One letter is only a fragment.