Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Collected materials include Civil War diary (1863) of William Harts, soldier with Co. B, 1st Michigan Infantry; also papers of Leon Bell, member of 339th Infantry (Polar Bears) sent to northern Russia after World War I.

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

Teh Primm Papers include a typed reminiscence (titled "Polar Bear Tales") with transcribed copies of letters written from Russia describing Primm's experiences. Also contains a digitized copy of the reminiscence and letters supplemented by photos and maps.

This collection contains digital reproductions; the original papers and/or photographs are owned by the donor. The digital items in this collection were digitized from originals by the individual donors before being received by the Bentley Historical Library. Preservation copies of these files with their original file names and CD-ROM file structures intact have been submitted to Deep Blue. Access copies of these digital files can be viewed by clicking on the links next to the individual folders in the Content List below.

Papers of a soldier with the 339th Infantry in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1919, the "Polar Bear Expedition."

The John Peterson papers consists of photocopies of military discharge papers and other official documents and a 1960 invitation to Polar Bear reunion and also a photograph of Peterson in uniform.

Soldier from LaCrosse, Wisc., captain of Co. M, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes miscellaneous citations, orders, and correspondence relating to his activities with the Polar Bear regiment; also photographs.

The papers contain primarily certificates and personal documents. The photographs include pictures of American and foreign soldiers, Russian people and scenes, and naval ships; also pictures of the 1929 memorial services for bodies returned from Russia, Polar Bear Association reunions, and personal photographs. Printed maps have been removed from the collection and cataloged separately.

The Michigan Historical Collections Topical Photograph Collection offer a broad and varied glimpse into nearly one hundred years of Michigan history, from the 1860s into the 1950s. The provenance of most of the photographs has been lost and therefore these images have been grouped together by subject into an artificial accumulation. Subjects depicted range from industry and transportation to clothing styles and social customs.

The photographs in this collection were received from various sources. Subjects include carriages, automobiles, Great Lakes shipping, railroads, and mass transit, especially street railroads. There are also images documenting activities within the mining, forestry, and lumber industries, mostly in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Also included are photographs of various ethnic groups and their societies, notably of Native Americans (1870s-1930s) of the Manistee and Ludington, Michigan, areas. Some of the images are street views and private residences in various Michigan towns and cities. Of interest are photographs of Michigan units taking part in the Spanish-American War and the "Polar Bear Expedition" of World War I. There is also a series of bookplates, [acquired from?] William H. Bicknell, many of which relate to the University of Michigan.

Soldier from Petoskey, Mich., member of Co. A, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes scrapbooks, orders, citations, casualty lists, and field message book.

The collection includes two scrapbooks containing a letter, Nov. 16, 1919, of Theodore R. McPhail, describing the 339th Infantry's homecoming parade in Detroit, poems, and newspaper clippings relating to the fighting in Russia, the mutiny of March 1919, the return of the 339th Infantry to Detroit, the return of the bodies of men killed in Russia, and later Polar Bear activities. Also included are rosters, certificates of promotion, lists of citations, and lists of casualties for Co. A, a cartoon by "Bug" Culver, a map of the Archangel area with areas of operations marked, lists of the bodies returned in 1929, and a receipt book of Captain Otto Odjard

Detroit attorney, assistant U. S. Prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East following World War II; correspondence and official court materials largely relating to Japanese intervention in Manchuria; materials relating to service in Polar Expedition to northern Russian during World War I; miscellaneous papers relating to other political and legal activities; and photographs.

The Walter McKenzie Collection consists largely of materials created as a result of the Japanese War Crimes Trials. The collection has been arranged into eight series: Biographical/Personal; Correspondence; Articles, Speeches, etc.; International Military Tribunal for the Far East, International Prosecution Section; University of Michigan; World War I (Polar Bear Expedition); Miscellaneous; and Photographs.

Member of Co. G, 339th U.S. Infantry who served in the Allied intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition" and officer in the Polar Bear Association. Collection includes papers on the committee sent to Russia in 1929, to recover the bodies of men slain during the expedition, including material on their reinterment in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery, Troy, Michigan, and the dedication of the Polar Bear monument.

The collection includes a copy of a petition, Feb. 1919, from people in Detroit asking for the withdrawal of American troops from Archangel; a diary, July-Sept. 1929, describing his trip to Russia and the search for bodies; correspondence, 1929-1930, regarding the commission and its work; a list of the bodies recovered and a map showing the location of some bodies found around Kodish; papers relating to the reinterment of the dead in White Chapel Memorial Park Cemetery; a 1965 memoir of the 1929 commission, and two letters, 1966 and undated, from Arthur Wickham relating his memories of service in Archangel. Also included are bulletins, meeting notes, speeches, eulogies, and programs of the Polar Bear Association and the constitution and bylaws of the Polar Bear Post, No. 436, Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Lawyer in Detroit, Mich., who served as adjutant and judge advocate in the U.S. 339th Infantry during the Allied Intervention in Russia, 1918-1920, the "Polar Bear Expedition." Collection includes biographical and genealogical information, family correspondence, a history of the Manchester, Mich., High School class of 1907; war diary, July-Nov. 1918; correspondence, financial material and memorabilia relating to his war service and veterans' activities; and photographs.

The papers include biographical and genealogical information, family correspondence, a history of the Manchester, Mich., High School class of 1907, a war diary, July-Nov. 1918, describing his activities in Archangel, two letters, 1931 and 1932, answering questions about various aspects of the Archangel campaign, and Polar Bear Association financial records, 1926-1930. Photographs include group portraits of units of the 339th Infantry, portraits of Lewis in uniform, and photo of Charles E. Lewis (Sr.) in front of his shoe store in Manchester, Mich..

St. Louis, MO native, who served with the 310th Army Engineers during the Allied Intervention in Northern Russia in 1918-1919, also known as the Polar Bear Expedition. The collection includes one oversize photo album and loose photographs documenting Johnson's service and the Polar Bears' military life, the city of Archangel and other locations in Russia; also Johnson's biography, letters, military papers, and ephemera related to the Polar Bear Expedition.

The photo album documents Johnson's experience while serving with the 310th Army Engineers in Northern Russia (primarily Archangel and Solombola) from 1918 to 1919. Photographs depict the exteriors and the interiors of the American army barracks, daily military life, individual and group portraits of American soldiers and officers, and military training. The album also includes scenic views, street scenes, images of religious processions, buildings and churches in Archangel, as well as portraits of the local people. Some photographs depict representatives of the indigenous population of Russian North.

Additional materials, placed in a separate folder, include one small portrait of Johnson in uniform (1917), loose photographs from the Polar Bear Expedition period, his biography, and letters particularly pertaining to his military service. An honorable discharge certificate includes information about Johnson's military rank, medals, time spent as a member of the North Russia Expeditionary Force.

Also included is an application for a Victory Medal and a 1968 The Navy Civil Engineer article by Johnson discussing his second military career during World War II. The folder also contains a hand-drawn sketch of Johnson asking his future wife Dorothy on a date and a photocopy of a letter to Dorothy highlighting a few of his daily military duties and activities.