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

The Henry Murfey letter book contains copies of 12 letters addressed to Henry, of Cleveland, Ohio, ostensibly from his deceased sister and father via a spirit-writing medium. The letters date from December 28, 1855, to September 20, 1856. The longest and most revealing of the letters details the experience of his sister Mary's physical death, her arrival at a "large spiritual temple," and her introduction to a spirit guide named "Flora." Mary then described her visit to the planet Saturn and its inhabitants.

The Henry Murfey letter book is a wallet-size, leather bound notebook containing 12 letters recorded over 54 handwritten pages and dating from December 28, 1855, to September 20, 1856. The letters are each addressed to Henry Murfey of Cleveland, Ohio, ostensibly from his deceased sister Mary (11) and father John (1) via a spirit-writing medium.

The letters are written in reverse chronological order, with the final letter located at the beginning of the letter book. The longest and most revealing of the letters details the experience of Mary's physical death, her arrival at a "large spiritual temple," and her introduction to a spirit guide named "Flora." Mary then described her visit to the planet Saturn and its inhabitants. Later letters assured Henry of the veracity of their communication and assured him that she often thought of him and communicated with him through the movement of inanimate objects. Several letters are undated, including one by Murfey's father John. The final three pages contain a crossed-out note, a recipe for an herbal remedy, and random calculations.

The Henry M. Wheeler photoprint collection consists of approximately 719 images of colonial architecture and historical locations in Massachusetts from ca. 1889 to 1915.

The Henry M. Wheeler photoprint collection consists of approximately 719 images of colonial architecture and historical locations in Massachusetts from ca. 1889 to 1915. The collection is mainly composed of 10 x 15 cm silver platinum, platinotype, and gelatin silver prints as well as 15 x 20.5 cm cyanotypes. A couple of manuscript notes are also present. Much of the focus is on eastern Massachusetts, centering on Wheeler’s hometown of Worcester. Photographs show residential architecture from the 17th century, unidentified colonial homes, and contemporary architecture from Wheeler's day and age. Many of the historical structures documented here were in danger of vanishing during Wheeler's lifetime, and many have long since been destroyed. Other photographs show natural landscapes, noteworthy trees, country roads, parks, public and educational buildings, farms, monuments, bridges, milestones, and gravestones as well as images of famous paintings, engravings, and lithographs. Also included are a small number of images related to Washington, D.C., Maine, and New Hampshire. Wheeler likely took the vast majority of these photographs, though there are several instances where he credited the original sources of certain images. The collection materials were removed from the original album volumes they were stored in and have been rehoused in three 3-ring binder albums and three flat boxes. Most photographs also have original reference numbers that were used by Wheeler to organize the collection.

In addition to this finding aid, the Clements Library has created the Henry M. Wheeler Photoprint Collection Inventory. This inventory lists items according to volume/box location and includes references to specific page/mat numbers, image descriptions (most of which are derived from captions originally inscribed by Wheeler on photograph versos), and photographic formats.

This collection is made up of letters that Henry R. Partridge, a merchant ship captain, wrote to his wife Salista during voyages to Europe and the Caribbean in the 1870s. He commented on his loneliness, the loading and unloading of cargo, other crew members and vessels, and ports of call. One additional letter concerns Henry Partridge's suicide in 1880.

This collection is made up of 13 letters that Henry R. Partridge, a merchant ship captain, wrote to his wife Salista during voyages to Europe and the Caribbean on his brig Salista in the 1870s. One additional letter concerns Partridge's suicide in 1880.

Henry Partridge wrote to his wife between April 17, 1871, and September 15, 1879, while in port at Alicante, Spain (2 items); Naples, Italy (2 items); Marseille, France (1 item); Messina, Italy (2 items); Beirut, Lebanon (1 item); Gibraltar (2 items); Saguá la Grande, Cuba (1 item); Cádiz, Spain (1 item); and Bilbao, Spain (1 item). Partridge commented on recent sailing experiences; discussed cargo purchasing, loading, and unloading; noted food purchases; and reported on other crew members and other vessels. In his letter of January 21, 1872, Partridge told his wife about the Salista's steward, who had recently discovered that he was not the father of his favorite daughter. In another letter, Partridge told his wife of a man who had left in the company of two women after his family had returned home (July 1, 1873). Partridge occasionally wrote about food, salt shipping, and consignment agents; his letter of November 13, 1876, contains penmanship practice by his daughter Ada. Partridge frequently commented on his loneliness and desire to meet with his wife upon his returns to Boston and New York.

John Zittlosen, a commission merchant in New York City, wrote a letter to L. M. Partridge on January 27, 1880, concerning Henry Partridge's suicide by gunshot in Gibraltar. Zittlosen copied the text of a telegram he had received, shared his condolences, and requested that the recipient first inform Salista Partridge that her husband was sick, "so that the shock will not come to[o] hard on her at once."

This collection is made up of letters written by Scottish politician Henry Peter Brougham, printed copies of two of Brougham's parliamentary speeches, and notes and documents related to British law. Much of Brougham's correspondence concerns mid-19th-century British politics.

This collection (2 linear feet) is made up of outgoing letters written by Scottish politician Henry Peter Brougham, printed copies of two of Brougham's parliamentary speeches, and notes and documents related to British law.

The collection is comprised primarily of Brougham's outgoing correspondence to recipients such as John W. Croker, Lord [John] Murray, and Lord [John] Russell, dated 1807-1865 (bulk 1824-1864). Brougham discussed political issues and politicians, often related to the actions of Parliament. Some of his letters pertain to the country's relationships with Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and France, and to specific legislation, including the repeal of the Corn Laws. Many of the letters concern the actions of Robert Peel and to Parliamentary party politics, and a few concern the relationship between historical legislation and contemporary political issues. Some of the correspondence is more personal in nature, occasionally concerning magazines such as the Edinburgh Review; a small number of items are in French. The first seven volumes of the collection contain occasional newspaper clippings and articles in English and French.

The collection contains a bound copy of Brougham's speech on the "Present State of the Law," presented before the House of Commons on February 7, 1828; the copy, one of 30, is inscribed to M. A. Taylor. The speech concerns the state of the English and Welsh court system, the administration of justice in Great Britain, specific laws, and trial procedures, among other subjects. A second, shorter speech delivered before the House of Lords pertains to education reform (May 23, 1835).

Other materials include approximately 100 pages of annotated articles and related notes regarding many different legal topics, a document prepared for the defendants in a trespassing case brought before the Yorkshire Summer Assizes (July 31, 1824), and proposed routes for travelling through France (ca. 1832?).

Virtually all of Henry Pippitt's surviving Civil War correspondence consists of letters addressed to his mother, Rebecca, documenting two intertwining themes: the Petersburg Campaign from start to finish, and Pippitt's personal campaign to keep himself and his family in good order.Pippitt's letters offer commentary on the last year of the war as seen through the eyes of a young working class man, grown up far beyond his years.

Virtually all of Henry Pippitt's surviving Civil War correspondence consists of letters addressed to his mother, Rebecca, documenting two intertwining themes: the Petersburg Campaign from start to finish, and Pippitt's personal campaign to keep himself and his family in good order. Well written, if not particularly polished, Pippitt's letters offer fine commentary on the last year of the war as seen through the eyes of a young working class man, grown up far beyond his years.

Pippitt's personal struggles weave throughout the collection, surfacing at numerous points, and his various ways of dealing with his ragged home life are reflective both of the depth of his difficulties and his resourcefulness. He alternately castigates, cajoles, threatens or ignores his dead beat father, does his best to assuage his mother's depression over losing her son to the army, and her jealousy of the woman he courts, and he does his best to deal with or explain away his financial problems and his own lapses into drink. Throughout all of his experiences, military and personal, Pippitt matures physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Of particular interest is the letter of September 4, 1864, in which Pippitt describes why he is (again) out of cash. After sketching a somewhat fantastic tale of heavy rains, floods, and an entire camp swept away in the deluge, he swears that the story is the truth and not a lie. This and other letters illustrate an interesting dichotomy in Pippitt's character. Having grown up in a lower-class family, he is constantly aware of the shortage of money, both in camp and at home, but despite his frequent promises to send home sizable sums, he manages to fritter away most of his pay and at times, dips liberally into the already slender family purse to supply himself with what he calls "necessaries."

In more narrowly military terms, the collection contains several brief, but powerful letters describing the hard life in the Petersburg trenches, skirmishes, and the battles of Petersburg, the Crater, and Cold Harbor. A curious side note is Pippitt's tale of the Confederate defenders of Petersburg under-mining Union forts facing the city following the Crater disaster. The series of letters written from Point of Rocks and Chafin's Farm illustrate not only the constricting stagnation of the siege effort during the winter of 1864-65, but the gradually deteriorating morale of the Confederate forces, seen in a flood tide of deserters.

Finally, Pippitt's use of language is often as interesting as what he says. His use of phrases such as "dead beat" (24:45), "helter skelter" (24:66), "if he don't like it, he can lump it" (24:37), or "let [the landlord] know that you haint a going to be shit on by him" (24:38) seem thoroughly up to date, and are an excellent record of urban, working-class patterns of speech.

Henry P. Skinner of Hudson, New York, kept these 4 journals (approximately 6.5" x 8" and 200 pages each) between 1817 and 1824. In brief daily entries, Skinner recorded aspects of his everyday life, including his social activities, church attendance, and household expenses.

Henry P. Skinner of Hudson, New York, kept these 4 journals (approximately 6.5" x 8" and 200 pages each) between 1817 and 1824. Skinner wrote daily journal entries throughout much of his adult life, documenting his everyday experiences and expenses as an artisan and as head of household. He often mentioned his children and his wife Mary, and frequently attended religious services and social events. His occasional travels to New York City via the Hudson River are also briefly documented.

• 1818 July 6. Seeing a military salute to Major General Richard Montgomery as his remains were transported down the Hudson River by steamship (on their way from Quebec to New York City)
• 1818 October 30. Viewing John Trumbull's painting of the Declaration of Independence and a panoramic view of Paris in New York City
• 1822 October 13 and 1823 April 6. Hearing sermons delivered by African American preachers
• 1823 April 7. Seeing a man who was attempting to gradually lighten his skin
• 1824 September 16-17. Seeing Lafayette on his Grand Tour

Skinner recorded daily expenses, which often included food purchases and charitable donations, in the right margin of each page of the journal,. He compiled his total expenses annually, broken down by month. Skinner also recorded methods for preserving eggs, making a wash for plaster and stucco, and varnishing paper.

This letterbook spans fifty years and contains three sections: the letterbook of furniture, hardware, and dry goods retailers in Vicksburg, Mississippi; the Henry S. Clubb letterbook from January 13 to August 4, 1865, while he was Captain and Assistant Quartermaster for the 17th U.S. Army Corps; and an 1880 geographical notebook containing calculations concerning "Henderson's formula" for the determination of latitudes.

This letterbook spans fifty years and contains three sections, covering three separate endeavors.

The first section is the Payne & Swiney letterbook, and later the Harrison, Swiney and Co. letterbook, which documents a furniture, hardware, and dry goods retailers in Vicksburg, Mississippi. These 56 pages date from October 6, 1836 -May 24, 1840. The contents are primarily orders for goods and furniture inventories, with a few letters to customers and letters discussing business ventures.

The second section consists of the Henry S. Clubb letterbook from January 13 to August 4, 1865, while he was captain and assistant quartermaster for the 17th U.S. Army Corps. In the first letter, he explains that he has just come from Vicksburg, where he obtained this volume. He writes from Louisville, Kentucky; Charleston, South Carolina; Alexandria, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans, Louisiana. Many of the letters are addressed to Gen. M.C. Meigs, and contain lists of quartermaster stores, discussions of orders, and movements of his operations. These entries offer excellent insight into the challenges of being a Union quartermaster.

The third section is a geographical notebook containing calculations concerning "Henderson's formula" for the determination of latitudes. This portion is of indeterminate authorship, but apparently done in Allegan, Michigan, in the 1880s. These notes are comprised of over 80 pages of calculations interspersed with brief commentary such as:

"Thus I have deduced an original formula for finding the length of the seconds pendulum in any part of the world...I have added to our knowledge of the world upon which we dwell."

"What I claim as original in the treatment of this subject, is the discovery of the Ellipsoid of Gravity, and the relation of its constants to one another, and their application to the solution of all questions within the realm of territorial gravitation and the variations in the lengths of the seconds pendulum."

The Henry Stafford Little collection contains seven personal letters that Little received in 1843 and 1844, 6 of which concern a friend's medical studies and social activities in New York City.

The Henry Stafford Little collection contains seven personal letters that Little received from November 28, 1843-March 6, 1844. Six letters concern a friend's experiences in New York City. Little's correspondent, "George," mentioned studying medicine, attending church services, and calling on acquaintances; he also commented on the relative financial benefits of the medical profession over the legal profession and on medical procedures he had witnessed. Another acquaintance wrote to Little about social activities, acquaintances' news, and his plans to learn French at a new boarding house (November 28, 1843).

The Henry Taber account book spans March 25, 1826, to September 17, 1870, and documents the New Bedford merchant's sales and payments. The volume shows the outfitting of the Sloop Experiment in the 1820s and the Sloop Helen in the 1830s, and records sales and transportation of flour, whale oil, sallow, wages, truss hoops, a brass compass, corks, pears, apples, raisins, books (1837, 1842, 1845, and 1852), beef, boards, freight, and cartage. From 1835-1860s, many of the accounts are payments of wages to women. The front pastedown bears a printed advertisement for "A. Shearman, Jr. & Co. Booksellers & Stationers, New-Bedford," with a list of various papers, blank books, writing utensils, bibles, schoolbooks, and nautical equipment.

The Henry Taber account book spans March 25, 1826, to September 17, 1870, and documents the New Bedford, Massachusetts, merchant's sales and payments. The volume shows the outfitting of the Sloop Experiment in the 1820s and the Sloop Helen in the 1830s, and records purchases, sales, and transportation of flour, whale oil, sallow, wages, truss hoops, a brass compass, corks, pears, apples, raisins, books (1837, 1842, 1845, and 1852), beef, boards, freight, and cartage. From 1835-1860s, many of the accounts are payments of wages to women. The front pastedown bears a printed advertisement for "A. Shearman, Jr. & Co. Booksellers & Stationers, New-Bedford," with a list of various papers, blank books, writing utensils, bibles, schoolbooks, and nautical equipment.

This collection contains two notebooks and 20 letters, documents, and receipts related to the unsolved hatchet murder of Henry Toggenburger on August 15, 1885, in Sedalia, Missouri. The papers include notebooks related to Henry Toggenburger's final months, his death, and the transportation of his body; letters preceding his death; and materials dating after his decease.

The collection contains two notebooks and 20 letters, documents, and receipts related to the unsolved hatchet murder of Henry Toggenburger on August 15, 1885, in Sedalia, Missouri. The papers include notebooks related to Henry Toggenburger's final months, his death, and the transportation of his body; letters preceding his death; and materials post-dating his death. A few examples include:

• Account and Note Book, [ca. 1885], relating to housing, food, building supplies, and travel expenses.
• Account and Note Book, [ca. 1885], including costs related to Henry's funeral, amounts paid for the coffin and undertaker, and railroad fees for transporting the body from Missouri to Ohio.
• Henry Toggenburger letter to his brother, Samuel Toggenburger April 22, 1885. Currently in Eureka, Kansas, Henry relates his travels from Polk City, Iowa, through Nebraska and Kansas.
• Henry Toggenburger letter to his friend, Cal[vin], August 2, 1885. Henry, now in Sedalia, Missouri, describes leaving Eureka, Kansas, on July 4, traveling to Texas, where he "did not stay long," noting that he has "seen lots of Indians when I was going through the nation." Now, in Sedalia, at telegraph school, he ends his letter stating that he was "going down town to see my girl."
• Henry Toggenburger letter to his brother, Samuel, August 14, 1885, from Sedalia, Missouri. Written the day before he was murdered, Henry's penmanship is strikingly void of its typical flourish. He tells his brother that his "catarrh" is quite painful and beseeches his brother to send money promptly.
• Western Union Telegraph sent by Sam[uel] Toggenburger, August 18, 1885.
• Lowell letter to Samuel Toggenburger, August 19, 1885. Claiming to be a private detective, he asserts his belief that Henry's death was not a suicide, as the jury initially concluded but was, in fact, murder. He offers his services as a means of locating the guilty party or parties involved.
• Invoice from Dr. W. C. Overstreet, Jr., August 19, 1885, for fees related to the inquest into Henry's death.
• H. W. Barrier to Samuel Toggenburger, August 23, 1885. A previous employer of Henry's from Eureka, Kansas, Barrier disputes the suicide ruling, stating that Henry was "a good, trustworthy young man" and hopes those guilty are brought to trial.
• Receipt from McLaughlin Bros., undertakers, August 25, 1885.
• Affidavit of I. Jennings attesting to the death of Ulrich, Henry, and Elizabeth Toggenburger, April 16, 1937, relating to property held by the family members. Recorded within the document are details of Henry's funeral in Bluffton, Ohio.