African American History: Periodicals, Manuscripts, and Audio-Visual
Periodicals
This list is in alphabetical order:
African American News. Detroit, MI: Museum of African American History. Lib. has: v. 7: no.1 (Spring/Summer 1996); v. 8: no.1 (Spring 1997)-v. 8: no. 4 (Dec. 1997); v. 10: no.1 (Winter 1998)-v. 10: no.4 (Fall 1998).
The African Repository and Colonial Journal. Published by the American Colonization Society. Washington City: Way & Gideon, 1825-1850. Lib. has: Aug.1828; Feb.1829; Mar.-Dec. 1832; Jan., Feb. 1833; Jan., Mar., Apr.-Jun. 1836; Jan.-Nov. 1837; Jan.-Jul.,
Sep., Oct., Dec. 1838; Jan.-Mar. 1839; Jan., Feb., Dec. 1841; Jan., Aug., Oct., Nov. 1842; Jan.-May, Jul.-Sep., Nov., Dec.1843; Jan.-Dec. 1844; Jan.-Mar., May-Nov. 1845; Jan.-Nov. 1846; Apr.-May 1847; May-Jun., Dec. 1848; Feb., Jun., Dec. 1849. Clarke
Period. E448 .A25z
The African Repository. Washington: American Colonization Society, 1850-1892.
Lib. has: Nov.1852; Aug., Dec.1853; Aug.1854; Mar., Apr., Jun., Sep.1855; Apr.-Jul., Nov.1857; Feb.1858; Jan.-May, Jul., Nov. 1867; Jan.1879; Jul. 1880; Oct.1889. Clarke
Period. E448 .A25
The American and Foreign Anti-slavery Reporter. New York: American and Foreign Anti- Slavery Society. Lib. has v. 2, no. 5 (July 1845) -- v. 2, no. 7 (Oct. 1845). Clarke Period. E449 .A517
Manuscript Material
Abbot, Elizabeth Bousfield,
Notebook, 1890, 1897-1900. Notebook entries are very brief. Notebook on American slavery and daily account of Abbot's social life in Bay City, Michigan, and trips in the United States and abroad.
Mss. Adkins, Nena
L.,
"Slave Families: Yes or No?" CMU Student Term Paper, 1975.
Mss. 401a-e
African Americans in Adrian, Michigan, Scrapbook, 1869, 1940.
Scrapbook in a Rochester (NY?) ledger book with pp. 1-2 (1869) and 61-101 (scattered) (1884-1885). The back cover has the notation, "Miss Mary Cox, Niochos Co., Kansas." The scrapbook
contains church programs; magazine articles on Marian Anderson and Joe Louis; newspaper clippings of marriages, obituaries, musical events, and graduations of Adrian, Michigan African Americans; and a few letters and notes about Christmas productions
from Mr. and/or Mrs. Charles W. Lawson, who may be the compilers. Churches represented in the scrapbook include Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and Second Baptist Church, both of Adrian, Michigan. No further information is available on the
Lawsons.
Mss. / 1 oversized vol. (in 1 flat box)
African Maps Collection, 1732, 1910.
Collection of 24 maps, 1732, 1910, of various size, material, age, and quality, collected by Wilbert Wright. The maps document a number of African countries, regions, and the routes of explorers, including: Robert
Moffat, Jean Dybowski, F. Oates, and Heinrich Barth. Some of the maps were removed from books or atlases. Some of the maps are undated (20th century) reproductions. Some maps are black and white while others are colored or tinted. Maps have text in
French or English and were printed in England, the U.S. or France. Besides maps of West, Eastern, Northwest, and Central Africa, the nations of South Africa, Natal, Ethiopia, Egypt, Algeria, Tunis, Morocco, Mozambique, Luzon, and Zululand are also
represented. Wilbert Wright (May 5, 1926-Nov. 19, 1980) was a professor at Central Michigan University and a psychological counselor, who lived and worked in Mount Pleasant, Michigan from 1970 until his death in 1980. He was survived by his wife,
Geraldine (Benford), four sons: Brian, Phillip, Wilbert, and John, and four grandchildren. (Information from Wright's obituary in the Mount Pleasant Morning Sun, Nov. 20, 1980.)
An inventory is available to assist researchers.
Mss. / 1 ov.
folder
American Missionary Association,
Manuscripts. Correspondence and reports from home missionaries and teachers, agents of the Freedmen's Bureau and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Minnesota (1847-1882), Michigan (1847-1877), Illinois (1843-1893), and
Indiana (1847-1874), concerning education, slavery, the abolition movement, financial support for the Association, and social, economic, and political conditions in the United States. 24 reels.
For information on the papers, see: Johnson, Clifton H., American Missionary Association Archives as a Source for the Study of American History. New York: Division of Higher Education of the United Church Board for Homeland Ministries and American Missionary
Association, 1964? Includes relevant material.
E185 .5 .J8 A64
Micro. Mss. F-46 (UNCATALOGED)
Anacostia Neighborhood Museum,
The Frederick Douglas Years, 1817-1895, [poster of exhibition by the Anacostia Museum, Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service]. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1976.
Clarke Folio
E185.53.W3 A53f
Bangs, Chester H.,
Letter, Sept. 29, 1861. 2 items. Letter describing the hardships of a soldier's life, mentions blacks and the size of the army around Washington. Expects to be home by the new year. Includes brief service history. Bio: Bangs, a
resident of Napoleon, Michigan, served in the 7th Michigan Infantry, Company B.
Miss. Barber, Ethel,
African Americans in Saginaw, Michigan, Scrapbook, 1913, 1949. Scrapbook, 1913, 1949, includes: photographs of her family, friends, and herself; letters from her sons and friends who served in World War II and her brother who
served in World War I; African American church programs from Saginaw, Michigan; and pamphlets and articles about racial justice and black achievements, 1913, 1949. The churches documented here include: Mt. Olive Baptist, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal
Church, and Tabernacle Baptist Church. A photograph of the ground breaking crew at Pilgrim Baptist Church, 1948, includes Ethel. The scrapbook has a brown cover with "Photographs" in gold letters. The pages and some of the materials are acidic.
Ethel May Woodward married Rev. William Barber. She became a practical nurse in 1949. Ethel attended history classes through Central Michigan University's extension course, 1941-1949. She was known as an accomplished musician and teacher. The Barbers
lived on N. Oakley in Saginaw in 1945. Their sons, James C. Barber and Luvier Barber, served in World War II. One of Ethel's friends, Geraldine Dyson, was one of the first two black women in the American Red Cross who worked in North Africa during
World War II. Harold S. Woodward, Ethel's brother, served in World War I as a Sgt. in Co. F, 8th Illinois, 370th Infantry.
Mss. / 1 oversized vol. (in 1 flat box)
Blackwood, Thomas,
Family Papers, 1826, 1971. Family Papers, 1827-1971 and undated, include family correspondence, diaries, journals, notebooks, a photograph of the family home, receipts, and miscellaneous materials. Most of the materials relate
to Dr. Thomas Blackwood or his wife, Jane Osburn Blackwood. Dr. Blackwood materials include: correspondence, medical note book, 1827-1832, including the diagnosis and treatment of his patients, receipts, payments, and a list of births, Aug. 1832-Sept.
1833, his certificate of entrance to the Washtenaw Medical Society, June 1832, and his journal of his voyage to California, 1849. Family correspondence tells of a Negro uprising, June 16, 1827, and a cholera epidemic, 1849. Also included is a Washtenaw
Whig (newspaper), Sept. 1849 (Ann Arbor, Michigan), with a copy of one of Dr. Blackwood's letters from California to his wife. Several of his letters as well as parts of his journal were published in the Washtenaw Whig.
Dr. Thomas Blackwood was a physician in Ann Arbor, and later, Ypsilanti, Michigan. He practiced traditional medicine until 1845 when he switched to homeopathic medicine. Blackwood was hit with Gold Fever in 1849. He sailed on the Loo Choo from New York City on March 8, 1849, arriving in San Francisco on Sept. 15, 1849. After unsuccessful attempts at prospecting, Blackwood returned to Ann Arbor by the autumn of 1850. Bored with his practice, he headed back to California via the overland route with his wife, two sons, and two daughters. Shortly after setting up practice in Sacramento, he died of malignant fever. His family then returned to Ann Arbor.
A finding aid and index cards are available to assist researchers.
The collection is also available on two reels of positive microfilm Acc# 359 (section 3) and 444.
Mss. Clarke Files
Beeman, Jack,
"Frederick Douglass' Split with the Garrisonians."CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e
Bradish, Orrin H.,
Diary, 1864. 1 vol. (142 pages). Brief entries describing weather; duties; deaths; and
activities of units in the area, occasionally involving local negroes. A brief service history is also included. Bio: Bradish was a resident
of Madison, Michigan, who served in the 18th Michigan Infantry, Company I.
Mss. Brumels, Bruce,
"Activities of the Ku Klux Klan, and the Reporting of Them in Two Michigan
Newspapers."CMU Student Term Paper, 1962.
Mss. 401a-e
Chandler, Zachariah,
Papers, 1854-1899. Consists of about 1100 items, mostly political correspondence, 1854-79, relating to the politics of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Papers include letters received re: politics of Civil War, Reconstruction,
and anti-slavery Republican Party radicals. Correspondents include: J. A. J. Creswell, Marsh Giddings, George A. Custer, Lewis Cass, B. A. Wade, as well as Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses S. Grant. Index cards on reel 1. Bio: U. S. Senator from Michigan
and Secretary of the Interior.
Microfilm Mss. F4, 4 reels. Index cards on reel 1.
Chet (Union Soldier),
Letter, 1861 Aug 7. 1 item (3 pages). Letter written to a "friend." Relates news of
mutual acquaintances, rumors of unit reorganizations that would allow troops to return home, estimates total Confederate forces at 240,000,
and rumors that many slaves are in the Confederate cavalry and are escaping. Bio: Served with the 2nd Michigan Infantry.
Mss.
Chirio, Michael,
"Negro Soldier in the Civil War."CMU Student Term Paper. 1962.
Mss. 401a-e
Clark, C.,
Letter, Nov. 11, 1859, from Clark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to his unidentified sister, about family topics and abolitionist John Brown.
Mss.
Collet Family,
Family Papers, 1840, 1936. .75 cubic ft. (in 1 box). Family Papers, 1840- 1936 and
undated, of the Collet and Hall families. Topics covered include: politics, the Civil War, and slavery. Bio: The Collet and Hall families were
joined in 1851 through the marriage of Emma Hall and Stephen Collet.
Finding aid available.
Mss.
Crury, O. S.,
Letters, 1864 Mar. 2 items. Union soldier in the Civil War. Letters to wife and children describing the daily routine, negroes enlisting, a description of the area around Chattanooga, Tennessee, and local women.
Mss.
Currie, George E.
Papers, 1861, 1960. 3 folders. Papers include: typed transcriptions of 12 of Currie's Civil War letters, Dec. 30, 1861-Aug. 17, 1864, from his service in the Federal Mississippi Ram Fleet and the Mississippi Marine Brigade. His
letters discuss the fleet, various battles, the suffering of the wounded, marches, the death of Col. Charles Ellet (June 20, 1862), various towns and barracks, his black servant Bill, southern blacks (Nov. 28, 1862), composition of the brigade, grounds
of Benton barracks, black boathands (June 30, 1863), U.S. Colored Troops (July 6, 1864), the wounded on board, including civilians and women, and the nursing of federal troops by Southern women (Aug. 16, 1864). There is a 1960 typed draft of "Guerrilla
Warfare Along Western Waters: Being Chiefly the Experiences of George E. Currie in the Mississippi Ram Fleet and Marine Brigade, 1861-1864" by Norman E. Clarke. Also, there is a Nov. 30, 1960 letter from Orville L. Eaton, Head, Department of the Library
at Central Michigan University concerning the manuscript to Harold W. Moll of Midland. The manuscript was later published under the title Warfare along the Mississippi: The Letters of Lt. Col. George E. Currie, edited by Norman E. Clarke, Sr., a copy
of which can be found in the Clarke Historical Library. Lastly, there is a 497 p. volume of typed letters, Sept. 10, 1863-July 6, 1864, describing the Battle of Pea Ridge (Arkansas) and being on the U. S. Steamers Diana and Ram Dingo. These pages
begin by his agreeing to tell his story unabridged to some "Gentlemen".
Currie was a Capt. in the 59th Illinois Volunteers, Co. F, and joined the Federal Mississippi Ram Fleet in Dec. 1861. He served as commander of the U.S. steamers Diana and D. J. Adams. For further information on Norman E. Clarke, Sr., see the catalog
record of his Collection, 1920-1998.
Mss.
Dunn, William Henry,
"History of the Organization and Recruitment of the 1st Michigan Colored Regiment."CMU Student Term Paper, 1966.
Mss. 401a-e
Ely, Ralph,
Papers, 1863-1943, 1861-1869. 9 items. Papers, include: diary, transcript of diary, and genealogies. Diary discusses health, unit movements, daily activities, negroes, and contains detailed descriptions of scouting activities. Includes
brief service history. Born in New York State in 1819, Ely moved to Ionia County (MI) in 1846; moved to Alma (MI) in 1854, and served with the 8th Michigan Infantry, Company C. He rose to the rank of brigadier general. Ely became a state senator in
1873.
Mss.
Enders, Calvin W.,
Michigan Ku Klux Klan Research Papers, 1917, 1997. The collection, 1917-1997 and undated, includes Enders' research papers documenting the Ku Klux Klan, mostly about the Michigan Klan. The papers include: demographics; articles
Enders wrote to be published; articles copied from other sources including books, magazines, and newspapers; membership cards, photographic materials; and memorabilia. Membership cards may contain census or local election notes of Enders' or marital
status, type of employment, children, and address information on individual Klan members. Various types of photographic images include Michigan Klan parades, meetings, a funeral, and the Chicora KKK quilt with members' names embroidered on it. The
collection also includes a sheeted figurine, Klan songbooks and copied articles from Klan newspapers. The collection is very valuable in documenting individual Klan members, both men and women, in Michigan prior to 1924. There is also substantial
documentation of the activities of local Michigan Klans. The attempts to elect a Detroit Klan mayor in 1924 and ban private Michigan schools are well documented, as are the financial problems and the high profile murders committed by Klan officials
that led to the Klan's fall from political power in 1924.
Enders was born April 20, 1926 in Adrian, Michigan. He married Betty Hilts in Adrian in 1946. He served in World War II and later earned a B.A. from Adrian College (1949), a M.A. from the University of Michigan (1952), and a Ph.D from Michigan State University
(1970). In 1965, "Cal" Enders joined the Central Michigan University history department, teaching military history and surveys in American and Michigan history until his retirement in 1993. Dr. Enders' "Roaring Twenties" course was well known at CMU.
He was co-founder and sponsor of the Phi Alpha Theta CMU chapter with Prof. Dennis Thavenet. Towards the end of his life he began to research the KKK in Michigan. He published an article on the Mecosta County Klan entitled "White Sheets in Mecosta:
The Anatomy of a Michigan Klan". He was writing a book on the Klan when he died on Aug. 21, 1997.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Ford, J. C.,
Correspondence, 1914. 1 folder. Correspondence (3 pp. typed), dated July 20 1914, from Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Gov. Woodbridge N. Ferris. The letter describes Ford's participation at the Negro National Education Congress held
at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, earlier that month. Ford was appointed as Gov. Ferris' representative to the Negro National Education Congress. He served as Chair of the Nominations Committee and as a member of the National Executive Committee of the
Congress. Ferris (1853-1928) taught in New York State and Illinois before organizing Ferris Industrial School, which eventually became Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. He married Helen F. Gillespie (d. 1917) in 1874 and they had three
sons. He served as Governor of Michigan, 1913-1917 and U.S. Senator from Michigan, 1923-1928. (For further information see Michigan Biographies, vol. 1, pp. 288-289.)
Mss.
Gardner, Kearsa, and Walter Brown,
"College Days for the African-Americans in the Early 1950s and Late 1960s."CMU Student Term Paper, Oral History Papers Collection, 1990.
Mss.
Geddes, P.,
Letters, 1853-1858. Resident of Battle Creek, Michigan. Three letters, one with additional typescript, to his brother. Topics include slavery, Indians, temperance, and a detailed report on agriculture.
Mss.
Gillaspie, Ira Myron Bailey,
Diary of Ira M. B. Gillaspie, Co. C, Mich. Inft., written in the army 1861-62 and 3, 1861-1958, bulk, 1861-1863. 2 items. Diary primarily relating daily activities. Discusses
illness, exhibits a negative attitude
towards blacks, and has an account of the battle of Stone River (Murfreesboro, Tennessee). Includes brief service history. Bio: Gillaspie was a resident of St. Joseph County, Michigan.
Mss.
Green, Beriah,
Things for Northern Men to Do; A Discourse Delivered Lord's Day Evening, July 17, 1836, in the Presbyterian Church, Whitesboro, NY. New York: 1836. Washington, D.C.: Microcard Editions, 1970.
Clarke Microforms, Microfiche Book
3
1 card. (Slavery source materials, no. 189)
Hadley, L.,
Papers, 1863. 4 items. Served with the Union cavalry. Letters and excerpts from diary discussing cavalry operations, gunboats, and an engagement with black troops.
Mss.
Hamel, W. Glen,
"The Underground Railroad and its Activities in Michigan."CMU Student Term Paper. n.d.
Mss. 401a-e
Harrington, M.,
"'Call Every Man Your Brother': The Story of the Abolitionist Movement in
Michigan."CMU Student Term Paper. 1973.
Mss. 401a-e
Hitchcock, E. E.,
Correspondence, 1862. 1 folder. Letter (photostat) sent from Washington, D.C. to
"dear sister," dated Oct. 20, 1862, and the typescript. The letter describes his life as a soldier winter quarters, conditions near battlefields,
and stories about blacks. Mentions Martha Hazerd at home; Dwight James, the sister's sweetheart; and a man named Tower in the Maryland (Infantry?), 7th Regiment. Bio: Notes added to the transcript state that Hitchcock, a Union soldier, was killed
near the Potomac River. Dwight James survived to marry Hitchock's sister.
Mss.
Hodskin, Charles Horace,
Papers, 1861, 1905. .25 cubic ft. (in 1 box). IL Papers, 1861-1905 and undated, include biographical material, certificates, Civil War diary, and correspondence, and daguerreotypes. The Civil War materials, 1861-1864, discuss
the weather; drills; skirmishes; major General A. E. Burnside's military failures; heavy losses; U. S. Colored Troops; and marches to Bardston, Lebanon, Jamestown, and Memphis, Tennessee. Bio: Hodskin, born on Aug. 22, 1837, moved to Battle Creek,
Michigan. He served in the Michigan Infantry 2nd Regiment during the Civil War and was eventually honorably discharged with the rank of Captain in 1864. He died on Feb. 18, 1905, in Manistee, Michigan.
Mss.
Hollands, Hulda T.,
Papers, 1859-1929. Writer on early Michigan history. Regular contributor to newspapers about local St. Clair County history. Author of: When Michigan was New. Collection primarily consists of essays and articles by Hollands about
a wide range of topics related to early Michigan and St. Clair County history. Also includes correspondence, scrapbooks, poetry, an abstract of title, and diaries written after her husband passed away. Other subjects include the War of 1812 and Native
Americans. Includes material on the Underground Railroad.
Mss.
Hopkins, Mordecai L.,
Papers, 1855-1891, include letters by Hopkins about politics, 1855- 1860, slavery, 1857, letter to his wife, March 1862. Letters to Hopkins from William H. Drake and T. Eastman with general Civil War news. In Mordecai L. Hopkins
Papers. Also partial letter from Ananias Worden about the draft agreement, 1863, letter to Mort from George H. Osgood about Rebels, undated. Bio: Drake served in Company A, 3rd Michigan Infantry. He was discharged for disability at Washington, DC,
on Jan. 13, 1863 at age 28. Hopkins was a Michigan Senator from Ottawa County, 1855-1856. No information available on Eastman or Osgood. Worden was a friend and post office special agent under Pres. Lincoln.
Mss.
Hunt, Robert G.,
Papers, 1861-1865. 2 boxes, 39 oversized folders. Papers of a Civil War U. S. Paymaster, 1861-1865 and undated, include: account books; business and work-related correspondence; vouchers; disbursement accounts; and returns. Also,
various pay records of U. S. Colored Infantry regiments 14th, 16th, 18th, 42nd, 44th; U. S. Infantry Regiment, 1st; U. S. Artillery Regiment, 5th; and regiments from Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kan., Ky., Mich., Mo., N.Y., Ohio, and Wis. Lastly, there are many
oversized muster rolls, muster-out rolls, and pay rolls for U. S. Colored Infantry regiments 14th, 18th, 44th; various units from Conn., Ill., Ind., Kan., Ky., Mich., Mo., N.J., Ohio, Tenn., Wis., and miscellaneous detachments. Hunt was a U. S. Paymaster
during the Civil War for Michigan Infantry units. No further information about Hunt is available.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss
Jensen, Nancy,
"The Underground Railroad in Michigan."CMU Student Term Paper, 1962.
Mss. 401a-e
Johnson, Camilla C.,
"'Look Missies, Look Massa!'"CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e, box 37
Johnson, Camilla C.,
"Slave Breeding as it is Handled in Books on Slavery and Negro History."CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e, box 37
Ku Klux Klan, Black Legion,
Collection, 1936, 1945, and Undated. Materials related to the trial and dismissal of four policemen, three firemen, and a city councilman from Highland Park, Michigan, who were involved with the murder of Charles " Chap"
Poole on Detroit's west side in May 1936. Included are: trial testimony, sworn statements, correspondence, photographs of the house were the murder was committed, and other materials. The councilman' appeal eventually went as high as the Michigan
Supreme Court, which upheld the lower courts "guilty " convictions. The collection, mostly copies, was apparently collected by Earl Young, Detroit's City Attorney, who was involved with the case, in the 1930s and early 1940s.
The Black Legion, also known as the "Wolverine Republican League," was a radical branch of the Michigan Ku Klux Klan. Its members were pro-white, native-born Protestants who were against Jews, Blacks, Communists, Anarchists, and Catholics. At one point
there were an estimated 200,000 members in Michigan. They were organized and led by "Colonel" Harvey Davis. Among their goals were the takeover of Michigan government and killing a mayor.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Ku Klux Klan (Mecosta County, Mich.),
Collection, 1916-1974. Collection of papers and photographic materials documenting the Mecosta County, Michigan, Ku Klux Klan, 1916-1974 and undated, mostly 1920-1939. Included are: organizational correspondence,
membership cards, publications, forms, and photographs and a glass plate negative. The collection was created by Lewis D. Capen, who served as the Exalted Cyclops of the Mecosta Klan No. 28, 1926-1929. He then became Great Kaliff or Grand Titan, a
leadership position over all the klans of Ionia and Mecosta counties and the towns of Petoskey, East Jordan, Hart, Manistee, Portland, and Muskegon, Michigan, during the 1930s.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Ku Klux Klan,
Miscellaneous Collection, 1924, 1929. Membership cards from Belding, Michigan, 1927, 1929?, from Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1928, and Isabella County, undated; pamphlet
entitled "The Spirit of the Crusades as Interpreted and Revived
by the American Krusaders," published in Arkansas, undated; membership certificate from Newaygo County, 1924; four pages of general operational instructions for Klan meetings, undated; and a five-page speech about the Klan as a movement, undated.
This artificial collection has been compiled from various sources.
The Klan attained political and social power in Michigan and nationally in the early 1920s. Following political defeats in the 1924 election and financial and criminal investigations, the power and membership of the Klan decreased rapidly after 1924.
(For
additional information see other related Klan collections at the Clarke Historical Library.)
Mss.
Lake, Oliver B.,
Papers, 1891,1943, undated, include: his accounts books; a ledger; transport mileage ration cards, 1943; materialre: the estate of E. St. Johns, 1895; business and personal correspondence, 1891, 1918-1938; charges against a member
of the Grange; and
an essay on slavery, undated.
Lake was married and served as township clerk of Eaton Rapids, Michigan, in 1894. No further information is available on him.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Le Conte, John Lawrence,
Family Correspondence, 1860, 1866. 1 folder. Four photocopied letters from and to Le Conte and his cousin, Mathilda (Tillie) Harden, later the wife of Sumner Stevens, in
Macon, Georgia. Letters discuss politics, slaves,
freedmen, economics of Southern life, and North versus South. There is also a copy of Le Conte's biography. Bio: Le Conte (1825-1883) was recognized at home and abroad as the greatest entomologist that America ever produced. He was married to Helen.
His cousin, Mathilda Harden, married Sumner Stevens and lived in Macon.
Mss.
Lovejoy, Elijah P.,
Papers, 1804-1891, 1824-1853. Preacher, editor, abolitionist. Born in 1802 near Albion, Maine. Studied theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in 1832. Served as preacher in St. Louis, Missouri, and became editor of a reform
newspaper, the Observer. Moved to Alton, Illinois in 1835 and established a newspaper which met with opposition in the town. Three of his presses were destroyed by mobs. Died in 1837 while defending his fourth press.
Includes correspondence,
sermons, lectures, newspapers, newsclippings, and family memorabilia originated by or related to Lovejoy and his family. Collection bulks with correspondence (1824-1853) and concerns abolition, temperance, religion, and theology.
Finding aid
available in repository.
1 microfilm reel; 35 mm.
Clarke Microforms / MICROFILM MSS F-29
Manninen, John R.,
"The Detroit Riot of 1863."CMU Student Term Paper, n.d.
Mss. 401a-e
Masten, Pamela M.,
"The American Colonization Society, 1848-1854."CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e
McCormick, Michael,
Diary/Poem, 186u. 1 folder. Letter, dated January 24 (during the Civil War),
from "Mike," describing the endurance of Michigan men in the war. The reverse side of the letter has a war poem in which five men from Co. H of
the 6th Michigan Infantry are mentioned, including: Horace Herridon or Henderson, George Perrine, George W. Charter, George W. Jones, and Royal H. King. Photocopies of McCormick's and their service records are included. Bio: McCormick, from Charlotte
(Eaton County, Michigan), enlisted and was mustered in Co. H, 6th Michigan Infantry in Aug. 1861 at Charlotte at age 25. He was wounded in action in May 1863. He was discharged to accept a commission as 2nd Lt. in the 99th U. S. Colored Infantry.
He was mustered out and honorably discharged in May 1865. The other men were all from Eaton County and all members of the 6th Michigan Infantry, Company H. All but Perrine died of disease in 1862.
Mss.
Nelson, Randall,
"Attitudes of Michigan Newspapers on Negro Suffrage in Michigan, 1867-1868."CMU Student Term Paper, 1968.
Mss. 401a-e
Nyman, Lloyd C.,
Michigan and the Republican Convention of 1860, 1960. Resident of Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan. Paper about the Chicago Republican convention of 1860. Issues include the nomination of Abraham Lincoln, and slavery.
Mss.
Quick, Albert,
"Michigan Attitudes on Racial Reconstruction, 1865-1868."CMU Student Term Paper, 1963.
Mss. 401a-e
Regester, Dagne Bernice Andersen,
Papers, 1963, 1973. Family papers include four elementary school art books, undated, and a notary public certificate for Regester, dated Sept 5, 1963. There is a photocopy of a special election notice to fill Congressman
Gerald Ford's seat when he became vice-president, Dec. 7, 1873. Also, there are two stories written about and in the style of the Brer Rabbit stories, undated. One is a four-page notebook, entitled "Brer Ba'r Plays: a Joke on Brer Rabbit." The other
is five loose pages entitled "Brer Rabbit Laughing Place (condensed)". Both stories are handwritten in pencil. She was a friend of Dr. Norman E. Clarke, Sr., and lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Mss. / 1 folder
Rice, Stuart,
"Michigan Churches' Views on Slavery and Politics in the Pre-Civil War Period."CMU Student Term Paper, 1962.
Mss. 401a-e
Richfield Anti-Slavery Society (Medina County, Ohio),
Constitution, 1836, 1840. 1 folder. The constitution includes a Preface which states the reasons why the society is against slavery, laws, goal (abolition of slavery), meeting times, and list
of members. A list of 19 members and officers is attached. Brief annual meeting minutes list officers elected only for Dec. 6, 1837, Dec. 1838, Dec. 1839, and Dec. 1840. A separate (later, undated) note suggests that member Samuel J. Brown was a relative
of the infamous John Brown who attacked Harper's Ferry in 1859, thereby becoming a martyr for the cause of abolition.
The society was formed and adopted its constitution on Jan. 20, 1836. It was an auxiliary to the Medina County [Ohio]
Anti-Slavery Society.
Mss.
Rogers, Alonzo Romeyn,
Papers, 1861, 1885. 1 folder. IL Papers, include a partial diary, dated Oct.-Dec. 1861; a photograph, possibly a tintype, of Rogers in uniform; letters to/from friends and family, dated Feb. 11, 1862-Jan. 4, 1885; and an undated
note about a slave sale. The note lists a boy, age 12 ($205), a woman, age 40, and a child, age 4 ($267), a woman and five children ($1,069), a woman ($220), and two men ($750). The correspondence includes a letter to "Dear Father," dated Feb. 22,
1862, from Alonzo in Somerset about news from home; a letter to "Dear Father" from Alonzo in Lexington, Kentucky, dated Feb. 18, 1862, describing the fall of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Savannah, Georgia; women helping soldiers in hospitals, and concerts
to benefit the sick; a letter to "Dear Father" from Rogers in Nashville, Tennessee, dated March 17, 1862, describing the scorn of citizens for soldiers, that he visited the Capitol, saw Andrew Johnson, Gen. Thomas, and Col. Steedman, sketched forts,
and needed shirts; a letter to Mr. Rodgers from Fred Dahn, Co. E, 2nd Kentucky Regiment from a camp on the battlefield of Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee, from April 18, 1862, about the battle; a letter to "Sister" from Alonzo in a camp opposite Chattanooga,
Tennessee, dated Nov. 6, 1863, describing rain, homesickness, constant skirmishes, food, and leaving for Bridgeport; a letter to "Friend Nellie" from Rogers in Louisville, Kentucky, dated July 17 and 19, 1864, about more Rebels, constructing forts,
and expecting an invasion. There are two undated Civil War letters to "Dear Father" from Rogers, one from Philippi, West Virginia, dated June 21, 186-, about food rations and one dated June 21, 186-, also from Philippi, Headquarters, 14th Regiment,
OVM (Ohio Volunteer Militia?), about the regiment taking Rebel prisoners and losing Ohio men as prisoners of war. There is also a letter to "Friend Nellie," dated January 6, 1864 from D. W. Persons, Co. D., 4th Ohio Volunteer P. (Patrol?), 2nd Brigade,
2nd Division, 15th Artillery Corps, about memories and Bridgeport. Letters after the war include those from Mrs. Eliza B. Kimball, Columbus, Ohio, dated May 25, 1873, to Alonzo about the death of his father; a letter to Alonzo in Toledo, Ohio, from
H. R. Lyle in Titusville, Pennsylvania, dated April 26, 1875, about land for sale; and a generic letter from Alonzo to his unnamed son, dated Jan. 4, 1885, on letterhead of the Toledo Electric Company with Rogers listed as Superintendent. Bio: Rogers
was an officer in the 14th Ohio Infantry during the Civil War and Superintendent of the Toledo Electric Company after the war.
Mss.
Roth, Stephen T.,
Papers, 1936, 1944-1979, and undated. Include: biographical materials; photocopies of court transcripts, correspondence, and newspaper clippings regarding the Circuit Court of Appeals (of Michigan); notes and correspondence about
elections and court reform; correspondence of the Criminal Investigation Division (World War II); Flint Hungarian Relief Committee correspondence and newspaper clippings; correspondence and minutes of the Michigan Judges Association--Court Administration
Committee; newspaper clippings and news releases about his life and court cases; personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs; correspondence from the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court (of Michigan) with Justice Warren Burger; Roth's speeches,
many about Michigan judges and legal issues; various certificates of Roth's appointment to the Seventh Judicial Circuit Court and election. The collection suffers from some mold and mildew problems and should be used with care by researchers.
Roth was born April 21, 1908 in Hungary. He received a Ph.B degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1931 and a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan in 1935. He served in the U.S. Army, Criminal Investigations Division, in North Africa and Italy,
1943-1945. Roth served as the Assistant Prosecuting Attorney of Genesee County, 1937-1938; Prosecuting Attorney of Genesee County, 1941-1942; Attorney General, State of Michigan, 1949-1950; and Circuit Court judge of Michigan, 1952-1962. He was appointed
by President John F. Kennedy as U.S. District judge of the Eastern District of Michigan on May 7, 1962, in which position he served until his untimely death in 1974. He is best remembered as the judge who ordered the Detroit school desegregation,
which included major cross-district busing in Detroit in 1972. Because of his ruling he was referred to as "the most unpopular man in Detroit." He ruled that the Detroit Board of Education was operating a de jure (by law) segregated school system.
The original case was brought against the Detroit Board of Education by the NAACP. Roth died on July 11, 1974. He was married and had five children.
A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Spencer, Stanley W.,
"Lewis Cass: His Policy Toward Slavery in the Territories During the Presidential
Election of 1848."CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e
Stanuskez, Gerald,
"Abstract of References to the Negro and Anti-slavery Activities in Michigan as Found in
the Liberator, 1845-1858."CMU Student Term Paper, 1964.
Mss. 401a-e
Stanuskez, Gerald,
"The Issue of Slavery in Michigan Reported by the Liberator, 1846-1858."CMU Student Term Paper, 1964.
Mss. 401a-e
Starr Family,
Family Papers, 1839-1942, undated. Include: biographical materials, 1928-1929; correspondence, 1895-1935; legal papers, 1839-1866; autograph albums, 1878, 1880-1882, 1885-1889; photographs and miscellaneous, 1883-1897 and undated; school
reports, 1880-1881; and (teaching) certificates, 1879-1883 and 1890-1911. Most of the correspondence is to Minnie and Clara Ellen Starr from their nephew, Jack. Photographs document several generations of the Starr family, Dennis and Nancy Quick,
and the Hammer family, the first black family in Royal Oak, Michigan. The Orson Starr family moved from NY (State) to Royal Oak in 1831, to engage in the manufacturing of cowbells. A son, Almon, later established a brick manufacturing firm. His son,
Edwin (1854-1929) became a florist and seed experimenter. He married Mary Salisbury, with whom he had eight children: Minnie, George, Elon, John, William, Clara Ellen, Rhoda, Arthur, and Allen. All of Edwin's daughters became professional educators.
Edwin later married Carrie Bingham. Nancy A. Quick married into the family. (Information from Royal Oak: Our Living Legend, 1787-1940 and Portrait and Biographical Album of Oakland County, Michigan.) A finding aid is available to assist researchers.
Mss.
Sterkel, David A.,
"Michigan Newspapers and the Negro Suffrage Question of 1850."CMU Student Term Paper, 1970.
Mss. 401a-e
Stevens, Edward J., et. al,
Edward J. Stevens Papers. Manuscripts. Covers multiple subjects, including slavery.
Micro. Mss. G-25 UNCATALOGUED
Ossian Sweet Murder Trial Scrapbook, 1925.
Scrapbook and photocopy of the Nov. 1925 murder trial of Ossian Sweet. Dr. Ossian Sweet and eleven others, all African Americans, including his wife, were charged with the murder of a white man, Leon Breinek,
who was killed on Sept. 9, 1925 during the course of a neighborhood protest about the Sweets moving into a previously all white neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. The trial, which was held in the Recording Court of Michigan, was presided over by Judge
Frank Murphy, prosecuted by Robert Toms, and defended by Clarence Darrow in one of his last cases, ended in a hung jury. A second trial in 1926 ended in Sweet's acquittal. This was a major trial for Civil Rights in Michigan. For further information
see Frank Murphy, the Detroit Years (1975) by Prof. Sidney Fine. For further information on Toms, see his Speeches, made on the occasion of his retirement in 1960, also in the Clarke Historical Library.
2 folders. Photocopy of scrapbook.
Mss.
Scrapbooks
Townsend, Edward D.,
United States Colored Troops Circulars, 1864. Printed circulars include: #60 (Aug. 1, 1864) re: surveying troop members as to whether or not they were free men by April 19, 1861; #49 (June 28, 1864) re: method to fill vacant
officer positions; and #26 (March 21, 1864) re: mustering reports. A photocopy of Townsend's biography is included.
Townsend was Assistant Adjutant General during the Civil War. He was a graduate of the U. S. Military Academy (1837) and served in the Florida War as a Lt. Col. In 1861 he was promoted to Colonel. From Nov. 1861 to March 1862 he served in the Adj. Gen.'s
Office. He was promoted to Acting Adj. Gen. of the Army on March 23, 1862. He retired in 1880. (For further information see his biography in the Civil War Dictionary.)
Mss. /1 folder
Wadsworth, Albert O.,
Account and Journal Books, 1850, 1901. 7 vol. Vol. 1 (1850-1861) has addresses of Lt. Henry (Harry) S. Wadsworth of the United States Colored Troops, 65th. Vol. 2 (1861-1865) has accounts, 1861-1864, and journal entries, July
6, 1861-July 5, 1865. Vol. 3 (1861-1864) has accounts of Harry Wadsworth's U. S. bonds for Civil War service. Bio: Henry was probably a white officer in the USCT. Albert was a farmer.
Mss.
Whittier, John Greenleaf,
Papers, 1829, 1892. Collection includes: .75 cu.ft. of original correspondence, mostly to Whittier, 1829-1890 and undated, approx. .5 cu.ft. of typed transcripts of the same, about 20 folders of his poems, writings, biographical
materials, memorials, and correspondence by Whittier, 1835-1859, and miscellaneous, 1849-1892 and undated. Of particular note are his correspondence with Charles A. Dana, Ralph W. Emerson, Oliver W. Holmes, Lydia Maria Child, Dorothea Dix, Henry W.
Longfellow, Henry B. Stanton, and Frances E. Willard, regarding poems and abolition. There are also ten letters to Whittier from his brother, Matthew F. Whittier, and several letters from his sister, Elizabeth Whittier, and other relatives.
Whittier is called the "fireside Poet". He was born on Dec. 17, 1807 in Massachusetts. His first poem was printed in 1826. In 1827-1828 while teaching school he had his first prose article published and edited the American Manufacturer, a political paper.
In 1831 his first book was published. In 1833 his abolitionist articles began to be published. He was elected to the Massachusetts legislature in 1835. He was active as a Quaker abolitionist politician and lobbyist in New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts.
After the publication of his poem "Snow-bound"in 1866, nearly every volume he published was a best seller. He died on Sept. 7, 1890, recognized in his lifetime as one of America's foremost poets. The Clarke also has numerous books and poems written
about or by Whittier. A detailed finding aid is available to assist researchers. Box 3 is an incomplete item-level index. Mss. and MICROFILM MSS F-18
Wilson, Peter,
Letter, Nov 9, 1810. Lived in Steubenville, Ohio; appointed Receiver of Public Monies for the Sale of Land in the Northwestern Reserve. Detailed description of Steubenville, including price lists, business opportunities, population,
available goods, and slavery. Also includes description of Wheeling, West Virginia.
Mss.
Wright, Wilbert,
Mss. Collection. UNCATALOGUED. See Archivist.
Audio-Visual Material
Blocker, Jerry, producer/narrator,
Remembering...Detroit's Old West Side (1920-1950): A Pictorial History of the Westsiders [videorecording]. (Interviews highlighting the educational, employment, religious, and social scene of the Afro-American community
of Detroit's west side between 1920 and 1950.) Royal Oak, MI: Captured Live Productions, 1997?
F574.D49 N478 1997x
Boyd, Melba Joyce,
The Black Unicorn: Dudley Randall & the Broadside Press [videorecording]. (Provides a history of the Broadside Press and a biography of its founder, Dudley Randall. Includes interviews with Mr. Randall and other authors involved
with the Press over a twenty-five-year period.) Columbus, OH: National Black Programming Consortium, 1996.
PS3568 .A49 Z84 1996x
Davis, Ossie, and Bill Cosby,
Ossie Davis and Bill Cosby Address the Congressional Black Caucus [sound recording]. Detroit, MI: Motown, 1972. TAPE (ASK AT DESK)
George, Tom M., and William Jamerson,
Abraham Lincoln in Michigan [videorecording]. (Discusses the debate over the spread of slavery and Lincoln's place in that debate. Describes the preparations for the August 1856 rally in Kalamazoo in support
of Republican presidential candidate John C. Fremont and how Lincoln came to be one of the speakers. Analyzes the content of the speech and explains that it was a precursor to his "house divided" speech.) Marquette, MI: Forgotten Films, 1999.
E457.4
.A2 1999x
King, Martin Luther, Jr.,
Free at Last [sound recording]. Includes:"Drum Major Instinct Sermon." -"Dr. King's Desired Eulogy." -"Welcome to Memphis." -"I Wouldn't Stop There." -"Something is Happenin' in Our World." -"A Good Samaritan." -"The Dramatic
Harlem Incident." -"If I Had Sneezed." -"Journey to Memphis." -"I've Been to the Mountain Top." -"I Have a Dream." -"Free at Last." Detroit, MI: Motown Record Corp., 1968.
TAPE (ASK AT DESK)
King, Martin Luther, Jr.,
The Great March to Freedom [sound recording]. Includes: Introduction -"100 Years Later" -" Segregation is Wrong" -"Sense of Dignity" -"Urgency of the Moment" -"Non-violent Approach" -"Love Your Enemy" -"The Militant Negro"
-"Segregation in the North" -"The Price of Freedom" -"I Have a Dream." Hollywood, CA?: Motown Record Corp., 1963.
TAPE (ASK AT DESK)
King, Martin Luther King, Jr., et. al,
The Great March on Washington [sound recording]. (Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963.) Detroit, MI: Motown Record Corp., 1963.
TAPE (ASK AT DESK)
Learning Corporation of America,
Sojourner Truth: "Ain't I a Woman?" [videorecording]. Deerfield, IL: Learning Corporation of America, 1989.
E185.97.T8 S65 1989x