Search

The Correspondence series includes personal letters (both the original letters and typescripts) between members of the Bingham and Warden families. There is extensive correspondence (1848-1861) between Bingham and his wife, Mary Warden Bingham, during his absences while serving in government offices in Lansing, Michigan and Washington, D.C. There is also a substantial correspondence from James W. Bingham, writing to his parents during his boarding school years at the Normal School in Ypsilanti, Michigan and one year while studying at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Later letters between James and his mother were written while James was serving with Co. H, 1st Michigan Infantry, and then in Co. B, 2nd Battalion, 16th U.S. Infantry. Also of interest are letters in 1850 referring to John, a nephew who participated in the California Gold Rush, where he died.

The Other Materials series includes a letter written in 1833 describing Livingston County, Michigan, and political speeches written by Kinsley S. Bingham, as well as newspaper clippings related to his death and memorial, and to the deaths of both of his sons. Two folders are related to James W. Bingham, including original compositions and speeches for school and additional transcripts of his letters. General information includes genealogical notes made by family members for both the Bingham and Warden families, newspaper clippings about later family members, letters between extended family members and miscellaneous and ephemeral materials. Also included is a journal kept by Mary Warden Bingham, which is divided into two sections. The diary portion notes her daily activities at Green Oak in 1862-1863. The accounts section provides detailed lists of household expenditures for 1871-1874. Certificates of commission and appointment related to Kinsley S. Bingham are filed separately in an oversize folder.