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Personal correspondence, 1842-1941; Civil War letters, 1862-1865, of C. V. DeLand of Co. C, Ninth Michigan Infantry, later Colonel of the First Sharpshooters during the Civil War; and correspondence concerning early Jackson (Mich.) history and other matters.

Civil War correspondence includes six letters (1862-1865) written by Charles Victor DeLand to his parents. They are concerned with runaway slaves in camp; the beauties of the country near Nashville; the battle of Petersburg in which his brother James was wounded; and the death of Lincoln. There is one letter from his mother about McClellan. The collection also includes two letters from other soldiers relating to James S. DeLand, who was wounded at Petersburg, Va. One letter (Apr. 12, 1865) from Charles Allen (postmaster, Second Corps Hospital, City Point, Va.) to judge William R. DeLand concerns James's condition after being wounded at Petersburg, April 2, 1865. Another letter (Apr. 2, 1865), written by Edward J. Buckbee (an adjutant with the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters from Ypsilanti, Mich.) to Colonel Charles DeLand, gives an account of the engagement before Petersburg in which Captain James DeLand was wounded and of DeLand's condition.

The Correspondence series (1.35 linear feet) is organized as it was received. Correspondence is arranged by year and then, generally, according to author. The majority of the materials are written by Marion Blydenburgh and George (Theron) Blydenburgh to family members in the United States describing daily life, family matters, and news of the hospital's progress during their time in China from 1920-1931. The first exception is a small amount of materials related to George and Marion Blydenburgh's travels in the United States prior to their departure to China from San Francisco in 1920 as well as a return trip to the United States by the Blydenburgh family in 1925. The second exception is materials related to the Blydenburgh family's time spent in Japan and Korea after their evacuation from Nanchang due to incidents related to military campaigns and subsequent events in 1927.