Collections

Papers, of the Josiah Littlefield family of Monroe County and Farwell, Clare County, Michigan. Correspondence, typescript of autobiography, and excerpted typescript of University of Michigan student diary, 1867-1871, of Josiah Littlefield, surveyor, lumberman, and conservationist; also letters of other members of the Littlefield and Hall families; and photographs.

The Littlefield family collection documents several generations in the life of a family which migrated from Grafton, New York about 1830, and came to Michigan, settling first near Ash in Monroe County and later in Farwell in Clare County. The collection (311 items) spans the period of 1834 to 1935, and consists almost entirely of letters among family members, though there is a small group of printed items dealing with University of Michigan activities and life in Farwell, Michigan. Included with the papers are the correspondence, autobiography, and excerpted diary of Josiah Littlefield. There is also correspondence of Littlefield's wife, Ellen Hart Littlefield, his mother, Mary Hall Littlefield, his daughter, Ellen Littlefield Elder, and his uncle, Edmund Hall.

The correspondence comprising the collection includes several recurring subjects: schooling, medical treatment, social customs, religious matters (selecting ministers, sermons, and church activities), agriculture (types of crops grown and prices received), food prices in Michigan, fashions of domestic furnishings (see Josiah Littlefield folder: September 13, 1874, September 24, 1874, October 4, 1874 and January 1, 1874 from Ellen Hart Littlefield; Mary Hall Littlefield folder: October 14, 1874 from Josiah Littlefield; Ellen Hart Littlefield folder: March 3, 1875 from Lucy Hart and October 5, 1873, letter from Josiah Littlefield; see Ellen Hart Littlefield folder: April 25, 1875 from Jessie Hart Williams).

Interesting though brief descriptions of Oberlin College in the 1830's occur in letters from Edmund Hall (see Martha Smith Hall folder: February 15, 1840 from Edmund Hall; and Mary Hall Littlefield folder: May 21, 1836 and October 11, 1836 from Edmund Hall). Mr. Hall apparently became involved in abolition activities in Michigan in the mid 1840's. A listing of seven speeches scheduled for September or October, 1844 is in the first Edmund Hall folder.

In the area of women's history, parts of the collection cover several topics of interest in addition to those referred to as recurring subjects. Martha Smith Hall, Josiah Littlefield's maternal grandmother left her husband E.F. Hall in New York state about 1830 and migrated to Michigan with her children. She managed to establish a new home and raise and educate her family without any economic help from her husband. (see Martha Hitchcock folder: February 2, 1854 from E.F. Hall, October 12, 1855 from Carolina A. Kinsley; see Edmund Hall folder: August 13, 1855 and August 21, 1855 from Carolina A. Kinsley, October 20, 1855 from Martha Hitchcock, and October 2, 1855 to Mrs. Kinsley from Edmund Hall).

Reference to a case of post-natal depression so severe that it culminated in temporary insanity and the killing of a child occurs in the Josiah Littlefield folder (January 15, 1875 from Ellen Hart Littlefield). Descriptions of another serious post-natal depression are contained in the Josiah Littlefield folder (January 15, 1875 from Ellen hart Littlefield and May 21, 1877 from Margaret Hart).

Harbor Springs, Michigan organization founded in 1972 to promote conservation through land acquisition by donation or purchase, the establishment of nature preserves, and educational programs, rather than through lawsuits or political action. The record group consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, notes, newspaper clippings, press releases, annual reports, and brochures relating to its history and activities. Also included are biographical sketches of founding members based on oral history interviews and some photographs, slides, and architectural drawings. In addition, there are records relating to various outside activities of executive director Tom Bailey.

The records of the Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) document the organization's history and dealings. The record group sheds light on the accomplishments of LTC, most notably its land acquisitions, the establishment of its nature preserves, and its environmental education program, as well as its internal organization and growth. In addition, other activities of its members are documented, in particular those of executive director Tom Bailey, who has served in various capacities in several other community- and state-based organizations. The LTC records cover the period from the Conservancy's founding in 1972 to 2006. The record group is divided into six series: Background Information, Early Board of Trustees Files, the Horace M. Huffman, Jr. Files, Projects, Executive Director Files (Tom Bailey), and Tom Bailey - Other activities. Correspondence in all series is primarily outgoing. Most files are ordered chronologically (generally in reverse chronological order) unless otherwise noted.

Livonia, Michigan human rights organization; administrative files, correspondence, topical files, newsletters, and newspaper clippings relating to activities of the organization.

The records of the Livonia Citizens for Better Human Relations contain rich information relating to race relations in the Livonia community during the years 1963 to 1976. The organization's activities are best documented in the extensive Meeting Minutes and Newsletters. The efforts of LCBHR members to discourage prejudice and discrimination within the community are documented in letters to various political figures in the Correspondence, Topical Files, Newspaper Clippings, and Newsletters files.

Popular novelist, author of The Robe and Magnificent Obsession, and minister of the First Congregational Church of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Correspondence with his family, publishers and other authors concerning his work and including comments on national politics, Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman, and World War II; also manuscripts of addresses, articles, sermons, and novels; scrapbooks; and photographs.

The Douglas papers consist of material collected by his daughters, Virginia Douglas Dawson and Betty Douglas Wilson Herman, in the preparation of their biography of their father, The Shape of Sunday. The collection has been arranged into the following series: Correspondence; Ministerial Activities; Literary Career; Miscellaneous and personal; and Scrapbooks.

Professor of chemical and nuclear engineering and director of the Fission Product Laboratory at The University of Michigan. Professional correspondence and reports largely concerning his interest in the use of radiation for preserving food.

The Lloyd Brownell papers consist largely of materials documenting Brownell's food irradiation experiments at the University of Michigan from 1951 to 1954. Other topics include experiments on the effects of radiation on petrochemical processes and pharmaceuticals and Brownell's work in sugar beet processing techniques. Beyond his work as a scientist, the collection also depicts the social climate of mid-1950s America, characterized by popular and industrial faith in progress and the powers of science. The collection has been divided into six series: Biographical/Bibliographical, Correspondence, Conferences, Projects, Articles and Programs, and Clippings.

Nursing student at the University of Michigan who served as a nurse in France during World War I. Includes diary, correspondence, and photo album relating to her World I nursing service. Also certificates and a medal.

The L. May Helmer papers primarily documents her service during World War I while she was stationed in Dijon, France. Material documenting her wartime nursing service includes a diary, correspondence, and a photo album/scrapbook. The photo album includes scenes aboard the SS Mongolia, scenes in the hospital including patients and staff, views of Dijon, France, travels in France, and a view behind German trench in Argonne Forest. Some family photos are also included in the album. Pasted into the album are various documents relating to transportation and her service with the Nursing Bureau. The papers also include a medal for service in World War I, a foreign service certificate, a 1911 certificate from the Michigan State Board of Registration of Nurses, and a 1907 photograph of the Alpha Theta Society.

Contains three letters written by Aaron and Selina Lockwood to Lockwood family members in England between 1863 and 1866. Aaron laments the scarcity of farm labor due to the American Civil War and the imposition of a national draft (an event which led him to lie about his age to avoid service). Selina notes the draft will occur in January 1864 and references the heavy costs of the war. Her letter from 1866 rejoices in the end of the war and abolition of slavery, but frets about the state of the Union after Lincoln's assassination.

Interdepartmental University of Michigan faculty group formed in 1956 and headed by Arthur Burks to investigate the use of computers in communication. Records include correspondence, project reports, grant proposals and some personal papers of Arthur Burks.

The Logic of Computers Group records (12 linear feet)document some of the earliest use of and research on computing on the University of Michigan campus. The records are divided into six series: CONCOMP; Correspondence; Grants and Proposals; Papers and Reports; Arthur Burks Personal files; and Photographs.

Resident of Chicago, Illinois. Consists of photos of the University of Michigan Union under construction and upon completion.

The collection consists of photos of the University of Michigan Union under construction and upon completion.

Active member of Ann Arbor, MI community, Lois Thompson McLaughlin was the daughter of the University of Michigan president James Burrill Angell and Sarah Caswell. The collection includes diaries from McLaughlin's trip to China, as well as correspondence and a newspaper clipping regarding her marriage to UM professor Andrew McLaughlin.

The Lois Thompson McLaughlin papers primarily consist of diaries and correspondence written by McLaughlin. The correspondence is mostly personal in nature. It includes childhood letters to McLaughlin’s aunts and uncles, as well as letters to friends during her time in China. Letters to McLaughlin’s father, James Angell, and mother, Sarah Caswell Angell, are found in the collection as well. Collection also includes three diaries dated 1880 to 1881, during which McLaughlin visited Peking, China with the rest of the Angell family. These entries offer descriptions of day-to-day events and activities, and even contain some of her drawings. One newspaper clipping is held in the collection with a detailed account of her wedding including the guests who attended, and the location of the ceremonies.