Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

Communitarian society located near Kalamazoo, Michigan. Constitution, census, membership records, reports of committees, labor records, financial accounts, minutes of directors, correspondence and miscellaneous papers.

The record group consists of organizing documents, correspondence, land and labor records, financial records, and membership records.

University of Michigan student organization established in 1843 for the "intellectual improvement of its members." Members presented literary papers, held debates, and issued a manuscript periodical entitled "The Sybil." The record group consists of organizational records and "The Sybil."

The record group consists of such organizational records as minutes of meetings, constitution and by-laws, treasurer's books, inventories of the Alpha Nu Library, membership book, and scattered correspondents and business papers. Correspondents in the papers include Lewis Cass, April 1846, Robert McClelland, January 1846, Henry R. Schoolcraft, December 1845,and Ezra C. Seaman. Also included are volumes of the manuscript periodical, "The Sybil," which date (with several gaps), from 1843 to 1931. Most of "The Sybil" are from the early period of Alpha Nu, 1843 to 1854.

Lawyer, Member of Michigan Supreme Court, 1842-1846, Democratic Governor of Michigan, 1846-1847, and holder of numerous other public offices; papers include correspondence and other papers documenting his career in public service.

The Alpheus Felch papers details the active life of this nineteenth century Michigan public servant. Not only are public issues discussed in the correspondence files but the researcher will also gain an understanding of some of the personal problems associated with public service. The collection also includes several files of other family members.

The Alumni Association of the University of Michigan was established in 1897 following a consolidation of the Society of Alumni with the alumni societies of the professional schools. The Michigan Alumnus became the association's official organ. As the organization grew, local chapters were established and provided greater structure. The records include files pertaining to the Alumni Association's administrative office and various chapters and interests groups. This includes national and international U-M alumni and alumnae clubs, the Alumnae Council, the Society of Alumni, the University of Michigan Black Alumni (UMBA-formerly the African American Alumni Council (AAC)), and the Reunion of Black Graduates (RBG). The records include but are not limited to correspondence, minutes, reports, and survey responses, audiovisual materials, digital files, photographs, and publications.

The collection spans 1845-2001. The textual records of the Alumni Association (boxes 1-133) are largely unprocessed, and are described in only general terms in this finding aid. Exceptions include files maintained by Marjorie Williams who served as the vice chair and chair of the Alumnae Council from 1960 to 1962, Class Reunion files, and Topical Files.

Additions to the collection (boxes 168-171) incorporate records, audiovisual materials, photographs, and publications pertaining to the University of Michigan Black Alumni (UMBA). To note are materials specifically related to the African American Alumni Council (AAAC)-formerly the UMBA, and the Reunion of Black Graduates (RBG). This includes information about the Dr. Leonard F. Sain Award, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. scholarship and symposium, the Camp Michigania retreat, and annual reunion for black graduates photographs, planning materials, and souvenir books.

Letters to relatives discussing his studies at the University from 1857 to 1859, and his subsequent service in the Ninth Michigan Infantry during the Civil War. In the latter six letters, he describes the train trip from Fort Wayne, Detroit, to Kentucky, with special mention of the good treatment accorded the soldiers by Jackson, Mich., residents. He tells a bit about camp life, especially how Christmas, 1861 was spent.

Professor of history at University of Michigan, later President of Cornell University, Minister to Russia, and Ambassador to Germany. Letters to and from White and members of his family, personal accounts, and miscellaneous material concerning University of Michigan and Ann Arbor, Michigan, during the 1857-1867 decade.

The White collection consists of microfilm of correspondence and other papers dating from the period when Andrew Dickson White was professor of history and English literature at the University of Michigan, 1857-1867. The correspondence is with colleagues and University of Michigan administrators, and relates to his professional activities and to his life in Ann Arbor.

The records of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, cover the numerous districts and schools that developed and then gradually merged into an area school system.

The collection consists of nine series: Ann Arbor Board of Education; Ann Arbor Public Schools Historic Records; Historic School District Records; Pittsfield Township; Administration; Desegregation, Jones School; Scrapbooks; Miscellaneous other records; Directories.

Minute books of the Fire Department and of related voluntary fire companies; also other administrative records, including records of expenditures and salaries, and records detailing individual fires; and record books, 1876-1899, of city poor relief (then administered by the Fire Department); also photograph.

The record group includes an early minute book of the fire department as well as minute books of various volunteer fire companies in the city. There are, in addition, scattered administrative records, including records of fires in the city, 1899-1962, and records of the poor relief administered by the department. These poor relief volumes include the name of the recipient, the amount, and the items purchased. Also included are the names of the individuals who funded the relief fund.

The records of the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan include council proceedings (1834-1919); assessment rolls (1830, 1839, and 1958-1959); scrapbooks relating to city government (1904-1951); and records and photographs detailing the city's waste management and recycling program beginning in the 1980s. Miscellaneous materials include plats of the wards, 1912; election returns, 1847-1852; records of the former city of East Ann Arbor and the Village of Ann Arbor (Lower Town); and minutes of the Ann Arbor Park Commission (1905-1956). Also of interest are files concerning the Ann Arbor Railroad and the city's street railway and interurban system.

The series in this record group include: Election returns; Bonds; Assessment Rolls; Miscellaneous; City of East Ann Arbor; Council proceedings; Scrapbooks; Ann Arbor Park Commission; Village of Ann Arbor (Lower Town); Photographs; Recycling and Environmental Issues; and Other City Records.

Township record books, 1845-1902; registers of births, 1906-1943; registers of deaths, 1897-1912; poll books, tally sheets, and statement of votes from polls within township; records relating to surveys, repairs, etc. of township roads; reports and compiled statistics pertaining to township schools; property assessment roll books; and other miscellaneous records.

The records of Ann Arbor Township include township record books, 1845-1902; registers of births, 1906-1943; registers of deaths, 1897-1912; poll books, tally sheets, and statement of votes from polls within township; records relating to surveys, repairs, etc. of township roads; reports and compiled statistics pertaining to township schools; property assessment roll books; and other miscellaneous records. The records are organized into nine series:

1. Township Record Books, 1845-1902
2. Registers of Births, 1906-1943
3. Registers of Deaths, 1897-1912
4. Election records
5. Highway Records, 1820s-1920s
6. Treasurer's records, 1830s-1923
7. School Records, 1840s-1930s
8. Miscellaneous, 1827-1920s
9. Assessment Roll Books, 1872-1996