Manuscript Collections

 This collection consists of letters written by Emery Crane, dating Jan. 20, 1862-Sept. 17, 1862; letters written by Alphonso Crane, dating May 14, 1861-July 3, 1863; letter to parents of Alphonso Crane on his death, dated July 11, 1863.

 This collection contains correspondences from Giles B. Allen and an receipt acknowledging Linen for Officers in the Sixth Michigan Infantry, Company F. There is also a newspaper photograph of Giles B. Allen.

 This collection consists of the signed oath of Private Charles Leach, 4th Ohio Cavalry, dated Nov. 15, 1862, stating that he swears not to serve again in the Army of the United States, or aid in any way, or give any information injurious to the Confederate States until duly exchanged as a prisoner of war. The certificate was signed at Murfreesboro, Tenn. and includes a physical description of Leach. Also gives the name of the colonel who captured him (illegible) and the officer signing the oath (illegible).

 This collection contains a letter from Henry H. Crapo, Governor of Michigan, requesting safe passage for Michael N. Armstrong, to Nashville, Tenn., to retrieve body of soldier, S.D. Armstrong, Feb. 16, 1865.

This collection consists of the 1864 Civil War diary of Sergeant James W. Howd of Duplain Township, Mich., who enlisted in the 1st Michigan Cavalry, Co. D. as a corporal, Aug. 12, 1861 at Ovid, Mich. at age 20. He mustered Sept. 7, 1861, and was discharged at the end of his 3 year enlistment, at Washington, D.C., on Aug. 24, 1864. Following the war, he lived in Ithaca, Mich.

 This collection consists of the Civil War diary of Charles A. Gunn, 3rd Michigan Cavalry, Co. B, for 1863. The entries are intermittent and include some references to Vicksburg and statistics on captures, injured, etc. The collection also includes a copy of The New York herald of sat., April 15, 1865, detailing stories of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the stabbing of Seward.

 This collection consists of letters dating from Sept. 16, 1861-Sept. 24, 1862, written by Stephen B. DeLano, C.H. Goodrich (his cousin), and Capt. Theodore Reese, all of Company F, 3rd Regiment, Michigan Cavalry Volunteers. The letters were written to family members in Cooper, Mich. commenting on general topics such as farming, weather, the war, and life in military camps. Also in the collection is a diary dating Dec. 17, 1861(?)-June 3, 1862, which the donor assumes was kept by DeLano; DeLano's certificate of health; and a military pass.

 This collection consists of two Civil War letters, dating 1863 and 1864 from Erwin Welsh, 67th Ohio Infantry, Company I. One of the letters is to his wife, Jennie.

 This collection consists of personal papers of Asa L. Landon, covering the dates 1863-1919. The collection consists of letters sent home from the front by Landon, his military discharge, his marriage certificate, the marriage certificate of Fred J. Landon and Anna Grugel, documents acknowledging the Asa Landon was a 32⁰ Mason, deeds to a plot in Mount Hope Cemetery, and pension records for Landon and his wife. The collection is arranged alphabetically.

 This collection consists of muster-out and voucher forms dating 1864-1866. There are four types of records in the collection: detachment muster-out forms (showing name, rank, age, when, where, and by whom enrolled and mustered, when and by whom last paid, allowances given for travel, subsistence, clothing, equipment, and remarks); individual muster-outs (shows the same information as the first, plus data on pay rate and bounty received); regimental muster-outs (gives same information as the second, but does so for all members of a given company); and vouchers documenting pay to officers for salary, clothing, subsistence, and hired private servants. The servants were black, and the forms give their name, height, eye color, and hair color. The collection is arranged numerically by regiment, with infantry and cavalry units listed first. A name index has been prepared for easy access to the records.

This collection consists of one diary arranged as one series: 1. Diary, 1863. Bound diary kept by Jeffery W. Perry for the year 1863. Predominantly discusses the weather but with some brief comments about events in Perry's camp and the war in general. In the back of the diary is a list of dates on which he wrote letters and to whom he wrote, plus a brief ledger of expenses.

 This collection consists of the Civil War diaries of George W. Myers, dating 1863 to 1864. The diaries document his life before enlisting in 1864 and his service in the 13th Michigan Infantry. He offers a brief, but stirring account of the Civil War. He details the many deaths due to disease and illness caused by the war. There are many references to his attendance at Bible studies and church services. He entitled this firsthand account, Penciling by the way. There is also two photographs from 1919 and 1920 of the 5th Michigan Infantry Reunions.

 This is the second collection documenting the career of Henry Albert Potter. Both collections (see also MS 89-535) were donated by Mrs. Arthur H. (Elizabeth) Ruddy, a descendant of Potter. This collection is arranged according to the following series: Papers, 1862-1902. Consists of letters of Henry Albert Potter to his family in Ovid, Mich. Describes marches and camp life. Includes citations and correspondence with the United States War Dept. Also includes the diary of W.P. Simmons. Simmons is not a member of the Fourth Michigan Calvary, at the time of this writing, his regiment and company are unknown. The diary, written between Sept. 9, 1863 and Nov. 1, 1863, describes the Battle of Chickamauga and Wheeler's Raid.

MS 91-58 consists of materials documenting John H. Starkweather and the Starkweather family, who were originally from New York. Some family members moved to Michigan in the 1840's (Detroit area) and after the Civil War, continued west into Kansas and Minnesota. This small, eclectic collection includes the New Testament bible carried by Starkweather during the Civil War, a letter written by him on the back of a cigar wrapper (1861), his pension papers (1892, 1907); and miscellaneous papers, such as an 1861 pass given to John during the War, and Marion County, Kansas fair ticket (1882). The collection also includes photographs or obituaries of Starkweather family members, all who were descendants of Hilus H. Starkweather. Identified photographs include Perry, Mary Jane (John's siblings) and Asa Starkweather. Obituaries include James, Christopher Columbus, Sophia (all John's siblings), Wiiliam Hilus (John's son), and Clifton C. Starkweather (Christopher Columus Starkweather's son).

This collection consists of ALS from Thomas Larabell, Shenandoah Valley, August 27, 1862 to his wife (Larabell was in Company C., Fifth Regiment Michigan Infantry (Kearney's Division))

This collection consists of a newspaper obituary for Hiram Spear, dated May 15, 1914; discharge papers for Spear, dated Dec. 29, 1863; and discharge papers for Spear with battles participated in listed on the back, dated July 30, 1866. Spear was in the 8th Michigan Infantry, Co. I.

This collection consists of materials relating to the Patterson family, many items relating to William J. Evans. It includes a circular on soldier's bounty; an application for pension; an officers certificate of disability; a declaration for original invalid pension.

This collection consists of papers of the Clark Preston family. The collection includes correspondence, dating 1862-1866, which includes essays concerning the Civil War, holidays, and loss of friends.

This collection contains a photograph of survivors of the 4th Michigan Infantry at a reunion in Hillsdale, Michigan, June 22, 1925. The veterans range in age from 77-87 years old. Attendees included F. Marion Hunt, Henry Noyes, J.L. Hull, Herbert D. Bryan, Orlando C. Nash, Charles Hartson, George Brown, Albert W. Veness, Benjamin E. Westfall, John Dillon, and Albert L. Morsman.

This collection consists of 7 letters. There are 4 letters from John C. Wheaton, 136th New York Infantry, June 6, 1863-Jan. 28, 1865, to his sister, Avis Wheaton Owen, containing some especially interesting comments on looting; a letter from John C. Wheaton, June 12, 1865, to his sister, Avis Wheaton Owen, commenting on civilian life; and a letter from R. Wheaton, April 23, 1865, to his sister, Avis Wheaton Owen, commenting on John C. Wheaton and other members of the family. The final letter is dated June 12, 1865 from John Wheaton to Avis Wheaton Owen.

This collection consists of one letter dated May 7, 1865. The letter is from Robert Wilson to his sister and talks about his status and updates her on his unit's progression. He briefly mentions visiting Chapel Hill, North Carolina and the University of North Carolina. He also mentions the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and the impact he had on the country.