Detroit: Travel Descriptions and Diary Accounts
Scene on Detroit River, Belle Isle, by Frederick M. Delano, undated 1860s (Delano family papers, Box 1)image bl004006
Andrews family.
- Andrews family papers 1835-1915 (scattered dates).
- 0.2 linear ft.
Family of Seth L. Andrews and Parnelly Pierce Andrews, originally of Pittsford, N.Y. (Seth), and Woodbury, Conn. (Parnelly), missionaries to Hawaii, and their granddaughter Winifred Parnelly Sarah Andrews, student at the University of Michigan and resident of Detroit.
Includes diary (1910-1915) of Winifred Andrews while living in Detroit (with description of a trip to Europe).
Broad, Athanasius, 1895-1983.
- Athanasius Broad diaries, 1895-1922.
- 0.1 linear ft.
Resident of Negaunee and Detroit, Michigan; musician and office worker.
Diary (begun at Broad's birth by his father) describing Broad's educational, musical, and work activities, including his service in the U.S. Navy during World War I.
Brown, Albert Emerson.
- Albert Emerson Brown papers, 1923-1942.
- 1 linear ft.
Poet and editor of the Verse-land Press, Shelbyville, Michigan.
Literary manuscripts, and diaries, 1923-1927, concerning his boyhood in Detroit, his interest in writing for religious magazines, and his church activities at the Oakman Mission in Detroit.
Bury family.
- Bury family papers, 1831-1931.
- 0.4 linear ft.
Family of Rev. Richard A. Bury (1792-1875), Episcopal priest, rector of St. Paul's Church, Detroit, and later a farmer at Grosse Ile, Michigan; and his son Richard Augustus Bury (1830-1901), of Adrian, Michigan.
Includes notebook of Rev. Richard A. Bury (and Antoinette E. Gregory and E. B. Gregory) on sermons heard in Detroit, and Albany, New York, 1831-1833, and of lectures of John Lord at Lane Seminary in Cincinnati, 1852; journal of farm activities at Grosse Ile, 1834-1859; diary, 1853, of Richard Augustus Bury describing boat trip from Detroit to the Straits of Mackinac and Eagle River with comments on northern Michigan copper mining.
Carnegie, William R., 1866-1945.
- William R. Carnegie diary, 1887
- 1 item (47 p.); Original and typescript copy.
Detroit businessman.
Description of voyage from Aberdeen, Scotland to Detroit and first impressions of the United States and Detroit in particular.
Cook, Henry, 1831-1919.
- Henry Cook papers, [ca. 1919] and 1969.
- 5 items.
Resident of Holland, Michigan.
Autobiographical account of his passage in 1846 from the Netherlands to Detroit and St. Clair, Michigan, and his subsequent settlement in Holland, Michigan.
Crosier, Edward Stokoe, d. 1891.
- Edward Stokoe Crosier letters, 1856
- 1 folder.
Student at the University of Michigan.
Letters to family discussing in part educational convention held at Detroit; impressions of Windsor, Canada and Battle Creek Michigan; also comments about his studies at the University of Michigan.
Dickinson, Monroe.
- Monroe Dickinson papers, 1839-1895.
- 34 items.
Resident of Ottawa County, Michigan, and New York state.
Correspondence of Dickinson and his family dealing with family affairs, including letter, 1842, detailing a journey by boat from New York to Michigan.
Dorsch, Eduard, 1822-1887.
- Edward Dorsch papers, 1852-1914.
- 0.4 linear ft.
Physician and member of the Michigan State Board of Education.
Includes memorandum of expenses of trips from Monroe, to Ypsilanti, and Detroit, Michigan. (Largely in German)
Dougherty, Peter, 1805-1894.
- Peter Dougherty papers, 1838-1870.
- 3 volumes and 2 microfilm reels (originals of microfilm in the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa.)
Presbyterian missionary to Indians in the Mackinac and Grand Traverse Bay areas of Michigan.
Include diaries, 1838-1842 and May 1850, recording trips from New York City to Detroit, Mackinac Island and Chicago via the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes; contain descriptions of Detroit, Mackinac Island, and other towns and places, in Michigan, and of Indian customs and his missionary activities.
Fisher, James Samuel, 1826-1913.
- James S. Fisher papers, 1850-1863.
- 3 volumes and 4 folders.
1861 graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, served as captain in the 1st Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War.
Includes typescript of excerpts from Fisher's diary describing a Michigan boat trip from Detroit to Ontonagon via Sault Ste. Marie in 1850.
Gray family.
- Gray family papers, ca. 1849.
- 2 items.
Grosse Ile, Michigan, family.
Paper by Fanny Gray describing a trip by boat from Detroit to Milwaukee, Wisconsin [fragmentary]; and letter from Lydia F. Gray written while traveling by boat from Detroit to Virginia.
Green family.
- Green family papers, 1833-1841, 1845-1855, 1864, 1950, and 1988.
- 2 folders and 2 volumes.
Residents of Plymouth and Homer, Michigan.
Includes reminiscence of A. D. Green describing his childhood in Detroit in the 1870s and 1880s.
Green, Sullivan Dexter, 1833-1889.
- Sullivan D. Green papers, 1853-1890.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Student at the University of Michigan, 1855-1858, officer in Co. F, 24th Michigan Infantry and correspondent for the Detroit Free Press during the Civil War.
Includes notes on baseball games played in Detroit in 1867; also diary of a trip to Detroit in 1854.
Griffith, Walter T.
- Walter T. Griffith papers, undated.
- 26 items (Photostatic copies in part)
Resident of Detroit.
Drawing of scenes of late nineteenth century Detroit, together with attached explanatory notes; also six manuscripts containing his reminiscences of Detroit and the surrounding area and of the early automobile industry.
Harlow family.
- Harlow family papers, 1836-1950.
- 1 linear ft.
Early settlers of Marquette [originally Worcester], Michigan, and founders of the Marquette Iron Company.
Includes diaries of Ellen (Ella) Harlow concerning daily activities and family affairs in Detroit, 1859-1868.
Hartsuff family
- Hartsuff family papers, 1839-1950.
- 7 volumes and 3 folders.
Detroit family.
Family correspondence, 1839-1861, miscellaneous newspaper clippings and obituaries, and genealogical notes on the Hartsuff, Banning and Elliott families; also diary, 1908-1915, of Alice Hartsuff, describing her travels in Europe; diary, 1882, of Albert Hartsuff, compiled while stationed with the army in New Mexico; and diaries, 1884-1890, of Florence Hartsuff Bethel, describing activities as Detroit school girl, and relating to her trip to Europe; and photographs.
Hitchcock, Lambert, 1795-1852.
- Lambert Hitchcock letter, 1835.
- 1 item (photostatic copy)
Chair manufacturer.
Letter to Araba Alford containing a description of Detroit and the state of Michigan in 1835.
Holmes, Pricilla.
- Pricilla Holmes papers, 1867 and 1877.
- 3 items.
Copy of a reminiscence of a boat trip from Detroit to Lake Superior through Sault Ste. Marie in 1867, and memorandum book of a trip to New York.
Hull family.
- Hull family papers, 1870-1970.
- 1 linear ft.
Includes diaries of Frances Ball Hull, 1915-1919 and 1947-1957, a 1915 graduate of Detroit Central High School concerning high school and other social activities.
Johnson family.
- Johnson family papers, 1831, ca. 1880 and undated.
- 4 items.
Oakland County, Michigan, family.
Letter, 1831, from Martha Sharp in Oriskany, New York, to relatives in England concerning family business matters; autobiography, ca. 1880, of Augustus S. Johnson, Oakland County businessman, including description of his settling in Michigan at Detroit and Springfield in 1836 and later business and political activities; and memoir, undated, of Jane Johnson Smith, daughter of Augustus S. Johnson, describing her trip from New York to Michigan in 1836.
King, John A., 1921-
- John A. King papers, 1938-1957.
- 1.5 linear ft.
Animal behaviorist, professor at Michigan State University.
Diaries detailing his growing up in Detroit, vacation travels, his education at the University of Michigan, 1939-1943, and his pilot training during World War II.
Leneweaver, C. F.
- C. F. Leneweaver papers, 1833-1857.
- 12 items.
Resident of Lansing, Michigan.
Correspondence and other papers, mostly from Adrian, Detroit, Howell, St. Joseph, and Branch County, with comments on the work of the 1839 Michigan Legislature.
Look family.
- Look family papers, 1851-1903.
- 25 items.
Papers of the Johann Look family of Detroit.
Letters of family members concerning life in Detroit. Largely in German but some with translations.
Mullett family.
- Mullett family papers, 1825-1924.
- 1 linear ft.
Williamston, Ingham County, Michigan, family.
Includes diary, 1840-1841, of Catherine Hall written in Detroit.
Nichols, Henry Alonzo, 1836-1899.
- Henry Alonzo Nichols papers, 1859-1860.
- 3 volumes.
Law student at the University of Michigan.
Diaries describe in part a trip from western New York to Detroit in 1860.
Parker, Justine L.
- Justine L. Parker diary 1874-1875
- 0.2 linear feet.
Daughter of Thomas A. Parker and Elizabeth Maxwell Parker of Detroit, Mich., born about 1861. Thomas A. Parker was a wholesale grocer.
Travel journal of a tour of Europe taken by Justine Parker and her mother, including visits to England, France, and Italy.
Power, Nathan, 1801-1874.
- Nathan Power record, 1826-1873.
- 1 item (photostatic negative)
Quaker anti-slavery reformer from Farmington, Michigan.
Notations on visits, buildings built, land cleared, political activities, account of winters, Quaker meetings, anti-slavery activities, and travels, including a journey from New York to Michigan in 1826.
Ransom, Ezra, b. 1836.
- Ezra Ransom autobiographical writings, 1909, 1915 and undated.
- 15 items.
Soldier in Co. B, Third Michigan Infantry, during the Civil War.
Description of life in Genesee County, Michigan, time spent in Detroit and Ohio before the war, military campaigns in which he participated, a hospital stay, and brief comments on his activities after the war; also miscellaneous family letters, 1888, largely written to his son, Reuben Ransom.
Rice family.
- Rice family correspondence, 1824-1852 and 1888.
- 20 items.
Justin Rice family of Detroit.
Correspondence concerning travels, daily life, and family affairs.
Ritze, Claude C. (Claude Cecil), 1885-1977.
- Claude C. Ritze papers, ca. 1910, 1966-1969, and 1982.
- 0.2 linear ft.
1910 graduate of Olivet College, and Iron County, Michigan, probate judge.
Reminiscences of his childhood on a farm near Capac, Michigan, his work in Iron River before World War I and in Detroit after World War I and during World War II, and his views on problems of the 1960s; also include reminiscence of childhood by Gladys Ritze Love; and photographs.
Rose, Stephen, b. 1817.
- Stephen Rose reminiscences, 1830.
- 1 item (9 p.; typescript copy)
Resident of Detroit.
Genealogy of the Rose family, reminiscences of the family's settlement in Detroit area and later on Indian reserve at Swan Creek, Michigan, including a description of French-Canadian life in the Detroit area with material on Indians.
Smith, Joseph Rowe, 1831-1911.
- Joseph Rowe Smith papers, 1837 and 1869-1935.
- 22 items.
Brigadier general and surgeon in U.S. Army.
Reminiscences about early Detroit, account of a trip to the Arkansas River in 1850, scattered correspondence, biographical sketch, paper on the Smith family by Susan Wegg Smith, 1935, and typewritten copy of record of his father's military operations against the Florida Seminole Indians in 1837; also photographs.
Smith, Sidney, 1800-1844.
- Sidney Smith papers, 1826-1867.
- 23 items.
Kent County, Michigan, attorney.
Personal correspondence, including letters of his wife, Laura Richardson Smith, and other members of his family; letter, 1853, describing a large fleet of ships off Detroit and convention of the Female State (New York) Temperance Society at which Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone spoke; Civil War letter by Albert S. Smith written while serving in Company B, Michigan Engineers and Mechanics; also seven miscellaneous legal and business papers.
Spalding, Wilbur F., 1834-1864.
- Wilbur F. Spalding letters, 1862-1864.
- 0.2 linear ft. (photostatic copies)
Soldier from Richland, Michigan who served in Company I, Sixth Michigan Infantry during the Civil War.
Letters to his wife while in the army and diary (Sept.-Dec. 1862) with brief entries describing trip from Detroit to Washington, D.C. and on to New Orleans, Louisiana.
Stevens, William Collin, 1837-1921.
- William Collin Stevens papers, 1861-1921.
- 0.6 linear ft.
Resident of Whitmore Lake, Michigan; lieutenant in the 3rd Michigan Cavalry, later major in the 9th Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War; later East Tawas, Michigan, Republican politician.
Includes in part diaries, 1903-1916 and 1918-1921, recounting daily life in Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ten Brook, Andrew, 1814-1899.
- Andrew Ten Brook papers, 1854-1935.
- 0.2 linear ft.
Professor of philosophy and University of Michigan librarian.
Includes typescript copies of letters originally published in the New York Baptist Register describing a trip he made in 1854 through eastern United States and Michigan with mention of Baptist church work and railroad travel.
Thorne, George Taylor, 1865-1945.
- George Taylor Thorne papers, ca. 1885-ca. 1920.
- 0.3 linear ft.
Worker in repair shop of the Overman Wheel Company of Detroit, later employed with Universal Button Factory.
Diaries containing comments concerning work activities, life in Detroit, and his interest in bicycling; notebook concerning activities of the Detroit Wheelmen; and photographs detailing Detroit and rural Michigan scenes, special events, factories, bicycling activities, farm life, and automobile excursions.
Townsend, John.
- John Townsend papers, 1836-1851.
- 1 folder.
Albany, New York, businessman.
Business letters, 1836-1851, from John A. Wells and others of the Detroit Farmers and Mechanics Bank; letter, 1843, from Barstow and Lockwood, Detroit law firm, describing property near Birmingham, Michigan; letter from Allen Munroe, 1847, relating primarily to the condition of railroads in Michigan; and letter, 1850, from George C. Munroe relating to land transactions in Michigan.
Trowbridge, L. S. (Luther Stephen), 1836-1912.
- L. S. Trowbridge papers, ca. 1842-1890
- 0.4 linear ft.
Civil war general and lawyer.
Correspondence of Trowbridge and members of his family concerning Birmingham and Detroit, college life at Yale, and the Civil War.
Welch family.
- Welch family papers, 1864-1944.
- 1 linear ft.
Eldred and Lulu Welch family of Huntington and Portland, Oregon.
Letters from family members in Port Huron, Detroit, and Carsonville, Michigan concerning everyday happenings and family affairs.
Wells, Clinton, collector.
- Clinton Wells papers, 1821 and ca. 1843-ca. 1910.
- 3 items (ca. 60 p.; photocopies)
Dickerson, Maryland, resident.
Papers collected by Clinton F. Wells relating to his family; include diary, 1821, of Abigail Smith Hudson detailing her trip from Sandwich, Massachusetts to Detroit.
Wilcox family.
- Willcox-Davis family papers, 1836-1869 and 1912.
- 35 items.
Willcox-Davis family of Chicago, Illinois and Detroit.
Letters discussing everyday events in Chicago, Illinois, ca. 1840-1850, and later events in Detroit and letters, 1869, from Richard Mason to his wife written during a European trip.
Wilder, Oshea, d. 1846.
- Oshea Wilder diary, 1831.
- 1 volume.
Civil engineer, lumberman, and land speculator.
Diary description of a journey, via boat, from Buffalo, New York to Detroit and nearby areas in southern Michigan.
Wright family.
- Wright family papers, 1825-1938.
- 3 linear ft.
Philo E. and Fannie E. Pettibone Wright family of Detroit.
Personal correspondence of Fannie Wright with her husband Philo, her brother Sherman Pettibone, her daughters Virginia, Maude, and Evelyn, her son Philo S., and other members of the family, concerning family affairs and the genealogy of the Wright and Pettibone families; also fifty-seven volumes of Fannie E. Wright's diaries, 1863-1925, recording family news, social events, and home activities in Detroit; account books of Philo S. Wright, 1893-1913; and photographs.
Crossing the street in front of Neuhoff Drug Co., McNichols at Greenlawn, Detroit, 1937 (Charles W. Ungermann papers, scrapbook) image bl004003