Asa Lapham Blanchard papers (c00053), 1847-1931
- 4 folders, 2 volumes
- This collection contains letters, deeds and receipts relating to Dr. Asa Lapham Blanchard's land dealings in Minnesota and in Pierce County, Washington. The collection includes an account book for his medical practice in Northville, Michigan. Also included is an account book from an unknown leather worker, midwife, and vendor of alcohol in Wethersfield Springs, Connecticut (1847-1856).
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1250
Francis H. Gambell papers (c00176), 1898-1959
- 10 folders, 1 scrapbook, 98 lantern slides
- Francis H. Gambell was born in Iowa in 1870, grew up on the family farm, and attended Parsons College. He graduated in 1898 with a medical degree, but quickly grew bored with his practice. A few months later, he became a government physician at the Eaton Reindeer Station in Alaska, a government project to introduce reindeer in Alaska. Gambell spent three years there and eventually became supervisor of the government stations before returning to private practice in 1901. When civil war broke out in Russia following the 1919 Revolution, Gambell traveled to Siberia with Red Cross relief forces. He returned to private practice in Minnesota and later to California, where he practiced medicine through his eighty-fifth year.
- This collection consists primarily of the reminiscences of Dr. Francis H. Gambell, which describe his childhood and education, his years as a government doctor in Alaska, and in medical practice in California. The collection also contains Gambell's stories and poetry, primarily about his Alaskan experiences; a diary he kept in Alaska (1899); news clippings about Gambell, and a transcript of an interview with him. The scrapbook contains scenes of Siberia during the Russian Civil War and the American intervention and Red Cross Operations in Vladivostok. There are also 98 hand painted lantern slides featuring images relating to Alaska.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/969
Evie Sager collection (c00355), 1875-1879
LeMoyne Snyder papers (UA 10.3.97), 1917-1984
- 7.4 cu. ft., 7 film strips, 3 audio cassettes, 3 CD-ROMs.
- LeMoyne Snyder was born on June 16, 1898 on the Michigan State University campus to Clara Maud Mifflin and MSU President Jonanthan LeMoyne Snyder. He had two brothers Robert and Plummer. Snyder received his B.S. from MSU in 1919 and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1923. Snyder returned to Lansing in circa 1928 and worked as an attending physician at Sparrow and St. Lawrence Hospitals. From 1930-1934, Snyder studied law with Judge L.W. Carr and passed the Bar Exam in 1934. In 1933 he became the Medicolegal Director for the State of Michigan Police, and held the position for 15 years. When MSU established the Department of Police Administration (now School of Criminal Justice), and the State of Michigan organized the Michigan Crime Laboratory, Snyder's interest in forensic medicine led him to play a significant role. In 1944 Snyder's book "Homicide Investigation" was published and became an important textbook for police academies and university courses. In the 1950s and 1960s Snyder participated in the Court of Last Resort, sponsored by "Argosy Magazine." The central members of the Court were Erle Stanley Gardner, Marshall Houte, Alexander Gregory, and Snyder. The Court of Last Resort examined cases where an inmate convicted of murder, and sentenced to life in prison or execution, continued to claim their innocence but had exhausted all financial resources to hire legal counsel. The purpose of the Court was not to serve as counsel but as publicity. The cases were then written up in the magazine, and through varying circumstance many of the inmates were paroled or pardoned.
- The LeMoyne Snyder papers document the professional life of an expert in forensic medicine from his early medical practice in Lansing to his later years as a "medicolegal expert" in Paradise, California. The Correspondence series consists of Snyder's correspondence that does not relate to his activities on the Court of Last Resort, his book "Homicide Investigation," or his other professional activities. Instead, it includes letters related to private consulting he did on cases and correspondence between friends and acquaintances. Some files contain photographs that may be disturbing in nature. The Personal Papers series includes correspondence with Snyder's younger brother Plummer, a brief genealogy, and alumni activities. There are also transcripts of oral histories of Snyder where he recounts his childhood on the MSU campus. The Court of Last Resort series contains administrative files about the organization of the Court, publicity, and the television show. The correspondence files contain letters with individual members about the running of the Court and how cases are progressing. The case files are Snyder's papers from individual cases including correspondence from the accused and their families, correspondence from members of the Court about the case, transcripts, and background information. The Professional Activities series contains materials related to Snyder's book, articles, speeches, professional organizations, and professional duties he performed. The collection also contains strips of film with images of autopsies, murder victims and related subjects. The oral history tapes and CDs contain reminisces from Snyder about his childhood on the MSU campus, recollections of Louise Snyder about an incident she and LeMoyne encountered involving the Hesse Crown Jewels, and LeMoyne playing the piano. The MSU related parts are transcribed.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/112
