Samuel H. Abbott papers (c00308), 1853-1903
- 2 folders, 1 volume
- This collection contains correspondence to Abbott, of Cedar Dale, Sanilac County, Michigan, from members of his family. These letters discuss: a remedy for smallpox; ways to dodge the draft during the Civil War; concern over sales prices of farm products, especially wheat; and the damage done by the great fires of 1871 to Sanilac County and Ontario, Canada. Also included is a diary belonging to Abbott that contains a detailed description of his trip to the centennial exhibition at Washington, D.C., notes on the sights there and in Philadelphia and New York, and his subsequent farming.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1438
Mable A. Babion collection (c00220), 1862-1894
- 1 folder, 2 volumes
- This collection consists primarily of home remedies, recipes, and school themes. It includes two ledgers. The first records recipes and expenses for an unknown family (1868). The second contains the accounts of the Dykeman railroad station (probably located in New York) in 1869-1870.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1350
R.W. Choate papers (c00396), 1877-1895
Jane Comstock letter (c00416), 1845
- 1 folder
- This letter, written by Jane Comstock and Charlotte Gladding of Eaton Rapids, Eaton County, Michigan, to Samuel Hickson of Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, is divided into notes to several members of his family. Topics include: the Comstocks' new farm, crops, Thomsian medicines, and Charlotte's recent marriage.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1553
Alice Hall collection (c00248), 1890-1913
- 2 folders
- This collection consists of home cures and remedies for human and animal diseases and disabilities. The cures are for various diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, catarrh and baldness. Also included is a notebook of remedies collected by George S. Barber of Grass Lake, Michigan.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1379
Carrie Usewick Harvey reminiscences (c00174), undated
- 1 folder
- Carrie Harvey's father, Dennis Usewick, was born in New York, but later migrated to Michigan with his wife Harriett. After serving in the Civil War, he returned to Michigan and moved his family north, to what would become the town of Sherman in Wexford County, in what was then a wilderness. Carrie was born soon after the move and shared the hardships of settling a new area. At age 21 she married William Harvey, an English immigrant.
- This collection contains the reminiscences of Carrie Usewick Harvey of Wexford County, Michigan. The reminiscences give an account of her family's move to Wexford County and her childhood there. She also describes early lumbering operations and homemade remedies for illnesses.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/967
Godfrey Hirzel papers (c00404), 1892-1928
- 1 folder, 35 volumes
- Godfrey Hirzel lived in Moorestown, Missaukee County, Michigan.
- 24 daybooks and 11 ledgers of a general store operated by Hirzel. Included are accounts for wholesale suppliers and for the Hirzel farm. Also included are business letters, receipts, and recipes for medicines.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1541
Humphrey’s Homeopathic Medicine Company records (c00343), 1882
Addie E. Milks diary (c00548), 1922
- 1 folder
- This collection consists of excerpts from Addie E. Milks diary describing early pioneer life in Michigan, including health and medicine, relations with local Indians, religious and social activities. Milks includes a genealogy of the Sloan and McCormick families. Her mother, Ann McCormick Malone, moved with her family to Taymouth, Michigan, after the Revolutionary War.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1680
Arnold Miller Family papers (00008), 1847-1928
- .33 cu. ft.
- Arnold W. Miller (1823-1911) was a Saginaw County (Michigan) farmer who served in the Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. He was apparently involved in the Michigan branch of the Grange, a national farmers' political organization. Before migrating to Michigan, he lived in Chicopee, Massachusetts.
- This collection contains correspondence and diaries of Arnold Miller, a Saginaw County, Michigan farmer. Letters describe the family's strong interest in spiritualism and the Spirit World, and some are supposedly written by Jasper Miller (deceased) through a niece, Carrie Rooney. Diaries document Arnold Miller's service in Company G of the 3rd Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. Also included are miscellaneous receipts, several account books, and a manual relating to the Grange movement.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1717
Edwin R. Osband diaries (c00136), 1861-1866
- 2 folders
- Edwin R. Osband, a farmer in Wayne County, Michigan, served in the Civil War with the 1st Michigan Engineers and Mechanics and was elected 2nd sergeant in November, 1861. He saw duty in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia before his discharge in October 1864.
- This collection contains three diaries kept by Edwin R. Osband during the Civil War, describing his experiences and conditions of army life. The last volume records the names and addresses of men discharged with Osband in 1864. It was later used to record mileage charts, home remedies, and financial records.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/925
Pendleton Family papers (c00295), 1774-1887
- 7 folders, 3 volumes
- This collection consists of correspondence from relatives and school friends of Lottie Pendleton (later Mrs. George W. Bailey). Also, two manuscripts of miscellaneous poetry, illustrated with aquatinted line drawings by Caleb Pendleton (1817-1835). In addition, two manuscript copies of arithmetic books (1774, 1829) and a small account book (1845-1852) of George W. Bailey, giving expense accounts, miscellaneous poetry, and medicinal recipes.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1425
True Family papers (c00393), 1881-1923
- 5 folders, 8 volumes
- This collection contains farm records and personal and household expense records kept by the True brothers (George, Elisha, and A.A.) of Armada, Macomb County, Michigan. Detailed records are given for farm animals, sheep shearing, milk production, and animal and milk tests. Also, household and personal expense accounts, a recipe book for cures of animal diseases, and miscellaneous clippings and notes are included.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1527
Alfred L. Williams family papers (c00504), 1885-1925
- 5 folders
- Alfred Williams and his brother, Benjamin O. Williams, were the first white settlers to visit and eventually settle in Shiawassee County, Michigan. They operated a trading post at the Indian village of Ketshewaudagoning prior to founding the village of Owosso in 1837. In 1885, the block between Washington and Main Streets was destroyed by a fire.
- This collection contains letters from members of the Alfred L. Williams family of Owosso, Michigan. Most of the letters were written to Williams' daughter, Clara, by her sisters. They discuss day-to-day living, home remedies, development of the town of Owosso, the coming of the railroad in 1883, and the possibility of a men's Christian college (the forerunner of John Wesley College) being built. Also discussed is the Wesener fire in Owosso in 1885.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/1637
Delos E. Wonsey papers (c00027), circa 1880
David Woodman papers (c00128), 1852-1853
- 3 folders
- This collection contains letters written by David Woodman from the California gold fields to his wife in Michigan. His early letters describe the trip from Paw-Paw, Michigan, to the Sacramento area by riverboat and wagon train. Later letters tell of living conditions, social life, and gold mining. Woodman became very disillusioned with California and especially with the prospects of getting rich through gold mining. The collection also includes home remedies for diphtheria and catarrh.
- Finding aid to the collection: https://findingaids.lib.msu.edu/repositories/2/resources/932
