Collections : [University of Michigan William L. Clements Library]

This collection comprises 28 American manuscript recipe books dated from 1793 to 1959 with the bulk dating from the nineteenth century. One of the books contains portions in German, while the rest are in English. Most regions of the United States are present, with the Northeast and Southern States best represented. Desserts represent the bulk of the recipes, cakes being the most popular. Some recipes include attributes to friends, family, or cookbooks, and some contain notes on quality of the dish. Directions for making medicinal remedies and practical household needs (such as cleaning product recipes or advice on fabric care) may also be included. Many volumes contain handwritten or printed inserts.

This collection comprises 28 American manuscript recipe books dated from 1793 to 1959 with the bulk dating from the nineteenth century. One of the books contains portions in German, while the rest are in English. Most regions of the United States are present, with the Northeast and Southern States best represented. Desserts represent the bulk of the recipes cakes being the most popular. Some recipes include attributes to friends, family, or cookbooks, and some contain notes on quality of the dish. Directions for making medicinal remedies and practical household needs (such as cleaning product recipes or advice on fabric care) may also be included. Many volumes contain handwritten or printed inserts.

All or most of the known authors of these recipe books appear to be by women. A man, James Campbell, authored the accounting portion of the Campbell receipt book and a male writer may have created the Manuscript Recipe Book, [1838]. Emma Hinricks Hilken is the only one known to have resided outside the United States when writing her recipe book (she resided in Frankfurt, Germany, for several years following her marriage). The women range in age from teenagers to the elderly and represent a variety of social backgrounds. Most of the recipe books were written or compiled in the second half of the nineteenth century, with some extending into the early twentieth. Approximately one-fifth of them were written in the first half of the nineteenth century or earlier.

See the box and folder listing below for a complete descriptive list of the recipe books present in this collection.

The Maples family photograph album contains 44 photographs and 18 clippings related to a group of families most likely from Michigan.

The Maples family photograph album contains 44 photographs and 18 clippings related to a group of families most likely from Michigan.

The album (26.25 x 20 cm) has embossed leather covers and contains 15 tintypes, 13 cartes de visite, and 16 snapshots overall as well as 18 clippings. The majority of the photographs are studio portraits of men, women, and children while the clippings range in substance from poetry and professional updates to obituaries. The people represented in this album may possibly be members of the Maples-Keller-McFarlane families.

The Marguerite H. Voll photograph album includes 87 photographs documenting family activities and various events in Plymouth, Wisconsin, as well as Chicago, Illinois.

The Marguerite H. Voll photograph album includes 87 photographs documenting family activities and various events in Plymouth, Wisconsin, as well as Chicago, Illinois.

The album (28.5 x 35 cm) has black cloth with “Photographs” stamped in gold on the front cover. Images include portraits of the Bade, Schram, and Fiedler families as well as views of parades in Chicago (including a Barnum & Bailey Circus parade), group portraits of the Plymouth Hook and Ladder bicycle team, the Sheboygan County Fair, natural landscape scenes, cars, trains, farming, and photographic reproductions of sentimental art. Of particular note is a portrait of Marguerite Bade riding a floor sweeper as an infant in 1909.

The Marion E. Grusky Rucker Collection contains materials reflecting on her service in the United States Navy Reserves from 1943 to 1961, her naval training and education, her promotions from ensign to lieutenant commander, and her work as a teacher and career consultant. A personal narrative describing her naval training exercise in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1945 and other items reflect aspects of sexism in the military during and following the Second World War.

The Marion E. Grusky Rucker Collection contains materials reflecting on her service in the United States Navy Reserves from 1943 to 1961, her naval training and education, her promotions from ensign to lieutenant commander, and work as a teacher and career consultant. A personal narrative describing her naval training exercise in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1945 and other items reflect aspects of sexism in the military during and following the Second World War.

The Correspondence Series contains letters sent to Marion E. Grusky Rucker, principally written in the 1950s and concerning her naval appointments, her coursework, and teaching opportunities, including her year abroad teaching with a Fulbright Scholarship. Several letters relate to her release from active duty and its impact on her coursework at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1953. One letter written by Donald Rucker to his mother announces his upcoming marriage to Marion E. Grusky. One undated letter written by Rucker's granddaughter is also present.

The Documents Series includes materials relating to Rucker's naval career, including personnel paperwork concerning her appointments, promotions, education, leaves and discharges, retirement, and other matters. The series also contains various instructions and orders, and authorization to wear the American Campaign Medal and American Theatre Victory Ribbon. The partially printed document appointing Rucker as a Reserve Officer at the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy in October 1956 uses male pronouns, indicating gendered expectations for the officer class. Personal affairs are also reflected, including her birth certificate, the official change of her last name to Grusky in 1948, her work permit allowing her to teach in England in 1958, and her resume. Three passports date from 1958, 1970, and 1975.

The Writings Series consists of typed accounts, speech notes, drafts, and a eulogy. Two accounts produced by Rucker and her colleague Dorothy Weeks on September 14, 1945, detail a trip to Norfolk, Virginia, to attend training exercises aboard the U.S.S. Beverly Reid. They discuss how they circumvented sexism to secure travel arrangements to Norfolk, their accommodations, and observations of the ship and its crew. In Rucker's account she wrote, "The day before I called and called trying to get reservation on the Nats, but all I got with my feminine voice was the run around. Being persistant [sic] and determined, I had a man lend us his voice to persuade the WAVE that we had to have passage on the 4:30 Plane. Being a man, his charm did the trick and we were put on the list." She also referred to other instances of gender and sexism. She also noted the captain showing her and Weeks a scrapbook that included photos, notes, and souvenirs relating to his tours, including photographs of women. The captain took their photo without warning, and Rucker reflected, "I suppose that we will be added to the collection." The later typed version of Rucker's account includes an additional page of reminiscences about her service as a USNR Communications officer, with a final thought that, "A male first name may have permitted me to be sent (to the amusement of my CO) on some unusual assignments. i.e. being aboard a submarine and other small craft while on training maneuvers with rarely another WAVE in the group." Weeks' account parallels Rucker's, offering different details and perspectives on their assigned mission.

The speech notes reflect Rucker's consulting work focusing on women, especially teachers, their career development, goal-setting, and self-appraisal. Other notes document Rucker's biographical events, listing out employment, her work undertaken as a Fulbright Scholar, and places she lived.

Lee Rucker Keiser's eulogy for her mother is included, entitled "A Four C's Woman of the World," commenting on Rucker's life and their relationship.

The Diary Series consists of one volume Rucker maintained during her year teaching in Norwich, England, from 1958 to 1959, describing daily life, work at the school, visits with her husband Donald who was working at the University of Birmingham, and travels in Europe during vacations. A list of her cash account for the year and a list of school vacations for herself and Don are also present, and two photographs of Rucker are laid in to the volume.

The Printed Materials Series includes a copy of The Buckeye Way: A Unique Guide to Columbus and Franklin County (1974), written by Marion Rucker and Anne Lapidus, with a newspaper clipping about the publication laid in. Newspaper articles concerning Rucker's naval career, a copy of her obituary, and a printed family memorial booklet produced following her death are also present.

The Photographs Series consists of 15 photographs. They depict Marion E. Grusky Rucker in uniform, both in formal portraits and informal snapshots with colleagues, at an Officer's Club dinner at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, and in her doctoral robe at her graduation from the University of Michigan in 1963, as well as several personal photographs.

This album, belonging to Martha Louise "Mattie" Day, contains 26 self-portraits drawn by Mattie's "C. H. S." classmates, and includes profile drawings, names, and brief comments relating to a shared experience.

This album, belonging to Martha Louise "Mattie" Day, contains 26 self-portraits drawn by Mattie's "C. H. S." classmates, and includes profile drawings, names, and brief comments relating to a shared experience.

Mattie wrote, "You are requested to draw your picture, with appropriate remarks" on the front paste-down. The bulk of the drawings were done by her female classmates, and their writing often referenced memories involving Mattie. Some made self-deprecating remarks about their appearances. "A. H." wrote, "When this you see/don't forget the eve we played and I beat you all at dominoes." Adilia H. wrote, "The rose is red/the violet blue/sugar is sweet/and so are you Mattie. Ever your friend." Many include the note, "Class '78 C.H.S." One pink ribbon is laid into the volume.

Mary Alice Lincoln wrote to multiple recipients in a search to obtain books and monographs related to African American suffrage while she was a student at Bates College (Lewiston, Maine). This is a collection of four responses she received from Little, Brown, & Company; American Publishing Co.; the Boston Public Library; and the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. The letter from the American Publishing Company (Hartford, Connecticut) contains enclosures of printed, illustrated folio advertising circulars/prospectuses for Joseph T. Wilson's A History of the Black Phalanx, John M. Langston's From the Virginia Plantation to the National Capitol, and John H. Paynter's Joining the Navy, or Abroad with Uncle Sam.

Mary Alice Lincoln wrote to multiple recipients in a search to obtain books and monographs related to African American suffrage while she was a student at Bates College (Lewiston, Maine). This is a collection of four responses she received from Little, Brown, & Company; American Publishing Co.; the Boston Public Library; and the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. The letter from the American Publishing Company (Hartford, Connecticut) contains enclosures of printed, illustrated folio advertising circulars/prospectuses for Joseph T. Wilson's A History of the Black Phalanx, John M. Langston's From the Virginia Plantation to the National Capitol, and John H. Paynter's Joining the Navy, or Abroad with Uncle Sam.

An unidentified person, likely living in the vicinity of Woburn, Massachusetts, maintained this account book between 1862 and 1864. They recorded financial transactions, the bulk with Messrs. Lewis & Culver. The volume also includes yearly cash accounts, documenting everyday purchases and payments, such as travel costs, foodstuffs, clothing and sewing supplies, and books and magazines. The volume also lists amounts earned by month, and a "Clothing Account" and "Furniture Account" for 1862.

An unidentified person, likely living in the vicinity of Woburn, Massachusetts, maintained this account book between 1862 and 1864. They recorded financial transactions, such as rent payments and daywork, with the bulk of the accounts with Messrs. Lewis & Culver. The volume also includes yearly cash accounts, documenting everyday purchases and payments, like travel costs to Boston and Reading, pencils and paper, produce, foodstuffs and spices, candy, tickets to events, clothing and sewing supplies, contributions to the "Plymouth Collection," and books and magazines. Titles purchased include the Lady's Book, Arthur's Magazine, Home Magazine, Sunday School Question Books, Home Missionary, and others. The volume also lists amounts earned by month, and a "Clothing Account" and "Furniture Account" for 1862. Several names appear at the back of the volume, including Joseph B. McDonald, John M. Stockman, Mary Eaton, James Donald, and others.

The Matthilde Ittel photograph album contains 122 photographs, 19 postcards, and 26 pieces of ephemera and mainly includes snapshots of people, landscapes, and buildings in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario.

The Matthilde Ittel photograph album contains 122 photographs, 19 postcards, and 26 pieces of ephemera and mainly includes snapshots of people, landscapes, and buildings in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ontario.

The album (18 x 27 cm) has black cloth covers with "Photographs" stamped on the front. Many of album compiler Matthilde Ittel’s family, friends, and colleagues are mentioned and pictured in this album, including William Baldwin Clipsham, Nettie E. Geyer, Freda Cloud, Mary Rieger Ittel, and Jessie Evelyn Ittel Kiel as well as staff of the W. E. Terhune Lumber Company. Numerous portraits are present throughout the album, many of which have been altered through cutting. Two images show a woman whose face has been entirely cut out, while many other images are cut along the lines of a person’s figure. Several images have had color added. The postcards primarily consist of images of destinations that the album creator visited such as the Bowery in New York City and the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, while the ephemeral items include a hotel card, a small wooden oar, and typed notes containing humorous writings and social commentaries.

Images of note include pictures of Ittel wearing a Gibson Girl hairstyle coupled with a quote regarding the advantage of women not having to wear trousers, portraits of Ittel’s mother Mary and sister Jessie, two real photograph postcards of cats, a postcard of the merchant ship Tillie Covert, postcards and notes from a trip to Ontario in 1908, photographs and postcards relating to a 1909 trip from Rochester to Montreal and West Point, several photographs of a 1911 trip to Philadelphia and the Delaware Water Gap, and a staged photograph located on the back inside cover captioned "An Actual Operation For Appendicitis.”

The Maury family papers contain the letters and documents of the extended family of Abram P. Maury, Whig congressman from Franklin, Tennessee. The collection documents politics, travel, business, agriculture, and family life in the antebellum South, and includes contributions from the Harris, Claiborne, and Reid families of Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, and Alabama.

The Maury family papers (2.5 linear feet) contain the letters and documents of the extended family of Abram P. Maury, Whig congress member from Franklin, Tennessee. The collection documents politics, travel, business, agriculture, and family life in the antebellum South, and includes contributions from the Harris, Claiborne, and Reid families of Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Virginia, and Alabama.

The Chronological Correspondence and Documents series (approximately 1,000 items) consists of letters between the parents, children, siblings, aunts and uncles, in-laws, friends, business colleagues and political colleagues of the Maury, Harris, Claiborne, and Reid families. The bulk of these items span 1820 to 1872.

The family was heavily involved in national and state politics, and they frequently discuss happenings in congress and the dramas of presidential elections. Topics discussed include the workings of the Whig party in Tennessee in the 1830s; the presidential runs of Andrew Jackson in 1826 and William Henry Harrison in 1836; Santa Anna and the Mexican War (1837-1838); Abram P. Maury's experiences in the United States Congress; Meredith Poindexter Gentry's activities representing Tennessee in Congress, and Carey A. Harris's time in politics as commissioner of Indian affairs (1836). Present are items from several prominent politicians, including Lewis Cass, Thomas Hart Benton, and James K. Polk. Of note are the letters from Macajah G. L. Claiborne, in which he discussed his extensive travels around the world as part of the United States Navy, and a few letters from Confederate soldiers on the front lines of the Civil War.

The collection also documents business, social, and domestic matters, such as clothes and fashion, social engagements (balls and parties), courting, offers and rejections of marriage, family business and finance, and the purchase, use, rental, and sale of land in the deep South. Various family members described their experiences settling in Alabama and Mississippi in the 1820s, in Mississippi in the 1820s and 1830s, and in Arkansas in the 1830s and 1840s. They frequently discussed the use of slaves in daily life and at times expressed feelings of moral conflict over slavery and the slave trade.

• June 18, 1818: Thomas Hart Benton to Abram Maury, Jr., encouraging Maury to move to Missouri and to speculate in land
• February 12, 1819: Thomas Hart Benton to Abram Maury, Jr., confirming the signing of a Chickasaw treaty that makes it easier for him to travel to Tennessee
• August 14, 1819: James K. Polk's introduction to Abram Maury, Jr., while running for a clerkship in the state legislature
• August 13, 1820: A. P. Maury to his father Abram Maury, Jr., describing a visit to Staten Island, New York, and his stay with Vice President Daniel D. Tompkins
• January 20, 1822: Abram Maury, Jr., to Daniel W. Maury discussing Thomas Hart Benton’s inability to pay off his debts for lack of money and offering land in Missouri instead
• February 23, 1824: John Henry Easton to Mary Claiborne concerning marriage prospects and a warning to use caution when selecting a husband
• July 7, 1824: Thomas Crutcher to Malvina Crutcher and Mary Claiborne describing a large dinner party held in honor of Andrew Jackson, with the general in attendance
• January 1, 1825: Abram Maury, Jr., to Abram P. Maury concerning the destruction of Aunt White's cotton gin, which they suspect was burned by a slave named Tom
• January 17, 1825: Isaac L. Baker to Mary Eliza Claiborne noting that all are pleased to hear that Andrew Jackson has "bright prospects for the Presidency," and that if he does succeed, Baker will run for Congress
• July 3, 1825: John F. H. Claiborne to Mary Eliza Claiborne teasing Mary about her courtship with an Irishman
• October 17, 1831: Mac Claiborne to Mary Eliza Maury describing his voyage to Brazil with the navy
• October 27, 1832: Mac Claiborne to Mary Eliza Maury discussing his long voyage in the Pacific and "China Sea," death aboard his ship, the detention of American whaling ships, and visits to Tahiti and Honolulu, Hawaii, including a feast with the Hawaiian royal family and a description of King Kauikeaouli (Kamehameha III)
• December 28, 1832, February 13 and April 13, 1833: Mac Claiborne to Mary Eliza Maury discussing his time in Valparaiso, Chile, with comments on the government, social conditions, politics, and religious tolerance
• February 18, 1834: James P. Maury to Abram P. Maury commenting on the oration styles of congressmen McDuffie, Webster, Calhoun, and Van Buren
• November 17, 1837: Document from Letitia, Alfred, Nancy, Jesse, and Mary Ann to Abram P. Maury concerning a judicial decision in favor of a suit brought by five "free persons of color" against Maury for trespass and false imprisonment (Maury had claimed they were his slaves)
• February 9, 1838: Chickasaw women named Tim-e-shu-ho-ra and Ish-tim-ma-hi-zea to Carey A. Harris transferring a deed of land
• March 18, 1838: Nathan Reid to Francis Reid discussing the state of the slave trade and his antislavery views
• March 25, 1838: S.C. Cannon to Abram P. Maury, Jr., concerning the "disorderly conduct" of Pink, a man owned by the Maurys: "I think Pink richly deserves to be sold without the least hesitation of delay…I think you need feel no scruples about it on account of him & his wife, as she is free, it is as convenient for her to be near him one place as another."
• February 5, 1841: Carey A. Harris to James P Maury discussing selling slaves named Lucy, Betsey, and a child for $1,550 Arkansas money
• March 4, 1841: Mac Claiborne to Abram P. Maury discussing his stay in Rio de Janeiro, his thoughts on traveling to China, piracy near Java and Sumatra, and the British Opium War
• December 19, 1841: Nathan Reid to Francis Reid, discussing the "cut-throut spirit" in the west, "The laws, in my view, afford no protection to person, property, or character…Every man who considers himself aggrieved assures the right of avenging his own wrongs, in his own ways; and of judging not only of the mode but the measure of redress. The consequence is that human life is held but in little esteem, and is placed upon every insecure and precarious footing, as shewn by the innumerable bloody frays that take place daily in your midst."

This series also has 29 undated letters, 10 miscellaneous items (newspaper clippings and receipts), and nine empty envelops. The item dated September 28, 1838, contains a drawing of the profile of a man; the letter from February 15, 1840, contains a sketch of tracts of land in Pontotoc, Mississippi; and the item from October 14, 1847, contains a diagram of a plot of land in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Bundled Correspondence and Documents series (188 items) is grouped into seven bundles:

Bundle 1, c.1810s-1930s (6 letters, 1 document) contains items relating to the military service and death of Major John Reid, the son of Nathan Reid. Also present are letters from the early 1930s related to erecting markers to honor Reid and other relatives, and a genealogical document.

Bundle 2, c.1830s-1850s (35 letters) consists of letters related to Harris family members. Highlights include a letter from Martha F. Harris, daughter of Martha Maury, in which she described the relative handsomeness of various senators: "Webster has almost the finest looking face I ever saw & is decidedly the greatest looking man in the Senate." She also commented on physical features of Clay and Van Buren (February 15, 1834). Other topics covered are family and health news, and land dealings with the Choctaw (September 28, 1838), and land dealings in Missouri (August 26, 1849). A series of letters written by Carey A. Harris, Jr., in the early 1850s describe student life at the University of Virginia, including exams, conflict between students and residents of Charlottesville (November 25, 1853), and other activities. Also of note are letters by James Harris concerning settling in Port Gibson, Mississippi, and teaching at the newly opened Port Gibson Male Academy (1853).

Bundle 3, 1830s-1860s (10 letters) is comprised of various letters, including an item from "F.J.H." [Fanny Reid Harris] that describes excitement over the secession of Virginia and the reinforcement of "Old Point" by "free negro volunteers," whom she claimed were "strutting about and boasting that they had come to liberate the slaves--such an insult, has maddened all the people…" (April 20, 1861). Also present is a letter from John Reid of Nashville, Tennessee, to Sally, expressing Reid's hope that Tennessee will stay in the Union (January 24, 1861).

Bundle 4, 1850s-1860s (18 letters and documents) includes a telegraph notice of the death of James M. Harris from yellow fever at Port Gibson (October 6, 1853), Carey A. Harris, Jr.'s, oath of allegiance to the Union taken at the mouth of the White River in Arkansas (May 26, 1865), and other miscellaneous Civil War-era documents, most of which relate to the logistics of feeding and paying Confederate soldiers.

Bundle 5, c.1810s-early 20th century (54 documents) contains miscellaneous letters, documents, and genealogical material. Many of the items pertain to political career of Abram Maury, including a printed speech, a newspaper clipping, and his manuscript notes on various political topics. Document types include land indentures, accounts, and a map of land lots owned by Reid. The 20th-century material largely relates to Maury family genealogical research, including letters to Maury T. Reid.

Bundle 6, 1830-1860s (29 letters) contains letters concerning land sales and purchases, many written by Carey A. Harris, Sr. Present is Harris' resignation letter from an official post (October 28, 1838), comments by James Walker on New Orleans and the lead up to the Panic of 1837 (April 14, 1837), and estate papers of Carey Harris, Sr., settled by his wife, Martha (November 16, 1842). Also of note is a set of letters from Martha F. Harris concerning claims on the government for the destruction of her house and property during the Civil War (1865-1866).

Bundle 7, 1819-1940s (35 letters) contains a series of miscellaneous letters, many by William S. Reid, which note his travels around Tennessee. Also present are later family letters that contain details on genealogy (1880s, and 1940s). Highlights include a letter from Allen Hall to Abram P. Maury concerning politics and the national presidential convention (May 2, 1848), and a detailed letter about the birth of a daughter to Martha Harris (May 28, 1833).

The bulk of the 20th-Century Correspondence and Documents series spans from 1917 to 1948 and relates to later descendants, including William Perkins Maury, his daughter Mary Wheeler Maury (who married Paul Logue), Paul Logue, and their son Paul Maury Logue. In addition to letters and documents, this series also includes blank postcards and souvenir booklets for various locales, newspaper clippings, a stamp book, composition book, and a number of family photographs. While most of the photographs are of unidentified individuals, images with captions identify A. P. Maury, Mary Perkins Maury, Ferdinand Claiborne Maury, and the mother of William Perkins Maury (with a typed note about the family's Confederate connections).

This ledger contains documentation of the overall assets and liabilities of a merchant from 1878-1894, possibly in New York State. It includes information on monthly sales and net profits for several years, invoices of goods received and weekly cash sales, trades in stock, lists of store fixtures, and detailed yearly inventories of the store's merchandise, with notes on quantities and values. The types of goods include jewelry, fashion accessories, stationery, albums and scrapbooks, writing utensils, decorative items and tableware, toiletries, toys, and books of varying genres.

This ledger contains documentation of the overall assets and liabilities of a merchant from 1878-1894, possibly in New York State. It includes information on monthly sales and net profits for several years, invoices of goods received and weekly cash sales, trades in stock, lists of store fixtures, and detailed yearly inventories of the store's merchandise, with notes on quantities and values. The types of goods include jewelry, fashion accessories, stationery, albums and scrapbooks, writing utensils, decorative items and tableware, toiletries, toys, and books of varying genres. The books and magazines represented include schoolbooks, children's books, poetry and literature, religious texts, and popular titles (including the Police Gazette), histories, etc.