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

This volume contains notes Kate Brown Barlow kept between 1886 and 1887 relating to the cases handled by the Newsboys and Children's Aid Society of Washington, D.C. Typically the notes record the child's name, their race, family and financial circumstances, conditions at the place of residence, physical appearance and state of clothing, indications of hardship, and any details about job or housing placements.

During the course of her work, Barlow occasionally documented going on house visits. She described the conditions the children lived in, noting the alleys and regions of the city where they resided. At times she inquired about their behavior and asked for character references, often in relation to trying to secure job or housing placements for the children. Her notes indicate boys were placed to work in sites like a coach factory, a drug store, a coal yard, and a restaurant scullery, and that she was coordinating with other aid organizations like the Orphan's Asylum, the Industrial Home School, the House of Mercy, and the Foundling Society to provide housing. Barlow indicated other programs assisted with food deliveries to families or provided free legal services. Several incidences recorded in the volume reflect racial prejudice, such as refusals to house or employ African American children (August 16, 1886; March 1, 1887; April 5, 1887). Barlow also commented on interracial households, suggesting they were notable.

The case notes provide insight in the children's difficult circumstances, with reports of violence, child prostitution and sexual grooming, lack of access to education, and malnutrition and hunger. The volume includes a note written by a 23-year-old man to a 14-year-old girl pasted into the back of the volume, which the case notes from October 18, 1886, reference. Barlow recorded when mental illness or alcohol and drug use factored into the case. At times she noted children running away from their families or from work or alternate housing arrangements. She also commented on mixed reactions by the families, with some offering gratitude while others were mistrustful of Barlow's intentions and refused their children's work or housing placements. Barlow acknowledged the frustration the cases sometimes generated as well as her emotional exhaustion.

Barlow was in communication with the police station, using them as a last resort if housing could not be secured or if she received reports of child neglect or physical and sexual abuse that required immediate intervention. When children under her care were in conflict with the law, Barlow also got involved. She noted talking to police about newsboys who were arrested for gambling (February 19, 1887) and attempting to remove a boy from the workhouse. The volume includes several newspaper clippings, including a New York Times article, "The Percentage of Arrest in Leading Cities," focusing on juvenile reform; one entitled "Crime in Washington;" and another, "Shooting to Kill. Unprovoked murder of George Rawlett, a Young White Man, by a Drunken Negro," with additional manuscript notes about the incident.

Barlow recorded visits from the Newsboy's Home from Columbus, Ohio on September 16, 1886, to compare their practices, and a visit from the Children's Aid Society of Newark, New Jersey, on January 13, 1887.

Night Photos Taken Before and After the Earthquake and Fire is a photograph album containing 25 nighttime photographs of buildings and streets with electrical lighting in San Francisco, California, from 1901 to 1909.

Night Photos Taken Before and After the Earthquake and Fire is a photograph album containing 25 nighttime photographs of buildings and streets with electrical lighting in San Francisco, California, from 1901 to 1909.

The album (18.5. x 14.5 cm) has black cloth covers with “Photographs” gilt-stamped on front and black paper pages. An inscription on the inside of the front cover reads “Night Photos Taken Before and After The Earthquake and Fire by Cecil C. Cline S.F.” The photographer may possibly have been Cecil Cephas Cline (1884-1949), a San Francisco-based electrician. Buildings pictured include the Ferry Building, the Old Union Trust Building, the Old City Hall, the Tivoli Opera House, and more. While most photographs are exterior views, interior shots of the Ferry Building and Tivoli Opera House are also present.

Towards the back of the album one page is captioned “After the Earthquake and Fire.” Seven photographs are present in this section of the album including several images documenting the Portola Festival held in October, 1909, which was the first city-wide public event held in San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake.

The Noah Scovell collection contains 12 letters and documents related to Captain Noah Scovell, a merchant and shipbuilder in Saybrook, Connecticut. The material concerns shipping, finances, and Scovell's acquaintances.

The Noah Scovell collection contains 12 letters and documents related to Captain Noah Scovell, a merchant and shipbuilder in Saybrook, Connecticut. Scovell received personal and professional correspondence pertaining to subjects such as finances, U.S. citizenship proceedings, shipping, and business in New York. See the Detailed Box and Folder Listing for more information.

The Norwalk, Ohio family photograph albums consist of two volumes containing approximately 560 photographs that depict an unidentified family, their homes, vacations, and construction of a house.

Volume 1: This album (29 x 36 cm) has black leather covers and black paper pages. Images include many affectionate pictures of children and pets as well as photographs of family vacations, homes, and the construction of a large house. At the end of the album, several photographs of children that appear earlier are replicated in larger formats.

Volume 2: This volume (35.5 x 43 cm) is a leather portfolio bearing an elaborate embossed elephant design on the front cover. Contained within is a series of thirty large format mounted photographs of the same house that is pictured while under construction in Volume 1. Photographs include views of surrounding natural scenery and gardens, exterior shots of the house, and images showing the porch and sunroom.

An unnamed parent or caregiver kept notes about children in a partially used Teachers' Institute Note Book, 1886. The volume was printed in Chicago and Maquoketa, Iowa, by Donohue & Henneberry and W. M. Welch, respectively, and includes advertisements on the inside covers for educational texts and forms. Two pages of manuscript notes define musical intervals. An additional nine pages of text sporadically document the words and actions of at least two children, Harry and Inez, between the ages of 1.5 and 5.5 years old. The writer notes the ages at which children were singing, the type of art they created, the humorous questions, observations, and comments they made, and religious thoughts they vocalized.

An unnamed parent or caregiver kept notes about children in a partially used Teachers' Institute Note Book, 1886. The volume was printed in Chicago and Maquoketa, Iowa, by Donohue & Henneberry and W. M. Welch, respectively, and includes advertisements on the inside covers for educational texts and forms. Two pages of manuscript notes define musical intervals. An additional nine pages of text sporadically document the words and actions of at least two children, Harry and Inez, between the ages of 1.5 and 5.5 years old. The writer notes the ages at which children were singing, the type of art they created, the humorous questions, observations, and comments they made, and religious thoughts they vocalized.

The childhood observations about death, spirits, and God reflect a religious upbringing and household, including one entry about how Harry "was drawing a picture of a deathbed scene where angels were coming to carry the man's spirit to God in accordance with what he had been told on the subject. He said 'Mama I guess one angel holds the man's mouth open while the other takes his spirit out of him.' " Comments about dogs, toys, and imaginative games speak to youthful entertainment and play, and others are more suggestive about the conditions in the children's environment that caught their attention. Questions like "what color is the moon on the other side," or observations that a dead mouse "is kind of wilted isn't it," provide insights into what the children were seeing and wondering about.

One entry at the back of the volume reads, "J. D. McAuliff (Heals by rubbing) St. Louis, Mo."