Scope and Contents The Brownson family papers consist of correspondence between members of the Brownson, Johnson, and Allured families, as well as essays, poetry, and a sermon.Many of the letters are to Oscar Brownson of Pontiac and Evart, Michigan. Brownson entered Oberlin College in 1843, but a year later he returned to Pontiac to teach school. Several letters from a cousin, Franklin Barber, urged him to join the United States Navy, where he could get a free medical training. Brownson received...

Scope and Contents This collection contains correspondence addressed primarily to Samuel H. Abbott of Cedar Dale, Sanilac County, Michigan, from members of his family. The letters include a remedy for small pox, references to the draft and techniques of dodging it during the Civil War, concern over sale prices of farm products, especially wheat, and one letter concerning the great fires of October 1871 and the damage done by them in Sanilac County and in Ontario, Canada.Also included is a diary...