Henry McConnell (ca. 1852/1853-died after 1932) was the son of John McConnell, a hardware dealer, and Mary Escott McConnell. Henry spent his childhood on the near south end of Grand Rapids during the 1850s and 1860s. His letter of January 15, 1932, in this collection, provides some historical reminiscences on their life. He talks about his father's establishment on the site of what was later the Pantlind and then the Amway Grand Hotel, with remembrances of Grab Corners (Campau Square) and traffic on the Grand River. He also says that his grandfather McConnell established the first real bakery in Grand Rapids, later? Sears Bakery. Henry moved from Grand Rapids, probably in his 20s, and lived with his brother Joseph for a while. Later in life, he is believed to have been a hotel keeper in Emmet, Michigan, with his wife Emma. (See Census sheets). Ultimately he moved to Walloon Lake, Michigan.

The Society of American Archivist's Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology defines a broadside, also sometimes called a broadsheet, as … "A single sheet with information printed on one side that is intended to be posted, publicly distributed, or sold."

The Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials, 1995, states that broadsides "... provide information, commentary, proclamation, or other announcement or advertisement. Primarily posted but also distributed by hand. They are usually less pictorial than posters and have more extensive text than signs."

Many works referred to as broadsides are from the 19th century or earlier, before new graphic processes allowed for the wider use of images in posters. Many broadsides are likely to be black on a white background, as they were usually produced using the available local technology of the day, the printing press. Typography was important in many broadsides, since the lettering style used was the main graphic element. Many different font styles were developed, and sold in font type sets to the local printers. The lettering used in the broadside text might vary widely within one poster, in an attempt to draw the eye, and graphically separate one idea on the broadsheet from another. The term broadsheet was a reference to the broad sized sheet of paper on which the printers, often also the local newspaper publishers, printed the graphic message of the broadside.