Abstract The Amasa B. Watson Post #395 records include minutes, membership documents and adjutant or quartermaster records. The Watson Post was one of five Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) posts in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Made up of Civil War veterans, the GAR was an advocacy group. Its records were created after the war and are not official government documents. The Michigan Watson post was chartered on November 15, 1888 with 27 members. The records in this collection detail the social...

Abstract Joseph Henry Brewer (1875-1943) was a successful Grand Rapids, Michigan banker and hotel owner. His son, Joseph Hillyer Brewer (1898-1990) was a publisher, academic, and college president. They were descended from the Brewer family of Vermont and England's Brind and Escott families, who emigrated to the United States in 1843. This collection includes letters, genealogies, and family papers documenting these families' histories. Also represented are the families and descendants of Mary...

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Camp Lee was a Civil War era encampment in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This collection contains one volume of original guard reports from 1863-1864. The records were kept by Captain Sheldon, who was stationed at the camp at that time. The reports show a day-to-day record of guards on duty and recruits under arrest and the reason(s) for their arrests.

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The Champlin Post Numer 29 Memorial Record Collection consists of one ledger style book. This book records all of the current members of the Champlin Post in 1887. Within each signed record is a detailed description of each service member's service during the American Civil War.

Abstract This collection has been devised to bring together several small accessions containing information related to Grand Rapids and Michigan in the United States Civil War. Also included are a few national pictorials of the era, which include information on all areas for background reference. Both originals and facsimile documents are included in the collection, such as letters, military records and journals of Michigan soldiers active in the Civil War. Additionally, there are civil war era...

Abstract Henry McConnell, born about 1852 or 1853, collected broadsides prevalent in Grand Rapids, Michigan during the Civil War. His transcribed letter of reminiscence, included in this collection, recalls the event of the 3rd Regiment leaving for that War, the first group to department from Grand Rapids. The broadsides include recruiting posters, information for families, patriotic efforts on behalf of the war effort, and reunion communications. Some other types of information are also included in...

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John W. Champlin (1831-1901) was a lawyer and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. The papers include Civil War letters between Champlin and his brother, Brigadier General Stephen G. Champlin (1827-1864) as well as other documents concerning the General's military career. Also included are speeches and lectures given by John Champlin and correspondence relating to Champlin's experiences with Jay Gould.

Abstract Josephene Bender (1894-1996) was a lifelong resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan. This collection contains correspondence, photos and memorabilia from the Bender family, dating from 1862 to 1980. Of special interest is the 1862-1864 correspondence written by Theodore Knapp, who served in the Confederate Army. Also included are images of Great Britain during World War I, including photos of Civil Engineer and former Grand Rapids resident Zac Ellis Knapp giving a factory facilities tour to the...

Abstract The Michigan Soldiers Reported in Civil War Era Newspapers : the Bajema Collection contains photocopies of newspaper clippings, reporting activities of Michigan soldiers during the Civil War. While the clippings are historical in content, the collection of the clippings has been gathered beginning in the 1990’s and continues today. Review and collection is done by the donor, Carl Bajema, historian & former faculty member at Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids, Mi. The eclectic...