Collection

Amy T. Comins Collection

• 1831 - 1910 (Creation)

N/A.

The collection contains several handwritten letters from individuals of the Calkins, Train, and Youngkin families or in an association with them. None of the letters show a relation to Genesee County or the city of Flint. Furthermore, none of the letters suggest relations among any of the families. The length of chronology for the letters is 1831 to 1910. All were handwritten, but some are photocopy and photostat reproductions of the originals. Registration records make no mention of the status of the originals during time of donation. The reproductions will be retained as part of the collection to ensure no context is lost of the lives of the correspondents.

The Calkins letters were written by Uriah Carson to a sister identified only as S. Calkins. He wrote in 1862 from Nashville, Tennessee that her husband had died of diarrhea. The other letter describes the inability of the husband to receive pay for nearly a year due to the actions of Confederate raids. The paymaster refused to travel there to distribute pay.

The Train letters are from 1865. They were written by one individual, Fred A. Patz, who wrote two letters to Lucy Train. He professed his love for her as a secret admirer in the first and later revealed himself in the second, continuing to profess his love, though apologizing for his deception.

The Youngkin letters stretch from 1831 to 1910. Authors remark about various family members, how they are, where they are living. There are no mentions of the ongoing Civil War in the letter from 1862. The letter from 1910 discusses the involvement of one woman of the family in the Detroit Women’s Club.

Past practices described the contents of this collection individually. Each item received an object ID number and was treated as a distinct artifact. Records have been reunited, but their original order may have been lost.

No restrictions. Contact the Collections Department to arrange use for research.

The letters are housed in a single legal-length acid-free folder.

The condition of the collection, despite the ages of the letters, is fair. Every letter, including the reproductions, were written in cursive and in ink. Ink on original letters shows some signs of fading but can be seen without difficulty. Creases line the original letters from having been folded over repeatedly. Small tears accompany some creases and line the edges of some letters. Paper tends to be brittle around creases. All original letters have yellowed to varying degrees. The older the letter, the more yellowing is present.

No restrictions. Reproductions are done and charged in accordance with Sloan Museum Archives Fee Service Policy.

• English

A downloadable PDF finding aid is available.

Amy T. Comins donated the collection at some point in 1963. Roger Van Bolt received the collection. The donation was not officially acknowledged in museum records until 1968. It is unknown how Comins came to possess the letters.

None.

DACS, 2nd edition

Jonathan Kirkwood, Archivist, 4/19/2022

• Letters

• Jackson County, Michigan
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Tecumseh, Michigan

• Calkins, S. (Subject)
• Carson, Uriah (Subject)
• Miesse, Abraham (Subject)
• Patz, Fred A. (Subject)
• Train, Lucy (Subject)
• Youngkin, Elizabeth (Subject)
• Youngkin, William (Subject)