David Smale Collection

N/A

The collection varies in its scope and content. The most prominent item in it is a book entitled “Building on Faith in Flint.” Arthur Pound wrote it with funding from Union Industrial Trust and Savings Bank. It was published in 1930. The book tracks the history of two banks founded in Flint: Union Trust & Savings Bank (founded 1893) and Industrial Savings Bank (founded 1909). Both banks merged in 1929 to form Union Trust & Industrial Savings Bank. This bank failed one year later. Pound began as far back as 1615 with the early history of Michigan after the arrival of the first Europeans. Native Americans never received any coverage. He wrote of the need for both banks to provide better than “wildcat” banking in Flint and to assist labor and industry. Illustrations of the banks and their branches accompany histories of both banks.

Other items in this collection include a pamphlet issued by the Industrial Workers of the World in response to the Flint Police Force arresting two labor activists, programs from First Baptist Church, including one for the church’s fiftieth anniversary (1903), and photostatic copies of an unidentified Civil War-era diary and the Pierson family. The I.W.W. pamphlet represents the cause of Joseph H. Downer and Daniel Atcheff, who were arrested for criminal syndicalism by Flint police during a labor rally. The I.W.W. argued that both men preached non-violence as the path forward for labor. Articles from the Flint Journal reported that both men had advocated for violence. The Flint Journal also spelled Atcheff’s last name as Acheff. The fiftieth anniversary program for First Baptist Church provides the names of prominent members and a timeline of the church’s first year, 1853. The diary was written in 1865 by an unidentified Union soldier who served in Tennessee and later Washington, D.C. From the entries, he may have been present for the Hampton Roads Conference and while never seeing Abraham Lincoln did catch sight of the three Confederate commissioners who attended.

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 collection is housed in acid-free folders that were placed inside a legal-length full Hollinger box. Paper is the predominant media. The I.W.W. pamphlet is clay-coated paper. The book is a hardcover.

The overall condition of the collection is good. The spine of the book remains in excellent condition. Its pages have yellowed faintly but remain free of creases or tears or of being brittle. The I.W.W. pamphlet had dirt embedded on its pages but shows no significant tears or brittleness. The photostatic copies are stiff, as photostats generally are, but remain free of visible problems. The programs from First Baptist Church have yellowed and have tears. They are some brittle along creases. The program from Stone’s Opera House is very brittle and has tears along its edges. It also flakes if handled without proper care.

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

• English

A downloadable PDF finding aid is available.

David Smale donated the records at some point in 1964. Roger Van Bolt received them. The accession record lacks information revealing how Smale acquired or assembled the collection.

Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd edition

Jonathan Kirkwood, Archivist
May 2, 2022, PastPerfect

Jonathan Kirkwood, Archivist
March 28, 2024, Access to Memory