during the Home Coming Celebration. He added that this was the sixth public monument erected to a woman in the United States. It was expected that Will Carleton a Michigan poet would deliver the address. Mrs. Mary E. Bascom Henry of Albion, in behalf of Mrs. Belle Gardner Gale of Albion, presented a small framed photograph of her father, Mr. A. D. Gardner. Mr. Jewell of Pontiac, gave a brief account of the Oakland County Pioneer Society, and two attempts to get on a permanent financial basis which had resulted in securing cases for records, proper room for them in the new court-house and a small fund for future use. He said the maintenance of the society formerly depended entirely on the women. He gave a cordial invitation to attend their coming meeting. The nominating committee recommended the following officers who were unanimously elected by the Society: C. M. Burton, Detroit, president. B. F. Davis, Lansing, treasurer. COMMITTEE OF HISTORIANS Junius E. Beal, Ann Arbor. Frank O'Brien, Kalamazoo. Edwin O. Wood, Flint. Joseph H. Steere, Sault Ste. Marie. COLLECTOR Florence S. Babbitt, Ypsilanti. BOARD OF TRUSTEES Lawton T. Hemans, Mason. J. V. Barry, Lansing. Joseph Greusel, Detroit. Mr. Greusel read a paper and letter from Hon. Thomas W. Palmer, regarding his reminiscences of Rev. D. M. Cooper of Detroit, a member of this society recently deceased. Mr. John Atkinson of Detroit sang four Indian songs by Cadman. Mr. W. V. Smith gave an address on the "Aborigines of Michigan." Mrs. Ellen B. Judson then read a paper on "The Great Railroad Conspiracy," prepared by P. S. Richards, Cohoctah. Mr. Atkinson followed with a vocal solo, "As in a Rose Jar," and for an encore repeated, by request, the Indian songs. Mrs. Babbitt gave a paper on "Samplers," exhibiting several in her own possession, some belonging to the Society, and others loaned for the occasion. At the conclusion of the article Mr. Burton, on behalf of Mr. F. M. Cowles, presented Mrs. Babbitt with a very beautiful bouquet. In response, she said she was very much surprised, but managed to collect herself to explain that it had been a custom of Mr. Cowles, at the meetings of both the Ingham County and State societies, to present a bouquet to some lady, generally the oldest one present. Last year at Mason she begged for the flowers, but Mr. Cowles replied they were intended for a handsomer woman. She was very glad to know she had improved in looks sufficiently to receive the bouquet, and it was more appreciated from the fact she did not often have bouquets thrown at her. She would accept the honor conferred on her in the following stanza : "The world is filled with flowers, For you, and you, and you.” Mr. Burton called attention to the picture of Miss Emily Ward displayed in front of the desk, and said he regarded her as one of the grandest and best women in Michigan for her time. While she never married she had brought up seventeen boys, and he and others present mentioned several of these who attained state and even national reputations. This picture was presented by Mrs. George Jones on behalf of the Woman's Club of Marine City. Mr. Finney said Michigan was entitled to two statues at the base of a monument in Washington, D. C., the first, and only one so far, being that of Gen. Cass. He recommended that a resolution be sent to the next legislature naming the man to be thus honored to secure such a statue. Mr. Burton named as such committee to draft resolutions Mr. Finney, Judge Cahill, and Joseph Greusel. Mr. Atkinson sang "A Man's Song," and responded with a solo "Some Day." The paper on the Hyde Family was not read, owing to the absence of the author, but appears in these collections. Mr. Burton then read a very comprehensive and researchful paper on "Early Amusements in Detroit." The evening session was opened by a solo by Mr. Atkinson, "All Through the Night," and a second song by request. Mr. George Howe of Port Huron gave a report of the pioneer meetings held in St. Clair County. Rev. Jenkins Lloyd Jones prefaced his address by saying the boundaries of Michigan were all that prevented his being already a Mich igan citizen by law, as he was one of us in spirit. He came to Illinois when one year of age, and brought his parents with him. He was gratified at such successful attempts to conserve history, and had become ancient history himself, he felt, at times. He selected Francis Parkman for his theme on account of the man and of his great and marvelous work for Michigan and the old Northwest. By request, Mr. Atkinson repeated the Indian songs. Mr. Charles Moore then gave a very complete biography of the life and work of James McMillan, United States Senator from Michigan. Mr. Atkinson sang, "Thy Sentinel Am I," and Rev. Dr. Haze, ninetythree years of age, closed the meeting with a benediction. The flowers which decorated the room were generously presented by the Michigan Agricultural College, and the School for the Blind. memorial bouquet of peonies was sent by Mrs. Susie Stark for her father, C. B. Stebbins, a very helpful and interested member in former years. REPORT OF SECRETARY H. R. PATTENGILL, 1909 The Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society was organized in 1874. The roster contains the names of those most prominent in State matters at that time. Papers read at the annual meetings were too valuable to be lost, so a small sum was obtained from the legislature to publish them. A yearly book has since been issued, making, in 1910, thirty-six published volumes, and two of cumulative index, thirty-eight in all. Books were scarce in the early days and libraries few. In order to bring the importance of the history of the State more generally before the people, it was voted, June 2, 1896, to allow each school library, having twenty-five volumes, not including State and public reports, to have a set of these books for the cost of transportation. The number required was afterwards increased to fifty and again to one hundred volumes. The school libraries of the State now number 5,500; we only issue 2,500 books annually. You can readily see we are confronted with a problem. For this reason the board again raised the number of volumes required to 500 volumes. This free distribution of the books resulted in 1907 in fourteen volumes being out of print. A new index for six volumes was made by Mrs. M. B. Ferrey and all the matter revised and corrected by the editors. Since three more have been completed and one is under way. This greatly increased the work in the office, with no additional help. The historical societies of the United States, public, college, and high school libraries have generally completed their sets, even to the extent of buying the missing volumes if they had been once received. There are now upwards of 1,500 schools in receipt of these collections. Of the rural schools, fully one-third if not one-half, have not sent for the second supply of books. Many of these schools have no place for a library and in some cases they have been kept in private houses. The teachers change so often that no settled policy can be established, and so oftentimes little has been done with the books compared with what might be the result. We have, therefore, instead of distributing the books as asked for turned our attention towards completing the sets where they have been placed and investigating the claims of new applicants. There is no other historical society in the United States that is doing so much work with so little money. We assure you we are doing our best to improve the work of the Society, but must ask your patience until more help and better conditions enable us to investigate applications or fill orders. NEW MEMBERS Mrs. Katherine Criswell, Cassopolis; Mrs. Edith G. Munger, Hart; Mrs. Maude Willetts Reed, Detroit; Dr. Joseph W. Mauck, Hillsdale College; Mrs. Renee Louise Tompkins Hamilton (Mrs. Barritt), Battle Creek; George Curtis Langdon, Geneva, N. Y.; C. E. Bement, Lansing; Francis H. Rankin, Flint; Mrs. Jennie Lind Pond, Lansing; Mrs. Ellen Amanda Cook Cronks, Flint; Mrs. Hannah Elizabeth Countryman, Flint; Rev. Seth Reed, Flint; Mrs. Rebecca Folger Crapo Durant, Flint; Mrs. Gertrude Amelia Bates, Flint; Edmund Piper Calkins, Flint; Rev. Father Timothy J. Murphy, Flint; Mrs. Harriet Begole, gift, Flint; Mrs. Mary Begole Cummings, Flint; William Lee Jenks, Port Huron; Mrs. Sophia Bingham Buchanan, Grand Rapids; Mrs. Wenona Austin Gregory Waters, Owosso; Miss Lena Estelle Gregory, Owosso; Horace Major Olney, Hartford; Eugene Frank Cooley, Lansing; Mrs. Helen B. Fuller, Lansing; Hon. Walter Rose Taylor, Kalamazoo; Joseph S. Stockwell, Pontiac; Joshua W. Bird, Pontiac; Mrs. James Appleyard, Lansing; William H. Anderson, Grand Rapids; Mrs. Emily R. Johnson, Lansing; Isaac Nelson Woolcott, Lansing; Mrs. Bessie A. Rowe McPherson, Lansing; Mrs. Francis McQuigg Stewart, Flint. DEATHS. The deaths reported for the fiscal year of 1909 were as follows: David B. Hale, Eaton Rapids pioneer, father of Representative Hale; William A. Heartt, prominent Tuscola settler; Charles S. Williams of Owosso, son of one of the well-known Michigan pioneers, the four Williams brothers; Alanson Pearsall, formerly of Lansing whose death occurred in Oregon; N. Augustus Parker, Frankfort, a well-known lawyer, greatly interested in educational and historical matters; Dwight Goss, author of History of Grand Rapids and a valued contributor to these Collections, who died at Palo Alto, California, whither he had gone in pursuit of health; Sheridan J. Colby, Detroit representative in the legislature and father of the bill for Primary Election; George H. Cannon of Washington, Macomb County, one of the pioneer surveyors of Michigan whose paper before the Society resulted in the appointment of National Commissioners to regain Michigan's lost territory from Wisconsin; James A. Case of Alpena, a faithful school commissioner; John O. Woolson, Bay City; Mrs. Agnes L. Averell, Bay City; G. M. Pettys, Grand Rapids; Mrs. W. H. Harrison, wife of a devoted member of this Society who always in response to the annual program sent a small check showing a practical interest in our work; Mrs. L. B. McGee, an old resident of Albion who died at the Dulcinia Home at Marshall, Michigan; Mr. Perine V. Fox, who with Mr. George W. Thayer were regular attendants at our annual meetings; Hon. C. E. Foote, of Kalamazoo, commander of the G. A. R.'s; Friend Palmer of Detroit, who served faithfully in the Civil War and whose volume of Reminiscences of Early Detroit are included in Michigan libraries; H. W. Bartlett who conducted one of Lansing's early Business Colleges; Mrs. Nancy Carey, a sketch of whose life appears in this series. |