Research Guides: Southeast Asian Studies: Philippine History Collection, University of Michigan Special Collections

Philippine History Holdings, University of Michigan Special Collections

The University of Michigan was heavily involved in the expansion of the U.S. colonial regime in the Philippines. Several U-M faculty and students traveled to the Philippines through the late 19th and early 20th centuries to conduct their research, often taking home with them zoological, anthropological, and archeological materials, much of which were deposited with the university, creating one of the largest collections of Philippine-related material in the U.S. The U-M Libraries Special Collections houses the Philippine History Collection, composed primarily of the materials of Dean Conant Worcester, U-M assistant professor of zoology who served as a member of the United States Philippine Commission and secretary of the interior for the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands. There are two digitized collections, the Philippine Photographs Digital Archive, comprising over 2,100 photographs of the Philippines, and The United States and its Territories, 1870 - 1925: The Age of Imperialism, which is composed of documents from American governance in the Philippines (1898-1910). The William L. Clements library also houses several related collections pertaining to the Philippines, including the Revolutionary Philippines and Cuba Collection, as well as several series of correspondence between U.S. servicemen stationed in the Philippines in the mid-20th century. Recently, strides have been made to consider the repatriation of materials gained through colonial expansion and the building of connections with communities of origin in the Philippines, through the Reconnect/Recollect Project, led by U-M Professors Ricardo Punzalan (School of Information) and Deirdre de la Cruz (Anthropology and History).

Guides to Library Collections

Martial Law Materials at University of Michigan, Hatcher Library
This resource lists some of the newsletters, brochures, pamphlets, newspapers, and other publications available at Hatcher Library at the University of Michigan produced by organizations and individuals opposed to Martial Law in the Philippines . Much of this material is housed in the “Joseph A. Labadie Collection” in the Library’s Special Collections and Archives.
Philippine Newspapers on Microfilm and in Special Collections at Hatcher Library, University of Michigan
This guide lists Philippine newspapers on microfilm held in Hatcher Library and some of the newspapers available in the University’s Special Collections.

Finding Aids & Catalog Records

The Anti-Imperialist League Collection (1895-1928), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
This collection, compiled by Maria C. Lanzar-Carpio for use in researching her doctoral dissertation, consists of the papers of Erving Winslow, Secretary of the Anti-Imperialist League, and the papers of Herbert Welsh, vice president of the Anti-Imperialist League representing Philadelphia. These include the organization's record books and correspondence with League members, U.S. politicians, and the press.
Arthur Lowell Papers (1899-1901), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
This collection is composed of a series of letters written by Corporal Arthur J. Lowell, a soldier stationed in Luzon, to Iva Hutchinson between 1900-1901. Lowell writes of going into the mountains to "clear out insurectos," the number of dead and captured, the use of water torture on Filipino prisoners, eating bats, his plan to translate into English the history of the Philippines that had been written on shells, the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, and a continuous thread concerning when he would be returning home.
The David J. Steinberg Philippines Collection (1899-1995), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Archival and Manuscript Collections
David J. Steinberg was a professor of history at the University of Michigan. This collection contains research materials, both original documents and photocopies, which pertain to his career in the study of Southeast Asia and the Philippines. Materials include personal correspondence, government documents, research materials, typescripts, and photographs.
Everett E. Thompson Collection (1900-1930), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
This collection contains material related to American missionary and civil servant Everett E. Thompson and includes correspondence and extensive photographs from Thompson's time in Southeast Asia. Photographs document Thompson's travel to different islands in the Philippines, missionary and American life there, and Thompson's travel between San Francisco, Honolulu, the Philippines, Singapore, and Myanmar.
H. H. Bartlett Papers (1900-1931), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
Harley Harris Bartlett was a University of Michigan botanist who conducted field research in Sumatra, Haiti, Taiwan, the Philippines, and across South America. The collection is comprised of 20 folders of print and manuscript material related to the Southern Philippines in the early twentieth century, including the Philippine-American War and the Moro Rebellion.
John J. Pershing Papers (1902-1903), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
This series includes two typed reports by General John J. Pershing on his expeditions in the Philippines. The first is of an expedition along the West shore of Lake Lanao from Camp Vicars to Marshui (May 15, 1903). The second is a typed report on an earlier expedition along Lake Lanao on Febuary 20, 1902.
John L. Schock Papers (1904-1962),
The John L. Schock Papers document Schock's military service, imprisonment, and his death in the Philippines during WWII. The collection includes personal documents, educational records, and professional achievements from childhood to adulthood.
Luke Wright Papers (1883-1911), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
The Philippines series of this collection consists of correspondence, documents, clippings and photographs. The majority of correspondence consists of incoming and outgoing letters to Wright with the bulk of letters dating from 1900-1905. The documents sub-series include field reports from various civil government servants in areas outside of Manila. Clippings include an undated supplement from the Manila Times Newspaper. In the photographs sub-series a photograph of the three Philippines Commissioners Luke Wright, William Taft and Henry Ide is included along with two albums of photographs of various events and places in the Philippines.
Philippine-American War in Leyte and Samar (1878-1930), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
This collection contains material related to the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. The first series is related to the American captain Harry Dey and includes records of battles and skirmishes, quotidien life for American troops in San Francisco and in the Philippines, promotions, roll-calls, maps, a number of photographs, and other material. The second series is the Leyte and Samar Revolutionary Papers, which contain correspondence, records, certificates, and other material from Filipino forces.
Philippine History Collection, University of Michigan Special Collections
Please visit this resource for a fuller explanation of the context and contents of the Worcester Collection, and a full list of finding aids, catalog records, and digital repositories from the collection.
Philippine History Small Manuscripts Collection (1619-1962), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
The Philippine History Small Manuscripts Collection consists of 27 individual manuscripts related to the history of the Philippines. The collection includes correspondence, books, diaries, photographs, and microfilm gathered from various sources covering a wide chronological span, from the 17th century through the mid-20th century, with the bulk of the material related to the U.S. occupation of the Philippines from the Spanish-American War (1898) through World War II (1939-1945).
Philippines Propaganda Poster Collection (1950-1969), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
After gaining independence from the United States in 1946, the new Philippine Republic faced ongoing resistance and rebellion from the Philippine Communist Party (PKP) and the Hukbalahap, an peasant guerrilla army. The posters in this collection were created in the early 1950s in an effort to counter Communist rhetoric and encourage national unity.
Reconnect/Recollect Project
In addition to exploring possibilities for repatriation of materials in the Worcester Collection, the Reconnect/Recollect Project website also a hosts an exhaustive list of all Philippine-related materials held by U-M libraries, archives, and museums.
Tiffany Bernard Williams Papers (1893-1986), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections Research Center
The Papers series consists of Williams's reminiscences of his experiences as a military officer in the Philippine Constabulary stationed in the mountain district of North Central Luzon. The Papers also include documents military memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and a large collection of photos, chiefly depicting military camps and native inhabitants of Luzon. The second half of the collection is comprised of Williams's photographs, all have been digitized with links available.
Worcester's Philippine Collection, Clippings (1899-1914), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections
This series consists of mounted clippings, collected by Dean C. Worcester, member of the Philippine Commission and Secretary of the Interior of the Philippines. Includes also a few typewritten copies of newspaper articles, an article by Worcester, and some letters.
Worcester's Philippine Collection, Documents and Papers (1834-1915), University of Michigan Libraries Special Collections
This series consists of manuscript and typewritten correspondence, clippings, documents and articles collected by Dean C. Worcester, member of the Philippine Commission and Secretary of the Interior of the Philippines. Some volumes include indexes to the contents.

Last Updated: Nov 20, 2024 3:30 PM

Subjects: International Studies

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