Archdiocese of Detroit Collection

Fonds

Identifier: DET

Staff Only

Scope and Content

Correspondence of Rev. Gabriel Richard, co-founder and vice-president of the University of Michigan and U.S. Representative from Michigan; of Frederic Baraga, missionary to the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan and later bishop of Marquette, Michigan; and of Bishops Frederic Résé, Peter Paul Lefevre, and Caspar Henry Borgess.

Other correspondents include the missionary, Rev. Francis Xavier Pierz; the civic leader, Rev. Martin Kundig; Rev. Edward Sorin, founder of the University of Notre Dame; Indian chiefs and petitioners; priests of the diocese and members of the American hierarchy.

Also a baptismal and matrimonial register (1833-1841) of a missionary of Eastern Michigan, the Rev. Ghislain Boheme; book of clippings on the Huron Mission of Detroit (1733-1751); an Indian language prayer book (13 January 1820); an obituary register (1863-1865), possibly of Bertrand Cemetery; papers concerning St. Ann's Parish, Detroit; photostats of papers and correspondence of Gabriel Richard; transcriptions of letters from Frederic Baraga to his sister Amalia, photostats of his diary, and photostats of baptismal records of his mission at St. Joseph (1835-1854); letters from Edward Sorin to Bishop Lefevre; transcriptions of records of the American Fur Company (1835-1847); and clippings, photographs and pamphlets dealing mainly with the early history of Detroit.

Father Pierz's letters from this collection are included on a microfilm (one reel) of Pierz papers held by the Notre Dame Archives.

Calendared

Dates

1797-1870.

Language of Materials

English.

Conditions Governing Access

Contractual restrictions may apply.

Background

Established in 1833, the diocese included territory presently covered by the states of Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, and the parts of North and South Dakota east of the Mississippi. It became an archdiocese in 1937, with metropolitan authority over the Province of Michigan, including the Dioceses of Grand Rapids, Marquette, Lansing, and (in 1938) Saginaw.