1860-1899 and undated, with related papers to 1904
Introduction:
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
These papers document George A. Boardman's work as an ornithologist, and consist primarily of incoming correspondence to Boardman from naturalists, including Spencer
F. Baird, Joel Asaph Allen, Thomas Mayo Brewer, Elliott Coues, Henry Eeles Dresser, Daniel Giraud Elliot, Robert Ridgway, Addison Emery Verrill, and William Wood. Small amounts
of outgoing correspondence are included and are noted in the folder list. Also included is correspondence documenting the deposit of the Boardman papers in the Smithsonian
Institution. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Historical Note:
George A. Boardman (1818-1901) was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He moved to Calais, Maine, with his family in 1828, and lived there for the remainder of his
life. Boardman owned a lumber business for over 30 years, retiring in 1871. An amateur ornithologist, Boardman was acquainted with many prominent naturalists and corresponded
extensively with Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution. After his retirement from business, Boardman spent his winters in Florida collecting specimens, many of which
were donated to the United States National Museum. His primary contribution to ornithological literature was the "Catalogue of the Birds Found in the Vicinity of Calais, ME.,
and about the Islands at the Mouth of the Bay of Fundy" which appeared in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History in 1862.