The Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection (NASM.XXXX.0096) contains approximately 17 cubic feet of material comprised of the works of this early aviation historian and materials relating to his career and personal life. The collection includes original correspondence, photographs, published material, and various other media.
Scope and Contents:
The Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection (NASM.XXXX.0096) contains approximately 17 cubic feet of material comprised of the works of this early aviation historian and materials relating to his career and personal life. The collection includes original correspondence, photographs, published material, and various other media.
The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) received the bulk of these materials between 1955 and 1960. It should be noted however, that some materials have arrived in the collection with an uncertain provenance, having been found with the collection but possessing an aspect that throws doubt on their origin (such as clippings dated after the death of Jones). Other parts of the collection are believed to have originated with Jones but have arrived in NASM's collections from other sources. A small portion of the photographic materials have been moved into this collection from NASM's videodisc files, where they had been placed after being reproduced.
Note: The digital images in this finding aid were repurposed from scans made by an outside contractor for a commercial product and may show irregular cropping and orientation in addition to color variations resulting from damage to and deterioration of the original objects.
Arrangement note:
Some preliminary processing work had been done on this collection by 1997, but much of the material remained without obvious order. Original order, where identified, has been maintained.
Series in the collection are as follows:
Series I: Career of -- Ernest Jones -- and Personal Information
Series II: Organizations
Series III: Notebooks and Files for Chronology
Subseries 1: Notebooks
Subseries 2: Miscellaneous, Notes and Queries for Chronology
Subseries 3: Individual and Subject Files
Subseries 4: Bibliographies
Series IV: Photographs
Subseries 1: Set I
Subseries 2: Set II
Subseries 3: Miscellaneous Photography Files
Series V: Scrapbooks
Series VI: Oversized Materials
Biographical/Historical note:
Ernest La Rue Jones (1883-1955) contributed in a myriad of ways during his lifetime to recording and preserving the history of flight. His commitment to organizational and national service is evident in the innovation marking his involvement in each sphere. Jones's most ambitious work, a chronology of American aviation, is contained in this collection and represents the culmination of more than a half-century of research, editing, and authorship in the nascent field of aviation history.
Early glider flights at Morris Park, New York, established Ernest Jones's lifelong association with flight. He would soon become Secretary of the Aero Club of America (1906) and the editor of the first American aviation journal, Aeronautics (1907-1915). He was made President of the Aeronautics Manufacturers' Association in 1912 and was General Publicity Manager for the Wright-Martin Company in 1917.
The advent of World War I brought a commission in the Army Air Service that would result in his becoming Chief Information Officer for the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF). With the end of the War, Jones returned to civilian life, becoming editor of The National Aeronautical Review (1924-1926). In 1926, he began work for the Commerce Department and would be instrumental in organizing its aeronautical branch which would become the Civil Aeronautics Administration and later the Federal Aviation Administration.
At the 1928 National Air Races, Jones co-founded the Early Birds, an organization of pilots having the distinction of having soloed before 1916. He would act as Secretary for the group for the remainder of his life, also editing the organization's publication, Chirp.
The Second World War necessitated Jones's return to national service and he was assigned to the Historical Division of the Army Air Corps in 1943. Jones retired in 1949 and after his death in 1955 was interred in Arlington National Cemetery.
Throughout his lifetime, Ernest Jones pursued the completion of a comprehensive history of American aviation. This chronology (see Series III description), which remained unfinished at his death, is comprised of tales of flight in legend and literature followed by a vast number of detailed factual accounts of the history of lighter- and heavier-than-air flight. It is accompanied here by a rare and splendid collection of early aviation photography. Together, these form a fitting memorial to a man whose life was dedicated to the preservation of our nation's heritage of flight.
Separated Materials note:
Other materials: An airspeed computer from this collection was transferred to the National Air and Space Museum Space History Division.
Other materials: A sample of Wright Flyer fabric from this collection was transferred to the National Air and Space Museum Aeronautics Division.
Provenance:
Ernest Jones, gift, 1957, NASM.XXXX.0096.
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Hud Weeks, pilot and restorer of early aircraft, exchanged correspondence with many early aviators and possessed a strong interest in the career of the exhibition pilot Lincoln Beachey.
Scope and Contents:
This collection consists primarily of correspondence between E. D. "Hud" Weeks, a cosmetics manufacturer and aviation enthusiast from Des Moines, Iowa, and various aviation personalities and members of the Early Birds, a not-for-profit organization established in 1928 and composed of persons who had piloted an aircraft or airship prior to 17 December 1916. The collection also includes material gathered by Weeks on early aeronautical events, both in the US and abroad. Included within this collection are newspaper articles on Lincoln Beachey's life and tragic death, a great deal of photographs of the daring aeronaut and correspondence between Hud Weeks and former colleagues of Beachey's such as Art Mix and Warren Eaton.
Arrangement note:
The E.D. "Hud" Weeks Collection contains approximately one and a half cubic fee of material, including photographs, printed, typewritten, and handwritten material. It was donated to the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) in two installments in 1985 (accessions NASM.1985.0004 and NASM.1985.0006).
Original order of the materials, where identified, has been maintained.
Series in the collection are as follows:
I. I. Personal
II. II. Correspondence
III. III. Lincoln Beachey
IV. IV. Oversized Materials
Biographical/Historical note:
Evert D. "Hud" Weeks of Des Moines, Iowa, first learned to fly in 1930. It was an experience that would guide his future life. A cosmetics manufacturer by trade, Weeks devoted his spare time to the collection and restoration of antique aircraft and the recreation of pioneer aircraft. To further this avocation, Weeks entered into correspondence with many early aviators and fellow collectors. Several of these were Early Birds, members of an organization having the distinction of soloing before December 17, 1916. Weeks possessed a strong interest in the career of the exhibition pilot, Lincoln Beachey.
Provenance:
E. D. "Hud" Weeks, gift, 1985, NASM.1985.0004
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests.
Collection Citation:
Ernest Jones Aeronautical Collection, NASM.XXXX.0096, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution.
