Search Results

Names:

Geological Survey (U.S.)  Search this

Depicted:

Chittenden, George B.  Search this

Hayden, F. V. (Ferdinand Vandeveer), 1829-1887  Search this

Holmes, William Henry, 1846-1933  Search this

Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942  Search this

Ladd, Story B. (Story Butler), 1851-1933  Search this

Extent:

6 Mounted prints

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Mounted prints

Photographs

Date:

mid-20th century

Scope and Contents note:

Mounted photographs, probably from a small exhibit relating to Ferdinand V. Hayden's surveys, 1872-1874. The collection includes copies of photographs and drawings depicting Hayden in 1872, Hayden and his assistants in 1874, Hayden's assistants in 1924, the entire survey party at Yellowstone, and a cliff house photographed during the surveys. The collection includes one photograph made by William Henry Jackson.

Biographical/Historical note:

Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829-1887) was a physician and geologist best known for his expeditions and geological surveys of the late 19th century. After the American Civil War, Hayden joined the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories (now the US Geological Surveys) and led the first congressionally-authorized explorations into the geology of the western territories. After receiving appropriations in 1867-1869 for exploration in Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado, Hayden presented a plan to Congress that outlined geological and geographical exploration and the creation of territorial maps. In 1871, Hayden led a geological survey into the Yellowstone area, during which photographer William Henry Jackson and painter Thomas Moran produced landscape artwork. As the geologist-in-charge of the USGS, Hayden was accompanied by his assistants, Jackson, William Henry Holmes, George Benjamin Chittenden, and Story B. Ladd.

Local Call Number(s):

NAA Photo Lot 73-43A

Location of Other Archival Materials:

Additional Hayden survey photographs in the National Anthropological Archives are held in Photo Lot 4605, Photo Lot 4420, Photo Lot 90-1, Photo Lot R79, and Photo Lot 95-20, as well as in the Smithsonian Institution Archives and the USGS Photo Library.

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Access to the collection requires an appointment.

Rights:

Contact the repository for terms of use.

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Citation:

Photo Lot 73-43A, Photographs from an exhibit relating to the Hayden Surveys, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution.

Identifier:

NAA.PhotoLot.73-43A

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-photolot-73-43a

Collector:

Barry, J. Neilson (John Neilson), 1870-1961  Search this

Extent:

8 Maps

Culture:

American Indian -- Northwest Coast  Search this

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Maps

Date:

early 19th century

Scope and Contents:

These maps accompanied the Barry letters in Manuscript 4350-a.Some are Indian maps, or copies of Indian maps. Some of them are connected with Lewis and Clark is a map by William Clark of "tracks across the western portion of the United States."

Local Numbers:

NAA MS 4350-b

Local Note:

The maps are filed in a roll and placed in map cases.

Topic:

Expeditions -- Lewis and Clarke  Search this

Oregon  Search this

Genre/Form:

Maps

Citation:

Manuscript 4350-b, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Identifier:

NAA.MS4350B

Archival Repository:

National Anthropological Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-naa-ms4350b

Creator:

Hutchins, Stilson, 1838-1912  Search this

Former owner:

Eustis, William Corcoran Mrs  Search this

Carter, George C.  Search this

Carter, George C. Jr  Search this

Owner:

National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States  Search this

Collection Creator:

Garden Club of America  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Oatlands Plantation (Leesburg, Virginia)

United States of America -- Virginia -- Loudoun County -- Leesburg

Scope and Contents:

Folder includes work sheets, brochures, garden map, landscape plan since 1965, photo prints, and copies of articles.

General:

George Carter, great-grandson of Robert "King" Carter built the three-story mansion and developed the land as an agricultural plantation shortly after the turn of the 19th century. The Eustises, former owners, renovated the mansion and restored the walled gardens. They extended the terraces, added a boxwood walk, and built a tea house and reflecting pool. In 1965, the Eustis daughters presented the National Trust with the 261-acre estate. The estate became a National Historic Landmark in 1972. A restoration effort began in 1980s to return the gardens to Mrs. Eustis's plans in the early 1900s. The mansion and gardens are now open to the public.

Persons associated with the property include: George Carter (former owner, 1798-); George C. Carter, Jr. (former owner, ?-1897); Stilton Hutchins (1897-1902); William Corcoran Eustis (former owner, 1902-1965); Mrs. Eustis Emmet and Mrs. David Findley (former owners, 1964); National Trust for Historic Preservation (owner, 1965-present); George Carter (constructed terraces and orangerie, early 1880s); Mrs. Custis Eustis (designer of flower beds and rose garden and extended boxwood parterre); and Alredo Francesco Siani (horticulturist, 1982-?).

Related Materials:

Oatlands Plantation related holdings consist of 1 folder (22 35 mm. slides and 44 glass lantern slides)

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.

Topic:

Gardens -- Virginia -- Leesburg  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.

Identifier:

AAG.GCA, File VA018

See more items in:

The Garden Club of America collection

The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Virginia

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-gca-ref18836

Creator:

Smith, Myron Bement, 1897-1970  Search this

Source:

Blake, Marion Elizabeth  Search this

Names:

Aga-Oglu, Mehmet, 1896-1949  Search this

Ettinghausen, Richard  Search this

Field, Henry  Search this

Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948  Search this

Kuban, Dogan  Search this

Moe, Henry Allen  Search this

Pope, Arthur Upham, 1881-1969  Search this

Former owner:

Blake, Marion Elizabeth  Search this

Extent:

192 Linear feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Date:

circa 1910-1970

Summary:

The Myron Bement Smith collection consists of two parts, the papers of Myron Bement Smith and his wife Katharine and the Islamic Archives. It contains substantial material about his field research in Italy in the 1920s and his years working on Islamic architecture in Iran in the 1930s. Letters describe the milieu in which he operated in Rochester NY and New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s; the Smiths' life in Iran from 1933 to 1937; and the extensive network of academic and social contacts that Myron and Katharine developed and maintained over his lifetime. The Islamic Archives was a project to which Smith devoted most of his professional life. It includes both original materials, such as his photographs and notes, and items acquired by him from other scholars or experts on Islamic art and architecture. Smith intended the Archives to serve as a resource for scholars interested in the architecture and art of the entire Islamic world although he also included some materials about non-Islamic architecture.

Scope and Contents:

The Myron Bement Smith Collection consists of two parts, the papers of Myron Bement Smith and his wife Katharine and the Islamic Archives. The papers include some biographic material about Myron but little about his wife. Information on his academic and professional experience is sketchy and his diaries and appointment books often contain only sporadic entries. The papers contain substantial material about his field research in Italy in the 1920s and his years working on Islamic architecture in Iran in the 1930s. Correspondence comprises the largest and most potentially useful part of the papers. Letters describe the milieu in which he operated in Rochester, NY and New York City in the 1920s and early 1930s; the Smiths' life in Iran from 1933 to 1937; and the extensive network of academic and social contacts that Myron and Katharine developed and maintained over his lifetime.

The Islamic Archives, formally entitled The Archive for Islamic Culture and Art, was a project to which Smith devoted most of his professional life. It includes both original materials, such as his photographs and notes, and items acquired by him from other scholars or experts on Islamic art and architecture. Most of the latter consists of photographs and slides. Smith intended the Archives to serve as a resource for scholars interested in the architecture and art of the entire Islamic world although he also included some materials about non-Islamic architecture. The core collection of the Archives consists of Smith's original photographs and architectural sketches of Iranian Islamic monuments made during his field research in the 1930s. He meticulously photographed the interior and exterior of monuments, including their decorative detail. Some of the photographic materials subsequently loaned, purchased, or donated to the Archives may enable scholars to document sites over time but in many cases the materials are poorly preserved or reproduced. A notable exception to this is the glassplate negatives and prints of 19th century Iranian photographer Antoin Sevruguin.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into 2 major series with further subseries. A third series inventories the outsized and miscellaneous materials.

Series 1: Papers

Subseries 1.1: Biographic Materials

Subseries 1.2: Professional Experience

Subseries 1.3: Notebooks, Journals and Appointment Books

Subseries 1.4: Correspondence

Subseries 1.5: Published and Unpublished Materials

Subseries 1.6: Italy Research 1925, 1927-1928

Subseries 1.7: Iran Research 1933-1937

Subseries 1.8: Katharine Dennis Smith Papers and Correspondence

Series 2: The Islamic Archives

Subseries 2.1: Islamic Archives History, Collection Information

Subseries 2.2: Resource Materials Iran

Subseries 2.3: Resource Materials Other Islamic World and General

Subseries 2.4: Myron Bement Smith Architectural Sketches, Plans and Notes, Iran, 1933-1937

Subseries 2.5: Myron Bement Smith Iran Photographs, Notebooks and Negative Registers

Subseries 2.6: Country Photograph File

Subseries 2.7: Lantern Slide Collection

Subseries 2.8: Myron Bement Smith 35 mm Color Slides

Subseries 2.9: Country 35 mm Color Slide File

Subseries 2.10: Myron Bement Smith Negatives

Subseries 2.11: Country Photograph Negatives

Subseries 2.12: Antoin Sevruguin Photographs

Series 3: Outsize and Miscellaneous Items

Subseries 3.1: Map Case Drawers

Subseries 3.2: Rolled Items

Subseries 3.3 Items in Freezer

Subseries 3.4 Smithsonian Copy Negatives

Biographical Note:

Myron Bement Smith was born in Newark Valley, New York in 1897 and grew up in Rochester, New York. He died in Washington D.C. in 1970. He showed an early interest in drawing, and after graduation from high school, he worked as a draftsman for a Rochester architect. He served in the US Army Medical Corps in France during World War I and on return again worked as an architectural draftsman. He studied at Yale University from 1922 to 1926, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During summer vacations, he worked as draftsman or designer for architectural firms in New York City. After graduation, he received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation grant and spent two years in Italy doing research on northern Italian brick and stone work. He used photography as an tool for his research and published several well-illustrated articles. On return he joined an architectural firm in Philadelphia and in 1931 became a registered architect in New York. He enrolled in Harvard University graduate school in 1929 pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree.

In April 1930, Smith was appointed Secretary of the newly created American Institute for Persian Art and Archaeology founded by Arthur Upham Pope and located in New York City. He had no prior academic or work experience in Islamic art or architecture, and his job entailed designing publications, arranging lectures, organizing exhibitions and fund raising. That summer he arranged an independent study course at Harvard University on Persian art and subsequently studied Persian language at Columbia University and attended graduate courses at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. His work and academic credentials enabled him to compete successfully for a research fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies in 1933 to study Iranian Islamic architecture.

Accompanied by his new bride Katharine Dennis, Smith left for Iran in 1933. They suffered a horrendous motor vehicle accident in Iraq en route and required a lengthy recuperation in Lebanon and Cyprus. The Smiths eventually arrived in Isfahan, Iran, where they established their "Expedition House," as Smith called it, in a rented faculty house at Stuart College. Smith's research consisted of meticulous photographic documentation of Islamic monuments and architectural sketches and drawings of many of them. He concentrated on the Isfahan area but also documented monuments elsewhere in Iran. Smith outfitted his station wagon as a combination camper and research vehicle in which he and his staff traveled widely. Katharine sometimes traveled with him but generally she remained in Isfahan managing the household and logistics for the "expedition." The Smiths left Iran in 1937.

Smith published several articles about Iran's Islamic monuments based on his field research and in 1947 completed his PhD thesis for The Johns Hopkins University on the vault in Persian architecture. His professional career from 1938 until his death in 1970 consisted of a series of temporary academic positions, contract work and government or academic sponsored lecture tours and photographic exhibits. He had a long lasting relationship with the Library of Congress where he served as an Honorary Consultant from 1938 to 1940 and again from 1948 to 1970; from 1943 to 1944 he was Chief of the Iranian Section at the Library. Despite his lack of published material, Smith was well-known among academic, government and private citizens who worked, traveled or were otherwise interested Iran and the Islamic world.

Smith developed an extensive network of professional and social contacts that dated from his early student days and increased markedly during his time at the Persian Institute and later in Iran. He kept in touch with them and they touted him to others who were interested in Iran or Islamic art and architecture. This network served him well in realizing his ambition of creating a resource for scholars that relied on photographs to document Islamic architecture. The Islamic Archives began with his own collection of photographs from his Iran research and grew to include all manner of photographic and other materials not only on the Islamic world but also other areas. Creating and managing the Archives became the main focus of Smith's professional life and career. In 1967 he received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to revise his PhD thesis as a publishable manuscript but died before he could complete it.

Related Materials:

The Antoin Sevruguin Photgraphs

Ernst Herzfeld Papers

Lionel B. Bier Drawings

Lionel D. Bier and Carol Bier Photographs

Provenance:

Gift of Myron Bement Smith

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Islamic architecture  Search this

Islamic Architecture-Turkey  Search this

Iran-description and travel  Search this

Iran-History 20th Century  Search this

Islamic Architecture-Middle East  Search this

Iran-social life and customs  Search this

United States-Social life and customs  Search this

Mosques  Search this

Architecture -- Iran  Search this

Citation:

The Myron Bement Smith Collection. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Identifier:

FSA.A.04

See more items in:

Myron Bement Smith Collection

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a-04

Former owner:

Webster, Charles D., d. 1998,  Search this

Webster, Natalie Peters  Search this

Landscape architect:

Weber, Nelva M.  Search this

Collection Creator:

Adams, Molly, 1918-2003  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Place:

Twyford (Islip, New York)

United States of America -- New York -- Suffolk County -- Islip

Scope and Contents:

The folders include work sheets, a 1963 description of the garden by Charles D. Webster, a garden plan, a map of the area, and a copy of an article about the property.

General:

Twyford was the home of Charles D. and Natalie Peters Webster on the south shore of Long Island. Although the entire property encompassed nearly 200 acres, the gardens, house, and outbuildings were confined to 10 acres, which in turn was part of a 30-acre tract of open fields, marshland, and woods. The Websters began gardening in 1936, when they moved to the late 19th-century house. Formal beds and paths and other designs were complemented by a greenhouse, potting house and tool shed, and an octagonal lathhouse. Other features included a swimming pool, extensive borders and planting of broad-leaved evergreens, lawns, a waterfowl pool, and a farmyard. The property was given by the Websters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1968 (with life tenancy). The house and other buildings were demolished in 2002 despite the efforts of several preservation groups to save them.

Persons and organizations associated with the property include: Charles D. Webster (former owner, d. 1998); Natalie Peters Webster (former owner); and Nelva M. Weber (landscape architect, c. 1960-1973).

Related Materials:

Twyford related holdings consist of 2 folders (18 35 mm. slides; 2 120 mm. slides; 29 photoprints; 143 negatives)

See others in:

Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].

Collection Restrictions:

Access to original images by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.

Collection Rights:

Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens.

Topic:

Gardens -- New York -- Islip  Search this

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Maida Babson Adams American garden collection.

Identifier:

AAG.ADM, File NY299

See more items in:

Maida Babson Adams American garden collection

Maida Babson Adams American garden collection / Series 1: Garden Images / New York

Archival Repository:

Archives of American Gardens

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-aag-adm-ref1333

Photographer:

Abdullah Mirza Qajar, 1850-1909  Search this

Extent:

2 photograph albums (black and white photographic prints)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photograph albums

Photographic prints

Photographs

Place:

Iran

Tehran (Iran)

Date:

undated

Scope and Contents:

Two albums: Album No. 1 contains 65 nineteenth century albumen photographs of medium size, the largest measuring 16.4 x 23.5 cm. Album No. 2 contains 44 albumen photographs of larger size, the largest measuring 20.9 x 26.6 cm. The photographs appear to be largely of the same vintage, possibly as early as the 1860s, although some may date ten years later. Subject range includes landscapes, palaces, ethnic groups and individual portraits. The smaller album is bound in green tinted leather; the larger is bound in bright green velvet.

Arrangement:

Two separate albums.

Biographical / Historical:

Abdullah Mirza Qajar was the son of Jahangir Mirza Qajar. He was born in 1266 lunar calendar year (1850 CE). He had 2 brothers and 3 sisters. He was the father of four children: three daughters and one son. Abdullah studied at Dar-ol-Fonoon, a polytechnic school, during the reign of Nasereddin Shah. He then went on to study in Paris around 1295 lunar year (1878 CE). After one and a half years in Paris, he went on to Vienna and was shortly sent to study in Salzburg. He was in Salzburg for just over three years. During these years, he described in his writings about the techniques he learned. These included zincography, phototypy, photolithography and galvanoplastic. After these studies, he returned to Vienna and began his journey back to Tehran. Initially upon his return, he worked on printing maps of Ahvaz and other towns, which he presented to the court. His business in the printing field was not very successful, thus he focused his efforts on photography. His first works as photographer in the Qajar court date back to 1300 lunar year (1883 CE). He went on assignment to Khorasan, then in 1304 lunar (1887 CE) to Rey and Qom to photograph new buildings there. He also had assignments in many other areas, such as Tabriz, Kermanshah, Mashad and Kashan. During his years as court photographer, he also continued taking pictures at Dar-ol-Fonoon, of the students in uniform, and of other subjects. After Nasereddin Shah's death in 1314 lunar (1897 CE), he did not receive many orders and felt disappointed. Although his business suffered, he continued to work under Mozaffareddin Shah, who was quite fond of Abdullah. Mozaffareddin Shah took Abdullah as special photographer to Europe with him in 1317 and 1320 lunar year (1900 CE and 1903 CE). Abdullah Mirza was often written about during his time as a very well educated and well accomplished photographer. He died in 1326 lunar year(1909 CE).

Local Numbers:

FSA A2010.05

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.

Topic:

Iranians  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photograph albums -- 19th century

Photographic prints

Photographs -- 1850-1900

Citation:

Nafisi Family Photograph Albums of Qajar Iran, FSA.A2010.05. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. Gift of Azar Nafisi in honor of Massumeh Farhad, 2010.

Identifier:

FSA.A2010.05

See more items in:

Nafisi Family Photograph Albums of Qajar Iran

Archival Repository:

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-fsa-a2010-05

Collection Creator::

Smithsonian Institution. Office of Architectural History and Historic Preservation  Search this

Container:

Box 4 of 59

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 06-225, Smithsonian Institution. Office of Architectural History and Historic Preservation, Building Files

See more items in:

Building Files

Building Files / Box 4

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-fa06-225-refidd1e4188

Creator::

Goode, G. Brown (George Brown), 1851-1896  Search this

Extent:

15.43 cu. ft. (30 document boxes) (1 12x17 box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Signatures (names)

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Manuscripts

Black-and-white photographs

Date:

circa 1814-1897 and undated, with related materials to 1925

Introduction:

The bulk of the George Brown Goode Collection (Record Unit 7050) predates the establishment of the present-day Smithsonian Institution Archives. A small addition of autograph letters was received from the Division of Political History, National Museum of American History in 1983 under accession number 83-081.

Descriptive Entry:

The George Brown Goode Collection provides partial documentation of his professional career and personal life. The collection is strongest in documenting his research on fishes and fisheries. His administrative career at the United States National Museum, his theories on museums, and his historical research are documented to a lesser extent.

Goode's correspondence is found in three separate series. He assembled a large collection of autograph letters and signatures of scientists, government officials, diplomats, artists, literary figures, and socialites. The autograph collection represents a good part of Goode's official and professional correspondence since most of the letters were removed from his files. He also acquired letters and signatures of many historical figures. Series 2 consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to Goode's professional career. Included are letters documenting his activities in professional societies; his career at Wesleyan University; and his research on the history of science.

Incoming correspondence with several of the leading ichthyologists of the 19th century is a part of a large group of collected materials on fish and fisheries. Also included are voluminous notes, lists, manuscripts, statistics, news clippings, maps, and drawings relating to Goode's ichthyological research. Other records documenting Goode's work on fish and fisheries include publications, news clippings, memorabilia, and related materials collected during his service at the Great International Fisheries Exhibition in London in 1883; and manuscripts, drafts, and research data from his unpublished ichthyological bibliography.

The remainder of the collection consists of assembled materials relating to Goode's professional career and his personal life. Included are scrapbooks and notebooks maintained during his childhood, college days, and early career; biographical materials on Goode including obituaries, memorials, and news clippings; collected manuscripts, notes, photographs, and drawings relating to most aspects of his professional work; and an unpublished manuscript on the history of American science.

Goode's career at the USNM is thoroughly documented in several record units in the Smithsonian Archives. Researchers interested in his work as Assistant Director and Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum should consult Record Units 54, 112, and 189. Record Unit 54 also contains records concerning his work for the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Goode's role in international expositions can be examined in record unit 70.

Historical Note:

George Brown Goode (1851-1896), ichthyologist and museum administrator, was born in New Albany, Indiana. His childhood was spent in Anenia, New York, where he developed a strong interest in natural history. He entered Wesleyan University at Middletown, Connecticut, in 1866, and was graduated in 1870. In 1870, Goode was admitted to Harvard University for a year of post-graduate study under Louis Agassiz. The following year he received an invitation from Wesleyan to undertake the arrangement and direction of the newly established Judd Museum of Natural History. He retained his official connection with Wesleyan until 1877.

In 1872, Goode met Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and United States Fish Commissioner. Baird invited him to work as a volunteer collector for the United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries (USCFF). Goode accepted and became Baird's chief pupil and assistant. For the next several years, Goode spent his summers collecting fishes off the Atlantic coasts of Long Island, Florida, and Bermuda. In 1873, he was appointed Assistant Curator in the United States National Museum (USNM), a position he retained until 1877 when his title was changed to Curator. In 1881, when the new USNM building was completed, Goode was promoted to Assistant Director. On January 12, 1887, Goode was appointed Assistant Secretary in charge of the USNM and he remained the chief administrative officer of the Museum until his death in 1896.

Goode's primary scientific interest was ichthyology, and he published both scientific and popular works on fish and fisheries. After receiving an appointment at the USNM, Goode continued to work for the USCFF in various capacities. He acted as statistical expert for the Halifax Fishery Arbitration Commission, 1877-1878; chief of the Fisheries Division of the Tenth Census, 1879-1880; and United States Commissioner at the Fisheries Exhibitions in Berlin,1880, and in London, 1883. After the death of Spencer F. Baird in 1887, Goode assumed the position of Fish Commissioner until January, 1888.

Goode has been described as the father of the modern American museum. Through his administration of the USNM and writings on the subject, Goode served as a strong advocate of the role of museums in the education of the general public. Shortly after he was appointed Assistant Director in 1881, Goode issued Circular No. 1 of the National Museum, which set forth a comprehensive scheme of organization for the museum. He oversaw a period of tremendous growth at the USNM. Under his direction museum staff grew from thirteen to over 200 and specimens increased from two hundred thousand to over three million. Goode published several articles geared toward the museum professional including "Museum History and Museums of History," 1888; "Museums of the Future," 1890; and "Principles of Museum Administration," 1895.

A logical extension of Goode's talents was his service at many of the international expositions held during the latter part of the nineteenth century. In fact, Goode's work designing the Smithsonian exhibits at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 helped to plant the ideas that would blossom in his organization of the USNM in the early 1880s. Goode is generally credited with applying museum theories to expositions and helping to " . . . widen their scope from the merely commercial and industrial to the educational and scientific."

Goode was also a historian, bibliographer, and genealogist. He studied the history of American science and produced several papers on the subject. These included "The Beginnings of Natural History in America," 1886; "The Beginnings of American Science: The Third Century," 1888; and "The Origin of the National Scientific and Educational Institutions of the United States," 1890. He also planned, edited, and wrote several chapters of the posthumously published "The Smithsonian Institution, 1846-1896: The History of Its First Half Century, 1897." He compiled bibliographies of several prominent naturalists, and his "Virginia Cousins," 1887, was considered a model genealogy.

In addition to the standard biographical memoirs, an excellent discussion of Goode and his work is found in Edward P. Alexander's "Museum Masters," 1984.

Chronology:

February 13, 1851 -- Born in New Albany, Indiana

1870 -- Graduated, Wesleyan University

1870-1871 -- Graduate work, Harvard University under Louis Agassiz

1871-1877 -- Curator of the Orange Judd Museum of Natural History, Wesleyan University

1872 -- Met Spencer F. Baird in Eastport, Maine

1872-1878 -- Made collections of Atlantic Coast fishes for U.S. Fish Commission

1873 -- Elected member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

1873-1878 -- Assistant Curator, U.S. National Museum

1876 -- Installed Smithsonian exhibits at the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia

1876 -- Published "Catalogue of the Fishes of the Bermudas"

1877 -- Employed by Department of State on statistical work for Halifax Commission

1877-1881 -- Curator, U.S. National Museum

1879 -- Published "Catalogue of the Collection to illustrate the Animal Resources and the Fisheries of the United States"

1879-1880 -- Directed U.S. Fish Commission survey of American fisheries for 10th census

1880 -- U.S. Commissioner, Berlin International Fisheries Exposition

1881 -- Issued Circular No. 1 of the U.S. National Museum

1881-1887 -- Assistant Director, U.S. National Museum

1883 -- U.S. Commissioner, Great International Fisheries Exposition, London

1883 -- Smithsonian representative, Southern Exposition, Louisville

1883 -- Published bibliography of Spencer F. Baird

1884 -- Smithsonian representative, Cincinnati Industrial Exposition

1885 -- Smithsonian representative, World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans

1886 -- President, Biological Society of Washington

1886 -- Published "The Beginnings of Natural History in America"

1887-1888 -- United States Fish Commissioner

1887-1896 -- Assistant Secretary, in charge of the U.S. National Museum

1888 -- Published "The Beginnings of American Science: The Third Century"

1888 -- Published "Museum History and Museums of History"

1888 -- Published "American Fishes. A Popular Treatise upon the Game and Food Fishes of North America"

1888 -- Member, National Academy of Sciences

1888 -- LL.D. degree, Wesleyan University

1890 -- Published "Museums of the Future"

1890 -- Published "The Origin of the National Scientific and Educational Institutions of the United States"

1891 -- Published bibliography of Charles Girard

1892 -- Published "Virginia Cousins," a genealogy of the Goode family

1892-1893 -- Commissioner General, Columbian Historical Exposition, Madrid

1893 -- President, Philosophical Society of Washington

1893-1894 -- Smithsonian representative, World's Columbian Exposition

1894-1896 -- President, District of Columbia Society of the Sons of the American Revolution

1895 -- Smithsonian representative, Cotton States and International Exposition, Atlanta

1895 -- Published "Principles of Museum Administration"

1895 -- Published "Oceanic Ichthyology" (with T.H. Bean)

1895 -- Published bibliography of Philip Lutley Sclater

September 6, 1896 -- Death at Washington, D.C.

Topic:

Ichthyology  Search this

Museums -- Administration  Search this

Genre/Form:

Signatures (names)

Diaries

Scrapbooks

Manuscripts

Black-and-white photographs

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7050, George Brown Goode Collection

Identifier:

Record Unit 7050

See more items in:

George Brown Goode Collection

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-sia-faru7050

Creator::

Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents  Search this

Extent:

8.70 cu. ft. (9 document boxes) (7 12x17 boxes) (1 16x20 box)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Manuscripts

Date:

1846-1995

Descriptive Entry:

These records are the official minutes of the Board. They are compiled at the direction of the Secretary of the Smithsonian, who is also secretary to the Board, after approval by the Regents' Executive Committee and by the Regents themselves. The minutes are edited, not a verbatim account of proceedings. For reasons unknown, there are no manuscript minutes for the period from 1857 through 1890; and researchers must rely on printed minutes published in the Annual Report of the Smithsonian Institution instead. Minutes are transferred regularly from the Secretary's Office to the Archives. Minutes less than 15 years old are closed to researchers. Indexes exist for the period from 1907 to 1946 and can be useful.

Historical Note:

The Smithsonian Institution was created by authority of an Act of Congress approved August 10, 1846. The Act entrusted direction of the Smithsonian to a body called the Establishment, composed of the President; the Vice President; the Chief Justice of the United States; the secretaries of State, War, Navy, Interior, and Agriculture; the Attorney General; and the Postmaster General. In fact, however, the Establishment last met in 1877, and control of the Smithsonian has always been exercised by its Board of Regents. The membership of the Regents consists of the Vice President and the Chief Justice of the United States; three members each of the Senate and House of Representatives; two citizens of the District of Columbia; and seven citizens of the several states, no two from the same state. (Prior to 1970 the category of Citizen Regents not residents of Washington consisted of four members). By custom the Chief Justice is Chancellor. The office was at first held by the Vice President. However, when Millard Fillmore succeeded to the presidency on the death of Zachary Taylor in 1851, Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney was chosen in his stead. The office has always been filled by the Chief Justice since that time.

The Regents of the Smithsonian have included distinguished Americans from many walks of life. Ex officio members (Vice President) have been: Spiro T. Agnew, Chester A. Arthur, Allen W. Barkley, John C. Breckenridge, George Bush, Schuyler Colfax, Calvin Coolidge, Charles Curtis, George M. Dallas, Charles G. Dawes, Charles W. Fairbanks, Millard Fillmore, Gerald R. Ford, John N. Garner, Hannibal Hamlin, Thomas A. Hendricks, Garret A. Hobart, Hubert H. Humphrey, Andrew Johnson, Lyndon B. Johnson, William R. King, Thomas R. Marshall, Walter F. Mondale, Levi P. Morton, Richard M. Nixon, Nelson A. Rockefeller, Theodore Roosevelt, James S. Sherman, Adlai E. Stevenson, Harry S. Truman, Henry A. Wallace, William A. Wheeler, Henry Wilson.

Ex officio members (Chief Justice) have been: Roger B. Taney, Salmon P. Chase, Nathan Clifford, Morrison R. Waite, Samuel F. Miller, Melville W. Fuller, Edward D. White, William Howard Taft, Charles Evans Hughes, Harlan F. Stone, Fred M. Vinson, Earl Warren, Warren E. Burger.

Regents on the part of the Senate have been: Clinton P. Anderson, Newton Booth, Sidney Breese, Lewis Cass, Robert Milledge Charlton, Bennet Champ Clark, Francis M. Cockrell, Shelby Moore Cullom, Garrett Davis, Jefferson Davis, George Franklin Edmunds, George Evans, Edwin J. Garn, Walter F. George, Barry Goldwater, George Gray, Hannibal Hamlin, Nathaniel Peter Hill, George Frisbie Hoar, Henry French Hollis, Henry M. Jackson, William Lindsay, Henry Cabot Lodge, Medill McCormick, James Murray Mason, Samuel Bell Maxey, Robert B. Morgan, Frank E. Moss, Claiborne Pell, George Wharton Pepper, David A. Reed, Leverett Saltonstall, Hugh Scott, Alexander H. Smith, Robert A. Taft, Lyman Trumbull, Wallace H. White, Jr., Robert Enoch Withers.

Regents on the part of the House of Representatives have included: Edward P. Boland, Frank T. Bow, William Campbell Breckenridge, Overton Brooks, Benjamin Butterworth, Clarence Cannon, Lucius Cartrell, Hiester Clymer, William Colcock, William P. Cole, Jr., Maurice Connolly, Silvio O. Conte, Edward E. Cox, Edward H. Crump, John Dalzell, Nathaniel Deering, Hugh A. Dinsmore, William English, John Farnsworth, Scott Ferris, Graham Fitch, James Garfield, Charles L. Gifford, T. Alan Goldsborough, Frank L. Greene, Gerry Hazleton, Benjamin Hill, Henry Hilliard, Ebenezer Hoar, William Hough, William M. Howard, Albert Johnson, Leroy Johnson, Joseph Johnston, Michael Kirwan, James T. Lloyd, Robert Luce, Robert McClelland, Samuel K. McConnell, Jr., George H. Mahon, George McCrary, Edward McPherson, James R. Mann, George Perkins Marsh, Norman Y. Mineta, A. J. Monteague, R. Walton Moore, Walter H. Newton, Robert Dale Owen, James Patterson, William Phelps, Luke Poland, John Van Schaick Lansing Pruyn, B. Carroll Reece, Ernest W. Roberts, Otho Robards Singleton, Frank Thompson, Jr., John M. Vorys, Hiram Warner, Joseph Wheeler.

Citizen Regents have been: David C. Acheson, Louis Agassiz, James B. Angell, Anne L. Armstrong, William Backhouse Astor, J. Paul Austin, Alexander Dallas Bache, George Edmund Badger, George Bancroft, Alexander Graham Bell, James Gabriel Berrett, John McPherson Berrien, Robert W. Bingham, Sayles Jenks Bowen, William G. Bowen, Robert S. Brookings, John Nicholas Brown, William A. M. Burden, Vannevar Bush, Charles F. Choate, Jr., Rufus Choate, Arthur H. Compton, Henry David Cooke, Henry Coppee, Samuel Sullivan Cox, Edward H. Crump, James Dwight Dana, Harvey N. Davis, William Lewis Dayton, Everette Lee Degolyer, Richard Delafield, Frederic A. Delano, Charles Devens, Matthew Gault Emery, Cornelius Conway Felton, Robert V. Fleming, Murray Gell-Mann, Robert F. Goheen, Asa Gray, George Gray, Crawford Hallock Greenwalt, Nancy Hanks, Caryl Parker Haskins, Gideon Hawley, John B. Henderson, John B. Henderson, Jr., A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr., Gardner Greene Hubbard, Charles Evans Hughes, Carlisle H. Humelsine, Jerome C. Hunsaker, William Preston Johnston, Irwin B. Laughlin, Walter Lenox, Augustus P. Loring, John Maclean, William Beans Magruder, John Walker Maury, Montgomery Cunningham Meigs, John C. Merriam, R. Walton Moore, Roland S. Morris, Dwight W. Morrow, Richard Olney, Peter Parker, Noah Porter, William Campbell Preston, Owen Josephus Roberts, Richard Rush, William Winston Seaton, Alexander Roby Shepherd, William Tecumseh Sherman, Otho Robards Singleton, Joseph Gilbert Totten, John Thomas Towers, Frederic C. Walcott, Richard Wallach, Thomas J. Watson, Jr., James E. Webb, James Clarke Welling, Andrew Dickson White, Henry White, Theodore Dwight Woolsey.

Topic:

Museums -- Administration  Search this

Museum trustees  Search this

Genre/Form:

Manuscripts

Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 1, Smithsonian Institution. Board of Regents, Minutes

Identifier:

Record Unit 1

See more items in:

Minutes

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-sia-faru0001

Collection Creator:

National Museum of American History, Office of Public Affairs  Search this

Type:

Archival materials

Collection Citation:

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 360, National Museum of American History, Office of Public Affairs, Records

See more items in:

Records

Records / Box 7

Archival Repository:

Smithsonian Institution Archives

EDAN-URL:

ead_component:sova-sia-faru0360-refd1e2018

Creator:

Erie Railroad Company  Search this

Olevsky, Walter  Search this

Donor:

ConRail  Search this

ConRail  Search this

Collector:

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Extent:

57 Cubic feet (59 boxes, 97 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Blueprints

Mechanical drawings

Tracings

Glass negatives

Photographs

Drawings

Date:

circa 1880-1980

Scope and Contents:

Collection consists of six hundred sixty-eight (668) glass negatives relating to the Erie Railroad. Subjects include stations, train cars, railroad employees, employees' recreational activities, ferries, construction, street scenes, and resort hotels; drawings of structures built by the various railroads which, at the time of the donation, constituted the Consolidated Rail Corporation. Included are linen tracings, blueprints, and mechanical copies; and two cubic feet of photoprints made from negatives in the Erie Railroad Collection.

Arrangement:

The collection is divided into seven series. Series 1: Photographs

Series 2: Glass Plate Negatives Series 3: Lists Series 4: Subject Files Series 5: Specifications for Bridges, Buildings and Terminals Series 6: Drawings Series 7: Bridge Notebooks

Biographical / Historical:

The Erie Railroad was founded in 1832 by large group of investors from the Southern Tier Counties of New York. Among these investors, businessman Eleazar Lord had been among the originators and later became the first president of the company. The railroad's construction took place from 1832 to 1851 with a seven-year pause between 1842 and 1849.

At the time of its completion, the Erie Railroad was the largest railway system in the United States, both in length, 446 miles, and in gauge, six feet. Thanks to its tracks span from New Jersey to Illinois and itsabove-average gauge, it could transport larger cargo.

Throughout its history the company underwent numerous bankruptcies and merged with several companies. The first merger was in 1960 with the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad creating the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. The second was in 1976 when the once-again bankrupt company merged with five other lines to create Conrail.

Source

Allegany County Historical Society, Andover, New York

https://www.alleganyhistory.org/culture/transportation/railroads/erie-railroad/1060-the-erie-railroad (Last accessed on Decemeber 3, 2019)

Provenance:

Originally collected by the National Museum of American History's Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering's reference collection.

In 1978, 668 glass plate negatives documenting Erie railroad stations were purchaed from Walter Olevsky; in 1987 drawings of structures built by the various railroads which, at the time of the donation, constituted the Consolidated Rail Corporation were donated; and in 2007, two cubic feet of photoprints and nine cubic feet of archival records were transferred from the Division of Work and Industry to the Archives Center.

Restrictions:

Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Railroads -- Buildings and structures  Search this

Railroads -- Employees  Search this

Railroads -- Rolling-stock  Search this

Railroad tracksdrawings  Search this

Railroad stations -- United States  Search this

Railroads -- 20th century  Search this

Railroads -- 19th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Blueprints

Mechanical drawings

Tracings

Glass negatives

Photographs -- 19th century

Photographs -- 20th century

Drawings

Citation:

Erie Railroad Collection, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1082

See more items in:

Erie Railroad Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1082

Source:

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Creator:

Woodard, Silas H., 1870-1961  Search this

Names:

Isthmian Canal Commission.  Search this

Pennsylvania Railroad.  Search this

St. Lawrence River Power Development Commission.  Search this

Former owner:

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Extent:

1 Cubic foot (3 boxes, 3 map-folders)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Reports

Photograph albums

Maps

Place:

Great Lakes (North America)

St. Lawrence River

Date:

1899-1932

Scope and Contents note:

The papers of Silas H. Woodard include the Isthmian Canal Commission Report containing text, maps, profiles, and plates, 1899-1901; photograph albums on the East River Tunnel, 1904-1908; reports on the regulation of the levels of the Great Lakes, 1910-1914; and reports dealing with the development of hydroelectric power on the St. Lawrence River, 1930-1932.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical/Historical note:

Silas H. Woodard, civil engineer specializing in power development, dams, tunnels, and foundation work, served as an engineer for the Isthmian Canal Commission, 1899-1902; the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1902-1909; and the Engineering Board of the St. Lawrence River Power Development Commission, 1930s. Woodard also worked as a consulting engineer.

Related Materials:

Materials at the Archives Center

Panama Canal Commission Photonegatives (AC1116)

Joe Britton Panama Canal Zone Photographs (AC1234)

W.P. Stine Panama Canal Papers (AC1039)

Katherine Kingsford Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1040)

W.A. Fishbaugh Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1021)

John Frances Little Panama Canal Scrapbook (AC0708)

Charles Wood Panama Canal Photograph Album (AC1114)

Robert Dearborn Panama Canal Glass Negatives (AC1111)

William Currie Photograph Album (AC1043)

Roland A. McCrady Photograph Collection (AC0710)

George S. Morison Collection (AC0978)

George W. Sims Papers (AC0127)

William R. Hutton Papers (AC0987)

Division of Cultural History Lantern Slides and Stereographs (AC0945)

Robert F. Olds Collection (AC0231)

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Tunnels  Search this

Dams  Search this

Canals  Search this

Genre/Form:

Reports

Photograph albums

Maps -- 19th century

Citation:

Silas H. Woodard Papers, circa 1899-1932, Archives Center, National Museum of American

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1038

See more items in:

Silas H. Woodard Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1038

Creator:

Dodge Manufacturing Co.  Search this

Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence.  Search this

Source:

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Former owner:

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Extent:

18 Cubic feet (37 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Lantern slides

Date:

1886-1931.

Scope and Contents note:

Lantern slides relating to various engineering and mining subjects.

Arrangement:

Divided into 20 series: Hydraulic Engineering; Canals; Dodge Manufacturing Company; Materials Handling; Steam Boilers; Bridges (Metal Arch, etc.); Bridges (All Cantilever); Steam Turbines; Bridges (Suspension); Power; Architecture and Structures; Railroad Mileage Maps; Bridges (Concrete Arch and Beam); Bridges (Metal Truss); Tunneling; Machine Tools; Sheave and Bearing Manufacturing; Panama Canal; Movable Bridges. The series are further subdivided into more specific categories.

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Restrictions:

Collection open for research on site by appointment. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Power  Search this

Mining engineering  Search this

Machine-tools  Search this

Materials handling  Search this

Hydraulic engineering  Search this

Canals  Search this

Engineering  Search this

Bearings (Machinery)  Search this

Bridges  Search this

Steam-boilers  Search this

Architecture  Search this

Turbines  Search this

Tunnels  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs -- Lantern slides -- 19th century

Photographs -- Lantern slides -- 1900-1950

Lantern slides

Citation:

Division of Work and Industry Lantern Slide Collection, 1886-1931, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1013

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1013

Creator:

Coxe Brothers and Company, Inc. (Drifton, Pennsylvania)  Search this

Collector:

History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Extractive Industries, Division of.  Search this

Names:

Coxe, Eckley B. (Eckley Brinton), 1839-1895  Search this

Coxe, Tench, 1755-1824  Search this

Extent:

100 Cubic feet

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Photographs

Patents

Maps

Drawings

Legal documents

Deeds

Agreements

Place:

Pennsylvania

Date:

1886-1935

Scope and Contents:

The collection contains drawings of mine machinery and buildings, including buildings within the company town such as worker housing and churches; photographs, including glass plate negatives, of mining machinery, operations, and employees; papers relating to Eckley B. Coxe's patents; legal papers; maps, including real estate maps, contour and topographical maps, maps of highways and roads, insurance maps and others; deeds; leases; and agreements.

Arrangement:

1 series.

Biographical / Historical:

Coxe Brothers was an anthracite coal producer which dated back to the coal property purchases by Tench Coxe between 1790 and 1824. Members of the Coxe family controlled numerous companies and businesses in the area, and remained independent for most of its history due to the management of Eckley B. Coxe. They designed much of their own equipment and machinery. In 1905 the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company purchased the capital stock of Coxe Brothers and Company.

Related Materials:

Additional papers relating to Coxe Brothers and Company are located in the Coxe Family Mining Papers, 1774-1968, at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; the William Wilgus Collection, 1915-1916, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania; and the Lehigh Valley Railroad Records, 1849-1962, at the Pennsylvania State Archives.

Provenance:

Originally collected for the Division of Extractive Industries, National Museum of History and Technology (now the National Museum of American History), the exact date and source of acquisition is unknown. The collection was transferred by the Division of Work and Industry to the Archives Center in 2007.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Coal mines and mining  Search this

Coal mines and mining -- Pennsylvania  Search this

Company towns  Search this

Mines  Search this

Anthracite coal  Search this

Mining equipment  Search this

Mining  Search this

Genre/Form:

Photographs

Patents -- 19th century

Maps

Drawings -- 20th century

Legal documents -- 19th century

Photographs -- 19th century

Drawings -- 19th century

Deeds

Agreements

Citation:

Coxe Brothers Collection, 1886-1935, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1002

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1002

Collector:

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Division of (NMAH, SI).  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Creator:

Sharpe, Weiss and Company  Search this

Extent:

4.75 Cubic feet (13 boxes, 1 map folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Business records

Microfilms

Account books

Letters (correspondence)

Invoices

Date:

1856-1889

Scope and Contents:

Invoices and letters from merchants and manufacturers with whom Sharpe, Weiss and Company, and their successors, did business; and two reels of microfilm of Sharpe and Weiss's account books.

Arrangement:

This collection is divided into seven series.

Series 1: Invoices to Sharpe, Weiss & Company, 1872-1874

Series 2: Invoices to Mr. H. C. Miler, 1884-1889

Series 3: Transportation Records for Sharpe, Weiss & Company, 1856-1859

Series 4: Receipts and correspondence for Sharpe, Weiss & Company, 1863-1889

Series 5: Summaries of Coal Shipments 1856-1874

Series 6: Other company's documents including Lehigh Coal Mine Company, Breaver Meadow, Lehigh Valley and Lehigh Cumberland Broadtop, 1792-1869 (not inclusive)

Series 7:Two rolls of microfilm containing company account books 1847-1874

Biographical / Historical:

Sharpe, Leisenring and Company was formed in 1854 as a partnership of Richard Sharpe, John Leisenring, Asa Lansford Foster, George Belford, Francis Weiss and Williams Reed. Most of the partners had been associated with the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company (LC&N). Weiss was the grandson of Jacob Weiss, founder of the predecessor Lehigh Coal Mine Company in 1792. Foster was a contemporary of John Leisenring, Sr., who had been brought to Mauch Chunk to run the LC&N's first company store. He founded the town's first newspaper in 1829. Most of the men had been partners in Belford, Sharpe & Company or Daniel Bertsch & Company, contract operators of the LC&N's mines at Summit Hill and Ashton (now Lansford) in the late 1840s and 1850s.

John Leisenring moved from Ashton to Eckley in 1854 and remained in charge of operations there until he was appointed Chief Engineer and Superintendent of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company in July 1860. As one of the conditions, he was required to devote full time to the LC&N's affairs, and he returned to Mauch Chunk. The firm was then reconstituted as Sharpe, Weiss & Company, which it remained until the end of 1874, when Richard Sharpe surrendered the lease and moved to Wilkes Barre. William Reed had sold out his interest in 1867, Foster had died early in the following year, and George Belford died in 1873.

At this point John Leisenring, now operating at Upper Lehigh, took over. The new firm of John Leisenring & Co. was formed on January 1, 1875, the other partners being Dr. John S. Wentz, Samuel B. Price and Daniel Bertsch, Jr. In later years, the firm appears to have been limited to John Leisenring, his sons Edward B. and John, Jr. and his sons-in-law J. S. Wentz and M.S. Kemmerer. Dr. Wentz was sent to Eckley as Superintendent. The firm was continued after John Leisenring's death until the end of 1885, when E. B. Coxe terminated the lease and assumed the operations of the mines himself. During the tenure of John Leisenring and Company the town of Eckley reached its maximum size with a population of 1500.

No records of John Leisenring & Company have survived. The Sharpe, Weiss & Company records from 1850 to 1874 were given to the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, and the village of Eckley has been restored as part of the Pennsylvania Anthracite Museum Complex.

Source

From Eleuthuerian Mills Historical Library, Wilmington, Delaware

Provenance:

Immediate source of acquisition unknown.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Merchants -- 19th century  Search this

Anthracite coal industry  Search this

Genre/Form:

Business records -- 19th century

Microfilms

Account books -- 19th century

Letters (correspondence) -- 19th century

Invoices

Citation:

Sharpe, Weiss and Company Papers, 1856-1889, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0399

See more items in:

Sharpe, Weiss and Company Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0399

Collector:

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

History of Technology, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Division of [former name], NMAH, SI.  Search this

Work and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI  Search this

Creator:

Holly Manufacturing Company  Search this

Worthington Corporation  Search this

Names:

Henry R. Worthington Pump Works  Search this

International Steam Pump Company  Search this

Jeanesville Iron Works  Search this

Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation  Search this

Grace, John F.  Search this

Extent:

18 Cubic feet (54 boxes, 1 map folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Financial records

Trade catalogs

Reports

Sketchbooks

Advertisements

Patents

Photographs

Newsletters

Minute books

Legal documents

Correspondence

Place:

England

London

Hazelton (Penn.)

Buffalo (N.Y.)

Holyoke (Mass.)

Cincinnati (Ohio)

Date:

1840-1982

Summary:

This collection documents the products and business activities of the Worthington Corporation, its predecessors and its subsidiaries. The records focus on the products that the Worthington Corporation produced, including steam pumps, hydraulic pumps and gas engines.

Scope and Contents:

This collection documents the products and business activities of the Worthington Corporation, its predecessors and its subsidiaries. It consists of annual and monthly reports, correspondence, legal filings, trade literature, photographs, airbrushed photographs and product illustrations, financial reports, meeting minutes, newsletters, company histories and research notes, patents, blueprints, engineering sketchbooks, lecture notes, publications, and promotional materials for several World's Fairs where Worthington products were exhibited.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into five series.

Series 1: Historical and Reference Materials, 1847-1965

Series 2: Administrative and Business Records, 1856-1963

Series 3: Publications, 1872-1982

Series 4: Photographs, 1840-1964

Series 5: Sketchbooks and Notebooks, 1882-1964

Biographical / Historical:

Henry R. Worthington (December 17, 1817-December 17, 1880) was an innovator in the world of 19th century steam pumps earning patents for a direct-acting steam pump (US Patent 6274) and a duplex steam pump (US Patent 116,131). Initially, Worthington partnered with William H. Baker to found the Worthington & Baker Works in 1845, with the works based in Brooklyn. Worthington's company began by producing various pumps for naval craft, including pumps installed on the USS Monitor, the first ironclad ship of the US Navy. After Baker's death, Worthington changed the name of his business to the Henry R. Worthington Corporation and expanded into the production of water works pumps for major cities. Worthington pumps gained international acclaim at World's Fairs in the latter half of the 19th century. Fountains at the Centennial Exposition of 1876 and Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the hydraulic pumps for the Eiffel Tower's elevators at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 were all powered by Worthington products.

In 1899, Worthington was purchased and merged into the International Steam Pump Company, along with the Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company, Laidlaw-Dunn-Gordon Company, the Snow Steam Works, the Deane Steam Pump Company and several smaller works. After the acquisition of these different works, the International Steam Pump Company's product line expanded to include gas engines and mining machinery.

International Steam Pump reverted to the Worthington name, first as Worthington Pump and Machinery Corporation (1916-1952) and then as the Worthington Corporation (1952-1967). It was also during this time when Worthington relocated its main works from Brooklyn to Harrison, New Jersey in 1917. All the while, the company continued to produce hydraulic engines, gas engines and water works pumps. Through various mergers the company also diversified into refrigeration and air conditioning. In 1967, the Worthington Corporation merged with the Studebaker Automobile Manufacturing Company, becoming Studebaker-Worthington.

Related Materials:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Series: Pumps (AC0060)

Division of Politial and Military History

The Division of Political and Military History holds photographs of a World War I bond drive at the Deane Works of Holyoke, Massachusetts. See accessions: 1979.0015.01 and 1979.0015.04.

Division of Science and Medicine

The Division of Medicine and Science holds several Watch Dog Water Meters produced by the Worthington-Gamon Meter Company. See accessions PH.325890 and PH.325891.

Smithsonian Institution Libraries Trade Literature Collection

The libraries contain trade literature on Worthington and its subsidiaries.

Provenance:

Donated to the Smithsonian in the 1960s by Studebaker Worthington, Inc.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Business -- History  Search this

Steam-engines  Search this

Diesel engines  Search this

Pumping machinery  Search this

Steam-turbines  Search this

Rock-drills  Search this

Genre/Form:

Financial records -- 20th century

Trade catalogs

Reports

Sketchbooks

Advertisements

Patents

Photographs -- 19th century

Newsletters -- 20th century

Minute books

Legal documents

Correspondence -- 19th century

Citation:

Worthington Corporation Records, 1840-1982, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0916

See more items in:

Worthington Corporation Records

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0916

Creator:

Steel, R. Wallace  Search this

Extent:

2 Cubic feet (1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Architectural drawings

Engineering drawings

Legal documents

Linen tracings

Maps

Financial records

Payrolls

Letters (correspondence)

Date:

1864-1903

Summary:

The collection documents railroad engineer R. Wallace Steel and his work with railroads, primarily in Pennsylvania and Missouri.

Content Description:

The collection consists of the papers of railroad engineer R. Wallace Steel, and documents his work with railroads, primarily in Pennsylvania and Missouri. The papers include engineering reports, financial documents, legal documents, progress reports on railroad work, payroll documents, maps, letters, linen tracings, and plans and drawings for structures such as fences, gates, arches, culverts, abutments, tunnels and railroad stations.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Railroad bridges  Search this

Railroad construction  Search this

Railroad engineering  Search this

Railroad engineers  Search this

Railroad stations  Search this

Railroads  Search this

Genre/Form:

Architectural drawings

Engineering drawings

Legal documents

Linen tracings

Maps -- 19th century

Financial records -- 19th century

Payrolls

Letters (correspondence) -- 19th century

Citation:

R. Wallace Steel Papers, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1449

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1449

Creator:

Vogel, Robert M.  Search this

Bollman, Wendell, 1814-1884  Search this

Source:

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.  Search this

Former owner:

Engineering and Industry, Division of, NMAH, SI.  Search this

Extent:

3 Cubic feet (4 boxes and 1 map-folder)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Clippings

Blueprints

Maps

Minutes

Correspondence

Diagrams

Advertisements

Specifications

Photographs

Date:

1852-1986

Summary:

Collection documents various aspects of the development, implementation and research value of the Bollman truss bridge design.

Scope and Contents note:

Papers documenting various aspects of the development, implementation and research value of the Bollman truss bridge design. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, articles and clippings, schematics, diagrams, maps, and other printed materials. Also includes records of government agencies associated with Bollman truss structures, such as meeting minutes, and surveys receipts.

Arrangement:

Collection is arranged into one series.

Biographical/Historical note:

Wendel Bollman (1814-1884) was a self-educated engineer who began working for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a carpenter and devised a bridge-trussing system that was a series of independently supported floor beams, each carried by a double pair of eye-bar ties. He patented the system in 1852 and it became known as the "Bollman Truss". The Bollman truss was used on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, its subsidiaries, and several roads. It was the first bridge trussing system which all princicpal elements were made of iron. Bollman trusses were built until about 1875 nd rtained in service until about 1890.

Provenance:

Collection assembled by Robert M. Vogel, curator, for the National Museum of American History, Division of Civil Engineering reference files.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Unprotected photographs must be handled with gloves.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Civil engineers  Search this

Bridges -- Maryland  Search this

Railroad engineers  Search this

Trusses  Search this

Railroads -- United States  Search this

Periodicals  Search this

Patents  Search this

Genre/Form:

Clippings

Blueprints

Maps

Minutes

Correspondence

Diagrams

Advertisements

Specifications

Photographs -- 20th century

Photographs -- 19th century

Citation:

Bollman Truss Bridge Collection, 1852-1986, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.1064

See more items in:

Bollman Truss Bridge Collection

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-1064

Creator:

Warshaw, Isadore, 1900-1969  Search this

Extent:

10.22 Cubic feet (consisting of 20 boxes, 2 folders, 9 oversize folders, 3 map case folders, 3 flat boxes (2 full, 1 partial.))

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Menus

Bills

Ships' passenger lists

Patents

Legislative documents

Photographs

Advertisements

Advertising mail

Advertising

Illustrations

Contracts

Trademarks

Inspections

Programs

Advertising cards

Advertising fliers

Print advertising

Legal documents

Travelogs

Souvenir programs

Business cards

Concert programs

Publications

Commercial correspondence

Correspondence

Receipts

Theater programs

Business records

Legal records

Business ephemera

Invoices

Bills of sale

Ships' logs

Technical reports

Reports

Letterheads

Ephemera

Design patents

Travel brochures

Legislation (legal concepts)

Business letters

Timetables

Travel diaries

Printed ephemera

Place:

New York (N.Y.) -- Transportation

Hudson River

Date:

1777-1965

Summary:

A New York bookseller, Warshaw assembled this collection over nearly fifty years. The Warshaw Collection of Business Americana: Accounting and Bookkeeping forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Subseries 1.1: Subject Categories. The Subject Categories subseries is divided into 470 subject categories based on those created by Mr. Warshaw. These subject categories include topical subjects, types or forms of material, people, organizations, historical events, and other categories. An overview to the entire Warshaw collection is available here: Warshaw Collection of Business Americana

Scope and Contents:

Minimally covers the terminus of the wind-powered (sail) era and more fully documents the peak of the engine (steam) era of commercial cargo and passenger vesselsk, including freight and dockage services, maintenance and provisioning, ferry service, navigation (tug and tow) assistance, plus leisure cruising and touring. There is not a significant amount of material on battle or war ships. Includes both short distance routes such as lakes, rivers, and islets, and longer trans-oceanic crossings.

Documents within the collection consist of handbills, broadsides, leaflets, books, business cards, advertisements, insurance forms, wreck reports, passenger lists, baggage tags, freight manifests, rate cards, correspondence on letterhead stationery, booklets, newspaper clippings, postcards, menus, periodicals, manuals, photographs, engravings, woodcuts, sketches, bills of lading, receipts, catalogues, ledgers, journals, purchase orders, broadsides, brochures, custom forms, schedules, shipping and receiving documents, early steam guides, timetables, lithographs, announcements, etc. There are no navigational nautical maps. There is very little in the way of international import/export records. However, domestic and North American freight services are well-covered through invoices, bills of lading, manifests, and receipts for goods and services.

Some materials cover the history and development of steamships, particularly in the latter half of the nineteenth century with the iron screw replacing the wooden paddle steamer in the 1850s. The late 1860s brought the compound engine, which led to the steamship, previously used for the conveyance of mails and passengers, to compete with the sailing vessel in the carriage of cargo for long voyages. The 1870s brought improvements in accommodation for the passenger, with the midship saloon, conveniences in state-rooms, and covered access to smoke rooms and ladies cabins.

Ownership of specific lines and vessels was very fluid throughout shipping history, including the renaming of vessels. Mergers, dissolution, and absorption of fleets were frequent. Thus, researchers should independently seek out a more detailed history for any entity of particular interest.

The general maritime business series focuses on good and services related to maritime operations such as repair, shipbuilding, parts, ticket agents, chandlers, groceries, coal supply, dockage, wharfs/marinas, etc.

Operation records of named vessels contains primarily bills of lading and similar receipts for the movement of material goods or in-water services such as tow and tug assistance.

The largest series covering shipping lines and conglomerates offers a wide assortment of miscellaneous, nonexhaustive operation records for cargo and passenger lines and corporations, typically those with multiple holdings. These documents may include receipts, bills of lading, correspondence, and financial ledgers, plus promotional material for services and routes offered. Passenger sailings and luxury cruise documentation may contain menus, passenger lists, itineraries, shore excursion information, souveniers such as luggage tags, ticket stubs, and postcards. See also the subject category Menus, for additional examples of passenger and cruise ship menus.

When not associated with any of the above, general examples of materials related to the industry have been by arranged by their material type such as images, reports, and serial publications. More formal documentation, especially legal and reports, can be found here.

Narrative type materials related to lore, history, and building and design specifications have been sorted by subject. A scarce amount of material covers ships used for military service. Likewise, there are a few examples of maritime related material from the art world, mostly in the form of catalogues for exhibits or auction of paintings and scale models.

A note on vessel names: those used as contract carriers of mail and when in service, were entitled to unique prefix designations such as Royal Mail Ship (RMS.), otherwise, the ship name may be preceded by the more generic S.S. for single-screw steamer or steamship, SV for sailing vessel, PS for paddle steamer, RV for research vessel or similar type prefix. USS is the standard for the United States Navy commissioned ships while in commission, with HMS used for His/Her Majesty's Ship of the British Royal Navy.

Some of the major lines/companies represented in the collection include: American Line, American Steamship Company, Anchor Line, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique, Cunard-Anchor Line, Cunard Line, Cunard Steam Ship Company, Limited, Cunard White Star Line, Eastern Steamship Lines, Furness, Withy & Company, Hamburg American Line (HAPAG) / Hamburg Amerika Linie, Holland America Line (N.A.S.M. / HAL), Inman Line, International Mercantile Marine Company (IMM), International Navigation Company, North German Lloyd (Norddeutscher Lloyd Bremen), Panama Pacific Line, Peninsular and Oriental, Red Star Line, Royal Mail Steam Packet, U.S. Mail Steamship Company, United States Lines, White Star Line.

Arrangement:

Ships, Boats, and Vessels is arranged in three subseries.

Business Records and Marketing Material

General Maritime Businesses



Operation Records of Named Vessels



Shipping Lines/Conglomerates

Miscellaneous Business Records and Marketing Material

Genre

Keepsakes

Images

Ledger

Legal

News Clippings

Regulatory

Reports

Serial Publications

Stamps/Cigarette Cards

Associations and Societies

Images, Artwork, Racing, Technical Literature

Subject

Battleships, Warships

Destination Guides

Employment and Licensing

Insurance

Maritime History

Maritime Models and Art

Revue Generale Des Sciences

Warshaw Administrative Records

Related Materials:

Several other Warshaw Subject Categories may have closely related material such as Submarines and Transportation. For casual and recreational boating see Boats and Boating Equipment and Yachts. Other subject categories that may have related materials include: Canals, Dredging, Engines, Menus, Railroads (point of common transportation transfer), and Tours. .

Forms Part Of:

Forms part of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana.

Series 1: Business Ephemera

Series 2: Other Collection Divisions

Series 3: Isadore Warshaw Personal Papers

Series 4: Photographic Reference Material

Provenance:

Steamboats [Ships, Boats, and Vessels] is a portion of the Business Ephemera Series of the Warshaw Collection of Business Americana, Accession AC0060 purchased from Isadore Warshaw in 1967. Warshaw continued to accumulate similar material until his death, which was donated in 1971 by his widow, Augusta. For a period after acquisition, related materials from other sources (of mixed provenance) were added to the collection so there may be content produced or published after Warshaw's death in 1969. This practice has since ceased.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Some items may be restricted due to fragile condition.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Passenger ships  Search this

Marine machinery  Search this

Ships  Search this

Shipbuilding industry  Search this

Ferries  Search this

Transportation -- Japan  Search this

River boats  Search this

Marine engines  Search this

Boats  Search this

Transportation -- Far Eastern  Search this

Ships -- Equipment and supplies  Search this

Merchant Marine -- Manning of vessels -- United States  Search this

Docks  Search this

Health  Search this

Ocean liners  Search this

Merchant Marine -- United States  Search this

Ships -- Far Eastern  Search this

Rivers  Search this

Transportation -- river boat  Search this

World War, 1939-1945 -- Merchant Marine  Search this

Harbors  Search this

Trade associations  Search this

Transportation -- 1900-1910  Search this

Boats and boating  Search this

Water transport -- 18th century  Search this

Boats -- Southeast Asia  Search this

Cargo  Search this

Local transit -- New York (N.Y.)  Search this

Sailboats  Search this

Waterways  Search this

Sailing  Search this

Transportation -- New York (N.Y.)  Search this

Local transit  Search this

Scientific expeditions  Search this

Water transfer  Search this

Transportation -- History  Search this

Wharves  Search this

Steamboats  Search this

Boats -- New York (N.Y.)  Search this

Transportation  Search this

Public health  Search this

Marine engineers  Search this

Ocean travel  Search this

Seamen -- 1910-1920  Search this

Musical performances  Search this

Transportation -- Law and legislation -- United States  Search this

Merchant seamen  Search this

Marine engineering  Search this

Models and modelmaking  Search this

Navigation  Search this

Seamen -- 1940-1950  Search this

Travel  Search this

Importers  Search this

Shipping  Search this

Cruise ships  Search this

Ships -- New York (N.Y.)  Search this

Flags  Search this

Exports -- 19th century  Search this

Genre/Form:

Menus -- Ships -- 1940-1950

Menus

Bills

Ships' passenger lists

Patents

Legislative documents

Photographs

Advertisements

Advertising mail

Advertising

Illustrations

Contracts

Trademarks

Inspections

Programs

Advertising cards

Advertising fliers

Print advertising

Legal documents

Travelogs

Souvenir programs

Business cards

Concert programs

Publications

Commercial correspondence

Correspondence

Receipts

Theater programs

Publications -- Business

Business records

Legal records

Business ephemera

Invoices

Bills of sale

Ships' logs

Technical reports

Reports

Letterheads

Ephemera

Design patents

Travel brochures

Legislation (legal concepts)

Business letters

Timetables

Travel diaries

Printed ephemera

Citation:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Ships, Boats, and Vessels, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Sponsor:

Funding for partial processing of the collection was supported by a grant from the Smithsonian Institution's Collections Care and Preservation Fund (CCPF).

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0060.S01.01.Steamboats

See more items in:

Warshaw Collection of Business Americana Subject Categories: Steamboats [Ships, Boats, and Vessels]

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0060-s01-01-steamboats

Creator:

Van Valen, Alexander  Search this

Extent:

1.5 Cubic feet (4 boxes)

Type:

Collection descriptions

Archival materials

Correspondence

Maps

Diaries

Daguerreotypes

Painted photographs

Photographs

Hand coloring

Place:

California

California -- San Francisco

San Francisco (Calif.) -- 1840-1850

Date:

1849-1850

Summary:

Personal papers of Alexander Van Valen documenting his participation in the California Gold Rush, 1849-1850.

Scope and Contents:

The collection consists mostly of the personal papers of Alexander Van Valen during his journey and subsequent stay in San Francisco, California, to participate in the Gold Rush,1849-1850. Of particular interest are the founding documents of the mining company, his 85 page journal, and his many letters, mostly to and from his wife Susan. Also included are portraits and daguerreotypes of his family. This collection is especially valuable to researchers who are interested in the California Gold Rush, nineteenth century maritime travel, business history, and migration.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series.

Series 1, Personal Papers, 1849-1850

Series 2, Other Materials, 1849-1850

Biographical / Historical:

Alexander Van Valen was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on June 25, 1819. He married Susan Maria Talmage, and the couple had twin daughters, Catharine Eliza and Sarah Maria, born June 2, 1845. Van Valen served as treasurer of the California Gold Mining Company, one of many companies formed to participate in the 1849 California Gold Rush. Funded by two wealthy New York merchants, Henry A. Kerr and B. S. Clark, the company consisted of Van Valen and four men other men. Van Valen and his business partners agreed to spend two summers in California and pay Kerr and Clark one quarter of any profits made. Van Valen sailed aboard the San Francisco-bound Hersilia on January 22, 1849. Once in California, he and his company decided to try to strike it rich, first along the Mokelumne River and then up the San Joaquin River to Stockton. The trip proved unsuccessful, and Van Valen returned to New York less than two years later. He died on November 24, 1869.

Provenance:

Purchased by the National Museum of American History from Cowan's Historic Americana Auctions in 2006.

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Rights:

Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.

Topic:

Mining  Search this

Gold mines and mining  Search this

Genre/Form:

Correspondence -- 19th century

Maps -- 19th century

Diaries -- 19th century

Daguerreotypes

Painted photographs

Photographs -- Daguerreotypes -- 1840-1860

Hand coloring

Citation:

Alexander Van Valen Papers, 1849-1850, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.

Identifier:

NMAH.AC.0935

See more items in:

Alexander Van Valen Papers

Archival Repository:

Archives Center, National Museum of American History

EDAN-URL:

ead_collection:sova-nmah-ac-0935