United States of America -- Connecticut -- Fairfield -- Fairfield
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of articles and other documents, and additional images.
General:
The Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary was founded in 1914 by ornithologist and author Mabel Osgood Wright on ten acres of land, former pasture that had been donated and deeded to the fledgling Connecticut Audubon Society. It was established as a refuge for migratory and other song birds; the birds prefer open or partly bushed fields with some tall trees so the early plantings augmented the trees and shrubs already growing. The existing trees included mature oaks, Pepperidge, cedars, maples, black cherries and alders, and trailing wild berries. To prepare the sanctuary pines, spruce and hemlocks were planted for windbreaks, mountain ash, mulberries, sweet cherries, flowering shrubs and vines were planted for food, and several stone birdbaths and numerous bird houses were installed as well as a cat-proof fence. Additional plantings included blackberries, dewberries, thimble berries, strawberries, huckleberries, blueberries, chokeberries, sumacs, wild grapes, wild plum, shad bush, elderberries, wild roses, sweetbriar and honeysuckle.
Starting in 2013 the Sasqua Garden Club has been restoring five different garden habitats with native plants that will support the ecosystem of animals, birds, insects and microorganisms. The gardens are living classrooms for the outdoor science-based education and augment the exhibits in the museum, also undergoing restoration. While many trees, shrubs and native perennials recur throughout the sanctuary, now reduced to six acres, each garden has a distinctive profile. The Woodland edge garden contains red chokeberry, dogwood, magnolia, and crab apple with spicebush, rhododendron, viburnum and an understory of coral bells, ferns, Virginia bluebells, and phlox. The Meadow garden includes wild flowers, winterberry, cedars and dogwood, grasses and low and high bush blueberries. In the Wetland garden there are Juneberry, serviceberry, milkweed, native azaleas, spicebush, river birch, native flowers and ferns. The Seaside garden has butterfly weed, sedge, beach plum, grasses and bayberry. The Terrace garden has mountain laurel, holly, honeysuckle, sumac, willow, coneflower and potentilla.
Birdcraft Sanctuary has been an important community resource ever since it opened in 1914. Every year birds are trapped in soft nets, counted, inspected, tagged and released supplying useful data on migratory bird populations. The sanctuary was enrolled on the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1982 and became a National Historic Landmark in 1993.
Persons associated with the garden include Annie B. Jennings (former owner, -1914); Mabel Osgood Wright (1859-1934) (founder of Birdcraft Sanctuary, 1914-circa 1934); Connecticut Audubon Society (owners since 1914);Cameron Clarke (1887-1957) (architect of the Swallow Chimney, 1937); Jack Franzen, (architect of new museum space, 2012-2014); Alice Eckerson (landscape architect, 2013- ); William Kenny (ecological services, 2013-2014); Andrew Loglisci (water features, -2016).
Related Materials:
Birdcraft Gardens related holdings consist of 1 folder (30 digital images)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Louisiana -- Orleans Parish -- New Orleans
Date:
circa 1905-1930
General note:
Located on site of former Bore Plantation. Named for John J. Audubon, ornithologist and artist.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
1 Photographic print ((mounted on cardboard), black and white, mount 8.5 x 10.5 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
United States of America -- Louisiana -- Orleans Parish -- New Orleans
Date:
03/30/1911
General note:
Located on site of former Bore Plantation. Named for John J. Audubon, ornithologist and artist. Querus virginiana.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
1 Photographic print ((mounted on cardboard), black and white, mount 8.5 x 10.5 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
United States of America -- Louisiana -- Orleans Parish -- New Orleans
Date:
1909 April
General note:
Located on site of former Bore Plantation. Named for John J. Audubon, ornithologist and artist. Querus virginiana.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
1 Photographic print ((mounted on cardboard), black and white, mount 8.5 x 10.5 in.)
Type:
Archival materials
Photographic prints
Place:
United States of America -- Louisiana -- Orleans Parish -- New Orleans
Date:
03/30/1911
General note:
Located on site of former Bore Plantation. Named for John J. Audubon, ornithologist and artist.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials 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. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
1860-1899 and undated, with related papers to 1904
Introduction:
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
These papers document George A. Boardman's work as an ornithologist, and consist primarily of incoming correspondence to Boardman from naturalists, including Spencer
F. Baird, Joel Asaph Allen, Thomas Mayo Brewer, Elliott Coues, Henry Eeles Dresser, Daniel Giraud Elliot, Robert Ridgway, Addison Emery Verrill, and William Wood. Small amounts
of outgoing correspondence are included and are noted in the folder list. Also included is correspondence documenting the deposit of the Boardman papers in the Smithsonian
Institution. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.
Historical Note:
George A. Boardman (1818-1901) was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He moved to Calais, Maine, with his family in 1828, and lived there for the remainder of his
life. Boardman owned a lumber business for over 30 years, retiring in 1871. An amateur ornithologist, Boardman was acquainted with many prominent naturalists and corresponded
extensively with Spencer F. Baird of the Smithsonian Institution. After his retirement from business, Boardman spent his winters in Florida collecting specimens, many of which
were donated to the United States National Museum. His primary contribution to ornithological literature was the "Catalogue of the Birds Found in the Vicinity of Calais, ME.,
and about the Islands at the Mouth of the Bay of Fundy" which appeared in the Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History in 1862.
These papers consist of Florence Merriam Bailey's diaries, 1874, 1887, as well as additional journals kept on trips to the Bermuda Islands, 1890; California, 1907;
and Maine; 1911. Other materials include expense account books; articles and news clippings concerning and written by Bailey; a scrapbook; childhood writings; college papers
and memorabilia; manuscripts of papers on birds; reading lists; one letter; and photographs of family and various landscapes. Also included are oversized photographs of a
relative's golden wedding celebration.
Historical Note:
Born in Locust Grove, New York during the Civil War, Florence Merriam Bailey (1863-1948), devoted her life to the study and protection of birds. From her work in ornithology
she authored over ten books, including several field guides to birds, and close to one hundred articles. Though interested in birds as a child, she gained recognition as a
naturalist while at Smith College. Disgusted by the use of feathers and whole birds in fashion, she started the Smith College Audubon Society.
Her later accomplishments include establishing the Washington, D.C., Audubon Society and becoming the first female associate member of the Ornithologists Union (1885).
Within that organization she was the both the first female fellow (1929) and the first female recipient of the Brewster Medal (1931). In 1908 a kind of California Mountain
Chickadee was named Parus gambeli baileyae in her honor.
Bailey's relations with prominent scientists augmented her own distinguished career. C. Hart Merriam, her brother, was the first chief of the U.S. Bureau of Biological
Survey, as well as a co-founder of the National Geographic Society. His work also led to Florence's introduction, and subsequent marriage, to fellow Bureau naturalist, Vernon
Bailey. From their travels to the Western United States the Bailey's produced several works on the distinctive, and largely unexplored, flora and fauna in that region. As
an amateur ornithologist Florence Bailey was at the forefront of the movement to use binoculars, rather than shotguns, to observe birds. She died in Washington, D.C., on September
22, 1948.
These papers consist of photographs, including images of Deignan in Siam in the 1930s and on the 1948 Arnhem Land Expedition; letters written by Deignan to his mother
from Siam, Central America, and Europe, 1931-1939; letters written by Deignan to family members, 1942-1948, including a few from Australia while serving on the Arnhem Land
Expedition; official letters concerning his USNM career; certificates; and biographical materials on Deignan.
Historical Note:
Herbert Girton Deignan (1906-1968), ornithologist and authority on the birds of Thailand, received the B.A. degree from Princeton University in 1928. That same year
he took a position as Master in the Prince Royal College in Chiengmai, northern Siam. Deignan remained in Siam intermittently until 1937 and amassed a large collection of
birds for the United States National Museum (USNM). In 1938, he was appointed Scientific Aid in the Division of Birds, USNM. He was promoted to Assistant Curator in 1940,
Associate Curator in 1942, and Curator in 1959. Deignan retired in 1962.
During World War II, Deignan served in the Office of Strategic Services, 1944-1946, primarily in southern Asia. In 1948, he went to northern Australia as a member of the
Commonwealth of Australia-National Geographic Society-Smithsonian Expedition to Arnhem Land. He also conducted field work for the USNM in Thailand, 1952-1953, and Madagascar,
1962.
This collection consists of correspondence, notes, and lists accumulated during Bendire's work on the Life Histories.
Historical Note:
Charles Emil Bendire (1836-1897) was an Army surgeon and ornithologist. He served as Honorary Curator of the Department of Birds' Eggs, United States National Museum
from 1884 until his death. Bendire was the author of two volumes of Life Histories of North American Birds published by the Smithsonian Institution.
This collection consists primarily of papers documenting the professional career and personal life of Edward William Nelson. A smaller amount of material was created
by Edward Alphonso Goldman and relates to both professional and private matters. Apparently, Goldman assumed control of Nelson's papers after the latter's death, probably
for reference in his continuing work summarizing the results of their Mexico field investigations. Due the pair's close professional relationship, it was decided to keep the
collection intact. The papers of each individual have been kept distinct and reside in separate series, with the exception of photographs, which mostly document the Mexico
field work. Other photographic materials have been placed in the same series as a matter of convenience.
Nelson's papers are valuable in documenting his work as a field naturalist, particularly in Alaska and Mexico; his administrative career with the Bureau of Biological Survey
and consequential involvement in conservation issues of the day; his research on birds and mammals; his participation in professional societies and conservation organizations;
personal and family matters; and commercial ventures, especially his ownership of fruit-growing businesses in California and Arizona.
The papers include a large file of incoming and outgoing correspondence that relates to all aspects of his professional life, but is particularly important in documenting
his administrative tenure with the Bureau of Biological Survey, 1914-1927. The letters provide information on the role of the Biological Survey in conservation issues of the
era, as well as Nelson's own attitudes on the matters--attitudes that sometimes clashed with other conservationists, including William Temple Hornaday. He corresponded extensively
with most of the major figures in the conservation movement including Hornaday, John B. Burnham, Charles Sheldon, George Bird Grinnell, and John C. Phillips. Especially well
represented by correspondence are the negotiations for the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty between the United States and Great Britain, 1916, and the protracted fight
over the Public Shooting Grounds-Game Refuge Bill during the 1920s. The correspondence also relates Nelson's role in the formative periods of several professional societies
and conservation organizations including the American Society of Mammalogists, the American Game Protective Association, and the American Wild Fowlers.
Nelson's career as an explorer and field worker is documented in a series of journals and notebooks maintained between 1877 and 1930. The journals kept during his landmark
work in Alaska and Mexico provide a running narrative of his daily activities and include notes on the fauna, flora, and physiography of the areas explored; information on
specimens and artifacts collected; observations on native peoples and their cultures; and sketches of people, villages, fauna, and natural phenomena. The journals from his
Alaska work are relatively complete; however, journals from the Mexico investigations from 1903 to 1906 are missing. Also included is a journal from the Death Valley Expedition,
1890-1891, and journals and notebooks kept during many of Nelson's official trips for the Bureau of Biological Survey.
The collection includes a series of records documenting Nelson's private life and business affairs. Especially well represented is his involvement with the Nelson-Goldman
Orchard Company, 1911-1933, and the Arizona Orchard Company, 1921-1923. Also included is a voluminous correspondence with his brother, Fred W. Nelson, which concerns family
and business matters; and various records concerning health issues, investments, real estate, and other financial matters.
Nelson's research is documented in a large series of notes, lists, manuscripts, newspaper clippings, photographs, and publications. Most of the material concerns his work
on birds and mammals. The file also contains collected materials on many of the conservation issues of the day.
The papers of Edward Alphonso Goldman found in this collection are just a fragment of the material generated during his long career with the Bureau of Biological Survey.
They are most valuable in documenting his biological survey of Mexico with Nelson. Included is an incomplete series of journals which contain a chronological narrative of
Goldman's activities. Specific volumes are devoted to notes of birds and mammals observed and collected. Other papers of Goldman include correspondence, mostly with Nelson,
and his brothers, George and Luther; and materials documenting his research on mammals.
The collection contains a series of photographs, photograph albums, and glass plate negatives documenting the careers of both men. Most of the material relates to their
biological investigations of Mexico, 1892-1906. Included are images of areas visited, native peoples, and flora and fauna. Many of the photographs are unidentified. Also included
are photographs of Nelson and Goldman; photographs of colleagues; and photographs taken in France during Goldman's service in World War I.
The collection also contains some papers of the conservationist Charles Sheldon, a close personal friend of Nelson. Apparently, Nelson acquired the papers when he was writing
a biographical memorial on Sheldon. They consist of correspondence, notes, photographs, manuscripts, and related materials documenting Sheldon's work in conservation and natural
history.
Finally, the collection includes a manuscript (with Nelson's annotations) of George Shiras' "Hunting Wild Life with Camera and Flashlight; A Record of Sixty-Five Years'
Visits to the Woods and Waters of North America," and a few pieces of correspondence concerning the manuscript.
Additional materials documenting field work of Nelson and Goldman can be found in Smithsonian Institution Archives Record Unit 7176, Field Reports of the United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, 1860-1961, Field Reports. Voluminous field notebooks, lists, and other specimen related records for both men are housed in the Division of Birds
and the Division of Mammals, National Museum of Natural History.
Historical Note:
The biological explorations made by Edward William Nelson and Edward Alphonso Goldman in Mexico from 1892 to 1906 have been described as ". . . among the most important
ever achieved by two workers for any single country." They conducted investigations in every state in Mexico, collecting 17,400 mammals and 12,400 birds, as well as amassing
an enormous fund of information on the natural history of the country. The best account of the work is Goldman's Biological Investigations in Mexico, Smithsonian Miscellaneous
Collections, vol. 115, July 1951.
EDWARD WILLIAM NELSON (1855-1934)
Described by Theodore Roosevelt as ". . . one of the keenest naturalists we have ever had . . .," Edward William Nelson was born in Manchester, New Hampshire. He developed
an interest in the outdoors around his boyhood home in New England, and in Chicago where his family moved in 1868. Shortly after enrolling in Cooke County Normal School in
1872, Nelson was invited to join Edward Drinker Cope and Samuel Garman on a fossil collecting trip to the Badlands of Wyoming. After returning to Chicago, his interest in
natural history continued to grow as he became acquainted with Joel Asaph Allen, Robert Ridgway, Stephen A. Forbes, Henry W. Henshaw and others.
In the winter of 1876, Nelson traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet Spencer F. Baird, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and enlist his help in securing
a position as a field naturalist. Through Baird's influence, Nelson traveled to Alaska as a weather observer in the Signal Corps of the United States Army in April 1877. From
June 1877 to June 1881, he was stationed at St. Michael on the Bering Sea coast of Alaska with a charge to ". . . secure an unbroken series of meteorological observations,
and, in addition, to obtain all the information possible concerning the geography, ethnology, and zoology of the surrounding region." Nelson made several dog-sled excursions
around the region, compiling data on the lives and customs of the native people, and making ethnological and natural history collections for the Smithsonian. The results of
his work were published in "Report upon Natural History Collections Made in Alaska between the Years 1877-1881," 1887, and "The Eskimo about Bering Strait," 1900. In June
1881, he accompanied the revenue steamer Corwin on its search for the missing arctic ship Jeannette. The expedition was the first to reach and explore Wrangell
Island.
Nelson spent most of the period from 1882 until 1890 in Arizona recovering from pulmonary tuberculosis contracted in Washington, D.C., while preparing his report on the
birds of Alaska. In 1890, he accepted an appointment as a Special Field Agent with the Death Valley Expedition under C. Hart Merriam, Chief of the Division of Ornithology
and Mammalogy, United States Department of Agriculture. This was the start of a career with the Division and its successor, the Bureau of Biological Survey, that would continue
until 1929. In January 1892, Nelson received orders to conduct a three-month field survey in Mexico with Edward Alphonso Goldman, whom he had recently hired as an assistant.
The trip evolved into an exhaustive, fourteen-year biological investigation of the entire country.
After concluding the Mexico work, Nelson's duties with the Bureau of Biological Survey gradually shifted from scientific to administrative. He was Chief Field Naturalist,
1907-1912; Assistant in charge of Biological Investigations, 1913-1914; Assistant Chief, 1914-1916; Chief, 1916-1927; and Senior Biologist, 1927-1929. Nelson was also an honorary
Research Associate of the Smithsonian Institution from 1930 until his death. During the decade in which he led the Biological Survey, Nelson was actively involved in most
of the major conservation issues of the era. He helped negotiate the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1916 with Great Britain and was an enthusiastic supporter of the Public Shooting
Grounds-Game Refuge Bill, the Alaska Game Law Bill, and the Migratory Bird Conservation Act. He was also instrumental in developing policies to improve conditions of domestic
reindeer herds in Alaska, and the promoting of bird-banding as a method of ornithological research.
In the field, Nelson was an all-round naturalist, observing and collecting most things that he encountered. He was a prolific author, and his bibliography included over
two hundred titles, mostly concerning birds and mammals. Over one hundred animals and plants were named in his honor. Nelson Island and Nelson Lagoon, along the coast of the
Bering Sea, and Nelson Range, a short mountain range in California, also bear his name. Nelson was President of the American Ornithologists' Union, 1908-1909, the Biological
Society of Washington, 1912-1913, and the American Society of Mammalogists, 1920-1923. He received an honorary M.A. from Yale University in 1920, and an honorary Doctor of
Science from the George Washington University in the same year.
Nelson was involved with the Goldman family in the operation of fruit orchards in California and Arizona. He was a co-owner and director of the Nelson-Goldman Orchard Company,
1911-1934, and the Arizona Orchard Company, 1921-1923.
For more detailed biographical information on Nelson, see Edward Alphonso Goldman, "Edward William Nelson - Naturalist," The Auk, April 1935, vol. 52, no. 2; Margaret
Lantis, "Edward William Nelson," Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska, December 1954, vol. 3, no. 1; and William W. Fitzhugh and Susan A. Kaplan, Inua.
Spirit World of the Bering Sea Eskimo, (Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1982).
EDWARD ALPHONSO GOLDMAN (1873-1946)
Edward Alphonso Goldman, field naturalist and mammalogist, was born in Mount Carroll, Illinois. His family moved to Tulare County, California, in 1888, and he went to work
as a foreman in a vineyard near Fresno at the age of seventeen. After a fortuitous meeting between his father and Edward William Nelson of the Bureau of Biological Survey,
Goldman was hired by Nelson in January 1892 to assist his biological investigations of California and Mexico. Thus began an association with Nelson and the Biological Survey
that would continue for the remainder of his life. Shortly thereafter, he received appointment as a Field Naturalist with the Biological Survey, and he spent most of the next
fourteen years with Nelson collecting in every region of Mexico.
Goldman served in a variety of positions with the Biological Survey. He was Field Naturalist, 1892-1917; Biologist in Charge, Division of Biological Investigations, 1919-1925;
Biologist in Charge, Game and Bird Reservations, 1925-1928; and Senior Biologist, Division of Biological Investigations, 1928-1943. Goldman also had an honorary position with
the Smithsonian Institution as Associate in Zoology from 1928 to 1946. His service with the Biological Survey was marked by extensive field investigations in every region
of the United States.
In 1911-1912, Goldman conducted faunal studies as part of the Biological Survey of Panama during construction of the canal. His results were published in The Mammals
of Panama in 1920. During World War I, he was a Major in the Sanitary Corps of the American Expeditionary Forces, in charge of rodent control in France. In 1936, he was
chosen to assist the United States Government in negotiations with Mexico for the protection of migratory birds and game mammals.
Goldman's bibliography included more than two hundred titles. He named over three hundred forms of mammals, most of them subspecies. Approximately fifty mammals, birds,
reptiles, mollusks, and plants bear his name. Goldman Peak in Baja California was also named in his honor. A member of many professional organizations, Goldman was President
of the Biological Society of Washington, 1927-1929, and the American Society of Mammalogists, 1946.
For additional biographical information on Goldman, see Stanley P. Young, "Edward Alphonso Goldman: 1873-1946," Journal of Mammalogy, May 1947, vol. 28, no. 2, pp.
91-109.
Chronology:
-- CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF EDWARD WILLIAM NELSON
1855 -- Born in Manchester, New Hampshire, May 8
1868 -- Family moved to Chicago
1872 -- Assisted Edward Drinker Cope and Samuel Garman on a fossil collecting expedition to the Badlands of Wyoming
1876 -- Visited Washington, D.C. and met Spencer F. Baird
1877-1881 -- Weather Observer for the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army at St. Michael, Alaska. Made extensive natural history and ethnology collections and observations of the Bering Strait Eskimos.
1881 -- Accompanied revenue steamer Corwin on search for missing arctic exploring ship Jeannette. Was a member of the first party to explore Wrangell Island.
1887 -- "Report upon Natural History Collections made in Alaska between the years 1877-1881" (Arctic Series of Publications Issued in Connection with the Signal Service, United States Army, no. 3)
1890-1891 -- Special Field Agent, Death Valley Expedition, Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy, United States Department of Agriculture
1890-1907 -- Field Naturalist, Bureau of Biological Survey
1892-1906 -- Field investigations of Mexico with Edward Alphonso Goldman
1899 -- "Revision of the Squirrels of Mexico and Central America" (Proceedings of the Washington Academy of Sciences, vol. 1)
1900 -- "The Eskimo about Bering Strait" (Eighteenth Annual Report, Bureau of American Ethnology, Pt. 1)
1907-1912 -- Chief Field Naturalist, Bureau of Biological Survey
1908-1909 -- President, American Ornithologists' Union
1909 -- "The Rabbits of North America" (U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, North American Fauna, no. 29)
1911-1934 -- Part owner, Nelson-Goldman Orchard Company, Orosi, California
1912-1913 -- President, Biological Society of Washington
1913-1914 -- Assistant in charge of Biological Investigations, Bureau of Biological Survey
1914-1916 -- Assistant Chief, Bureau of Biological Survey
1916-1927 -- Chief, Bureau of Biological Survey
1918 -- "Wild Animals of North America" (National Geographic Society; rev. ed., 1930)
1918-1919 -- Vice-President, American Society of Mammalogists
1920 -- Honorary Master of Arts, Yale University
1920 -- Honorary Doctor of Science, George Washington University
1920-1923 -- President, American Society of Mammalogists
1921-1922 -- President and Director, Arizona Orchard Company
1922 -- "Lower California and its Natural Resources" (Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 16)
1927-1929 -- Senior Biologist, Bureau of Biological Survey
1930-1934 -- Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution
1934 -- Death, May 19
-- CHRONOLOGY OF THE LIFE OF EDWARD ALPHONSO GOLDMAN
1873 -- Born in Mount Carroll, Illinois, July 7
1888 -- Family moved to Tulare County, California
1891 -- Hired by Edward William Nelson as a field assistant, beginning a long professional and personal association
1892-1917 -- Field Naturalist, Bureau of Biological Survey
1892-1906 -- Biological investigations of Mexico, mostly with Nelson
1910 -- Revision of the Wood Rats of the Genus Neotoma (U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, North American Fauna, no. 31)
1911 -- Revision of the Spiny Pocket Mice (genera Heteromys and Liomys) (U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, North American Fauna, no. 34)
1911-1912 -- Conducted faunal studies as part of the Biological Survey of the Panama Canal Zone
1913-1917 -- Biological investigations of Arizona
1918 -- Rice Rats of North America (U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey, North American Fauna, no. 43)
1918-1919 -- Major, Sanitary Corps, American Expeditionary Forces, in charge of rodent control in France
1919-1925 -- Biologist in Charge, Division of Biological Investigations, Bureau of Biological Survey
1920 -- Mammals of Panama (Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, vol. 69, no. 5)
1922-1937 -- Reserve Major, Sanitary Corps, U.S. Army
1925-1928 -- Biologist in Charge, Game and Bird Reservations, Bureau of Biological Survey
1928-1944 -- Senior Biologist, Division of Biological Investigations, Bureau of Biological Survey
1928-1946 -- Associate in Zoology, United States National Museum
-- 1936 assisted with negotiations of United States-Mexico migratory bird and mammal treaty
1944 -- "The Wolves of North America," with Stanley P. Young (American Wildlife Institute)
1944-1946 -- Collaborator, United States Fish and Wildlife Service
1946 -- President, American Society of Mammalogists
1946 -- "The Puma: Mysterious American Cat," with Stanley P. Young (American Wildlife Institute)
PROFESSIONAL CORRESPONDENCE OF EDWARD WILLIAM NELSON, 1878-1934 AND UNDATED.
Type:
Archival materials
Note:
This series consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence documenting the official and professional career of Edward William Nelson. He maintained a voluminous
correspondence with ornithologists, mammalogists, conservationists, and other professional colleagues. The letters document Nelson's involvement with conservation issues and
legislation, especially the Migratory Bird Treaty between the United States and Great Britain, 1916, and the Public Shooting Grounds-Game Refuge Bill; his work with professional
societies and conservation organizations including the American Ornithologists' Union, the American Society of Mammalogists, the American Game Protective Association, and
the American Wild Fowlers; his field work in Alaska and Mexico; his research on birds and mammals; and the preparation of scientific and popular papers.
Of special interest are several letters from Edward Alphonso Goldman documenting his service with the American Expeditionary Forces during World War I; letters of Alice
Eastwood and Leverett Mills Loomis describing the San Francisco earthquake of 1906; and letters of David Starr Jordan and Wilfred Hudson Osgood concerning the selection of
the fourth Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in 1907.
Occasional photographs, drawings, manuscripts, and publications are found with the correspondence. This material is noted in the folder descriptions.
Arranged alphabetically.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7364, Edward William Nelson and Edward Alphonso Goldman Collection
This finding aids was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
These papers consist of a "Book of Dates" compiled by Coues between 1896 and 1899, probably when he was preparing to write his memoirs. It includes genealogical information
dating to 1686 and is probably the most important source of information on Coues' life. Also included are thirty-eight letters written by Coues to Winfrid Alden Stearns, who
was seeking Coues' help in writing a manual of New England ornithology. Stearns' work was finally published in 1883 in two volumes under the title New England Bird Life,
Being a Manual of New England Ornithology, with extensive revisions and editing by Coues. In addition, this record unit contains an undated manuscript written by Coues
on the geographic distribution of mammals.
Historical Note:
Elliott Coues (1842-1899), a disciple of Spencer F. Baird, was probably the most influential American ornithologist of his generation. From about 1860 to 1881 Coues
served in the United States Army as Assistant Surgeon and from 1877 to 1886 served as Professor of Anatomy at Columbian College (now The George Washington University). His
major publications include Key to North American Birds, 1872; Check List of North American Birds, 1873, 1882; and Field Ornithology, 1874.
3.94 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes) (1 document box) (4 5x8 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Diaries
Field notes
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
1901, 1907, 1909-1910, 1918, 1929-1965
Introduction:
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
This collection provides primary documentation of Melbourne Armstrong Carriker, Jr.'s research on Mallophaga, and to a lesser extent his field trips and collecting
activities in South America. The bulk of the collection consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence with museum curators and co-workers mostly concerning taxonomic research
on Mallophaga, 1927-1965. The letters are not helpful in illuminating Carriker's personal life, but they do furnish some interesting insights into his personality and professional
views. In addition, they describe Carriker's collecting trips fairly explicitly, providing a great deal of information about the South American countryside and the ranges
of many species of birds. Important correspondents include Alexander Wetmore, G. H. E. Hopkins, Theresa Clay, John Frederick Gates Clark, and A. Remington Kellogg. Several
of the letters are written in Spanish, French, and German.
Other materials concerning his entomological studies include research notes on various species of Mallophaga and collection lists of the lice and their hosts; miscellaneous
notes and papers largely pertaining to nomenclature, but also including autobiographical sketches by Carriker; scientific illustrations of Mallophaga by Carriker; and photographs
of Mallophaga specimens.
Carriker's South American field work is documented by diaries kept during trips to Costa Rica, 1907; Colombia, 1918, 1941, 1951; Peru, 1932-1933; and Bolivia, 1936-1937.
Also included are photographs taken on trips to Costa Rica, 1901; Venezuela, 1909-1910; Peru, 1930-1932; and Colombia, 1943.
Historical Note:
Melbourne Armstrong Carriker, Jr. (1879-1965), was born in Sullivan, Illinois. By the time he graduated from high school, he was collecting bird skins and studying
the habits of birds extensively. His interest in bird lice (Mallophaga) began during his freshman year at the University of Nebraska under the guidance of Lawrence Bruner,
and Carriker became one of the world's authorities on the neotropical genera. During his career Carriker was responsible for the description of two new families, four new
subfamilies, fifty-three new genera and subgenera, and eight hundred sixty-six new species and subspecies. Carriker was prolific in his writing as well. Between 1940 and 1959
he produced thirty-three papers. His papers were published in Spanish as well as English, and he corresponded with Mallophaga systematists all over the world.
Carriker collected specimens for some of the most important institutions in the country, including the Carnegie Museum (1902 and 1907-1927); the American Museum of Natural
History (1909); the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (1929-1938); the United States National Museum (1940-1952); the Peabody Museum; the Field Museum of Natural
History; and the Los Angeles County Museum. He traveled to South America extensively on his collecting trips, covering Costa Rica, Trinidad, Venezuela, and Curacao Island,
and canvassing Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia almost entirely. From 1907 to 1909, Carriker held the position of assistant curator of birds at the Carnegie Museum. In 1953, he
received the honorary post of collaborator in the Department of Entomology, United States National Museum, and he continued his collecting work until the month before his
death in 1965.
Chronology:
February 14 ,1879 -- Born in Sullivan, Illinois
December 1899 -- Presented first paper, on nesting habits of local raptors, at first meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union
December 1901 -- Publication of first paper on Mallophaga
January-February 1902 -- Six-week collecting trip in Costa Rica with Lawrence Bruner of the University of Nebraska
1902 -- Collected birds in Costa Rica for the Carnegie Museum and small mammals for the American Museum of Natural History. Collecting trips to the volcanoes Irazu and Turialba and, accompanied by British ornithologist C. F. Underwood, to Pozo Azul. Saved Mallophaga from birds collected, and these became the subject of a second paper
1903 -- Returned to Costa Rica with H. C. Crawford, Jr., and Max Zimmerer. Contracted "Black-Water Fever," hospitalized. Upon recovery, took a job as an engineer with the General Electric Company installing electric lights in Puerto Limon
1904 -- Collected in Talamanca, on the Sixiola River in southeastern Costa Rica.
1905-1906 -- Returned to Puerto Limon, secured work as time-keeper and assistant manager of a United Fruit farm in Gaupiles. Later became manager of an area farm named El Hogar
1907 -- Began collecting in the Terraba region of southwestern Costa Rica. Returned to the U.S. in December
1907-1909 -- Served under W. E. Clyde Todd as assistant curator of birds for the Carnegie Museum. Sometime during this interval he made a three-month collecting trip with Todd to northern Canada
1909-1911 -- Collected in Trinidad and Venezuela, securing birds for the Carnegie Museum and mammals for Dr. J. A. Allen at the American Museum of Natural History
1911 -- Collected for a month on Curacao Island, then went to Santa Marta, Colombia. He used Santa Marta as a base of operations until 1927
1912 -- Married Myrtle Carmelite Flye
1914 -- Collected in the Sierra Nevada. Ascended by way of Rio Macotama to Lake Macotama
1915 -- Collected in region west of Baranquilla
1916 -- Traveled up the Rio Magdalena to Gamarra, into the eastern cordillera of the Andes through Sanander Norte, then south through Santander Sur to Bucaramanga. Crossed Santander to Cucui, worked down to the lowlands of the Rio Cassanare. Recrossed the Andes, went south to Bogota, then returned to Santa Marta. Collected all along the way.
1918 -- Collected between the mouth of the Rio Atrato and Quibdo, then down the Rio Condoto to the Rio San Juan, then went to Buenaventura by steamer, all with his wife, baby daughter, and two servant girls. Collected at Cordoba, Caldas, Bitaco, La Cumbre, Cali, Manizales, and La Dorada
1922 -- Collected in Venezuela for the Carnegie Museum with his wife and Robert Sargent
1927 -- Sold residence in Santa Marta, moved to Beachwood, New Jersey
1929 -- Joined staff of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and began an ornithological survey of Peru for them, starting in the eastern lowlands
May 1930 -- Returned to States
1931 -- Returned to Lima, began collecting at La Oroya. Worked up the western cordillera, then south along the coast, then went eastward. Returned to Philadelphia
1932 -- Returned to Peru. Started collecting on the coast near Huacho, and worked north. Conducted extensive collecting trip in the interior. Joined for the latter part of the trip by Radcliffe Roberts. Returned to Philadelphia
1933 -- Went back to Peru, collected in the north
June 1934 -- Sent to Bolivia by the Academy, accompanied by his eldest son Melbourne Romaine Carriker
February 1935 -- Returned to States
1935-1936 -- Worked on collected material, producing a large report on the Mallophaga of the Tinamous
April 1936 -- Returned to collecting in Bolivia
December 1936 -- Went back to States
May 1937 -- Returned to Bolivia
May 1938 -- Returned to States. Resigned position at the Academy
1938-1939 -- Worked as a carpenter in Beachwood, New Jersey
1940 -- Collected for four months in Veracruz, Mexico, for the U.S. National Museum
1941 -- Accompanied Dr. Alexander Wetmore on a collecting trip in Colombia. Was divorced
1941-1952 -- Covered most of Colombia on collecting trips. Finished work for the U.S. National Museum and retired to Colombia at the end of 1952. Continued to publish extensively
1944 -- Married a Colombian woman who appears in this collection only as "Felisa"
1952-1965 -- Collected for the Peabody Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum, the Field Museum of Natural History, and others. Became a collaborator of the Smithsonian and did some collecting for Dr. Alexander Wetmore. Made periodic trips to the U.S. but continued to live in Colombia. Continued to publish regularly
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
These papers consist of correspondence from John Xantus to Spencer F. Baird, mostly concerning Xantus' collecting activities, 1857-1864. Also included are several letters
(and copies of letters) from various individuals concerning Xantus, especially letters of recommendation for the position of U. S. Consul at Manzanillo, Mexico.
After entering the U. S. Army in 1855, Xantus began using the name Louis de Vesey. The letters in this collection for the years 1857-1858 are signed three different ways:
DE VESEY, L. X. DE VESEY, and L. XANTUS DE VESEY. By 1859, he had readopted his given name and letters are signed J. XANTUS.
Historical Note:
A native of Hungary, John Xantus (1825-1894) came to the United States in 1850. In 1855, he entered the United States Army and served as a hospital steward at Fort
Riley, Kansas Territory, 1855-1857, and Fort Tejon, California, 1857-1859. In January 1859, Xantus was appointed tidal observer for the United States Coast Survey stationed
at Cape San Lucas, Lower California, where he remained until August 1861. After a short visit to Hungary, Xantus was appointed United States Consul at Manzanillo, Mexico,
on November 25, 1862. In 1864, he returned to Hungary, where he spent the remainder of his life.
In 1857, Xantus began corresponding with Spencer F. Baird, and in subsequent years he made extensive collections for the Smithsonian Institution, especially in the field
of ornithology.
This collection consists primarily of reports, notebooks, notes, photographs, maps, and related materials documenting field research conducted by staff naturalists
of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and its predecessor, the Bureau of Biological Survey. The reports, which primarily concern biological surveys conducted in the
United States, are usually submitted to the Chief of the Bureau or to the division or section responsible for field research. Also included are a substantial number of reports
concerning field work carried out in Canada and Mexico. A small amount of reports document work in South and Central America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and Antarctica.
Most of the field reports are of a general nature documenting biological surveys of a particular state or geographical region. They fall into three categories: special
reports, physiography reports, and plant reports. Notes on birds and mammals are joined to comprise the special reports and concern the observation, identification, distribution,
and collecting of specimens. The physiography reports consist of notes and observations on the natural phenomena of the area surveyed, such as climate, topography, bodies
of water, etc. Notes on plant life, trees, and vegetation are recorded in the plant reports.
Reports on specific projects or topics are found throughout the collection. Included are reports on predatory animal control; faunal distribution and migratory studies;
national parks and wildlife refuges (including reports on proposed parks and refuges); species introduction projects; wildlife management studies; conservation and wildlife
problems; environmental impact studies; animal behavior projects; wildlife diseases and epidemics; bird-banding projects; and fur-bearing animal studies.
The collection also includes correspondence from staff naturalists and the general public usually pertaining to birds or mammals observed; newspaper clippings; and publications.
Historical Note:
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service has its origin in the work of C. Hart Merriam and the old Bureau of Biological Survey in the United States Department of
Agriculture. By 1885, the ornithological work being conducted by the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and other private organizations and individuals had grown to the
point where private interests were no longer able to finance it sufficiently. Congress was then persuaded to establish a section of ornithology in the Division of Entomology
of the Department of Agriculture. The purpose of the section was "the promotion of economic ornithology, or the study of the interrelation of birds and agriculture, an investigation
of the food, habits, and migration of birds in relation to both insects and plants, and publishing reports thereon." Through the influence of the AOU and Spencer F. Baird
of the Smithsonian Institution, Merriam was appointed Ornithologist. The following year the section attained independent rank as the Division of Ornithology. In 1888 its responsibilities
were expanded to include mammals, resulting in a new title - the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy.
Merriam's concept of life zones which are fitted by nature for the life of certain associations of plants and animals, and his estimation of the value which the delimitation
of such areas would have for agriculture, led him to propose the establishment of a Biological Survey into which his own division would be merged. The 1896 name change of
the Division to the Division of Biological Survey was the result. In 1905, it became a Bureau within the Department of Agriculture.
The Bureau of Biological Survey remained within the Department of Agriculture until 1939 when it was transferred to the Department of Interior. The following year it was
combined with the Bureau of Fisheries, which had been transferred to Interior from the Department of Commerce, to form the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
From the beginning of the Survey's work, field research was of primary importance in gathering information concerning the interrelation of birds, mammals, and agriculture.
Field surveys continued to play an important role as the Bureau's work evolved to include game protection, research on fur-bearing animals, the management of game refuges,
predatory animal control, and the protection of migratory birds. Surveys conducted by the Bureau usually entailed sending individual naturalists or groups of workers to collect
mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians in a particular state or geographic region. The collections would be augmented by detailed notes, specimens of representative plant
life, and photographs of the environment being studied. The compiled materials would serve as the basis for a detailed report on the region. Biological surveys were also conducted
at several regional field stations administered by the Bureau.
10.38 cu. ft. (5 record storage boxes) (5 document boxes) (8 5x8 boxes)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Manuscripts
Black-and-white photographs
Date:
circa 1910-1954
Introduction:
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
Descriptive Entry:
This collection includes notes, correspondence, information, and photographs accumulated by Bent while writing the "Life Histories." Bent corresponded with hundreds,
perhaps thousands, of ornithologists while accumulating information for his life histories. Many of his correspondents sent information on many different species, therefore
the correspondence or notes of any individual are likely to be spread throughout the collection, making name control cumbersome and impractical. However, Bent was scrupulous
about crediting his contributors. The researcher is urged to consult the Introduction to each volume (in which major contributors are listed) as well as the index at the back
of each volume. The index, however, contains only references to individuals quoted in the text, whereas the papers contain many contributions not quoted and therefore not
indexed.
Historical Note:
Arthur Cleveland Bent (1866-1954) began his multi-volume Life Histories of North American Birds in 1910 and spent the remaining years of his life attempting
to complete the project. A prominent businessman and citizen of Taunton, Massachusetts, Bent had been an amateur ornithologist since his childhood. In 1910 he offered to undertake,
in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and at his own expense, the completion of the Life Histories of North American Birds begun in the 1890s by Charles
Emil Bendire (1836-1897). Between 1910 and his death Bent completed 20 volumes, one of which was published posthumously, and had accumulated notes for three other volumes,
which were published in 1968 under the editorship of Oliver L. Austin, Jr.
The "Life Histories" were published as a series of "Bulletins" of the United States National Museum as follows:
107. Life Histories of North American Diving Birds, August 1, 1919.
113. Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns, August 27, 1921.
121. Life Histories of North American Petrels and Pelicans and Their Allies, October 19, 1922.
126. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), May 25, 1923.
130. Life Histories of North American Wild Fowl (part), June 27, 1925.
135. Life Histories of North American Marsh Birds, March 11, 1927.
142. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 1), December 31, 1927.
146. Life Histories of North American Shore Birds (pt. 2), March 24, 1929.
162. Life Histories of North American Gallinaceous Birds, May 25, 1932.
167. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 1), May 3, 1937.
170. Life Histories of North American Birds of Prey (pt. 2), August 8, 1938.
174. Life Histories of North American Woodpeckers, May 23, 1939.
176. Life Histories of North American Cuckoos, Goatsuckers, Hummingbirds, and Their Allies, July 20, 1940.
179. Life Histories of North American Flycatchers, Larks, Swallows, and Their Allies, May 8, 1942.
191. Life Histories of North American Jays, Crows, and Titmice, January 27, 1947.
195. Life Histories of North American Nuthatches, Wrens, Thrashers, and Their Allies, July 7, 1948.
196. Life Histories of North American Thrushes, Kinglets, and Their Allies, June 28, 1949.
197. Life Histories of North American Wagtails, Shrikes, Vireos, and Their Allies, June 21, 1950.
203. Life Histories of North American Wood Warblers, June 15, 1953.
211. Life Histories of North American Blackbirds, Orioles, Tanagers, and Allies, February 27, 1958.
237. Life Histories of North American Cardinals, Grosbeaks, Buntings, Towhees, Finches, Sparrows, and Allies (in 3 volumes), 1968.
Bent regarded the "Life Histories" as collaborative works, and he solicited information, data, notes, and photographs from hundreds of professional and amateur ornithologists
throughout North America.
![View Folder 67 1898 Robert Ridgway digital asset: Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) sits writing at his desk in his office located in the United States National Museum, August 10, 1898 [Image No. SIA2008-2291]](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=120&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/electronicresource.gif "Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) sits writing at his desk in his office located in the United States National Museum, August 10, 1898 [Image No. SIA2008-2291]")
![view Folder 67 1898 Robert Ridgway digital asset: Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) sits writing at his desk in his office located in the United States National Museum, August 10, 1898 [Image No. SIA2008-2291]](https://ids.si.edu/ids/deliveryService?max=170&id=https://sirismm.si.edu/siris/electronicresource.gif "Robert Ridgway (1850-1929) sits writing at his desk in his office located in the United States National Museum, August 10, 1898 [Image No. SIA2008-2291]")