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SIA RU007446, Fendler, Augustus 1813-1883, Augustus Fendler Papers, 1854, 1874, 1900 and undated

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Summary

Creator:
Fendler, Augustus 1813-1883
Title:
Augustus Fendler Papers, 1854, 1874, 1900 and undated
Dates:
1854, 1854-1900, 1854, 1874, 1900 and undated
Notes:
Augustus Fendler (1813-1883), a natural history collector, was born in Prussia and spent one year at the technical school in Berlin. In 1836 he emigrated to Baltimore, and for the next eight years found irregular employment in trades in Philadelphia, New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans. He tried homesteading in Texas in 1839, and lived as a hermit on a Missouri River island in the winter of 1841-1842. A trip to Prussia in 1844 and a visit to Ernst Meyer, Professor of Botany at the University at Konigsberg, awakened him to the commercial possibilities of collecting botanical specimens. At first collecting in the Mississippi River valley, Fendler collaborated with botanist George Engelmann of St. Louis in identifying specimens. At the outbreak of the Mexican War, through the help of Asa Gray, he was provided with free transportation with United States troops to Santa Fe, where he collected during the years 1846-1847. Gray's descriptions of these plants are classics in the field, and the Smithsonian purchased a set of his specimens. In 1849 Fendler attempted an unsuccessful expedition to the Great American Basin. Later collecting trips were to Panama, Arkansas, and Venezuela, where he lived for five years in the late 1850s. While in Venezuela, Fendler amassed a great collection of flora and became a meteorological correspondent of the Smithsonian. His travels continued in his later life as well, including Missouri, Prussia, Delaware (where he wrote The Mechanism of the Universe), and Trinidad, where he continued his botanical collecting until his death
Summary:
These papers were deposited with the Smithsonian along with manuscripts on botany, which form part of record unit 1010014. The present material consists chiefly of two possibly related series. One is the manuscript for his 1874 privately printed book, The Mechanism of the Universe, which was an attempt to find a coherent scheme to all motive powers in the universe, from physics to physiology. Included in this record unit are illustrations and an analytical table of contents that were not printed. The second series consists of notes, arranged by subject, on various aspects of natural science, including meteorology, climatology, geography, zoology, botany, and horticulture. These materials may have been intended to form the basis of a book, perhaps a companion to Fendler's Mechanism, as none of these topics are dealt with there. This record unit alsoincludes a covering memorandum to the manuscript, dated June 16, 1900, from Randolph Iltyd Geare, Chief of Correspondence and Documents, to Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary; a letter from Fendler to Engelmann, April 22, 1854, written from Venezuela; and botanical illustrations
Topics:
Botany, Geography, Meteorology, Natural history, Physics, Zoology
Subjects:
Rathbun, Richard 1852-1918, Engelmann, George 1809-1884
Form/Genre:
Scientific illustrations, Collection descriptions
Local Number:
SIA RU007446
Physical Description:
0.1 linear meter

Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 7446

Fendler, Augustus, 1813-1883

Augustus Fendler Papers, 1854, 1874, 1900 and undated

Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator: Fendler, Augustus, 1813-1883
Title: Augustus Fendler Papers
Dates: 1854, 1874, 1900 and undated
Quantity: 0.1 linear meter.
Collection: Record Unit 7446
Language of Materials: English

Historical Note

Augustus Fendler (1813-1883), a natural history collector, was born in Prussia and spent one year at the technical school in Berlin. In 1836 he emigrated to Baltimore, and for the next eight years found irregular employment in trades in Philadelphia, New York, St. Louis, and New Orleans. He tried homesteading in Texas in 1839, and lived as a hermit on a Missouri River island in the winter of 1841-1842. A trip to Prussia in 1844 and a visit to Ernst Meyer, Professor of Botany at the University at Konigsberg, awakened him to the commercial possibilities of collecting botanical specimens. At first collecting in the Mississippi River valley, Fendler collaborated with botanist George Engelmann of St. Louis in identifying specimens. At the outbreak of the Mexican War, through the help of Asa Gray, he was provided with free transportation with United States troops to Santa Fe, where he collected during the years 1846-1847. Gray's descriptions of these plants are classics in the field, and the Smithsonian purchased a set of his specimens. In 1849 Fendler attempted an unsuccessful expedition to the Great American Basin. Later collecting trips were to Panama, Arkansas, and Venezuela, where he lived for five years in the late 1850s. While in Venezuela, Fendler amassed a great collection of flora and became a meteorological correspondent of the Smithsonian. His travels continued in his later life as well, including Missouri, Prussia, Delaware (where he wrote The Mechanism of the Universe), and Trinidad, where he continued his botanical collecting until his death.

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Introduction

This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.

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Descriptive Entry

These papers were deposited with the Smithsonian along with manuscripts on botany, which form part of record unit 1010014. The present material consists chiefly of two possibly related series. One is the manuscript for his 1874 privately printed book, The Mechanism of the Universe, which was an attempt to find a coherent scheme to all motive powers in the universe, from physics to physiology. Included in this record unit are illustrations and an analytical table of contents that were not printed. The second series consists of notes, arranged by subject, on various aspects of natural science, including meteorology, climatology, geography, zoology, botany, and horticulture. These materials may have been intended to form the basis of a book, perhaps a companion to Fendler's Mechanism, as none of these topics are dealt with there. This record unit also includes a covering memorandum to the manuscript, dated June 16, 1900, from Randolph Iltyd Geare, Chief of Correspondence and Documents, to Richard Rathbun, Assistant Secretary; a letter from Fendler to Engelmann, April 22, 1854, written from Venezuela; and botanical illustrations.

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This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.

Name

Subject

Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection

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Preferred Citation

Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7446, Fendler, Augustus, 1813-1883, Augustus Fendler Papers

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Container List

Box 1

Folder 1 Correspondence - Fendler to George Engelmann, April 22, 1854

Box 1 of 1

Folder 2 Manuscript - The Mechanism of the Universe

Box 1 of 1

Folder 3 The Mechanism of the Universe - Prospectus and Botanical Notes

Box 1 of 1

Folder 4 The Mechanism of the Universe - Illustrations

Box 1 of 1

Folder 5 Commonplaces - Meteorological, Geophysical, Astronomical and Topographical

Box 1 of 1

Folder 6 Commonplaces - Zoological, Botanical and Horticultural

Box 1 of 1

Folder 7 Botanical Illustrations

Box 1 of 1

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