Series 1. JOHN BROOKS HENDERSON, JR. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1892-1923. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.
Series 2. JOHN BROOKS HENDERSON, JR., LITERARY MANUSCRIPTS AND DESCRIPTION OF HAITI.
Series 3. JOHN BROOKS HENDERSON, JR., SCIENTIFIC NOTEBOOKS, LOGBOOK, AND MANUSCRIPTS. 1899-1914.
Series 4. HENDERSON FAMILY GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE. 1868-1923. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.
Series 5. HENDERSON FAMILY GENEALOGY, APPOINTMENT CALENDARS, MEDICAL REPORTS, FISCAL AND REAL ESTATE RECORDS, BLUEPRINTS, AND DRAWINGS.
Series 6. HENDERSON FAMILY GUEST BOOK, RECIPE BOOKS, NOTES, PAMPHLETS, NEWSPAPER AND JOURNAL ARTICLES, AND PHOTOGRAPHS.
Series 7. JOHN BROOKS HENDERSON, JR., CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING WEST INDIAN MOLLUSKS, 1898-1922.
John Brooks Henderson (1826-1913), a lawyer and politician, served as United
States senator from Missouri from 1862 to 1869. In 1869, he returned to St.
Louis where he practiced law and remained active in both local and national
politics. In 1889, he retired from practice and moved to Washington, D.C.
From 1892-1911, he served as a citizen member of the Smithsonian Institution
Board of Regents. Henderson's wife, Mary Foote Henderson (1841-1931),
was involved in the suffrage and temperance movements. She was also a
well-known socialite in Washington and a devotee of the arts, as well as an
author of children's books and books on health. John Brooks Henderson,
Jr. (1870-1923), the son of John Brooks and Mary Foote Henderson, graduated
from Harvard University in 1891 and Columbian Law School (now George
Washington University) in 1893. From 1896-1897, Henderson was secretary to John
W. Foster, a diplomatic advisor to the Chinese government. In 1897, he
traveled with General Nelson A. Miles on a tour of Europe and the Ottoman
Empire as a civilian observer of the armies of the great European powers. He
was appointed a citizen member of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents
in 1911 and retained that post until his death. Interested in shell collecting
as a youth, Henderson later concentrated on marine shell life of the West
Indies and participated in several expeditions to the Caribbean. His
collections were donated to the United States National Museum. He did
volunteer work in the Division of Mollusks in his spare time, and wrote
several articles for the Proceedings of the United States National
Museum and Bulletin of the United States National Museum. He was
the author of American Diplomatic Questions, 1901, and The Cruise of
the Tomas Barrera, 1916, based on his expedition to Cuba in 1914. This series consists of correspondence to and from John Brooks Henderson, Jr., mostly with amateur shell collectors, shell salesmen, conchologists, marine scientists, lawyers, court officers, and publishers concerning the exchange, purchase, and study of West Indian shells; the estate of John Brooks Henderson; and the publication of Henderson, Jr.'s book, The Cruise of the Tomas Barrera. Box 1 of 10
INTRODUCTION
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the
Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.
HISTORICAL NOTE
DESCRIPTIVE ENTRY
The Henderson family papers contains John Brooks Henderson, Jr.'s
correspondence; literary manuscripts; scientific notebooks; lists of shells
from the Caribbean, Maine, and North Carolina; Henderson family
correspondence, including John Brooks Henderson, Jr.'s correspondence
describing his travels, and correspondence concerning the endorsement of
Irving Fisher for secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; canceled checks;
appointment calendars; medical and real estate records; notes, genealogy; Mary
Foote Henderson's recipe and guest books; also records from the United States
Treasury Department on imports and exports; immigration and population
statistics; federal expenditure statistics, 1892-1893; photographs, some of
which were taken by Matthew Brady; blueprints and architectural drawings; and
newspaper and journal articles.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
SERIES 1.
JOHN BROOKS HENDERSON, JR. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1892-1923. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.
| Folder | 1 | A | |
| Folder | 2 | Shepard Barclay, 1916-1919 | |
| Folder | 3 | Be - Bu | |
| Folder | 4 | Ca - Ch | |
| Folder | 5 | George H. Clapp, 1898-1919 | |
| Folder | 6 | D - E | |
| Folder | 7 | F - G | |
| Folder | 8 | Henry Hemphill, 1898-1901 | |
| Folder | 9 | Beatrice Van Rensselaer Henderson, 1921-1922 | |
| Folder | 10 | Her - Hi | |
| Folder | 11 | Adolph A. Hoehling, Jr., 1913-1916 | |
| Folder | 12 | Hor - J | |
| Folder | 13 | K - O | |
| Folder | 14 | Pe - Po | |
| Folder | 15 | G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1915-1920 | |
| Folder | 16 | R | |
| Folder | 17 | S - V | |
| Folder | 18 | Wa - Web | |
| Folder | 19 | William Wesley and Son, 1897-1902 | |
| Folder | 20 | Wet - Wr |
Box 1 of 10
| Folder | 21 | Play: The Peace Envoy | |
| Folder | 22 | Short Story: All for Janet | |
| Folder | 23 | Short Story: untitled | |
| Folder | 24 | Treatise: The Evolution of Peace | |
| Folder | 25 | Description of Haiti. Undated with pages missing | |
| Folder | 26 | Catalogue of books at "Glenwood" |
Box 2 of 10
Box 3 of 10
Box 4 of 10
Logbook of the Tomas Barrera (Cuban Expedition), May-June, 1914
Manuscripts on shells from places unknown.
| Folder | 1 | mss., pp. 1-40 | |
| Folder | 2 | mss., pp. 41-66 | |
| Folder | 3 | mss. pp. 67-97 | |
| Folder | 4 | mss., pp. 98-164 | |
| Folder | 5 | mss., pp. 165-202 | |
| Folder | 6 | mss., pp. 203-317 | |
| Folder | 7 | mss., pp. 318-414 | |
| Folder | 8 | List of West Indian Terrestrial Mollusks | |
| Folder | 9 | List of marine shells in southeastern United States, and the West Indies in the John Ford Collection | |
| Folder | 10 | List of Cuban Shells |
Box 5 of 10
This series consists mostly of incoming correspondence to Mary Foote Henderson and John Brooks Henderson, with occasional outgoing correspondence from the two parties. Correspondents include family members, especially John Brooks Henderson, Jr.; politicians; diplomats; publishers; scientists; lawyers; members of the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, including Alexander Graham Bell; and friends. The correspondence concerns health problems; family business affairs; personal family problems; social affairs; real estate matters; Washington, D.C. affairs; and publication of Mary Foote Henderson's books. Materials of special interest include: responses from the candidates for the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (filed under Alexander Graham Bell); the endorsement of Irving Fisher for secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (filed under Irving Fisher, John Brooks Henderson, Mary Foote Henderson, and the Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents); and correspondence regarding John Brooks Henderson, Jr.'s, trips to Cuba, Haiti, Florida, Jamaica, Europe, and the Ottoman Empire as a civilian observer under General Nelson A. Miles.
Box 6 of 10
| Folder | 1 | Add - Arm | |
| Folder | 2 | Augusta Foote Arnold, 1870-1882 | |
| Folder | 3 | Henry Arnold, circa 1919 | |
| Folder | 4 | Bac - Bea | |
| Folder | 5 | Alexander Graham Bell, 1906 | |
| Folder | 6 | Bev - Bro | |
| Folder | 7 | Calling Cards | |
| Folder | 8 | Cam - Cha | |
| Folder | 9 | Christmas Cards | |
| Folder | 10 | Christopher, A. H. - Christopher, J. | |
| Folder | 11 | Cl - Cu | |
| Folder | 12 | D - E | |
| Folder | 13 | Fai - Fil | |
| Folder | 14 | Irving Fisher, 1906-1907 | |
| Folder | 15 | Fisher, M. - Fisher, W. | |
| Folder | 16 | Amanda Foote, 1921 | |
| Folder | 17 | Elisha Foote, 1871-1883 | |
| Folder | 18 | Eunice Newton Foote, 1870-1871 | |
| Folder | 19 | For - Har | |
| Folder | 20 | Beatrice Van Rensselaer Henderson, 1921-1923 | |
| Folder | 21 | John Brooks Henderson, 1868-1872 | |
| Folder | 22 | John Brooks Henderson, 1874-1896 | |
| Folder | 23 | John Brooks Henderson, 1906 | |
| Folder | 24 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1877-1890 | |
| Folder | 25 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1890-1892 | |
| Folder | 26 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1895-1896 |
Box 7 of 10
| Folder | 1 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1897 | |
| Folder | 2 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1900-1901 | |
| Folder | 3 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1907 | |
| Folder | 4 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., circa 1915-circa 1920 | |
| Folder | 5 | John Brooks Henderson, Jr., 1921-1922 | |
| Folder | 6 | Mary Foote Henderson, 1872-circa 1880 | |
| Folder | 7 | Mary Foote Henderson, 1906 | |
| Folder | 8 | Hof - Kei | |
| Folder | 9 | John Harvey Kellogg, 1906-1922 | |
| Folder | 10 | Lee - Mor | |
| Folder | 11 | N - O | |
| Folder | 12 | P - R | |
| Folder | 13 | Sch - Smith | |
| Folder | 14 | Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents, 1906 | |
| Folder | 15 | Sp - Sz | |
| Folder | 16 | T | |
| Folder | 17 | V - Z |
Box 7 of 10
| Folder | 18 | Genealogy, "Origin of the Henderson Family," circa 15th century to 1923 | |
| Folder | 19 | Calendars, 1893-1900 | |
| Folder | 20 | Calendars, 1904-1922 | |
| Folder | 21 | Account book, 1921 |
Box 8 of 10
| Folder | 1 | Canceled checks of Mary Foote Henderson, October 9, 1909, November 1922 to September 1923 | |
| Folder | 2 | Canceled checks of John Brooks Henderson, Jr., October 1922 to December 1922 | |
| Folder | 3 | John Brooks Henderson, statements from the Bank of Louisiana, 1903-1913 | |
| Folder | 4 | Sale receipts for household goods | |
| Folder | 5 | Sale receipts from William Wesley and Son | |
| Folder | 6 | Statements of notes owned by John Brooks Henderson held for collection and collected by A. M. Harrah | |
| Folder | 7 | Contracts and receipts from C. P. Putnam's Sons | |
| Folder | 8 | Medical and laboratory test reports of Mary Foote Henderson and John Brooks Henderson, Jr. | |
| Folder | 9 | Papers pertaining to V and 16th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. property | |
| Folder | 10 | Papers pertaining to properties on Meridian Hill (Lot 10 and Lot 26, Block 20), Washington, D.C. | |
| Folder | 11 | Papers pertaining to properties on Meridian Hill (Lot 807, 808, 21, and 22), Washington, D.C. | |
| Folder | 12 | Papers pertaining to Virginia farm property | |
| Folder | 13 | Papers pertaining to Olive Street, St. Louis, Missouri property | |
| Folder | 14 | Real estate miscellaneous | |
| Folder | 15 | Blueprints, data, and photographs of yachts | |
| Folder | 16 | Architectural drawings and correspondence for a new British Embassy |
Box 9 of 10
| Folder | 1 | Mary Foote Henderson's Guest Book | |
| Folder | 2 | Mary Foote Henderson's Recipe Books | |
| Folder | 3 | Notes by Mary Foote Henderson | |
| Folder | 4 | Notes by John Brooks Henderson | |
| Folder | 5 | Information provided by the United States Treasury Department on imports and exports; population; and United States government expenditures, 1892-1893 | |
| Folder | 6 | Typewritten copies of newspaper articles | |
| Folder | 7 | Pamphlets (no dates) | |
| Folder | 8 | Pamphlets, 1885-1908 | |
| Folder | 9 | Pamphlets, 1910-1922 | |
| Folder | 10 | Journal articles, 1893-1921 | |
| Folder | 11 | Newspaper articles regarding Meridian Hill, 1909-1914 | |
| Folder | 12 | Newspaper articles: reviews of The Cruise of the Tomas Barrera, 1916 | |
| Folder | 13 | Newspaper articles regarding domestic news, 1872-1935 | |
| Folder | 14 | Newspaper articles regarding international news, 1884-1922 | |
| Folder | 15 | Newspaper articles regarding society columns; circa 1891-1921 | |
| Folder | 16 | Photograph of John Nichols (?); also photographs probably of John Brooks Henderson, Mary Foote Henderson, and (?) Fowler by Matthew Brady |
Box 10 of 10
| Folder | 1 | A-C | |
| Folder | 2 | D-M | |
| Folder | 3 | N-R | |
| Folder | 4 | S-Z |
Contact us at osiaref@si.edu
Revised: March 20, 2007