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

Record Unit 7324

Gidley, James Williams, 1866-1931

James W. Gidley Papers, 1903-1931 and undated

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:Gidley, James Williams, 1866-1931
Title:James W. Gidley Papers
Dates:1903-1931 and undated
Quantity:1.5 cu. ft. (3 document boxes)
Collection:Record Unit 7324
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

The papers of James W. Gidley document his research on fossil mammals and his work at the USNM. They include incoming and outgoing correspondence with professional colleagues and USNM associates concerning various research topics, field work, museum business, and the preparation of scientific papers. Also included are manuscripts, notes, photographs, and illustrations from his research.

Historical Note

James W. Gidley (1866-1931), vertebrate paleontologist and museum curator, was born in Springwater, Iowa. He developed an early interest in paleontology, collecting fossils in the Black Hills near his boyhood home. In 1892, Gidley was appointed Assistant in Vertebrate Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). He remained at the AMNH until 1905, although the continuity of his service was broken while he pursued his formal education. He received the B.S. degree in 1898, and the M.S. degree in 1901 - both from Princeton University. He earned his Ph.D from George Washington University in 1922. Perhaps his most important work for the AMNH was a series of field explorations to collect fossil horses. During these trips, Gidley discovered the fossil horse Equus scotti in Texas in 1899. This discovery was the subject of his first published paper the following year. Gidley also collected a new genus of three-toed horse, Neohipparion, in Nebraska in 1902.

Gidley's career at the United States National Museum (USNM) began in 1905 when he was appointed Preparator in the Section of Vertebrate Fossils. In 1908, he was promoted to Custodian of Fossil Mammals in the newly created Division of Vertebrate Paleontology. He was made Assistant Curator in 1912, and remained in that position until his death.

Gidley's career at the USNM was marked by several field explorations to collect fossil mammals. Included were trips to Maryland, Indiana, and Arizona. In the mid 1920s, he began a series of explorations around Melbourne and Vero Beach, Florida, in search of Pleistocene man. Gidley's research interests were varied and he pursued studies of fossil mammals ranging from rodents to the horse. His bibliography listed 87 titles and included brief reports on the identity of specific specimens, as well as detailed studies of certain mammalian groups.

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Descriptive Entry

This record unit consists of the general correspondence, notes, manuscripts, photographs, and illustrations of James W. Gidley.

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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 7324, James W. Gidley Papers

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Container List

Series 1

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1903-1931, AND UNDATED.

Box 1

Folder 1 General, A-W

Box 1 of 3

Folder 2 Bassler, Ray S., 1921

Box 1 of 3

Folder 3 Fewkes, J. Walter, 1926

Box 1 of 3

Folder 4 Frick, Childs, 1924-1925, 1927-1928

Box 1 of 3

Folder 5 Granger, Walter, 1914, 1916, 1918

Box 1 of 3

Folder 6 Gregory, William K., 1903, 1914-1916

Box 1 of 3

Folder 7 Holmes, Walter W., 1927-1928, 1930

Box 1 of 3

Folder 8 Lull, Richard S., 1912-1913, 1915-1916

Box 1 of 3

Folder 9 Matthew, W. D., 1906, 1908, 1910-1912, 1914-1922, 1927

Box 1 of 3

Folder 10 Osborn, Henry Fairfield, 1913, 1915-1918, 1924, 1931, and undated

Box 1 of 3

Folder 11 Peterson, O. A., 1906, 1912, 1914, 1916

Box 1 of 3

Folder 12 Siberling, Albert C., 1909, 1911, 1913-1916, 1919, 1928

Box 1 of 3

Series 2

NOTES, MANUSCRIPTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, AND ILLUSTRATIONS CONCERNING FOSSIL MAMMALS, 1905-1931, AND UNDATED.

Box 1

Folder 13 Notes and manuscript on the evolution of the horse, circa 1930, and undated

Box 1 of 3

Folders 14-15 Notes, mauscripts, and photographs on fossil rodents, 1926, and undated

Box 1 of 3

Box 2

Folder 1 Notes on Mesozoic mammals, circa 1906-1908

Box 2 of 3

Folder 2 Notes on the origin of bears, undated

Box 2 of 3

Folder 3 Notes and manuscripts on the origin of man, circa 1926

Box 2 of 3

Folder 4 Notes and manuscripts on the premolar development in the Selenodont Artiodaclyla, undated

Box 2 of 3

Folders 5-7 Notes, photographs, and drawings on San Pedro Valley fossils, circa 1922

Box 2 of 3

Folder 8 Notes and manuscripts on Tertiary mammals, undated

Box 2 of 3

Folder 9 Notes and manuscripts for "Warm-blooded animals," by Gidley and Gerrit S. Miller published in the Smithsonian Scientific Series, circa 1930-1931

Box 2 of 3

Box 3

Folder 1 Miscellaneous notes, 1911, and undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 2 Illustrations - Claenodon, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 3 Illustrations - Cumberland Cave fossils, circa 1920

Box 3 of 3

Folder 4 Illustrations - Dromomeryx Mascalensis, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 5 Illustrations - Epigaulus, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 6 Illustrations - Fort Union mammals, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 7 Illustrations - Fort Union primates, circa 1923

Box 3 of 3

Folder 8 Illustrations - Myrmeoboides, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 9 Illustrations - Procyon simus, 1905

Box 3 of 3

Folder 10 Illustrations - Ptilodus, 1909

Box 3 of 3

Folder 11 Illustrations - Pycnodont fishes, 1913

Box 3 of 3

Folder 12 Illustrations - Titanoides, 1917

Box 3 of 3

Folder 13 Illustrations - Ursus Primaerus, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 14 Illustrations - Miscellaneous, undated

Box 3 of 3

Folder 15 Photographs - Renick, West Virginia fossil fields, circa 1918

Box 3 of 3

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