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Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives

Record Unit 64

Smithsonian Institution. Chief Clerk

Records, 1869-1905

Repository:Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu.
Creator:Smithsonian Institution. Chief Clerk
Title:Records
Dates:1869-1905
Quantity:7 cu. ft. (14 document boxes)
Collection:Record Unit 64
Language of Materials:English
Summary:

Some records among the incoming correspondence probably belong with secretarial records, and some records very similar to those retained here in the Clerk's series may be found among secretarial records. The paperwork system of the offices is not fully understood, a problem compounded by later rearrangements of the records.

The most valuable part of this record unit is the incoming correspondence from Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1875-1887, and, to a lesser degree, incoming correspondence from Samuel P. Langley.

Descriptive Entry

Records of the Chief Clerk's office consist mostly of records of Chief Clerk William J. Rhees, 1869-1905. Rhees, who joined the Smithsonian Institution staff in 1852, performed many functions over the years, including general correspondence supervision, distribution of scientific publications, supervision of Smithsonian publications, and archival duties. For the most part, Clerk's records are retained here while papers relating to Rhees' work on Smithsonian history and other projects remain in his personal papers; but some overlapping is unavoidable. Some records among the incoming correspondence probably belong with secretarial records, and some records very similar to those retained here in the Clerk's series may be found among secretarial records. The paperwork system of the offices is not fully understood, a problem compounded by later rearrangements of the records.

The most valuable part of this record unit is the incoming correspondence from Spencer Fullerton Baird, 1875-1887, and, to a lesser degree, incoming correspondence from Samuel P. Langley.

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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 64, Smithsonian Institution, Chief Clerk, Records

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Container List

Box 1

Letters Received - Spencer F. Baird to William J. Rhees, 1875-1883

Box 1 of 14

Box 2

Letters Received - Spencer F. Baird to William J. Rhees, 1884-1887

Box 2 of 14

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1898-1901

Box 2 of 14

Box 3

Letters Received - Samuel P. Langley to William J. Rhees, 1887-1892

Box 3 of 14

Box 4

Index to Letters, Langley to Rhees, A-Z (4 folders)

Box 4 of 14

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1880-1882

Box 4 of 14

Box 5

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1880-1882

Box 5 of 14

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, July 1881-July 1883

Box 5 of 14

Box 6

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1883-1884

Box 6 of 14

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1884-1885

Box 6 of 14

Box 7

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, 1885-1890

Box 7 of 14

Letters and Memoranda by Rhees - Personal and Official, December 20, 1899-May 19, 1905

Box 7 of 14

Letters and Memoranda by Rhees - Personal and Official, May 17, 1901-June 2, 1906

Box 7 of 14

Box 8

Letters and Memoranda by Rhees - Personal and Official, 1890-1895

Box 8 of 14

Letters and Memoranda by Rhees - Personal and Official, 1895-1899

Box 8 of 14

Letters and Memoranda by Rhees - Personal and Official, 1898-1905

Box 8 of 14

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, October 15, 1886-April 23, 1890

Box 8 of 14

Box 9

Letters Written by William J. Rhees, May 1890-November 1898

Box 9 of 14

Occasion Book, circa 1897-1902

Box 9 of 14

Letters Received from Filing System Circular, 1882 (3 folders)

Box 9 of 14

Box 10

Letters Received from Diplomatic Review Circular, 1885 (2 folders)

Box 10 of 14

Letters Received from Journals/Societies Circular, 1887 (4 folders)

Box 10 of 14

Box 11

Letters Received from Journals/Societies Circular, 1887 (3 folders)

Box 11 of 14

Index Cards of Scientific Journals (Domestic and Foreign)

Box 11 of 14

Employee Self-Reports of Duties, 1887

Box 11 of 14

Forms and Blanks Used in Smithsonian Offices, 1887

Box 11 of 14

Box 12

Employee Questionnaires, 1890 (2 folders)

Box 12 of 14

Miscellaneous Letters and Memoranda between Smithsonian Officials, 1863-1893

Box 12 of 14

Miscellaneous Letters and Memoranda between Smithsonian Officials, 1894-1896

Box 12 of 14

Miscellaneous Letters and Memoranda between Smithsonian Officials, 1897-1911

Box 12 of 14

Rhees' Plans for Business Operations of the Smithsonian, 1870-1880

Box 12 of 14

Box 13

Miscellaneous Smithsonian Publications (2 folders)

Box 13 of 14

Specimen Plaques

Box 13 of 14

Box 14

Smithsonian Employee Salaries, 1846-1904 (E-Z)

Box 14 of 14

Rhees' List of Smithsonian Employees, 1846-1904 (E-Z)

Box 14 of 14

Employment Applications

Box 14 of 14

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