Reference Request
Finding Aids to Official Records of the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 201
Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum
Correspondence and Memoranda, 1875-1902
Collection Overview
| General Information About This Collection | |
|---|---|
| Repository: | Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C. Contact us at osiaref@si.edu. |
| Creator: | Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum |
| Title: | Correspondence and Memoranda |
| Dates: | 1875-1902 |
| Quantity: | 16.5 cu. ft. (33 document boxes) |
| Collection: | Record Unit 201 |
| Language of Materials: | English |
| Summary: | This record unit consists of two correspondence series maintained by the Division of Correspondence and Documents. The first series consists mostly of correspondence received by the central administration of the United States National Museum from Museum officials, curators, assistant curators, and aids. Most of the correspondence is routine and deals with administrative policy, requests for publications, staff problems, and exhibits. Materials of special interest include accounts of expeditions, reports on Smithsonian involvement at expositions, and data on significant accessions. Most of the correspondence is directed to George Brown Goode, with lesser amounts to Frederick William True, Samuel P. Langley, Spencer F. Baird, Charles D. Walcott, and Richard Rathbun. The second series consists of correspondence received from United States government agencies. Much of the correspondence is routine, but some relates to collecting of specimens by government agencies and agents. Often, an individual employed by a government agency also served as an Honorary Curator in the United States National Museum, and his correspondence might be found in both series one and two. |
Historical Note
In 1882 a provisional classification of the departments within the United States National Museum (USNM) was adopted. The newly created Division of Administration contained several departments, three of which - the departments of Direction, Registry and Storage, and Archives - dealt with correspondence. The latter two dealt mostly with correspondence relating to loans and accessions, and were under the direction of Stephen C. Brown. The Department of Direction (under the Assistant Director, George Brown Goode), as part of its function, maintained the central correspondence files of the administration of the U.S. National Museum. Randolph Iltyd Geare (1854-1917), an executive clerk in the department, was placed in charge of correspondence. In 1886 the Department of Correspondence and Reports was established with Geare in charge. In 1898 the title was changed to Department of Correspondence and Documents. Geare remained in charge of the department until his death in 1917. In 1892 the Department also assumed the task of distributing museum publications.
The Division of Correspondence and Documents was in charge of the distribution and filing of correspondence of the United States National Museum. Maintaining the correspondence of the Museum (including the acknowledgment of gifts, loans and exchanges, the preparation of reports upon material sent for examination, and replies to requests for technical information of all kinds), and the preparation, editing, and proofreading of the Annual Report of the Museum constituted the principal work of the office. The Division of Correspondence and Documents maintained the files of the central administration of the Museum.
Descriptive Entry
This record unit consists of two of the special files maintained by the Department of Correspondence and Documents. In 1902 a new system for maintaining records was established. Descriptions of the records are included as part of the series descriptions.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Baird, Spencer Fullerton, 1823-1887
- Goode, G. Brown (George Brown), 1851-1896
- Langley, S. P. (Samuel Pierpont), 1834-1906
- Rathbun, Richard, 1852-1918
- True, Frederick William, 1858-1914
- United States National Museum
- United States National Museum. Division of Correspondence and Documents
- Walcott, Charles D., (Charles Doolittle), 1850-1927
Subject
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 201, Smithsonian Institution. Assistant Secretary in charge of the United States National Museum, Correspondence and Memoranda
Container List
Series 1
LETTERS RECEIVED FROM OFFICIALS OF THE MUSEUM, 1880-1902.This series consists mostly of incoming correspondence from officials (curators, assistant curators, and aids) of the USNM to the central administration of the USNM. Most of the correspondence is routine, and deals with administrative policy, requests for publications, staff problems, and exhibits. Materials of special interest include accounts of expeditions, reports on SI involvement at expositions, and data on significant accessions. Most of the correspondence is directed to George Brown Goode, with lesser amounts to Frederick William True, Samuel P. Langley, Spencer F. Baird, Charles D. Walcott, and Richard Rathbun. The records in this series are arranged by department, and alphabetically by the name of the correspondent thereunder.
Box 1
Department of Biology, Division of Birds (prior to 1897, known as the Department of Birds)
Folders 1-4 Charles Wallace Richmond, 1894-1902
Folders 5-20 Robert Ridgway, 1880-1902. Folder 5 contains correspondence regarding Ridgway's "Birds of North and Middle America," 1894-1900.
Folder 21 Leonhard Stejneger, 1885-1888
Box 2
Department of Biology, Division of Birds, Section of Birds' Eggs (prior to 1897, the Department of Birds' Eggs; prior to 1889, the Section of Birds' Eggs).
Folders 1-2 Charles Emil Bendire, 1887-1897
Folder 3 William Lagrange Ralph, 1897-1902
Department of Biology, Division of Plants (prior to 1897, the Department of Plants; prior to 1894, the Department of Botany; prior to 1890, the Department of Recent Plants)
Folders 4-8 Frederick Vernon Coville, 1884-1900. Includes correspondence with: William Albert Setchell of the University of California (1895); Charles D. Walcott (2-3-1898) regarding a dispute with Arthur Schott of the Field Museum; Randolph Iltyd Geare (1-5-1898) concerning Adolph Fredholm, who had claimed to be an employee of the Smithsonian Institution.
Folder 9 William Ralph Maxon, 1900-1902
Folders 10-13 Joseph Nelson Rose, 1896-1902
Folder 14 Charles Louis Pollard, 1897-1902. Includes correspondence (11-25-1901) with Frederick Vernon Coville regarding a collecting trip to Cuba with Edward Palmer and William Palmer.
Folder 15 George Vasey, 1889-1892. Includes correspondence (12-15-1891) with Samuel P. Langley regarding the Ball collection of plants. Correspondence of 1891 includes that of Edward Palmer.
Department of Biology, Division of Reptiles and Batrachians (prior to 1897, the Department of Reptiles and Batrachians; prior to 1883, the Department of Herpetology)
Folder 16 Edward Drinker Cope, 1887
Box 3
Folder 1 R. G. Paine, 1901
Folder 2 Edmund L. Rheem, 1882-1889
Folder 3 T. S. Sessford, 1895
Folders 4-10 Leonhard Stejneger, 1884-1902. Includes: correspondence (1897) concerning the publication of a supplement to USNM Bulletin 19, entitled "Nomenclator Zoologicus" - includes correspondence of Frederick William True, Charles D. Walcott, and Richard Rathbun; Stejneger's opinions (4-24-1899) on a recent work of Edward Drinker Cope; letters from Stejneger (1898-1899) while on field trips.
Folder 11 Frederick Cleveland Test, 1892-1893
Folders 12-14 Henry Crecy Yarrow, 1882-1888
Department of Biology, Division of Insects (prior to 1897, the Department of Insects)
Folders 15-16 William Harris Ashmead, 1897-1902. Includes correspondence (10-3-1901) with Richard Rathbun regarding a dispute between Ashmead and William T. Brigham of the Bishop Museum.
Folder 17 Rolla P. Currie, 1897-1901
Folder 18 Harrison Gray Dyar, 1897-1902
Folders 19-21 Leland Ossian Howard, 1889-1895. Includes correspondence (11-27-1895) with George Brown Goode containing a report on the beetles, Diptera, and Oriethoptera collected by Astor Chandler and Lieutenant von Holinell in Africa, 1893.
Box 4
Folders 1-2 Leland Ossian Howard, 1896-1902. Includes reference to Harrison Gray Dyar (8-3-1901).
Folder 3 Martin Larsson Linell, 1893-1897
Folders 4-10 Charles Valentine Riley, 1881-1895. Includes: "A List of Entomological Material sent to the Department of Insects, May 28, 1883" (in a letter of 6-1-1883); correspondence with Spencer F. Baird (10-23-1885) regarding the donation of Riley's insect collection to the U. S. National Museum; copy of a proposal agreement with George Marks to sell his collection of Arachnida to the U. S. National Museum (in a letter of 2-19-1890); correspondence with George Brown Goode regarding the prospective purchases of an insect collection of the late Abbe Provansher (4-3-1893).
Folder 11 John Bernhard Smith, 1886-1889
Department of Biology, Division of Marine Invertebrates (prior to 1897, the Department of Marine Invertebrates)
Folders 12-13 James E. Benedict, 1891-1902. Includes correspondence (4-8-1901 to 4-10-1901) regarding a collecting expedition to Florida.
Folders 14-17 Mary Jane Rathbun, 1891-1902
Box 5
Folders 1-9 Richard Rathbun, 1882-1900.
Department of Biology, Division of Marine Invertebrates, Section of Helminthological Collections
Folder 10 Albert Hassall, 1898 (Hassall was on the staff of the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture).
Folder 11 Charles Wardell Stiles, 1894-1900 (Stiles was on the staff of the Bureau of Animal Industry, U. S. Department of Agriculture). Includes "Report on the Deep Sea Deposits collected by the U.S.S. Nero, during a Survey for a Trans-Pacific Telegraphic Cable Route Made in the Year 1900."
Department of Biology, Division of Fishes (prior to 1897, the Department of Fishes).
Folders 12-18 Barton A. Bean, 1889-1902. Includes correspondence with: George Brown Goode (1-13-1896) regarding a collecting trip to Florida; Frederick William True (7-28-1898) regarding a collecting trip to Southhampton, New York; True (9-3-1899) relating the details of work conducted at Woods Hole, Massachusetts; Richard Rathbun (7-2-1900) regarding a collecting trip to Pennsylvania.
Folders 19-23 Tarleton Hoffman Bean, 1881-1899. Includes correspondence with: Frederick William True (9-5-1884, 9-12-1884) concerning a collecting trip to Patchogue, New York; George Brown Goode (1-3-1885, 2-06-1885) regarding the voyage of the Albatross to Key West, Florida.
Box 6
Department of Biology, Division of Mollusks (prior to 1897, the Department of Mollusks).
Folder 1 Paul Bartsch, 1899-1902.
Folder 2 S. Hazen Bond, 1892.
Folders 3-6 William H. Dall, 1883-1902 (Dall also served as Honorary Curator of the Section of Invertebrate Fossils of the Department of Geology).
Folders 7-8 Charles Torrey Simpson, 1894-1902.
Folder 9 Robert Edward Carter Stearns, 1884-1895.
Department of Biology, Division of Comparative Anatomy (prior to 1897, the Department of Comparative Anatomy).
Folder 10 Frank Baker, 1890 (Baker also served as Acting Manager of the National Zoological Park).
Folders 11-17 Frederick Augustus Lucas, 1882-1899. (In 1891 Lucas became Assistant Curator of the Department of Vertebrate Fossils while continuing to serve in the Department of Comparative Anatomy). Includes correspondence regarding: the Louisville Exposition (8-12-1883 , 11-17-1883, 11-21-1883); the Newfoundland expedition to secure the remains of the Great Auk (6-20-1887, 7-20-1887, 7-24-1887); and a proposed trip to the Pribilof Islands (4-30-1897).
Box 7
Folders 1-2 Frederick Augustus Lucas, 1900-1901, undated.
Department of Geology (created in 1897 with the fusion of the old Departments of Geology, Mineralogy, and Paleontology. The old Department of Geology had been created in 1890 with the fusion of the Department of Metallurgy and Economic Geology and the Department of Lithology and Physical Geology).
Folders 3-15 George P. Merrill, 1882-1902, undated. (In 1890 Merrill was named curator of the newly established Department of Geology, and remained in that position after the reorganization of 1897. Prior to 1890 he served as curator of the Department of Lithology and Physical Geology). Includes correspondence: with Spencer F. Baird (8-9-1883, 1-22-1886) regarding the opportunity to acquire a sample of the geological formations of Washington, D.C.; concerning a collecting expedition to Maine (9-1-1883, 9-4-1883); regarding a collecting trip to Granite Creek, Montana (8-2-1889); with Frederick William True (6-8-1897) concerning the USNM's policy when receiving specimens from the U. S. Geological Survey; concerning the discovery of huge reptilian fossils in Wyoming (6-7-1899, 6-17-1899).
Folder 16 W. H. Newhall, 1894
Box 8
Department of Geology, Division of Mineralogy (prior to 1897, the Department of Minerals; prior to 1895, the Department of Mineralogy; prior to 1894, the Department of Minerals; prior to 1886, the Department of Mineralogy).
Folders 1-2 Frank Wigglesworth Clarke, 1881-1894
Folder 3 Oliver Cummings Farrington, 1893
Folder 4 George W. Hawes, 1881
Folder 5 William F. Hillebrand, 1887
Folder 6 Wirt Tassin, 1894-1902
Folder 7 William S. Yeates, 1881-1892
Department of Geology, Division of Mineralogy, Collection of Gems and Precious Stones
Folder 8 L. T. Chamberlain, 1887-1902
Department of Metallurgy and Economic Geology (in 1890 the Department of Metallurgy and Economic Geology combined with the Department of Lithology and Physical Geology to form the Department of Geology).
Folders 9-14 Fred P. Dewey, 1881-1889
Department of Geology, Division of Stratigraphic Paleontology (prior to 1897, the Department of Paleontology; prior to 1894, the Departments of Vertebrate and Invertebrate Fossils). Includes the Sections of Vertebrate Fossils, Invertebrate Fossils (Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Anozoic), and Paleobotany.
Folders 15-16 Frank Hall Knowlton, 1888-1893. Includes correspondence (7-15-1888, 7-25-1888) concerning a collecting expedition to Yellowstone.
Folder 17 Jules B. Marcou, 1884 (Marcou was on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey).
Folder 18 Othniel Charles Marsh, 1885-1901 (Marsh was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey). Includes correspondence with: George Brown Goode (5-29-1893) regarding the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago; Goode (12-19-1894), concerning the Wells collection of fossils.
Folders 19-20 Charles Schuchert, 1894-1902. Includes correspondence: with Goode (11-4-1894, 11-30-1894) concerning an expedition to recover mastodon skeletons in Alabama and Mississippi; with Goode (11-6-1895) regarding the I. H. Harris collection of fossils; with Goode (8-31-1896) concerning the Winshell collection of fossils; with Frederick William True (10-20-1896, 11-7-1896, 11-15-1896) regarding an expedition to Alabama in quest of Zeuglodon fossils; regarding an expedition to Greenland (7-13-1897, 7-16-1897, 10-28-1897).
Folder 21 Timothy William Stanton, 1901-1902. (Stanton was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey).
Box 9
Folders 1-2 Charles D. Walcott, 1883-1896, undated (Walcott was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey). Includes correspondence with Spencer F. Baird (6-2-1885) regarding an exchange of fossils between USNM and the Museum of the Geological Survey, Ottawa, Canada.
Folders 3-4 Lester Frank Ward, 1884-1889 (Ward was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey). Includes correspondence with: Goode (10-24-1885) regarding the National Herbarium; George P. Merrill (1-29-1898) concerning the disappearance of a valuable specimen; Richard Rathbun (10-1-1899) concerning a proposed trip to the fossil forests of Arizona.
Folders 5-6 Charles Abiathar White, 1882-1901 (White was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey).
Folder 7 David White, 1896-1901 (White was also on the staff of the U. S. Geological Survey). Includes a letter (4-4-1896) concerning the Lacoe collection.
Department of Anthropology (created in 1897 with the fusion of the Departments of Ethnology, Oriental Antiquities, Prehistoric Anthropology, and Arts and Industries).
Folders 8-9 William Henry Holmes, 1897-1902 (Holmes was appointed head curator of the newly created Department of Anthropology in 1897. Prior to 1897 he served as curator of the Section of Aboriginal Pottery of the Department of Ethnology). Includes correspondence: concerning the collecting of ethnological artifacts during the cruise of the Albatross to the islands of the South Pacific (8-9-1899); with George C. Maynard (12-26-1901) regarding the possibility of Alexander Graham Bell securing electrical instruments for USNM.
Department of Anthropology, Division of Historical Archaeology (prior to 1897, the Department of Oriental Antiquities; prior to 1894, it was a section of the Department of Ethnology).
Folders 10-13 Cyrus Adler, 1887-1894. Includes correspondence: concerning the proposed national expedition to Mesopotamia (3-4-1888, 4-9-1888, 8-17-1888); regarding Adler's trip to Constantinople and Egypt to secure exhibits for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1891).
Folder 14 Paul Haupt, 1887-1899. Includes: correspondence (3-28-1887) concerning the development of the Section of Oriental Antiquities; a circular (1888) concerning the proposed national expedition to Mesopotamia.
Folder 15 Correspondence of Paul Haupt and others (1887-1889) concerning the Section of Oriental Antiquities and the proposed Assyrian Expedition.
Box 10
Department of Anthropology, Division of History and Biography, Section of American History (Prior to 1898, Section of Historical Collections; prior to 1889, Section of Historical Relics).
Folder 1 Paul Edmund Beckwith, 1889, 1892-1901. Includes correspondence with: William Henry Holmes (9-27-1898) regarding a trip to Puerto Rico and Cuba to collect relics from the Spanish-American War; Richard Rathbun (10-1-1898), also concerning the trip to Puerto Rico and Cuba.
Folder 2 A. Howard Clark, 1886-1901. Includes: a detailed description of the Confederate artifacts in the USNM (1886); a letter (11-5-1897) concerning the flag of John Paul Jones; and a letter (3-30-1900) regarding guns presented to the USNM by Admiral Dewey.
Department of Anthropology, Division of Ethnology (prior to 1898, the Department of Ethnology; prior to 1984, the Department of Ethnography).
Folder 3 T. Dix Bolles, 1887
Folder 4 Edwin H. Hawley, 1895
Folder 5 William Henry Holmes, 1883-1892. Includes correspondence with George Brown Goode (8-31-1887) concerning a collecting expedition to the ancient pueblos of San Diego Canan, New Mexico.
Folder 6 Walter Hough, 1887-1899
Folders 7-22 Otis Tufton Mason, 1882-1899. Includes correspondence: concerning the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans (1885); written while on a tour of museums in New England, and from Europe while on a trip for the Smithsonian (1889); with Goode (12-24-1890) including a criticism of the World's Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition; regarding a collection denoted to USNM by Talcott Williams, and correspondence concerning the Edward William Nelson collection (1897).
Box 11
Folders 1-4 Otis Tufton Mason, 1900-1902, undated.
Department of Anthropology, Division of Prehistoric Archaeology (prior to 1897, the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology; prior to 1888, the Department of Archaeology; prior to 1887, the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology; prior to 1886, the Department of Antiquities).
Folder 5 Charles Rau, 1882-1886, undated. Includes undated letter to Spencer F. Baird regarding the exchange of specimens with the Royal Ethnological Museum of Berlin.
Folder 6 E. P. Upham, 1894
Folders 7-17 Thomas Wilson, 1887-1898. Includes: list of articles bequeathed to the USNM by Charles Rau (11-5-1887); material concerning a trip to New York and Boston (12-9-1890); a letter (8-12-1890) regarding the Frederick S. Perkins collection of copper implements; letter (4-28-1890) concerning complaints about the neglect of Wilson's department; correspondence with Samuel P. Langley (1890) regarding the Hall of Prehistoric Anthropology; descriptions of wool and dye stuffs presented to the USNM by Washington Mathews; correspondence with G. Brown Goode (3-5-1891) concerning the destruction of prehistoric ruins among the pueblos of Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona; a description of the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology (1893); correspondence concerning materials returned or received from the World's Columbian Exposition (1894); correspondence regarding the Nashville Exposition (5-21-1897); correspondence (8-11-1897) regarding a dispute over Wilson's personal collections on deposit in the Museum.
Box 12
Folders 1-4 Thomas Wilson, 1899-1901, undated.
Department of Anthropology, Division of Graphic Arts (prior to 1897, the Section of Graphic Arts of the Department of Arts and Industries).
Folders 5-14 Sylvester R. Koehler, 1886-1900. Includes: correspondence (1-28-1887, 2-15-1887) regarding a dispute between Koehler and William V. Cox; correspondence with George Brown Goode (6-16-1888, 6-23-1886, 11-10-1888) concerning the Cincinnati Exposition; correspondence with Samuel P. Langley (4-17-1890) containing a request that Congress grant appropriations to purchase the Sewell Collection; correspondence with Randolph Iltyd Geare (12-19-1893) regarding the World's Columbian Exposition.
Box 13
Department of Anthropology, Division of Technology (Mechanical Phases) (prior to 1897, the Section of Technological Collections; prior to 1894, the Section of Transportation and Engineering; prior to 1888, the Section of Steam Transportation - all of the Department of Arts and Industries).
Folder 1 S. S. Atkinson, 1892-1893
Folders 2-9 J. Elfreth Watkins, 1885-1901 (Watkins was also the chief of the Division of Building and Superintendence, prior to 1897, the Division of the Superintendent of Buildings). Includes: correspondence documenting the formation and development of the Section of Steam Transportation (1885-1886); correspondence (1886) regarding an appeal to Congress for appropriations for the Section of Steam Transportation; correspondence with George Brown Goode (11-19-1887) regarding the donation of the Stourbridge Lion to the USNM; correspondence (8-15-1890) concerning a portfolio of drawings of the steamboat by Robert Fulton; correspondence (7-26-1893, 7-29-1893) regarding the World's Columbian Exposition.
Folder 10 George C. Maynard, 1897-1902
Department of Anthropology, Division of Medicine (prior to 1897, the Section of Materia Medica of the Department of Arts and Industries).
Folder 11 H. G. Beyer, 1884-1887
Folder 12 William S. Dixon, 1892-1893
Folder 13 G. E. Doering, 1884
Folder 14 James M. Flint, 1882-1900
Folder 15 C. U. Gravatt, 1893-1894
Folder 16 Daniel McMurtrie, 1894
Department of Arts and Industries. (In 1897 the Department of Arts and Industries was combined with the Departments of Ethnology, Oriental Antiquities, and Prehistoric Anthropology to form the Department of Anthropology).
Folder 17 Joseph King Goodrich, 1882-1883 (Goodrich's title was Assistant in Charge of the Department of Arts and Industries, but he was also involved in the Section of Costumes). Includes letter (5-6-82) from Benjamin Silliman to Spencer F. Baird recommending Goodrich for a position in the USNM.
Department of Arts and Industries, Section of Fisheries
Folders 18-19 R. Edward Earll, 1883-1890 (Earll also served as executive officer of the Exposition Staff). Includes correspondence: concerning the Great International Fisheries Exhibition, London (1883); concerning the Louisville, Cincinnati, and New Orleans Expositions (1885).
Folder 20 J. W. Collins, 1891-1893 (In 1891 Collins was appointed honorary curator of the Section of Fisheries while continuing his duties as honorary curator of Naval Architecture - see box 16).
Department of Arts and Industries, Section of Naval Architecture
Folder 21 E. C. Bryan, 1891
Folders 22-27 J. W. Collins, 1882-1890 (In 1891 Collins was appointed honorary curator of the Section of Fisheries while continuing to serve as Honorary curator of the Section of Naval Architecture - see box 15). Includes: correspondence (10-10-1883) regarding a cruise to observe the migratory habits of the mackerel; correspondence with George Brown Goode (1-14-1885, 2-15-1885) concerning the New Orleans Exposition; correspondence with Randolph Iltyd Geare (6-10-1885) concerning a cruise of the Albatross; correspondence with Goode (8-25-1886) regarding a voyage of the Grampus in quest of halibut; a report on the Newfoundland Expedition (7-10-1887); and correspondence with Goode (1-4-1890) concerning the Boston Maritime Exposition.
Folder 28 Everett E. Hayden, 1884-1886.
Department of Arts and Industries, Section of Textiles (prior to 1890, the Section of Textile Industries).
Folder 29 Rufus W. Deering, 1884-1888
Box 14
Folders 1-4 Romyn Hitchcock, 1883-1892. All of the correspondence from 1886-1889 concerns Hitchcock's trip to Japan, including collecting activities for the USNM. Materials of special interest include correspondence (7-15-1887, 9-2-1887) concerning the David P. Todd eclipse expedition; correspondence (8-6-1888, 8-23-1888) concerning a journey to Yezo to observe the Anios; correspondence (4-23-1888) concerning a pilgrimage across the province of Yamato. Also included is correspondence (1890-1892) from Hitchcock while he was in China acquiring exhibits for the World's Columbian Exposition.
National Zoological Park
Folder 5 Material concerning the establishment of the National Zoological Park. Includes Senator Morrill's bill providing for the establishment of the Park; the Edmunds amendment; budgetary papers; and "Brief Outline of a Plan for a National Zoological Garden in the City of Washington," by William Temple Hornaday, 1889-1891, with material dating to 1863.
Folder 6 Material concerning the initial construction, landscaping, and staffing of the National Zoological Park, 1890-1891.
Folder 7 Arthur B. Baker, 1891-1902. Includes correspondence (2-1-1899) concerning a collecting expedition to Puerto Rico aboard the Kitty Hawk.
Folders 8-10 Frank Baker, 1890-1901 (Baker also served as Curator of the Department of Comparative Anatomy). Includes letter to George Brown Goode (8-25-1890) regarding a visit to the Cincinnati Zoological Gardens.
Department of Preparation
Folders 11-16 William Temple Hornaday, Chief Taxidermist, 1881-1890. (In 1888 Hornaday was appointed curator of the newly created Department of Living Animals which became the National Zoo). Includes: correspondence documenting Hornaday's buffalo hunting expedition to Montana (1886); correspondence concerning a hunting expedition to the Rocky Mountains in quest of mountain goat, mountain sheep, grizzly bear, elk, and deer (1887); correspondence with Goode (12-2-1887) concerning the inadequate protection of animals in Yellowstone National Park and the probable extinction of the buffalo.
Department of Living Animals
Folder 17 William Temple Hornaday, 1889
Folder 18 N. P. Wood, 1889
Division of Correspondence and Documents
Folder 19 Theodore Gill, 1894-1898
Folder 20 C. A. White, 1895-1900
Folder 21 Robert E. C. Stearns, 1898-1901
Box 15
Bureau of Ethnology
Folder 1 Charles C. Darwin, 1883
Folder 2 J. Owen Dorsey, 1893
Folder 3 John O. Emment, 1889
Folder 4 Gerard Fowke, 1888, 1893
Folder 5 Albert Samuel Gatschet, 1886-1894
Folder 6 George Brown Goode, 1896
Folder 7 Henry Wetherbee Henshaw, 1889-1892
Folder 8 Frederick Webb Hodge, 1894-1898
Folder 9 William Henry Holmes, 1890-1898
Folder 10 Albert Ernest Jenks, 1902
Folders 11-13 William John McGee, 1893-1902
Folder 14 Garrick Mallery, 1890
Folder 15 Cosmos Mindeleff, 1888
Folder 16 James Mooney, 1890-1892
Folder 17 Albert P. Niblack, 1884
Folder 18 James Constantine Pilling, 1882-1894
Folders 19-25 John Wesley Powell, 1882-1902. Includes extensive correspondence with Samuel P. Langley.
Folder 26 H. C. Rizer, 1891-1893
Folder 27 John James Stevenson, 1887
Folder 28 Cyrus Thomas, 1898-1901
USNM Administrative Staff
Folders 29-31 Stephen C. Brown, 1882-1899
Box 16
Folders 1-6 William V. Cox, 1885-1902 (Cox also served as the Smithsonian's representative at expositions). Includes: correspondence concerning the Minneapolis and Marietta expositions (1888); correspondence concerning the World's Columbian Exposition (5-5-1893, 10-27-1893); correspondence concerning the Atlanta exposition (November 1895) and the Trans-Mississippi Exposition (1898).
Folder 7 George S. Hobbs, 1881-1883
Folder 8 Frederick Webb Hodge, 1899-1902
Folder 9 William W. Karr, 1895-1901
Folder 10 William de C. Ravenel, 1902
Folders 11-13 William Jones Rhees, 1882-1902
Folder 14 J. E. Rockwell, 1899-1902
Folders 15-16 J. Louis Willige, 1897-1901
Folders 17-18 William Crawford Winlock, 1891-1896
Box 17
Smithsonian Institution - Secretary and Assistant Secretary
Folders 1-2 Spencer F. Baird, 1882-1883, undated
Folders 3-10 George Brown Goode, 1881-1889, undated. Includes: correspondence concerning the Great International Fisheries Exhibition, London (1883); correspondence regarding the New Orleans Exposition (1884); and a detailed report submitted to Samuel P. Langley concerning the relationship between the USNM and the Smithsonian (1887).
Folder 11 Charles D. Walcott, 1897-1898
USNM Library
Folders 12-15 Cyrus Adler, 1893-1902 (Adler also served as curator of the Department of Oriental Antiquities). Includes a letter (12-18-1893) to Goode regarding the establishment of sectional libraries in the USNM.
Folder 16 L. B. Gallaher, 1883-1889
Folder 17 John Murdock, 1886-1890
Folder 18 Newton P. Scudder, 1894-1898
Folder 19 H. W. Spofford, 1885
Folder 20 Frederick William True, 1882-1886
USNM Photographer
Folder 21 Thomas W. Smillie, 1896-1899
Department of Labels and Printing
Folder 22 Albert Charles Peale, 1898-1901
Folder 23 J. C. Proctor, 1889-1901
Box 18
Editor of Proceedings and Publications, and the Advisory Committee on Museum Publications
Folder 1 George Brown Goode - a report regarding the USNM publication system.
Folder 2 Tarleton Hoffman Bean, 1885
Folders 3-14 Marcus Benjamin, 1896-1902
Folders 15-17 A. Howard Clark, 1887-1893
Folder 18 R. Edward Earll, 1889, 1894-1896
Box 19
Folder 1 Frederick William True, 1895-1901
Division of Buildings and Superintendence (prior to 1897, Division of Buildings and Labor).
Folder 2 Book of correspondence concerning construction of the new fireproof building for the USNM. Included is correspondence of Montgomery C. Meigs, Senator Justin S. Morrill, and Rep. Samuel Dibble, 1888-1889.
Folder 3 C. P. Crandell, 1882-1884
Folder 4 J. J. Dolan, 1901
Folder 5 James S. Goldsmith, 1892-1898
Folder 6 W. J. Green, 1881-1886
Folders 7-8 Henry Horan, 1881-1896
Folder 9 W. A. Knowles, 1899
Folder 10 J. E. Rockwell, 1898-1900
Folder 11 C. A. Stuart, 1882-1894
Folders 12-13 J. Elfreth Watkins, 1891-1899 (Watkins was also curator of the Division of Technology-Mechanical Phases).
Folder 14 Employees, 1881-1885
Folders 15-16 Blueprints and plans.
Bureau of International Exchanges
Folder 17 W. I. Adams, 1896-1902
Box 20
Folder 1 George H. Boehmer, 1888-1895
Folder 2 J. H. Kidder, 1888-1889
Folder 3 William Crawford Winlock, 1892-1894.
Series 2
LETTERS RECEIVED FROM DEPARTMENTS AND BUREAUS OF THE GOVERNMENT, 1875-1902.This series consists of incoming correspondence from U. S. government agencies. As in series 1, much of the correspondence is routine, but much of it relates to collecting of specimens by government agencies and agents. Often an individual employed by a government agency also served as an honorary curator in the USNM, and his correspondence might be found in both series 1 and 2. The records in series 2 are arranged by government agency.
Box 20
United States War Department
Folder 4 Quartermaster General's Office, 1889-1902, undated
Folder 5 Adjutant General's Office, 1879-1901
Folder 6 Inspector General's Office, 1893
Folders 7-9 Surgeon General's Office and U.S. Army Medical Museum and Library, 1882-1902. Includes correspondence of J. S. Billings (1882-1895).
Folder 10 Judge-Advocate General's Office, 1899-1901.
Folder 11 Office of the Engineers, 1881-1889.
Folder 12 Office of Public Buildings and Grounds, 1883-1901.
Folder 13 Chief of Ordnance, 1883-1902. Includes correspondence of Stephen Vincent Benet (1886-1890).
Folder 14 Secretary of War, 1884-1899. Includes correspondence of: Robert Todd Lincoln (1884); and Elihu Root (1879).
Folders 15-16 Signal Office, 1884-1902. Includes correspondence of Adolphus Washington Greely (1887-1899).
Folder 17 United States Marine Corps, 1887.
Folder 18 Department of Cuba, 1901-1902.
Folder 19 U. S. Philippine Commission, 1900.
Folder 20 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1887-1888.
Folder 21 Division of Records and Correspondence, 1889-1894.
United States Department of Agriculture
Folder 22 Division of Botany, 1892-1894. Includes correspondence of Frederick Vernon Coville.
Box 21
Folder 1 Division of Botany, 1895-1902. Includes correspondence of Frederick Vernon Coville.
Folder 2 Division of Botany, 1899. Includes correspondence of Orator Fuller Cook.
Folder 3 Division of Botany,1895. Includes correspondence of Gilbert H. Hicks.
Folder 4 Division of Botany, 1892. Includes correspondence of John M. Holzinger.
Folder 5 Division of Botany, 1898. Includes correspondence of Adrian J. Pieters.
Folder 6 Division of Botany, 1892-1895. Includes correspondence of Joseph Nelson Rose.
Folder 7 Division of Botany, 1887-1895. Includes correspondence of George Vasey.
Folders 8-9 Biological Survey, 1896-1902. Includes correspondence of C. Hart Merriam.
Folder 10 Biological Survey, 1896-1900. Includes correspondence of Theodore Sherman Palmer.
Folder 11 Biological Survey, 1897-1902, Includes correspondence of Albert Kenrick Fisher.
Folder 12 Biological Survey, 1898. Includes correspondence of A. H. Howell.
Folder 13 Biological Survey, 1889.
Folder 14 Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy (prior to 1892, Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy), 1888-1896. Includes correspondence of C, Hart Merriam.
Folder 15 Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy, 1890-1894. Includes correspondence of Theodore Sherman Palmer.
Folder 16 Division of Ornithology and Mammalogy, 1882-1896. Includes correspondence of Albert Kenrick Fisher.
Folder 17 Bureau of Forestry, 1890-1901. Includes correspondence of Bernhard E. Fernow (1890) and Gifford Pinchot (1901).
Folder 18 Division of Microscopy, 1883-1893.
Folder 19 Office of Experimental Stations, 1890-1893. Includes correspondence of Wilbur Olin Atwater (1890).
Folder 20 Weather Bureau, 1891-1901.
Folder 21 Division of Vegetable Physiology and Pathology (prior to 1895, Division of Vegetable Pathology), 1892-1898. Includes the correspondence of Beverly Thomas Galloway.
Folder 22 Bureau of Plant Industry, 1896-1902. Includes correspondence of Orator Fuller Cook (1901) and Galloway (1902).
Folder 23 Division of Chemistry, 1893-1898.
Folder 24 Division of Statistics, 1891.
Folder 25 Bureau of Animal Industry, 1888-1902. Includes correspondence of Charles Wardell Stiles (1892-1902) and Albert Hassall (1898).
Folder 26 Division of Soils, 1897-1901.
Folder 27 Division of Pomology, 1893.
Box 22
Folder 1 Silk Section, 1891.
Folder 2 Section of Plant and Seed Introduction, 1899.
Folder 3 Office of the Secretary, 1887-1902.
Folder 4 Office of the Assistant Secretary, 1889-1902.
Folder 5 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1892-1896.
Folder 6 Office of the Special Agent in Charge of Fiber Investigations, 1893-1898.
Folder 7 U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Library, 1891.
Folder 8 Miscellaneous, 1884.
Folder 9 Division of Publications, 1899.
Folder 10 Division of Entomology, 1895-1901. Includes correspondence of Frank Hurlbut Chittenden.
Folders 11-18 Division of Entomology, 1887-1896. Includes correspondence of Leland Ossian Howard.
Box 23
Folders 1-6 Division of Entomology, 1897-1902. Includes correspondence of Leland Ossian Howard.
Folders 7-8 Division of Entomology, 1889-1899. Includes correspondence of Charles Lester Marlatt.
Folders 9-11 Division of Entomology, 1890-1893. Includes correspondence of Charles Valentine Riley.
Box 24
Folders 1-2 Division of Entomology, 1893-1899. Includes correspondence of Charles Valentine Riley.
Folder 3 Division of Entomology, 1896. Includes correspondence of E. A. Schwarz.
United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries, 1881-1902.
Folder 4 Charles G. Atkins, 1881-1886
Folder 5 Tarleton Hoffman Bean, 1891-1901
Folder 6 F. von Bayer, 1897
Folder 7 Eugene G. Blackford, 1890
Folders 8-10 George M. Bowers, 1898-1902.
Folder 11 Fred Brackett, 1901.
Folders 12-13 J. J. Brice, 1896-1897.
Folder 14 E. C. Bryan, 1892.
Folders 15-17 A. Howard Clark, 1881-1886
Folder 18 J. W. Collins, 1887-1891.
Folder 19 J. H. Dunlap, 1901-1902.
Folder 20 Virral N. Edwards, 1889.
Folder 21 J. Frank Ellis, 1901.
Folder 22 B. W. Evermann, 1901.
Folder 23 T. B. Ferguson, 1884-1887.
Folders 24-27 Herbert A. Gill, 1882-1894.
Box 25
Folders 1-2 Herbert A. Gill, 1895-1896.
Folder 3 R. R. Gurley, 1890-1893.
Folder 4 R. Hessel, 1882.
Folder 5 J. H. Kidder, 1888.
Folders 6-15 Marshall McDonald, 1892-1895.
Folder 16 S. J. Martin, 1882.
Folder 17 Fred Mather, 1889.
Folder 18 J. J. O'Conner, 1890.
Folders 19-20 Richard Rathbun, 1888-1891.
Box 26
Folders 1-2 Richard Rathbun, 1892-1896.
Folders 3-5 William de C. Ravenel, 1895-1902.
Folder 6 Cloud Rutter, 1902.
Folder 7 Charles W. Smiley, 1887-1889.
Folder 8 H. M. Smith, 1888-1889, 1892-1902.
Folder 9 W. P. Titcomb, 1893.
Folder 10 C. H. Townsend, 1890-1902.
Folder 11 H. V. Wilson, 1901.
Folder 12 S. G. Worth, 1892-1893.
United States Treasury Department
Folder 13 The Secretary of the Treasury, 1882-1901.
Folder 14 Bureau of Engraving and Printing, 1884-1901.
Folder 15 Office of the Supervising Architect, 1890-1897.
Folder 16 Office of the Auditor, 1882-1901.
Folder 17 Bureau of Statistics, 1883-1890.
Folder 18 Office of the General Superintendent; Life-Saving Service, 1884-1902. Includes correspondence of Frank Baker, 1889.
Folder 19 Office of Internal Revenue, 1888.
Folder 20 Bureau of the Mint, 1889.
Folder 21 Office of the Collector, 1890-1902.
Folder 22 Office of the Surgeon-General, U. S. Marine Hospital Service, 1889-1902.
Folder 23 U. S. Revenue Marine, 1882-1895.
Box 27
Folder 1 Office of the Comptroller, 1882-1894.
Folder 2 Office of the Light-House Board, 1883-1901.
Folder 3 U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1888-1901. Includes correspondence of T. C. Mendenhall, 1889-1894.
U. S. Department of State
Folder 4 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1881-1902. Much of this correspondence concerns the foreign relations of the Smithsonian and the USNM. Includes material regarding U. S. representatives at scientific symposia and congresses, letters of introduction for use abroad, and material regarding intermediary work by the State Department for the SI.
Folder 5 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1893-1901. Includes correspondence of Alvery A. Adee.
Folder 6 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1885-1888. Includes correspondence of T. F. Bayard.
Folder 7 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1889-1892. Includes correspondence of James G. Blaine.
Folder 8 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1898-1901. Includes correspondence of Thomas W. Cridler.
Folder 9 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1882-1883. Includes correspondence of John Davis.
Folder 10 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1898. Includes correspondence of William R. Day.
Folder 11 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1900-1902. Includes correspondence of John Hay.
Folder 12 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1899-1902. Includes correspondence of David J. Hill.
Folder 13 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1887-1891. Includes correspondence of John B. Moore.
Folder 14 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1895-1896. Includes correspondence of Richard Olney.
Folder 15 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1902. Includes correspondence of Herbert H. D. Peirce.
Box 28
Folder 1 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1885-1887. Includes correspondence of James D. Porter.
Folder 2 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1894-1897. Includes correspondence of W. W. Rockhill.
Folder 3 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1888-1889. Includes correspondence of G. L. Rives.
Folder 4 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1893-1894. Includes correspondence of Edward H. Strobbel.
Folders 5-6 Office of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary, 1889-1892. Includes correspondence of William F. Wharton.
Folder 7 Office of Secretary of State, 1885-1897.
Folders 8-9 Bureau of American Republics, 1890-1893. Includes correspondence of William E. Curtis.
Folder 10 Bureau of American Republics. Includes correspondence of Henry R. Lemly (1891) and W. W. Rockhill (1902).
Folders 11-13 United States Consulate Bureau, 1886-1895 (A - M). Much of this correspondence concerns the collecting of specimens for the USNM by U. S. ministers abroad.
Box 29
Folders 1-2 United States Consulate Bureau, 1886-1895 (P - W). Much of this correspondence concerns the collecting of specimens for the USNM by U. S. ministers abroad.
Folders 3-6 Foreign Legations to the United States, 1881-1902.
Folder 7 Bureau of Polls and Library, 1888-1901.
Folder 8 Office of the Superintendent - State, War, and Navy Department Buildings, 1899-1902.
Folder 9 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1884-1887.
Folder 10 Bureau of Foreign Commerce, 1902.
Folder 11 Bureau of Statistics, 1882.
U. S. Civil Service Commission
Folder 12 U. S. Civil Service Commission, 1892-1893.
Library of Congress
Folder 13 Library of Congress, 1891-1901. Includes correspondence of Ainsworth Rand Spoffard (1891-1898).
United States Department of Interior
Folder 14 U. S. Patent Office, 1883-1902.
Folder 15 Bureau of Education, 1882-1899.
Box 30
Folder 1 Office of the Commissioner of Railroads, 1891.
Folder 2 Census Office, 1881-1901.
Folder 3 Scientific Library, 1890.
Folder 4 Superintendent of Documents, 1891-1901.
Folder 5 Division of Stationary and Printing, 1882-1901.
Folder 6 Office of the Secretary, 1882-1901.
Folder 7 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1892-1896.
Folder 8 General Land Office, 1885-1901.
Folder 9 Office of Indian Affairs, 1888-1902.
Folder 10 Pension Office, 1875-1895. Includes correspondence of Montgomery C. Meigs (1875-1886).
United States Department of Interior - U. S. Geological Survey.
Folder 11 Charles C. Darwin (Librarian), 1883-1894.
Folders 12-13 David T. Day, 1888-1902.
Folder 14 James Constantine Pilling, 1889-1891.
Box 31
Folder 1 Kunz, George F. - Kyser, John M., undated.
Folders 2-3 John Wesley Powell, 1882-1894.
Folder 4 H. C. Rizer (Chief Clerk), 1891-1901.
Folders 5-6 Charles D. Walcott, 1894-1902.
Folders 7-8 Staff - Geologists, Paleontologists, etc. (A - Z)
Folders 9-10 Miscellaneous, 1883-1892, undated.
Box 32
Government Printing Office
Folders 1-4 Office of the Foreman of Printing, 1882-1896. Includes correspondence of H. T. Brian and J. M. A. Spotswood.
Folders 5-7 Office of the Superintendent of Documents, 1895-1902. Includes correspondence of F. A. Crandall, L. C. Ferrell, and James McDowell.
Folders 8-14 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1882-1899. Includes correspondence of W. H. Collins, G. H. Benedict, W. S. Waterbury and Cadet Taylor.
Folders 15-17 Office of the Public Printer, 1882-1901. Includes correspondence of S. P. Rounds, Thomas E. Benedict, and F. W. Palmer.
Folder 18 Office of the Foreman of the Press Room, 1885-1888. Includes correspondence of W. P. Martin.
Folder 19 Office of the Foreman of the Bindery, 1894-1896. Includes correspondence of H. C. Espey.
Box 33
Folders 1-2 Office of the Foreman of the Job Room, 1882-1884. Includes correspondence of J. E. Bright.
Folder 3 Office of the Superintendent of the Folding Room, 1885-1896. Includes correspondence of C. H. Welsh, T. B. Penicks, and T. W. Ruttenber.
Folder 4 Office of the Foreman of the Proof Room, 1884-1891. Includes correspondence of John Furlong and W. S. Baker.
Folder 5 Office of the Congressional Record, 1886.
United States Post Office Department
Folder 6 Post Master General, 1884-1896. Includes correspondence of W. Q. Gresham, D. Durinsen, John Wanamaker, W. L. Wilson, and Charles Neilson.
Folder 7 First Assistant Postmaster General, 1893-1898. Includes correspondence of Clay H. Evans, Perry Heath, and W. M. Johnson.
Folder 8 Second Assistant Postmaster General, 1901. Includes correspondence of W. S. Shallenberger.
Folder 9 Third Assistant Postmaster General, 1901. Includes correspondence of Edwin C. Madden.
Folder 10 Fourth Assistant Postmaster General, 1894. Includes correspondence of Robert A. Maxwell.
Folder 11 Office of the Postmaster, 1895-1901. Includes correspondence of James P. Willett and John A. Merritt.
Folder 12 Office of the Chief Clerk, 1884-1892. Includes correspondence of C. W. Walker, J. V. Roy, and W. B. Cooley.
Folder 13 Superintendent of Foreign Mails, 1894-1899. Includes correspondence of N. M. Brooks.
Folder 14 Inspector in Charge, 1887. Includes correspondence of F. M. Arrington.
Folder 15 Office of the Topographer, 1882-1901. Includes correspondence of W. L. Nicholson, David Enright, and A. von Haake.
Folder 16 Railway Mail Service, 1891-1897. Includes correspondence of J. E. Nash and C. W. Vickery.
Folder 17 Superintendent of Money-Orders, 1883-1901. Includes correspondence of C. F. Maedmaer and B. H. Smith.
Folder 18 Dead-Letter Office, 1892.
U. S. Navy Department
Folder 19 Secretary of the Navy, 1894-1900.
Folder 20 Bureau of Ordnance, 1888-1899.
Folder 21 Bureau of Equipment, 1889-1902. Includes correspondence of David P. Todd (1889-1892).
Folder 22 Bureau of Navigation, 1882-1892.
Folder 23 Bureau of Yards and Docks, 1892-1899.
Folder 24 Bureau of Steam Engineering, 1882-1889.
Folder 25 Bureau of Construction and Repair, 1888-1899. Includes correspondence of Phillip Hitchborn (1895-1899), correspondence (7-7-1897) regarding the Institution's involvement in the Peary expedition to Greenland.
Folder 26 Nautical Almanac Office, 1889-1891.
Folder 27 Hydrographic Office, 1887-1901. Includes correspondence of Everett Hayden.
Folder 28 Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, 1890-1894.
Folder 29 U.S. Naval Observatory, 1888-1902.
Folder 30 Eaton J. Schroeder (Commander), 1902.
- Finding Aid encoded on: 6-20-2018
- Contact us at osiaref@si.edu