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The National Institute accessioned its first objects which are bird specimens collected out West by John Kirk Townsend (1809-1851). See his "Narrative of a Journey across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River and a Visit to the Sandwich Islands" published in 1839 for details of his collecting trip.
When the National Institute collections were transferred to the Smithsonian in 1858, the Smithsonian followed the order of the National Institute accessions when it created the accessions for the US National Museum.
Subject
Townsend, John Kirk 1809-1851
National Collections
United States National Museum
National Institute
National Institute for the Promotion of Science
Category
Chronology of Smithsonian History
Notes
The first objects acquired by the Smithsonian, but not accessioned into the National Museum were electrical apparatus donated by Dr. Robert Hare of the University of Pennsylvania on August 1, 1848, to be used for public demonstrations, and the George Perkins Marsh art and library were purchased by the Smithsonian on September 11, 1849, but were part of the Library collection, not the National Museum collection.
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession Records, Record Unit 305, Box 1, Folder 1.