Anacostia Community Museum Archives

A Finding Aid to the Lorenzo Dow Turner Papers, 1895-1972, in the Anacostia Community Museum Archives

Summary

Collection ID:
ACMA.06-017
Creators:
Turner, Lorenzo Dow, 1890-1972
Dates:
1895 - 1972
Languages:
English
,
Portuguese
,
Arabic
,
French
,
Italian
,
Gullah
,
Yoruba
, and other African dialect
Physical Description:
23.97 Linear feet
20 boxes
Repository:
The collection, which dates from 1895 to 1972 and measures 23.97 linear feet, documents the career and travels of Professor Lorenzo Dow Turner. The collection is comprised of correspondence, academic papers, research materials, books, newspaper and journal articles, sound recordings, and photographs.

Arrangement note

Arrangement note
The collection is arranged in the following series:
  • Series 1: Biographical
  • Series 2: Academic Career
  • Series 3: Writings
  • Series 4: Research
  • Series 5: Photographs
  • Series 6: Sound Recordings
  • Series 7: Printed Materials

Biographical/Historical note

Biographical/Historical note
Lorenzo Dow Turner was born in Elizabeth City, N.C. in 1895. He earned his B.A. in 1914 from Howard University; in 1917, he received an M.A. in English from Harvard University. He received his doctorate in English from the University of Chicago in 1926 while simultaneously serving as chairman and professor of the Department of English at Howard from 1917 to 1928. He held the same positions at Fisk University in Nashville from 1929 to 1946. In 1946 he accepted a professorship in the English department at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he remained as professor of English and lecturer in African Cultures until his retirement in 1970. Turner was professor emeritus at Roosevelt until his death at age 77 in 1972. Turner's professional and academic interests encompassed both English and linguistics. A noted scholar of African languages and linguistics, he learned numerous West African languages, mastering five of them. He was a noted authority on Gullah, a Creole language spoken in the Sea Islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia.

Administration

Author
Jennifer Morris and Tonijala Penn
Custodial History note
The Lorenzo Dow Turner papers were donated to the Anacostia Community Museum in 2003 by Professor Turner's widow, Lois Turner Williams. Additional materials were donated in the spring of 2010 by Mrs. Turner Williams.
Processing Information note
Encoded by Jennifer Morris and Lucy Platten, 2015.

Digital Content

More …

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access note
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist to make an appointment: ACMarchives@si.edu.
Preferred Citation note
Lorenzo Dow Turner papers,Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, gift of Lois Turner Williams.

Related Archival Materials note
Lorenzo Dow Turner Papers at Northwestern University Library

Related Materials
This collection contains artifacts catalogued in the ACM Objects collection.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Audiovisual materials Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Field recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographs Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sea Islands Creole dialect Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographic prints Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
African languages -- Study and teaching -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Linguistics -- Research -- United States Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maps Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Correspondence Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Turner, Lorenzo Dow, 1890-1972 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Fisk University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Howard University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Roosevelt University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Turner, Geneva Calcier Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Anacostia Community Museum Archives
1901 Fort Place, SE
Washington, D.C. 20020
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-4853
ACMArchives@si.edu