National Anthropological Archives

Guide to the Neil Merton Judd papers, circa 1870- circa 1980

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.1973-48
Creators:
Palmer, Edward, 1829-1911
Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942
La Gorce, John Oliver, 1880-1959
Martin, Charles
Jeançon, Jean Allard
Johnson, Merritt S.
Hobler, Philip M.
Hough, Walter, 1859-1935
Hyde Exploring Expedition (1902-1903)
Scott, Hugh Lenox, 1853-1934
Wisherd, Edwin L., 1900 -1970
Wissler, Clark, 1870-1947
Walsh, Oscar B.
Wetmore, Alexander, 1886-1978
Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 1856-1916
McNitt, Frank
Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
Morris, Earl Halstead, 1889-1956
Morley, Sylvanus Griswold, 1883-1948
Nusbaum, Jesse L. (Jesse Logan)
Nelson, N. C. (Nels Christian), 1875-1964
O'Bryan, Deric
Popenoe, Frederick W.
Pepper, George H. (George Hubbard), 1873-1924
Ruppert, Karl
Roberts, Frank H. H. (Frank Harold Hanna), 1897-1966
Scofield, Carl S.
Ruppert, Karl
Shapiro, Harry L. (Harry Lionel), 1902-1990
Hewett, Edgar L. (Edgar Lee), 1865-1946
Hodge, Frederick Webb, 1864-1956
Haven, O.C.
Allen, Glover M.
Amsden, Monroe
Bannister, Bryant
Blom, Frans
Breazeale, James Frank
Brew, J. O. (John Otis), 1906-1988
Colton, Harold Sellers, 1881-1970
Conant, Kenneth J.
Coville, Frederick V. (Frederick Vernon), 1867-1937
Judd, Neil Merton, 1887-1976
Cummings, Byron, 1860-1954
Danson, Beatrice
Dodge, Richard E.
Grosvenor, Gilbert H.
Marye, William Bose, 1886-1979
Dates:
circa 1870- circa 1980
bulk 1907-1931
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
18 Linear feet
Repository:
The papers of Neil Merton Judd, archeologist and curator in the Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum, were deposited in the National Anthropological Archives at various times during the 1960's and 1970's. Much of Judd's own material was produced as part of his official duties and lie within the public domain. The collection occupies fourteen linear feet of shelf space.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
These papers reflect the professional life of Neil Merton Judd (1887-1976), archeologist and curator in the former United States National Museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Included are diaries of expeditions, correspondence, field notes, notes, financial records, copies of historical documents, maps, drawings, photographs, and other documents that cover the period from the 1870s to the 1970s. Most of the material, however, is dated between 1907 and 1965.
Of primary concern is Judd's archeological work in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, especially at Pueblo Bonito and other sites in the area of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, which he carried out for the National Geographic Society between 1920 and 1927. Appreciable material concerns the so-called Beam expeditions of 1923, 1928, and 1929 to locate study of tree-rings. Other documents relate to Judd's work in San Juan country, Utah; at Paragonah and other sites in southern Utah; and on the Walhalla Plateau in Arizona. Some correspondences, which Judd carried on with William B. Marye between 1932 and 1949, concern Indian bridges in Maryland and nearby states.
Several other expeditions of which Judd was a member are documented among the papers solely or primarily through photographs. There is little material that reflects Judd's personal life, daily curatorial duties at the United States National Museum, work at Rito de los Frijoles with Edgar L. Hewett in 1910, expedition to Guatemala in 1914, or aerial surveys of old canals in Arizona during the 1929-30.
Among correspondents whose letters are included among the papers are Glover M. Allen, Monroe Amsden, Bryant Bannister, James F. Breazeale, Harold S. Colton, Kenneth J. Conant, Fredrick V. Coville, Richard E. Dodge, Harold S. Gladwin, Gilbert Grosvernor, Edgar L. Hewett, Frederick Webb Hodge, William H. Jackson, Jean A. Jeancon, John O. La Gorce, Frank McNitt, Sylvanus G. Morley, Earl H. Morris, Nels C. Nelson, Jesse L. Nusbaum, Deric O'Bryan, George H. Pepper, Frederick Wilson Popenoe, Frank H. H. Roberts, Karl Ruppert, Carl S. Scofield, Hugh L. Scott, Harry L. Shapiro, Anna O. Shepard, Alfred M. Tozzer, and Clark Wissler. In addition to his own material, Judd also acquired some material from members of his expeditions, especially from Frans Blom, Karl Ruppert, and Oscar B. Walsh. He also collected historical documents and photographs. Among these are copies of documents relating to southwestern archeological explorations of the naturalist Edward Palmer. He also acquired photographs by Walter Hough made in Arizona between 1904 and 1920., photographs taken on the Hyde Exploring Expedition to Chaco Canyon, and miscellaneous photographs made on expeditions of William H. Jackson, Edgar A. Mearns, and others.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Arrangement

Arrangement
To a degree, the arrangement of the collection is Judd's own. The series titles in quotation marks are Judd's own.
  • "Pueblo Bonito File"
  • Chaco Canyon Notes, Notebooks, and Note Cards
  • Material Relating to Judd's Bureau of American Ethnology Expeditions between 1915 and 1920
  • "Utah File"
  • Material Concerning Edward Palmer
  • Correspondence with William B. Marye
  • Miscellaneous Correspondence
  • Manuscripts of Writings
  • Miscellany
  • Cartographic Material
  • Artwork and Photographic Enlargements
  • Photographs

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Note: Biographical data and a bibliography of Judd's writings are in the series of miscellany among his papers. For an obituary, see Waldo R. Wedel, "Neil Merton Judd, 1887-1976."
American Antiquity
, volume 43, number 3 (July 1978), pages 399-404, and J. O. Brew, "Neil Merton Judd, 1887-1976."
American Anthropologist
, volume 80, number 2 (June 1978), pages 352-54. An obituary prepared by Judd is among the papers.
October 27, 1887
Born in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska
1907-08
Public school teacher in Utah
1907
Student archeologist on Byron Cummings' reconnaissance of White Canyon, Utah
1908
Student archeologist on Cummings' reconnaissance of Montezuma Canyon, Utah, and Segi Valley, Arizona.
1909
Student archeologist on Cummings' reconnaissance of Segi Valley, Arizona, and the Cummings- Douglass expedition to Rainbow Natural Bridge.
1910
Student assistant to Edgar L. Hewett on the Archeological Institute of America's expedition to El Rito del los Frijoles, New Mexico
1911
Bachelor of Arts, University of Utah
1911-1917
Aid, Division of Ethnology, United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution
1913
Master of Arts, George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
1914
Member, Archeological Institute's Fourth Quirigua Expedition to Guatemala; supervised the fabrication of a reproduction model of ruins for the Pacific-California International Exposition, San Diego
1915
Archeological reconnaissance of Indian mounds in and near Willard, Beaver City, Paragonah, St. George, Kanab, and Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, and "Spanish Diggings" flint quarries in Wyoming for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1916
Reconnaissance and excavations of Indian mounds near Paragonah and in Willard County, Utah, for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1916-18
Treasurer, American Anthropological Association
1917
Director, project for partial restoration of Betatakin ruin, Arizona, for the United States Department of the Interior, and the excavations at Paragonah, Utah, for the Smithsonian and University of Utah
1918
Archeological reconnaissance of the Walhalla Plateau, Arizona, for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1918-19
Assistant Curator, Department of Anthropology, United States National Museum
1919
Archeological investigations in Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1919-30
Curator, American Archeology, Division of Archeology, Department of Anthropology, United States National Museum
1920
Archeological investigations at Toroweap Valley, Mt. Trumbull, Pariah Plateau, House Rock Valley, Bright Angel Creak, Cottonwood Canyon, and Kanab Creek in Utah and Arizona for the Bureau of American Ethnology and reconnaissance of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, for the National Geographic Society
1920-23
Vice President, Anthropological Society of Washington
1921-27
Investigations of Pueblo Bonito and nearby ruins in New Mexico for the National Geographic Society
1923
Led first Beam expedition to sites in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado, and carried out explorations in San Juan County, Utah, for the Smithsonian Institution and the National Geographic Society
1925-27
Member, Board of Managers, Washington Academy of Science, and President, Anthropological Society of Washington
1925-28
Member, Division of Anthropology and Psychology, National Research Council
1926
Archeological Observations North of the Rio Colorado, Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 82, 1926
1927-36
Trustee, Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1928
Investigations of Indian burials in rock shelter, Wolf Creek, Russell County, Kentucky, for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1929
Led Third Beam Expedition to sites in Arizona for the National Geographic Society and reconnaissance of the prehistoric canals in the Gila River and Salt River valleys for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1930
Aerial surveys of ancient canals in the Gila River and Salt River valleys for the Bureau of American Ethnology and the United States Department of War
1930-49
Curator, Archeology, United States National Museum
1931
Investigations on the Natanes Plateau, Arizona, for the Bureau of American Ethnology
1931-32
Member, Division of Anthropology and Psychology, National Research Council (second time)
1935
Smithsonian Institution's delegate to the second assembly, Pan-American Institute of Geography and History
1936-48
Advisory Board, Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe, New Mexico
1937-39
Member, Division of Anthropology and Psychology, National Research Council (third time)
1938
Married Anne Sarah MacKay
1938-40
Member, Board of Managers, Washington Academy of Science
1939
President, Society for American Archaeology, and Vice President and Chairman, Section H, American Association for the Advancement of Science
1945
President, American Anthropological Association
December 31, 1949
Retired from the staff of the United States National Museum
January 1, 1950
Honorary Associate in Anthropology of the Smithsonian Institution
1953
Awarded the Franklin L. Burr Award of the National Geographic Society
1954
The Material Culture of Pueblo Bonito, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, volume 125
1958
Awarded Certificate of Award of the Smithsonian Institution
1959
Pueblo Del Arroyo, Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, volume 138, number 1
1962
Awarded the Franklin L. Burr Award of the National Geographic Society (second time)
1964
The Architecture of Pueblo Bonito, Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections, volume 147, number 1
1965
Awarded the Alfred Vincent Kidder Award of the American Anthropological Association
1966
Awarded Special Award of the United States Department of the Interior
1967
The Bureau of American Ethnology: A Partial History, University of Oklahoma Press
1968
Men met along the Trail: Adventures in Archeology, University of Oklahoma Press
December 19, 1976
Died

Administration

Author
James R. Glenn

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Access
The Neil Merton Judd papers are open for research.
Access to the Neil Merton Judd papers requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.
Preferred Citation
Neil Merton Judd papers, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution

Related Materials
Additional material in the National Anthropological Archives that relates to Judd can be found among the correspondence files of the Bureau of American Ethnology; files of the Department of Anthropology of the United States National Museum, especially those of the Division of Archeology; papers of Frank H.H. Roberts; papers of William B. Marye; American Antiquities permits records of the Anthropological Society of Washington; papers of John P. Harrington; papers of Frank M. Setzler; papers of Henry B. Collins; and records of the American Anthropological Association. Additional photographs that relate to the expeditions of which Judd was a member are in the cataloged and the uncataloged photographs. For example, negatives and other photographic material of the aerial surveys of ancient canals in the Gila River and Salt River valleys in Arizona are NAA photographic lot 3.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Paragonah -- Utah -- archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Rainbow Natural Bridge Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
North Carolina -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
San Juan County (Utah) -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Viriginia -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
New Mexico -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Utah -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shell heaps Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Walhalla Plateau -- Arizona -- archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Dendrochronology Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Delaware -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Maryland -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Bridges -- American Indian Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arizona -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Language and languages -- Documentation Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chaco Canyon (N.M.) -- Archeology Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
Museum Support Center
4210 Silver Hill Road
Suitland, Maryland 20746
Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1300
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu