Smithsonian Institution Archives

Correspondence, 1878-1906

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU0138
Creators:
United States National Museum. Division of Insects
Dates:
1878-1906
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
2 cu. ft. (2 record storage boxes)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
These records are the official incoming correspondence of the Division of Insects (outgoing correspondence for part of the period is included in record unit 139). Included is correspondence from entomologists and others requesting determinations, loans of specimens, or regarding purchase or gift of specimens for the museum; and correspondence between entomologists regarding determinations or other scientific matters, and publications of findings.
Fairly extensive correspondence exists for the following entomologists: Charles Fuller Baker, Elmer Darwin Ball, William Beutenmuller, Frederick Blanchard, J. Chester Bradley, Frank Hurlburt Chittenden, John Henry Comstock, Charles Dury, Harrison Gray Dyer, Henry Edwards, Ephraim Porter Felt, Charles Henry Fernald, Henry Torsey Fernald, James Fletcher, William Hague Harrison, Charles A. Hart, Samuel Henshaw, William W. Hill, William Jacob Holland, Leland Ossian Howard, Henry Herbert Lyman, Alexander Dyar MacGillivray, James Abram Garfield Rehn, Charles Valentine Riley, Samuel H. Scudder, David Sharp, Henry Skinner, Annie Trumball Slosson, John Bernhard Smith, W. N. Tallant, and Lucien M. Underwood. Important items are indicated by a asterisk. Some letters are filed by the name of the person referred to rather than by correspondent.
Information regarding administration of the Division of Insects is found in the folders of W. V. Cox, R. I. Geare, George Brown Goode. F. W. Hodge, Richard Rathbun, William de C. Ravenel, Charles Valentine Riley, John Bernhard Smith, and Frederick William True. Riley's reports for 1886-1888 are filed under "Reports."

Historical Note

Historical Note
The Division of Insects of the United States National Museum, reorganized in 1963 as the Department of Entomology, had its origin in the deposit of personal collections in 1881 by Charles Valentine Riley, entomologist of the Department of Agriculture. The Museum became the depository for the national collection of insects. The chief entomologist of the Department of Agriculture became honorary curator of insects in the National Museum, aided by an assistant curator on the museum staff. Many staff members of the Department of Agriculture served as custodians, and thus the national collection of insects has become a joint enterprise of the Department and the Museum. Honorary curators were as follows: Charles Valentine Riley, 1881-1894; Leland Ossian Howard, 1895-1927. Assistant curators (museum employees) were as follows: John Bernhard Smith, 1886-1889; Martin L. Linell (aid), 1889-1896; William Harris Ashmeade, 1897-1908.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 138, United States National Museum. Division of Insects, Correspondence

More Information

Notes

SI Records


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Riley, Charles V. (Charles Valentine), 1843-1895 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Howard, L. O. (Leland Ossian), 1857-1950 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Smith, John Bernhard, 1858-1912 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ashmead, William H. (William Harris), 1855-1908 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States. Department of Agriculture Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Entomology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Entomologists Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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