Smithsonian Institution Archives

Charles Upham Shepard Papers, 1830, 1842-1894 and undated

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU7283
Creators:
Shepard, Charles Upham, 1804-1886
Dates:
1830, 1842-1894 and undated
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
1 cu. ft. (2 document box)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
This collection consists primarily of correspondence with mineralogists., collectors, and museums concerning Shepard's research on meteorites and the acquisition of specimens for his collection. Also included are notebooks, scrapbooks, catalogues, and lectures of Shepard; specimen lists; and newspaper clippings collected by Shepard mostly concerning meteorites. A small amount of correspondence of Shepard's son, Charles Upham Shepard, Jr., is contained in the collection, including correspondence with Frank Wigglesworth Clarke concerning the deposit of the Shepard Meteorite Collection in the USNM in 1886.

Historical Note

Historical Note
Charles Upham Shepard (1804-1886) was a mineralogist and authority on meteorites. Shepard was educated at Amherst College, graduating in 1824. After a short period as a school teacher in Boston, Shepard went to Yale College in 1827 as assistant to Benjamin Silliman. He remained at Yale until 1844 serving as lecturer in botany, 1830-1831; director of the Brewster Scientific Institute, 1832-1833; and lecturer in natural history, 1833-1844. In 1844, he became lecturer in natural history at Amherst College, where he remained until his retirement in 1877. From 1834 to 1869, Shepard served as professor of chemistry at the South Carolina Medical College (a position held concurrently with his lectureships at Yale and Amherst). Shepard made extensive collections of minerals and meteorites throughout his career. After his death in 1886, his meteorite collection (the largest in America at the time) was deposited in the United States National Museum (USNM) by his son, Charles Upham Shepard, Jr. The collection was officially bequeathed to the USNM in 1915.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7283, Charles Upham Shepard Papers

More Information

Notes

Personal Papers


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Shepard, Charles Upham, 1842-1915 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clarke, Frank Wigglesworth, 1847-1931 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Silliman, Benjamin, 1779-1864 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Amherst College Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Yale College Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Medical College of the State of South Carolina Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States National Museum Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Shepard Meteorite Collection Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mineralogy Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Mineralogists Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scrapbooks Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Scientific illustrations Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Clippings Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Smithsonian Institution Archives
Washington, D.C.
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