Smithsonian Institution Archives

Henry Leslie Osborn Manuscript, circa 1879-1881

Summary

Collection ID:
SIA.FARU7387
Creators:
Osborn, Henry Leslie, 1857-1940
Dates:
circa 1879-1881
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
0.25 cu. ft. (1 half document box)
Repository:
Smithsonian Institution Archives

Introduction

Introduction
This finding aid was digitized with funds generously provided by the Smithsonian Institution Women's Committee.

Descriptive Entry

Descriptive Entry
This collection consists of portions of a manuscript written by Osborn while on board the Victor, a fishing vessel owned by Joseph O. Proctor, Jr., as an observer in the summer of 1879. The schooner set out from Gloucester, Massachusetts, and continued up the coast to fish off the banks of Newfoundland, Canada. Seven sections document the activities of the crew during their passage including the nationality of the crew, the crew at home, the routine of daily life on board, the routine of daily life while fishing off the banks, pastimes on board ship, the routine of life at baiting stations, and superstitions of the fishermen. A table of contents and list of illustrations are included, but the illustrations themselves are not contained in this copy of the manuscript.
Osborn records his own misconceptions about sailors as well as the facts he encounters aboard the Victor. Included are the figures for the summer trip, as an example of computing methods, supplied by the owner, Joseph O. Proctor, Jr., an example of a popular ballad sung by the fishermen and their opinions.
The manuscript was later published in sections IV and V of The Fisheries and Fishery Industries of the United States (1887) with John Templeman Brown as Associate Author and George Brown Goode as Editor.

Historical Note

Historical Note
Henry Leslie Osborn (1857-1940) was born in Newark, New Jersey. He received his A.B. from Wesleyan University in 1878, and the next year he became an agent with the United States Fish Commission. In 1881, Osborn returned to the classroom, and in 1884 he received his Ph.D. in zoology from the Johns Hopkins University. For the remainder of his career Osborn devoted himself to college life, first as a Professor of Zoology at Purdue University and later as Professor, Dean of the Faculty, and eventually Acting President of Hamline University.

Administration

Author
Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives

Using the Collection

Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7387, Henry Leslie Osborn Manuscript

More Information

Notes

Personal Papers


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Proctor, Joseph O., Jr. Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Osborn, Henry Leslie, 1857-1940 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Brown, James Templeman Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Goode, G. Brown (George Brown), 1851-1896 Personal Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Victor (Ship) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.) Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
United States Fish Commission Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Johns Hopkins University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Purdue University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Hamline University Corporate Name Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ichthyology Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Ichthyologists Topic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Manuscripts Genre/Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

Smithsonian Institution Archives
Washington, D.C.
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