Walcott Family Papers, 1720-1929, 1944, 1995
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Walcott Family Papers, 1720-1929, 1944, 1995 Finding aid prepared by Smithsonian Institution Archives Smithsonian Institution Archives Washington, D.C. Contact us at [email protected] Table of Contents Collection Overview ........................................................................................................ 1 Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1 Historical Note.................................................................................................................. 1 Descriptive Entry.............................................................................................................. 2 Names and Subjects ...................................................................................................... 2 Container Listing ............................................................................................................. 4 Walcott Family Papers http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_380741 Collection Overview Repository: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Washington, D.C., [email protected] Title: Walcott Family Papers Identifier: Accession 16-103 Date: 1720-1929, 1944, 1995 Extent: 21.95 cu. ft. (17 record storage boxes) (3 12x17 boxes) (4 16x20 boxes) (6 3x5 boxes) Language: Language of Materials: English Administrative Information Oversize This collection contains oversize material. Prefered Citation Smithsonian Institution Archives, Accession 16-103, Walcott Family Papers Historical Note Charles Doolittle Walcott (1850-1927) was born in New York Mills, New York. He attended Utica public schools and the Utica Academy, but never graduated or pursued further education. He had an early interest in natural history, and began his professional career in 1876 when he was appointed as an assistant to James Hall, New York's state geologist. In 1879, he joined the newly formed United States Geological Survey (USGS) as an assistant geologist. Shortly after his appointment, Walcott began to do field work in Utah. Field work would continue to define his life, and later sites included the Appalachians, New England, New York, several Mid-Atlantic states, western and southwestern United States, and eastern Canada. From 1882 to 1893 he worked with the Survey's invertebrate Paleozoic paleontological collections, and in 1893 he was appointed Geologist in charge of Geology and Paleontology. He also served as an honorary curator of invertebrate Paleozoic fossils at the United States National Museum (USNM) from 1892 to 1907, and as Acting Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution in charge of the USNM from 1897 to 1898. In 1894 Walcott was appointed Director of the USGS and served until 1907 when he resigned from the USGS and was appointed Secretary of the Smithsonian, a position he would remain at until his death. During Walcott's administration at the Smithsonian he oversaw the completion of the National Museum Building (now the National Museum of Natural History) in 1911. He also convinced Detroit industrialist Charles Lang Freer to donate his extensive Asian art collection and money for a building during his lifetime rather than after Freer's death, as was originally intended. He also set up the National Gallery of Art (predecessor to the Smithsonian American Art Museum) as a separate administrative entity in 1920. Page 1 of 35 Walcott Family Papers http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_380741 Despite his responsibilities as Secretary, Walcott found time to continue his research and collecting of fossils from the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, with primary focus on the Canadian Rockies. In 1909 he located Cambrian fossils near Burgess Pass above Field, British Columbia. The following season he discovered the Burgess shale fauna, which proved to be his greatest paleontological discovery. In 1872, Walcott married Lura Ann Rust. Their marriage was relatively short, as Rust died in 1876 from an undiagnosed illness. In 1888, he married Helena Stevens. Charles and Helena had three children: Charles Doolittle (born 1889), Sidney Stevens (born 1892), Helen Breese (born 1894), and Benjamin Stuart (born 1896). Helena and the children often accompanied Charles on fieldwork excursions. Unfortunately, in 1911 Helena was killed in a train accident in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Charles Doolittle Walcott Jr. (often referred to as "Charlie") died in 1913 while a student at Yale University, after suffering from multiple severe ear infections. In 1917, Benjamin Stuart (often referred to as Stuart), was killed in action while serving as a pilot in the l'Escadrille de Lafayette in France during World War I. In 1914, Walcott married Mary Morris Vaux, an accomplished naturalist. In 1925, the Smithsonian published her illustrations of American wildflowers in five volumes. Also in 1925, Helen Breese Walcott married Cole Younger. On February 9, 1927, Charles D. Walcott passed away. For a more detailed history of Charles D. Walcott, please see Record Unit 7004: Charles D. Walcott Collection 1851-1940 and undated. Descriptive Entry This accessions consists of the personal correspondence of Charles D. Walcott, his family, and his extended family, as well as genealogical materials, family Bibles, photographs, medals, and other materials related to the Walcott family. The correspondence documents the personal relationships between the immediate Walcott family, as well as the extended family, mostly relations and ancestors of Helena Stevens Walcott. Photographs consist of both personal photography, and photography from field research expeditions. Of note are eight boxes of lantern slides used by Mary Vaux Walcott to illustrate American wildflowers. The medals encompass awards presented to Charles D. Walcott, most notably the Mary Clark Thompson Medal, presented by the National Academy of Sciences. Materials include correspondence, images, negatives, albums, medals, school records, wedding registers, legal documents, family Bibles, articles, clippings, and ephemera. Names and Subject Terms This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following terms: Subjects: Fieldwork Genealogy Legal documents Scientific expeditions Wild flowers -- United States Types of Materials: Artifacts Black-and-white negatives Black-and-white photographs Page 2 of 35 Walcott Family Papers http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_380741 Books Clippings Color photographs Ephemera Manuscripts Names: Geological Survey (U.S.) National Academy of Sciences (U.S.) Smithsonian Institution Stevens Family Walcott Family Walcott, Charles D. (Charles Doolittle), 1850-1927 Walcott, Charles Doolittle Walcott, Helen Breese Walcott, Helena Stevens Walcott, Mary Vaux, 1860-1940 Walcott, Sidney Stevens Younger Family Younger, Cole Geographic Names: British Columbia Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) Page 3 of 35 Walcott Family Papers http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_380741 Container Listing Box 1 Correspondence Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott, 1875-1879. Correspondence about the New York State Museum of Natural History Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helena Stevens Walcott, circa 1889 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Charles D. Walcott (father), 1890-1893 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to mother, 1893 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Aunt Helen, 1898 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1916 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1917 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1917-1918 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1919 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1921 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1922 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1923 (2 folders) Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1924 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Sidney S. Walcott, 1924 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1925 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1926 Box 1 of 32 Charles D. Walcott to Helen B. Walcott, 1926-1927 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Sidney A. Stevens, 1869-1888 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Sidney A. Stevens and Cousin Ella, 1885 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott, 1885. Correspondence from Shrewsbury about Breese family Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, 1888 Page 4 of 35 Walcott Family Papers http://siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_380741 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, circa 1888 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, circa 1889 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Sidney A. Stevens, 1890-1896 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Sidney A. Stevens, 1891-1896 Box 1 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, 1891 (4 folders) Box 2 Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, September 1891 (2 folders) Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, October 1891 (2 folders) Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, August, September, December 1891 Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, 1892 (4 folders) Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, 1893 (4 folders) Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Helen Breese Stanford, 1893-1899 Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, 1894 Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Sidney A. Stevens, circa 1894-1910 Box 2 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott to Charles D. Walcott, August-September 1895 Box 3 Box 3 of 32 Helena Stevens Walcott