Geoffrey D. Austrian research notes on Herman Hollerith 2353
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Manuscripts and Archives PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library Geoffrey D. Austrian research notes on Herman Hollerith 2353
Table of Contents
Summary Information ...... 3 Biographical Note ...... 3 Scope and Content ...... 4 Arrangement ...... 4 Administrative Information ...... 5 Related Materials ...... 5 Controlled Access Headings ...... 6 Collection Inventory ...... 6 Biography note cards ...... 6 Backup research files ...... 6 Other research files ...... 9
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Summary Information
Repository: Manuscripts and Archives Creator: Austrian, Geoffrey D. Title: Geoffrey D. Austrian research notes on Herman Hollerith ID: 2353 Date [inclusive]: 1860-1990 Date [bulk]: 1890-1929 Physical Description: 4 Linear Feet Language of the English, German, Italian, French, Spanish, and Russian Material: Abstract: Geoffrey David Austrian (1930-) is an author and journalist. He first became interested in the life of Herman Hollerith (1860-1929), inventor of the puched-card system of data processing, while working for the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), the firm that grew out of Hollerith's invention. This collections includes the research materials Austrian used to write the book Herman Hollerith: Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. Austrian's research includes notes from interviews with Hollerith family members and copies of materials from the IBM archives and other repositories, including the New York Public Library.
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Biographical Note
Geoffrey David Austrian (1930-) is an author and journalist. He graduated from Harvard College in 1953 and attended Cornell Law School. Austrian was born on March 31, 1930. He worked at International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as the Manager of Public Relations. Prior to his career at IBM, he was a reporter for The Record in Hackensack, New Jersey in 1957 to 1959.
He first became interested in the life of Herman Hollerith (1860-1929), inventor of the puched-card system of data processing, while working for IBM, the firm that grew out of Hollerith's invention. Austrian stumbled across Hollerith's name during a search for background information for IBM Day in 1964. It was not until 1968, after a chance meeting with a member of the Hollerith family that Austrian began to formulate his ideas for a book. With the support of IBM, Austrian began work on his book in
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Austrian has published three other books: The Truth about Drugs, 1971; Dark deeds: At the U.S. Naval Observatory, They Make it their Nightly Business to Track Heavenly Bodies, 1983; and " Ben Austrian, Artist," 1997.
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Scope and Content
This collections includes the research materials Geoffrey Austrian used to write Herman Hollerith: Forgotten Giant of Information Processing. Austrian's research includes notes from interviews with Hollerith family members and copies of materials from the IBM archives and other repositories, including the New York Public Library.
The collection is arranged into three series: Biography note cards; Backup research files; and Other research files.
Biography note cards are 3" x 5" note cards of Austrian's research notes arranged chronologically.
Backup research files constitutes the majority of Austrian's research on the life and work of Herman Hollerith. It contains notable items such as correspondence with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. The research notes come from the papers of Herman Hollerith in the Library of Congress, and collections at the archives of Harvard University, IBM, the National Records Center, the Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Co., the National Archives, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Western Electric Co. File folders are labeled by subject and arranged alphabetically.
Other research files contains materials that were not specifically identified by Austrian as being either biography note cards or backup research files. Series includes correspondence about the progress of Herman Hollerith, material removed from a binder, photographs of Herman Hollerith, his family, and his designs, as well as additional miscellaneous material.
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Arrangement
Austrian filed his research notes in two formats, the first on 3x5 cards, arranged chronologically. The remainder of the notes are arranged alphabetically by subject. The folder titles are those originally given by Austrian.
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Administrative Information
Publication Statement Manuscripts and Archives
PO Box 3630 Wilmington, Delaware 19807 [email protected] URL: http://www.hagley.org/library
Access Restrictions This collection is open for search.
Materials located in remote storage. Advance notice is required. Please allow 48 hours for delivery.
Provenance Geoffrey D. Austrian, 2006
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Related Materials
Separated Material Geoffrey D. Austrian audio recordings on Herman Hollerith (Accession 2007.210), Audiovisual Collections and Digital Initiatives Department, Hagley Museum and Library.
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Controlled Access Headings
• Inventors • United States -- Census • Computer storage devices • Tabulating machines • Biography • Western Electric Company • Hollerith, Herman, 1860-1929 • International Business Machines Corporation • Peirce, J. Royden
Collection Inventory
Biography note cards, 1860-1929 Physical Description: 1.5 Linear Feet Scope and Content
3" x 5" note cards of Austrian's research notes arranged chronologically
Title/Description Instances 1860-1911 box 1 folder 1
1912-1929 box 2 folder 1
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Backup research files Physical Description: 2 Linear Feet Scope and Content
Constitutes the majority of Austrian's research on the life and work of Herman Hollerith. It contains notable items such as correspondence with Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. The research notes come from the papers of Herman Hollerith in the Library of Congress, and collections at the archives of Harvard University, IBM, the National Records Center, the Taft-Peirce Manufacturing Co., the National Archives, the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Western Electric Co.
File folders are labeled by subject and arranged alphabetically.
Title/Description Instances Auditing Machine Co (see also railroads) box 2 folder 2
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Billings, Dr. John Shaw box 2 folder 3
Blodgett, John box 2 folder 4
Bibliographies and other Sources, 1960s-1970s box 2 folder 5
George M. Bond box 2 folder 6
Bontecou Letters, 1908 box 2 folder 7
British Company box 2 folder 8
Census, 1890 box 2 folder 9
Census, 1900 box 2 folder 10
Census, 1910 box 2 folder 11
Census Director Reports box 2 folder 12
Census Bureau Present Machines box 2 folder 13
Census Contracts Dispute W. North box 2 folder 14
Census History, 1903 box 2 folder 15
Census Lawsuit, 1909-1912 box 2 folder 16
Committee Hearings box 2 folder 17
Computing Tabulating Recording Co box 2 folder 18
Contracts with Customers (tabulating machine co.), 1903 box 2 folder 19
Dalys File machine blueprints box 2 folder 20
Durand box 2 folder 21
Edison box 2 folder 22
Flad, Henry box 2 folder 23
Flint, Charles R. box 2 folder 24
Ford, Eugene A. box 2 folder 25
Early Family History box 2 folder 26
French Company box 2 folder 27
Hollerith Background box 2 folder 28
Hollerith Bio sketches box 2 folder 29
Hollerith Letters box 2 folder 30
Hollerith Source Material box 2 folder 31
Hollerith Book, New Materials & Valuable Documents box 2 folder 32
Holley Manuscript box 2 folder 33
IBM history, Watson, Williams bios box 3 folder 1
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IBM History Early Investors box 3 folder 2
IBM inventors box 3 folder 3
IBM World Trade History box 3 folder 4
International Computer Use box 3 folder 5
Interviews box 3 folder 6
Japan box 3 folder 7
Lanston box 3 folder 8
Lawsuit Tabulating Co vs Durand, 1910 box 3 folder 9
Letters from abroad box 3 folder 10
Library Bureau, 1898-1899 box 3 folder 11
Machine Development & Significance box 3 folder 12
Merriam/Hollerith box 3 folder 13
MIT Boston box 3 folder 14
New Material box 3 folder 15
NY Public Library Research box 3 folder 16
Noble, David E. box 3 folder 17
North, Simon Newton Dexter box 3 folder 18
Paris Exposition, 1889 box 3 folder 19
Patents box 3 folder 20
Perkins, Ed / New Material box 3 folder 21
Pidgin Mass Census box 3 folder 22
Pierce, J. Royden box 3 folder 23
Porter, R. P box 3 folder 24
Powers Pierce Competition box 3 folder 25
Paris Exposition, 1889 box 3 folder 26
Queries box 3 folder 27
Railroads box 3 folder 28
Roosevelt, Theodore, 1905-1909 box 3 folder 29
Russian Census box 3 folder 30
Swain, George F. box 3 folder 31
Tabulating Machine Co Formation, 1896-1897 box 3 folder 32
Taft-Peirce box 3 folder 33
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Talcott Letters box 4 folder 1
Taylor, Frederick W. box 4 folder 2
Thayer, H. B. Letters box 4 folder 3
Translation box 4 folder 4
Unexamined Source Material box 4 folder 5
Unprocessed Material box 4 folder 6
Watson Correspondence box 4 folder 7
Western Electric Co. box 4 folder 8
Carroll D. Wright box 4 folder 9
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Other research files Physical Description: 0.5 Linear Feet Scope and Content
Contains materials that were not specifically identified by Austrian as being either biography note cards or backup research files. Series includes correspondence about the progress of Herman Hollerith, material removed from a binder, photographs of Herman Hollerith, his family, and his designs, as well as additional miscellaneous material.
Title/Description Instances 701 box 4 folder 11
Austrian Correspondence box 4 folder 12
Articles written about Herman Hollerith box 4 folder 13
Black Binder box 4 folder 14
The Computer Museum Exhibit box 4 folder 15
Early Commercial applications box 4 folder 16
Electronic Computing History box 4 folder 17
Hollerith Articles box 4 folder 18
Hollerith Materials from Work box 4 folder 19
Hollerith Collections box 4 folder 20
Hollerith Photographs box 4 folder 21
Miscellaneous box 4 folder 22
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