Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, Bulk 1909-1951
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt9z09s1s7 No online items Finding Aid to the Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 Finding Aid written by Anastasia Karel Funding for processing this collection was provided by National Historical Publications and Records Commission The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ © 2007 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Finding Aid to the Herbert BANC MSS C-B 840 1 Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 Finding Aid to the Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 840 The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CaliforniaFunding for processing this collection was provided by National Historical Publications and Records Commission Finding Aid Written By: Anastasia Karel Date Completed: December 2008 © 2008 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved. Collection Summary Collection Title: Herbert Eugene Bolton papers Date (inclusive): 1890-1953, Date (bulk): bulk 1909-1951 Collection Number: BANC MSS C-B 840 Creators : Bolton, Herbert Eugene, 1870-1953 Extent: Number of containers: 99 cartons, 145 boxes, 5 file boxes, 80 oversize boxes and 5 oversize foldersLinear feet: 215 linear feet Repository: The Bancroft Library University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California, 94720-6000 Phone: (510) 642-6481 Fax: (510) 642-7589 Email: [email protected] URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ Abstract: The Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers document the career of an eminent historian who, as director of the Bancroft Library and Chairman of the University of California at Berkeley's History Department in the 1920s and 1930s, was a leader in the field of study known as the Spanish Borderlands. Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English and Spanish Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html . Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers, BANC MSS C-B 840, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. Alternate Forms Available Finding Aid to the Herbert BANC MSS C-B 840 2 Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 There are no alternate forms of this collection. Related Collections Bolton Family Papers (BANC MSS C-B 841) [Miscellaneous maps from the Herbert E. Bolton collection]. (BANC Map100.B6; BANC G3290.S4 svar.B6) National Park Service Record Group 79 Georgia Division of Archives and History, Mary Letitia Ross papers, 1561-1977 and n.d. Separated Material Pictorial materials transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library (BANC PIC 1959.089--PIC) Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog. Archivo General de Indias Archivo General de la Nación University of Texas Stanford University University of California, Berkeley. Dept. of History History--Study and teaching Spain--Colonies--America Southwest, New--Discovery and exploration Pacific Coast--Discovery and exploration California--History--To 1846 Addresses. Manuscripts for publication. Acquisition Information The Herbert Eugene Bolton Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by the Bolton family estate in 1959. Accruals No additions are expected. System of Arrangement Arranged to the folder level. Processing Information Processed by Vivian Fisher in 1961. Processed by Anastasia Karel, Alexandra Black, Rachel Gulbraa, and Arcadia Falcone in 2007-2008. Biographical Information Herbert Eugene Bolton was born on July 20, 1870 in Wilton, Wisconsin. At the University of Wisconsin (class of 1895) he studied under Frederick Jackson Turner; after two years of graduate work there he left to pursue a PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, which he earned in 1899. In 1901 he joined the history department at the University of Texas, Austin, where he developed his lasting interest in the history of Spanish-American exploration. His next stop was California, first at Stanford from 1909-1911, and then Berkeley for the remainder of his career. In 1916 he became the Curator of the Bancroft Library (a title that was soon switched to Director), and he took over the helm of the History Department after the death of Henry Morse Stephens in 1919. During the 1920s and 1930s Bolton was especially active as a professor, guest lecturer, and scholar. The bulk of his writings were published during these two decades, including The Spanish Borderlands. In 1931-1932 he was the president of the American Historical Association, which is only one example of his public service. Though the University required that he retire in 1940 (or at the age of 70), a war-time shortage of faculty caused him to return to teaching from 1942-1944. Bolton's zest for history is perhaps best represented in the journeys he made by mule or horseback in an effort to retrace the footsteps of famous explorers. This activity continued into his 80th year, by which time he had traced the complete routes of Coronado, Kino, De Mézières, Portolá, Anza, Garcés, and Escalante. In June 1952 Bolton suffered a stroke that ultimately led to his death in January 1953. Scope and Content of Collection Finding Aid to the Herbert BANC MSS C-B 840 3 Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 The Herbert Bolton Papers are essentially two collections in one. Bolton's research materials are one distinct entity, and his correspondence, writings, teaching materials, and professional activities make up a different type of collection. Researchers looking for an insight into Bolton's career will do best to concentrate on the latter materials, because this is where one can see what occurred during a particular event or what a student might have experienced in one of his courses. While there is very little personal material in this part of the collection, there are clues to Bolton's personality (especially his sense of humor) scattered throughout his papers. In contrast, Bolton's research materials are the result of his life's work and have a different purpose for scholars. Many of the manuscripts copied by Bolton also exist on microfilm in the Bancroft Library. This is certainly the case of those documents from the Archivo General de la Nación of Mexico and the Archivo General de Indias of Spain. Please note that the finding aid does not show which documents are also on microfilm (except for select folders in the Correspondence series), but the researcher may consult other guides to the library's microfilm in order to effectively use the Research Materials series. Finding Aid to the Herbert BANC MSS C-B 840 4 Eugene Bolton Papers, 1890-1953, bulk 1909-1951 Series 1:Research Materials. 1404-1921 SubSeries 1.1:Baja California. 1645-1861 Series 1: Research Materials. 1404-1921 Physical Description: Cartons 1-52; Carton 53, folders 16-18; Cartons 98-99; Box 145; Oversize boxes 1-80; File box 5 Arrangement Chronological Scope and Content Note This series consists of Bolton's research materials that he collected from various sources over the course of his career. The primary forms of the documents are photocopies, transcripts, and translations; there are few, if any, original documents. Bolton's arrangement of this series was maintained as closely as possible. Vivian Fisher, a member of the Bancroft Library staff who processed this series in 1961, retained the basic grouping of documents, which are divided geographically and then chronologically. Each of the thirteen groups is a subseries. Fisher also assigned item numbers from 1 to 820 to the documents. As she noted, each item number may represent a group of documents or a single piece. Documents specific to one topic were often gathered from many sources, which are noted wherever possible. The subseries frequently cover a period of more than a century, and the items are arranged by the date of original document (rather than the date Bolton worked with it, which is usually not known). Researchers should note that the geographical divisions made by the subseries are not completely finite. Many documents detail various expeditions of exploration that began in one geographical area and ended in another. These documents were filed under the division that represents the majority of the material. In the case of letters or reports from one person, these may be found in more than one area of the collection. In the following introduction to the collection, written by Bolton in 1951, the reader will find many details about the historical research and writing sides of Bolton's career. However, some of the archives that he mentions are not represented in the collection. Manuscript Materials for the History of the Pacific Coast and the Southwest This brief Introduction is designed to tell in general terms the story of gathering the historical materials in the Bolton Collection, and to indicate the more than sixty archives and repositories in various parts of Europe and the Western Hemisphere from which the documents have been obtained.