Special Collections and University Archives UMass Amherst Libraries George W. Barton Papers 1889-1984 (Bulk: 1914-1920) 9 boxes (4.5 linear ft.) Call no.: RG 50/6 B37 About SCUA SCUA home Credo digital Scope Overview Series 1. Biographical Series 2. Massachusetts Agricultural College Series 3. Herbarium Inventory Series 1. Biographical Series 2. Massachusetts Agricultural College Series 3. Herbarium Admin info Download xml version print version (pdf) Read collection overview George W. Barton was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts in 1896. After attending Concord High School in Concord, Barton began his studies in horticulture and agriculture at Massachusetts Agricultural College. The Barton collection includes diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, newspaper clippings, programs, announcements, and his herbarium, and relates primarily to his career at the Massachusetts Agricultural College where he studied horticulture and agriculture from 1914-1918. See similar SCUA collections: Agricultural education Botany and horticulture Mass Agricultural College (1863-1931) Massachusetts (West) Photographs UMass alumni Background on George W. Barton George W. Barton was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts, in 1896, and after graduating from Concord High School, he entered the Massachusetts Agricultural College to study horticulture and agriculture. Arriving at the college in the fall 1914, Barton took part in a number of scholastic and extracurricular activities of the day, from producing his own herbarium to document over twenty local plant species to the military training required of all. He was a member of the college rifle team, the Christian Association, and the Commons Club, a social organization in which he was particularly active, and as an avid fan of music, he attended a number of performances, dances, and recitals in the Amherst area including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, numerous events at Smith and Amherst Colleges, as well as a performance by humorist Ralph Bingham. Following graduation, Barton traveled west to Tacoma, Washington, where he took part in a study of apple raising. In the early 1920s, he relocated to Pasadena, California, where he conducted research on oranges. His early years in California included stints as roadside tree inspector for the County Department of Forestry and Fire Warden as well as a position in the business department of the Pasadena Post newspaper. In Pasadena, Barton met his future wife, Nellie Taylor Murray, a Boston native whom he married in 1924. During World War II, Barton grew culinary herbs such as sage, marjoram, and sweet basil to supplement the failing wartime market, but abandoned the enterprise once the war ended and the foreign market rebounded. After a brief stint as Los Angeles County agricultural inspector he found employment with the Germain Seed and Plant Company, a job he would keep until his retirement in 1962. Both he and his wife helped to organize a Presbyterian Church in La Canada, California, in 1948 for which Barton served on the Session for 12 years, as secretary of the Board of Trustees for four years, and as Clerk of Session for two years. Eventually Barton took over church publicity. The Bartons' personal lives were busy. Both were also involved with the Boy Scouts: George was a district commissioner of the Pasadena-San Gabriel Valley Council and Nellie served as president of the Federation of Mothers auxiliaries to Boy Scouts. George served as president of the La Canada Valley Garden Club, was a staunch member of La Canada Beautiful, and the Descanso Gardens Guild, and he devoted a great deal of energy in photography, serving twice as president of the La Canada Camera Club and later publishing the club's monthly flyers. George W. Barton died in La Canada, California, on June 5, 1980. Scope of collection The George W. Barton Papers include diaries, scrapbooks, photographs, newspaper clippings, programs, announcements, and Barton's herbarium. The papers relate primarily to his career at the Massachusetts Agricultural College where he studied horticulture and agriculture from 1914-1918. Arrangement This collection is organized into three series: Series 1. Biographical, 1912-1984 Series 2. Massachusetts Agricultural College, 1914-1920 Series 3. Herbarium, 1908-1918 Series descriptions Series 1. Biographical 1912-1984 The series consists of newspaper clippings, photographs and a photograph album, genealogical materials, and diaries. Barton's Concord High School Diploma from 1914 is located in this series. Newspaper clippings include an announcement for George W. Barton's 50th wedding anniversary, his election to the position of president of The Friends of the La Canada Library, and his obituary. Diaries span June 27, 1914 to May 23, 1923 with daily entries documenting domestic life of the family and his experiences at Massachusetts Agricultural College. The 1923 diary contains entries regarding Barton's early relationship with Nellie. The diaries include a significant collection of newspaper clippings, the majority of which are song lyrics. Military documents and documents relating to treatment received at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston in 1918 and 1919 are also included in this series. The first photograph album includes photographs of the campus and surrounding area: Mt. Sugarloaf, Mt. Toby, Sunderland Bridge, and the Holyoke range. Also depicted are Lake Michigan, Camp Grant, Illinois and Niagara Falls. The album also depicts Barton's travels to the west coast of the United States. The second album illustrates Barton's first few years in California. Series 2. Massachusetts Agricultural College 1914-1920 Included in this series are event announcements, programs, and college publications from George Barton's tenure at Massachusetts Agricultural College. Included in this series is a small selection of Barton's college notebooks. The series also contains an excerpt from the 1918 Index yearbook, commencement programs from 1918 and 1920, alumni mailings, and a statement of the college purpose. College publications include the Massachusetts Agricultural College Calendar from 1915- 1917, The Massachusetts Collegian, and The Squib. In addition the series contains a M.A.C. scrapbook compiled by George W. Barton. Series 3. Herbarium 1908-1916 This series contains twenty species folders of George W. Barton's herbarium and his 1908 edition of Gray's New Manual of Botany. Inventory Series 1. Biographical 1912-1984 Barton family genealogy and oral history recorded by Eleanor Beede Spinney 1984, undated Box 1: 1 Camera: A-1 Junior Kodak undated Box 4: 1 Concord High School Diploma 1914 Box 8 Concord High School Pendant undated Box 1: 2 Diaries 1914-1923 Diary excerpts Diary 1914 June 27-1914 Nov 22 Box 1: 3 Diary 1914 Nov 23-1915 May 5 Box 1: 4 Diary 1915 May 6-1915 Nov 17 Box 1: 5 Diary 1915 Nov 18-1916 Aug 25 Box 1: 6 Diary 1916 Aug 26-1917 May 25 Box 1: 7 Diary 1917 May 26-1917 Dec 22 Box 1: 8 Diary 1917 Dec 23-1918 May 11 Box 1: 9 Diary 1919 Jan 1-1919 Dec 31 Box 1: 10 Diary 1921 Jan 1-1921 Dec 31 Box 1: 11 Diary 1922 Jan 1-1922 Dec 31 Box 1: 12 Diary 1923 Jan 1-1923 May 23 Box 2: 1 Diary contents: loose items, newspaper clippings, membership card for Pasadena Young Men's Christian Association 1914-1923 Box 2: 2 Foreign language school lessons undated Box 2: 3 Level Book 373 1895 Box 2: 4 Maps of Barton homestead in Sudbury Massachusetts, the town of Amherst, and Massachusetts Agricultural College 1889, 1907, 1911 Box 2: 5 Medical War Manual: Laboratory Methods of the U.S. Army 1918 Box 2: 6 Military items 1918 Box 2: 7 Newspaper clippings: announcement of appointment to Presidency of library, obituary, 50th wedding anniversary, and tour to Hawaii 1974, 1980, undated Box 2: 8 Paper party hat undated Box 2: 9 Pasadena Evening Post: Tournament of Roses Edition 1923 Box 2: 10 Photograph album 1917-1920 Box 3: 1 Photograph album 1921-1923 Box 3: 2 Photograph album (CD-ROM) and loose photos undated Box 3: 3 Poetry by George W. Barton undated Box 3: 4 Poetry by Albert C. Turner undated Box 3: 5 Publication: George Hunt Barton excerpts from Reminiscences 1912, 1914-1915, 1918-1921 Box 3: 6 Song lyrics including Boast Old Aggie, Sons of Old Massachusetts, Boys of Massachusetts, and class song undated Box 3: 7 Spell of the Yukon and Other Verses 1907 Box 3: 8 Wallet undated Box 3: 9 Series 2. Massachusetts Agricultural College 1914-1920 College event programs 1915-1918 Box 5: 1 Commencement programs, alumni mailing and directory, 1918 Index entry, and statement of the college purpose 1915-1920 Box 5: 2 Commons Club membership certificate and initiation banquet programs 1916, 1918, 1920 Box 5: 3 Local Events: includes Amherst College baseball schedule, Cushing Academy dance card, Holyoke Theater Burlesque show schedule, newspaper clippings 1916-1920 Box 5: 4 Publication: The Friday War Cry 1914 Box 5: 5 Massachusetts Agricultural College bulletin 1917 Box 5: 6 Massachusetts Agricultural College calendar 1915-1917 Box 5: 7-9 Massachusetts Agricultural College cigarettes and cigarette box 1917 Box 5: 10 Massachusetts Agricultural College Diploma 1918 Box 8 Massachusetts Agricultural College Extension publications 1920 Box 5: 11 Massachusetts Agricultural College library circular 1917 Box 5: 12 Massachusetts Agricultural College military department diploma undated Box 8 Massachusetts Agricultural College scrapbook 1914-1918 Box 8 The Massachusetts Collegian 1915, 1917 Box 5: 13-14 Notebook: English 1915 Box 5: 15 Notebook: Zoology undated Box 5: 16 Notes: loose notes from notebooks undated Box 5: 17 Photograph: Commons Club 1918, undated Box 8 Publication: The Squib 1916-1917 Box 6: 1 Rifle team: certificate 1914 Box 6: 2 Rifle team: photograph undated Box 6: 3 Textbook: Five-Place Logarithms 1910 Box 6: 4 Series 3. Herbarium 1908-1916 Gray's New Manual of Botany 1908 Box 7: 1 Herbarium labels undated Box 7: 2 Herbarium samples 1915-1916 Box 9 Administrative information Access The collection is open for research.