Archives and Manuscript Collections
Records of the Herbarium (RG4)
HERBARIUM OFFICE (1900-1997) [Bulk 1937-1996]
30 linear feet (24 boxes)
HISTORICAL NOTE
An 1896 agreement between the Board of Managers of the New York Botanical
Garden and the Trustees of Columbia University made it possible to deposit,
on permanent loan, the large and historic Columbia College (University)
Herbarium at the Garden. The Columbia College Herbarium was begun in the
early nineteenth century and included the historically significant private
herbarium of Dr. John Torrey, which included specimens from many early
explorations of the United States. The collections contained over 400,000
specimens at the time of the transfer, and included the collections of
Professor F. Meisner of Basel, Switzerland; A.W. Chapman of Apalachicola,
Florida; the mosses and hepatics accumulated by C. F. Austin; and the famous
collection of mosses by Dr. J. G. Jaeger of Switzerland.
As the New York Botanical Garden Museum Building neared completion in
1899, the accumulation of mounted herbarium specimens was moved from temporary
offices into newly installed oak herbarium cases. During the early years,
the herbaria of the College of Pharmacy of Columbia College, consisting
of the collections of Alphonso Wood, W. M. Canby, and Henry Hurd Rusby,
and those of Princeton University and Hunter College were added. The Garden's
herbarium incorporated the J. B. Ellis collection, at the time the largest
accumulation of fungi in America, as well as the John J. Crooke herbarium
of North American and West Indian plants; the F. M. Hexamer herbarium of
European and North American plants; the H. E. Hasse herbarium of plants
from North America, Greenland and Mexico; and the Per Axel Rydberg herbarium
of specimens from Sweden and the Rocky Mountain region.
Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton, the first Director-in-Chief, and his associates
continually secured new collections from all parts of the world by either
exploration or exchange, and the collections continued to grow under the
direction and leadership of the Head Curators and other herbarium administrators.
In 1944, Bassett Maguire inaugurated a landmark exploration program in
Venezuela and the Guianas, where he made extensive collections for the
next 30 years. In 1964, Ghillean Prance began the Garden's program in the
Brazilian Amazon, which continued until 1988. Exploration programs continue
to this day and Garden scientists have led more than 800 expeditions to
botanically unknown areas, mainly to the West Indies, the United States,
northern South America, especially Brazil, the Guyana Highland area, and
the Andes.
As one of the nation's largest herbaria, the Garden has a responsibility
to rescue the smaller herbaria being abandoned by many universities, and
to make these valuable specimens available for taxonomic research throughout
the world. Orphaned herbaria collections are added to the Herbarium, as
they are available, continually strengthening the scope and breadth of
the collections.
The collections continue to grow by acquisition of exchange specimens
and collecting activity of current staff. The geographical emphasis has
always been on the flora and mycota of the New World. The collections of
vascular plants, bryophytes, fungi, lichens, and algae are among the largest
in the Western Hemisphere.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
The Herbarium records were organized as a central file for routine Herbarium
activities, from the inception of the Herbarium to 1997. Large gaps in
the files exist, but additional administrative papers of the Herbarium
may be found within the records or papers of individuals who served in
an administrative capacity. The records encompass the work of various head
curators and administrators as well as curatorial and other herbarium staff,
including Richard Cowan, Arthur Cronquist, Patricia Holmgren, Avery Howe,
Henry Allan Gleason, Howard Irwin, David Keck, Frank McKeever, Bassett
Maguire, Harold Moldenke, Joseph Monochino, Iain Prance, David Rogers,
Clark Rogerson, Fred Jay Seaver, Albert Charles Smith, William Steere,
Gustav Ludwig Wittrock, and John J. Wurdack.
These records consist of incoming and outgoing correspondence pertaining
to business matters, travel, botanical exploration, and taxonomy; and records
regarding the overall operations and policies of the herbarium; minutes
of meetings; internal staff memorandum; requests for identifications and
general botanical information; documentation of specimens offered for sale,
purchase, or received from collectors affiliated with, or sponsored by
the Garden; annual reports; personnel files; and grant applications.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1: Administrative Files, 1900-1994
Series 2: Collections, 1898-1989
Series 3: Research (Grant Files), 1965-1993
Series 4: Personnel Records (Staff and Graduate
Students), 1959-1973
Series 5 Visitor Records, 1966-1990
Series 6: Annual Reports and Herbarium Sheet,
1970-1995
Series 7: Affiliations, 1975-1994
Series 1 Administrative Files,1900-1994
Arranged by subject within the years of the administration of the Head
Curators,
then alphabetically by subject.
These files include routine office files such as the business records
and subject files regarding the overall operations; on the care and maintenance
of the herbarium cases; samples of mounting paper for herbarium specimens;
fumigation procedures; formulas for glues used to mount herbarium specimens;
general correspondence on the operation of the Herbarium; minutes of general
staff meetings (including a bound notebook of weekly staff meetings called
"Weekly botanical conventions"; internal staff memorandum; finance records;
policies of the Herbarium; as well as the files on, and important correspondence
between, Herbarium administrators and botanists in the field. The files
encompass the work of various head curators and Herbarium administrators
such as Fred Seaver, Bassett Maguire, Howard Irwin, David Keck, Ghillean
Prance, and Patricia Holmgren; and the business and finance officers such
as R. F. Kolkebeck, Roger Biringer, William Mooney, and William Beals.
General arrangement is chronological by the years covering the administration
of the head curator or administrator. Files are arranged alphabetically
by subject within the term of the administration. This series contains
6 boxes.
Series 2 Collections, 1898-1989
Arranged alphabetically.
This series includes files on the exchange of specimens; correspondence
regarding collections offered for purchase or sale or of "orphaned" collections
transferred to the Garden; letters from the public to various herbarium
staff members requesting identification of plant material; correspondence
to and from herbarium staff responding to requests for identifications
of plant materials; lists of identifications and determinations of herbarium
specimens from individuals and institutions; and requests for loans and
exchange of herbarium specimens.
Correspondence regarding loans of herbarium specimens are arranged by
outgoing, incoming, and returned. Within those groups, the files are arranged
alphabetically by city. Loans are sent to and from institutions throughout
the world and cover the period from 1943 to 1964. Correspondence regarding
incoming and outgoing returned loans is intermingled. Files on
collections purchased or offered for sale are arranged by the name
of the collection or herbarium.
Series 3 Research (Grant Files), 1965-1993
Arranged alphabetically by name of principal investigator.
Grant applications filed under the name of the principal investigator
dating from 1965 to 1993. Files also include the National Science Foundation
facilities grants from 1965 to 1993 and are arranged chronologically by
year.
Series 4 Personnel Records (Staff and Graduate
Students), 1959-1993
Arranged alphabetically.
Files arranged alphabetically by individual and include correspondence
as well as employment information. These files also include the records
of graduate students in Garden affiliated programs. Access to files
in this series is restricted. This series contains 3 boxes.
Series 5 Visitor Records, 1966-1990
Arranged chronologically by year.
Includes guest log and sign in sheets for visitors registering to use
the Herbarium. Files are arranged by year of visit.
Series 6 Annual Reports and Herbarium Sheet,
1970-1995
Arranged chronologically by year.
Annual reports from individual staff, scientists and curators dated
from the years 1970 to 1995. The Herbarium Sheet chronicles the
activities of herbarium staff and visitors from 1980-1995 (incomplete).
This series contains 2 boxes.
Series 7 Affiliations, 1975-1994
Arranged alphabetically.
Files pertaining to organizations affiliated with the Garden or whose
administrators, particularly Patricia Holmgren and Ghillean Prance, served
as officers in the organization or association. Such affiliations include
the American Association of Museums (AAM), American Institute of Biological
Sciences (AIBS), American Society of Systematic Collections (ASC), the
National Biological Survey (NBS), the National Science Foundation (NSF),
and The Associations of Natural Science Institutions (TANSI). This series
contains 2 boxes.
RELATED COLLECTIONS
The New York Botanical Garden
RG 2 Records of the Board of Managers
RG3 Records of the Chief Executive Officers
RG4 Records of Nathaniel Lord Britton
RG4 Records of Arthur Cronquist
RG4 Records of Bassett Maguire
RG4 Records of Ghillean Prance
RG4 Records of Fred Seaver
NOTE: In September 2000, Dr. Patricia Holmgren retired her position
as Director of the Herbarium. Her records have been transferred to the
Archives, but the bulk has not yet been included in this guide. SF.
Processed February 2000 by Susan Fraser under a grant
from The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH PA-23141-98) and a
grant from the Harriet Ford Dickenson Foundation.
For more information and a complete description contact:
Susan Fraser, NYBG
Archivist
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The New York Botanical Garden
Bronx, NY 10458-5126
(718) 817-8879
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