Collection Guide
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Palmer (Theodore Sherman) Papers
mssPalmert
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Theodore Sherman Palmer papers
Creator:
Palmer, T. S. (Theodore
Sherman), 1868-1955
Identifier/Call Number: mssPalmert
Physical Description:
7 Linear Feet
(5 boxes, 1 oversize map)
Date (inclusive): 1849-1954
Abstract: A collection of material related to
naturalist Theodore Sherman Palmer, with special emphais on Death Valley, California, and
the Jayhawker Party.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Theodore Sherman Palmer papers, The Huntington Library, San
Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Mrs. Theodore Sherman Palmer, December 1955.
Theodore Sherman Palmer (1868-1955) was an American naturalist and historian. Palmer was
born in Oakland, California, and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in
1888. He joined the U. S. Department of Agriculture as a field agent and ornithologist; he
led the first Death Valley expedition in 1891. In 1895, he received his M.D. from Georgetown
University and in 1896, he began work with the U. S. Department of Agriculture Biological
Survey; by 1928, he reached the level of Senior Biologist. After his retirement in 1933, he
became an assistant in zoology at the United States National Museum as a specialist in the
nomenclature of mammals and birds. He was a member of many organizations, was active on
governmental regulatory bodies for game laws, and wrote books and articles.
A collection of 306 items from 1849 to 1954, it consists of Theodore Sherman Palmer's diary
of the Death Valley Expedition (1891), related notebooks, and his research material on the
Jayhawker Party of 1849. Correspondents include Theodore Raymond Goodwin, William Lewis
Manly, and Carl Irving Wheat. Of note in the collection is an oversize map by William Lewis
Manly of the Jayhawkers' trail from Salt Lake City, Utah to San Bernardino, California circa
1890 (mssHM 50895). The collection also contains family letters from Palmer's parents, Henry
Austin Palmer and Jane Olivia Palmer; in addition to letters from Palmer's brother, Harold
King Palmer (an astronomer at Lick Observatory and at Mount Wilson in 1906), and his aunt,
Harriet Day Palmer.
Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1985. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Arranged chronologically.
Individual call numbers included in the collection: mssHM 50761-50909, mssFAC 1064-1065,
mssFAC 1082.
There are 87 photographs related to Palmer's 1891 expedition (photCL 416) housed in the
Photo Archives.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Scientific expeditions -- Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.)
Death Valley (Calif. and
Nev.)
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- Description and travel
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- Discovery and
exploration
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- History
Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) -- Maps
Diaries -- United States -- 19th century
Letters (correspondence) -- United States
Notebooks -- United States
Research (document genres) -- United States
Goodwin, Theodore R., 1877-1969
Manly, William Lewis, 1820-1903
Palmer, Dorothy
Palmer, Harold K. (Harold King), 1878-
Palmer, Harriet Day
Wheat, Carl I. (Carl Irving),
1892-1966
Jayhawker Party