Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- John Burroughs papers
- Dates:
- 1862-1929
- Creators:
- Burroughs, John, 1837-1921
- Abstract:
- Papers belonging to American naturalist and essayist John Burroughs.
- Extent:
- 1.2 Linear Feet (1 box)
- Language:
- Materials are in English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. John Burroughs papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This small collection contains twenty pieces of correspondence, most of which are from John Burroughs to fellow author Jean Dwight Franklin. There are also 32 photographs. These photographs are mostly of John Burroughs alone but there are also some of Burroughs with John Muir. There are also 37 miscellaneous printed items (mostly clippings) regarding John Burroughs and his work as a naturalist. Also included is a facsimile copy of the poem entitled Waiting, written by John Burroughs in approximately 1862 (mssFAC 801).
- Biographical / historical:
-
John Burroughs (1837-1921) was an American naturalist and essayist born in the Catskill Mountains of Delaware County, New York. He began teaching school to finance his higher education and later attended Cooperstown Seminary in Otsego County. In 1857, while teaching in Illinois, he returned to New York to marry Ursula North (1836–1917). Burroughs and his wife became life-long friends with American naturalist and poet Walt Whitman. Burroughs published his first essay, Expression, in The Atlantic Monthly in 1860. Four years later, he accepted a clerkship at the United States Department of the Treasury while continuing to write and publish. In 1901, he met American physician and author Clara Barrus, beginning a lifelong relationship; after his wife's death in 1917, Barrus moved in with him. Burroughs' later works included the 1906 poetry collection Bird and Bough, a biography of John James Audubon, and an account of a camping trip to Yellowstone with his friend President Theodore Roosevelt. Burroughs died in March 1921 while traveling by train through Ohio. After his death, Barrus became his literary executor and biographer, publishing Whitman and Burroughs: Comrades in 1931.
- Acquisition information:
- Purchased from Dawson's Book Shop, January 1972.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Carl Steefel in 1976. In August 2026, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged chronologically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-10-19 09:10:43 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.
- Terms of access:
-
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.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item]. John Burroughs papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
1151 Oxford RoadSan Marino, CA 91108, US
- Contact:
- (626) 405-2191