Theodore Sherman Palmer papers, 1849-1954

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Summary

Creators:
Palmer, T. S. (Theodore Sherman), 1868-1955
Abstract:
A collection of material related to naturalist Theodore Sherman Palmer, with special emphais on Death Valley, California, and the Jayhawker Party.
Extent:
7 Linear Feet (5 boxes, 1 oversize map)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Theodore Sherman Palmer papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. Theodore Sherman Palmer, December 1955.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff, circa 1985. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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]. Theodore Sherman Palmer papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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