William Jones Rhees papers, 1744-1907

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Summary

Creators:
Rhees, William Jones, 1830-1907
Abstract:
This collection contains the papers of Smithsonian chief clerk, bibliographer, and collector William Jones Rhees (1830-1907), of materials assembled chiefly for their autograph value, though the collection contains various groups of related materials. Includes papers of American physicist and surveyor Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867), American geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), National Institute for the Promotion of Sciences, and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as correspondence of William Jones Rhees, letters and papers addressed to the United States Pension Bureau, letters and papers related to Indian affairs, and miscellaneous autograph letters and documents.
Extent:
74.9 Linear Feet (64 boxes, 2 volumes)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Jones Rhees papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the papers of Smithsonian chief clerk, bibliographer, and collector William Jones Rhees (1830-1907), of materials assembled chiefly for their autograph value, though the collection contains various groups of related materials. Includes papers of American physicist and surveyor Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867), American geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), National Institute for the Promotion of Sciences, and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as correspondence of William Jones Rhees, letters and papers addressed to the United States Pension Bureau, letters and papers related to Indian affairs, and miscellaneous autograph letters and documents. There is also personal correspondence of William Jones Rhees and correspondence with Sons of the American Revolution, particularly the chapter at Washington, D.C. This portion of the collection holds letters from Dorothea Lynde Dix. Letters and addresses to the United States Pension Bureau contain routine letters regarding pensions or applications. Letters and papers relating to Indian affairs pertain to various Indian agents and factors, including Benjamin Hawkins, William Hull, William Irvine, Return Jonathan Meigs, and others. There are also 134 letters collected chiefly for their autograph value, and receipts for Smithsonian publications.

United States presidents represented in the collection include: John Quincy Adams, James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Franklin Pierce, and Zachary Taylor. See container lists for National Institute materials, Smithsonian Institution materials, and William Jones Rhees correspondence series for item details.

Individuals represented by 5 or more pieces consist of:

  1. Agassiz, Louis (41 items)
  2. Alden, James (11 items)
  3. Alexander, John Henry (9 items)
  4. Alexander, Stephen (10 items)
  5. Bache, Alexander Dallas (61 items)
  6. Barnard, Frederick Augustus Peter (12 items)
  7. Cass, Lewis (12 items)
  8. Caswell, Alexis (7 items)
  9. Chase, Salmon Portland (10 items)
  10. Chauvenet, William (7 items)
  11. Cobb, Howell (9 items)
  12. Colfax, Schuyler (16 items)
  13. Craven, Tunis Augustus (7 items)
  14. Dana, Charles Anderson (6 items)
  15. Dana, James Dwight (39 items)
  16. Davis, Charles Henry (20 items)
  17. Dix, Dorothea Lynde (25 items)
  18. DuPont, Samuel Francis (11 items)
  19. Emory, William Hemsley (5 items)
  20. Fessenden, William Pitt (5 items)
  21. Field, Cyrus West (6 items)
  22. Force, Peter (13 items)
  23. Gibbs, Oliver Wolcott (28 items)
  24. Gilbert, Samuel Augustus (12 items)
  25. Gilliss, James Melville (36 items)
  26. Gould, Benjamin Apthorp (30 items)
  27. Gray, Asa (17 items)
  28. Guyot, Arnold (6 items)
  29. Hamlin, Hannibal (10 items)
  30. Hare, Robert (6 items)
  31. Hayes, Isaac Israel (6 items)
  32. Henry, Joseph (78 items)
  33. Hilgard, Julius Erasmus (13 items)
  34. Hill, Abrose Powell (6 items)
  35. Humphreys, Andrew Atkinson (15 items)
  36. Jenkins, Thornton Alexander (13 items)
  37. Kennedy, Joseph Camp Griffith (7 items)
  38. LeConte, John (5 items)
  39. LeConte, John Lawrence (7 items)
  40. LeFroy, Sir John Henry (11 items)
  41. Lesley, J. Peter (5 items)
  42. Lieber, Francis (32 items)
  43. Llody, Humphrey (7 items)
  44. McCosh, James (6 items)
  45. Maclean, John (40 items)
  46. Markoe, Francis (9 items)
  47. Meigs, Montgomery Cunningham (9 items)
  48. Mitchell, Henry (7 items)
  49. Newcomb, Simon (7 items)
  50. Patterson, Carlile Pollock (10 items)
  51. Pearce, James Alfred (24 items)
  52. Peirce, Benjamin (38 items)
  53. Phelps, Thomas Stowell (10 items)
  54. Poe, Orlando Metcalfe (5 items)
  55. Porter, David Dixon (10 items)
  56. Porter, Noah (10 items)
  57. Potter, Alonzo (8 items)
  58. Preble, George Henry (5 items)
  59. Quetelet, Lambert Adolphe Jacques (8 items)
  60. Rodgers, Christopher Raymond Perry (8 items)
  61. Rodgers, John (5 items)
  62. Rogers, Fairman (28 items)
  63. Sabine, Sir Edward (30 items)
  64. Seward, William Henry (7 items)
  65. Silliman, Benjamin, Jr. (31 items)
  66. Simpson, James Harvey (9 items)
  67. Stevens, Isaac Ingalls (18 items)
  68. Smith, Gerrit (7 items)
  69. Totten, Joseph Gilbert (26 items)
  70. Trenchard, Stephen Decatur (16 items)
  71. Trowbridge, William Petit (23 items)
  72. Tyndale, Hector (11 items)
  73. Tyndall, John (16 items)
  74. Waite, Morrison Remick (35 items)
  75. Wilkes, Charles (26 items)
Biographical / historical:

William Jones Rhees (1830-1907) was a bibliographer, collector, and chief clerk of the Smithsonian Institution. Rhees became chief clerk of the Smithsonian Institution in July 1852, and served in this capacity until 1891, when he was placed in charge of the archives, publications, etc. His association with the Smithsonian Institution continued until his death. An enthusiastic autograph collector, Rhees accumulated numerous unrelated letters and papers of prominent men as well as more coherent groups of manuscripts relating to his official position.

Acquisition information:
Chiefly purchased from Romenia F. Rhees, February 24, 1922. A few items were purchased from Flora G. Rhees, February 6, 1935.
Processing information:

This finding aid was updated in 2022 by Melissa Haley as part of the American Presidential Papers Project with enhanced description of the presidential material present.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following manner:

  1. Miscellaneous correspondence (Boxes 1-2)
  2. Indian Affairs materials (Box 3)
  3. Pension Bureau materials, 1817-1885 (Box 4)
  4. Henry Rowe Schoolcraft correspondence, 1815-1874 (Box 5-6)
  5. National Institute materials, 1844-1859 (Boxes 7-11)
  6. Alexander Dallas Bache Correspondence, 1822-1904 (Boxes 12-35)
  7. Smithsonian Institution materials 1831-1906 (Boxes 36-55)
  8. William Jones Rhees Correspondence, 1822-1904 (Boxes 56-59)
  9. Miscellaneous (boxes 60-64)
  10. Receipts for Smithsonian Publications, A-Z (Boxes 60-62)
  11. Miscellaneous fragments and ephemera (Box 63)
  12. Miscellaneous photographs (Box 64)
  13. Index to the autographs (RH 4598)

Cards are filed in alphabetical and chronological sections of the Manuscripts card catalog.

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]. William Jones Rhees 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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