Nasatir (Abraham Phineas) Document Collection, circa 1673-1859,, 1925-1971,, bulk bulk 1768-1827

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Summary

Title:
Abraham Phineas Nasatir document collection.
Dates:
circa 1673-1859,, 1925-1971,, bulk bulk 1768-1827
Creators:
Nasatir, Abraham Phineas, 1904-1991
Abstract:
The Abraham Phineas Nasatir document collection consists of research materials from Spanish and American archives that were copied and annotated by Nasatir over the course of his career.
Extent:
Number of containers: 14 cartons, 14 folders Linear feet: 14.67 linear feet
Language:
Collection materials are in English, Spanish and French
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Abraham Phineas Nasatir Document Collection, BANC MSS 92/50, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The documents in this collection represent only a fraction of the several hundred thousand that Nasatir acquired over the course of his career. These materials were located in his office at San Diego State University, and were thus protected from the house fire that destroyed the rest of his collection. There are no original documents here; the typical material found for each document includes two transcripts of the original (mss. and ts.), and several translations. His filing system was primarily by date and was largely preserved here. However, there is very little information on what the documents were used for, and no personal or other professional papers.

Biographical / historical:

Abraham Phineas Nasatir was born in Santa Ana, CA, on November 24, 1904. His parents were Lithuanian Orthodox Jewish immigrants, and his father instilled in him an early dedication towards scholarship, both religious and academic. This led Nasatir to graduate from high school at age fourteen, and he received his bachelor's degree from Berkeley in 1921 when he was barely seventeen years old. A year later he completed his master's thesis and quickly pursued his doctorate in history. His mentor, Herbert Eugene Bolton, tried to slow Nasatir down by employing him as a teaching assistant from 1923-1924. The following year Nasatir went to France and Spain on a Native Sons of the Golden West traveling fellowship, and in 1926 earned his Ph.D.

He spent the majority of his career on the faculty at San Diego State University, and in addition to teaching he published scores of articles and seventeen books or monographs. Unfortunately, on June 30, 1985, the largest residential fire to hit San Diego to that date claimed a large portion of Nasatir's life work - nearly 500,000 documents (copies and translations) and 2,500 books. His greatest regret was that no more than thirty percent of these materials had been utilized, and he had intended to donate the entire collection to the Bancroft Library. In spite of this setback, Nasatir continued to work and publish until his death on January 18, 1991.

Acquisition information:
The Abraham Phineas Nasatir Document Collection was given to The Bancroft Library by Ida Hirsch Nasatir in 1991.
Processing information:

Processed by Anastasia Karel and Rachel Gulbraa in 2009.

Arrangement:

Arranged to the folder level.

Accruals:

No additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding Aid written by Anastasia Karel
Sponsor:
Funding for processing this collection was provided by National Historical Publications and Records Commmission
Date Prepared:
© 2007
Date Encoded:
Machine-readable finding aid generated by Finding Aid author(s) via EAD XPress; markup validated by The Bancroft Library staff using OAC validation tools; Date of source: March 2009

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94720-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html.

Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Abraham Phineas Nasatir Document Collection, BANC MSS 92/50, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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