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Jordan (David Starr) Papers
SC0058
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Table of contents
Description
The Jordan Papers span 1861-1951, although the bulk of the collection dates between 1891
and 1929. Very few items pre-date Jordan's connection with Stanford University and there is
very little material after the severe stroke he suffered in the summer of 1929. The papers
of Jessie Knight Jordan [Series I-F], cover the two years of Jordan's illness, her
reminiscences and the memoires of his old friends.
Background
David Starr Jordan was born at Gainesville, New York, on January 19, 1851. His father was a
farmer of comfortable circumstances who cared a great deal more for poets than for the
current agricultural literature. Young Jordan developed a marked distate for the routine
labors of the farm, preferring to collect butterflies and flowers to hauling hay. Jordan's
schooling provided more freedom than was common for boys of his generation and offered him
the opportunity to catalogue the plants of his native country in addition to learning
French, Latin, history, and poetry.
Extent
250.5 Linear Feet
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the
documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the
Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives.
Availability
The materials are open for research use.