Raphael Pumpelly Papers, 1839-1916

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Summary

Creators:
Pumpelly, Raphael, 1837-1923.
Abstract:
This collection chiefly consists of correspondence and some papers related to the lives and family affairs of American geologist and explorer Raphael Pumpelly (1837-1923) and his wife, Eliza Shepard Pumpelly (died 1915).
Extent:
Approximately 3,500 pieces in 15 boxes
Language:
English.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists chiefly of letters, with some documents and manuscripts (including 29 volumes of notebooks and diaries) related to the lives and family affairs of Raphael and Eliza Pumpelly. The collection includes a few professional papers of Raphael Pumpelly, along with geological notes and descriptions of people and expeditions in Japan, China, Mongolia, Russia, Turkestan, and various places in the United States. Among the papers related to Eliza Shepard Pumpelly, there are descriptions of travel in Europe and Asia and also of the expeditions to Turkestan in 1903 and 1904. The collection also contains a few business and personal letters of Raphael Pumpelly's parents, William Pumpelly and Mary Wells Pumpelly, and their family.

Biographical / historical:

Raphael Pumpelly (1837-1923), American geologist and explorer, studied at the Royal School of Mines in Freiberg. He accepted a post in 1861 as a geologist for the Japanese government, and served two years in that position before traveling on through China, Mongolia, and Russia. He returned to the U.S. to study iron and copper deposits in Michigan and the Lake Superior district and from 1884-89 served as head of the New England division of the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1903 and 1904 he led expeditions to Turkestan under the auspices of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. Pumpelly's wife, Eliza Frances Shephard Pumpelly, whom he had married in 1869, died in 1915, eight years before he died in Newport, Rhode Island in 1923.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Raphael Pumpelly (grandson of the geologist), January 28, 1960.
Arrangement:

Arranged in the following order:

Part I

  • Raphael Pumpelly Passports and Notebooks (Box 1, Pt. I)
  • Eliza Shepard Pumpelly Diaries (Box 2, Pt. I)

Part I

  • William and Mary Welles Pumpelly Papers (Box 1, pt. II)
  • Raphael and Eliza Shepard Pumpelly Papers (Box 2, pt. II)
  • Eliza Shepard Pumpelly Papers (including family correspondence) (Boxes 3-13)
  • Miscellany (Box 13)

Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

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