Thomson, Elihu, 1853-1937. Papers, 1853-1955.
Title:
Papers, 1853-1955.
Series I (ca. 60,000 items) is currently being processed (1996). Series II (size unknown) is currently being processed (1996). Series III (3.5 linear ft.) contains legal documents, reports, specifications on inventions and patents, blueprints, programs for scientific meetings and events, and materials relating to Thomson's industrial research and personal interests. Series IV (1.5 linear ft.) contains autograph and typescript drafts, notes, comments, and page proofs on the subjects of electrical systems, welding, astronomy, and optics, among others. Series V (1 linear ft.) contains school papers, autobiographical essays, poetry, short papers on ideas and inventions, and any works that were not identified as published. Series VI (1 linear ft.) contains manuscript and typescript drafts of speeches, lectures, papers, and addresses given by Thomson at meetings of various professional scientific organizations and societies. Series VII (2 linear ft.) contains the manuscript and typescript drafts and transcripts of works by Thomson's colleagues and others, including papers, reports, journal articles, speeches, and radio addresses. A large portion of the series is biographical, produced by Thomson's friends and colleagues after his death and originally stored in two boxes labeled "Biographical Material." The complete, original manuscript of David O. Woodbury's "Elihu Thomson, Beloved Scientist" (1944) is preserved in this series as well. There are several manuscript and typescript translations of historical works in the field of optics. Produced for Thomson's friend and fellow amateur telescope maker, George Wattson Hewitt, by Florence C. and Emil P. Albrecht, these translations date ca. 1901 and focus on the works of S. Czapski, J.J. Littow, and L. Schuppmann. Series VIII (2 linear ft.) contains Thomson's high school notebooks from classes taken as a student, some industrial research notebooks, genealogy notebooks, and trip journals. Series IX (1 linear ft.) contains pencil sketches of inventions and mechanical apparatus on individual sheets of assorted shapes, sizes, and types of papers. Several files of sketches by E.W. Rice, Jr., fellow inventor and business associate of Thomson, exist in a general chronological arrangement. Series X (2 linear ft.) contains Thomson's manuscript comments and notes on his patents. Thomson describes and evaluates each invention, often detailing the slight variations and improvements in newer versions. Series XI (1.5 linear ft.) contains black and white photographs in various sizes of Thomson, family members, professional associates, events, places, and Thomson's inventions and mechanical apparatus. Series XII (.5 linear ft.) contains certificates that recognize Thomson's membership or election to many professional scientific organizations. Also in this series are three patent certificates issued to Thomson by the U.S. Patent Office. Series XIII (.5 linear ft.) contains individual clippings arranged alphabetically by subject and scrapbooks of collected clippings. The clippings include obituaries (of Thomson and colleagues), wedding announcements for Thomson's second marriage, and biographical information on Thomson and his career. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings and a small amount of memorabilia and photographs. Series XIV (.5 linear ft.) contains a variety of miscellaneous items collected by Thomson, his wife, and the original organizers of this collection at the APS. Several items in this series date from Thomson's youth, including his birth certificate (1853) and his Philadelphia Central High School commencement program (1870). Series XV (ca. 1937-1943) is comprised of two subseries. Subseries A contains correspondence generated during the APS Library's attempt to collect Thomson letters from his colleagues after his death. Subseries B holds inventories of manuscripts that were produced as the papers were donated.
ArchivalResource:
18.5 linear ft.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122624321 View
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