Overview of the Collection
Smithsonian Institution Archives,
Washington, D.C.,
osiaref@si.edu
Coville, Frederick V. (Frederick Vernon), 1867-1937
Personal Papers
Frederick Vernon Coville Papers
1888-1936 and undated
3 cu. ft. (6 document boxes)
Record Unit 7272
English
Prefered Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7272, Frederick Vernon Coville Papers
Historical Note
Frederick Vernon Coville (1867-1937), botanist and blueberry breeder, was born in New York and educated at Cornell University (B. A., 1887). His important field work
included the Geological Survey of Arkansas, 1888; the Death Valley Expedition, 1891; and the Harriman Alaska Expedition, 1899. Most of his career was spent at the United States
Department of Agriculture, where he served as Assistant Botanist, 1888-1893, and Botanist, 1893-1937. He was also Honorary Curator of the United States National Herbarium,
1893-1937, and was instrumental in the establishment of the National Arboretum in 1927. More extensive biographical material can be found in Science, Volume 85, 280-281.
Introduction
These papers of Frederick Vernon Coville were part of a group of Smithsonian Department of Botany records which were originally deposited in 1971 at the Hunt Institute
for Botanical Documentation. In December 1977, the records were returned to the Smithsonian for maintenance in the Smithsonian Institution Archives.
Descriptive Entry
These papers consist of a small amount of correspondence, 1888-1921; material concerning the Medicinal Plants Survey, 1897-1898; notes concerning the revision of Coville's
work on Death Valley plants, 1933-1936; and a small group of manuscript notes on currants and gooseberries, undated. Events and items of special interest which are documented
in the correspondence include the explorations of Per Axel Rydberg in the Black Hills; the artistic work of Frederick A. Walpole; the acquisition of the Greene Herbarium;
the botany exhibits at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893; and the Mearns collection from the Mexican Boundary Survey, 1893.
The Smithsonian Archives contains other Coville correspondence scattered throughout a number of collections. Most of this material can be found in the records of the Division
of Plants, particularly Record Units 220, 221, 222, and 224. Other collections include Record Unit 201, Assistant Secretary in Charge of the United States National Museum,
1875-1902, and the records of the Office of the Secretary, Record Units 31, 34, 45, and 46. The main body of Coville's official correspondence is located in Record Group 54,
Records of the Bureau of Plant Industry, at the National Archives.
Index Terms
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Name
Coville, Frederick V. (Frederick Vernon), 1867-1937
Rydberg, Per Axel, 1860-1931
Walpole, Frederick A., 1861-1904
Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 1856-1916
Medicinal Plants Survey, 1897-1898
Edward L. Greene Herbarium
United States-Mexican International Boundary Survey, 1891-1894
Cornell University
Geological Survey of Arkansas
United States. Department of Agriculture
United States National Herbarium
National Arboretum (U.S.)
World's Columbian Exposition (1893 : Chicago, Ill.)
Death Valley Expedition (1891)
Harriman Alaska Expedition (1899)
Subject
Botany
Botanists
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Manuscripts
Series 1
CORRESPONDENCE, 1888-1921, AND UNDATED. ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY.
This collection division consists mostly of incoming correspondence, 1893, directed to Coville in his capacity as Botanist. Also included is correspondence addressed
to his colleagues: Orator Fuller Cook, George Vasey, Joseph Nelson Rose, Lyster Hoxie Dewey, and Frederick J. Herman. Correspondents include botanists and collectors, both
amateur and professional, while topics concern field work, publications, exchanges, and identification of specimens.
Box 1
Box 1 of 6
Folder 1 A
Box 1 of 6
Folder 2 Allen, John Fisk, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 3 Anderson, C. L., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 4 Applegate, Elmer Ivan, 1896-1898
Box 1 of 6
Folder 5 Armstrong, C. W., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 6 Atkinson, George Francis, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 7 Austin, Mrs. R. M., 1897-1898
Box 1 of 6
Folder 8 B
Box 1 of 6
Folder 9 Bailey, Liberty Hyde, 1893, 1901
Box 1 of 6
Folder 10 Bailey, Vernon Orlando, 1897
Box 1 of 6
Folder 11 Barloue, J. G., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 12 Barnhart, John Hendley, 1895, 1899, 1904
Box 1 of 6
Folder 13 Bartholomew, Elam, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 14 Bates, J. M., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 15 Battle, Herbert Bemerton, 1893. Includes report on "Grasses and Forage Plants Grown at the Mississippi Grass Experiment Station, April, 1893"
Box 1 of 6
Folder 16 Beal, William James, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 17 Bebb, Michael Schuck, 1893-1895
Box 1 of 6
Folder 18 Bessey, Charles Edwin, 1893. Includes correspondence on the explorations and collections of Per Axel Rydberg in the Black Hills
Box 1 of 6
Folder 19 Blankinship, Joseph William, 1894, 1897
Box 1 of 6
Folder 20 Boettcher, F. L. J., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 21 Brandegee, Katharine, 1890-1900
Box 1 of 6
Folder 22 Brandegee, Townshend Stith, 1894-1898
Box 1 of 6
Folder 23 Britton, Elizabeth Gertrude, 1893-1895
Box 1 of 6
Folder 24 Britton, Nathaniel Lord, 1893-1900, 1908
Box 1 of 6
Folder 25 Brooks, H. C., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 26 Bush, Benjamin Franklin, 1893-1898
Box 1 of 6
Folder 27 C
Box 1 of 6
Folder 28 Canby, William M., 1893-1896, 1898
Box 1 of 6
Folder 29 Cheney, L. S., 1893, 1899
Box 1 of 6
Folder 30 Clements, Frederic Edward, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 31 Cockerell, Theodore D. A., 1896-1897, 1901-1902
Box 1 of 6
Folder 32 Collins, J. Franklin, 1893, 1896-1897
Box 1 of 6
Folder 33 Cook, Orator Fuller, 1893, 1921
Box 1 of 6
Folder 34 Copineau, Charles, 1893, 1895
Box 1 of 6
Folder 35 Coulter, John Merle, 1893-1894, 1896
Box 1 of 6
Folder 36 Coville, Frederick Vernon, 1893-1894, 1898, 1902, 1906. Includes copy of the preface to Flora of Alaska and his tribute to Frederick A. Walpole
Box 1 of 6
Folder 37 Crandall, Charles S., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 38 Crawford, E. W., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 39 Crepin, F., 1895-1897
Box 1 of 6
Folder 40 Cummings, Clara Eaton, 1893, 1905
Box 1 of 6
Folder 41 Curtiss, Allen Hiram, 1893-1896, 1898-1900
Box 1 of 6
Folder 42 Cusick, William C., 1897-1898, 1900, 1902
Box 1 of 6
Folder 43 D
Box 1 of 6
Folder 44 Davidson, Anstruther, 1893, 1896, 1898, 1900
Box 1 of 6
Folder 45 Davis, Charles A., 1896
Box 1 of 6
Folder 46 Davy, J. Burtt, 1893, 1897
Box 1 of 6
Folder 47 Deane, Walter, 1895, 1897, 1900-1901
Box 1 of 6
Folder 48 DeCandolle, A. & C., 1894, 1900, 1907-1908
Box 1 of 6
Folder 49 Dewey, Lyster Hoxie, 1893, 1895, 1902, 1907
Box 1 of 6
Folder 50 Dickinson Seed Company, 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 51 Dodge, Charles K., 1893
Box 1 of 6
Folder 52 Dudley, William Russell, 1893, 1896-1897, 1899, 1904
Box 1 of 6
Folder 53 Dusen, P., 1893, 1902-1903
Box 2
Box 2 of 6
Folder 1 E
Box 2 of 6
Folder 2 Eastwood, Alice, 1893, 1895-1896, 1898, 1900, 1907
Box 2 of 6
Folder 3 Eaton, Daniel Cady, 1893-1895
Box 2 of 6
Folder 4 Eckfeldt, John W., 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 5 Evans, Alexander William, 1896, 1900
Box 2 of 6
Folder 6 F
Box 2 of 6
Folder 7 Farwell, Oliver A., 1893, 1899, 1901, 1916-1917
Box 2 of 6
Folder 8 Fenno, Frank E., 1897, 1904
Box 2 of 6
Folder 9 Fernald, Merritt Lyndon, 1893, 1895-1896
Box 2 of 6
Folder 10 Fink, Bruce, 1893-1895, 1908
Box 2 of 6
Folder 11 Fletcher, James, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 12 Flett, J. B., 1900-1902
Box 2 of 6
Folder 13 Fowler, James, 1896-1897, 1901-1902, and undated
Box 2 of 6
Folder 14 Franceschi, Emanuele Francesco, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 15 Frear, William, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 16 Funston, Frederick, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 17 G
Box 2 of 6
Folder 18 Ganong, William Francis, 1895-1896, 1901
Box 2 of 6
Folder 19 Geare, Randolph Iltyd, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 20 Goode, George Brown, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 21 Greene, Edward Lee, 1888, 1895-1897, 1902, 1904. Includes correspondence of Coville to Richard Rathbun urging acquisition of the Greene Herbarium; copy of the transfer papers, 1904; letter of Greene to Edward Palmer, 1888; and published reprint photograph of Greene
Box 2 of 6
Folder 22 Grover, Frederick O., 1896, 1899
Box 2 of 6
Folder 23 H
Box 2 of 6
Folder 24 Halsted, Bryon David, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 25 Harper, Roland M., 1901-1902, 1904
Box 2 of 6
Folder 26 Harrison, Arthur Kenyon, 1893-1894, 1900
Box 2 of 6
Folder 27 Hasse, Hermann Edward, 1893, 1901
Box 2 of 6
Folder 28 Havard, Valerie, 1893-1897, 1900. Correspondence of 1897 concerns Medicinal Plants Survey
Box 2 of 6
Folder 29 Hays, Willet Martin, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 30 Heller, Amos Arthur, 1893-1895, 1898, 1900-1913
Box 2 of 6
Folder 31 Hicks, Gilbert H., 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 32 Hilgard, Eugene W., 1893, 1898
Box 2 of 6
Folder 33 Hill, George William, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 34 Hitchcock, Albert Spear, 1893, 1905, 1916
Box 2 of 6
Folder 35 Holm, Theodor, 1894-1895, 1899-1904
Box 2 of 6
Folder 36 Holzinger, John, 1893-1899. Concerns the botany exhibits at the World's Columbian Exposition, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 37 Howe, Marshall Avery, 1893-1901
Box 2 of 6
Folder 38 Howell, Thomas, 1895-1896. Includes "An Account of the Botanical exploration of Thos. Howell in Oregon and Washington," 1877-1896
Box 2 of 6
Folder 39 Hoy, David F., 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 40 J
Box 2 of 6
Folder 41 Jepson, Willis L., 1895, 1897-1902
Box 2 of 6
Folder 42 Johnson, Duncan S., 1902-1903
Box 2 of 6
Folder 43 Jones, Lewis Ralph, 1893
Box 2 of 6
Folder 44 Jones, Marcus E., 1893-1898. Includes correspondence concerning a conflict over the shipment and reporting of specimens, 1894-1895
Box 2 of 6
Folder 45 Jordan, David Starr, 1896
Box 3
Box 3 of 6
Folder 1 K
Box 3 of 6
Folder 2 Kearney, Thomas Henry, 1893-1895, 1908
Box 3 of 6
Folder 3 Keck, K. von, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 4 Kelsey, Harlan P., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 5 Kennedy, P. Beveridge, 1907-1908
Box 3 of 6
Folder 6 Key, Thomas J., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 7 L
Box 3 of 6
Folder 8 Lamb, Frank H., 1895, 1897
Box 3 of 6
Folder 9 Lamson-Scribner, Frank, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 10 Langlois, A. B., 1903. Concerns the purchase of the Langlois Herbarium, 1901
Box 3 of 6
Folder 11 Leiberg, John B., 1893, 1895, 1896, 1902. Correspondence dated 1893 concerns proposed collecting trip to Oregon
Box 3 of 6
Folder 12 Letterman, George W., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 13 M
Box 3 of 6
Folder 14 MacDougal, Daniel Trembly, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 15 Macmillan, Conway, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 16 Macoun, John, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 17 Maisch, John, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 18 Mason, O., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 19 Maxon, William Ralph, 1900-1912. Mostly letters to correspondents other than Coville
Box 3 of 6
Folder 20 McCarthy, Gerald, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 21 Mearns, Edgar Alexander, 1893, 1903. Concerns plants collected on the Mexican Boundary Survey, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 22 Meehan, Thomas, 1892-1899
Box 3 of 6
Folder 23 Merriam, C. Hart, 1905
Box 3 of 6
Folder 24 Mohr, Charles, 1894-1901
Box 3 of 6
Folder 25 Morong, Thomas, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 26 Morton, J. Sterling, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 27 Munson, T. V., 1894
Box 3 of 6
Folder 28 Mulford, A. Isabel, 1894, 1898
Box 3 of 6
Folder 29 N
Box 3 of 6
Folder 30 Nash, George V., 1893, 1899
Box 3 of 6
Folder 31 Nealley, Greenleaf C., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 32 Nelson, Aven, 1892-1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 33 Nelson, Edward William, 1894, 1898
Box 3 of 6
Folder 34 New York Photogravure Company, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 35 Newlon, W. S., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 36 O
Box 3 of 6
Folder 37 Olcott, James B., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 38 Orcutt, Charles Russell, 1893-1894, 1898
Box 3 of 6
Folder 39 P
Box 3 of 6
Folder 40 Palmer, Edward, 1899
Box 3 of 6
Folder 41 Pammel, Louis H., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 42 Parish, Samuel B., 1893-1909
Box 3 of 6
Folder 43 Parke, Davis and Company, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 44 Parry, E. K., 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 45 Perkins, Janet, 1901-1906
Box 3 of 6
Folder 46 Pittier, Henri, 1893
Box 3 of 6
Folder 47 Plank, E. N., 1893-1902. Includes a manuscript entitled "Botanical notes from New Mexico," "Notes from the Itinerary of a Botanist," "Botanical Notes from Texas, No. 27," and "Botanical Library of E. N. Plank," 1900
Box 3 of 6
Folder 48 Pollard, Charles Louis, 1900-1903
Box 3 of 6
Folder 49 Purpus, Carl A., 1897-1898, 1900
Box 4
Box 4 of 6
Folder 1 R
Box 4 of 6
Folder 2 Redding, R. J., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 3 Redfield, John H., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 4 Ridler, C. E., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 5 Riley, Charles Valentine, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 6 Robinson, Benjamin Lincoln, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 7 Rolfs, Peter Henry, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 8 Rose, Joseph Nelson, 1893, 1897
Box 4 of 6
Folder 9 Rosenfeld, B., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 10 Rowlee, Willard W., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 11 Rusby, Henry Hurd, 1893, 1895, 1900
Box 4 of 6
Folder 12 Ruth, Albert, 1893, 1899
Box 4 of 6
Folder 13 Rydberg, Per Axel, 1893-1899. Includes report on the flora of the Black Hills, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 14 S
Box 4 of 6
Folder 15 Sandberg, J. H., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 16 Sargent, Charles Sprague, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 17 Saunders, De Alton, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 18 Sewall, Joseph A., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 19 Seymour, A. B., 1893, 1901
Box 4 of 6
Folder 20 Sheldon, Charles S., 1893, 1899
Box 4 of 6
Folder 21 Sheldon, Edmund P., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 22 Shimer, Henry, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 23 Shuttlenorth, Edward A., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 24 Skeels, Homer C., 1896, 1902
Box 4 of 6
Folder 25 Small, John Kunkel, 1893-1897
Box 4 of 6
Folder 26 Smith, John Donnell, 1893-1894, 1905-1906
Box 4 of 6
Folder 27 Spring, John A., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 28 Spruce, Richard, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 29 Stearns, Elmer, 1895, 1898, 1901
Box 4 of 6
Folder 30 Steitz, Adam, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 31 Stewart, F. C., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 32 Suksdorf, Wilhelm N., 1893, 1895, 1896, 1901
Box 4 of 6
Folder 33 T
Box 4 of 6
Folder 34 Thiselton-Dyer, William Turner, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 35 Thompson, Charles Henry, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 36 Thorne, Charles E., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 37 Toumey, James Wilson, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 38 Tracy, Samuel Mills, 1893-1903. Includes a report entitled "On the Establishment of a Grass Station," undated
Box 4 of 6
Folder 39 Trelease, William, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 40 U-V
Box 4 of 6
Folder 41 Underwood, Lucien Marcus, 1893, 1895, 1899-1901
Box 4 of 6
Folder 42 Vasey, George, 1888-1889
Box 4 of 6
Folder 43 Vasey, George R., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 44 W
Box 4 of 6
Folder 45 Waghorne, Arthur C., 1893, 1895
Box 4 of 6
Folder 46 Walker, Mrs. S. B., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 47 Walpole, Frederick, 1898-1918
Box 4 of 6
Folder 48 Ward, Emma D., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 49 Webber, H. J., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 50 Webster, G. W., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 51 Werner, William C., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 52 Whited, Kirk, 1896, 1900
Box 4 of 6
Folder 53 Wilcox, Timothy E., 1893, 1896
Box 4 of 6
Folder 54 Wiley, Henry W., 1893-1894, 1897
Box 4 of 6
Folder 55 Williams, Thomas A., 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 56 Willits, Edwin, 1893
Box 4 of 6
Folder 57 Wright, S. Hart, 1894, 1896
Box 4 of 6
Folder 58 Wurzlow, Hugo, 1893-1894
Box 4 of 6
Folder 59 Zell, Lydia Diller, 1893
Series 2
MEDICINAL PLANTS SURVEY, 1897-1898.
The Medicinal Plants Survey was undertaken in 1897 by Coville, Henry Hurd Rusby, and Valerie Havard to determine the distribution and abundance of medicinal plants
so that the most valuable might be cultivated. This series consists of completed Survey forms, some including correspondence; letters from Coville and Havard to Charles Louis
Pollard explaining the work; and a letterpress book of outgoing correspondence of Coville and Pollard concerning the Survey.
Box 5
Box 5 of 6
Folder 1 Correspondence, 1897
Box 5 of 6
Folder 2 Medicinal Plants Survey questionnaires, B-J
Box 5 of 6
Folder 3 Medicinal Plants Survey questionnaires, K-W
Box 5 of 6
Folder 4 Letterpress book of outgoing correspondence, 1897
Series 3
DEATH VALLEY MATERIAL.
In 1936 Coville began working on a revision of his Botany of the Death Valley Expedition, published in 1893. This series contains his notes for the revision, which
he was working on at the time of his death.
Box 6
Box 6 of 6
Folder 1 List of Death Valley plants, published and new
Box 6 of 6
Folder 2 Changes in place names, Death Valley: Dr. Coville's suggestions, 1936
Box 6 of 6
Folder 3 List of photographs of Death Valley plants, 1933-1934. Includes notes and annotated copies
Box 6 of 6
Folder 4 List of dry ground shrubs of Death Valley, undated
Box 6 of 6
Folder 5 Polypodiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Equisetaceae
Box 6 of 6
Salaginellaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 6 Pinaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 7 Gnetaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 8 Typhaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 9 Poaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 10 Juncaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 11 Liliaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 12 Iridaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 13 Urticaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 14 Polygonaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 15 Chenopodiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 16 Nyctaginaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 17 Portulaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 18 Silenaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 19 Papaveraceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 20 Brassicaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 21 Capparidaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 22 Grossulariaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 23 Crossosomataceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 24 Rosaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 25 Mimosaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 26 Fabaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 27 Euphorbiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 28 Vitaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 29 Malvaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 30 Loasaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 31 Cactaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 32 Onagraceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 33 Apiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 34 Loganiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 35 Polemoniaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 36 Hydrophyllaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 37 Solanaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 38 Scrophulariaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 39 Plantaginaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 40 Rubiaceae
Box 6 of 6
Folder 41 Asteraceae
Series 4
MANUSCRIPT ON CURRANTS AND GOOSEBERRIES, UNDATED.
Box 6
Box 6 of 6
Folder 42 Manuscript on Currants and Gooseberries, undated.