Benjamin Kendall Emerson (AC 1865) Papers
Scope and Contents
The papers consist of personal and family correspondence; geological notebooks kept by Emerson during his geological survey of Massachusetts and other areas of New England; pamphlets and scientific papers relating to Emerson's Helix Chemica and his Geology of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; essays and compositions written by Emerson when he was a student; and notes and letters concerning family genealogy.
Dates
- Creation: circa 1837-1928
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
There is no restriction on access to the Benjamin Kendall Emerson Papers for research use. Particularly fragile items are restricted for preservation purposes.
Conditions Governing Use
Requests for permission to publish material from the Benjamin Kendall Emerson Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Biographical / Historical
Benjamin Kendall Emerson was born on December 20, 1843, in Nashua, New Hampshire, the son of Benjamin F and Elizabeth (Kendall) Emerson. He prepared for college at Tilton Academy in Vermont. While there he heard of Edward Hitchcock and decided to study Geology under him at Amherst College. He went to Amherst but missed Hitchcock as he retired that year and Emerson heard only two of his lectures.
He graduated from Amherst in 1865 with honors and from there he went to Groton Academy to teach chemistry and zoology. In 1867 he went to Germany to study geology and received his Ph.D from Gottingen in 1870. He returned to Amherst where he stayed as Professor of Geology (later Professor Emeritus) for the remainder of his life. He died in Amherst on April 7, 1932.
Extent
8.5 Linear feet (17 archives boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The papers consist of personal and family correspondence; geological notebooks kept by Emerson during his geological survey of Massachusetts and other areas of New England; pamphlets and scientific papers relating to Emerson's Helix Chemica and his Geology of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; essays and compositions written by Emerson when he was a student; and notes and letters concerning family genealogy.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into seven series:
- Series 1: Correspondence
- Series 2: Genealogy
- Series 3: Miscellaneous
- Series 4: Geology Notebooks
- Series 5: Notebooks and Diaries
- Series 6: Pamphlets
- Series 7: Manuscript and Scientific Papers
Subject
- Pratt Museum of Natural History (Organization)
- Emerson, Benjamin Kendall, 1843-1932 (AC 1865) (Person)
- Status
- Completed
- Date
- 1976; 2002
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Sponsor
- Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299
archives@amherst.edu