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Amherst College Alumni Biographical Files

 Collection
Identifier: MA.00053

Scope and Contents

The Amherst College Alumni Biographical Files document the lives of Amherst alumni from 1821 to the the early 2010s. The files contain a variety of different kinds of content, depending on the subject. Files might include writings and correspondence, as well as newspaper articles, photographs and other documentation relating to lives and careers. Most alumni files include questionnaires submitted by alumni to the Alumni Office for inclusion in one of the Amherst College Biographical Record. On rare occasions, the collection includes items that pertain to an entire class, such as copies of class resolutions or class anthologies.

Dates

  • Creation: 1821 - circa 2012

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There is no restriction on access to the Amherst College Alumni Biographical Files for research use. Particularly fragile items may be restricted for preservation purposes.

Conditions Governing Use

Requests for permission to publish material from the Amherst College Alumni Biographical Files 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.

Extent

354.25 Linear feet (351 records storage boxes, 6 archives boxes, 1 half archives box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Biographical questionnaires; writings and correspondence by or about alumni, newspaper articles, obituaries, photographs. In rare instances, the collection includes some materials pertaining to an entire class, such as class agent records, and copies of class resolutions or class anthologies.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in chronological order by class year. Each class year is arranged in alphabetical order by last name. Files of non-graduates (who are nevertheless considered members of their incoming class) are usually located in a separate alphabetical series at the end of each class group. Information on the entire class is in a folder at the beginning of each class group. Because of this collection's self-indexing arrangement, a box and folder list is omitted in this finding aid.

Related Materials

  1. Amherst College Non-Alumni Biographical Files (information on individuals associated with Amherst College who were never enrolled students)
  2. Amherst College Biographical Record: published 1871, 1896, 1921, 1939, 1956, 1973, 1983, 1993, etc.
  3. Photograph Collection (to be checked if no photo of an individual is found in a biographical file, especially for 19th and early to mid-20th century alumni)
  4. Manuscript collections of individual alumni
Status
In Progress
Author
Sarang Gopalakrishnan, Peter Nelson
Date
2003
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Amherst College Archives & Special Collections
Robert Frost Library
61 Quadrangle Drive
Amherst MA 01002-5000
(413) 542-2299