William Dwight Whitney family papers

Collection

Call Number: MS 555

Scope and Contents

The major part of this collection consists of the correspondence of William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894). There are also many letters of his brother Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896). The academic careers of these two brothers were responsible, along with many other scholars represented in this collection, for the tremendous rise in the reputation of American scholarship which took place in the later nineteenth century.

William Dwight Whitney, Sanskritist and linguist began his teaching career at Yale in 1854 where he later organized and became the head of the modern language department of the Sheffield Scientific School. Among the numerous positions of honor which he held were the presidency of the American Oriental Society, foreign Knight of the Royal Prussian Order pour is mérite (succeeding Thomas Carlyle), and first president of the American Philological Association. (Extensive correspondence deals with all of the above.)

Nationally and internationally, Whitney gained prominence as Editor of the Century Dictionary, a position which made him the undisputed authority on the forth and usage of the English language in America. A prolonged and often heated dispute with Friedrich Max Müller of Oxford University over the origin and development of language earned for him the title of the champion of American scholarship here and in Europe. This verbal battle which is completely described in the collection was closely followed by the press with the result that Müller gained popular sympathy while Whitney was supported by many scientific scholars including Charles Darwin.

The personal letters of William Dwight Whitney are rich in New Haven and genealogical history. Mrs. Whitney was the daughter and sister of the Connecticut governors Roger Sherman Baldwin and Simeon Eben Baldwin and a cousin of Senator George Hoar and Edward Everett Hale. Whitney's sons, Edward Baldwin Whitney married Josepha Newcomb, the daughter of Simon Newcomb. Thus the Whitney family was linked with many of the most prominent families in America.

The correspondence of Josiah Dwight Whitney, although not as extensive as that of his brother, furnishes a great deal of information of the first systematic exploration and mapping of the American West. Most popularly known for his discovery of Mount Whitney while state geologist for the state of California, he published numerous scientific works and held an appointment to the faculty of Harvard University from 1865 until his death. Included in his letters is a revealing account of Benjamin Silliman's position in the controversial Emma Mine scandal.

This collection consists of 56 containers, holding approximately 35,000 items. The principal donors were the daughters of William Dwight Whitney. All items are catalogued individually.

Dates

1778-1951
Majority of material found within 1814 - 1912

Creator

Whitney, William Dwight, 1827-1894

Conditions Governing Access

The materials are open for research.

Existence and Location of Copies

Scrapbooks of William Dwight Whitney are available on microfilm (128 frames on 1 reel, 35mm) from Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library, at cost. Order no. HM107.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright status for collection materials is unknown, though much of the material in this collection is likely in the public domain. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of the daughters of William Dwight Whitney, 1894-1959, and purchased from John Elliott, 1982.

Extent

25.5 Linear Feet (57 boxes, 1 folio)

Language of Materials

English

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/mssa.ms.0555

Additional Description

Abstract

The papers consist of correspondence, journals and diaries, writings, legal and financial papers, and miscellanea of the William Dwight Whitney family, including William Dwight Whitney (1827-1894), his wife Elizabeth Wooster Baldwin Whitney (1824-1912), his brother Josiah Dwight Whitney (1819-1896), and his father Josiah Dwight Whitney (1786-1869). William Dwight Whitney material includes several hundred letters with his wife, journals and diaries (1843-1893), and a small quanity of professional papers. Material of his brother Josiah includes a geological survey of the Upper Mississippi (1862), and correspondence relating to the first systematic exploration and mapping of the American West. Information relating to Benjamin Silliman and the National Academy of Sciences is also documented. His family correspondence includes several hundred letters with William Dwight Whitney and their father, Josiah.

Biographical / Historical

Josiah Dwight Whitney was born on November 23, 1819 in Northampton, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale College in 1839 (B.A.) and studied geology in Europe. He participated in the Lake Superior region survey (1847-1849) and several other expeditions through the 1860s. Whitney taught at Harvrd University and published several works on geology. He died in Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire on August 19, 1896.

Appendix

NOTED CORRESPONDENTS IN THE WILLIAM DWIGHT WHITNEY COLLECTION

Abbe, Cleveland1838-1916
Abbot, Ezra1819-1884
Adams, Henry Brooks1838-1918
Adams, Henry Carter1851-1921
Adams, John1735-1826
Agassiz, Alexander1835-1910
Agassiz, Louis1807-1873
Aiken, Charles Augustus1827-1892
Alger, William Rounseville1822-1905
Allen, Frederic de Forest1844-1897
Allen, William Francis1830-1889
Ashmun, George1804-1870
Aufrecht, Theodor1822-1907
Avery, John1837-1887
Bache, Alexander Dallas1806-1867
Baird, Spencer Fullerton1823-1887
Baldwin, Emily (Perkins)1796-1874
Baldwin, George William1832-1930
Baldwin, Henry1832-1905
Baldwin, Henry de Forest1862-1947
Baldwin, Roger Sherman1869-1956
Baldwin, Simeon Eben1840-1927
Ballou, William Hosea1857-1937
Barnard, Frederick Augustus Porter1809-1889
Baynes, Thomas spencer1823-1887
Beach, Frederick Converse1848-1918
Beecher, Charles1815-1900
Beecher, Charles: Emerson1856-1904
Bickmore, Albert Smith1839-1914
Bierstadt, Albert1830-1902
Biot, Jean Baptiste1774-1862
Bishop, Nathan1808-1880
Bloomfield, Maurice1855-1928
Boise, James Robinson1815-1895
Booth, Newton1825-1892
Botta, Anne Charlotte (Lynch)1815-1891
Bowdoin, James1726-1790
Bowles, Samuel1826-1878
Bradley, Charles William1807-1865
Bradley, Frank Howe1838-1879
Brewer, William Henry1828-1910
Brinton, Daniel Garrison1837-1899
Bristed, Charles Astor1820-1874
Brown, Francis1849-1916
Brown, Samuel, Gilman1813-1885
Browne, John Ross1821-1875
Browne, William Hand1828-1912
Brush, George Jarvis1831-1912
Bumstead, Freeman Josiah1826-1879
Bumstead, Horace1841-1919
Burnett, Henry Lawrence1838-1916
Camp, Mary
Campbell Henry Colin1862-1923
Carter, Franklin1837-1919
Caswell, Alexis1799-1877
Cesnola, Luigi Palms di1832-1904
Chadbourne, Paul Ansel1823-1883
Chamberlain, Joseph1836-1914
Chase, Pliny Earle1820-1886
Child, Francis James1825-1896
Clarke, Hyde1815-1895
Clemens, Samuel Langhorne1855-1910
Cogswell, Joseph Green1786-1871
Conway Moncure Daniel1832-1907
Cook, Albert Stanburrough1853-1927
Cooke, Josiah Parsons1827-1894
Cooke, "Theodore1815-1871
Cornell, Ezra1807-1874
Cowell, Edward Byles1826-1903
Cust, Robert Needham1821-1909
Cutter, Ephraim1832-1917
Dana, Charles Anderson1819-1897
Dana, James Dwight1813-1895
Darwin, Charles Robert1809-1882
Darwin, George Howard1845-1912
Davis, John Chandler Bancroft1822-1907
Dawes, Henry Laurens1816-1903
Day, George Edward1815-1905
Deane, Charles1813-1889
Dennis, James Shepard1842-1914
Dorsey, James Owen1848-1895
Drisler, Henry1818-1297
Dwight, Benjamin Woodbridge1816-1889
Dwight, Timothy1828-1916
Dwight, William
Davids, Thomas William Rhys1843-1922
Delany, Martin Robinson1812-1885
Eaton, Daniel Cady1834-1895
Edwards, Amelia Blandford1831-1892
Edwards, Bela Bates1802-1852
Edwards, William Henry1822-1909
Eliot, Charles William1834-1926
Emerson, Ralph Waldo1803-1882
Everett, Charles Carroll1829-1900
Ewell, Benjamin Stoddert1810-1894
Farnam Henry Walcott1853-1933
Field, Cyrus West1819-1892
Fields Henry Martyn1822-1907
Fisher, George Park1827-1909
Fisher Irving1867-1947
Folwell, William Watts1833-1929
Fosters Dwight1828-1884
Foster, Henrietta Perkins (Baldwin)1830-1910
Foster, Roger Sherman Baldwin1857-1924
Gabb, William More1839-1878
Garcin de Tassy, Joseph Heliodore Sagesse Vertu1794-1878
Gibbs, George1815-1873
Gibbs, Oliver Wolcott1822-1908
Gildersleeve, Basil Lanneau1831-1924
Gilman, Arthur1837-1909
Gilman, Daniel Coit1831-1908
Gilman, Nicholas Paine1849-1912
Ginn, Edwin1838-1914
Godkin, Edwin Lawrence1831-1902
Goldstücker, Theodor1821-1872
Goodwin, William Watson1831-1912
Gorham, Nathaniel1738-1796
Gould, Benjamin Apthorp1824-1896
Gray, Asa1810-1888
Green, William Henry1825-1900
Greenough James Bradstreet1833-1901
Grimm, Herman1828-1901
Griswold, John Augustus1818-1872
Griswold, William McCrillis1853-1899
Gurney, Ephraim Whitman1829-1886
Guyot, Arnold Henry1807-1884
Habersham Joseph1751-1815
Hadley, Arthur Twining1856-1930
Hadley, James1821-1872
Haight, Henry Huntly1825-1878
Haldeman, Samuel Steman1812-1880
Hale, Charles Reuben1837-1900
Hale, Edward Everett1822-1909
Hale Horatio1817-1896
Hale, William Gardner1849-1928
Hall, FitzEdward1825-1901
Hall, Granville Stanley1844-1924
Hall, Issas Hollister1837-1896
Hall, James1811-1898
Harkness, Albert1822-1907
Harper, William Rainey1856-1906
Harrington, Mark Walrod1848-l926
Harris, Samuel1814-1899
Harrison, James Albert1848-1911
Hastings, Serranus Clinton1814-1893
Hawley Joseph Roswell1826-1905
Hayden Ferdinand Vandiveer1829-1887
Henry, Joseph1797-1878
Hewett, Waterman Thomas1846-1921
Hibben, James1824-1856
Higginson Thomas Wentworth1823-1911
Hilgard, Julius Erasmus1825-1891
Hitchcock Charles Henry
Hittell, John Shertzer1825-1901
Hoar, Ebenezer Rockwood1827-1894
Hoar, Elizabeth1814-1878
Hoar, George Frisbie1826-1904
Hodge, Frederick Webb1864-1956
Holden, Edward Singleton1846-1914
Holt, Henry1840-1926
Hooker, Worthington1806-1867
Hopkins, Mark1802-1887
Hopkins Samuel1807-1887
Hoppin, James Mason1820-1906
Howe, Julia Ward1819-1910
Howells, William Dean1837-1920
Hoyt, Albert Harrison1826-1915
Hoyt, John Wesley1831-1912
Hubbard, Gardiner Greene1822-1897
Ingersoll, Charles Roberts1821-1903
Jackson, Charles Thomas1805-1880
Janes, Lewis George1844-1901
Jenkins, Thornton Alexander1811-1893
Johnson, William Woolsey1841-1927
Jordan David Starr1851-1931
Joy, Charles Arad1823-1891
Joynes, Edward Southey1834-l917
Kellogg, Martin1828-1903
Kendrick, Asahel Clark1809-1895
Key, Thomas Hewitt1799-1875
King, Clarence1842-1901
Kingsley, William L
Knapp, William Ireland1835-1908
Kuhn, Adalbert1812-1881
Lane, George Martin1823-1897
Lanman, Charles Rockwell1850-1941
Learned, Sarah Birdseye (Whitney)1824-1864
LeConte, Joseph1823-1901
Leidy, Joseph1823-1891
Lepsius, Karl Richard1810-1884
Lesley, [J] Peter1819-1903
Lewis, Charlton Miner1866-1903
Leypoldt, Frederick1835-1884
Lockyer, Sir Joseph Norman1836-1920
Lodge, Henry Cabot1850-1924
Loomis, Elias1811-1889
Lord, David Nevins1792-1880
Lovering, Joseph1813-1892
Lowell, James Russell1819-1891
Lymank Benjamin Smith1835-1920
McCartee, Divie Bethune1820-1900
McCosh, James1811-1894
Macdonell, Arthur Anthony1854-1930
McGee, William John1853-1912
Mckinstry, John Alexander1811
Magill, Edward Hicks1825-1907
Magoun, George Frederic1821-1896
Manatt, James Irving1845-1915
March, Francis Andrew1825-1911
Marsh, Dwight Whitney1823-1896
Marsh, Henry1797-1852
Marsh, Othniel Charles1831-1899
Martin, Willier Alexander Parsons1827-1916
Mason, Otis Tufton1838-1908
Mead, Charles Marsh1836-1911
Meek, Fielding Bradford1817-1876
Mendenhall, Thomas Corwin1841-1924
Mitchell, Donald Grant1822-1908
Moore, George Foot1851-1931
Morgan, Lewis Henry1818-1881
Mori, Arinori1847-1889
Morse, Samuel Finley Breese1791-1872
Morton, Henry1836-1902
Muir, John1810-1882
Müller, Frederick (Friedrick) Maximilian [Max]1823-1900
Newberry, John Strong1822-1892
Newcomb, Simon1835-1909
Newton, Charles Thomas1816-1894
Nichols, John Benjamin1867-1954
Norton, Charles Eliot1827-1908
Nott, Eliphalet1773-1866
Oertel, Hans1868-
Olcott, Henry Steel1832-1907
Olmstead, Frederick Law1822-1903
Owen, Sir Richard1804-1892
Page, Walter Hines1855-1918
Paine, John Alsop1840-1912
Paul, Charles Kegan1828-1902
Peabody, Elizabeth Palmer1804-1894
Peckham, Stephen Farnam1838-1918
Peirce, Benjamin1809-1880
Peirce, James Mills1834-1906
Perkins, Frances W.1839-
Perkins, Frederic Beecher1828-1899
Perrin, Bernadotte1845-1920
Perry, Arthur Latham1830-1905
Perry, Thomas Sergeant1845-1928
Pertsch, Wilhelm1832-1899
Peters, John Punnnett1852-1921
Phelps, Austin1820-1890
Phelps, William Walter1839-1894
Pike, Albert, 1809-1891
Platt, Orville Hitchcock1827-1905
Plimpton, George Arthur1855-1936
Porter, John Addison1822-1866
Porter, Noah1811-1892
Porter, Samuel1810-1901
Porter, Sarah1813-1900
Powell, John Wesley1834-1902
Putnam Elizabeth Noble (Whitney)1822-1863
Putnam, Samuel Osgood
Quincy Josiah Phillips1829-1910
Raymond, John Howard1814-1878
Regnier, Jacques Auguste Adolphe1804-1884
Reid, Whitelaw1837-1912
Rhoads, James [E]1828-1895
Rice, Charles1841-1901
Richardson, Charles Francis1851-1913
Ridpath, John Clark1840-1900
Ripley, George1802-1880
Rockhill William Woodville1854-1914
Rogers, Harriet Burbank1834-1919
Rogers, William Barton1804-1882
Rost, Reinhold1822-1896
Roth, Rudolph von1821-1895
Salisbury, Edward Elbridge1814-1901
Sanders, Frank Knight1861-1933
Sargent, John Osborne1811-1891
Scarborough, William Saunders1852-1926
Schele de Vere, Maximillian1820-1898
Schuyler, Eugene1840-1890
Scribner, Charles1821-1871
Sedgwick, William Thompson1855-1921
Seelye, Laurenus Clark1837-1924
Sewell, Amanda Brewster-1926
Seguin, Edward Constant1843-1898
Seyfforth, Gustavus1796-1885
Seymour, Thomas Day1848-1907
Sheldon, Edward Stevens1851-1925
Short, Charles1821-1886
Silliman, Benjamin1816-1885
Sloane, William Milligan1850-1928
Smith, Benjamin Eli1857-1913
Smith, Charles Sprague1853-1910
Smith, John Lawrence1818-1883
Smith, Roswell1829-l892
Spiegel, Friedrich von1820-1905
Spofford, Ainsworth Rand1825-1908
Sprague, Homer Baxter1829-1918
Stearns, William Augustus, [illegible]-1876
Stevenson, James1840-1888
Strong, Caleb1745-1819
Strong, Stephen Chester1824-1909
Sumner, William. [illegible]raham1840-1910
Tarbell, Frank Bigelow1853-1920
Tarbox, Increase Miles1815-1888
Taylor, Issaac1829-1901
Taylor, Samuel Harvey1807-1871
Tea11, Francis Augustus1822-1894
Tenney, Edward Payson1835-1916
Thacher, Thomas Anthony1815-1886
Thayer, Alexander Wheelock1817-1897
Thayer, James Bradley1831-1902
Thayer, Joseph Henry1828-1901
Thomas, Calvin1854-1919
Thomas, Joseph1811-1891
Thompson, Joseph Parrish1819-1879
Thompson, Robert Ellis1844-1924
Thompson, William Gilman1856-1927
Ticknor, William Davis1810-1864
Torrey, Charles Cutler1863-
Toy, Crawford Howell1836-1919
Trumbull, Henry Clary1830-1903
Trumbull, James Hammond1821-1897
Tutwiler, Henry1807-1884
Tutwiler, Julia Strudwick1841-1916
Tyler, Moses Coit1835-1900
Tyndall, John1820-1893
Van Am[illegible]inge John Howard1835-1915
Van Name, Addison1835-1922
Verrill, Addison Emery1839-1926
Waldo, Horatio1778-1846
Walker, Francis Amasa1840-1897
Walker, Williston1860-1922
Ward, William Hayes1835-1916
Warren, Henry Clarke1854-1899
Warren, william Fairfield1833-1929
Waters, Lewis Edson1837-1901
Waters, william Everett1856-1924
Wayland, Francis1826-1904
Weber, Albrecht Friedrich1825-1901
Wedgewood, Hensleigh1803-1891
Weir, John Ferguson1841-1926
Wells, William Harvey1812-1885
Wheeler, Benjamin Ide1854-1927
Wheeler, William Adolphus1833-1874
Wheelock, John1754-1817
White, Andrew Dickinson1832-1918
White, Richard Grant1821-1885
Whitehouse, Frederick Cope1842-1911
Whitney, Clarissa (James)1801-1876
Whitney, Edward Baldwin1857-1911
Whitney, Edward Payson1833-c.1858
Whitney, Eli1820-1895
Whitney, Elizabeth Wooster (Baldwin)1824-1912
Whitney, Henry Mitchell1843-1911
Whitney, James Lyman1835-1910
Whitney, Josiah Dwight1786-1869
Whitney, Josiah Dwight1819-1896
Whitney, Louisa (Goddard) Howe1819-1882
Whitney, Maria1830-1910
Whitney, William Collins1841-1904
Whitney, Marian Parker1861-1946
Whitney' William Dwight1827-1894
Whiten, James Morris1833-1920
Williams, Talcott1849-1928
Winchell, Alexander1824-1891
Winlock, Joseph1826-1875
Winslow, William Copley1840-1925
Woodford, Arthur Burnham1861-
Woolsey, Theodore Dwight1801-1889
Wright, John Henry1852-1908

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Guide to the William Dwight Whitney Family Papers
Status: Under Revision
Author: compiled by Manuscripts and Archives Staff
Date: July 1998
Description rules: Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
Language of description note: Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

http://www.library.yale.edu/mssa/

Contact:
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