Scope and Contents
Correspondence, photographs, clippings, and printed material relating to the history of Rhodesia and South Africa, with specific focus on Jameson's Raid, 1895-1896, the Johannesburg Reform Committee, and Cecil John Rhodes.
Correspondence includes letters with numerous individuals active in the government and military forces in South Africa and Rhodesia, and with friends, relatives, and associates of those individuals. These letters were solicited by Wright and contain the reminiscences of and comments about such figures as: Frederick R. Burnham, Jack Carruthers, Louis Cohen, John Hays Hammond, J. B. M. Hertzog, Sir Leander Starr Jameson, Cecil Rhodes, George Bernhard Shaw, and Jan Christian Smuts.
The Howell Wright Collection is arranged in four series:
I. Correspondence, 1886-1954
II. Photographs, 1890-1902
III. Printed Material, 1900-1950
IV. Personal Papers, 1910-1953
Series I, Correspondence, contains the letters and other materials solicited by Howell Wright to document the history South Africa and Rhodesia, with a particular emphasis on the role of the British government and military forces in the late nineteenth century. Wright corresponded with many figures who held governmental and military positions in the region, and with relatives and associates of these individuals. These correspondents include men who served in the Pioneer Corps, and who were involved in the Bachuanaland Expedition, 1884-1888; Jameson's Raid, 1895-1896, and the Johannesburg Reform Committee.
Many correspondents, including Jack Carruthers, Charles Llewellyn Anderson, James Donaldson, and Sir Frederick Hamilton, provided lengthy personal reminiscences of their lives and experiences in South Africa. A variety of printed material, photographs, and newspaper clippings, often enclosed with these letters, adds another dimension to the lives of these people.
Series II, Photographs, 1892-1990, is arranged in two sections: Rhodes, Cecil John; and South Africa. Rhodes, Cecil John, contains two hundred and ninety (290) photographs of Cecil John Rhodes and the South African region. They are reproductions of items located in the Central African Archives.
The South Africa section contains photograph albums relating to such events as the South Africa War, 1899-1902, and the Tercentenary celebration of 1952.
Series III, Printed Material, ca. 1900-1950, contains a variety of publications collected by Howell Wright. Items include journals and journal articles relating to the history of South Africa and Rhodesia and publications written by Wright on topics such as municipal government and city policies.
Series IV, Personal Papers, 1910-1953, contains books, clippings, printed material, and miscellanea relating to Howell Wright, his family, the development of his collection of manuscripts and materials relating to South Africa and Rhodesia, and miscellanea.
Oversize consists of large printed material, documents, and items (including photostats) collected by Wright on individuals and organizations active in South Africa and Rhodesia.
Dates
- 1868-1977
Creator
- Wright, Howell, 1882-1954 (Collector)
Conditions Governing Access
The materials are open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright status for collection materials is unknown. 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
Donated to Yale University by Howell Wright, 1941. Transferred from the African Curator, 2005. Gift of Bradford Wright, 2008.
Arrangement
Arranged in four series and five additions: I. Correspondence, 1886-1954. II. Photographs, 1890-1902. III. Printed Material, 1900-1950. IV. Personal Papers, 1910-1953.
Extent
18.75 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Catalog Record
A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog
Persistent URL
Abstract
The collection consists of correspondence, photographs, clippings, and printed material relating to the history of Rhodesia and South Africa, with specific focus on Jameson's Raid, 1895-1896, the Johannesburg Reform Committee, and Cecil John Rhodes. Correspondence includes letters with numerous individuals active in the government and military forces in South Africa and Rhodesia, and with friends, relatives, and associates of those individuals. These letters were solicited by Wright and contain the reminiscences of and comments about such figures as: Frederick Russell Burnham, Jack Carruthers, Louis Cohen, John Hays Hammond, J. B. M. Hertzog, Sir Leander Starr Jameson, Cecil Rhodes, George Bernard Shaw, and Jan Christian Smuts.
Biographical / Historical
Howell Wright was born in Swansea, Massachusetts, on January 21, 1882. He graduated from Yale University (B.A., 1906) and served as a municipal official in Cleveland, Ohio, for several years. He collected books, manuscripts, and photographs on Rhodesia and South Africa until his death in 1954.
- Africa
- Allen, Carleton Kemp, 1887-1966
- Baden-Powell of Gilwell, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, Baron, 1857-1941
- Baker, Newton Diehl, 1871-1937
- Beard, Charles A. (Charles Austin), 1874-1948
- Beit, Alfred, 1853-1906
- Bower, Graham, 1848-1933
- Bryce, James Bryce, Viscount, 1838-1922
- Burnham, Frederick Russell, 1861-1947
- Carruthers, Jack
- Chamberlain, Joseph, 1836-1914
- Clements, P.B.
- Cohen, Louis, 1854-
- Colquhoun, Ethel Maud Cookson
- Cooper-Chadwick, J., 1864-
- Cornwall, William L.
- Curzon of Kedleston, George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess, 1859-1925
- Davis, Richard Harding, 1864-1916
- DuToit, Martin Andrʹe
- Fraser, John George, Sir, 1840-1927
- Goldman, Charles Sydney, 1868-
- Hammond, John Hays, 1855-1936
- Hertzog, James Barry Munnik, 1866-1942
- Heymans, Guillaume
- Jameson's Raid, 1895-1896
- Jameson, L. S. (Leander Starr), 1853-1917
- Johannesburg Reform Committee
- Kipling, Rudyard, 1865-1936
- Kotzé, J. G. (John Gilbert), 1849-1940
- Lobengula, King of the Matabele, approximately 1833-1893?
- Lothian, Philip Henry Kerr, Marquis of, 1882-1940
- Moffat, Harold Unwin, 1869-
- Photographs
- Pinchot, Gifford, 1865-1946
- Radziwill, Catherine, Princess, 1858-1941
- Rhodes, Cecil, 1853-1902
- Rhodesia and Nyasaland
- Roosevelt, Franklin D. (Franklin Delano), 1882-1945
- Rose-Innes, J. (James), 1855-1942
- Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950
- Sibbett, Cecil John, 1881-
- Smuts, Jan Christiaan, 1870-1950
- South Africa -- History -- 1836-1909
- South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1836-1909
- South African War, 1899-1902
- Tabler, Edward C.
- Thompson, Matabele, 1857-1927
- Transvaal (South Africa)
- Tredgold, Robert, Sir, 1899-1977
- Wright, Howell, 1882-1954
- Zimbabwe
- Title
- Guide to the Howell Wright Collection
- Status
- Under Revision
- Author
- compiled by William E. Brown, Jr. and staff of Manuscripts and Archives
- Date
- February 1984
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Created In Accordance With Manuscripts And Archives Processing Manual
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository
Yale University Library
P.O. Box 208240
New Haven CT 06520-8240 US
(203) 432-1735
(203) 432-7441 (Fax)
beinecke.library@yale.edu
Location
Sterling Memorial Library
Room 147
120 High Street
New Haven, CT 06511