The Papers of W.W. Jefferis Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives
Processed by Nikolas M. Henle, 2002
Collection Number:
2002-1
Title:
The Papers of W.W. Jefferis
Inclusive Dates:
1840-1906
Creator:
William W. Jefferis
Extent:
3 linear feet
Repository:
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
4400 Forbes Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
cmnhlib@carnegiemnh.org
Abstract:
W.W. Jefferis of West Chester, PA was an avid amateur mineralogist and amassed a
large collection of specimens during the 19th century. His desire for the collection to
remain in Pennsylvania led him to the Carnegie Museum, where his collection formed a
large part of the section of minerals. The records in this collection include
correspondence and notes from Mr. Jefferis related to his study of mineralogy and the
gathering of specific minerals.
Acquisition Information:
Mr. Jefferis included the records with the minerals, which were sold to Andrew Carnegie
for $20,000 and then donated by Carnegie to the museum. The minerals and the records
were registered separately. The mineral collection was listed as accession number 2700
on Jan. 12th, 1905, while the records were sent to the museum library on March 8th, 1905,
as accession number 1239.
Preferred Citation:
The Papers of W.W. Jefferis, Carnegie Museum of Natural History Archives, 2002-1
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Access Restrictions:
The collections of the museum shall be available for examination and study by any
qualified individual under the normal museum security procedures and other special
procedures established by the section for the protection of the specific collection.
Copyright:
For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Carnegie
Museum of Natural History Archives.
Alternate Format:
The collection is not available in any other format.
History:
W.W. Jefferis was born January 12th, 1820 in West Chester, PA. Early in life, he
developed a great interest in mineralogy, and this interest would continue for the rest of
his life. He began by collecting mineral specimens from Chester County and later
expanded his studies while on breaks from his career at the Bank of Chester County. He
collected specimens not only from Pennsylvania, but also from around the Mid-Atlantic
region, mostly from New York and New Jersey. He also traveled extensively in Ontario
and Quebec, and he made three trips to Europe during his lifetime.
Mr. Jefferis’ extensive collection and study of mineralogy gained a certain amount of
recognition in the scientific community during his lifetime. He was even credited with
the discovery of a new mineral, which was named Jefferisite. After retiring from banking,
he moved to Philadelphia and became curator of the William S. Vaux collection at the
Academy of Natural Sciences. He also served as professor emeritus of mineralogy at
State Normal School of West Chester and belonged to numerous scientific organizations
and philosophical societies.
Towards the end of his life, Mr. Jefferis, who by then was living in New York City,
decided to sell his collection. He was adamant that the minerals remain in his native
Pennsylvania. Although numerous museums were interested in the collection, including
the British Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, he eventually decided
to send his collection to the Carnegie Museum. Andrew Carnegie purchased the
collection from Mr. Jefferis for $20,000 and donated it to the museum in 1905. The
collection included 12,000 specimens and filled two railroad boxcars on its journey from
storage in West Chester to Pittsburgh. Douglas Stewart, who was custodian of the
museum’s minerals, was put in charge of Mr. Jefferis’ specimens. He was interested in
the notes and catalogs recorded by Mr. Jefferis, as well as his personal input, in order to
properly arrange such a large collection. W.W. Jefferis died, however, on February 23rd,
1906, and was not able to personally assist at the museum. His notes, letters, and
catalogs were donated along with the minerals and are still available through the archives.
Scope and Content Notes:
The W.W. Jefferis Collection contains notes, notebooks, correspondence, and catalogs
relating to Mr. Jefferis’ lifelong study of mineralogy and the specimens that today belong
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to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The collection consists of seven boxes
which contain five series. Most of the materials date from the late 19th century and some
of the papers and books have become brittle. In addition, the bindings on some of the
books have become very fragile or damaged and should be handled with care.
Series Description:
I: Letterbooks (1840-1867):
The items known as “letterbooks” consist of bound correspondence
between Mr. Jefferis and a large number of people mostly concerning matters of
mineralogy. The letters run from 1840 until 1867. Each letterbook has also been
indexed and the index given a separate folder. There are a total of five letterbooks
in three boxes.
II: Publications (1889-1903):
This series contains a number of publications collected and kept by Mr.
Jefferis in the last few years of the 19th century and first few years of the 20th
century. All the publications are related to mineralogy.
III: Notes and Manuscripts (n.d.):
The third series consists of a variety of papers and notebooks describing
and classifying specific minerals collected by Mr. Jefferis over his lifetime. In
addition, there are items submitted to him for review, particularly a thesis by a
student named M.E. Wadsworth. Some of Mr. Jefferis’ notes are loose, while
others are in notebooks. However, all of the items are fragile, especially the loose
papers.
IV: Correspondence (1900-1906):
This series contains correspondence related specifically to the acquisition
of the Jefferis collection by the Carnegie Museum. Very few of these letters are
addressed to or signed by Mr. Jefferis. Negotiations with Mr. Jefferis were
mostly done through intermediaries. In addition, there are many letters between
specialists at the Carnegie Museum and other institutions around the world, as
well as Andrew Carnegie. The letters in the collection are photocopies, but the
originals can be found in “Director’s Correspondence, Part 1” in the O’Neill
Research Center at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. At the back of the
folder are two photocopied articles from Matrix. The first is a reproduced tribute
to Mr. Jefferis by his wife, Anna. The second is an article on the life of Bryce
McMurdo Wright in which Mr. Jefferis and his mineral collection are both
mentioned.
V: Catalogs (n.d.):
The final series in the collection consists of the catalogs in which Mr.
Jefferis kept track of his minerals. Each catalog is a list of minerals with names,
the locations in which the minerals were found, the dates on which they were
found, and often other information, as well, such as a specimen’s price.
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Organization of Collection:
The W.W. Jefferis Collection consists of seven boxes organized in five series.
Container List:
Box 1
I.
FF1
FF2
FF3
FF4
Letterbooks
22 Feb. 1840 – 25 Dec. 1850
22 Feb. 1840 – 25 Dec. 1850 Index
11 Jan. 1851 – 30 Dec. 1856
11 Jan. 1851 – 30 Dec. 1856 Index
Box 2
FF5
FF6
FF7
FF8
3 Jan. 1857 – 28 Dec. 1861
3 Jan. 1857 – 28 Dec. 1861 Index
3 Jan. 1862 – 29 Dec. 1864
3 Jan. 1862 – 29 Dec. 1864 Index
Box 3
FF9
FF10
6 June 1865 – 31 Dec. 1867
6 June 1865 – 31 Dec. 1867 Index
Box 4
II.
Publications
Emerson, B.K., A Mineralogical Lexicon on Franklin,
Hampshire, and Hampden Counties, Mass., published as
Bulletin of the U.S. Geological Survey, no. 126,
Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1895.
Exchangers’ Monthly, Vol. 4, 1889
Exchangers’ Monthly, Vol. 5, 1889-1890
Kunz, George F., The Production of Precious Stones in
1898, Washington, D.C., Government Printing Office, 1899.
(CMNH library accession number 1919)
The Mineral Collector, Vol. 3, 1896; Vol. 4, 1897; Vol. 10,
1903
III.
Notes and Manuscripts
Notebook
“List of Mineral Species and Varieties”
Notebook (hardback)
FF11
FF12
FF13
FF14
FF15
Box 5
FF16
FF17
FF18
Box 6
FF19
FF20
IV.
Thesis – Wadsworth, M.E., “On the Classification of Rocks:
Thesis for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy,” Harvard
University, 1879
Notes
Correspondence
4
FF21
Box 7
Correspondence
V.
FF22
FF23
FF24
FF25
Catalogs
Jan. 1861, Nos. 1-3808
Nos. 3809-6480
Nos. 6481-10980
Nos. 10981-11992
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