Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm75011494
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of A. D. Bache, physicist and administrator, were deposited in the Library of Congress by Caroline Henry, daughter of Bache's colleague, Joseph Henry, in 1914. A small addition was given by Alice Scoville Barry in 1981 and transferred to the collection from the Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection in 2003. One item was purchased in 1973.
The A. D. Bache Papers were processed in 1975. The finding aid was revised and expanded with the addition of a few items in 2003 and revised again 1n 2009
The deposit of 1914 has been briefly described in the
Items have been transferred from the Manuscript Division to other custodial divisions of the Library. Some maps have been transferred to the Geography and Map Division. A photograph has been transferred to the Prints and Photographs Division. All transfers are identified in these divisions as part of the Bache Papers.
In addition to the correspondence in the Bache Papers, there are Bache letters in other collections in the Manuscript Division, including the papers of Lewis Reeves Gibbes , Matthew F. Maury , Samuel F. B. Morse , and Simon Newcomb. Other repositories holding collections relating to Bache are the Henry E. Huntington Library, San Marino, California; the American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of A. D. Bache is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The Bache Papers are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
A microfilm edition of part of these papers is available on five reels. Consult a reference librarian in the Manuscript Division concerning availability for purchase or interlibrary loan. To promote preservation of the originals, researchers are required to consult the microfilm edition.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container or reel number, A. D. Bache Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867) span the years 1828-1863 and include six series: General Correspondence, Special Correspondence, Journal, Scrapbook, Miscellany, and Addition. The bulk of the material is concentrated in the years 1836-1838 and 1857-1863.
The General Correspondence series relates mainly to the United States Coast Survey when Bache served as superintendent, 1843-1867. During his administration the Coast Survey published detailed maps of the East Coast of the United States. Its navigation charts of the Carolina and Georgia coasts were used during the Civil War to assist in enforcing the blockade of Southern ports.
Bache devised new instruments and methods to improve the work of the Coast Survey. While with the Survey, he also served on the Light-House Board and was superintendent of weights and measures, coordinating these activities to produce detailed navigation charts. Correspondents include John Jordan Crittenden, John A. Dahlgren, Charles H. Davis, Benjamin A. Gould, Joseph Henry, Benjamin Peirce, Benjamin Silliman (1816-1885), and George E. Waring.
The Dudley Observatory in Albany, New York, was established in 1856 for the advancement of astronomy. Bache was a member of the Scientific Council which directed the Observatory’s research and controlled daily operations; other council members were Benjamin Gould, Joseph Henry, and Benjamin Peirce. A conflict of interest between the Scientific Council and the Board of Trustees, which almost destroyed the Observatory, is detailed in the Special Correspondence series. Principal correspondents were Blandina Dudley, main financial supporter of the Observatory, and Benjamin Gould, Joseph Henry, Thomas Olcott, Benjamin Peirce, and C. H. F. Peters.
A scrapbook of newspaper clippings reflects Bache's interest in scientific developments of the period. The Miscellany series consists of a partial index of correspondents between 1857 and 1860, and the Addition contains photocopies of letters from George W. Dean to Bache, 1860-1861.
This collection is arranged in six series:
Available on microfilm. Shelf no. 16,511
Bound volumes of letters received and sent by Bache.
Arranged chronologically and therein alphabetically by name of correspondent.
Bound volume of letters sent and received concerning the Dudley Observatory.
Arranged chronologically.
Bound volumes of a journal kept by Bache on a trip to Europe to study educational methods.
Arranged chronologically with undated notes at the ends of volumes 15 and 16.
Newspaper clippings on scientific developments and other subjects of interest to Bache.
Arranged chronologically.
Partial index to Bache correspondence and a note.
Arranged by type of material.
Photocopies of letters from George W. Dean to Bache.
Arranged chronologically.