Collection Summary
Erwin F. Smith Papers
1876-1927
(bulk 1920-1927)
1876-1927
(bulk 1920-1927)
MSS40377
Smith, Erwin F. (Erwin
Frink), 1854-1927
400 items
7 containers
3 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Plant pathologist.
Diaries, correspondence, notes, literary manuscripts, and photographs relating
primarily to his laboratory work and his employment at the Department of
Agriculture.
Selected Search Terms
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.
People
Heredia, José-Maria de, 1842-1905.
Meyer, Frank Nicholas--Correspondence.
Smith family.
Smith, Charlotte May Buffet, 1871-1906.
Smith, Erwin F. (Erwin Frink), 1854-1927.
Organizations
United States. Department of Agriculture--Employees and officials.
Subjects
Botany--China.
Botany--Japan.
Literature.
Plant diseases.
Plants--Washington (D.C.)
Poetry.
Places
Europe--Description and travel.
Florida--Description and travel.
Titles
Erwin Frink Smith papers
Occupations
Plant pathologists.
Provenance
The papers of Erwin F. Smith, plant pathologist, were given to the
Library of Congress from 1956 to 1958 by the estate of his widow, Ruth Annette
Warren Smith, via Fred Neter. Papers donated by the American Philosophical
Society via the Library's Poetry Office in 1955 were added to the collection in
1996.
Processing History
The papers of Erwin F. Smith were arranged and described in 1957. The
collection was expanded and revised in 1996, and additional revisions to the
finding aid were made in 2008.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Erwin F. Smith
is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Erwin F. Smith 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.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Erwin F. Smith Papers, Manuscript
Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1854, Jan. 21
Born, Gilbert's Mills, N.Y.
1880
Published
The Flora of Michigan
, with Charles F. Wheeler.
Lansing, Mich.: Michigan Horticultural Society Report
1886
B. S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Employed by Agriculture Department to study peach blight
1889
Sc.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
1893
Married Charlotte M. Buffett (died 1906)
1901
Appointed plant pathologist, Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S.
Department of Agriculture
1902
1927
Head, plant pathology laboratory, Bureau of Plant Industry,
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1905
1914
Published
Bacteria in Relation to Plant Diseases
. Washington,
D.C.: Carnegie Institution of Washington
1914
Married Ruth Annette Warren
1915
Published
For Her Friends and Mine: a Book of Aspirations, Dreams, and
Memories
. Washington, D.C.: privately printed
1920
Published translation from the French with Florence Hedges
of
Pasteur: The History of a Mind
, by Emile Duclaux.
Philadelphia, London: W. B. Saunders Co.
Published
An Introduction to Bacterial Diseases of Plants
.
Philadelphia, London: W. B. Saunders Co.
1927, Apr. 6
Died, Washington, D.C.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Erwin Frink Smith (1854-1927) span the years 1876-1927
and include diaries, correspondence, notes, photographs, and literary
manuscripts. The papers are arranged in four series:
[
Diaries
](diar),
[
Scientific
File
](scie),
[
Literary
File
](lite), and
[
Miscellany
](misc).
They have been available for research since 1957, with additional material
incorporated principally into the
[
Literary
File
](lite) in 1996. Smith's
[
diaries
](diar) for
the years 1920-1927 constitute the bulk of the collection. In the
[
diaries
](diar)
Smith made note of his laboratory work and employment at the Agriculture
Department. Smith also commented on his home life; extensive reading in French,
German, Italian literature and texts in Latin; and his reaction to the news of
events throughout the world. Smith's travels on behalf of the Agriculture
Department are sometimes featured, such as a trip to Florida to study diseases
in oranges groves described in his journal of 1891. A three-volume journal of
his trip to Europe in the winter of 1924-1925 makes note of official meetings
and also includes ink sketches of plants, architectural details, museum
exhibitions, and landscapes.
The remaining fragmentary material relating to Smith's scientific
career is in the
[
Scientific
File
](scie). The file includes a notebook describing plants seen in the District
of Columbia in 1894, a synopsis of Smith's research, and a catalog of his
scientific library. There are no records concerning the publication of his
books or Agriculture Department studies on bacterial diseases in plants. The
letters of Frank Meyer, mostly typewritten copies, concern an expedition in
1905 to Japan and China in search of plants and information for the Agriculture
Department.
Smith's literary endeavors were not confined to science. In 1915 he
published a book of poetry,
For Her Friends and Mine
, and dedicated it to his deceased
first wife, Charlotte M. Buffett. Corrected proofs and drafts of the poems are
in the
[
Literary
File
](lite), as are drafts for a second set of poems, "Nature and the Dream."
Smith translated sonnets of the Cuban-born French poet, José Maria de Heredia
(1842-1905), and planned to publish them with biographical notes, explication,
and illustrations. Records for the projected Heredia volume are included in the
[
Literary
File
](lite).
Arrangement of the Papers
This collection is arranged in four series:
-
[
Diaries,
1891-1927
](diar)
-
[
Scientific
File, 1880-1927
](scie)
-
[
Literary File,
1876-1926
](lite)
-
[
Miscellany,
1915-1927
](misc)
Catalog Record: [https://lccn.loc.gov/mm78040337]
Container List
Container
Contents
1-3
Diaries,
1891-1927
1891-1927
Daily diaries and travel journals.
Arranged by type and chronologically therein.
1
Daily diaries
1
1920-1925
1920-1925
(6
vols.)
2
1926-1927
1926-1927
(2
vols.)
2
Travel journals
2
1891, Florida
1891,
2
1924-1925, Europe
1924-1925,
(2
vols.)
3
(1
vol.)
3
Scientific File,
1880-1927
1880-1927
Notebooks, correspondence, library catalog, and notes.
Arranged alphabetically by subject or type of material.
3
Catalog of scientific library,
1928, undated
1928, undated
3
Meyer, Frank, letters on plant
expedition to Japan and China,
1905
1905
3
Miscellaneous
3
Correspondence,
1880-1887, 1898, 1916, 1924-1926
1880-1887, 1898, 1916, 1924-1926
3
Notes and printed matter,
1896-1899, 1914, 1927, undated
1896-1899, 1914, 1927, undated
3
Notes on plants seen in the
District of Columbia,
1894
1894
3
Synopsis of research,
1922-1925
1922-1925
4-7
Literary File,
1876-1926
1876-1926
Galleys, holograph and typescript drafts of miscellaneous writings
and three collections of poetry, including text, notes, and illustrations for a
translation of sonnets by José Maria de Heredia.
Arranged by genre and thereunder alphabetically by title.
4
Miscellaneous essays,
translations, notes, and poems,
1876, 1910-1923, undated
1876, 1910-1923, undated
(2
folders)
4
Poetry collections
4
For Her Friends and Mine
4
Corrected proof,
circa 1915
circa 1915
4
Drafts,
1906-1913, undated
1906-1913, undated
(3
folders)
4
Record of book distribution,
1915
1915
4
"Nature and the Dream," drafts,
1926, undated
1926, undated
(3
folders)
5
(2
folders)
5
"Sonnets of José Maria de
Heredia"
5
Bibliography,
undated
undated
5
Illustrations,
undated
undated
5
Notes,
undated
undated
(5
folders)
6
(1
folder)
6
Text drafts,
undated
undated
(6
folders)
7
(4
folders)
7
Miscellany,
1915-1927
1915-1927
Memorial tribute, notebook, personal correspondence, and a
photograph.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material.
7
Memorial tribute to Smith,
1927
1927
7
Notebook of addresses, accounts,
and lists,
circa 1915
circa 1915
7
Personal correspondence,
1915-1924
1915-1924
7
Photograph, portrait,
circa 1920
circa 1920