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Finding Aid to the Florence Merriam Bailey Papers, 1887-1940
BANC MSS 79/139 cz
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Collection Title: Florence Merriam Bailey papers
Date (inclusive): 1887-1940
Collection Number: BANC MSS 79/139 cz
Creator:
Bailey, Florence Merriam, b.
1863
Extent:
Number of containers: 12 boxes, 1 oversize folder, 4 vols.
Linear feet: 5.00
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Consists of field notes and journals, drafts of primarily
unpublished books and articles, plus a small amount of correspondence to her father, Clinton
Levi Merriam and other naturalists and ornithologists. The majority of the field notes and
journals deal with the West but also cover areas in North Dakota, New York, Washington D.C.,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida and elsewhere. Of particular note are her notes on the Grand
Canyon and writings about the Pueblo Indians of New Mexico and the Apache Indians of
Arizona.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials,
please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection is open for research.
Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17,
U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by copyright 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 owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
[Identification of item], Florence Merriam Bailey papers, BANC MSS 79/139 cz, The
Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog
Bailey, Florence Merriam, b.
1863--Archives
Apache Indians--Arizona
Bird watching
Birds--West (U.S.)
Ornithology
Pueblo Indians--New Mexico
Wildlife refuges--United States
Grand Canyon National Park
(Ariz.)
Diaries
Field notes
Manuscripts for publication
The Florence Merriam Bailey Papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Mrs. William
Penn Mott III and Dr. Lee Talbot in 1979.
Born in Locust Grove, New York during the Civil War, Florence Merriam Bailey (1863-1948),
devoted her life to the study and protection of birds. From her work in ornithology she
authored over ten books, including several field guides to birds, and close to one hundred
articles. Though interested in birds as a child, she gained recognition as a naturalist
while at Smith College. Disgusted by the use of feathers and whole birds in fashion, she
started the Smith College Audubon Society.
Her later accomplishments include establishing the Washington, D. C. Audubon Society and
becoming the first female associate member of the Ornithologists Union (1885). Within that
organization she was the first female fellow (1929) and the first female recipient of the
Brewster Medal (1931). In 1908 a variety of California Mountain Chickadee was named
Parus gambeli baileyae in her honor.
Bailey's relations with prominent scientists augmented her own distinguished
career. C. Hart Merriam, her brother, was the first chief of the U. S. Bureau of Biological
Survey, as well as a co-founder of the National Geographic Society. His work also led to
Florence's introduction, and subsequent marriage, to fellow Bureau naturalist,
Vernon Bailey. From their travels to the Western United States the Bailey's
produced several works on the distinctive, and largely unexplored, flora and fauna in that
region. As an amateur ornithologist Florence Bailey was at the forefront of the movement to
use binoculars, rather than shotguns, to observe birds. She died in Washington, D. C. on
September 22, 1948.
[From the finding aid to the Florence Merriam Bailey Papers, at the Smithsonian Institution
Archives.]
The Florence Merriam Bailey Papers, 1887-1940, consist of field notes and journals, drafts
of primarily unpublished books and articles, and a small amount of correspondence with her
father, Clinton Levi Merriam and with naturalists or ornithologists. The majority of the
field notes and journals cover field trips in the West, but also include North Dakota, New
York, Washington D. C., Minnesota, Wisconsin, Florida and elsewhere. Of particular note are
the materials on the Grand Canyon National Park, and her writings about the Pueblo Indians
of New Mexico, and the Apaches of Arizona.
Arranged in three series: Correspondence, Field Notes and Journals, and Writings.
Correspondence is arranged with letters to her father first, followed by an alphabetical
listing by last name and a miscellany folder at the end. Field Notes and Journals are
arranged chronologically. Writings are divided into: Books and Longer Works, Articles and
Shorter Works, and Writings and Notes by Others. Books and Longer Works and Articles and
Shorter Works are arranged alphabetically by first word of title ignoring articles. Writings
and notes by others are arranged hierarchally.