Florence Bascom Papers, 1870-1971 (Bulk: 1875-1940)
17 boxes (7 linear ft.)
Collection number: MS 12
Terms of Access and Use:
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Florence Bascom, Heidelberg, 1907
Florence Bascom was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts in 1862. She received both her B.S. (1882) and A.M. (1887) from the University of Wisconsin, where her father, John Bascom, was president. In 1893 she became the first woman to receive a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in geology. She taught at Rockford College and Ohio State University before teaching her first geology course at Bryn Mawr in 1895 as a reader in geology, and was a Professor of Geology from 1906 to 1928. Bascom introduced the undergraduate major in geology at Bryn Mawr, and eventually made it a graduate program of national reputation. Bascom was the first woman elected to the U.S. Geological Survey, for the mid-Atlantic Piedmont area. She was associate editor of American Geologist from 1896 to 1905 and was also the first woman elected as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America in 1894, and in 1930, she was named vice-president. Florence Bascom died in 1945.
For a more detailed biography, see Notable American Women, 1607-1950; a biographical dictionary. Edited by Edward T. James and Janet Wilson James (Cambridge, Mass., Belknap Press, 1971).
The papers include biographical information, photographs, scrapbooks, sketchbooks, writings, memorabilia, financial records, and extensive personal and professional correspondence. Correspondents include Elaine Goodale Eastman, Annie Peck, Gifford Pinchot, Isabel Fothergill Smith, M. Carey Thomas, and Charles R. Van Hise. Correspondence from the Goldschmidt family is in German with English translation. Her writings include published and unpublished geology articles re: Pennsylvania, Maine, and Massachusetts. The papers also contain speeches, U.S. Geological Survey reports, verse, and photographs, which include pictures taken on geological expeditions to western and southwestern U.S. and Mexico.
The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Florence Bascom Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
The Florence Bascom Papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection in 1976 by Isabel Fothergill Smith, who was a student of Florence Bascom and inherited her house along with its contents. She donated additional biographical materials in 1981, after publishing The Stone Lady: A Memoir of Florence Bascom.
Finding aid revised by Jennifer Smar, 2005.
| Contact Information |
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Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College
Northampton, MA 01063 Phone: (413) 585-2970 Fax: (413) 585-2886 Email Reference Form: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/emailform.html URL: http://www.smith.edu/libraries/libs/ssc/ |
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SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS AND GENEALOGY
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Contents
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Box 1: folder 1
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Bascom/Curtiss family
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Invitation, correspondence, pamphlets, and marriage certificate,
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1921-39
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Box 1: folder 2
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Curtiss, Frederic Haines. A Genealogy of the Curtiss Family (Boston,
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1903)
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Box 1
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Harris, Edward Doubleday. A Genealogical Record of Thomas Bascom, and his Descendants (Boston,
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1870)
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Box 1
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Florence Bascom
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Clippings and articles,
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1935-39
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Box 1: folder 3
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Reminiscences by Florence Bascom and others: articles and notes,
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1877-1945
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Box 1: folder 4
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Notes by Isabel F. Smith,
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1888-1936
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Box 1: folder 5
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Clippings and articles,
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1877-1959
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Box 1: folder 6-7
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Other Family
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George Bascom (brother): clippings and correspondence,
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1932-37
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Box 1: folder 8
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Emma Curtiss Bascom (mother): clippings, pamphlet, and notes,
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1916
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Box 1: folder 9
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SERIES II. PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORABILIA
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Florence Bascom,
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 1
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Florence Bascom in groups,
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 2
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Bascom family,
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 3
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Friends,
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 4
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Animals,
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n.d.
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Box 2: folder 5
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"Topping" and other houses,
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n.d.
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Box 3: folder 1
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Expeditions,
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n.d.
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Box 3: folder 2
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Miscellaneous,
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n.d.
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Box 3: folder 3
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Unidentified,
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n.d.
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Box 3: folder 4
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Photograph albums (9),
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1877-1909
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Box 4-5
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Framed photographs,
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n.d.
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Box 6
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Scrapbooks, address books, guestbook, and diary,
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ca. 1900-33
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Box 7
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SERIES III. BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL MATERIALS
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Correspondence
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Miscellaneous,
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1894-1940
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Box 8: folder 1
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Peabody, Houghteling & Co.,
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1927-40
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Box 8: folder 2
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Financial fraud,
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1940
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Box 8: folder 3
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TIAA,
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1928-34
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Box 8: folder 4
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Contracts,
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1895-1914
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Box 8: folder 5
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Tax documents,
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1914-40
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Box 8: folder 6
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Business documents,
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1927-39
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Box 8: folder 7
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SERIES IV. CORRESPONDENCE
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From Florence Bascom to
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Family,
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1915-37
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Box 9: folder 1
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Mira Dock,
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1901-35
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Box 9: folder 2
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Goldschmidts,
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1906-40
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Box 9: folder 3
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Isabel F. Smith,
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1928-43
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Box 9: folder 4
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M. Carey Thomas,
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1903-16
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Box 9: folder 5
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Others,
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1898-1941
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Box 9: folder 6
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From Emma Bascom (mother) to Mrs. Lincoln and Mrs. Chadbourne,
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1868-69
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Box 10: folder 1
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From family
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Emma Bascom,
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1878-90
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Box 10: folder 2-3
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John Bascom (father) (includes typed transcripts),
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1883-1910
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Box 10: folder 4-7
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George Bascom (brother),
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1936-37
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Box 10: folder 8
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Jean Bascom (sister),
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1941
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Box 10: folder 9
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Nell Bascom (sister-in-law),
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1924-30
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Box 10: folder 10
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Cousins,
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1894-1934
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Box 10: folder 11
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From non-family, personal
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A (includes Jane S. Atwill re: Elaine Eastman),
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1929-35
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Box 11: folder 1
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B,
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1911-39
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Box 11: folder 2
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C-D,
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1893-1935
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Box 11: folder 3
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Clark, Robert,
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1934-41
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Box 11: folder 4
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E-F,
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1914-40
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Box 11: folder 5
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Eastman, E.G.,
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1930-40
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Box 11: folder 6
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G,
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1911-40
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Box 11: folder 7
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Goldschmidt, Victor (includes English translation),
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1907-38
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Box 11: folder 8-9
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H-I,
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1911-34
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Box 11: folder 10
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J-K,
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1911-39
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Box 11: folder 11
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L,
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1896-1941
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Box 11: folder 12
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M,
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1912-40
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Box 11: folder 13
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N-P (includes Annie Peck),
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1904-39
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Box 12: folder 1
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Porter, Mary,
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1914-40
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Box 12: folder 2-3
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R,
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1911-40
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Box 12: folder 5
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S,
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1911-41
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Box 12: folder 6
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Smith, Isabel Fothergill,
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1934-41
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Box 12: folder 7
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T,
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1913-33
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Box 12: folder 8
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U-V,
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1931-37
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Box 12: folder 9
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W,
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1908-40
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Box 12: folder 10
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Wyckoff, Dorothy (includes watercolor painting),
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1923-41
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Box 12: folder 11
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Unidentified,
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1921-37
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Box 12: folder 12
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Professional
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A,
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1892-1912
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Box 13: folder 1
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B,
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1894-1930
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Box 13: folder 2
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Berkey, C.,
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1913-41
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Box 13: folder 3
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C,
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1894-1935
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Box 13: folder 4
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Clark, William,
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1900-17
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Box 13: folder 5
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Crosby, W.O.,
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1898-1912
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Box 13: folder 6
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D,
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1896-1934
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Box 13: folder 7
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Dale, T. Nelson,
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1896-1935
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Box 13: folder 8
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Diller, J.S.,
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1890-1910
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Box 13: folder 9
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Durden, Henry,
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1896
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Box 13: folder 10
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E,
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1904-12
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Box 13: folder 11
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F,
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1894-1940
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Box 13: folder 12
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G,
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1897-1934
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Box 13: folder 13
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H,
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1896-194
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Box 13: folder 14
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Hayes, O. M.,
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1903-11
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Box 13: folder 15
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I,
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1911-21
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Box 13: folder 16
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Department of the Interior,
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1900-20
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Box 13: folder 17
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J,
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1907-39
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Box 13: folder 18
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K,
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1894-1937
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Box 13: folder 19
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Keith, Arthur,
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1905-15
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Box 13: folder 20
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L,
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1896-1934
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Box 14: folder 1
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M,
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1896-1940
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Box 14: folder 2
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Miller, B.L.,
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1912-39
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Box 14: folder 3
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N-O,
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1899-1907
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Box 14: folder 4
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P,
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1897-1939
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Box 14: folder 5
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Park, Marion,
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1928-38
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Box 14: folder 6
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Pinchot, Gifford,
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1929-30
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Box 14: folder 7
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R,
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1897-1940
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Box 14: folder 8
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S,
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1897-1937
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Box 14: folder 9
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Smith, G.O.,
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1897-1914
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Box 14: folder 10
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Stose, G.W.,
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1899-1912
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Box 14: folder 11
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T,
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1896-97
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Box 14: folder 12
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Thomas, M. Carey,
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1894-1922
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Box 14: folder 13
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U,
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1894-1910
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Box 14: folder 14
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U.S. Geological Survey,
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1913-16
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Box 14: folder 15
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V,
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1898-1907
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Box 14: folder 16
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Van Hise, Charles R.,
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1894-1905
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Box 14: folder 17
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W,
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1894-1922
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Box 14: folder 18
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Watson, E.H.,
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1934-37
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Box 14: folder 19
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Wherry, E.T.,
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1908-14
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Box 14: folder 20
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Willis, Bailey,
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1896-1931
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Box 14: folder 21
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Wright, F.E.,
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1896-1912
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Box 14: folder 22
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Miscellaneous,
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1898-1931
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Box 14: folder 23
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Miscellaneous,
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1886-1963
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Box 15: folder 1-5
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SERIES V. WRITINGS
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High school and college papers,
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1876-80
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Box 16: folder 1
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Pamphlets and bibliography,
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1913-37
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Box 16: folder 2
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Pamphlets,
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1896-1926
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Box 16: folder 3-4
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Articles and clippings,
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1896-1934
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Box 16: folder 5
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U.S. Geological Survey: press releases, reports, and itinerary (presumed to be by Florence Bascom),
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1915-36
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Box 16: folder 6
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Speeches,
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1922-38
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Box 16: folder 7
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Unpublished writings,
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1923-28
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Box 16: folder 8
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Verse,
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1932
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Box 16: folder 9
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Notes,
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n.d.
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Box 16: folder 10
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SERIES VI. ORGANIZATIONS, HONORS, AND AWARDS
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Certificates and pamphlets,
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1900-39
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Box 17: folder 1
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Phi Beta Kappa: pamphlets, clippings, and certificates,
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1896-1904
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Box 17: folder 2
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Honors, awards, and certificates,
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1875-1926
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Box 17: folder 3
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Testimonial for Florence Bascom: articles, telegrams, and correspondence,
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1928
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Box 17: folder 4
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Blake, Sue Avis: verse and photograph,
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n.d.
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Box 17: folder 5
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Butler, Anna Bates: articles,
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1905
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Box 17: folder 6
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Eastman, Elaine Goodale: correspondence, verse, and clippings,
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1928-38
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Box 17: folder 7
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Goldschmidt, Victor: pamphlet and correspondence,
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1908-12
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Box 17: folder 8
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Ogilvie, Ida: correspondence, clippings, and articles,
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1928-40
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Box 17: folder 9
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Thomas, M. Carey: cards, pamphlets, and correspondence,
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1899-1922
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Box 17: folder 10
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Maps,
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1892
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Box 17: folder 11
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Women's rights: pamphlets and clippings,
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1975-82
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Box 17: folder 12
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Memorabilia
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Class list and verse,
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n.d.
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Box 17
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Eye glasses in cases (3 pairs),
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n.d.
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Box 17
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Correspondence, verse, and cards,
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1897
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Box 17: folder 13
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The Stone Lady: A Memoir of Florence Bascom
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Clippings and correspondence,
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1975-82
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Box 17: folder 14
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Photographs (photocopies),
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n.d.
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Box 17: folder 15
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Copy of The Stone Lady: A Memoir of Florence Bascom by Isabel Fothergill Smith (Bryn Mawr College,
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1981)
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Box 17
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OVERSIZED MATERIALS
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Photographs,
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1939
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Flat File
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Embroidered Bascom coat of arms,
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n.d.
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Flat File
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Degree certificates,
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1877-1915
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Flat File
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Paintings,
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1931
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Flat File
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