Edward and Orra White Hitchcock Papers, ca. 1811-1864 : Scope & Contents of the Collection

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Edward and Orra White Hitchcock Papers document the professional activities and some of the personal life of Edward Hitchcock and Orra White Hitchcock and their family, spanning the years 1804-1910, with the bulk of the material falling into the period 1820-1864. The Papers occupy approximately 20 linear feet of shelf space.

The breadth of Edward Hitchcock's career and professional activities are represented in the Papers and reflect his multiple roles and interests as a scientist, educator, minister, college president, and family man. Hitchcock's career in the natural sciences brought him into the national arena as a noted geologist. His Final Report on the Geology of Massachusetts is well documented in the Papers as is the breadth of his scientific and religious works. His circle of colleagues and associates was extensive and his interests varied. Because of Hitchcock's overlapping professional and personal commitments, a researcher should check all series in the Papers for relevant material.

Although Orra White Hitchcock is less thoroughly represented in the Papers, the material that has survived documents her artistic and scientific activities as well as her family responsibilities. It provides a picture of her diverse roles as artist, scientific illustrator of her husband's works, wife, mother, and member of the College and town community. The diaries she kept when she accompanied her husband on their European trips, along with her ad hoc sketches, reflect the acuity with which she observed the world around her.

Family-related material includes correspondence with Edward and Orra's children, and some material about Edward's parents and siblings.

Materials in the Papers include correspondence, drawings, legal documents, sermons, drafts of published and unpublished works, printed articles, autographs, artwork, and images.