Good research is often a group effort. Keeping track of your notes and your correspondence, what they are about and who you discussed them with is critical. Frederick William True, head curator of biology at the United States National Museum from 1897 to 1911, kept a file of correspondence, notes, drawings, expense documents, news clippings, and more arranged alphabetically by either correspondent or scientific name of specimen. There appears to be no specific rule which determines where a particular item is filed, and correspondence with individuals is often filed by scientific name. This collection division includes material on the collection and description of specimens, professional correspondence on fossil whales, and information on collecting localities with numerous references to Cretacean and whale fossils.
Join us and other digital volunteers in transcribing this material for a deeper understanding of the context of True's research and collection stewardship.
Good research is often a group effort. Keeping track of your notes and your correspondence, what they are about and who you discussed them with is critical. Frederick William True, head curator of biology at the United States National Museum from 1897 to 1911, kept a file of correspondence, notes, drawings, expense documents, news clippings, and more arranged alphabetically by either correspondent or scientific name of specimen. There appears to be no specific rule which determines where a particular item is filed, and correspondence with individuals is often filed by scientific name. This collection division includes material on the collection and description of specimens, professional correspondence on fossil whales, and information on collecting localities with numerous references to Cretacean and whale fossils.
Join us and other digital volunteers in transcribing this material for a deeper understanding of the context of True's research and collection stewardship.
Frederick William True (1858-1914) was born in Middletown, Connecticut, on July 8, 1858. His brother was Alfred Charles True, a leader in American agricultural education. True attended the University of the City of New York and received his B.S. degree in 1878. Later that year, he received a position as a clerk with the United States Fish Commission. While with the Fish Commission, he served as custodian of the agency's exhibits at the Berlin Fisheries Exposition of 1880. Frederick William True joined the Smithsonian Institution in 1881 as Librarian and Acting Curator of Mammals in the United States National Museum (USNM). He remained with the Institution until his death in 1914. Two years after joining the Smithsonian, he became curator of Mammals in 1883 and remained in charge of the division until 1909. In addition to those duties, he was curator of the Division of Comparative Anatomy from 1885 to 1890, executive curator from 1894 to 1897, and head of the Department of Biology from 1897 to 1911. From 1911 to 1914, True was assistant secretary of the Smithsonian in charge of the library and International Exchange Service. During this period, the Smithsonian Institution was actively engaged in displaying exhibits at the many expositions that were being held. True was responsible for the preparation of the Smithsonian exhibits for the Tennessee Centennial Exposition at Nashville, 1897; the Omaha Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition of 1898; the Pan American Exposition at Buffalo, New York, 1901; the South Carolina Interstate and West Indian Exposition at Charleston, 1902; the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904 at St. Louis; and the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition at Portland, Oregon.
True originally began his zoological studies with the invertebrates, but bad eyesight forced him to revise his plans and he turned to the study of mammals. His specialties were cetaceans and related groups. Later, he took up the study of fossil cetaceans and, in addition to publishing many important works in the field, helped build up the Museum's collections in this area. The Smithsonian Institution Archives holds a number of True's personal papers.
