Collections : [University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library]

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Collection

Theodore H. Hubbell papers, 1833-1988 (majority within 1852-1970)

7.4 linear feet

Professor of entomology at the University of Michigan. Personal and professional papers of Hubbell and his wife Grace Griffin Hubbell; also collected genealogical and family papers relating to the Hubbell and Hussey families (Grace Griffin Hubbell's mother was Lenora Hussey Griffin); Hussey family series includes papers of John Milton and Mary C. Hussey and their children and relate to John M. Hussey's Civil War service, Ohio agriculture and Grange activities and family life and customs; Hubbell family series includes papers of Clarence W. and Winifred Waters Hubbell relating in part to his work as engineer in the Philippines, 1907-1913; and collected Hubbell family photos and albums, including views of Benzonia, Michigan family farm and relating to C. W. Hubbell's service as engineer in the Philippine Islands, 1909-1911; also personal photograph series, including various residences of Hubbell, his scientific field trips to Tennessee, Florida, and the Philippines, and postcard views of Michigan communities.

The Theodore Huntington Hubbell papers form a disparate collection that documents not only his professional career as an entomologist and curator, but also sheds light on the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century Hubbell and Hussey families. The far-reaching scope of these papers derives from Theodore H. and Grace Griffin Hubbell's diligent collecting of family papers and photographs. The bulk of the early materials are Hussey family papers consisting of the personal papers of Grace's mother, Lenora Hussey Griffin, and her mother's nuclear family. This family consisted of Lenora's parents, John Milton and Mary C. Hussey, and her siblings, William J., Edgar P., Arthur, and Alice, and their spouses.

The Theodore H. Hubbell papers should be viewed as a subset of a larger universe of collections which include the Hussey family and Hubbell family collections here at the Bentley Historical Library and the John Milton Hussey letters and diary at the University of Michigan's William Clements Library. The strengths of this collection are diverse, ranging from a rich run of Civil War correspondence between John Milton and Mary C. Hussey, to Lenora Hussey Griffin's letters to her family about her education at Stanford, to Theodore Hubbell and J. Speed Rogers correspondence with various entomologists regarding field work and collecting. The collection will be of use to researchers interested in nineteenth-century agriculture, the Grange in Ohio, family life and customs, Joseph B. Steere's expedition to the Philippine Islands, and visual images of turn of the century Michigan and the University of Michigan. The collection is weak on documenting Theodore Hubbell's work as a teacher and curator of the Museum of Zoology; these records are retained by the museum for use in administering their collections.

The Theodore H. Hubbell papers span the years 1833-1988, with the bulk of materials covering the years 1852-1970; they are organized into five series: Genealogy, Hussey Family, Hubbell Family, Personal, and Professional. The first three series reflect Theodore and Grace Griffin Hubbell's efforts as genealogist/archivist for their respective families. The Personal series primarily deals with the private lives of Theodore and Grace Hubbell, but it also contains some materials linked to the first three series in the correspondence with Lenora Hussey Griffin. The materials in the first four series were rearranged during the course of processing to facilitate access to the Hussey and Hubbell family papers. The last series consists of Theodore Hubbell's professional correspondence (including letters to his cousin Roland F. Hussey) and project related materials; this series retains its original order.

Folder

Personal, 1907-1988

The Personal (1907-1988) series comprises sixteen linear inches of materials and is closely linked to the first three series; it is arranged alphabetically by type of material and consists of correspondence, Grace Griffin Hubbell materials, photographs, and other visual materials. As with the previous series, these materials have been moved in the course of processing, so researchers should avail themselves of cross-references in the folder listing. Grace Griffin Hubbell's correspondence with her mother, Lenora Hussey Griffin, is quite frank and reveals two fine intellects. Grace's reminiscences and notes on her chemotherapy after her cancer diagnosis are compelling.

Folder

Professional (primarily 1930s-1960s), 1890-1988

The Professional series (1890-1988, primarily 1930s-1960s) makes up the last half of the collection and runs four and one-third linear feet. The bulk of this series consists of correspondence which runs to more than three linear feet and is arranged alphabetically by correspondent. Also included in the series are Hubbell's vitae and letters of appointment and Hubbell's efforts to establish the field of biological systematics and other professional writing.

Folder

Correspondence, 1890-1988

The Correspondence subseries includes materials of Hubbell, J. Speed Rogers, and Alexander G. Ruthven as they managed the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. It naturally includes letters from prominent University of Michigan zoologists, Cantrall, Dice, Gaige, Hussey, and Van Tyne, but it also contains correspondence with amateur entomologists who collected for the museum. Further correspondence of this type evidently has been retained by the Museum of Zoology to facilitate control over their collections. Among the materials in this subseries, the following are of special note: the letters with Roland F. Hussey which are both professional and intimately personal in nature; the J. Speed Rogers materials which detail the concurrent development of his and Hubbell's careers; and the correspondence regarding the Joseph B. Steere expeditions reflects Hubbell's profound interest in nailing down the details of Steere's itinerary.