William Jones Rhees papers

This collection contains the papers of Smithsonian chief clerk, bibliographer, and collector William Jones Rhees (1830-1907), of materials assembled chiefly for their autograph value, though the collection contains various groups of related materials. Includes papers of American physicist and surveyor Alexander Dallas Bache (1806-1867), American geographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1793-1864), National Institute for the Promotion of Sciences, and the Smithsonian Institution, as well as correspondence of William Jones Rhees, letters and papers addressed to the United States Pension Bureau, letters and papers related to Indian affairs, and miscellaneous autograph letters and documents. There is also personal correspondence of William Jones Rhees and correspondence with Sons of the American Revolution, particularly the chapter at Washington, D.C. This portion of the collection holds letters from Dorothea Lynde Dix. Letters and addresses to the United States Pension Bureau contain routine letters regarding pensions or applications. Letters and papers relating to Indian affairs pertain to various Indian agents and factors, including Benjamin Hawkins, William Hull, William Irvine, Return Jonathan Meigs, and others. There are also 134 letters collected chiefly for their autograph value, and receipts for Smithsonian publications.

United States presidents represented in the collection include: John Quincy Adams, James Buchanan, Millard Fillmore, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Franklin Pierce, and Zachary Taylor. See container lists for National Institute materials, Smithsonian Institution materials, and William Jones Rhees correspondence series for item details.

Individuals represented by 5 or more pieces consist of: