Martha's Vineyard Museum
A Finding Aid to the Henry L. Whiting Papers
Table of Contents
Descriptive Summary
| Repository | Martha's Vineyard Museum Gale Huntington Research Library 59 School Street P.O. Box 1310 Edgartown, MA 02539 (508) 627-4441 |
|---|---|
| Call Number | RU 74 |
| Creator - Collector | Whiting, Henry L., 1821-1897 |
| Title | Henry L. Whiting papers |
| Date [inclusive] | 1833-1944 |
| Extent | 5 boxes + 8 oversize folders (2.539 cubic feet) |
| Language | The materials are in English. |
| Abstract | Henry L. Whiting (1821-1897) worked for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey for nearly 60 years. This collection consists largely of his communications with and reports for and by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey office in Washington, D.C., and the Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission. There are also personal papers regarding Whiting's home and farm in West Tisbury, Massachusetts, which he ran with his son Johnson Whiting (1864-1957). |
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
There are no restrictions to access.
Use and Reproduction Restrictions
Requests to reproduce material from this collection should be directed to the library's staff. Reproduction fees may apply.
Preferred Citation
Martha's Vineyard Museum, RU 74, Henry L. Whiting Papers.
Acquisition Information
The 1846-1847 journal was a gift of Prudence Noon in 2003 (Accession no. 2003.015). It was donated in conjunction with records of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society, RU 233. The immediate source of acquisition and date of accession for the remainder of the materials in the collection is unknown.
Custodial History
Materials gifted by Prudence Noon were found in the donor's home on State Road in West Tisbury. The house was formerly the residence of the donor's great grandmother, Virginia Whiting Newhall, daughter of Henry L. Whiting.
Publication Information
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Gale Huntington Research Library59 School Street
P.O. Box 1310
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-4441
Processing Information
Finding aid prepared by Margot S. Weston in March 2011. Finding aid revised and updated by Lara J. Ullman in October 2014.Finding aid machine-encoded by Nathaniel Janick in November 2014.
Creation of this finding aid was sponsored by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.Related Materials
Related Materials
See also, RU 233, Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society records.
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Annual reports
- Clippings
- Correspondence
- Publications
- Receipts
- Reports
Geographic Name(s)
- Atlantic Coast (U.S.)--Surveys
- Martha's Vineyard (Mass.)
- Massachusetts--Surveys
- Mississippi River Valley--Surveys
- West Tisbury (Mass.)
Contributor(s)
- Massachusetts. Commissioners of the Topographical Survey
- U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey
- Whiting family
- Whiting, Johnson, 1864-1957
Subject(s)
- Agriculture--Massachusetts--Martha's Vineyard
- Science
- Surveying--Massachusetts
Biography/Historical Note
Henry Laurens Whiting was born in Albany, New York, on February 5, 1821. He was the youngest child of Daniel Whiting and Elizabeth Gilbert Powers. Daniel Whiting was a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in Troy, New York. In 1851, Henry Whiting married Anna Frances Johnson in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. Anna was born in 1830 on Naushon Island, Massachusetts and died in 1912 in West Tisbury. She was the daughter of Asa and Prudence (Adams) Johnson. Henry and Anna Whiting lived on a farm in West Tisbury and had 4 children: Georgiana Hunt (1855-1931), Virginia (1857-1915), Elizabeth Gilbert (1859-1915), and Johnson (1864-1957). Johnson Whiting eventually took over management of the family farm around 1890. Although Henry Whiting's work took him away from home, he was nevertheless involved with the island community. He was one of the founders of the Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society.
Henry Whiting had a long and distinguished career with the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, starting in 1838 at the age of 17. He developed the topographical operations of the bureau. In 1849, Whiting directed the triangulation of the coast of Florida. Though most of his work was along the northeast coast he had assignments in Iowa, the Mississippi River Valley, and San Diego, California.
When the Civil War broke out, he went to Washington, D. C., for volunteer service. Whiting was put in charge of a number of ground and coastal military surveys. In 1866, he was appointed instructor in practical surveys at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He also spent two years as professor of Topographical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1884, Whiting was appointed a member of the Massachusetts State Topographical Survey Commission and then in 1890 he became a member of the Mississippi River Commission. Whiting took on his last assignment in 1894, taking general charge of the resurvey of Boston Harbor. Henry L. Whiting died at his home in West Tisbury February 4, 1897. In 1962, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), named a premier hydrographic survey vessel after Henry Whiting, considering him the leading topographer of the United States in the nineteenth century.
Scope and Content Note
The Henry L. Whiting papers date from the latter half of the 19th century and include correspondence with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey office in Washington, DC and the Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission, as well as personal papers regarding Whiting's property in West Tisbury, Massachusetts. Series I includes letters concerning the sheep farm in West Tisbury, tax receipts from various family members, and properties and newspaper clippings. Series II contains professional papers pertaining to Whiting's survey work including: correspondence between Whiting and the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission and other colleagues; and reports, expenses, memoranda, sketched maps, and published reports relating to particular survey assignments.
Arrangement
- Series I: Family Papers, 1837-1944
- Series II: Professional Papers, 1833-1897
Collection Inventory
Series I. Family Papers, 1837-1944 Scope and ContentThe correspondence in this series includes general greetings from friends, an Oak Bluffs Club membership, and Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society meeting notices. There are also farm receipts and bills for grain and sheep. Around 1890 Henry L. Whiting's son Johnson Whiting started to manage the family sheep farm and many of the papers from this period were created by Johnson Whiting. Henry sought advice from old friends on farming techniques, especially from Charles Backman of Stony Ford, New York. Also documented in this series is the purchase and shipment of livestock from Backman and others. Additionally, there are tax receipts from Tisbury, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Edgartown between 1872 and 1896. Finally, the series contains a journal from 1846-1847 written by an unknown employee of Henry Whiting, who assisted him in charting the Martha's Vineyard shore. The entries are brief descriptions of weather conditions and work for the day. ArrangementThe series is arranged chronologically with newspaper clippings and undated material filed at the end. | ||||
| Box | Folder | |||
Accounts: Personal and Professional, 1837-1839 | 1 | 1 | ||
Diaries, 1838-1839 | 1 | 2 | ||
Journal, 1846-1847 | 1 | 3 | ||
Personal Correspondence, 1859-1896 | 1 | 4 | ||
Farm Related Papers, 1861-1891 | 1 | 5 | ||
Tax Receipts: Tisbury, 1872-1896 | 1 | 6 | ||
Tax Receipts: Chilmark, Edgartown, West Tisbury, 1872-1896 | 1 | 7 | ||
Announcements, Tickets, Programs, 1872-1930, undated | 1 | 8 | ||
Tax Collector Notices, 1888 July 8 | 1 | 9 | ||
Grain Billings, 1888-1893 | 1 | 10 | ||
Farm Related Correspondence, 1891-1892 | 1 | 11 | ||
Farm Related Correspondence, 1893-1894 | 1 | 12 | ||
Johnson Whiting: Farm Animals, 1893-1896 | 1 | 13 | ||
Johnson Whiting: Correspondence and Farming Equipment Invoices, 1900 | 1 | 14 | ||
Newspaper Clippings, 1881-1944 | 1 | 15 | ||
Newspaper Clippings, undated | 1 | 16 | ||
Poetry and Floor Plan, undated | 1 | 17 | ||
Series II. Professional Papers, 1833-1897 Scope and ContentHenry L. Whiting's professional papers touch on his survey career between 1867 and 1892. There are standard communications with the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey office in Washington, D.C., such as: department memoranda of procedure; assignments; and acknowledgements of receipt of reports. Administrative papers include accounting sheets for expenses and salaries; lists of employee service time; and listings of employees who died during service. Whiting sent monthly personal reports identifying where he was and what he was working on. His annual reports, which appear to be in draft form, are details of work accomplished during that fiscal year. Also included are official notifications of assignments and letters about fieldwork with colleagues. Key projects include work for the Mississippi River Commission; Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners of Massachusetts; Massachusetts Topographical Survey Commission; and the "Report Dubuque" of Iowa. There are nine published reports included in the series: eight are survey related and one is a listing of the American Academy of Arts and Science members (to which Whiting belonged). ArrangementThe series is arranged chronologically. | ||||
| Box | Folder | |||
Accounting and Personnel Papers, 1833-1894 | 1 | 18 | ||
Supply List and Notes, 1838-1897 | 1 | 19 | ||
Observation Notes, 1839 | 1 | 20 | ||
"Rules for Representing Certain Topographical and Hydrographic Features of the Maps and Charts of the United States Coast Survey." Published by the Coast Survey Office., 1860 NoteFound inside report are several hand bound notebook pages with signs and symbols affixed and identified by hand. | 2 | 1 | ||
"Cape Cod Ship Canal: Report of the Advisory Council of the Joint Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature.", 1860-1862 | OS GEN 6 | 1 | ||
Hand Sketch Katama Opening, 1861 February 23 | OS GEN 6 | 2 | ||
Incoming Correspondence , 1867-1871 | 2 | 2 | ||
"Proposed Plan for Building a Bridge Across the East River at Blackwell's Island," by W. P. Trowbridge., 1868 | OS GEN 6 | 3 | ||
"Special Survey of the Harbor of Provincetown, in the State of Massachusetts," by Henry L. Whiting. Appendix No. 12, Coast Survey Report for 1867., 1869 | OS GEN 6 | 4 | ||
"Report on the Tides and Currents of Hell Gate, one of the Entrances to New York Harbor," by Henry Mitchell. Appendix No. 13, Coast Survey Report for 1867., 1869 | OS GEN 6 | 4 | ||
"Reports Concerning Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket," by Henry L. Whiting. Appendix No. 15, to Report for 1869., 1869 | OS GEN 6 | 5 | ||
"United States Coast Survey on the Reclamation of Tide-Lands, and It's Relation to Navigation" by Henry Mitchell., 1869 | 2 | 3 | ||
Incoming Correspondence , 1872-1874 | 2 | 4 | ||
"List of the Fellows, Associate Fellows, and Foreign Honorary Members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.", 1873 May | OS GEN 6 | 6 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1880-1884 | 2 | 5 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence , 1881-1884 | 2 | 6 | ||
"Methods and Results: An Attempt to Solve the Problem of the First Landing Place of Columbus in the New World." Appendix No. 18, Report for 1880., 1882 | OS GEN 6 | 7 | ||
Report Draft: "Topographical Survey and Map of the Commonwealth", circa 1884 | 2 | 7 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1885 | 2 | 8 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1885 | 2 | 9 | ||
Annual Report Draft for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1885 August | 2 | 10 | ||
Survey Notes About Martha's Vineyard, 1886 | 2 | 11 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1886 January-May | 2 | 12 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1886 January-May | 2 | 13 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1886 June-December | 2 | 14 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1886 June-December | 2 | 15 | ||
"Methods and Results: Shoreline Changes on Martha's Vineyard." Appendix No. 9, Report for 1886., 1887 | OS GEN 6 | 8 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1887 January-July | 2 | 16 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1887 January-March | 2 | 17 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1887 August-December | 3 | 1 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1887 April-December | 3 | 2 | ||
Philosophical Society of Washington, 1887-1892 | 3 | 3 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1888 | 3 | 4 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1888 | 3 | 5 | ||
Report of Triangulation in Essex County, 1888-1889 | 3 | 6 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1889 January-May | 3 | 7 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1889 January-May | 3 | 8 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1889 June-December | 3 | 9 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1889 June-December | 3 | 10 | ||
"The Mississippi River: Its Hydraulics, Value, and Control." Published by the Executive Committee, Interstate Mississippi River Improvement and Levee Association, 1890 NoteThis folder also includes a letter about the publication. | 3 | 11 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1890 January-June | 3 | 12 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1890 January-April | 3 | 13 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1890 May-July | 4 | 1 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1890 July-December | 4 | 2 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1890 August-December | 4 | 3 | ||
"Notes on an Early Chart of Long Island Sound and Its Approaches" by Charles Hervey Townshend. Appendix No. 20 - Report for 1890. Published by Government Printing Office, 1891., 1891 | 4 | 4 | ||
Annual Report Draft, 1891 | 4 | 5 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1891 | 4 | 6 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1891 | 4 | 7 | ||
Personal Reports and Receipts, 1891 | 4 | 8 | ||
Material Regarding Boundary Lines in Tide-Water, circa 1891-1894 | 4 | 9 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1892 | 4 | 10 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1892 | 4 | 11 | ||
Personal Reports and Receipts, 1892 | 4 | 12 | ||
Annual Report Draft and Receipt, 1892 October | 4 | 13 | ||
Report of Topographical Survey Near Plymouth, Mass., and Receipt, 1892 October | 4 | 14 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1893 | 4 | 15 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1893 | 4 | 16 | ||
Personal Reports and Receipts, 1893 | 4 | 17 | ||
United States Coast and Geodetic Survey Leaflets on Various Topics (issued by the USCGS), 1893 May 1 | 5 | 1 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1894 | 5 | 2 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, 1894 | 5 | 3 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, 1896 | 5 | 4 | ||
Draft: "Atlas of Massachusetts. Preface.", undated | 5 | 5 | ||
Draft of Memorandum: "The Importance of Triangulation", undated | 5 | 6 | ||
Incoming Correspondence, undated | 5 | 7 | ||
Miscellaneous Material, undated | 5 | 8 | ||
Outgoing Correspondence, undated | 5 | 9 | ||
Professional Notes, undated | 5 | 10 | ||
Report Draft: Dubuque, Iowa, undated | 5 | 11 | ||