Leaf and Flower Pictures and How to Make Them.

manosca143 Frances Grace Smith Papers, 1899-1949 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Anna Green, Karen Eberhart. Smith College Archives

Northampton, MA

Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Deborah A. Richards. 2006-08-22 Finding aid written in English Smith College Archives Frances Grace Smith Papers, 1899-1949 Finding Aid RG 42 Anna Green, Karen Eberhart 2004

Collection Overview Smith, Frances Grace, b. 1871 Frances Grace Smith Papers 1899-1949 1901-1949 RG 42 1 box (.4 linear ft.) English Smith College Archives

Northampton, MA

Professor of Botany. Contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to the life and work of Frances Grace Smith. Biographical Note

Frances Grace Smith was born in Springfield, MA on Dec. 27, 1870, the daughter of George B. Smith and Mary L. Stebbins. Her father was the City Assessor for Springfield, MA and she was raised in the Baptist faith. She graduated from Smith College with the Class of 1893. During her undergraduate career she focused her studies on the Classics and taught Latin at the high school in Warren, MA during 1895-1897. Frances redirected her life to Botany and returned to Smith College and received her M.A. in 1899. She continued her education at the University of Chicago and was granted her doctorate in 1906. While she was undertaking her doctoral study she also worked at Smith College in the botany department. She started as an assistant in 1900, was promoted to Instructor in 1905, to Associate Professor in 1911 and finally to full Professor in 1929. She retired from teaching in 1937 but she continued to do research until her death. Her research focused on ferns, Diellia in particular, about which she published several books and articles. Frances traveled frequently to tropical locations in search of ferns. She spent many winters in Honolulu, Hawaii where she was connected to the Bishop Museum. Frances died May 25, 1948 in Northampton, MA after a prolonged illness.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

Contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs relating to the life and work of Frances Grace Smith, 1906-1949. Of note is dried and pressed plant material collected by Frederick Schwatka on King William's Sand in 1878-1880 during his trip in the Arctic as commander of the American Franklin Search Party. The plant material is pressed inside a book titled Easy Guide to the Constellations with an Atlas of the Stars with notations made by Schwatka on the star charts. There is also a letter written by Schwatka to Professor Sereno Watson in Cambridge, MA explaining the book and plant material dated May 11 1883.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish or quote from the documents must be obtained from the Smith College Archives.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Frances Grace Smith Papers, Box #, Smith College Archives.

History of the Collection

The materials in the Frances Grace Smith Papers, are part of 42. Faculty Biographical files, came to the College Archives from a number of sources.

1022 1 Biography 1903-1949 1022 2 Correspondence 1906-1949 1022 3 Correspondence - Bower, Frederick Orpen 1928-1931 1022 4 Correspondence - Chamberlain, Charles Joseph 1927-1928 1022 5 Correspondence - Freeman, George L. 1914-1928 1022 6 Correspondence - to Mr. Degener 1942 1022 7 Nature's Diary 1900-1901 1022 8 Seminar in Ecology with Prof. William Ganong 1903 1022 9 Photographs c.1893-c.1940 1022 10 Pressed plant specimens contained in two books: Leaf and Flower Pictures and How to Make Them. New York: Anson D.F. Randolph, 1859. which had belonged to Mrs. C.H.M. Newell of Wilbraham, MA who died in 1908; Gall, Rev. James. An Easy Guide to the Constellations with a Miniature Atlas of the Stars and Key Maps. Edinburgh: Gall and Inglis, n.d. Belonged to Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka and includes notations by him on the stars charts. The plant material was collected by him on King William's Sand in the Arctic in 1878-1880 during his trip as commander of the American Franklin Search Party. Also a letter written by Schwatka to Professor Sereno Watson in Cambridge, MA explaining the book and plant material dated May 11, 1883. 1859-1883, n.d. 1022 11 Publications 1901-1934