George Huntington Williams collection

Collection

Identifier: MS-0136

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection primarily consists of four bound volumes of lecture notes on petrography and mineralogy taken by George Huntington Williams and Henry Carvill Lewis. The lecture notes are in German and were recorded when the two were students of the noted professor of petrography, Heinrich Rosenbusch, University of Heidelberg, 1881-1887. The first volume contains Williams's notes on petrography, 1881-1882; the second volume contains notes "reported by G. H. Williams and transcribed for H. C. Lewis, 1885." The final two volumes are Lewis's notes on mineralogy (1886-1887). The collection also contains a letter of Alfred R. C. Selwyn (1892) commenting on a report on the Sudbury (Ontario) region. The final item in the collection is a scrapbook containing memorials and condolence notes following Williams's death in Utica, NY in 1894.

Dates

Creation: 1878 - 1894

Creator

Williams, George Huntington, 1856-1894 (Person)
Lewis, Henry Carvill, 1853-1888 (Person)

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical Note

George Huntington Williams was a mineralogist, petrologist, and professor of Geology at Johns Hopkins University from 1882 to 1894. He was born in Utica, N.Y. Jan. 28, 1856. Williams received his Ph.D. from the University of Heidelberg (1882) where he studied under Heinrich Rosenbush, a professor of microscopic petragraphy who received the 1903 Wollaston Medal from the Geological Society of London. Williams accepted a position in the newly established Geology department at Hopkins and led the instruction of petrography in American universities. Henry Carvill Lewis (1853-1888), a geologist and mineralogist, was a Fellow in Williams's laboratory and shared his interest in petrologic studies. Like Williams, Lewis left for Heidelberg (1885-1887) to continue his studies with Professor Rosenbush. George Huntington Williams died in 1894.

Extent

0.71 Cubic Feet (1 legal size document box, 1 legal half-size document box)

Language of Materials

English

German

Additional Description

Abstract

George Huntington Williams (1856-1894) was a mineralogist, petrologist, and professor of Geology at Johns Hopkins University. The collection primarily consists of four bound volumes of lecture notes (in German) on petrography and mineralogy taken by George Huntington Williams dating from 1881-1887, with some additional material from 1894.

Custodial History

A manuscript volume (QE366 .L67) was transferred from the stacks to Special collections in March 2002.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was given to the University by his son Huntington Williams, M.D. in 1962 and by H. Carvill Lewis in 1939. The Amherst College yearbook was donated by Professor Bruce Marsh in 2009.

Related Materials

Correspondence of George Huntington Williams is included in the Daniel Coit Gilman Papers MS.0001, Special Collections.

Field notebooks of George Huntington Williams can be found in the Ferdinand Hamburger, Jr. Archives, Special Collections.

Processing Information

This is no known processing information for this collection.

Rachel Gattermeyer revised the scope and content note in this finding aid in December 2023 to bring it into compliance with Johns Hopkins guidelines for inclusive and conscientious description (2023). The previous version of the finding aid is available upon request.