Isabel Shipley Cunningham Collection on Frank Nicholas Meyer

Collection

Identifier: MS0240

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Isabel Shipley Cunningham Collection on Frank Nicholas Meyer was created by Isabel Shipley Cunningham before and after publishing Frank N. Meyer Plant Hunter in Asia (1984). The collection covers Meyer's life, especially his four plant gathering expeditions in Asia, and his surviving plant introductions (plants Meyer brought back from his travels and planted by various people in the United States). Cunningham annotated items throughout the collection. The two and a half linear feet collection covers 1898-2005 with the bulk dates of 1906-1919 and 1980-1987. The collection is arranged into six series: Correspondence; Documents; Research Notes and Annotations; Photographs; Articles; and Maps. Some of the correspondence and articles are in Dutch, which have English translations.

Many items in the collection are reproductions from other repository collections that Cunningham gathered during her research. Some of these items include photocopies of Meyer's original correspondence from Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University; articles about Meyer from libraries in the Netherlands; Meyer's petition for naturalization from the United States Department of Immigration and Naturalization; Meyer's will from the Register of Wills in Washington, D.C.; and other documents from the National Archives and Records Administration's 'Records of Frank N. Meyer, Plant Explorer, 1902-18'. Copyright must be obtained from the institution that houses the original material.

Dates

Creation: 1907-1919

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

In 1901, Frans Nicholas Meijer (1875-1918) emigrated from the Netherlands to America, where his name was changed to Frank Meyer. Almost immediately, Meyer went to work for U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist Erwin F. Smith, known internationally for his groundbreaking work in bacteriology. In 1902, Meyer began working at the USDA's Plant Introduction Station in Santa Ana, California. The period from 1905 to 1908 marked the beginning of Meyer's expeditions to Asia, where he collected plants in China, Russia, and Japan, as well as other countries. During his second expedition from 1909 to 1912, he collected in Europe, Russia, and in China. From 1913 to 1915, he explored and collected plants in Russia and China. Meyer's fourth and final expedition took place from 1916 to 1918. The purpose of this journey is stated in the accompanying typescript, dated July 25, 1916.

Meyer died an untimely death in June 1918. While traveling on the Japanese riverboat, Feng Yang Maru, destined for Shanghai, he fell overboard into the Yangtze River. His body was recovered, but the circumstances of his death remain a mystery and source of speculation. Meyer's contributions as a plant explorer are recognized around the world. From apricots to wild pears, his plant introductions number over 2,500.

Total Size of Collection

2 legal_document_box

1 half_legal_document_box

1 boxes (1 box, 20.75 x 16.75 x 1.5)

2.5 Linear Feet (4 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Content Description

The Isabel Shipley Cunningham Collection on Frank Nicholas Meyer consists of photocopies of original correspondence, documents, and articles relating to Frank N. Meyer (1875-1918), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant explorer from 1902 to 1918. The materials were collected by Isabel S. Cunningham during research for her book, Frank N. Meyer: Plant Hunter in Asia. In April 2006, Cunningham donated more of her research notes, articles, photographs, and a first edition annotated copy of Frank N. Meyer: Plant Hunter in Asia.