Letters Received
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: Accession #1976-95
name: label: Creator
content: Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961
label: Correspondent
content: Boas, Franz, 1858-1942
label: Correspondent
content: Collins, Henry Bascom, 1899-1987
label: Correspondent
content: Densmore, Frances, 1867-1957
label: Correspondent
content: Fewkes, Jesse Walter, 1850-1930
label: Correspondent
content: Harrington, Arthur
label: Correspondent
content: Hewett, Edgar L. (Edgar Lee), 1865-1946
label: Correspondent
content: Hodge, Frederick Webb, 1864-1956
label: Correspondent
content: Kroeber, A. L. (Alfred Louis), 1876-1960
label: Correspondent
content: Marr, John Paul
label: Correspondent
content: Martin, Fredericka I.
label: Correspondent
content: Mason, John Alden, 1885-1967
label: Correspondent
content: Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942
label: Correspondent
content: Michelson, Truman, 1879-1938
label: Correspondent
content: Roberts, Frank H. H. (Frank Harold Hanna), 1897-1966
label: Creator
content: Roberts, Helen H. (Helen Heffron), 1888-1985
label: Correspondent
content: Sapir, Edward, 1884-1939
label: Correspondent
content: Speck, Frank G. (Frank Gouldsmith), 1881-1950
label: Correspondent
content: Stirling, Matthew Williams, 1896-1975
label: Correspondent
content: Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973
label: Correspondent
content: Van Valkenburgh, Richard F.
label: Correspondent
content: Voegelin, C. F. (Charles Frederick), 1906-1986
label: Correspondent
content: Waterman, T. T. (Thomas Talbot), b. 1885
label: Correspondent
content: Young, Robert W., 1912-2007
label: Names
content: Smithsonian Institution. Bureau of American Ethnology
label: Names
content: United States. Office of Censorship
label: Collection Creator
content: Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961
topic: label: Topic
content: Language and languages -- Documentation
label: Topic
content: Linguistics
creator: label: Creator
content: Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961
label: Correspondent
content: Boas, Franz, 1858-1942
label: Correspondent
content: Collins, Henry Bascom, 1899-1987
label: Correspondent
content: Densmore, Frances, 1867-1957
label: Correspondent
content: Fewkes, Jesse Walter, 1850-1930
label: Correspondent
content: Harrington, Arthur
label: Correspondent
content: Hewett, Edgar L. (Edgar Lee), 1865-1946
label: Correspondent
content: Hodge, Frederick Webb, 1864-1956
label: Correspondent
content: Kroeber, A. L. (Alfred Louis), 1876-1960
label: Correspondent
content: Marr, John Paul
label: Correspondent
content: Martin, Fredericka I.
label: Correspondent
content: Mason, John Alden, 1885-1967
label: Correspondent
content: Merriam, C. Hart (Clinton Hart), 1855-1942
label: Correspondent
content: Michelson, Truman, 1879-1938
label: Correspondent
content: Roberts, Frank H. H. (Frank Harold Hanna), 1897-1966
label: Creator
content: Roberts, Helen H. (Helen Heffron), 1888-1985
label: Correspondent
content: Sapir, Edward, 1884-1939
label: Correspondent
content: Speck, Frank G. (Frank Gouldsmith), 1881-1950
label: Correspondent
content: Stirling, Matthew Williams, 1896-1975
label: Correspondent
content: Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973
label: Correspondent
content: Van Valkenburgh, Richard F.
label: Correspondent
content: Voegelin, C. F. (Charles Frederick), 1906-1986
label: Correspondent
content: Waterman, T. T. (Thomas Talbot), b. 1885
label: Correspondent
content: Young, Robert W., 1912-2007
setName: label: See more items in
content: John Peabody Harrington papers
label: See more items in
content: John Peabody Harrington papers / Series 9: Correspondence
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 26 Boxes
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1904-1960
label: Date
content: bulk 1935-1954
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.1976-95, Subseries 9.1
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Correspondence
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: The documents are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the correspondent and thereunder chronologically; any undated items have been placed at the end of the group of letters for each person. In those instances when only a company name is given, the item in question is filed under that name. Some letters written by third parties to various acquaintances of Harrington were then forwarded to him without a cover letter. These records have been filed under the name of the original recipient as though they were enclosures. Letters, photographs, notes, drawings, maps, and other miscellaneous items which were sent under cover of a letter are labeled as enclosures and immediately follow the letter with which they were sent.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Microfilm and digital surrogates of microfilm are available. See Volume 9, reels 1-11. Unfilmed materials include the reverse sides of letters on which unrelated notes were written, the address sides of postcards and air cards when all pertinent data are also present on the message side of the cards, and large or bulky enclosures.
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Correspondence
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: This subseries of the Correspondence series contains letters received by John P. Harrington. His incoming letters include handwritten and typed letters, postcards, and telegrams.

The primary focus of Harrington's correspondence is his work--both that which he undertook on an official basis for the B.A.E. and that which he pursued because of strong personal interests. References to his research and fieldwork take the form of passing references in letters to acquaintances, detailed accounts in letters to close friends, requests for authorization of proposed fieldwork, and reports of work accomplished in letters to supervisors, and lists of instructions to field and clerical assistants.

Much of the correspondence involves queries and the exchange of information and questions. Harrington wrote to scientists for identification of plant, animal or mineral specimens collected during fieldwork, and to postmasters, Indian agents, and social works in search of informants. There is also correspondence regarding acquisition of books, photostats, microfilm, and various supplies and equipment. There are also letters to editors of various journals enclosing articles for publication as well as letters of introduction, obtained by Harrington to facilitate his own work or prepared by him for use by his assistants. A number of letters involve answers which Harrington prepared to questions which were addressed directly to him by members of the public or were referred to him in the capacity of Senior Ethnologist at the B.A.E.

Several hundred items of correspondence relate to Harrington's duties when detailed to the Office of Censorship from 1943 to 1945. Most of these reflect his efforts to obtain translations of letters in foreign languages which he could not identify or for which dictionaries were not available.

Finally there are letters exchanged with landladies; real estate agents; bank personnel; and city, county and federal officials regarding payment or collection of rent, selling of property, confirmation of bank balances, and payment of taxes, as well as letters written to friends and family dealing with purely personal matters.

Some of the letters are incomplete. A number of lengthy responses to Harrington's queries were cut apart by him and pasted on separate sheets for filing in various subject categories in his field notes. Such letters were reconstructed as much as possible by N.A.A. staff. Attempts were also made to determine the identity of each correspondent. The full name of an individual is supplied if known even though only the first name, initials, or a nickname were used on a letter. In those cases in which signatures are illegible, a suggested form is given in brackets; if the form is doubtful, it is marked with a question mark. There is a small file of four items at the end for which the identity of the correspondent has not been determined. In those cases where onlly a partial date was given by Harrington or his correspondents, brackets have been used to supply a fuller suggested date.

More than 140 incoming letters were never opened by Harrington. These items were removed from their envelopes after any relevant data appearing on an envelope were transferred to the letter. These are annotated with the date when they were opened at the N.A.A.