Correspondence
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: Accession #1976-95
name: label: Creator
content: Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961
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: Linguistics
creator: label: Creator
content: Harrington, John Peabody, 1884-1961
setName: label: See more items in
content: John Peabody Harrington papers
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 14.58 Linear Feet ((37 boxes))
unitdate: label: Date
content: undated
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, Series 9
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Correspondence
arrangement: label: Arrangement
content: Series is arranged into 3 subseries: (1) Letters Received; (2) Letters Sent; (3) Third Person Letters.
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Microfilm and digital surrogates of microfilm are available. 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 note
content: The contents of this section are more fully described in the guide to Vol. IX of the microfilmed papers. Please note that there is correspondence in the microfilm that is NOT part of the Harrington papers. Read the guide to Vol. 9 carefully and consult the reference archivist if there are any questions.
label: Scope and Contents
content: The Correspondence series within the John Peabody Harrington papers, perhaps more strikingly than any other part of the collection, highlight the amazing scope of Harrington's linguistic work, the wide variety of his peripheral interests, and the large number of correspondents with whom he kept in frequent contact. Harrington maintained correspondence with fellow linguists and anthropologists and colleagues and administrators at the Bureau of American Ethnology (B.A.E.). In addition, he exchanged many letters with scientists in other fields, numerous Indian agents, staff at many governement agencies, individuals involved in Indian rights organizations, museum and library personnel, local historians, and representatives of various technical companies. The bulk of the Harrington's correspondence was with friends, including a number of people who assisted him in the field and on various projects. There is also correspondence with members of his family, including his daughter Awona.

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.