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William Kelly Prentice Papers

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Held at: Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division [Contact Us]

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: Manuscripts Division. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Prentice, William Kelly, 1871-1964

William Kelly Prentice was a Greek scholar and authority on classical inscriptions. A member of the Princeton Class of 1892, he was an instructor (1892-1893) at the Lawrenceville School, N.J., before becoming a member of the Princeton University faculty in 1894 as an instructor in Greek. He retired from Princeton in 1940 as Ewing Professor of Greek Languages and Literature. Prentice participated in archaeological expeditions to Syria, served in World War I, and was the author of several books.

The collection consists of works, correspondence, and documents of Prentice, as well as selected papers of his father and various other family members. Included in the papers are approximately 65 manuscripts and printed articles and lectures by Prentice, mainly on classical topics or his association with Princeton and the Class of 1892; family and academic correspondence with Thomas Seymour, John Foster Dulles, Howard Crosby, Max Farrand, William Kelly, W. Parmalee Prentice, William Packer Prentice, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Woodrow Wilson, and others; personal documents; and biographical and genealogical records.

Papers of William Packer Prentice include lectures and printed articles; some correspondence; journals, 1849-1915; personal documents; letters received by him and O. M. Mitchell during the Civil War; and other Civil War documents. Also present are family papers, including photographs, Prentice family correspondence (1852-1965), a small file of Hutton family correspondence (1830-1841), and a number of printed writings by various family members, including a typed copy of a diary by Jemima Parmalee Prentice of a pioneer journey (1816) from New Hampshire to New York, "Recollections" by Ezra Parmalee Prentice, "Mount Hope" by E. Parmalee Prentice, and articles and documents of Robert and William Kelly.

Transferred from P.U. Archives in Mudd Library in 1996.

This collection was processed in 2002. Finding aid written in 2002.

In 2022, restrictions on the Abraham Lincoln certificate where researchers were required to use surrogates were lifted as part of a restrictions review project.

No appraisal information is available.

Publisher
Manuscripts Division
Finding Aid Date
2002
Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Single copies may be made for research purposes. No further duplication of copies of material in the collection can be made when Princeton University Library does not own the original. Inquiries regarding publishing material from the collection should be directed to Special Collections Public Services staff through the Ask Us! form. The library has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any questions of copyright.

Collection Inventory

Scope and Contents

Consists of the works, correspondence, documents, printed matter and genealogical materials of William Kelly Prentice.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into five subseries: Works, Correspondence, Documents, Genealogy, and Printed Material.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of the works of William Kelly Prentice, such as "Recommendations for American Educational Institutions, such as Princeton," "The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven," "Communism Ancient and Modern," and "The Princeton University Epigraphical Museum," as well as others.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

"Recommendations for American Educational Institutions, such as Princeton", undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

To a Group of Graduate Students and Colleagues, 1940. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"In the minds of most of us...", 1942. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Classics in Education", 1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Autobiography of a part-time Archaeologist", 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Some Suggestions about Princeton", 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Education and Wissenschaft", 1945. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

To the Class of '92, 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

In Memory of Rev. John Miller of Princeton, 1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven", 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

David Magie - Class of, 1897. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Noble Savage", 1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Gospel", 1954. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Church and the Service of God", 1955. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On Government-Directed Economy", 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On the Story of Jehu" II Kings, Chapter IX, 1949. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Communism Ancient and Modern", undated. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Paranooumena", 1912. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

To the Graduate Students of the Classical Seminary of Princeton University, 1935. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Dudley Observatory Controversy of 1858", 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On Writing Books in Ancient Times", 1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Epinicia: Songs after Victory", 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The most important part of a college...", 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Things of Real Importance", 1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"North Syria Except Lebanon", 1918. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Present Stage of the Homeric Problem", 1912. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On Salaries of University Professors", 1912. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"A Lecture on Syria", 1906. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The American Expedition to Syria", 1899. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Catalogue of Casts," 1899-1900, Syria, 1900, 1899-1900. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Princeton University Epigraphical Museum", 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Mesopotamian Origins", 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The History and Civilization of Ancient Megara", 1927. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On University Fellowships", 1912. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"On Jan 27, 1865 Father delivered a lecture on...O. M. Mitchel, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of the correspondence of William Kelly Prentice, arranged in alphabetical order and including correspondence with William Packer Prentice and correspondence related to Princeton University Class of 1892.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Physical Description

1 box

Correspondence, A-H, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence, J-P, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, William Packer, 1897-1898. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Princeton Class of 1892, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Correspondence, R-Z, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of personal documents, marriage documents, and clippings.

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

Personal Documents, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Marriage Documents, Clippings, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of biographical records and notes on family history.

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

Biographical Records, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Notes on Family History, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of newspaper clippings and printed works such as "The House in Capernaum" and "Callisthenes, the Original Historian of Alexander," as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

Newspaper Clippings Relating to Prentice, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Misc. Letters to the Editor of Princeton Alumni Weekly, 1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Misc. Book Reviews, 1916-1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Magic on Lintels and Amulets", 1905. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Obituaries written for The Princeton Alumni Weekly, 1936-1948. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"St. Paul's Journey to Damascus", 1953. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"James the Brother of the Lord", 1951. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The House in Capernaum", 1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Classics and the Bible", 1943. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"A Second Front for Scholars", 1944. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Our 'Daily' Bread", 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Ancient Writing", 1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Themistogenes of Syracuse, An Error of a Copyist", 1947. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Thucydides and the Cimonian Monuments", 1937. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Study of the Classics", 1936. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Character of Lysander", 1934. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Alphabet's Family Tree", 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Dudley Observatory Controversy", 1933. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"How Thucydides Wrote his History", 1930. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Achaeans", 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Thucydides and Cratippus", 1927. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Fall of Aristocracies......", 1925. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Callisthenes, the Original Historian of Alexander", 1923. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"De Bacchylide Pindari Artis Socio et Imitatore", 1900. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Fragments of an early Christian Liturgy in Syrian Inscriptions", 1902. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Hunters of Euboea", 1896. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of the works, correspondence, journals, documents, and printed matter of William Packer Prentice.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into five subseries: Works, Correspondence, Journals, Documents, and Printed matter.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of "Address to XY" and "Remarks at Alumni Meeting, Williamstown."

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

1 box

Address to XY, 1871 May 30. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Remarks at Alumni Meeting, Williamstown", 1915. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of the correspondence of William Packer Prentice, arranged in alphabetical order.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Physical Description

1 box

Correspondence (A-Z), 1861-1913. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of the journals of William Packer Prentice, arranged in chronological order.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Physical Description

1 box

1849-1851, 1849-1851. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1855, 1855. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1863-1907, 1863-1907. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

1907-1915, 1907-1915. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of German University Certificates, passports, and other miscellaneous documents.

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

German University Certificates, circa 1855-1858. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous Documents, Clippings, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Passports, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous personal papers, an obituary for William Packer Prentice, and printed works such as "Dissertation on the Indicative and Admonitive Signs of Sexties Empiricus" and others.

Arrangement

Not arranged according to any arrangement scheme.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Personal Papers, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The New Constitution of New York in Relation to Prison Labor", 1895. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The People vs. Daniel Schrumpf, Argument, 1877. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"Dissertation on the Indicative and Admonitive Signs of Sexties Empiricus", 1858. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

"The Philosophical Opinions of Virgil", 1859. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Obituary of William Packer Prentice, 1915. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of correspondence and printed matter related to the Prentice family.

Arrangement

This series is arranged into two subseries: Correspondence, and Printed Matter.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Scope and Contents

Consists of miscellaneous correspondence as well as miscellaneous papers of the Hutton family.

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of correspondence.

Physical Description

1 box

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1852-1965. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Hutton Family: Miscellaneous Papers, 1830-1841. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of printed matter of individuals such as Robert Kelly, Ezra P. Prentice, and E. Parmalee Prentice, as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by author.

Physical Description

2 boxes

Ellerslie: Newspaper Advertisement of Executors' Sale, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, Robert: "A Trip to Lake Superior", 1853. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, Robert: An Oration, 1857. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, Robert: Report to the Board of Trustees of the University of Rochester on the Plan of Instruction to be Pursued in the Collegiate Department, 1850. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, Robert: Will, 1856. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, William: Memorial, 1873. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, William: Obituaries, 1872. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, William: Speech given in the Senate of New York in favor of modifying the usury laws, 1856. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Parmalee, Jemima (Mrs. Sartell Prentice): TMs (copy) of a diary kept during a pioneer journey from New Hampshire to New York, 1816. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Ezra P.: Obituary, Will, 1876. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Ezra P.: "Recollections", 1862. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "A Challenge to Poultry Science", 1932. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "Food in England", 1950. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "Gold Mines in the Dairy States", 1931. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "Mount Hope", 1928. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "The Question of Progress", 1941. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, E. Parmalee: "Raising Seed Potatoes", 1918. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, John H.: Obituary, 1881. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Strong, Martha Prentice: Saga of 1 Grace Court, 1946. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Williams, Florence Prentice: "Kelly-Ana", 1929. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists primarily of Civil War papers, including letters to William Packer Prentice and Gen. O.M. Mitchel, as well as documents, clippings, a journal and a Thomas's Almanack, 1797 (with AMs notes for 1797).

Arrangement

Arranged by genre of material.

Physical Description

1 box

Civil War Papers: Letters to William Packer Prentice, 1862-1875. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Civil War Papers: Letters to Gen. O.M. Mitchel, 1862. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Civil War Papers: Miscellaneous Letters, 1861-1862. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Civil War Papers: Documents, Printed Matter, Clippings, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous Printed Matter, Papers, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Unidentified Journal (family records), circa 1794-1848. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Thomas's Almanack, 1797 (with AMs notes for 1797), 1797. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

W. P. Prentice Certificate of Appointment, signed by Abraham Lincoln, 1862 February 28. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous Medals, Profile Carving, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of photographs of the house at 9 West 16th Street, Ezra Parmalee Prentice (both the brother and grandfather), Paul Cheney Prentice, and William Packer Prentice, as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Physical Description

1 box

Braden, Fanny (family nurse), dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

The High Jinks of the Bohemian Club, taken by Prof. Derleth, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

House at 9 West 16th Street, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Kelly, Robert, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Mount Hope, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Ezra Parmalee (grandfather), dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Ezra Parmalee (brother), dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Florence Kelly, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, Paul Cheney, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, William Kelly, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice, William Packer, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Prentice Family at Golden Wedding Anniversary, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Miscellaneous, dates not examined. 1 folder.
Physical Description

1 folder

Scope and Contents

Consists of printed works such as The History and Genealogy of the Prentice, or Prentiss Family, in New England, Etc., from 1631 to 1883 and Eight Generations: The Ancestry, Education and Life of William Packer Prentice, as well as others.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by author.

Physical Description

1 box

Binney, C.J.F.: The History and Genealogy of the Prentice, or Prentiss Family, in New England, Etc., from 1631 to 1883, (Boston: The Editor, 1883, 2nd edition), 1883. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Prentice, William Kelly: Eight Generations: The Ancestry, Education and Life of William Packer Prentice (Princeton, N.J., ), 1947. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

The Greek Political Experience, Studies in Honor of William Kelly Prentice (Princeton: Princeton University Press, ), 1941. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Prentice, William Kelly: Scripta Minora, 1900-1922 (bound offprints), 1900-1922. 1 box.
Physical Description

1 box

Print, Suggest