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James C. Booth papers
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Held at: University of Delaware Library Special Collections [Contact Us]181 South College Avenue, Newark, DE 19717-5267
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Delaware Library Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
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James Curtis Booth was born in Philadelphia on July 28, 1810. He was the son of George Booth, formerly of New Castle, Delaware, and Ann Bolton Booth, originally from Chestertown, Maryland. James Booth attended public schools in Philadelphia and graduated from Hartsville Seminary in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1825, he enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania to study chemistry and mineralogy. Following his graduation in 1829, Booth entered Rensselaer Institute in Troy, New York.
Booth taught chemistry during the winter of 1831-1832, in Flushing, New York, and in December, 1832, traveled to Kassel, Germany, to study analytical chemistry under Professor Friedrich Wöhler. In 1834, he traveled to Berlin to study under Gustav Magnus, and the following year spent time in Vienna, and in England where he visited numerous chemical industries. Booth returned to Philadelphia around 1836.
Upon his return to the Unites States, Booth set up a commercial chemistry laboratory in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Booth offered chemical analyses and also provided practical training to chemistry students. In 1836, Booth accepted a teaching position at the Franklin Institute and obtained a position as assistant to Henry D. Rogers, a well-known early geologist, who established the first official geological survey of Pennsylvania. Booth participated in that initial survey.
Upon his return to the Unites States, Booth set up a commercial chemistry laboratory in Ambler, Pennsylvania. Booth offered chemical analyses and also provided practical training to chemistry students. In 1836, Booth accepted a teaching position at the Franklin Institute and obtained a position as assistant to Henry D. Rogers, a well-known early geologist, who established the first official geological survey of Pennsylvania. Booth participated in that initial survey.
In 1837, the state of Delaware passed legislation to initiate a geological survey and on June 1, 1837, James C. Booth was appointed Delaware state geologist. Booth completed his survey by 1841 and published his
Memoir on the Geological Survey of Delaware that same year. Upon completion of his survey, Booth returned to his career as a chemist and teacher. Booth held teaching positions at the Franklin Institute (1836-1845), the Philadelphia Central High School (1842-1845), and was Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania (1851-1855). In 1849, Booth was named Melter and Refiner at the U. S. Mint in Philadelphia, a position he retained until the end of his life.James C. Booth was a prominent member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Philosophical Society, the Academy of Natural Sciences, and the American Chemical Society. Booth served as president of the American Chemical Society from 1883-1884. Booth was the author of numerous papers and reports particularly in the field of chemistry. His published books include the above-mentioned
Memoir of the Geological Survey of the State of Delaware (1841), and with Cambell Morfit, Martin H. Boyé, and R. S. McCulloh, he wrote an Encyclopedia of Chemistry, Practical and Theoretical (1850). Booth also edited a translation of Victor Regnault's Elements of Chemistry (1852).In 1853, James Booth married Margaret M. Cardoza. Margaret Booth was commonly known as "Rettie," and she and Booth were the parents of three daughters: Laurette, Margaret, and Ann. James C. Booth died in Haverford, Pennsylvania, on March 21, 1888.
Pickett, Thomas E. "Preface" to James C. Booth and the First Delaware Geological Survey [Newark, De.: Delaware Geological Survey] 1976.Pickett, Thomas E. "James C. Booth and the First Delaware Geological Survey, 1837-1941," in Two Hundred Years of Geology in America, ed. Cecil J. Schneer (Hanover, N.H.: Published for the University of New Hampshire by the University Press of New England, 1979).Pickett, Thomas E. "James C. Booth--The Papers of a Nineteenth-Century Chemist-Geologist," Collections (University of Delaware Library Associates) 3 (1988): 20-35.
The James C. Booth papers consist of an extensive collection of Booth's personal, professional, and family papers. Included is a large collection of incoming and outgoing correspondence with colleagues in the chemistry and geology professions; substantial correspondence with family members, notably his mother, Ann Bolton Booth, and his wife Margaret M. "Rettie" Booth; and extensive correspondence with and concerning professional and charitable organizations. Booth's work as a chemical consultant and assayer, as well as his work as Chief Melter and Refiner at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia, is documented in correspondence and documents. A collection of James Booth's journals and notebooks, including his survey notes taken during the 1838 Delaware Geological Survey, are also present.
James C. Booth's professional correspondents of note include J. H. Alexander, George Anderson, Alexander Dallas Bache, Charles Frederick Chandler, Pliny Earle Chase, Frederick D. Chester, James Dwight Dana, Thomas Egleston, Jr., Charles Goodyear, Frederic Graff, Joseph Henry, Eben Norton Horsford, Joseph P. Lesley, J. Peter Lesley, R. S. McCulloh, Campbell Morfit, Clarence Morfit, Henry Morfit, Charles Morfit, Alexander Ewing Outerbridge, Lucy Peale, T. R. Peale, Edward Sabine Renwick, Benjamin Silliman, William Weightman, and Joseph Wharton.
The Booth papers also include extensive holdings of family papers. Booth's immediate family, including his wife Rettie and their children; his mother, Ann Bolton Booth, and father, George Booth; and various other relatives are represented in correspondence, documents, and other papers. Of particular interest are James Booth's extensive correspondences with his mother, and with his wife Rettie; correspondence and other papers pertaining to the Faber family, to whom Booth was related by marriage; and the literary papers of George Booth, who was a minor poet, essayist, and playwright.
Boxes 1-22: Shelved in SPEC MSS manuscript boxes Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (24 inches) Removals: Shelved in SPEC MSS oversize boxes (32 inches)
Purchase, 1986.
Processed 1988-1989 by Eric Wittkopf. Encoded by Lauren Connolly, June 2015, and Tiffany Saulter, November 2015.
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- University of Delaware Library Special Collections
- Finding Aid Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Finding Aid Date
- 2015 November 9
- Access Restrictions
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This collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Collection Inventory
Professional Papers. Consists of correspondence and other material relating primarily to James C. Booth's professional career as a chemist, a geologist, and educator. Booth's active work as a churchman and his involvement with charitable organizations is also documented in this series.
Correspondence relating to general professional matters. Includes incoming correspondence, as well as copies of James C. Booth's outgoing letters and replies to letters. Correspondence is arranged chronologically. Included in this section are letters of solicitation from churches and other charitable organizations, minutes of meetings and other notices from professional organizations. Also housed here are notes and revisions of the constitution and by-laws of the Hospital of the Good Shepherd, [ca 1874], in which Booth was active. A number of the letters in this section are written in shorthand.
Correspondence and other materials relating to Booth's position as Melter and Refiner of the U. S. Mint in Philadelphia, PA. Also included here is material relating to Booth's work as a private chemical consultant and assessor, largely relating to new mines. Material is arranged chronologically. Items of note include a certificate appointing Booth "Melter and Refiner" of the U. S. Mint, signed by President Taylor, Oct. 27, 1849; a patent certificate for gold refining process awarded to Booth; articles of partnership; a corrected proof of a Report on Geological Survey of State of Delaware, July 10, 1886 which Booth had been asked to write; and many letters written from the states of Georgia and North Carolina during August 1865. Booth was travelling on behalf of the U.S. Mint to evaluate the condition of the U.S. Mints in Dahlonega, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, following the Civil War.
Consists of files with selected individual correspondents. Correspondents in this section are either individuals of note or persons with whom Booth maintained an extensive correspondence. Where known, birth and death dates of individuals are provided. Note: this correspondence was separated into individual author files prior to its receipt by the University of Delaware Library.
Professor of Chemistry. Correspondence relating to personal matters as well as questions regarding Booth's knowledge as a chemist. 30 items.
Physician and friend of Booth. Personal correspondence primarily concerned with Anderson's trip to Europe, 11 items
Physician and friend of Booth. Personal correspondence primarily concerned with Anderson's trip to Europe. 12 items.
Professor at the School of Mines, Columbia College, President of NY City Board of Health. Correspondence concerning a medal commissioned in honor of Dr. Hoffman, German professor of Chemistry. 3 items.
Professor at the Franklin Institute and Haverford College. Includes correspondence and notes concerning Booth's thoughts upon Chase's career after his death. 3 items.
Professor of Geology at Delaware College. Correspondence concerning Chester's proposed work on a new geological survey of Delaware. 3 items.
Editor of American Journal of Science and Arts, Professor of Geology and Mineralogy at Yale College. Correspondence concerning chemical analyses of various samples. 11 items
Founder of the School of Mines, Columbia College. Correspondence concerning gold samples and journal articles written by Booth. 23 items.
Manufacturer and inventor of rubber products. Correspondence from and concerning Goodyear's rubber patent. Accompanied by an 1862 circular from a Boston merchant describing a variety of rubber products. 6 items.
Chief Engineer of Philadelphia Water Works. Correspondence concerning testing of water samples from Fair Mount in Philadelphia on behalf of The Watering Committee. 3 items.
Secretary and Director of Smithsonian Institution, investigator in physics. Correspondence concerning Report on Chemical Technology, possibly written by Booth, and published by the Smithsonian, as well as inquiries concerning refining processes at the U. S. Mint. Also includes letters regarding refining processes written by J. W. Baird. 17 Items
Secretary and Director of Smithsonian Institution, investigator in physics. Correspondence concerning Report on Chemical Technology, possibly written by Booth, and published by the Smithsonian, as well as inquiries concerning refining processes at the U. S. Mint. Also includes letters regarding refining processes written by J. W. Baird. 4 items
Professor of Chemistry at Harvard and industrial chemist. Correspondence concerning publications, location of ores, and business concerning the extension of a patent. 9 items.
Geologist, Secretary of Pennsylvania Railroad Co. Also includes letters, for the period 1819-1903, from J. Peter Lesley (Joseph's brother), a geologist and Professor of geography and mining. Personal and business correspondence. 17 items.
Former Melter and Refiner of the U. S. Mint, whom Booth succeeded, and Professor at a number of universities. Correspondence regarding melting and refining processes, business at the Mint, and personal matters. 11 items
Former Melter and Refiner of the U. S. Mint, whom Booth succeeded, and Professor at a number of universities. Correspondence regarding melting and refining processes, business at the Mint, and personal matters. 14 items
Former Melter and Refiner of the U. S. Mint, whom Booth succeeded, and Professor at a number of universities. Correspondence regarding melting and refining processes, business at the Mint, and personal matters, 12 items
Former Melter and Refiner of the U. S. Mint, whom Booth succeeded, and Professor at a number of universities. Correspondence regarding melting and refining processes, business at the Mint, and personal matters, 12 items
Correspondence primarily from Campbell Morfit, as well as Clarence, Henry, Henrietta, and Charles Morfit. Correspondence concerns patent problems, Mint business, and personal matters, 13 item.
Correspondence primarily from Campbell Morfit, as well as Clarence, Henry, Henrietta, and Charles Morfit. Correspondence concerns patent problems, Mint business, and personal matters, 23 items
Assayer of the U. S. Mint at Philadelphia, and metallurgist at A. Whitney & Sons, Car Wheel Works. Personal correspondence. Included with the correspondence is a pamphlet written by Outerbridge, Some Experiments with Alloys of Silver with Embrittling Metals (1879). 8 items.
Correspondents are the artist, mechanician, and naturalist, Titian Ramsey Peale, and his wife Lucy Peale. Personal correspondence. Included with this material are letters from a representative of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania concerning T. R. Peale's manuscripts. 6 items.
Inventor and patent expert in Washington, D.C. Correspondence concerning importation of bottles from England and other Mint business. 5 items.
Editor of American Journal of Science and Arts, and Professor of Chemistry at Yale School of Medicine. Letter of introduction, inquiry concerning Silliman's character, and chemical inquiries. 3 items.
Partner of Power, Weightman, and Harrison, manufacturers of chemicals. Inquiries concerning chemical analysis of ores. 10 items.
Manager of the Lehigh Zinc Co., founder of Bethlehem Spelter Works, Camden Nickel Works, chemist, geologist, mineralogist, and metallurgist. Correspondence concerns the purchase of zinc by the U. S. Mint, letters requesting Booth to arbitrate a dispute between Wharton and Lehigh Zinc Co., and other inquiries. 16 items.
Manager of the Lehigh Zinc Co., founder of Bethlehem Spelter Works, Camden Nickel Works, chemist, geologist, mineralogist, and metallurgist. Correspondence concerns the purchase of zinc by the U. S. Mint, letters requesting Booth to arbitrate a dispute between Wharton and Lehigh Zinc Co., and other inquiries. 29 items.
Correspondence with professional organizations concerning membership and other business. Also included in this series is a folder of correspondence relating to Rennsalaer Polytechnic Institute. Note: this correspondence was separated into individual files prior to its receipt by the University of Delaware Library.
Information concerning membership and a circular addressed to the State and Territorial Geologists of the U. S. 5 items
Minutes of meetings. 6 items
Minutes, notices, and other business concerning meetings. Correspondence concerning Booth's duties as President of the Society (1883-1886), and Vice-President (1887). 15 Items
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Notification of election to membership, and solicitation for vote. 4 items.
General correspondence concerning business of the institute: lectures, contributions, and related material. 13 items.
Correspondence concerning genealogy of Bolton Family. 5 items.
Correspondence concerning meetings, elections, resolutions, lectures and inquiries. 25 items.
Correspondence concerning honorary doctoral degree awarded to Booth, and fund raising for gymnasium. 8 items.
Consists primarily of journals and notebooks generated by Booth. 4 items.
Contains analyses of ore, oil, gunpowder, and other material. 44 leaves written upon, 107 total pages.
Contains geological survey notes from New Castle County, Kent County, and Sussex County, Delaware, compiled by Booth during the first Delaware Geological Survey. Includes daily accounts of county surveys, formulas written in German for "Sacfirnifs" and "Rothe Holzbeitze," and a fragment of a poem written in German, English and French. 74 pages written upon, 93 total pages.
The front of the volume commences with commentaries on books of the Bible and includes a newspaper clipping containing an article entitled "Sacred Politics." The back of the volume contains drafts of letters from Booth to various individuals composed in New York and Castle Hefsen [Germany]. 108 pages contain writing, of which 11 are loose, 130 total pages.
An unpublished play written by Booth, with translation in German. Possibly written in Berlin. Rough draft and final copy
Small group of miscellaneous personal and professional items. 5 items
Catalog of James Booth's library, compiled by an unidentified family member following his death. Contains plans of bookcases, lists of books, and their locations when known. 47 pages written upon, 88 total pages.
Lithograph was commissioned as a gift to Booth from his former students. Contains a list of the contributors. 1 p.
United States Passport. Stamped with seals of numerous European countries, including Germany and Austria.
Correspondence to and from various members of James C. Booth's extended family.
Consists primarily of letters from James Booth to his wife Margaret, who was known as Rettie. Also includes occasional letters to Rettie from others dealing primarily with Booth's estate following his death. Since Booth primarily wrote his wife during his travels, and rarely at other times, there are many gaps in the continuous dates of letters. Subjects covered are primarily personal, concerning everyday events and observations Booth made during his travels. 105 items
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Letters concerning Booth Estate. 18 items
Letters to and from various members of the Faber family, to whom Booth was related by marriage. Subjects include family business, children's endeavors, births, deaths, marriages, and other personal matters. Principal correspondents include Conrad W. Faber (brother-in-law), Theodore Faber, William L. Faber (nephew), Anna Faber Harnickell (niece), Georgia Faber (2nd wife of William), and Anna Faber (daughter of William). Also included are letters from Leopold Birwirth (partner of Conrad W.) and A. Harnickell (associate of William and husband of Anna). Also includes copy of Weekly Arcadia Prospect, February 7, 1860, Wm. Faber, editor. 307 items
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Family business. Principal correspondents include Robert C. Bolton (cousin?), Curtis Bolton (uncle) and Henry Carrington Bolton (2nd cousin). Also included are letters from 19 other people of various relation to Booth. Includes an autograph copy of a genealogy for the Bolton family. 171 items
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Receipts of Booth family and business
Receipts from donations. 7 items
Receipts for dues, subscriptions, and other expenses. 17 items.
Receipts from business related expenses. 34 items
Receipts from business related expenses. 18 items
Receipts from business related expenses. 11 items
Receipts from sellers of books, manuscripts, and other printed materials. 42 items
Receipts from sellers of books, manuscripts, and other printed materials. 48 items
Receipts from sellers of books, manuscripts, and other printed materials. 51 items
Loose account sheets, 18 items
Appears to have been used as a scrapbook over the accounts. 32 leaves.
Back of the book contains entries by John J. Roberts. 14 sheets.
James C. Booth's checkbook for the period 1876: July - October
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Papers relating to Ann Bolton Moore, later Ann Booth.
Primarily letters from James C. Booth to his mother Ann. Also includes letters to his sister Anna, letters from Ann (mother) to Booth, and letters from schoolmaster to Ann Booth reporting on Booth's progress. 161 items.
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Receipts and accounts pertaining to property held in Georgia by Ann Booth following the death of her first husband, John Moore, which was subsequently administered by James C. Booth. Also includes a Deed of Release between Ann Moore and George Booth, and a lease, both dated 1806. 138 items.
Reciept book
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Literary papers, including poems, plays, and notebooks, of James C. Booth's father, George Booth. Items are arranged in chronological order where possible. 18 items.
"No. 11" written on cover. Consists of drafts of letters from George Booth to his future wife, Ann Bolton (also addressed as Nancy, Anna, Emma and Monimia). 105 leaves.
"Abstract of Productions in Poetry and Prose." Provides the following bibliographic information relating to George Booth's writing: title, number of lines, location (vol. & page), date, volumes with the number of lines to be published (small "p" to left or right of title apparently designates the title as published), correspondence to Vol. 2 and The Amuser (Vol. 3) - his contributions. 41 leaves.
"No. 2" written on cover. Contains drafts of 4 title pages, quotes from Bennett's "Treasury of Wit," and introduction to the essays "Garments for Eternity." The Memorial: or a Transcript of Juvenile Performances" is written on the title page. Notebook contains 59 short poems and 2 long poems, "Mortality" and "Belmont." Also Contains several excerpts from the Delaware Gazette. 118 leaves, 9 inserts.
"Miscellaneous Poems on several occasions." "No. 8" written on cover. Poems No. 1 - 18 date from 1789: Nov. 5 - 1790: Nov. 15. No. 19 is a longer poem which is dedicated to Booth's mother: part I, entitled "Maria...Grief" is dated 1790: Dec.; part II, "Maria...Consolation," is dated 1790: Dec. 27. No. 20 -22 are entitled "Fragments," dating from 1791: Jan. 6 - 1791: Jan. 10; the last poem is dated 1790: Aug. No. 23 - 39 are entitled "Poems" and date from 1790: Oct. 27 - 1791: April 30 with some poems undated. 102 leaves, 1 insert.
transcribed by "Eugenius," title page. "Miss Anna Bolton's Companion" written on cover. 46 leaves.
"Narration - Fragmenta Somniorum" on title page. "No. 10" written on cover. The parts of this narrative are entitled "Monimia...Solitude" (1790: Nov. 8), "Monimia...Endearment" (1790: Nov. 20), "Monimia...Sweet Surprise" (no date), "Monimia...Happiness" (no date), "Monimia...Cool Reserve" (no date). At the opposite end of the notebook are entries dating 1788: Nov. 15 - 1789: Feb. 1. The last entry was written in Dover, and the last 2 entries are signed "Philander." 39 leaves.
A Trip to the Country in August 1804 or, Holiday Conversation between eight characteristic females of Phila. wherein each gives her sentiments relatively to Happiness." Notebook containing autograph draft of this play. 28 leaves.
"Miscellaneous Scraps from 1811: June - 1813: Dec. 20 and 1815: Aug," written on cover. Includes "The Pious Remembrancer," a collection of poems, and "Pieces pronounced at Mr. Asa Bassett's Public Examination," 1812: May. 66 leaves.
"Indian Sample A. B. Booth 1812," written on title page. Consists of autograph poems. 28 leaves, 3 inserts.
"From Sep. 1812 - Jan. 1813," written on cover. Collection of poems with religious theme. Titles include "Bewailing my Infirmities," "Hope Begins to Dawn From the Death of Christ," "Morning Hymn," and "An Evening Hymn." 51 leaves.
Poetry notebook containing 33 poems of a religious nature. Includes a table of contents. 39 leaves.
Contains apparent outlines of subject matter, Tables of Contents, some poetry, and drafts of letters dated 1814: Jan. 1; 1814: Oct. 29 (to Elizabeth); 1814: Nov. 3 (to A.B.); and 1815: July 4 (to A.B.). One poem, "The Sabbath" is dated 1815: Aug. 1. "The Refuge of Safety and Peace" is dated 1815: Aug. 6. 45 leaves.
Contains an assortment of quotations, a list of words that might have served as a spelling dictionary, a small section of "memoirs," "Theological Axioms," "Rules for Moral Conduct," and "List of Books." 63 leaves
Consists of miscellaneous loose sheets containing George Booth's autograph poetry. Three poems are to "Emma," signed "Edwin." 104 leaves.
"The Amuser Vol. 1 by several hands - 1789," on title page. Contains 31 poems (not in chronological order). Some of the longer poems are dialogues between Eugenius (pen name of George Booth) and Eusebius(?). The poems are signed by either Eugenius or Eusebius. 56 leaves.
Improver. Includes poetry, letters, questions and answers, dialogues and tales. 137 leaves.
The Retailer by a Society of Young Gentlemen, written on cover. Consists of poetry, essays, and philosophical questions and answers. 28 leaves.
Scrapbook of clippings and bibliographic citations to George Booth's writing. Includes index and numerous clippings from The Philadelphia Repository, Wilmington Monitor, and The Portfolio. Also included are lists of George Booth's pen names, including: Perigren Pindair(?), Timothy Tickler, Corporal Grim, Hampden, Geoffrey Gimerack, Tristram Trifler and Amyntor. 47 leaves, 28 clippings.
Consists of general correspondence directed to Ann Booth (letters are occasionally addressed to her as Monimia, Nancy, and Ann Bolton). Primary correspondents include Joseph Clay (a.k.a. Mendoza), George Booth (a.k.a. Zarates), James Booth (George Booth's brother), James Booth, Jr. (son of James Booth), Conrad W. Faber (son-in-law), William L. Faber (grandson), Ann Booth Faber (daughter) and Mrs. Ann Booth (sister-in-law?). 150 items.
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Consists of poetry and writings of Ann Moore Booth (individual manuscripts are occasionally signed Emma). Also includes a journal of Ann Booth, dated 1818, and poetry and writings by others, including James Booth, Jr., Anna Maria Alexander, Caroline L., E. B., Mrs. Thermans(?), and a number of unsigned items. 21 items.
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