Initial Inventory of the Henry J. Oosting Papers,
1937-1968
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Descriptive Summary
Repository
University Archives, Duke University
Creator
Oosting, Henry J. (Henry John), 1903-1968.
Title
Henry J. Oosting papers, 1937-1968.
Language of Material
Material in English
Extent
5,000 Items,
6.7 linear feet
Abstract
Correspondence, field notes, writings,photographs and other subject files of Henry J. Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. Major subjects include the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, North Carolina vegetation, the 1937 Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C., the Ecological Society of America, and the serial Ecological Monographs.
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Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Stored off-site; 24 hours advance notice is required for use.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Department of Botany, May 26, 1994. Accession UA2007-0019 was received in June 2007 from former professor Dwight Billings.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Henry J. Oosting Papers, University Archives, Duke University.
Use Restrictions
Copyright for official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Processing Information
Processed by Jill Katte, June 2002
Encoded by Jill Katte, December 2002
Updated by Sherrie Bowser, June 2007
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
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Biographical Note
Henry John Oosting, Professor of Botany and Chairman of the Department of Botany, worked at Duke University from 1931 to 1962. He was born March 12, 1903 in Holland, Michigan to John H. and Minna Oosting. He earned an A.B. from Hope College in 1925, an M.S. from Michigan State College in 1927, and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1931. Oosting joined the faculty of the Department of Botany at Duke University in 1931, and later served as Chairman of the Department. His research interests included the ecology of virgin forests, vegetation on bare rocks, maritime vegetation in the Southeastern United States, and North Carolina vegetation. In 1937, he served as ecologist for the Louise A. Boyd expedition to Greenland with the American Geographical Society, and he directed the Victory Garden project in Durham, N.C. in 1943. Oosting actively participated in the Ecological Society of America and edited the serial Ecological Monographs. Oosting retired from Duke University around 1962; he died on October 30, 1968.
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Scope and Content Note
The papers include correspondence, field notes, and other research notes of Henry J. Oosting. The collection is representative of Oosting's research in forest ecology, vegetation on bare rocks, and plants of North Carolina. The papers also document his participation in the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland, his participation in the governance and research of the Highlands Biological Station (Highlands, N.C.), and his participation in the Ecological Society of America. Much of the correspondence is between Oosting and colleagues at Duke University, including H. L. Blomquist and Lewis R. Anderson; colleagues throughout the United States; and former graduate students. Other files include family correspondence, as well as reports and correspondence from the Duke University Research Council, 1951-ca. 1963.
In June 2007 accession UA2007-0019 was added to the collection. This accession includes photographs from the 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland. Subjects featured are glaciers; Kjerulf Fjord; Tromso, Norway; Jan Mayen Island; Cape Alfred; Clavering Isle; landscape; and native plants. In addition to the individual photos there are also six annotated photo posters. Photos are by Louise A. Boyd.
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Detailed Description of Collection
Container List
Box 1
Correspondence
Writings
Subject files
Box 2
Correspondence
Writings
Box 3
Correspondence
Subject files
Box 4
Photographs
Subject files
Manuscript draft of The Study of Plant Communities, 2nd ed.
Box 5
Correspondence
Box UA2007-0019
Photographs - 1937 Louise A. Boyd Expedition to Greenland
