James Henry Rice papers, 1885-1935 and undated (bulk 1910-1935), bulk 1910-1935

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Rice, James Henry, 1868-1935
Abstract:
Naturalist, conservationist, and local historian, of Wiggins (Colleton County), S.C. Chiefly personal correspondence (1910-1935) relating to the preservation of fauna in South Carolina and the Southeast, and to U.S. and South Carolina politics and history, family and business affairs, literature, and journalists. Includes a few clippings, photographs, and documents concerning Rice's life. Correspondents include William Watts Ball, Bernard Baruch, Coleman L. Blease, James F. Byrnes, Basil L. Gildersleeve, Ambrose E. Gonzales, William E. Gonzales, Dubose Heyward, Duncan C. Heyward, Thomas G. McLeod, Hugh McRae, Marie Conway Oemler, Gifford Pinchot, F. W. Ruckstull, Harry A. Slattery, and Benjamin R. Tillman.
Extent:
18.1 Linear Feet
13,581 Items
Language:
Material in English
Collection ID:
RL.01085

Background

Scope and content:

The papers of James Henry Rice, Jr., naturalist, conservationist, and local historian, contain mainly correspondence reflecting his interest in natural history and the protection of wildlife; the history and contemporary politics of South Carolina; and family, business, artistic, and journalistic matters.

Material pertaining to Rice's activities as a naturalist and conservationist include letters, 1910-1913, to Rice from the Carolina Audubon Society and the National Association of Audubon Societies; correspondence, 1913-1917, with Robert Ridgway, E. H. Forbush, William Brewster, and officials of the National Museum in Washington, D.C., relating to Rice's work as inspector for the United States Biological Survey, concerning ornithology, particularly the breeding grounds, habitats, and migratory patterns of various Southeastern birds; long-term correspondence with Arthur Trezevant Wayne, author of Birds of South Carolina (Charleston: 1910); correspondence, 1927-1935, with William Chambers Coker, primarily concerning the identification of certain botanical specimens; correspondence concerning the Conservation Society of South Carolina; letters of naturalist Frank M. Chapman and explorer Carl E. Akely; correspondence with R. W. Shufeldt on natural history; letters concerning Secretary of the Interior Albert B. Fall and the Teapot Dome Scandal, 1921-1922; correspondence concerning forest lands in South Carolina with Courtlandt Braun, W. R. Mattoon of the United States Forest Service, and South Carolina state foresters, Lewis E. Staley, 1928-1931, and W. A. Smith, 1932; correspondence with W. T. Hornaday on conservation measures in the United States Congress, especially the Norbeck bill, 1929, which sought to impose hunting limits on ducks; correspondence, 1930, concerning the relationship of the National Association of Audubon Societies to the manufacturers of guns and ammunition; and letters relating to the meeting of the American Ornithologists Union in Charleston, South Carolina, 1928.

Correspondence on South Carolina politics and the state's history includes letters giving the views of various candidates for state and national office and commenting on elections and other political events; letters, 1905-1918, from United States Senator Benjamin R. Tillman; correspondence with Coleman L. Blease, governor of South Carolina, on the appointment of state game wardens, 1911-1913; correspondence relating to several articles written by Rice on local history and notable South Carolinians, especially "The Paladins of South Carolina," a series appearing in the State (Columbia, South Carolina) in 1922-1923, containing material on Martin W. Gary and Reconstruction in South Carolina, and Francis Wilkinson Pickens Butler's letters about Matthew Calbraith Butler; correspondence concerning the histories of the Rice, Elliott, Stuart, Clarkson, and Smith families, letters, 1929, discussing the life and career of J. Marion Sims; and correspondence, ca. 1926, with Dudley Jones on the history of the Presbyterian Church in South Carolina.

Items pertaining to business, literature, journalism and Rice's family include letters from George F. Mitchell on the development of coastal South Carolina; correspondence regarding a stock law for South Carolina, 1920-1921; correspondence with writers and academics including Marie Conway Oemler, Archibald Rutledge, Harriette Kershaw Leiding, William Peterfield Trent, Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve, and Ambrose E. Gonzales; correspondence with Dubose Heyward and John Bennett concerning the Poetry Society of South Carolina; letters from Francis Butler Simkins, Jr., 1922-1923, responding to Rice's criticism of his work; correspondence relating to Rice's work as agent for the Chee-Ha Combahee Company promoting the development of coastal lands, 1921-1922; letters concerning the development of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina,1925; a long personal correspondence with the sculptor Frederick Wellington Ruckstull containing news of Rice's family and exchanges of opinion on politics, art, and history; letters from many of Rice's friends in the 1930s showing the effects of the Depression; and letters discussing Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal.

Printed matter and miscellaneous items in the collection include eulogies of Rice, several articles reflecting his interest in history and nature; report of the game warden of South Carolina, 1912; minutes of the 1932 meeting of the alumni association of the University of South Carolina; poems by Rice; and pamphlets and articles on natural history.

Acquisition information:
The James Henry Rice Papers were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library in 1956.
Processing information:

Processed by Rubenstein Library staff,

Encoded by Ted Holt and Paula Jeannet, August 2008

Accession 56-394 is described in this finding aid.

Physical location:
For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], James Henry Rice Papers, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University