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Mary Agnes Merrill Chase (1869–1963) papers and misc. items

 Collection
Identifier: HIBDARC-0235

Content Description

This collection consists of:

Chase's correspondence with Mildred Gilman Wohlforth (1896–1994), the Library of Congress Copyright Office, C.T. Millspaugh (1854–1923), James Francis McBride (1892–1976), Walter V. Brown (1913–1977), Erik Ekman (1883–1931), and Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), along with some letters written by A.S. Hitchcock (1865–1935) to Ekman.

Correspondence about Chase from Wohlforth with Florence van Esteline (?), John Reeder (1914–2009), Charlotte Goodding Reeder (1916–2009), Virginius Chase (1876–1966), and Grace (?).

Copies of academic articles by Chase that had been published for scientific journals and the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, Illinois.

Various newspaper articles pertaining to Agnes and Virginius Chase.

Various certificates rewarded to Chase.

Copies of a business license and death certificates pertaining to Chase and her family.

A scrapbook with writings, illustrations, and photographs related to Chase's pet squirrel, Toodles, dated December 1914.

Chase's honorary doctorate received in 1958 from the University of Illinois along with the hood and gown she wore at the graduation ceremony.

The João VI medal and honorary diploma awarded to Chase by the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden in 1958.

A 1962 draft of the preface to Index to Grass Species by Jason R. Swallen (1903–1991).

An undated, handmade booklet with pressed specimens of various flowers, titled "Western Wildflowers, Gathered by Mary Agnes Chase."

Copies of undated botanical illustrations of grasses.

Undated notes by Wohlforth with biographical, genealogical, and professional details concerning Chase.

Two undated drafts of Wohlforth's biographical essay on Chase, "Agnes Chase: My Most Unforgettable Character", with handwritten notes.

Dates

  • Creation: 1889–1964

Biographical / Historical

Mary Agnes Merrill Chase (1859–1963) was a pioneering botanist who focused on agrostology. Despite a lack of a formal education, she went from a position as a botanical illustrator to a senior botanist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (1903–1939). During her time there, she conducted extensive field work in Western Europe, Brazil, and Venezuela. Outside her scientific work, she was also a suffragete, involved with the National Woman's Party and the Silent Sentinels. She was recognized and honored by various scientific and educational institituions, including receiving a honorary doctorate from the University of Illinois, becoming a Honorary Fellow and Honorary Curator of the U.S. National Herbarium at the Smithsonian Institution, and being named a Fellow at the Linnean Society of London. Her published monographs include First Book of Grasses: The Structure of Grasses Explained for Beginners (4th edition, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1996; HI call no. DT100 330 C487F 996) and Index to Grass Species (3 vols., Boston: G.K. Hall, 1962; HI call no. DT100 330 C487I).

Extent

2.5 Linear Feet (1 box, 1 oversize)

Language of Materials

English

Portuguese

German

Title
Guide to the Mary Agnes Merrill Chase (1869–1963) papers and misc. items
Author
Chad Denton
Date
2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation Archives Repository

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