William Louis Calver papers
Call Number
MS 96
Date
1894-1940 (bulk, 1900-1940), inclusive
Creator
Calver, William L. (William Louis), 1859-1940
Extent
2.5 Linear feet (6 boxes)
Language of Materials
The documents in this collection are chiefly in English, with some possible instances of French.
Abstract
Correspondence and papers, 1894-1940, including material concerning the N-YHS Field Exploration Committee (formed in 1918) and correspondence with eminent American, English, and French military experts, antiquarians, and military artists.
Biographical Note
William Louis Calver (1859-1940) was a military antiquarian and chairman of the New-York Historical Society's former Field Exploration Committee from the time of its formation in 1918 to the time of his death. His research and archaeological investigations on Revolutionary War campsites and forts and War of 1812 military sites along the Canadian frontier formed the background of articles published in the NYHS Quarterly Bulletinand subsequently republished in History Written with Pick and Shovel.
Arrangement
The collection is roughly organized by type of material: papers relating to the NYHS Field Exploration Committee, data, reprints and drafts of articles, and letters.
Scope and Contents
Interspersed among the papers of William Louis Calver are photostat copies of published material and other relevant material. Though the work of the Field Exploration Committee did not begin until its formation in 1918 and continued to the time of Calver's death, the collection of Calver papers actually antedate the committee's functions and include Calver's correspondence with other eminent American, English, and French military experts, antiquarians, and military artists, and form the basis for his expert writings on uniforms of the American, British, and French armies. An account of the work of William Louis Calver and his associates and of the Society's Field Exploration Committee is to be found in Richard J. Koke's introduction to History Written with Pick and Shovel.
Subjects
Access Restrictions
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
This collection should be cited as the William Louis Calver Papers, MS 96, The New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donation of William L. Calver, 1940.
About this Guide
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:56 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.
Edition of this Guide
This version was derived from calver03mb.xml
Repository
New-York Historical Society
View Inventory
NYHS Field Exploration Committee: Papers re: the Committee
Box: 1, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
NYHS Field Exploration Committee: Newspaper articles re: the work of the Committee
Box: 1, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Edwin A. Barber, Director, Pennsylvania Museum re: ceramics found in British camps, 1913-1916, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data re: Oscar Theodore Barck, Sr., member of NYHS Field Exploration Committee
Box: 1, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters written by Reginald Pelham Bolton (1856-1942) and data relative to his writings
Box: 1, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data assembled by Reginald Pelham Bolton and Calver re: so-called "magazine" within Fort Washington, Fort Washington Avenue at 183rd Street, 1934, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data re: to Inwood Hill Park on upper Manhattan Island
Box: 1, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from A. M. Brooking, Director, The Hastings Museum, Hastings, Nebraska, 1925-1939, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Howard Bullis, Brooklyn, NY re: archaeological discoveries on Long Island, NY, 1922-1934, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data and letters of Calver re: research and his activities
Box: 1, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters from Calver to Oscar Theodore Barck, Sr. re: their activities and work of the NYHS Field Exploration Committee on various Revolutionary War and War of 1812 military sites; and letters written by Calver during his trip to Palestine to excavate Crusader castle of Montfort for The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Box: 1, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters from Calver to Reginald Pelham Bolton, Work of NYHS Field Exploration Committee at Fort Washington, 1922, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Reprint of article by Calver, "The British Army Button in the American Revolution," in NYHS Quarterly Bulletin, 1921, inclusive
Box: 1, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Original drafts by Calver for article, "Two Additional Belt Plates and Another Cartridge-Box Badge of the British Army in the American Revolution," published in NYHS Quarterly Bulletin, 1938, inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Original draft by Calver for article, "A Sword-Belt of the Revolution," published in Fort Ticonderoga Museum Bulletin, 1940, inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Manuscript draft by W.L. Calver for article on sleeve links and civil dress buttons
Box: 2, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Original carbon of article by W.L. Calver, "Recollections of Northern Manhattan," written in March 1932, and published in NYHS Quarterly, January 1948
Box: 2, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Manuscript draft by Calver, "Camp Robinson's Farm at Garrison, Putnam County, New York," in the Hudson Highlands, explored by the NYHS Field Exploration Committee
Box: 2, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Article by W.L. Calver for radio talk on archaeological work and activities of NYHS Field Exploration Committee
Box: 2, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Typescript of lecture by W.L. Calver at NYHS on Hudson Highlands, 1936, inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on Major General John Small for article by Calver published in Fort Ticonderoga Museum Bulletin, [1936], inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Correspondence between Calver and Bottet and Lacault re: French 18th century uniforms, 1908-1916, inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on Phoenix buttons and King Christiphe of Haiti, [1920-1930], inclusive
Box: 2, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on buttons
Box: 2, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Canadian and War of 1812 material
Box: 2, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Correspondence of Calver with C. S. Campbell re: Niagara frontier forts, [1908-1930], inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Correspondence with Calver with Walter S. Chattin re: button collection of Reginald L. Hart and American Buttonists Society, 1942, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Calver correspondence with W. G. Crozier, 1933-1934, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Robert S. Duncan re: military data, 1928-1933, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters and data re: military matters from John War Dunsmore, artist and member of NYHS Field Exploration Committee
Box: 3, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters and data exchanged between Calver and Alexander R. Cattley, British Military expert and artist, re: uniform equipment, [1924-1939], inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters and data exchanged between Calver and Luis Fenollosa Emilio, button authority, re: buttons, 1903-1908, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on forts
Box: 3, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Dwight Franklin relative to uniforms, 1932-1935, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters and data, Harold B. Hayden re: Isle aux Noix on Canadian border, Richlieu River, Lake Champlain, [1924-1928], inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Charles Gaunt re: military equipment, 1916-1917, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from R.W. Geary relative to Niagara frontier and Lundy's Lane Historical Society, 1925-1933, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Colonel Charles Haggard, 1914, inclusive
Box: 3, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Reginald W. Hart re: military equipment, 1902-1908, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Leslie G. Hilborn re: military equipment and buttons, [1927-1928], inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Charles B. Hill-Tout re: Hill-Tout's collection of military relics, 1929-1939, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Alfred F. Hopkins, Museum Curator, Colonial National Monument, re: belt plate, 1936, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Hudson Highland Revolutionary War buttons and relics, Payment to George B. Cusley and Sergeant Cephas Fleming, U.S. Army, for their collections, 1921, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from William Kirby, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, re: Niagara River forts and relics, 1936-1938, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Charles La Cault, French military artist, re: uniforms and military matters, 1909-1914, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from B.E. Law, re: relics, 1935, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from A.C. Lovett re: military data, 1913-1920, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from A. MacWilliam re: buttons, 1924-1925, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver and correspondence with Major Samuel Milne, antiquarian and author re: British regimental equipment in American Revolution [1894-1909], 1914, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Morristown National Historic Park re: Morristown and Revolutionary War buttons and relics, 1914, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from J.B. Nightingale re: buttons and relics, 1922-1937, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on Calver's excavation of Crusader Castle of Montfort, Palestine for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1926, inclusive
Box: 4, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Newspaper clippings and data relative to Palestine, collected by Calver in connection with his excavation of the Crusader Castle of Montfort
Box: 4, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from H.G. Parkyn re: to British military relics, 1913-1939, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data and correspondence re: 20th Regiment Foot and British military data, [1927-1933], inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data collected by Calver and Reginald Pelham Bolton on Revolutionary War army huts
Box: 5, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Percival W. Reynolds, British military artist re: military dress and data, 1909-1931, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Edward H. Rogers re: relics, 1938-1939, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Major J.H. MacKay Scobie, Curator, Scottish National Military and Naval Museum re: buttons and military subjects, 1930-1936, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data and correspondence re: Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Connecticut, re: buttons manufactured by the company, 1943-1945, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from George O.W. Servis re: military collections and data, 1904-1938, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Starr S. Sherwood, 1922-1928
Box: 5, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters and data re: Revolutionary War fort sites on Staten Island, 1939, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Carlyle Smith re: firearms, 1938, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from G.W. Snook re: military data, 1936-1937, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Colonel Daniel Stevens re: buttons, 1902-1904, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Assorted data of Dr. William S. Thomas, member of the NYHS Field Exploration Committee re: Revolutionary War military camps, 1922-1929, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters written by William L. Calver to Dr. William S. Thomas, 1917-1925, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on Fort Ticonderoga , collected by Calver in connection with his excavation of the Crusader Castle of Montfort
Box: 5, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver from Frederick P. Todd re: American military equipment, 1936-1940, inclusive
Box: 5, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on troops
Box: 5, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on 17th Regiment of Foot (British Army)
Box: 5, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on various subjects
Box: 6, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Letters to Calver and data from Dr. J.C. Webster, military antiquarian and author, re: buttons and military data, 1908-1918, inclusive
Box: 6, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data on Williamsburg, Virginia
Box: 6, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Data and article by Calver on Revolutionary War army huts
Box: 6, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)
Edgar N. Williams
Box: 6, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)