MS 87 - Edwin Lincoln Moseley Papers
MLA Citation
Tags
| Title | MS 87 - Edwin Lincoln Moseley Papers |
|---|---|
| Subject | BGSU Centennial History |
| Introduction | The Edwin Lincoln Moseley Papers were donated to the Center for Archival Collections prior to July 1, 1977; however, records documenting the transaction do not exist. The collection consists of personal correspondence, news clippings, financial documents, literary and legal documents dating from 1869 to 1974 In addition to records of a personal nature, the collection focuses on the research interests and accomplishments of Dr. Moseley. Occupying three linear feet, the collection was processed and the finding aid was prepared by Ann Bowers, University Archivist. The papers are open to the public on an unrestricted basis. |
| Biographical Sketch | Edwin Lincoln Moseley was born in Union City, Michigan, on March 29, 1865. His father was a merchant, and his maternal grandfather, Hiram Bingham, was a missionary. As a high school student, he studied zoology, physiology and intellectual philosophy as well as Greek and Latin. When he graduated from Union City High School in 1880, he was fifteen years old--two years younger than any other person in the class. After a post-graduate year of high school study, Moseley enrolled at the University of Michigan and received both his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in four years. Again he was the youngest in his graduating class and one of two who received a graduate degree. For two years following graduation he was a high school teacher in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and from 1889 to 1914, he was a teacher of natural science at the high school in Sandusky, Ohio. In 1914, he was appointed as one of the first faculty of what would become Bowling Green State University, then Bowling Green Normal College. He served as a science professor and head of the biology department, a position he maintained until his retirement in 1936. From 1936 until the close or his life, he served a curator of the University's natural history and science museum. In the early years of his teaching career, he pioneered in the teaching of natural science by the experimental method, taking his students on many field trips, permitting them to assist him in his work of tracing the submerged valleys of Sandusky Bay with a view to opening the bay to deep-water traffic, and encouraging his students to contribute specimens for his collection. While teaching in Sandusky, he began a collection of wild plants which in time included the largest number of indigenous species ever to be gathered from such a small geographical area. While a high school teacher, he began a program of research which continued until his death, covering a study of the changes in the level of Lake Erie; the formation of Sandusky Bay and Cedar Point, Ohio; tracing of a pre-glacial valley under Huron and Erie Counties, Ohio; and the location of wells whose water was a source of typhoid fever. He studied the flora of northwest Ohio and discovered and traced the cause of milk-sickness to white snakeroot, a weed on which cattle grazed. Moseley also undertook a project in long-range weather prediction and concluded by a study of tree rings and their relative widths that a 90.4 year precipitation cycle existed. Moseley was the author of several books, monographs, and numerous articles. An honorary doctoral degree was conferred on him by Bowling Green State University in 1943. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Botanical Society of America and numerous other professional societies and academies. He died in Bowing Green, Ohio, on June 6, 1948. Always considered somewhat eccentric and miserly in his life style, upon his death it was discovered that he had a sizeable estate, all of which he donated to Bowling Green State University to assist worthy students in need. Scholarships from this estate are still being awarded. |
| Scope and Content | The Edwin Lincoln Moseley Papers, 1869-1974, mainly document the research endeavors of this scientist-teacher, his personal financial affairs, and the financial transactions of his estate. The documents include personal correspondence, articles, news clippings, financial records, research notes, legal records, and copies of his books and articles. The personal correspondence traces the settlement of Florida properties bequeathed to Moseley by his brother. Magazine and journal articles focus on Moseley and his research findings. Although the bulk of the collection contains correspondence, financial records, and legal documents of a more personal nature, the numerous articles and news clippings supply significant information regarding Moseley's contributions to science, national philanthropies and Bowling Green State University. The collection of articles focuses on the diverse research pursuits of Dr. Moseley. Supplementary material documents his early career as a high school teacher and highlight his scientific discoveries. |
| Series Description | CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE LITERARY PRODUCTIONS RESEARCH NOTES BIRD OBSERVATION RECORDS PUBLISHED WORKS GENEALOGY LEGAL DOCUMENTS DEEDS, CONTRACTS, LOANS WILL FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS BANK RECORDS TAX RECORDS REAL ESTATE TAXES RECEIPTS AND MISCELLANEOUS FARM ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS ESTATE/SCHOLARSHIP FINANCIAL RECORDS PRINTED MATERIALS CERTIFICATE NEWS CLIPPINGS MISCELLANEOUS PRINTED MATERIALS PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS PHOTOGRAPHS |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folder
Box 2 Folder
Box 3 Folder
Box 4 Folder
Box 5 Folder
Box 6 Folder
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