James H. Morrow Papers, 1842-1865

Contents and Arrangement

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Collection Overview

Creator:

Morrow, James H. (1820-1865)

Title:

James H. Morrow Papers

Repository:

Manuscripts Division

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/6q182k89j

Dates:

1842-1865

Size:

1 box, 0.2 linear feet

Storage Note:

ReCAP (scarcpxm): Box 1

Language:

English

Abstract: James H. Morrow was a young physician with an extensive background in natural history and agriculture when Secretary of State Edward Everett appointed him to serve as agriculturist with the U.S. expedition to Japan, led by Commodore Matthew Perry, in February 1853. Included in the collection are Morrow's original autograph draft of his expedition journal (approx. 213 pp.), other expedition-related material, and a number of documents of biographical interest about Morrow.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of Morrow's original autograph draft of his expedition journal (approx. 213 pp.), over 100 pp. of manuscript lists and receipts for seeds and agricultural items, 19 manuscript letters or notes, one photograph of Morrow, and various additional documents, all inscribed or completed in manuscript. Much of this relates to the Perry Expedition, documenting, supplementing, and corroborating the published journal and papers edited by Allan B. Cole (A Scientist with Perry in Japan: The Journal of Sr. James Morrow, 1947) -- themselves a supplement to Perry's Narrative of the Expedition of the American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan . . . (1856). In addition to the expedition materials, the collection includes a number of documents of biographical interest about Morrow, dating from his college years in the 1840s to the year of his death in 1865 at the age of forty-five.

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically within two groups: Perry Expedition material, Morrow biographical material.

Collection Creator Biography:

Morrow

James H. Morrow was a young physician with an extensive background in natural history and agriculture when Secretary of State Edward Everett appointed him to serve as agriculturist with the U.S. expedition to Japan in February 1853. Commodore Perry's ship having already departed for Asia in the fall of 1852, Morrow sailed on board the U.S.S. Vandalia in March 1853 to meet with Perry at the Lew Chew (Liu Ch'iu) Islands in the East China Sea. The parties came together in July, and for nearly six months Morrow and the other scientists of the expedition based themselves in Macao preparing for the Japanese mission and touring the vicinity of Macao, Hong Kong, Whampoa, and Canton, where they made various scientific and cultural observations. In February 1854, the expedition arrived in Japan, and for eighteen weeks Morrow carried out his instructions as agriculturist to introduce and distribute Western seeds, plants, and agricultural implements to the Japanese; to collect and care for indigenous seeds, specimens, and agricultural tools and products; and to keep a full and accurate journal, which would be delivered to the Department of State upon his return.

Morrow

Collection History

Acquisition:: Purchased from William Reese Co. in 2012 (AM2012-55).
Appraisal: No appraisal information is available.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by John Delaney in January 2012. Finding aid written by John Delaney in January 2012, based on the dealer's descriptions.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

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