Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Mayer, Alfred M. (Alfred Marshall), 1836-1897. |
| Title: | Alfred Marshall Mayor Papers |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1858-1897 |
| Quantity: | 1.5 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, 1863-1897; personal documents, manuscripts, and published material of the American physicist. |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: |
Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
Alfred M. Mayor (sometimes also spelled "Mayer") was born Nov. 13, 1836 in Baltimore, Maryland. His father was a Maryland Senator and well-to-do. Alfred M. Mayor attended St. Mary's College and then completed his studies on his own. He became a good friend of Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institute and developed a keen interest in the physical sciences.
In 1858 he accepted a chair in physics in Westminster College, Mo. He studied abroad in the Civil War, and returned in 1865 to take a chair of physics in chemistry at Pennsylvania College. Two years later he moved to Lehigh University where he became involved in the science of astronomy. Dr. Mayor completed the last 26 years of his career at the Stevens Institute of Technology. His many interests and research topics ranged in subject from acoustics to the physics of heat and magnetism.
Dr. Mayor married twice, first to Katherine Duckett Goldsborough who after giving birth to a son, Alfred G. Mayor, died in 1869. Dr. Mayor married second Maria Snowden. The two sons of this marriage, Brantz and Joseph Henry both died at an early age. Dr. Mayor continued his research up until his death in July 13, 1897 in Maplewood, New Jersey.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The papers of Alfred Marshall Mayor include correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, published material, a scrapbook, journals and related items.
Correspondence, includes incoming letters, outgoing letters and letters to and from other people. Letters to and from others consist of letters from Mr. Mayor's sons Joseph Henry and 'Ned'. Subject File, includes bills and receipts, a diary of Mr. Mayor's, two journals of his son, invitations, legal papers, photographs, and a scrapbook. Manuscripts, include articles and notes of Alfred Marshall Mayor and manuscripts by others (mostly school themes written by Dr. Mayor's son). Published Material, consists of magazine articles, about and by Dr. Mayor, and newspaper clippings about Dr. Mayor.
Arrangement of the Collection
Incoming letters are arranged alphabetically by author, and outgoing letters are arranged chronologically. Letters to and from others are arranged alphabetically by author and then chronologically. Subject File materials are arranged alphabetically by subject and manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by author.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
A copy of No. 8 in Audubon's Birds of America series (a pamphlet on owls) has been transferred to Rare Books for cataloging. Please refer to Libraries Search to locate this item.
The Special Collections Research Center has numerous collections for the Hyatt-Mayor families. For information on members of the Hyatt, Mayor, Beebe, and Huntington families see the SCRC Subject Index for the finding aids of individual family members.
Additional Mayor/Mayer family papers are held by Princeton University.
Subject Headings
Persons
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Alfred Marshall Mayor Papers,
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Finding Aid Information
Created by: --
Date: Nov. 1966
Revision history: 20 Mar 2008 - converted to EAD (LDC);
3 Jun 2014 - alt spelling, Princeton papers added, Audubon noted as removed (MRC)
Inventory
| Correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Biographical Material | ||||||||||
| Incoming correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | B - D | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Durand, C. | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | G | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | H - M | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Manning, George L. | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Mayor, Frank B. | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Mayor, Maria | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | N | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | R - S, W, Unidentified | ||||||||||
| Outgoing correspondence | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | 1873, 1876, 1894, undated | ||||||||||
| Correspondence to and from others | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Mayor, Joseph Henry | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Mayor, Ned W. | ||||||||||
| Subject files | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Bills and receipts | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Copyright acknowledgments | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | "A Description of Stevens Institute Grounds" | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Diary ca. 1858 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Diaries of Dr. Mayor's sons | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Invitations | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Legal papers | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Photographs | ||||||||||
| Box 2 | Scrapbook | ||||||||||
| Manuscripts | |||||||||||
| Box 3 | Articles and notes by Alfred M. Mayor | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Articles and notes by Mayor's sons | ||||||||||
| Published material | |||||||||||
| Box 3 | Articles about Alfred M. Mayor | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Articles by Alfred M. Mayor | ||||||||||
| Box 3 | Newspaper clippings about Alfred M. Mayor | ||||||||||
| Pamphlet, The Birds of America | |||||||||||
| Transferred to Rare Books for cataloging, 2001. | |||||||||||