Julian Willis Abernethy papers

Collection

Identifier: C-17

Scope and Contents

Materials in the collection include works generated by Julian Willis Abernethy including manuscripts of creative and critical works, holograph notes, newspaper clippings, announcements, articles, tributes, reviews and letters. Some materials are in bound volumes. Note that few documents in the collection are dated. For detailed item listing, see "Other Finding Aids" note.

Dates

1846-1928

Creator

Abernethy, J. W. (Julian Willis) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Open for research without restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

For permission to publish materials, contact: Special Collections & Archives Middlebury College Phone: (802) 443-2387 Email: specialcollections@middlebury.edu

Biographical / Historical

Julian W. Abernethy (1853-1923) (Middlebury College Class of 1876) was born in New Haven, Vermont. After studying at Yale for two years, Abernethy returned to teach at Middlebury for one year. Abernethy then studied and taught at Johns Hopkins, after which he served as principal of the Berkeley Institute in Brooklyn for sixteen years. Abernethy also served as a trustee of Middlebury College from 1901 to 1923. An avid bibliophile and collector of rare first editions, Abernethy bequethed his book collection to Middlebury College upon his death. His particular interests were American literature from the late 18th through the early 20th centuries and the transcendentalist movement, particularly Henry David Throeau. In his will, Abernethy stipulated that his library should be kept independent of the College Library's circulating collection, and should the College split into separate colleges for men and women, his library would form the core of the women's college.

Extent

6 Boxes (6 boxes, 103 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Collection is arranged into three series: Manuscripts, Notes, and Miscellaneous materials.

Series I (71 folders), Manuscripts, contains the following subseries: American literature, Coeducation, English literature, Lectures on the poets and dramatists, Miscellaneous manuscripts, On teaching literature, and Poems.

Series II (20 folders), Notes, contains the subseries Literary notes, and Miscellaneous notes. "Notes" encompasses notes for papers on particular authors including Thoreau and Poe, as well as quotations and fragments written down by Abernethy.

Series III (12 folders), Miscellaneous materials, contains announcements, letters, articles, and reviews. Materials in the collection include holograph and typescript manuscripts of creative and critical works, holograph notes, newspaper clippings, announcements, articles, tributes, reviews, and letters. Some materials are in bound volumes.

Note that very few documents in the collection are dated. For detailed item listing, see "Other Finding Aids" note.

Collection is arranged alphabetically.