Center for Archival Collections

Introduction | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

 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
1869, 1922-1951, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Incoming personal correspondence, the bulk of which relates to the settlement of properties bequeathed to Moseley by his brother. A minimal amount relates to his research.

LITERARY PRODUCTIONS

RESEARCH NOTES
1920s-1940s
Arranged, where possible, chronologically
Notes concerning all aspects of his research. Notes, maps, and memorabilia from a trip to Mexico.

BIRD OBSERVATION RECORDS
1891-1907, 1910-1911, 1913-1915
Annual record of birds observed at Sandusky, Ohio Station by Moseley, prepared for the USDA Biological Survey (observations 1914-1915 conducted by Ross Ransom and daughter)

PUBLISHED WORKS
1892, 1910-1947, n.d. (scattered)
Arranged by work
Journal articles and books by Moseley. Also journal articles about Moseley and one written by his brother, William A. Moseley.

GENEALOGY
1818, 1948, n.d.
Genealogical notes and charts. Includes a soldier's discharge record in German.

LEGAL DOCUMENTS

DEEDS, CONTRACTS, LOANS
1888, 1894, 1904, 1913, 1922-1947, n.d. (scattered)
Arranged chronologically
All documents involve real estate and personal property owned in northwest Ohio and Florida.

WILL
1922-1944, n.d. (scattered)
Drafts of Moseley's will donating his estate to Bowling Green State University to assist worthy students in need.

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

BANK RECORDS
1933-1948
Bank account records, cancelled checks and stubs

TAX RECORDS
1937-1947
Income Tax records and county taxes paid in Wood and Erie Counties

REAL ESTATE TAXES
1930-1948
Real Estate tax records from Florida

RECEIPTS AND MISCELLANEOUS
1930-1948
War Ration books, lists of assets and liabilities, list of stocks and dividends paid, personal account ledgers, and royalty statements

FARM ACCOUNTS AND RECORDS
1929-1947
Wood County Farmers Mutual Fire Association certificates of membership and reports, farm agreements and receipts

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

ESTATE/SCHOLARSHIP FINANCIAL RECORDS
1948-1974
Estate/Scholarship financial records, check stubs, correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records

PRINTED MATERIALS

CERTIFICATE
1889
Moseley's teacher certificate.

NEWS CLIPPINGS
1887-1948, n.d. (scattered)
Arranged chronologically
News articles about Moseley, his research, and his work at Bowling Green State University.

MISCELLANEOUS PRINTED MATERIALS
1894-1948, n.d. (scattered)
Arranged chronologically by type of record
Includes teachers' meeting programs, membership cards, miscellaneous business, credit, admittance cards, address book, and greeting cards.

PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS

PHOTOGRAPHS
1908, 1912
Photographs of Moseley with the Sandusky High School faculty. Center for Archival Collections

 Inventory

Box 1

1. Personal correspondence, September 10, 1869
2. Personal correspondence, March 1922-December 1930
3. Personal correspondence, February 1931-November 1933
4. Personal correspondence, January 1934-November 1936
5. Personal correspondence, February 1937-November 1939
6. Personal correspondence, January 1940-August 1942
7. Personal correspondence, January 1943-December 1945
8. Personal correspondence, January-December 1946
9. Personal correspondence, January-June 1947
10. Personal correspondence, July-December 1947
11. Personal correspondence, January-February 1948
12. Personal correspondence, March-April 1948
13. Personal correspondence, May-June 1948
14. Personal correspondence, July-December 1948
15. Personal correspondence, January 1949-January 1951, n.d.
16. Research notes, c. 1920s-1940s
17. Research notes, c. 1920s-1940s
18. Research notes, c. 1920s-1940s
19. Research notes, c. 1920s-1940s
20. Research notes, c. 1920s-1940s
21. Mexico Trip-notes, maps, memorabilia, 1946-1947
22. Notes-miscellaneous, 1925-1948, n.d. (scattered)
23. BGSU correspondence with Charles Frohman re: Moseley, 1962-1964

Box 2

1. Bird Observation Records, 1891-1895
2. Bird Observation Records, 1896-1899
3. Bird Observation Records, 1900-1902
4. Bird Observation Records, 1903-1905
5. Bird Observation Records, 1906-1907
6. Bird Observation Records, 1910-1911,1913-1915

Box 3

1. Moseley, Sandusky Flora: A Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Ferns (2 copies), 1899
2. Moseley, Trees, Stars and Birds: A Book of Outdoor Science (2 copies, with one supplement), 1925
3. Moseley, Milk Sickness Caused by White Snakeroot1941
4. William Moseley, "How to Save the Nation", February 4, 1892
5. Moran Tudury, "Long Range Weatherman", November 1943
6. Josephine True, "Edwin Lincoln Moseley: The Biography of an Educator", January 1945
7. Don Wolfe, "The Legend and Legacy of a Farsighted Professor", April 9, 1972
8. Moseley, "Antidote for Aluminum Phosphate, the Poison, April 9, 1910 that Causes Milk-Sickness"
9. Moseley, "Some Suggestions for Outdoor Science Teaching", September 1925
10. Moseley, "Flora of the Oak Openings" (2 copies), 1928
11. Moseley, "Blue Heron Colonies in Northern Ohio", March 1936
12. Moseley, "What May Be Learned from Stumps", (3 copies), May 1938
13. Moseley, "The Ninety-Year Precipitation Cycle" (3 copies), 1939
14. Moseley, "Long Time Forecasts of Ohio River Floods" (2 copies), 1939
15. Moseley, "Sun-spots and Tree Rings" (2 copies), 1941
16. Moseley, "Solar Influence on Variations in Rainfall in the Interior of the United States", 1942
17. Moseley, "Precipitation Prospects, 1943-1947, for Ohio and Near-by States" (2 copies), 1943
18. Moseley, "Recurrence of Floods and Droughts after Intervals of about 90.4 Years" (2 copies), June 1944
19. Moseley, "Variations in the Bird Population of the North Central States Due to Climatic and Other Changes" (2 copies), January 1947
20. Moseley, "How to Keep Young", n.d.
21. Moseley, "Most Americans Use Too Much Meat, White Flour and Sugar", n.d.
22. Moseley, "Northeast Gales"n.d.
23. Harold Mayfield, "E.L. Moseley, Naturalist and Teacher, 1865-1948", 1984
24. Genealogy and Soldier's Discharge Paper, 1919, 1946, n.d.

Box 4

1. Legal Documents (deeds, contracts, loans)1888, 1894, 1904, 1913, 1922-1947, n.d. (scattered)
2. Will (drafts and final)1922-1944, n.d. (scattered)
3. Bank Account records, December 1941-March 1948
4. Cancelled checks, 1933-1935
5. Cancelled checks, 1937-1938
6. Cancelled checks, 1944-1945
7. Cancelled checks, 1946
8. Cancelled checks, 1947
9. Cancelled checks, January-March 1948
10. CARE-notices of relief paid for by Moseley, November 1947-April 1948
11. Check Stub records, November 1938-January 1939, 1943-1948 (scattered)
12. Income Tax records, 1937-1941
13. Income Tax records, 1942-1947
14. County taxes paid-Wood and Erie, 1937-1947 (scattered)
15. War Ration books, 1943
16. Lists of assets and liabilities, 1932-1933
17. List of stocks and dividends paid, September 1947
18. Personal account ledgers, 1932-1948 (scattered)
19. Real Estate tax records-Florida, 1930, 1933-1935
20. Real Estate tax records-Florida, 1936-1940, 1943-1945
21. Real Estate tax records-Florida, 1942-1948
22. Receipts-miscellaneous, 1933-1945 (scattered)
23. Receipts-miscellaneous, 1946
24. Receipts-miscellaneous, 1947
25. Receipts-miscellaneous, January-April 1948
26. Receipts-stock certificates, January, June 1948
27. Book orders, June 1946-January 1948
28. Royalty statements, October 1947, October 1948

Box 5

1. Wood County Farmers Mutual Fire, Association-certificates of membership and reports, 1929-1947
2. Farm-agreements with Sherman Chamberlain, 1937
3. Farm-notes and receipts, 1931, 1933, 1936-1942
4. Farm-notes and receipts, 1943-1946
5. Farm-notes and receipts, n.d.
6. Real Estate notes and plats, 1920s-1930s, n.d.
7. Estate/Scholarship financial records-ledger, 1948-1963
8. Estate/Scholarship financial records-check stubs, 1948-1973
9. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1950, 1954-1957, 1960-1966
10. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1967-1968
11. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1969-1970
12. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1971
13. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1972

Box 6

1. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1973
2. Estate/Scholarship-correspondence, reports, tax files, payment records, 1974
3. Teacher's certificate, 1889
4. News clippings, 1934-1948, n.d. (scattered)
5. Who's Who files, n.d.
6. Northwestern Ohio Teacher's Association-annual meeting program, 1894
7. Michigan Schoolmaster's club-general meeting program, March 1902
8. The Chicago Academy of Science-brochure, 1946
9. Membership cardsc. 1930-1948, n.d.
10. Business, credit, admittance, lecture cards, 1897, 1900, 1928, 1948, n.d.
11. Greeting cards, November 1947, May-June 1948, n.d.
12. Address book, n.d.
13. Photographs-Moseley with Sandusky High School faculty, 1908, 1912
14. Book owned by Moseley, Chemistry and its Relations to Daily Life, by Louis Kahlenberg and Edwin B. Hart (signed by Hart), 1913
15. Encapsulated letter with arrow point from Civil War battlefield-sent to Moseley for his museum, n.d.

Manuscripts by Subject | Education Collections