Series I. Jesse W. Lazear

Containers:
Box 1-6
Extent:
6 boxes
Scope and content:

Series I. Jesse W. Lazear consists of materials relating to Lazear that Philip Showalter Hench collected while researching the yellow fever experiments. Items in this series date from around 1800 to 1956 with the bulk of the items dating from 1863 to 1943. Much of the series consists of the correspondence of Jesse W. Lazear and his wife Mabel H. Lazear. Jesse's correspondence dates from his time as a student at Johns Hopkins University to his death in 1900. Researchers can learn a great deal about Jesse from these letters, including his relationships with friends and family, his educational background, and his professional life. Mabel's correspondence dates from the time she met Jesse to her death in 1946. This correspondence primarily concern her husband's historical legacy and a campaign to secure a pension from the U.S. government for herself and her family.

In addition to Jesse and Mabel's correspondence, the series contains other materials relating to them and their families including, but not limited to the following:

  1. the diaries documenting the travels of Jesse and Mabel's mothers in Europe;
  2. correspondence of other Lazear family members (e.g. Jesse's parents);
  3. genealogical summaries and tables relating to the Lazear family;
  4. legal documents (e.g. wills, certificates, deeds);
  5. military records relating to Jesse;
  6. certificates, reports, and other materials documenting Jesse's educational background and achievements;
  7. obituaries;
  8. copies of congressional bills and reports concerning the provision of a federal pension for Mabel H. Lazear;
  9. newspaper articles;
  10. a microscope and sets of microscope slides owned by Jesse;
  11. and a medical chart that shows the progression of the yellow fever infection that killed Jesse.

Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Parent restrictions:
There are no restrictions on user access to any of the materials in the collection except where noted in the container list.
Parent terms of access:
Copyright restrictions may apply for some materials in the collection.

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