Guide to the Thomas Rutherford Bacon papers, 1878-1907

Special Collections, James P. Adams Library
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Ave
Providence, RI, 02908
Tel: 401-456-8380
email:digitalcommons@ric.edu

Published in 2024

Collection Overview

Title:	Thomas Rutherford Bacon papers
Date range:	1878-1907
Creator:	Bacon, Thomas Rutherford, 1850-1913
Extent:	1 cubic foot.
Abstract:	The papers primarily pertain to Bacon’s teachings on theology, U.S. history, and European history in Berkeley, California.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	Special Collections, James P. Adams Library
Collection number:	MSS-0091

Scope & content

The collection contains correspondence between Bacon and Houghton Mifflin Company, addresses, lectures, handwritten Bible verses, essays, an untitled story, a typed and partially completed textbook on European history, and publications from journals and magazines.

Access Points

Subject Names

• Bacon, Thomas Rutherford, 1850-1913
• Scudder, Horace Elisha, 1838-1902

Subject Organizations

• University of California at Berkeley
• Houghton Mifflin Company

Subject Topics

• Religion
• World history
• European history

Geographical Names

• New Haven (C.T.)
• Berkeley (C.A.)

Document Types

• Manuscripts
• Publications
• Handwritten essays and notes
• Addresses

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series:

• Series 1: Correspondence; 1900-1908
• Series 2: Writings; 1878-1907

Biographical/Historical Note

Born June 26, 1850, to Rev. Leonard Bacon, Thomas R. Bacon was raised in New Haven, Connecticut, graduated from Yale University, circa 1876, and served several years as a Congregational minister before joining the history faculty of the University of California at Berkeley, around 1890. Bacon wrote and lectured extensively on theology and world history. He held his professorship until his death on March 26, 1913.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	The collection is open for research.
Use of the materials:	Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form:	This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.
Preferred citation:	Thomas Rutherford Bacon papers, MSS-0091, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College.
Contact information:	Special Collections, James P. Adams Library Rhode Island College 600 Mount Pleasant Ave Providence, RI, 02908 Tel: 401-456-8380 email:digitalcommons@ric.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The collection was given to Rhode Island College in 1968 by Martha Bacon Ballinger, with the consent of her husband, Ronald B. Ballinger, as well as her sister, Helen Bacon Westlake, and Helen’s husband, J.T. Westlake.
Processing information:	After the collection arrived in 1968 as part of the Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers, Rhode Island College Professor Norman Smith conducted preliminary sorting of the collection. The processing of the papers and the preparation of the original finding aid was funded by a National Historical Publications and Records Commission grant. The initial finding aid was prepared by Norene Rickson, library assistant in RIC Special Collections, with the assistance of Michael Kohl, Assistant Librarian in Special Collections. In 2023, the finding aid was converted to current archival standards by Special Collections intern Melissa Moniz, under the supervision of Veronica L. Denison, Digital Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Rhode Island College. At this time, the collection was removed from the Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers and made into its own collection.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Melissa Moniz and Veronica L. Denison.
Encoding:	This finding aid was encoded by Veronica L. Denison, 2024
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)

Additional Information

Related material:	Rhode Island College Special Collections contains additional collections relating to the Bacon family: Leonard Bacon letters, MSS-0107;Leonard Bacon papers, MSS-0094,Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers, MSS-0005; and the Helen Hazard Bacon papers, MSS-0093. Additionally, Yale University Manuscripts and Archives holds the Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers, MS 696 and the Bacon Family Papers, MS 46; and the Rhode Island Historical Society holds the Bacon Family Papers, MSS 483.
Separated material:	This collection was separated from the Nathaniel Terry Bacon papers (MSS-0005) and made into its own collection in 2023. Contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections for further information.
Location/Existence of copies:	This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact the Rhode Island College Special Collections.

Inventory

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