J. Archibald Murray scrapbooks
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The collection holds 135 volumes of scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings. The bulk date from the 1890s. Most seem to be general news clippings, with some volumes having a thematic focus, principally "necrology."
Biographical / Historical
J. Archibald Murray (1857-1954) became a member of N-YHS in 1885 and held a position on its Executive Committee from 1913-1932. In the 1920s, he was also a Vice-President of the organization.
Arrangement
Although the scrapbooks as a whole have a thematic and chronological arrangement as set by Murray, the volumes are not sorted and boxed in any particular order.
Scope and Contents
The collection holds 135 volumes of scrapbooks containing newspaper clippings compiled by J. Archibald Murray. Perhaps most of the volumes have labels on the spines, but many have lost their labels (and the spine in some instances). This description is based largely on the labels; the contents of very few of the volumes were reviewed for this description. The bulk of the labels include the year (and sometimes month) of the clippings, with the general reference "newspaper cuttings" or "newspaper clippings." Some have volume numbers, but not all. At least eight of the volumes hold "necrology" (i.e., articles concerning deaths). Other small subsets are "Buffalo & Pittsfield" (articles from the press in those cities) and "Education, etc." Although the absence of labels limits the description in this note, there were single volumes labeled "Science & Fine Arts, 1896," "China & Japan," "Union College, 1895," and "Clippings from English papers."
The bulk of the volumes date from the 1890s, ending in 1900. At least one volume extends back to the 1870s, but its format differs somewhat from the other volumes and may have gotten included in the collection over time by mistake.
Subjects
Genres
Access Restrictions
Open to qualified researchers. Materials are stored offsite and advance notice is required for use. Please contact manuscripts@nyhistory.org prior to your research visit to coordinate access. Keep in mind that it will take between two (2) and five (5) business days for collections to arrive, and you should plan your research accordingly.
Use Restrictions
Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.
Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.
Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions
Preferred Citation
The collection should be cited as: J. Archibald Murray scrapbooks, MS 3186, New-York Historical Society.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Five of the volumes were a gift from J. Archibald Murray on June 16, 1937. The dates of donation of the other volumes have not been determined.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection is not processed or arranged. As part of a project conducted in 2019-21, archivists Elise Winks and Larry Weimer performed a high level survey of the collection and described it broadly in this preliminary finding aid.