Elizabeth C. Hall Papers (PP)


Archives, The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
The New York Botanical Garden
200th Street and Kazimiroff Boulevard
Bronx, New York 10458-5126
Phone: 718-817-8604
URL: http://library.nybg.org/

The New York Botanical Garden. All rights reserved. © 2005

This finding aid was produced in English.

Finding aid produced using NoteTab Pro


Collectors: Hall, Elizabeth Cornelia.
Title: Elizabeth C. Hall Papers (PP)
Dates: 1898-1989
Abstract: Collection cotains correspondence, photographs, catalogs, awards, diplomas, yearbooks, scrapbooks, notes, and ephemera.
Quantity: 4.5 linear feet; 7 boxes.
Call Phrase: Elizabeth C. Hall (PP)

Biography of Elizabeth C. Hall

Elizabeth Cornelia Hall (1898-1989) began her career at the NYBG as Head Librarian in 1937. She was appointed Sarah Gildersleeve Fife Research Librarian from 1960 to 1962 and went on to serve as Associate Curator of Education from 1964 until her retirement in 1967. During her thirty years at the NYBG, she gave advice to tens of thousands via telephone and correspondence; was an active lecturer on many gardening and horticultural topics; taught adult education classes; led garden tours and was a frequent contributor to library and gardening journals and newspapers including the New York Times. She was extremely influential in the contemporary garden literature of the post World War II period. In 1969, the New York Botanical Garden awarded her its Distinguished Service Award. Known to all as "Miss Hall", she was beloved and respected by all those who knew her.

Born in Meriden, Connecticut in 1898, she received a BA in chemistry from Radcliffe College in 1921 and a certificate from the Ambler School of Horticulture (then called the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women) in 1934 and a masters degree in library studies from the Columbia University School of Library Service in 1936. In 1937 she came to the NYBG as Head Librarian from the Horticultural Society of New York where she was Librarian from 1930.

After she retired from the NYBG in 1967, she went back to the Horticultural Society to work as a volunteer. She had a prodigious knowledge of rare books and helped the Society to catalog its collection in order to document the HSNY's holdings of important early botanical literature for botanical institutions and museums worldwide. At the same time, she assisted T. H. Everett in the compilation of his monumental ten volume work, The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture. Together, they labored on the project for 14 years. After the encyclopedia was published, she worked from 1982 along with T. H. Everett running the New York Botanical Garden Plant Information Service until her death.


Scope and Content

The personal papers of Elizabeth C. Hall consist of correspondence, photographs, printed memorabilia, awards, notebooks, diplomas and certificates. Included herein are copies of lectures given and articles written. Miss Hall's family are documented as well as her professional career.


Arrangement

The collection is organized into 11 series:
Series 1: Awards. 1962-1985. arranged alpahbetically.
Series 2: Photographs. 1898-1967. arranged by subject.
Series 3: Personal Papers. arranged by subject.
Series 4: Lectures. ca. 1939.
Series 5: Plant Information Office Subject Files. 1982-1989. arranged alphabetically.
Series 6: 1967 Retirement albums. 1967.
Series 7: 90th Birthday celebration. 1988.
Series 8: Plaque. 1988.
Series 9: Radcliffe College. 1918-1921.
Series 10: Diplomas.
Series 11: Catalog of the Printed Books of the Horticutural Society
Series 12: Vertical File. ca. 1980s.


Restrictions

Access restrictions

This collection is open for research with permission from Mertz Library staff.

Copyright

Requests for permission to publish material from the collection should be submitted in writing to the LuEsther T. Mertz Library of the New York Botanical Garden.


Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Persons
Hall, Elizabeth Cornelia.
Subjects
Horticulture--Bibliography--Catalogs.
Librarians--Correspondence.
Librarians--United States--Biography.
Radcliffe College Students Yearbooks.
Places
Bronx (New York, N.Y.)
Organizations
New York Botanical Garden.
New York Horticultural Society--History.
Document Types
book catalog.
photographs.
yearbooks.


Related Material

New York Botanical Garden Archives

Records, [ca.1900]-1966.

Oral history project interview transcript, 1973.

Columbia University, Butler Library, Oral History Research Office

Box 20, Room 801 Reminiscences of Elizabeth Cornelia Hall: oral history, 1973.


Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Elizabeth C. Hall (PP), Archives, The New York Botanical Garden.

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to by Elizabeth C. Hall.

Processing Information

Processed June 2005 by Kathleene Konkle under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) PA-50678-04.


Container List

 

Series 1. Awards.

Scope and Content:

Included herein are various plaques, coins, medals and certificates.

Folder Title Date
1.1 NYC Housing Authority 1962-1974
1.2 New York Botanical Garden 1983
1.3 International Lilac Society 1985
1.4 Distinguished Service Award 1969

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Series 2. Photographs.

Scope and Content:

Separate from the albums included in this collection are a series of snapshots, formal portraits and family members. Several oversized photographs are included in Box 4.

Folder Title Date
2.1 Award ceremony at City Hall 1974/1975
2.2 Dinner party undated
2.3 E.C. Hall 1898-1967
2.4 E.C. Hall ca. 1980s
2.5 Family/relatives various

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Series 3. Personal Papers.

Scope and Content:

Separate from the albums included in this collection are a series of snapshots, formal portraits and family members. Several oversized photographs are included in Box 4.

Folder Title Date
2.6 Financial information/Wills undated
2.7 Funeral arrangements/ Death certificates 1898/1939-1942
2.8 Marriage records/invitations 1891/1939/1946
2.9 Miscellaneous family articles ca. 1950-1986
2.10 Telegrams--family deaths 1920/1953/undated
3.1 Miscellaneous-Boat registration/license 1918
3.2 Passports various
3.3 Genealogy 1941

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Series 4. Lectures.

Scope and Content:

The text of many of Miss Hall's lectures are contained herein along with advertising notices.

Folder Title Date
3.4 Lectures ca. 1939

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Series 5. Plant Information Office Subject Files.

Scope and Content:

Miss Hall operated the Plant Information Office along with T H Everett on a volunteer basis from 1982 through her death in 1989. These files contain correspondence with various acquaintances, societies and clubs, press interviews and files relating to the daily operations of the Plant Information Office.

Folder Title Date
4.1 Africa 1982-1989
4.2 Aged women 1982-1989
4.3 Alabama 1982-1989
4.4 Alexander, E.J. 1982-1989
4.5 Ambler campus 1982-1989
4.6 American Rock Garden Society 1982-1989
4.7 Artist 1982-1989
4.8 Australia 1982-1989
4.9 Azaleas 1982-1989
4.10 Bamboos 1982-1989
4.11 Baum, Vicki 1982-1989
4.12 Bible plants 1982-1989
4.13 Book publishers 1982-1989
4.14 Brooks, Karl L. 1982-1989
4.15 Cabot, Frank 1982-1989
4.16 Canada 1982-1989
4.17 Central Park 1982-1989
4.18 China 1982-1989
4.19 Clark, Phil 1982-1989
4.20 CT/RI maps 1982-1989
4.21 Crokett, L.J. 1982-1989
4.22 Cross Estate 1982-1989
4.23 Duveen, Anneta 1982-1989
4.24 English gardens 1982-1989
4.25 "Famous people I have met" 1982-1989
4.26 Fisher, Robert B. 1982-1989
4.27 Fitch, Charles Marsden 1982-1989
4.28 Fogg, Jack 1982-1989
4.29 Garden book club 1982-1989
4.30 Garden writers 1982-1989
4.31 Gibbons, Eve 1982-1989
4.32 Graf, Alfred B. 1982-1989
4.33 Herb and Chemurgic Garden 1982-1989
4.34 Herb Society of America 1982-1989
4.35 Hill, Anna Gilman 1982-1989
4.36 Horticulture Society of America 1982-1989
4.37 Horticulture Society of New York 1982-1989
4.38 Hortus Club 1982-1989
4.39 Houseplants 1982-1989
4.40 Houston, Mrs. F.P 1982-1989
4.41 Humor 1982-1989
4.42 Irwin, Howard S. 1982-1989
4.43 Japan 1982-1989
4.44 Jekyll, Gertrude 1982-1989
4.45 Kline, Charles 1982-1989
4.46 Lacey, A. 1982-1989
4.47 Lectures 1982-1989
4.48 Letterman show 1982-1989
4.49 Library guide 1982-1989
4.50 Linnaean Society of New York 1982-1989
4.51 Lukins, Beatrice 1982-1989
4.52 Maguire, Bassett 1982-1989
4.53 McCool 1982-1989
4.54 McDonald, Elvin 1982-1989
4.55 McDonnell, Irene 1982-1989
4.56 Merrell, Elinor 1982-1989
4.57 Metro Hort 1982-1989
4.58 Mexico 1982-1989
4.59 Nursery sources 1982-1989
4.60 Norway 1982-1989
4.61 New Zealand 1982-1989
4.62 New library master plan 1982-1989
4.63 Plant explorers 1982-1989
4.64 Plant Information Office 1982-1989
4.65 Plant quarantine 1982-1989
4.66 Poem 1982-1989
4.67 Poisonous house plants 1982-1989
4.68 Press 1982-1989
4.69 Puerto Rico 1982-1989
4.70 Rickett, H.W. 1982-1989
4.71 Roses 1982-1989
4.72 Schmidt, Esther 1982-1989
4.73 Scholtz, Elizabeth 1982-1989
4.74 Simmonds, Harvey 1982-1989
4.75 Society of Women Geographers 1982-1989
4.76 South Africa 1982-1989
4.77 State flowers 1982-1989
4.78 Staten Island Botanic Garden 1982-1989
4.79 Steere, William C. 1982-1989
4.80 Slides 1982-1989
4.81 Small, George K. 1982-1989
4.82 Thanks 1982-1989
4.83 Torrey Botanical Club 1982-1989
4.84 Weber, William A. 1982-1989
4.85 Westchester Trails Association 1982-1989
4.86 Wilder, L.B. 1982-1989
4.87 Wave Hill 1982-1989

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Series 6: 1967 Retirement albums.

Scope and Content:

These three (3) albums were compiled on the occasion of Miss Hall's retirement from the Garden and include personal photographs from her travels as well as letters of congratulation and testimony from various individuals.


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Series 7: 90th Birthday celebration.

Scope and Content:

These materials relate to the 1988 celebration held at the Garden in honor of Miss Hall's 90th birthday. Included are a scrapbook and several small photograph albums.


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Series 8: Plaque.

Scope and Content:

This plaque holds the printing plate used by the New York Times to print the feature story on Miss Hall which ran in the paper March 31, 1988 in honor of her 90th birthday celebration.


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Series 9: Radcliffe College.

Scope and Content:

This series contains several photographs and four yearbooks from Radcliffe College dated 1918-1921.


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Series 10: Diplomas.

Scope and Content:

Various academic diplomas and certificates.


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Series 11: Catalog of Printed Books of the Horticulture Society 1481-1900.

Scope and Content:

This catalog was compiled by Miss Hall in order to sell the rare book holdings of the Horticultural Society of New York at auction.


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Series 12: Vertical File.

Scope and Content:

This wooden box contains a file written on index cards with names and addresses of nurseries and contacts arranged by plant subject. It was perhaps used in the operations of the Plant Information Office.


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