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Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)Special Collections Staff
The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.
The collection is open for research.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Roy Jay Holden Papers, Ms1982-014, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.
The Roy Jay Holden Papers were donated to Special Collections prior to 1982.
An inventory of the Roy Jay Holden Papers was completed after their donation. Additional description was completed in January 2011, when the finding aid was created.
Roy Jay Holden was born to Harvey Jay and Sarah Diana (Danforth) Holden on October 21, 1870 in Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin. He married Elizabeth Evans (1888-1967), and they had several children: Virginia S., Elizabeth F., and Roy Jay, Jr..
Holden earned B.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin in 1900 and 1915, respectively. He joined Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI) as an associate professor of Geology and Mineralogy (sometimes called Mining Geology) in 1905, becoming a professor in 1908. He served as the head of the department from 1908 until his death. Holden died on December 16, 1945, and is buried alongside his wife in the Westview Cemetery in Blacksburg, Virginia.
The Mineral Industries Building at VPI was renamed Holden Hall in honor of Holden in 1949.
External source:
U.S. Federal Census, 1880, 1920-1940
"Roy Jay Holden", Findagrave.com, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69582162/roy-jay-holden , accessed April 22, 2024.
"Holden Hall", Virginia Tech, https://www.vt.edu/about/locations/buildings/holden-hall.html , accessed April 22, 2024.
Roy Jay Holden death certificate, in the Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014, Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/discoveryui-content/view/2373370:9278 , accessed April 22, 2024.
The Roy Jay Holden Papers include field notes, charts and maps, and geological surveys and research results, covering the history of mineralogy and geology, especially in Virginia, including work at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI) Engineering Experiment Station. In addition to detailed materials on iron ores in Virginia, especially west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, there are reports on mines and furnaces in twenty-five counties of the state. The collection also contains Holden's notebooks, copies of addresses and speeches he made, and records from the VPI Geology Department.
Materials are organized into three series:
Series I: Professional Papers includes notes, manuscripts, Geology Department records, and a CV.
Series II: Subject Files contains materials collected on various topics relating to geology and mines, particularly in Virginia.
Series III: General Files includes correspondence, notes, and information on individuals and companies.
VT Special Collections and University Archives also maintains the papers of Holden's son, Roy Jay Holden, Jr. Papers, Ms1991-023.
Additional records from the Geological Sciences Department are available in Record Group 15/12. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.
The guide to the Roy Jay Holden Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).
History of the Iron Ore Industry of the United States (typescript of Holden's doctoral dissertation for the University of Wisconsin, 1915; 506 pp.)
30 small notebooks, many dealing with Virginia Geological Survey, including:
Basalt; Bauxite; Clays; Copper; Dufrenite; Feldspar; Franklinite; Gold; Ilemite; Pegmatite-Moorefield; Pheancite in Amelia County; Platinum; Potash; Quartz; Spessarite; Staurolite-Fairy Stone; Tantalite; Titanium; Vanadium; Viviante; Waverlite; Zinc.