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Special Collections Research Center
William & Mary Special Collections Research CenterWilliam & Mary Special Collections Research Center staff
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Curator of Manuscripts and Rare Books, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
John Thomas Baldwin Jr. papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.
Dr. John Thomas Baldwin Jr. (1910-1974) received his undergraduate degree from William & Mary, and a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. He joined the William & Mary faculty in 1937, before leaving in 1939 to teach at the University of Michigan for two years. Dr. Baldwin returned to William & Mary in 1944, where he rose from assistant professor of botany to chairman of the biology department over the course of his career.
Dr. Baldwin specialized in cytogenetics, the study of plant chromosomes, and boxwoods. His work also focused on strophanthus sarmentosus, a plant from the same genus as the dogbane family. When he traveled to Liberia in 1947 at the behest of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for a survey of the distribution, prevalence and behavior of strophanthus, it was discovered to be a natural source of cortisone. The plant was used extensively in the early manufacturing of the drug.
Dr. Baldwin traveled to four continents in the course of his studies, and working with his colleague Dr. Bernice Speese, he used the seeds and plantings from those trips to turn the campus of William & Mary into a natural laboratory. Some of the plants that remain today are among the oldest cultivated representatives of their species in the United States.
Dr. Baldwin passed away on September 3, 1974 at the age of 63.
This collection contains materials pertaining to the professional career and personal life of Dr. John Thomas Baldwin Jr. Also included are the professional papers of Dr. Bernice Speese, a William & Mary professor and colleague of Dr. Baldwin.
Materials include articles, drawings, maps, personal and academic correspondence, media clippings and written research notes, report drafts, photography, and government documents related to Baldwin's work with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Several books were received along with the papers. Some volumes were retained and catalogued, the others were returned to the William & Mary Herbarium.
Papers pertaining to Dr. Baldwin's work both within and outside of William & Mary. This series is divided into eight subseries: General papers, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Reports, Liberia, Hevea research, The Great Dismal Swamp, Plant families, and Cytogeography.
Papers, notes, articles, and other documents acquired or created by Baldwin in the course of his work. Two particular sections of note in this series are The Blandy Experimental Farm at University of Virginia and the Kingsville Nurseries, now Foxborough Nursery, Inc. These were two organizations he worked closely with to acquire and research new plant specimens.
Includes an article on Isotria Medeoloides at the Grimes Station in Virginia by J.T. Baldwin. And a 1924 brochure from the Bureau of Vital Statistics Virginia State Board of Health titled "Eugenics in relation to the new family and the law on racial integrity."
Includes specimen notes, correspondence, travel documents, and import papers from the work Dr. Baldwin conducted with the United States Department of Agriculture. These materials are national and international in scope, with the bulk of the import documentation originating in Brazil and Liberia.
Reports on botanical field operations. The bulk of the reports are on rivers, river deltas, and regions in Brazil.
Reports, correspondence, travel documentation, and specimen inventories from Dr. Baldwin's trips to Liberia. This subseries includes notes pertaining to his work with strophanthus.
Notes and drafts for Dr. Baldwin's publication "Hevea: A First Interpretation." Hevea brasiliensis, also called the Pará rubber tree, is a natural source of rubber. Dr. Baldwin studied its applications, as well as cultivation methods.
Newspaper articles, documentation, and photos of Dr. Baldwin's work within the Dismal Swamp.The majority of the images are of plant specimens and waterways, with a small series on fish.
Hand-drawn and printed images of chromosomal arrangements for different plant families related to Dr. Baldwin's cytogeographical studies. Some files also contain reference photos of plants.
Notes, records, chromosome diagrams from Dr. Baldwin's research in cytogeography, the study of plant chromosomes.
Correspondence to and from Dr. Baldwin from students, acquaintances, and work contacts. This series is divided into three subseries: general correspondence, correspondence to specific individuals, and student correspondence.
Correspondence to and from Dr. Baldwin. Arranged alphabetically by last name and chronologically within the folders.
Correspondence to and from Dr. Baldwin by specific individuals. These are arranged alphabetically by last name. This includes letters from William & Mary president, Dr. Julian Alvin Carroll Chandler; the founder of the Virginia Herpetological Society, W. Leslie Burger Jr.; The plant geneticist, member of the Mulford Expedition, and director of Blandy Experimental Farm, Dr Orland Emile White; Alton M. Harvill, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Biology at Longwood University; and Robert F. Hoover who founded the botanical garden and herbarium at California State Polytechnic College.
Correspondence to and from Dr. Baldwin from students he taught at William & Mary. Contains recommendation letters, internship requests, and general correspondence related to his classes.
Dr. Bernice Marguerite Speese (1911-1985) was a professor and botanist who worked at William & Mary. She co-authored papers with Dr. Baldwin on the topics of mitosis, chromosomes, and cytogeography among others. The two worked closely together throughout their careers. She was one of the leaders in boxwood research, and served on the cabinet of the American Boxwood Society for several years.
Dr. Speese was born in 1911, and died in 1985.
Papers created by and pertaining to Dr. Bernice Speese that were transferred as part of the Dr. Baldwin papers. This series is divided into two subseries: correspondence, and professional papers.
Correspondence to and from Dr. Speese. Arranged alphabetically by last name.
Materials created by and related to Dr. Speese's work at William & Mary. Subseries contains cytology drawings, notebook and notes from her research, published materials and newspaper articles that are attributed to other creators. The writings contain a selection of poems and short stories with unclear authorship.
Maps primarily focused on regions of Brazil. Two of the maps were created and distributed by the Office of Crop Acclimatization, Bureau of Plant Industry, in Washington D.C. Seven others are from a series produced by the American Geographical Society of New York. The Dismal Swamp map was drafted by the US Army Corps of Engineers.