The William Zimmerman, Jr., Manuscripts Collection consists of two series of material. The first series is a collection of autograph materials such as correspondence by literary figures, intellectuals and politicians, including novelists R.D. Blackmore, Samuel Butler, Anatole France, Thomas Hughes, Edgar Lee Masters, and George McDonald; and statesman Harold Ickes. Photographs by Burton Holmes and Henry Greenwood Peabody are also included. Of special interest is a fragment of a sixteenth century manuscript of a recipe for preventing contraction of the plague. This was transcribed and published with a historical description by French historian Louis Bossu in 1913. The typescript is included in this collection; the booklet is catalogued in the Georgetown University Special Collections Division. The second series consists of printed bookplates belonging to various notable individuals, the earliest belonging to Sir Francis Knollys, statesman in the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Others include William Blackstone, John Hoadly, Horace Walpole, and William Wilberforce. An original sepia drawing by Agnes Berry for a bookplate of Anna Seymour Damer, sculptress, is also included.
This collection also includes three printed reports by Zimmerman on Indian rights.
Dates
1500 - 1967
Majority of material found within 1830 - 1900
Collection-level Access Restrictions
Most manuscripts collections at the Georgetown University Booth Family Center for Special Collections are open to researchers; however, restrictions may apply to some collections. Collections stored off site require a minimum of three days for retrieval. For use of all manuscripts collections, researchers are advised to contact the Booth Family Center for Special Collections in advance of any visit.
William Zimmerman, Jr., was associate commissioner of Indian Affairs from 1933 to 1950, and later, associate director of the Bureau of Land Management from 1950-1954.
Provenance
Provenance: Gift of Mrs. William Zimmerman, Jr., 1980.
William Zimmerman Manuscripts Collection, Georgetown University Library Booth Family Center for Special Collections, Washington D.C. https://findingaids.library.georgetown.edu/repositories/15/resources/10051 Accessed January 25, 2021.