Starr, Frederick. Papers

Scope Note

Starr did not run his life in a precise, orderly fashion (his apartment was said to have had books piled all over the floor). His files reflect this lack of personal organization. The collection is divided into nine series: I. Correspondence; II. Research materials; III. Lecture notes; IV. Diaries; V. Memorabilia; VI. Clippings; VII. Photographs; VIII. Card files; and IX. Scrapbooks. They document Starr's life from his college days at the University of Rochester until his death. While there are items in the correspondence dating as early as 1868, the bulk of the collection is representative of Starr's career at the University of Chicago. Each of the nine sections is preceded by an introduction explaining the organization of the material contained within it.

Series I: Correspondence

Correspondence has been divided into two subseries, General and Family. Under these headings, individual items are organized chronologically. Letters with no date are filed alphabetically by author at the beginning of each section. An index of selected correspondents precedes the inventory of general correspondence.

Subseries 1: General Correspondence

1868-90: Correspondence within this period follows Starr from high school student in Auburn, New York through his appointment as registrar and professor of geography at Chautauqua. The earliest surviving letters are mostly notes of congratulation and encouragement from family and friends. There is a small body of letters documenting his brief tenure as professor of biological sciences at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa (1884-85).

1891-1906: William Rainey Harper first approached Starr about joining the faculty of the new University of Chicago in 1891. In order to accept Harper's offer, he left a position as professor and dean of sciences at Pomona College. Defining the role of anthropology at the new university within Harper's broader academic organization is reflected in letters between Starr, Harper, and Albion W. Small. Anthropology was to be taught under the supervision of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of which Small was to be head. In 1892, Starr became involved with the World's Columbian Exposition as secretary to the local committee on ethnology and archaeology. His role in the Exposition is shown in an exchange of letters in 1892-93 with Franz Boas, secretary of the International Anthropological Congress (see notebook on World's Columbian Exposition, Box 29).

1907-23: By the time of Harper's death in 1906, Starr was a popular and well-traveled member of the faculty. He corresponded with leading anthropologists including Boas, David Barrows, Havelock Ellis, William H. Holmes and A. L. Kroeber. In 1901, Starr became involved with Unity (see Clippings, Box 34) and its founder-editor Jenkin Lloyd Jones, and throughout the early years of the twentieth century, he was a frequent contributor to the magazine. (Jenkin Lloyd Jones Papers are held by the University of Chicago Library and the Library of Meadville/Lombard Theological School.) This involvement is reflected in letters from Jones and his family and from Jones' successor as editor, John Haynes Holmes. Occasionally, Starr's outspoken attitudes got him into trouble with his sponsors. A good example of this is found in an exchange with the editor of National Geographic, William Grosvenor, over a series of lectures in 1908 where he attacked U.S. policy in the Philippines.

Starr considered himself an opponent of imperialism, corresponding frequently with the Anti-Imperialist League and its secretary Irving Winslow. In 1905-06, he visited the Congo Free State to investigate native conditions. Upon his return, he broke with the anti-imperialist forces opposed to Belgian activities. Starr's new friendship with the Belgian administration appears in letters from the Prince de Ligne, an administrator of the Congo stationed in Brussels. In 1907, the Prince de Ligne was instrumental in obtaining for Starr the Order of Leopold II.

Starr's efforts on behalf of the government of Liberia, which culminated in the publication of his book Liberia; Description, History, Problems in 1913, caused him to correspond with a number of prominent Americans interested in Africa and African affairs. There are letters from W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Julius Rosenwald. He was also involved with Mexican problems, corresponding extensively with the noted author Federico Gamboa.

1923-33: Starr was a good friend of Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Darrow and in 1923; he and Darrow participated in a series of friendly debates on such diverse topics as "Has the Human Race Justified its Existence?" (Starr argued affirmatively). This relationship is documented in a series of letters from 1923-32.

As early as 1904, Starr had traveled in Japan, but it was not until his later years that the country and its problems came to dominate his work. His retirement from the University of Chicago in 1923 and move to Seattle permitted him easier access to the Orient. Starr was a strong advocate of oriental tradition and identity which won him favor from the Japanese academic community. An interest in Korea brought him into contact with Dr. Syngman Rhee as early as 1919, yet in spite of his support for Dr. Rhee's nationalistic activities, Starr sided with Japan during its period of encroachment in China and over the Manchuko controversy. This increasing political involvement in the affairs of the Far East is visible in letters from Senators Wesley Jones and C.C. Dill of Washington state.

Index of Selected Correspondents in the General Correspondence

Edith Abbott April 17, 1926

David Barrows May 8, 1908; Nov. 16, 1914; Oct. 6, 1915

Franz Boas April 9, 1892; Feb. 20, 28, Mar. 17, May 5, 1893; Mar. 17, April 16, 1903

Mary B. Bryan May 15, 1913

Fay-Cooper Cole Feb. 15, Sept. 25, 1924

Clarence and Ruby Darrow 6 undated; Oct. 12, 1923; Oct. 6, 1924; Jan. 16, 1925; Jan. 13, 1932

Charles S. Deneen June 6, 1928

Melvil Dewey Aug. 9, 1889; Dec. 17, 1901

C. C. Dill Dec. 29, 1930; Feb. 20, May 11, 1931

W.E.B. Du Bois Sept. 4, 1892; Jan. 28, Nov. 11, 1915; Sept. 19, 1924

Havelock Ellis Dec. 15, 1908

Federico Gamboa Sept. 28, 1903; Aug. 15, Sept. 3, 19, 1904; Oct. 19, Nov. 3, Dec. 7, 1914; Sept. 15, 1915; July 11, 1916; July 2, 1917; Mar. 20, May 7, Aug. 20, Oct. 16, 1918; Feb. 5, Mar. 11, 1919; Jan. 28, Nov. 12, 1920; May 29, 1923; Jan. 20, July 10, 1929

Thomas Goodspeed Jan. 30, 1892

William Rainey Harper 1 undated; Feb. 19, Mar. 25, Dec. 31, 1891; Feb. 24, Mar. 2, Sept. 30, 1892; Mar. 15, 1897; Oct. 9, 1898; July 30, Sept. 9, 1904

John Haynes Holmes April 12, 1919; Aug. 3, 1921; April 20, 1926; Dec. 14, 1927; Jan. 12, Dec. 15, 1928; Dec. 2, 1929; June 2, 8, 1931

William H. Holmes Jan. 17, 1893; Oct. 22, 1900; Dec. 23, 1926

Albert J. Hopkins Sept. 17, 1904

Robert M. Hutchins Mar. 26, 1932

Harold Ickes Mar. 10, 1933

Edith Lloyd Jones Dec. 15, 1928

Jenkin Lloyd Jones Sept. 14, 1901

Richard Lloyd Jones Dec. 16, 1902; Feb. 17, 19, 1920; Aug. 17, 1931

Wesley Jones Dec. 28, 1923; Dec. 28, 1926; April 8, 1927; June 24, 1929; Feb. 3, Dec. 29, 1930

Harry P. Judson May 8, 1907; Feb. 14, April 13, 1908; Sept. 29, 1916

A.L. Kroeber 1 fragment; Feb. 6, 1908

Salmon O. Levinson Feb. 26, 1929

Prince de Ligne 1 undated; June 20, Dec. 4, 1906; Feb. 14, Mar. 8, 1907; Jan. 15, 1908; Aug. 3, 1929

Robert M. Lovett Aug. 17, 1921; Jan. 3, 1923

James R. Mann Sept. 24, 1904; Jan. 11, 1908; Nov. 29, 1916

Max Mason Jan. 6, 1927

W.E. Mason Feb. 25, 1903

Shailer Mathews July 27, 1904; Oct. 10, 1910; June 30, 1926; Mar. 26, 1932

Harriet Monroe Nov. 12, 1922

Syngman Rhee Jan. 17, 1919; Jan. 17, 1920

Julius Rosenwald Sept. 18, Oct. 4, 5, Nov. 1, 1915; Aug. 24, 1916

Viscount Shibusawa July 18, 1924; Dec. 31, 1926

James L. Slaydon May 22, 1912; April 17, 22, 1913

Albion Small 1 undated; Mar. 26, 1892; July 8, 1903; Sept. 1, 1904; May 2, 1913

Joseph Fielding Smith July 15, 1922

A.A. Stagg April 26, 1911

Harold H. Swift June 23, 1921

Elizabeth Wallace 1 undated

Ida B. Wells-Barnett Feb. 23, 27, Mar. 13, 1914

Subseries 2: Family Correspondence

Starr was very close to his mother Helen and his sister Lucy. He corresponded with them on a regular basis, particularly while traveling, and many of these letters have been preserved. They document his perceptions of foreign cultures in a forthright fashion, which illustrates Starr's keen observing eye and extraordinary sensitivity to cultural detail. The collection covers Starr's life after his advancement to associate professor at the University of Chicago in 1895 until 1932. It forms the largest body of Starr-generated correspondence in the papers. Letters to Starr from his mother and sister have not been preserved.

Series II: Research Materials, Field Work

Starr's interests were wide-ranging and his publications numerous. Most of his note-taking was done on small pieces of paper, which were then batched by subject or by order of appearance in a publication. These materials have been sorted by subject area and, whenever possible, Starr's original headings have been retained. The series is divided into eight subseries. In some cases, folders of notes are followed by bound field notebooks or diaries, kept while traveling, which relate directly to the general subject area under consideration.

One issue of concern for researchers is that the small notebooks often times had labels placed on the outside by an earlier archivist ordering this collection. Unfortunately, the information listed on the outside of the notebooks on these labels is not always correct. It is best to use the finding aid and folder labels in directing research.

Series III: Lecture Notes

Starr taught a wide variety of courses at the University of Chicago and lectured nationally on a number of subjects. The lecture notes preserved in this collection are scattered, making it difficult to organize them in the form in which they were delivered. Any original groupings have been retained, but the body of notes has been filed by subject area rather than by individual lecture topic.

Series IV: Diaries

While Starr was fastidious in detailing his fieldwork, records of his non-professional life, especially has early years, are sporadic. Preserved in this collection are three college diaries from the University of Rochester as well as a number of diaries from his pre-University of Chicago teaching career at the State Normal School in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania and Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In addition, there are eight volumes, dating 1907-23, which form a daily record of Starr's activities at the University of Chicago. While not complete nor greatly detailed, they do provide an insight into his teaching schedule and attitudes toward the university community. The collection contains diaries recounting Starr's impressions of two world's fairs. One volume deals with the World's Columbian Exposition, describing a number of different buildings and displays in elaborate detail. The other records a 1901 trip to the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo, New York.

Series V: Memorabilia

Starr's popularity as a lecturer and occasional after-dinner speaker is well documented by the numerous invitations, programs and announcements, which make up the memorabilia section of these papers. Individual items have been sorted by type and, where possible, placed in chronological order. Two areas of particular interest are the numerous foreign citations received by Starr and the announcements for a Starr Memorial erected by the Japanese in 1933.

Foreign Citations:

1900, Holland, Museums Medal

1907, Congo, Officer, Order of Leopold II

1911, Congo, Commander, Order of Leopold II

1908, France, Palms of Officer of Public Instruction

1911, Italy, Chevalier, Order of the Crown of Italy

1915, Liberia, Knight Commander, Order of African Redemption

1921, Japan, Third Grade, Order of Sacred Treasure

1929, Cuba, Academico Correspondiente, National Academy of Cuba

Series VI: Clippings

As well as being a frequent contributor to serious publications such as Unity and Dial, Starr's activities and positions often brought him to the attention of the general press. He had a combative side to his personality which relished the sort of controversy brought on by advocating stands such as the inferiority of women, the Japanese right to invade Manchuria, and the consolidation of Belgian rule in the Congo.

Most of the clippings in Box 34 are from Unity magazine. More general articles on Starr are preserved in the twenty-three scrapbooks, which follow the main body of the collection.

Series VII: Photographs

To complete his record of primitive culture, Starr took a great many photographs during his extensive travels abroad. He often took a photographer with him on his visits to villages in Africa, Mexico and the Orient.

Starr rarely placed identifying markings on his photographs, so classification in this collection has been largely by country, region of origin, or specialized subject area such as Deformates and Albinos. In the few cases where a packet of photographs was grouped and labeled, the original order and subject headings have been retained.

Series VIII: Card Files

While most of Frederick Starr's research notes were taken on small slips of paper, he kept files of index cards with general bibliographic information, addresses and general notes. They are organized by subject and have been left in the order in which they were received.

Series IX: Scrapbooks

The twenty-three scrapbooks in this collection contain clippings related to Starr's professional work and travels. They are organized chronologically from volume 1 to volume 16. The following three books contain articles and reviews by Starr, written for specific periodicals such as Unit. Numbers 20-23 are filled with clippings from Japanese newspapers.