By Clare Sobotka, Roxanne Edgar, and Elizabeth Nielsen
Title: C. William Nelson Papers, 1958-1990
Predominant Dates: 1958-1975
ID: MSS NelsonCW
Primary Creator: Nelson, C. William
Extent: 0.1 cubic feet. More info below.
Languages of Materials: English [eng]
The C. Williams Nelson Papers document Nelson’s field collecting and research study of insects, especially moths and butterflies, in Oregon and Washington. The core of the collection is a research notebook (box 1, folder 3) documenting a study conducted by Nelson in 1958-1959 on Hemihyalea edwardsii (Edward’s Glassy-Wing moths) from egg-laying, through pupation, and into the adult stage with a focus on changes in the numbers of individuals with each instar. The notebook includes daily notes and observations from Dec 1958 to June 1959 and a striking graphic illustration of the percentage of remaining individuals in each instar versus the days elapsed in the study. The notebook includes references to Dr. Lee Brown.
The collection also includes field logs (box 1, folder 4) created by Nelson from 1962 to 1966 documenting the location, day/time, type and number of specimens, and conditions when insect specimens were collected. A field notebook with notes created by B.C. Brungard in 1977-1990 is also part of the collection.
The remainder of the papers consist of field trip schedules and the newsletter (“Mush Rumors”) of the Oregon Mycological Society for 1967-1972 (box 1, folder 1); various issues of the Bulletin of the Oregon Entomological Society for 1972-1975; and correspondence with other collectors and associated collection notes.
More Extent Information: 1 box
Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Note: These materials were received by the University Archives prior to 2004 as part of the Entomology Department Records. In 2004, they were separated from the Entomology Department Records to form this collection.
Related Materials: The Special Collections and Archives Research Center's holdings include the Entomology Department Records (RG 027) and the research papers of many entomology faculty and researchers. Of special note are the papers of others who studied or collected butterflies and moths: Ernst J. Dornfeld; Paul W. Handy; and Jon Shepard.
Preferred Citation: C. William Nelson Papers (MSS NelsonCW), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Finding Aid Revision History: This finding aid supersedes information about the collection that was placed online in 2013.
Nelson, C. William
Entomology--Research--Oregon.
History of Science
Lepidopterology.
Natural Resources
Oregon Entomological Society
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.