Guide to the Papers of Alfred Proctor James, 1932-1963 (bulk 1960-1963)
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Papers of Alfred Proctor James
- Creator
- James, Alfred P. (1886-1971)
- Collection Number
- MSS#149
- Extent
- .25 cubic feet (1 box)
- Date
- 1932-1963
- Date
- 1960-1963
- Abstract
- Alfred P. James was a professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh and accomplished historian of colonial Western Pennsylvania. These papers include correspondence, research notes and writings, primarily documenting his work on the biography of George Mercer, the personal papers of General Edward Braddock, and compilation of the index to the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine in the early 1960s.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Biographical Sketch of Alfred Proctor James (1886-1971)
Alfred P. James was a professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh and accomplished historian of colonial Western Pennsylvania. James began teaching at the University of Pittsburgh in 1918 and became a full professor in 1924. James wrote numerous books on Western Pennsylvania history including The Writings of General John Forbes (1938), and The Ohio Company, It's Inner History (1959). James also served as the co-author of Drums in the Forest: Decision at the Forks with Architect and Historian Charles Stotz in 1958. James retired from the University in 1956 and became a professor emeritus. James had a close relationship with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and served as editor of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine (WPHM) from 1922 until 1927 and again for the five years preceding his death. For a short period of time, James served as a research associate of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Survey at the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania and traveled across North America and Europe searching for archival material on early Western Pennsylvania history. James also compiled the first comprehensive index for the magazine in 1962 and served as a trustee. After his retirement from teaching, James continued writing on historical subjects and wrote a biography of George Mercer that was published in 1963 by the University of Pittsburgh Press and in serial form in the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine in volume 46 (1963). This work, entitled George Mercer of the Ohio Company; a Study in Frustration chronicles the life of this soldier and trader in the American frontier in the mid to late 18th century.
Alfred P. James was born at Fox Hill, Virginia on February 7, 1886 and died in Pittsburgh on November 17, 1971. James married Mabel Elizabeth Williams on June 22, 1916 and they had one son, William Alfred James. Alfred P. James attended Randolph-Macon College where he received an A.B. (1906) and earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend Oxford University in 1907. At Oxford, James received a B.A. degree (1910) and an M.A. degree (1915). He earned a masters degree (1912) and his Ph.D. (1924) from the University of Chicago. In between earning the two degrees at the University of Chicago, James worked in the insurance industry with the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, 1911-1912, and with Ginn and Company 1912-1916, both of Chicago. He entered the academic field with appointments as an instructor of history at Ohio Wesleyan University, 1917, and as assistant professor of history at the University of Arkansas, 1917-1918.
Scope and Content Notes
These papers include correspondence, research notes and writings, primarily documenting his work on the biography of George Mercer, the personal papers of General Edward Braddock, and compilation of the index to the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine in the early 1960s. General materials primarily include correspondence and writings concerning the Mercer biography, the magazine index and a few items from Charles Stotz concerning work on Fort Ligonier and other issues in colonial history. Of note are writings prepared by James in the 1930s; one on early house construction in Western Pennsylvania and the other on the work of the Western Pennsylvania Historical Survey, of which James participated. James' address on the Survey was broadcast over radio station KQV and chronicles his travels across North America and Europe in search of materials documenting Pittsburgh and the general work he completed for the survey. The material pertaining to the personal papers of General Braddock include James' research surrounding the location or repositories of such papers and his written conclusion in "The papers of General Edward Braddock." The George Mercer biography includes three drafts of the work taking the project from a handwritten draft (Draft #1), to an advanced draft (Draft #2) to galley proof sheets (Draft #3). Material relating to the Western Pennsylvania Historical Magazine includes a handwritten copy of James' article "Our Magazine" (published in volume 44 [1961]), that chronicles the history of the WPHM, and some general notes on indexing that James kept during the project. While these papers do not document James' work at the University of Pittsburgh nor provide any sense of his family life, they do document his historical work in the later years of his life and during his time with the Western Pennsylvania Historical Survey.
Arrangement
The Alfred P. James Papers are arranged alphabetically by folder title with general materials arranged to the front
The Alfred P. James Papers are housed in one archival box.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Unknown. These papers were presumably transferred from the Historical Society's internal archives after 1963.
Preferred Citation
Papers of Alfred Proctor James, 1932-1963 (1960-1963), MSS# 149, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Historical Society Staff in c1963. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Corey Seeman on December 30, 2001.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on May 31, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Ohio Company (1747-1779)
- Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
- James, Alfred P. (1886-1971)
- Stotz, Charles (1899-1985)
- Mercer, George (1733-1785)
- Braddock, General Edward (1695-1755)
- Fortifications -- Pennsylvania
- Historians -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
- History -- Societies, etc
- History -- Sources
- Indexing
- Pennsylvania -- History -- Colonial Period, ca. 1600-1775
- Periodicals
- Scholarly Periodicals -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh