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Daniel Kirkwood papers, 1864-1895

A Guide to his Papers at the Indiana University Archives

Finding aid prepared by Jaye Bausser

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives

Creator
Kirkwood, Daniel, 1814-1895

Extent
.3 cubic feet (1 box)

Language
Materials are in English unless otherwise indicated.

Title
Daniel Kirkwood papers, 1864-1895 

Collection No.
C52

Abstract
Daniel Kirkwood was an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University almost continuously from 1856 until 1886. Collection consists of papers of Daniel Kirkwood in two series: Correspondence and Publications. Correspondence, 1864-1895, consists of both incoming and outgoing correspondence. Some noted correspondents are Cyrus Nutt, president of Indiana University 1860-1875, Joseph Swain, IU president, 1893-1902, astronomer Sherburne W. Burnham, and Arthur C. Mellette, governor of the Dakota Territory from 1861-1889. The Publications series, 1864-1891, consists of articles written by Kirkwood. Several of the publications are photocopies of the originals.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.

Biographical Note

Daniel Kirkwood was an astronomer and professor of mathematics at Indiana University almost continuously from 1856 until 1886.

He was born 27 September 1814 in Harford County, Maryland to John and Agnes (Hope) Kirkwood. After attending school in his home county, Kirkwood began his career as a teacher in 1833, at Hopewell, Pennsylvania. In 1834 Kirkwood entered the York County Academy. A short time later, in 1838, he was appointed mathematical instructor.

Kirkwood's first college position was in Delaware College, Newark, Delaware, where he was professor of mathematics 1851-1856. During his last two years at the college he also served as college president. After departing Delaware for financial reasons, he came to Indiana University, where he served for 30 years as professor of mathematics, 1856-1886. Kirkwood died 11 June 1895 in Riverside, California.

Over the course of his career, Kirkwood published well over one hundred articles. Noted articles are his 1849 article for the Proceedings of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where he first published his formula for the rotation periods of the planets and another article for Proceedings in 1866 where he identified the "Kirkwood Gaps" in the orbits of the minor planets, or asteroids. He accomplished this at a time when only about 50 asteroids had been discovered. For these findings, he is known throughout the world.

In Bloomington, Kirkwood's memory is honored by Kirkwood Avenue (1885), Kirkwood Hall (1895), and Kirkwood Observatory (1900). In 1995, he was added to the Monroe County Hall of Fame.

Arrangement

The collection is organized in two series: Correspondence and Publications.

Scope and Content Note

The Daniel Kirkwood papers are organized in two series, Correspondence and Publications.

The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically by the last name of the correspondent and then chronologically within the folder. The correspondence dating late December 1876 and early January 1877 are all letters from individuals relating a meteoric event they experienced December 21.

The Publications series is arranged chronologically. Several of the publications are photocopies of the originals.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information
Accession 0012
Usage Restrictions
The donor(s) of this collection have not transferred their copyrights for the materials to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.

The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials. Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.

Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.

Preferred Citation
[Item], Daniel Kirkwood papers, Collection C52, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing information
Processed by Jaye Bausser, 2003.

Updated in 2011 by Dina M. Kellams.


Series: Correspondence, 1866-1895 

Box 1 Austin, B. W., 22 October 1886  [image]View item(s)

Bordwell, F. W.,3 January 1877  [image]View item(s)

Burnham, S. W., 28 December 1876  [image]View item(s)

Comstock, M. L. and Roberts, J. B., 24 December 1876  [image]View item(s)

Ficklin, Joseph, 30 December 1876  [image]View item(s)

Gay, J. L., 28 December 1876  [image]View item(s)

Hand, James A., 6 June 1887  [image]View item(s)

Holland, J., 9 January 1877  [image]View item(s)

Hunter, D., 3 January 1877  [image]View item(s)

Kirkwood, S. J., 1 January 1877  [image]View item(s)

Martin, Artemas, 8 March 1877  [image]View item(s)

Mellette, A. C.,

2 March 1883  [image]View item(s)

12 March 1883  [image]View item(s)

Nutt, Cyrus, 22 May 1866  [image]View item(s)

Roberts, J. B., 1 January 1877  [image]View item(s)

Shepard, Charles Upham, 25 December 1876  [image]View item(s)

Swain, Joseph,

1 April 1886  [image]View item(s)

3 April 1893  [image]View item(s)

20 February 1894  [image]View item(s)

circa 25 January 1895  [image]View item(s)

re: Kirkood Hall dedication


Series: Publications, 1864-1891 

Kirkwood, Daniel.

Box 1 "The Comet." Bloomington Indiana Telephone (June 3, 18--).  [image]View item(s)

"On Certain Harmonies of the Solar System" American Journal of Science and Arts 38, no 12 (July 1864) : 1-18. [image]View item(s)

"Note on the Planetary Distances" American Journal of Science and Arts 39 (January 1865) : 1-4. [image]View item(s)

"The November Meteors" Iowa Instructor and School Journal 7, no. 4 (January 1866) : 107-111. [image]View item(s)

"The Aurora Borealis of February 20th, 1866" Iowa Instructor and School Journal 7, no. 7 (April 1866) : 212-213. [image]View item(s)

"On the Shower of November, Meteors as Observed at Bloomington, Indiana, November 13-14, 1868" (1868) : 541-542. [image]View item(s)

"On the Nebular Hypothesis, and the Approximate Commensurability of the Planetary Periods" Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Containing Papers, Abstracts of Papers, and Reports of the Proceedings of The Society 29 (November 1868-June 1869) : 96-103. (Photocopy). [image]View item(s)

"The Asteroids, or Minor Planets." Indiana Student 3, no. 4 (December 15, 1868) : 1. (Photocopy). [image]View item(s)

"On the Periodicity of the Solar Spots." (April 2, 1869) : 93-102. [image]View item(s)

"On Comets and Meteors." American Philosophical Society 10 10 (?), no. 2 (?) (November 19, 1869) : 215-220. [image]View item(s)

"On the Periods of Certain Meteoric Rings." (March 4, 1870) : 299-300. [image]View item(s)

"On the Mass of Asteroids between Mars and Jupiter." (August 19, 1870) : 498. [image]View item(s)

"On the Great Sun-Spot of June, 1843." American Journal of Science and Arts 1 (April 1871).  [image]View item(s)

"The Asteroids Between Mars and Jupiter." In Annual Report of Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, 358-371. Washington, D. C. 1877.  (Photocopy). [image]View item(s)

"The Divisions in Saturn's Rings," Correspondence to the Editor. The Observatory, A Monthly Review of Astronomy 7 (1883) : 335-337. (Photocopy). [image]View item(s)

"The Comet of 1866 and the Meteors of November 14," Speech read before the American Philosophical Society (July 17, 1885) : 424-428. [image]View item(s)

"On the Similarity of Certain Orbits in the Zone of the Asteroids." Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific 3 (1891) : 95-97. (Photocopy). [image]View item(s)

Envelope with notes, undated  [image]View item(s)

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