American Historical Societies, 1790-1860. By Leslie W. Dunlap.
Madison, Wisconsin (privately printed), 1944. Pp. viii+
238. $3.50.

In 1791 the Massachusetts Historical Society was formed--
the first in the United States. Before the Civil War sixty-five
historical societies had been organized. Every state east of
Texas except Delaware had seen the formation of a historical
group, as had also the District of Columbia and the Territory
of New Mexico. This book treats of the nature of the societies
before 1861 and their contributions to the knowledge of Amer-
ican history.

The first part is a discussion of historical societies in general:
the need which gave rise to them, the processes of establish-
ment, membership and administration, state relations and
finances, activities in the preservation and diffusion of docu-
ments, publications, relations among the societies, and the con-
tributions of the societies to the writing of American history.
The author has delved painstakingly into the manuscript files
of the secretaries of various societies, particularly those of New
York, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin, and has examined thor-
oughly the publications of the societies, including pamphlets
and circulars. His account, therefore, is full and detailed. He
has considered no phase in the formation and functioning of
the societies to be so simple or self-evident not to merit descrip-
tion. Thus there is information on the procedure of organiza-
tion, officers and their functions, types of members, fees and
dues, housing problems. The reader learns that the New York
legislature granted the state society an appropriation to be
raised by means of a lottery, and that the second volume of the
Reports and. Collections of the Wisconsin Historical Society
was printed in German, while both the second and third vol-
umes were translated into Norwegian.

The second part of the book contains sketches of the sixty-
five societies organized before the Civil War. Many of these
groups were in operation only for brief periods, but about half
of the sixty-five still remain in operation.

In the preface Mr. Dunlap restricts the term American his-
torical society to "associations of individuals organized pri-
marily to collect, preserve, and make available the materials
for the history of the United States or a section of it." In
discussing the need for societies, reasons for their establish-
ment, their purpose, functions, and publications, the author
repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the "collection, preser-
vation, and making available" of documents. Publication pro-
grams were undertaken because publication of historical ma-
terial was conceived to be the best way to accomplish this
primary aim. By 1860 the societies had published more than
five hundred works. All but ten societies participated in this
activity, but ten societies issued about three-fourths of the total.

As Mr. Dunlap points out, "most of the successful societies
were sustained by the faithful service and indefatigable labor
of one or several individuals." Outstanding among those whose
efforts he describes are Dr. Isaiah Thomas and Christopher
Columbus Baldwin of the American Antiquarian Society, Dr.
Basil Manly of the Alabama Historical Society, Dr. Thomas
Bobbins of the Connecticut Historical Society, and Lyman
Draper of the Wisconsin Historical Society. The author quotes
Manly's description of the type of man that the societies needed:
"a man full of antiquarian tastes--of habits laborious enough
to make a splendid fortune,--but who is willing barely to earn
a subsistence. He must have ability enough to make a chan-
cellor—but will content himself with the pay of a constable."

The book is well written, meticulously documented, and con-
tains a useful index. In addition to fulfilling his obligation of
presenting a comprehensive history of the historical societies,
the author includes innumerable details about the men who
were active in the groups and the minute problems encountered
in their operation. These bits of information contribute to the
book's being entertaining reading as well as a valuable work
on a little touched subject.

The University of Texas

Betty Brooke Eakle

How to cite:
"American Historical Societies, 1790-1860", Volume 49, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v049/n3/review_DIVL6943.html
[Accessed Tue Dec 2 14:06:13 CST 2008]