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NHPRC Recommended Grants, November 2009
Press Release · Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Press Release
December 1, 2009

November 2009 Recommended Grants

Publishing Historical Records: Colonial and Early National Period

News

Commission Recommends $2.9 Million in Grants
At its first meeting chaired by new Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero, the Commission recommended $2.9 million in grants for digitizing historical records, electronic records preservation, and historical documentary editions.

Read the Press Release

These projects document major historical figures, and important eras and social movements during the colonial and early national period of the United States (up to 1820).
 
Documentary History of Ratification of the Constitution & Adoption of the Bill of Rights
University of Wisconsin             
Madison, WI                             $220,000
To support a selective edition of the conventions of the various states on the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Selected Papers of John Jay
Columbia University
New York, NY                         $162,276
To support a selective book edition of the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, co-author of the Federalist Papers, and statesman.
 
O’odham-Pee Posh Documentary History
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ                               $80,492
To support a volume of the military activities and policies on the northern frontier of Spain’s North American colonies, particularly the O’odham and Pee Posh Native American tribal communities.

John Dickinson Writings Project
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY                           Endorsement
An endorsement of the scope and methods of this project to publish the writings of John Dickinson, lawyer and writer involved in the great debates over the American revolution.

Robert Treat Paine Papers
Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston, MA                              Endorsement
An endorsement of the scope and methods of an online edition of the papers of Robert Treat Paine, lawyer, state legislator, and member of the Continental Congress.

Dolley Madison Digital Edition
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA                     Endorsement
An endorsement of the scope and methods of the digital edition of the papers of Dolley Madison, first Lady, and center of Washington society.

Papers of George Washington
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA                     $169,425
To support a project to edit the papers of the first President of the United States.

Charles Carroll of Carrollton Papers
College of William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA                       $25,000
To support editorial work on the papers of the Member of the Continental Congress and U.S. Senator from Maryland in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

Documentary History of the First Federal Congress
George Washington University
Washington, DC                        $226,048
To support a selective edition of the papers of the first Federal Congress, 1789-1791.

The Adams Papers
Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston, MA                              $185,307
To support a comprehensive edition of the papers of John Adams, second President of the United States.

The Papers of James Madison
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA                     $146,154
To support a comprehensive edition of the papers of the fourth President of the United States.

The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ                             $173,870
To support a comprehensive edition of the papers of the third President of the United States.

The Papers of Benjamin Franklin
Yale University
New Haven, CT                        $215,130
To support a comprehensive edition of the papers of this patriot, inventor, and statesman.

Publication Subventions

These projects help publishers defray the printing costs of individual volumes of documentary editions.

North American Journals of Prince Maximilian of Wied, Vol. 2
University of Oklahoma Press
Oklahoma City, OK                   $10,000
To publish the field notes of this explorer of the American plains.

Selected Papers of Margaret Sanger, Vol. 3
University of Illinois Press          
Champaign, IL                          $10,000
To publish the third volume of Sanger’s papers, focusing on the politics of Planned Parenthood, 1940-1966.

Papers of Emma Goldman, Vol. 3
University of California Press
Berkeley, CA                             $10,000
To publish the third volume of Goldman’s papers from 1910-1916.

Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Rhode Island Volume
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Madison, WI                             $10,000
To publish the volume on Rhode Island’s debate and ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Documentary History of the First Federal Congress of the United States, Vol. 18, 19, 20
Johns Hopkins University Press
Baltimore, MD                          $30,000
To publish three volumes on letters to and from members of the First Federal Congress.

Publishing: Editing Fellowships

The Adams Papers
Massachusetts Historical Society
Boston, MA                              $59,500
To support an editorial fellow for one year at this documentary editing project.

Professional Development

These projects improve the training and education of professionals in the archival and historical publishing communities.

Institute for Editing of Historical Documents
Wisconsin Historical Foundation
Madison, WI                             $42,140
To support the 39th annual Institute, which provides one-week of intensive training in best practices in documentary editing.

Building a Archives & Preservation Digital Curriculum Laboratory
Simmons College
Boston, MA                              $138,182
To build a digital curriculum laboratory for electronic records management, in partnership with students at New York University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Strategies and Tools

Grants for new strategies or tools in the fields of archives and historical publishing.

Open Source Software for Records Management Administration
University of Denver
Denver, CO                              $130,330
To support a two-year project to develop and test an open-source records management software tool (Liaison) to help archivists conduct records survey, develop and distribute retention schedules, and maintain consistent information about permanent and impermanent records.

Digitizing Historical Records

Grants for digitizing entire archival collections of historical importance.             
                                               
Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System
Atlanta, GA                               $58,710
To support a project to digitize eleven manuscript collections documenting the role of African Americans in educational institutions (1860-1950).

Missouri Office of Secretary of State
Jefferson City, MO                    $148,577
To digitize case files of the Supreme Court of Missouri, 1821-1865, including papers on hearings before the court on issues of slavery, eminent domain, and westward expansion.

New York State Education Department
Albany, NY                               $75,369
To support the digitization of New York Colonial Council Records, 1664-1781, the largest collection of primary documents relating to the government of the British colony of New York.

Northern Michigan University
Marquette, MI                           $68,841
To digitize the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Mining Company collections (1882-1960) which document a key period in U.S. industrial history.

University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL                          $35,758
To digitize the papers of Septimus D. Cabaniss, a Civil War era attorney, noteworthy for his role as executor of the estate of a wealthy plantation owner who sought to manumit and leave property to his slaves.

University of Delaware
Newark, DE                             $20,731
To digitize the papers of George S. Messersmith, U.S. diplomat and envoy. Between 1914 and 1947, Messersmith held ten different diplomatic posts on three continents, including service as American ambassador to Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina.

University of Kansas Center for Research
Lawrence, KS                            $31,788
To digitize the Spencer Research Library’s collection of Kansas Sanborn Fire Maps (1883-1922), which provide detailed information about the commercial, industrial, and residential locations and structures of 241 Kansas cities and towns.

Electronic Records

Grants to help start-up electronic records programs or assist in the preservation of electronic records.

Hawaii State Archives
Honolulu, HI                             $72,500
To support a planning project for establishing a digital state archives.         

Michigan State University                                                              
East Lansing, MI                        $251,079
To support a project to accession, preserve, and provide access to a significant portion of the University’s permanently valuable records that are created and maintained in electronic form.

Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA                     $69,500
To support a college archives and special collections electronic records start-up project.

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Houston, TX                             $47,820
To support a planning project for archiving its electronic records.

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