The Frank G. Speck Papers consist of 15.5 linear feet of professional correspondence, field notes, lecture notes, and manuscripts of published and unpublished works. The material focuses on the Eastern Woodlands Indigenous nations, particularly the Catawba, Cherokee, Creek, Delaware, Houma, Iroquois, Labrador Inuit, Mantagnais-Naskapi, Nanticoke, Penobscot, Powhatan, Algonkian, and Yuchi. The collection is divided into two subcollections: Subcollection 1 is comprised of Speck's research material and correspondence, and Subcollection 2 consists of his manuscripts and related correspondence. The two subcollections were acquired separately by the Society, and were originally cataloged as the Frank G. Speck Papers (572.97 Sp3) and the Frank G. Speck Manuscripts on Native Americans (970.3 Sp3p) respectively. Subcollection I is divided into two series. Series I came to the Library shortly after Speck's death in 1950 from Mrs. Frank G. Speck (with later additions from William N. Fenton and John Witthoft). Ninety-five percent of the material relates to North American tribes east of the Mississippi. The material was arranged by Anthony F. C. Wallace, and described in "The Frank G. Speck Collection" in The Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society (Vol. 95, pp. 286-89). According to Wallace, the Speck collection is an important ethnographic source material to those working on Eastern Woodlands Indigenous cultures since it constitutes a valuable body of unpublished data. In addition, the collection documents a significant chapter in the history of American science. As an early student of Franz Boas, Speck's work represents the first generation of American ethnographers to pursue the kind of research Boas encouraged and taught (a patient, detailed description of a primitive culture based on long and intimate residence with the community). Of particular interest are Speck's Columbia lecture notes from classes he took with Boas. Speck's field notes further indicate his method of study, in which casualness was itself unconsciously a technique for creating "rapport." Speck scribbled information on envelopes, scraps of paper, road maps, and old letters - in addition to ledger books and tablets. When it came to organize the material, Wallace found the classification and ordering of the material to be "somewhat difficult." The collection could not be organized chronologically since Speck collected material over long periods of time prior to publication and did not date the material. It was also not feasible to organize the collection based on whether the notes were published or unpublished as it was not uncommon for Speck to have both types of information on opposite sides of the same piece of paper. Wallace concluded that a researcher consulting the Speck papers would be interested in a particular area or tribe, and would be familiar with the printed material on the subject. It was therefore decided to organize the material according to culture area, tribe, and community. The majority of this material has been described in John Freeman and Murphy Smith's Guide to Manuscripts Relating to the American Indian (1966) and Daythal Kendall's Supplement to Guide to Manuscripts Relating to the American Indian (1982). With the prominence of these two publications, it was decided to keep the initial organization and folder identification numbers of the collection when it was recataloged. Item descriptions from the Freeman/Smith and Kendall guides are designated with F&S and the entry number from the guide. Series II of Subcollection I was initially labeled as biographical material, and organized separately in six boxes. This material arrived at the APS after Wallace had completed his organization in the 1950s. The series is predominantly correspondence to and from Speck regarding research topics, as well as other professional matters. When the collection was recataloged it was decided to reorganize it alphabetically by correspondent. Some of the items have been described in the Freeman/Smith and Kendall guides, the remainder were described when the collection was reprocessed. Subcollection II was a gift of Mrs. Frank G. Speck, and initially housed at the Delaware County Institute of Science. The collection was eventually transferred to the Society in several accessions between 1971 and 1993, and processed in 1996 by Miriam B. Spectre and Timothy T. Wilson on a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The collection is arranged in four series: correspondence, works by Speck, field notes, and photographs. Series II: Works by Speck, constitute the bulk of the material. At 4.5 linear feet, the series contains manuscript and typescript drafts, galley proofs, and page proofs of published and unpublished articles, reviews and books by Speck. The folders are arranged by title, with reviews being entered under the title of the book or article which is the subject. Series I: Correspondence contains four letters relating to publications by Speck, research material, Indigenous specimens, and Linton Satterthwait's summer research with John Alden Mason. Series III: Field Notes is one folder of undated material labeled "Delaware Social Dance Bustle", and Series IV contains four folders of photographs that appear to have been published by Speck.
