This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | 22.5 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 18,000 items) |
| Abstract | Robert Ervin Coker (1876-1967) was a zoologist and marine biologist, associated with the United States Bureau of Fisheries from 1902 to 1923, professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, from 1923 to 1949, and author. The collection includes professional papers of R.E. Coker, earlier Coker and McIver family papers, and Coker family history material. Coker's correspondence and other materials chiefly concern his research, writing, and publications on marine life; the Zoology Department and other divisions of the University of North Carolina; national, regional, and state professional organizations; biological stations of the United States Bureau of Fisheries and other laboratories in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Iowa, and North Carolina; cooperation with the North Carolina Board of Conservation and Development; and consultations with other government units, domestic and foreign, for the practical application of fisheries research. There are also materials relating to Coker's work with the Chapel Hill school board between 1930 and 1947 and to his other community activities. Family papers include maps, will, deeds, genealogical notes, and diaries pertaining to the Coker family farm near Hartsville, Darlington County, S.C., and to family and Darlington County history. Included is a diary kept by Coker's grandmother, Sarah Witherspoon Ervin McIver, between 1854 and 1889. |
| Creator | Coker, R. E. (Robert Ervin), 1876-1967. |
| Language | English |
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Information For Users
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Subject Headings
The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
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Biographical Information
Robert Ervin Coker (1876-1967) was a zoologist and marine biologist, associated with the United States Bureau of Fisheries from 1902 to 1923, professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, from 1923 to 1949, and author.
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Scope and Content
The collection includes professional papers of R.E. Coker, earlier Coker and McIver family papers, and Coker family history material. Coker's correspondence and other materials chiefly concern his research, writing, and publications on marine life; the Zoology Department and other divisions of the University of North Carolina; national, regional, and state professional organizations; biological stations of the United States Bureau of Fisheries and other laboratories in Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Iowa, and North Carolina; cooperation with the North Carolina Board of Conservation and Development; and consultations with other government units, domestic and foreign, for the practical application of fisheries research. There are also materials relating to Coker's work with the Chapel Hill school board between 1930 and 1947 and to his other community activities. Family papers include maps, will, deeds, genealogical notes, and diaries pertaining to the Coker family farm near Hartsville, Darlington County, S.C., and to family and Darlington County history. Included is a diary kept by Coker's grandmother, Sarah Witherspoon Ervin McIver, between 1854 and 1889.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Professional Correspondence and Related Material, 1906-1966.
Arrangement: chronological.
This series chiefly consists of R.E. Coker's professional correspondence and other materials related to his functions as a professor of zoology and head of that department at the University of North Carolina. Also included are family correspondence and miscellaneous items.
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Series 2. Subject Files, 1930-1952.
Arrangement: by organization, then chronological.
Files appear on the Chapel Hill School Board, the National Research Council, other professional societies and groups, H. V. Wilson, and general subjects. Included in this series are files on the University of North Carolina, including many from Health Affairs, the Division of Natural Sciences, Faculty Committees on Research, the Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee, the Division of Teacher Training, and the Zoology Department.
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Subseries 2.1. Chapel Hill School Board, 1930-1947.
Files consist chiefly of minutes, correspondence, and reports.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.2. National Research Council, 1935-1947.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.3. Academy of Natural Sciences and Leidy Medal, 1942-1944.
| Folder 376 |
1942-1944 #03380, Subseries: "2.3. Academy of Natural Sciences and Leidy Medal, 1942-1944." Folder 376 |
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Subseries 2.4. American Association for the Advancement of Science,
1936-1946.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.5. American Scientific Congress, January-June 1940.
| Folder 382 |
January-June 1940 #03380, Subseries: "2.5. American Scientific Congress, January-June 1940." Folder 382 |
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Subseries 2.6. American Society of Zoologists, 1940-1947.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.7. Biological Societies and Biological
Abstracts, 1935-1947.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.8. Ecological Society of America, 1935-1946.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.9. Limnological Society of America, 1935-1947.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.10. North Carolina Academy of Science, 1935-1942.
Arrangement: chronological.
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Subseries 2.11. H. V. Wilson Files, 1938-1944 and undated.
Arrangement: by subject, then chronological.
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Subseries 2.12. North Carolina College for Negroes, 1940-1944.
| Folder 458 |
1940-1944 #03380, Subseries: "2.12. North Carolina College for Negroes, 1940-1944." Folder 458 |
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Subseries 2.13. Southern Resources Inventory, 1943-1944.
| Folder 459 |
1943-1944 #03380, Subseries: "2.13. Southern Resources Inventory, 1943-1944." Folder 459 |
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Subseries 2.14. University of North Carolina Files, 1944-1947.
Arrangement: by subject, then chronological.
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Series 3. Allegany School of Natural History, 1929-1937.
Arrangement: chronological.
Papers and correspondence relating to the Allegany School of Natural History at Quaker Bridge, N.Y. Includes Director's Reports, announcements and bulletins, and similar miscellaneous materials.
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Series 4. Miscellaneous and Undated Material.
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Series 5. Pictures, 1845-1958.
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Subseries 5.1. Photographs, 1845-1958.
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Subseries 5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950.
| Photograph Album PA-3380/1 |
Album of postcards, circa 1902-1904 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/1Chiefly scenes from Peru, but also including Bolivia, Ecuador, Jamaica, and the New York Aquarium. |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/2 |
Pictures from Peru, circa 1902-1904 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/2Contains pictures of various people and places. |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/3 |
Pictures documenting fisheries and the guano industry in Peru, circa 1902-1904 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/3 |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/4 |
"Fairport, Ia./Cruise on Core Sound," circa 1910-1915 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/4Chiefly images of the land and buildings around Fairport, Iowa. There are also several snapshots taken during a cruise on Core Sound, near Beaufort, N.C., in the 1930s. |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/5 |
Family picture album, circa 1910-1934 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/5Chiefly pictures of R.E. Coker, his wife Jennie, and their sons, Robert and Coit. Also included are a few snapshots of scenes in Fairport, Iowa. |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/6 |
Family picture album, circa 1935-1950 #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/6Chiefly pictures of R.E. Coker and his sons, Robert and Coit. Includes photographs of Coit while in the Navy during World War II, snapshots of Robert Jr.'s family, pictures of buildings at the University of North Carolina, and scenes from various outdoor locations. |
| Photograph Album PA-3380/7 |
"Society Hill, S.C." #03380, Subseries: "5.2. Photograph Albums, 1902-1950." PA-3380/7Images of houses, churches, cemeteries, a school, the library, and other views of Society Hill, S.C. |
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Series 6. Family History, 1748-1966 and undated.
Arrangement: roughly chronological.
Includes findings of three professional genealogists hired by R.E. Coker and the correspondence relating to their findings. The genealogical material is taken largely from county deed books in North Carolina and Virginia, the Virginia State Land Office books, and the North Carolina Department of Archives and History. Also included are papers tracing individual family lines and miscellaneous family history material.
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Series 7. Personal Correspondence, 1894-1964 and undated.
Arrangement: primarily chronological.
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Subseries 7.1. Miscellaneous Personal Correspondence, 1894-1964 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Contains personal correspondence between R.E. Coker and a variety of correspondents.
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Subseries 7.2. Coit McLean Coker Correspondence, 1938-1954 and undated.
Arrangement: chronological.
Contains correspondence between Coker's son, Coit McLean Coker, and a variety of correspondents.
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Items Separated
Processed by: Jill D. Snider, November 1991
Encoded by: Kathryn Michaelis, April 2010
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