1. What and where is Amherst College?
2. Who has attended Amherst College?
3. What is the Biographical Record?
4. What is the format of entries?
5. How big are the indices?
6. How do I create a hyperlink to a specific alumnus's biography?
7. I found information about a person I'm interested in, and want more...
8. I found an error/inconsistency. Can you fix it?
9. Can I help with the project?

1. What and where is Amherst College?

In 1836-37, with an aggregate of 259 students, Amherst was the second largest college in the United States, second only to Yale. While Harvard and Yale later underwent expansion, Amherst remained a small liberal arts institution, which it remains today.

If you'd like to read more about Amherst's history, let me recommend William S. Tyler's A History of Amherst College During the Administrations of its First Five Presidents (1821-1891). Tyler also produced a much longer history book covering the first half century of Amherst's existence, which you can view here.

Incidentally, Amherst College is named for the town of Amherst, hence only indirectly named for Lord Amherst of the smallpox blankets.

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2. Who has attended Amherst College?

Reverend Henry Ward Beecher 1834 (well-known in his own right and the brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe);
Phrenologist (and architect) Orson Squire Fowler 1834;
Amiel Weeks Whipple ex 1840, transcontinental railroad surveyor;
Galusha A. Grow 1844, the 24th Speaker of the House of Representatives;
Reverend Daniel Bliss 1852, founder of American University of Beirut;
Architect William R. Mead 1867, of McKim, Mead, and White;
Joseph Neesima 1870, founder of Doshisha University in Japan;
Frederick H. Gillett 1874, the 37th Speaker of the House of Representatives;
Melvil Dewey 1874, of the Dewey Decimal System;
Henry Clay Folger 1879, of Folger Shakespeare Library fame;
Henry T. Rainey 1883, the 40th Speaker of the House of Representatives;
William Estabrook Chancellor 1889, (racist?) nemesis of Warren G. Harding;
William Henry Lewis 1892 and Charles Hamilton Houston 1915, two of the first black men to argue and win cases before the U.S. Supreme Court;
Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone 1894;
President Calvin Coolidge 1895;
Charles E. Merrill ex 1908, the founder of Merrill, Lynch & Co.;
Clarence Birdseye ex 1910, food preservationist and founder of Birds Eye Foods; and
Actor Fred Everett Glass 1914.

The Summer 1998 issue of Amherst (the alumni magazine) has a story mentioning that William Raymond ex 1838 was a tutor for the Africans who mutinied on the Amistad, and he returned with them to Sierra Leone in 1841. (The article mentions his maltreatment by Amherst College.)

Notable Amherst alumni from the past seventy years include

Dr. Charles R. Drew 1926, blood bank pioneer;
Actors Burgess Meredith 1931, Stephen Collins 1969, and Jeffrey C. Wright 1987;
Poets Richard P. Wilbur 1942, James I. Merrill 1947, and Rafael Campo 1987;
Head spooks Stansfield Turner ex 1945 (1977-81), William H. Webster 1947 (1987-91), and John M. Deutch 1960 (1995-96);
Nobel prize winners Henry W. Kendall 1950 (1990, Physics) and Harold E. Varmus 1961 (1989, Medicine);
Astronauts Robert A. R. Parker 1958 and Jeffrey A. Hoffman 1966;
Joseph E. Stiglitz 1964, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist of the World Bank;
Magician Raymond J. Teller 1969;
Novelists Scott F. Turow 1970 and David Foster Wallace 1985;
Dwight D. Eisenhower II 1970;
Cullen Murphy 1974, managing editor of the Atlantic Monthly and writer, "Prince Valiant" comic strip;
Talk show host D. Drew Pinsky 1980;
Daniel F. Duquette 1980, former General Manager of the Red Sox. (Should it go without saying that George Steinbrenner is a Williams alumnus?);
Albert A. L. Grimaldi 1981, Prince of Monaco;
Francisco G. Flores 1981, President of El Salvador;
David O. Russell 1981E, director of Spanking the Monkey, Flirting with Disaster, and Three Kings;
"Foxtrot" cartoonist William J. C. Amend III 1984;
Susannah R. Grant 1984, screenwriter of Pocahontas, Ever After, Erin Brockovich, and 28 Days; and
Musicians Jonatha Brooke Mallet 1985 and Jennifer Kimball 1986, both formerly of the Sabrinas and The Story.

Two of the more famous professors at Amherst this century were Robert Frost and Henry Steele Commager.

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3. What is the Biographical Record?

Year	Cover	Page size	Number of pages	Comments
1993	White	8.5" x 11.0"	xvii and 860	Edited by H. M. Smith 1957. Contains the classes of 1822 to 1996. Focuses on living alumni only, with each biography on a triple-columned page. If an alumnus is dead, their name appears in a list of deceased alumni, on a quintuple-columned page, with the date of death shown only if it was not shown in the previous Record. Includes an alumni name index, a town-of-residence index (for living alumni), and an occupation index (for living alumni).
1983	?	?	?
1973	?	?	?
1963	Maroon	7" x 10.5"	lxii and 899	Edited by J. A. Guest 1933. Contains the classes of 1822 to 1966. All alumni are given essentially equal treatment, with the classes up to 1883 indexed separately from the classes of 1884 to 1966. Triple-columned pages. Includes an alumni name index, a town-of-residence index (for living alumni) and an occupation index (for living alumni).
1951	Purple	7.5" x 10"	xl, 568, and 63	Edited by J. A. Guest 1933, with help from R. M. Durkan, H. W. Hewlett 1936, N. F. McKeon 1926, and P. D. Weathers 1915. Contains the classes of 1878 ("the oldest class with a living member") to 1951. Graduates and non-graduates are in the book. Marriage information is included for graduates, as is information about children. Triple-columned pages. Includes an alumni name index and a town-of-residence index (for living alumni).
1939	?	?	?
1927	Maroon	5.75" x 9.0"	xlvi and 1021	"Centennial Edition." Edited by R. S. Fletcher 1897 and M. O. Young 1916. Contains the classes of 1822 to 1925. Graduates and non-graduates are in the book. Marriage information is omitted for non-graduates, as is information about children (unless those children went to Amherst). Double-columned pages. As far as I know, this is the last version of the Biographical Record that was not copyrighted. (But for some stupid legislation by Congress, the absence of copyright would be immaterial at this point.) Includes an alumni name index.
1901	Olive drab	?	vi and 492	Edited by W. L. Montague 1855, largely in the format of the 1883 version. Contains the classes of 1872-1896. Graduates and non-graduates are in the book. Single-columned pages. Few abbreviations, and the "wordiness" often contains information omitted from the terse Centennial Edition. Gives cause of death. Includes an alumni name index.
1883	Olive drab	?	vi and 481	Edited by E. P. Crowell 1853 (graduates 1822-1850) and W. L. Montague 1855 (classes 1850-1871), with help from J. S. Chickering 1869 and W. S. Biscoe 1874. Contains the classes of 1822 to 1871. Only graduates are in the book. Single-columned pages. Few abbreviations, and the "wordiness" often contains information omitted from the terse Centennial Edition. Gives cause of death. Includes an alumni name index.
1881	?	?	vi and 152	Edited by W. L. Montague 1855. Contains the classes of 1822 to 1871. Only non-graduates are in the book. Single-columned pages. (My copy of this is bound with the 1883 work, and the two works are followed by a complete index of graduates and non-graduates.)

What you should take away from the above is that the Centennial Edition, which is the basis for this website, was the first Biographical Record to contain any information about the classes of 1897-1925, and was the first update in 44+ years of the information contained in the 1881 and 1883 works. In general, the benefit of earlier Biographical Records is that the entries are less terse, a cause of death is given where available, and more information is given about non-graduates. The benefit of later Biographical Records is that post-1925 information is included.

You can read more about the history of the Centennial Edition in the book's introduction.

There are other things available online, such as a Record of the Services of Graduates and Non-Graduates of Amherst College in the Union Army or Navy During the War of the Rebellion.

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4. What is the format of entries?

An asterisk before an alumnus's name means that the alumnus was known to be deceased as of the printing date.

In most cases, an alumnus's father's surname is the same as the alumnus's surname, hence is omitted for brevity. Similarly, an alumnus's wife's surname is typically the same as her father's surname, and is omitted as well. Fathers' surnames and wives' surnames are, conversely, listed when they are not redundant.

In nearly all cases, if a biography refers to a town in Massachusetts, no reference is given to the state. Since omission of the state implies Massachusetts, a lot of ambiguity is caused: "studied with John Smith, Harvard," could mean Harvard College (in Cambridge, Massachusetts) or Harvard, Massachusetts. "Princeton T. S." means Princeton, New Jersey, even though there is a Princeton, Massachusetts. "Auburn T. S." means Auburn, New York, even though there is an Auburn, Massachusetts. A lot must be read from context, and further research might be necessary. (The place index contains my best guesses, which may or may not be correct.)

There are many abbreviations in each entry. There is a list of abbreviations which should help you decipher most of what you see. If the abbreviations get you down, and you are researching an early graduate, consider locating a copy of the 1881/1883 Biographical Records, which write everything out (including abbreviations and fathers' surnames).

I have chosen not to "expand" any of the entries, both because it would take a great deal of time and space, and because it is best for you to view and interpret the original, not my interpretation of the original.

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5. How big are the indices?

The name index:

As of 1 March 2007, the name index has 27,058 entries, distributed as follows:

9,815	students (some listed under more than one name)
5,283	mothers of students (most listed under maiden and married names)
3,767	wives of students (most listed under maiden and married names)
3,001	fathers of students
1,764	children of students
1,574	fathers-in-law of students (i.e., fathers of wives)
604	brothers of students (most, but not all, of these are students themselves)
598	teachers of students
105	employers of students
58	sons-in-law of students
489	people in other categories.

The 27,058 names in the index have 4,480 distinct surnames, the ten most frequent of which are Smith (479 names), Clark (249), Eastman (192), Allen (161), Howland (153), Pratt (147), Williams (143), Brown (141), Dickinson (138), and Hall (122).

The 9,815 student names in the book have 3,315 distinct surnames, the ten most frequent of which are Smith (170 students), Clark (75), Brown (58), Williams (53), Allen (52), Jones (48), Pratt (46), Thompson (45), Hall (42), and Johnson (42).

The place index:

As of 5 August 2000, the place index has 16,756 entries (student-place combinations).

So far, the ten states in the index with the most entries are Massachusetts (6,010 entries); New York (2,537); Connecticut (1,221); New Hampshire (650); Illinois (607); Pennsylvania (532); New Jersey (464); Vermont (457); Maine (426); and Ohio (424).

The ten states with the most distinct places in the index are New York (668 places), Massachusetts (583), Connecticut (239), Illinois (216), Pennsylvania (190), New Hampshire (181), Vermont (174), Maine (163), Ohio (155), and New Jersey (147).

The ten states with entries for the greatest number of students are Massachusetts (2,140 students), New York (1,302 students), Connecticut (709 students), New Hampshire (385 students), Pennsylvania (374 students), Illinois (353 students), New Jersey (343 students), Ohio (282 students), Vermont (272 students), and Maine (250 students).

The twenty places most frequently represented in the place index are New York City (549 students); Andover, Mass. (498); Amherst, Mass. (418); Boston, Mass. (374); Cambridge, Mass. (263); Brooklyn, N. Y. (203); New Haven, Conn. (199); Hartford, Conn. (181); Chicago, Ill. (176); Philadelphia, Penn. (148); Worcester, Mass. (128); Springfield, Mass. (125); Easthampton, Mass. (116); Monson, Mass. (107); Northampton, Mass. (97); Washington, D. C. (91); Hadley, Mass.; Providence, R. I. (82); Princeton, N. J. (79); and Auburn, N. Y. (76).

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6. How do I create a hyperlink to a specific alumnus's biography?

http://acbiorecord.yanco.com/YEAR.html#SURNAME-II

Where YEAR is the class year, SURNAME is the surname, spaces removed, and II is the initials of the given name. (If someone had two middle names, then there are three letters after the dash; if someone has no middle name listed, then there is one letter after the dash.)

For example, if you wanted to link to Lawrence Henry Van Dyck of the class of 1830, the correct link would be to

http://acbiorecord.yanco.com/1830.html#vandyck-lh

This format for hypertext bookmarks is followed throughout the sections of the Biographical Record, including the corporation listing and the list of honorary degree recipients. The only exception comes when a specific name is in a file more than once, in which case the standard bookmark name is followed by the number 1, 2, 3, etc. For example, Rufus Graves is listed twice in the Corporation listing, and the links would be as follows:

http://acbiorecord.yanco.com/corporation.html#graves-r1
http://acbiorecord.yanco.com/corporation.html#graves-r2

From a practical perspective, your best bet is to locate the person in the index, then copy the hyperlink to the person's biography.

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7. I found information about a person I'm interested in, and want more...

• If you want more information about an alumnus who was not deceased in 1927, more information probably exists in a later edition of the Biographical Record, such as a date of death.

• If you want more information about an alumnus who was in a class between 1822 and 1896, then that alumnus has an entry in one or more earlier Biographical Records. You might find a different home address, a cause of death (if applicable), or "chatty" information that doesn't fit into the terse Centennial Edition (e.g., why a non-graduate left college). If you are interested in a non-graduate from a class before 1896, earlier Biographical Records may give you information about the non-graduate's wife and children, information that was noticably omitted from the Centennial Edition.
• If you want more detail about a piece of information given on this website, consider contacting the Amherst College library. Information used to produce the Biographical Records is held at the library, and it may be possible to obtain copies of the "source documents" of the biographical sketch you care about.

Online resources

• The Amherst College library has many pages of exhibitions online.
• Brian Meacham '97 has put his most excellent collection of Amherst ephemera onto the web.
• I have put a complete digital copy of William S. Tyler's A History of Amherst College During the Administrations of its First Five Presidents (1821-1891) online.
• You can read a complete digital copy of William S. Tyler's A History of Amherst College During Its First Half-Century online.
• I have put a complete digital copy of Max P. Shoop's Sabrina, The Class Goddess of Amherst College online.
• You can read a complete digital copy of Edward Hitchcock's Reminiscences of Amherst College, Scientific, Biographical, and Autobiographical: Also, of Other and Wider Life Experiences online.
• Scanned images are available of all Amherst course catalogs from 1822-1900. Most "include complete lists of faculty, trustees and students (including students' town of residence), with total numbers of students enrolled in each class; and information about requirements for admission and promotion; curriculum and text books; travel and lodging arrangements; and tuition and other costs."
• You can view a series of photographs of Amherst College taken at the turn of the century by the Detroit Publishing Company. You will need to search for "Amherst College."
• You can view a few aerial photos of the college at (or purchase a copy from) Aerials Unlimited. (Unsolicited plug: My parents have bought at least three aerial photographs from Aerials Unlimited, including one of Wareham, a high-altitude east-facing shot of Cape Cod, and a high-altitude west-facing shot from Boston. They're quite pleased with all of them.)
• You might also visit the Amherst College homepage.

Print resources

• The Amherst College newspaper is the Amherst College Student, which has been published since 1866 (or so). In times of old, the Student printed topical information about alumni as well as students, so information about a person of interest is not necessarily restricted to the years when they were at Amherst. You should probably contact the Amherst College library for more information about old copies of the Student. I really doubt that they will search for you.
• The Amherst College yearbook is the Olio, published since approximately 1857. (The earliest Olio I have seen was the 1861 Olio, which called itself Volume 5.) Around the turn of the century, the Olio evolved into a modern yearbook, with a photograph of each student. Prior to that, it had far fewer pictures, mostly group shots, and quite a bit of text. In its earliest incarnation, the Olio was literally an olio -- class poems and the like. So, the earlier you go, the less familiar the format will be to you. Still, if you have a relative who attended Amherst, this can be a great resource.

  Your best bet is probably to contact the Amherst College library, since they have a complete set of yearbooks.

• Since May 1949, Amherst has been producing a quarterly magazine, which was previously called Amherst Alumni News and is now simply Amherst. These days it contains articles about the school, about famous or recent alumni, about current students, etc., plus a section with brief alumni notes meant for classmates. I have no idea whatsoever what type of information was in this magazine prior to 1990. The Amherst College library has a complete run of this magazine, though I doubt they would search it for you.
• From October 1911 to February 1949, Amherst produced a magazine called the Amherst Graduates' Quarterly. I know next to nothing about this magazine. (The Spring 1999 issue of Amherst refers to the Amherst Graduates' Quarterly as "dry and bookish.") The Amherst College library has a complete run of this magazine, though I doubt they would search it for you.
• From 1862 to 1928, Amherst produced a periodical called the Obituary Record, which contained obituaries of deceased alumni. The Amherst College library has a complete run of this magazine.
• Amherst periodically releases a list of addresses of alumni. The earliest of these I have seen is from 1912; the latest, 1990. These books can be accessed at the Amherst College library.

• Some of the classes produced books for specific reunion years (e.g., 25th reunion) which contain pictures and biographical information. For example, I personally have books/pamphlets from
  • the Class of 1879's 25th reunion,
  • the Class of 1885's 10th reunion,
  • the Class of 1897's 40th reunion,
  • the Class of 1901's 15th reunion,
  • the Class of 1911's senior year,
  • the Class of 1914's 25th reunion, and
  • the Class of 1929's 10th reunion.

• For general information about Amherst College, I recommend Amherst: The Story of a New England College, by Claude Moore Fuess 1905 (Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1935). Dr. Fuess recommends Tyler's History of Amherst College (an earlier and longer version) and Frederick Tuckerman's Amherst Academy (Amherst: "Printed for the Trustees," 1929).

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8. I found an error/inconsistency. Can you fix it?

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9. Can I help with the project?

That's it -- I'll send you some photocopies. Just type them into your text editor or word processor (Microsoft Notepad is fine), save as a text file, and email them to me. I'll proofread your typing, add necessary hyperlinks, and index everything. All you need to do is type.

You'll get online recognition for all that you type, not to mention my thanks (and the thanks of those who find information on this site).

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Page last updated: 27 February 2007
©1998-2002, Richard J. Yanco