Furness, William Henry, 1866-1920 - Social Networks and Archival Context (original) (raw)

Between 1895 and 1901, William Furness, III., Alfred C. Harrison, Jr., and Hiram M. Hiller made a series of extended trips to Oceania, South and Southeast Asia, and East Asia. Furness, Harrison, and Hiller all received degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and donated or sold to the University Museum substantial collections of ethnographic, archaeological, and skeletal material acquired on the voyages. The Furness, Harrison, and Hiller collections, particularly those from Oceania, are extensive and reasonably well-documented for their time.

During the four voyages, Furness, Harrison, and Hiller traveled to China, Japan, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Burma, Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, and Malaysia. No complete single chronicle of all four voyages exists, but a rough itinerary can be pieced together from the journals (chiefly Hiller's) and from notes made by all three travelers. Voyage I (1895-1896) and Voyage II (1897-1898) are the most completely documented since nearly all of Hiller's and some of Furness' journals are present in the collection. Voyage III (1899-1900) and Voyage IV (1901) are more sketchily documented. Long stretches of these voyages are recorded only in the form of rough notes scribbled in small notebooks by Hiller and Harrison. Furness, Harrison, and Hiller did not always travel together, further complicating the difficulties of compiling complete and accurate itineraries. Chronologies for each of the four voyages have been developed based on available material and these chronologies are appended to this Note. The chronologies are most reliable for the early voyages and least reliable for Voyage IV.

Despite the incomplete and occasionally illegible condition of the notes and journals, they do contain considerable ethnographic and technological detail for the groups visited during the voyages. Perhaps the greatest attention is devoted to groups living in Sarawak and Kalimantan, Indonesia. Numerous ethnographic details are recorded and several ethnographic maps of groups living along various rivers in these regions are present in the collections. Furness, Harrison, and Hiller apparently spoke at least serviceable Japanese and Malay and made an attempt to learn local dialects in Sarawak. Linguistic details and comparisons were recorded in the journals from time to time. A number of observations on social organization and social customs are also recorded in the journals, as are observations on the impact of colonial administration and administrators, and foreign economic concerns on local groups.

In addition to studying groups in Sarawak and Kalimantan, Furness, Harrison, and Hiller also studied hill people in western India and in the Naga Hills, and spent some time among Veddah groups in Sri Lanka. Hiller accompanied Jenichiro Oyabe, a Japanese ethnographer studying the Ainu, on several trips to study this group. Observations on more frequently visited areas such as large cities in East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, and Oceania are also recorded. A number of very complete descriptions of technology are to be found in the journals and a number of competently executed drawings of boats, agricultural and fishing equipment, weapons, looms, tofu presses, and clothing are interspersed with the journal text. Considerable attention is devoted to variations in the shape and execution of tattoo patterns throughout Asia and Oceania. Over 500 photographs, some attributed to Alfred C. Harrison, are also available, illustrating many of the areas described in the journals and publications. These photographs have been placed in the general photographic collection for each country visited.

William H. Furness III (1867-1920) was the son of Shakespearean scholar Horace Howard Furness and nephew of architect Frank Furness. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1891. He was Curator of the Museum’s Section of General Ethnology 1903-05 and Secretary of the Board of Managers 1904-05. Devoted years to research work among anthropoids, a part of the work being the attempt to teach articulate language to chimpanzees.

Alfred Craven Harrison, Jr.(1869-1925) was nephew of Charles Custis Harrison, Provost of the University of Pennsylvania, 1894-1911, and President of the Museum’s Board of Managers, 1917-1929. His father, Alfred C. Harrison, was a prosperous sugar manufacturer who donated funds for the construction of the Free Museum of Science and Art in 1899 (now the University of Pennsylvania Museum), the repository for his son’s collections. Harrison received an Honorary B.S. in 1899 from the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to his travels with William Henry Furness and Hiram Hiller to the Far East, he was a member of an expedition to the Maya ruins of Copan in Honduras. In 1902 he entered his father’s business. Little is known of his later years, although he was involved in research work during the last ten years of his life.

Hiram Milliken Hiller(1867-1921) received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1891, and served as resident physician at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and at nearby Blockley Hospital.

From the guide to the Furness, Harrison and Hiller expedition records, 1895-1904, (University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives)

Archival Resources

Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Norton family. Letters received by the Norton family, 1830-1920 Houghton Library
creatorOf Furness Family. Furness Family papers, 1765-1937. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Furness, William Henry, 1866-1920. Letters to Agnes Repplier, 1912-1913. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Wister, A. L. (Annis Lee), 1830-1908. Letters to her nephews, to Horace Howard Furness and to Ida Cushman, ca. 1870-1896, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Emerson family correspondence, ca. 1725-1900. Houghton Library
creatorOf Furness, Harrison and Hiller expedition records, 1895-1904 University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives
referencedIn William Roscoe Thayer papers, 1762-1927 (inclusive), 1872-1921 (bulk) Houghton Library
creatorOf Furness, Horace Howard, 1833-1912. Letters and notes, 1843-1912, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Repplier, Agnes, 1855-1950. Letters to Horace Howard Furness, Horace Howard Furness, Jr. and William Henry Furness III, 1890-1928, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Library
referencedIn Elizabeth Gaskell Norton and Sara Norton papers, 1867-1948 (inclusive), 1880-1946 (bulk). Houghton Library
creatorOf Skeat, Walter W. (Walter William), 1835-1912. Letters to Horace Howard Furness and William Henry Furness III, 1900-1902. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Miscellaneous papers, 1833-1874. Houghton Library
referencedIn Willard, E. S. (Edward Smith), 1853-1915,. Autograph letter signed from E.S. Willard, New York, to William Winter [manuscript], ca. 1892 April 8. Folger Shakespeare Library
referencedIn Houghton Mifflin Company. Houghton Mifflin Company reader reports on manuscripts submitted for publication. 1882-1931. Houghton Library
referencedIn John Jay Chapman papers Houghton Library
creatorOf Furness, William Henry, 1866-1920. Correspondence with Edgar Fahs Smith, 1913. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIi, 1897 American Philosophical Society

Bibliographic and Digital Archival Resources

Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith American Philosophical Society. corporateBody
correspondedWith Chapman, John Jay, 1862-1933 person
associatedWith Emerson family. family
associatedWith Furness Family. family
associatedWith Furness, Horace Howard, 1833-1912. person
associatedWith Harrison, Alfred Craven, Jr., 1869-1925 person
associatedWith Hiller, Hiram Milliken, 1867-1921 person
associatedWith Houghton Mifflin Company. corporateBody
correspondedWith Norton, Elizabeth Gaskell, 1866- person
correspondedWith Norton family, recipient. family
associatedWith Repplier, Agnes, 1855-1950. person
associatedWith Skeat, Walter W. (Walter William), 1835-1912. person
associatedWith Sumner, Charles, 1811-1874 person
correspondedWith Thayer, William Roscoe, 1859-1923 person
associatedWith Willard, E. S. (Edward Smith), 1853-1915, person
associatedWith Wister, A. L. (Annis Lee), 1830-1908. person