Harry C. Monk papers, 1897-1976 (bulk 1917-1976)
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Organization: Three series: I. Birds, II. Butterflies, III. Family;,Arrangement: Series arranged by topic; thereunder varies according to specific record type and function.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Abstract: The Harry C. Monk Papers are focused on his work as an avid bird watcher in the Nashville, Davidson County area and are comprised of his daily journals, bird observations and data, various documents from ornithological associations, correspondence, photographs, maps, butterfly observations, and family papers. Various papers from other local noted ornithologists, such as Amelia Laskey, Albert Ganier, George Mayfield, and others, are also interspersed throughout the collection. Monk's records of nesting data represent the most detailed record of such information for the Nashville area. Likewise, his study of the frequency and occurrence of bird songs is the only local record of its kind. Monk's interests also extended to butterflies, where he likewise kept copious notes about his observations in the Nashville area. Family papers include materials related to Harry's father's service during World War I; Harry's mother's ownership and operation of the Old Hickory Shoe Shop, located in downtown Nashville; Harry's education at Vanderbilt and service in the Army during World War II; and family genealogical information. Please refer to the finding aid for greater details about this collection.

Monk's detailed records on birds, butterflies, and weather observations enable the exploration of other wide-ranging subjects which may not have been examined or anticipated by Monk, and are seldom if ever directly mentioned. Such topics could include: environmental impacts, climate change, extreme weather events, and similar studies based upon researchers who do their own compilations and analysis of large quantities of Monk's raw data.

Cite as: [Specific record type, subseries, or other appropriate designation], [Series], Harry C. Monk Papers, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

Literary rights to the unpublished writings found in this collection are reserved to The Public Library of Nashville and Davidson County. Single photocopies may be made for purposes of scholarly research.

Some materials are fragile and may require extra care during handling. Index cards are especially well-worn and brittle; to avoid further damage, please do not "tab thru" index cards. Please ask for guidance from staff before handling these fragile materials.

Simon S. Weil, in memory of his wife, Carrie Mae Weil;,Gift;,1977.,Acc. MSS78-1

Associated Materials: The Tennessee State Library and Archives holds the Albert F. Ganier Photographic Collection, as well as a few maps of T.O.S. Field Days.

Related Materials: Issues of The Migrant, the journal of the Tennessee Ornithological Society, are available in the periodicals section of the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library.

The Carrie Mae Weil book collection, consisting of Harry C. Monk's personal ornithological library, is housed in the Reference Division of the Main Branch, Nashville Public Library.

A small quantity of letters from Harry Monk to Amelia Laskey, 1957-1972 are housed as a separate collection in the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library. These materials have not yet been cataloged (as of Jan. 2019).

Harry C. Monk was an avid ornithologist and lepidopterist from Nashville, Tennessee. Although not formally schooled in either field, he nevertheless kept extraordinarily detailed records throughout his lifetime about his observations. While still a teenager, he joined the Tennessee Ornithological Society (T.O.S.) in 1919, serving as secretary from 1920 to 1925. At age 24, he became its youngest president in 1926, though his term was less than three months' duration. He served as the Middle Tennessee vice-president from 1928-1929, and as curator in 1930. Monk intensely studied birds in a number of areas in and near Nashville, Tennessee, most notably at Centennial Park and Radnor Lake. His study of Radnor Lake demonstrated the significance of the area, and helped create the Radnor Lake State Natural Area. Monk's records of nesting and song data in the Nashville area are among the most detailed records of the kind. Monk's interests extended to butterflies, about which he also recorded detailed observations in his daily journals. Harry C. Monk was born July 1, 1902 in Pontiac, Illinois and moved to Nashville early in his life. He attended Hume Fogg High School, where he was a member of the Junior Audubon Society. He continued his education at Vanderbilt University, where he studied civil engineering for three years, departing in 1924. Monk was in the Army during World War II, from March 1943 until June 1946. He attended Engineer School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia for twelve weeks and served as assistant post engineer at Camp Detrick, in Fredrick, Maryland. Ever the obsessive birder, Monk did not let his military duties interfere with his ornithological observations, and he continued to maintain detailed records and journals while in Maryland. When his military service ended, he returned to Nashville, where he worked as a construction inspector. Monk died in Nashville on November 25, 1982 at the age of 80.

Amelia Laskey joined the Tennessee Ornithological Society (T.O.S.) in 1928. Her main passion was bird banding. Over the next 40 years, she would publish papers on over ten species including the Blue Jay, Wren, Mockingbird, Cardinal, Tufted Titmice, and Brown-headed Cowbird. Laskey's most important ornithological research was her study of the Eastern Bluebird, using the Warner Parks as her laboratory. She recorded observations from 1936 up to her death in 1973. Her legacy continued through the Eastern Bluebird Nesting Box Program; her Bluebird Trail is one of the oldest continually monitored nesting box programs in the country. Her banding work contributed to identifying the winter home of Chimney Swifts in Peru. In 1943, the first nocturnal bird casualties from ceilometer lights were reported in Nashville. Over the next 20 years, Laskey documented these deaths, causing the U.S. Weather Bureau to instruct its stations to use filters over their ceilometer lights. Laskey became a Fellow of the American Ornithologists' Union in 1966, and died December 19, 1973 in the process of summarizing her work on the Eastern Bluebird.

Albert Ganier was born in 1883. He was one of the six founders of the Tennessee Ornithological Society in 1915. He was known for scaling cliffs and climbing 100 feet up trees to check on bird nests. He was a civil engineer at the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Ganier's connection to the railroad played an important role in the designation of Radnor Lake as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1923; the railroad owned the Radnor Lake area for 60 years. Ganier died on December 20, 1973.

The Tennessee Ornithological Society (T.O.S.) was founded in 1915 in Nashville by Dixon Merritt, Judge Herman Yates Hughes, Dr. George R. Mayfield, Alonzo C. Webb, Dr. George Curtis, and Albert F. Ganier. This society was the first statewide ornithological organization in the southeast, and as of 2018, it is the oldest conservation group still in existence in the state.

In English.

Finding aid available in repository;,folder level control.,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_MonkPapersFA.pdf

Appendix A - Diagram providing visual representation of the interconnectedness of Monk's records, entitled: "Various Means of Accessing Info in Monk's Journals";,subseries level control.,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_MonkAppndxA.pdf

Harry C. Monk's personal estate went up for auction in the fall of 1977. Library board member Simon S. Weil purchased the collection from the estate via the court system, and subsequently donated it to the Nashville Public Library in memory of his late wife, Carrie Mae Weil in November 1977. Upon its acquisition by the Library, the collection was formally named the Carrie Mae Weil Ornithological Collection. However, despite the formal designation of the collection in Weil's name, the materials themselves are entirely the personal ornithological library and papers of Harry C. Monk. They contain no content relating to Simon or Carrie Mae Weil.

Forms part of the Carrie Mae Weil Ornithological Collection.

arrange and describe;,1979;,Susan Hayden and Leonard W. Tidwell

rehouse;,2006;,Tracey Howerton

process;,2015;,K. C. New (intern)

arrange and describe;,2018;,Catherine Colbran (intern) and Linda Barnickel

No further accruals are expected