Watson Family Collection

The Watson Family Collection (1830s-2012) consists of material created by the Watson family, such as correspondence, writings, clippings, travel ephemera, and birding material. Additionally, the collection includes a series of genealogical research collected by the family and by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory archivists.

The collection is divided into 5 series:

The James D. Watson, Sr. series (1878-1967) comprises the largest portion of the collection. It includes a series of diaries, copybooks (transcriptions of famous quotes and essays), clippings, notes on literature and philosophy, and travel ephemera documenting his trips to Europe and Asia in the 1950s and 60s. It includes some of his writings, such as coursework from his time at Oberlin College (1915-16), as well as his essay on liberalism (1957). The series also includes a receipt from the Perry Springs Hotel, which was owned by Watson Sr.’s great-grandfather, Benjamin A. Watson.

Of historical interest is a letter to Watson Sr. from naturalist Donald Culross Peattie (1898-1964). This letter had been laid in a scrapbook of Peattie’s columns which were published from 1936 to 1937 that was assembled by Watson Sr. Many of the Peattie columns were loose on the pages and have been rehoused.

Watson Sr. was an avid birder. Material related to this pursuit has been collected in the Birding Material series (1912-1960s). The early bird records (1910s to 1940s) are very detailed, while later records are more casual and include a number of clippings related to birds, weather, and the natural world. The first folder of the series includes bird records by both Watson, Sr. and his son Dr. James D. Watson, Jr. Of note is a 1914 report on birding in the Chicago area written by Watson Sr. entitled “A Trip to the Woods.”

The Correspondence series includes family letters from the 1830s to 1992, including letters from Watson Sr. to his family during his tour of duty in World War I. The series also contains two letters concerning Watson Jr. participating in the 1940s radio show Quiz Kids.

The Mitchell Family series (1917-1954) consists of material related to Watson Sr.'s mother, Margaret Jean (Mitchell) Watson and her family. It includes three Wendell Phillips High School publications and a profile of her from the La Salle Extension University employee newsletter.

The Genealogical Material series (1940s-2012) consists of research files regarding Dr. Watson’s ancestry on both his mother and father’s sides of the family. It was collected by Dr. Watson and his family, as well as by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Library and Archives staff members. This material was used by Dr. Watson while writing two memoirs, Avoid Boring People (2007) and Father to Son (2014).