Preliminary Guide to the Martin Forsell Papers

Preliminary Guide to the Martin Forsell Papers, 1911-1964

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Forsell, Martin J.
Title: Preliminary Guide to the Martin Forsell Papers
Dates: 1911-1964 (inclusive)
19111964
Quantity: 1 linear feet, (1 box.)
Collection Number: MS.1992.64
Summary: This collection contains papers of Martin J. Forsell. Most of the material is correspondence.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

Martin J. Forsell (1888-1979) was born in Minnesota on January 2, 1888. Sometime before 1910, he moved to Washington and attended the State College of Washington (later Washington State University), receiving a degree in Horticulture in 1913. Forsell married Josephine Wayman in 1925, the same year he began working for the United States Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Plant Quarantine and Entomology in Seattle, WA, continuing until 1945. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, Forsell remained active in horticultural, entomological, and biological research, and developed and manufactured the weevil bait called "Go West." Forsell remained in Seattle until his death in 1979.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection contains papers of Martin J. Forsell. Most of the material is correspondence. Correspondents include: Carl Johansen from the Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Agricultural Experimental Station Division of Entomology at the State College of Washington; the Biological Society of Washington, in connection to Melville Hatch from the University of Washington in the Department of Zoology; and other universities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the 1940s and 1950s. The collection also contains printed material (various publications on horticulture and entomology), and postcards of WSC from 1911.

Preliminary Inventory:

Newspaper clipping of an article about Forsell's weevil bait (undated), WSU Horticulture Club newsletter from 1964, multiple publications on horticulture and entomology, including a report from U.S. Department of Agriculture on "Insect Enemies of Western Forests" (1938), correspondence and related documents, collection of postcards from WSU (1911), and one book: Hendrick, U.P. The Small Fruits of New York. Albany: J.B. Lyon Company, 1925.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection. Any arrangement reflects either a pre-existing order from the records' creators or previous custodians, or preliminary sorting performed by staff.

Location of Collection

(MASC staff use) 2-5-27-4

Acquisition Information

Donated to Washington State University Libraries by Mary Jo Dvorak, daughter of Martin Forsell, in 1992 (MS.1992.64).

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Entomology--Research
Horticulture--Research--Washington (State)
Horticulture--Washington (State)--Societies, etc.--Records and correspondence.

Archives West Finding Aid

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