No Provenance, No Problem: Getting Started in the Archive

The work of an archivist is never ending; documents of all sorts are acquired on a regular basis and mounds of information accumulate rather quickly. The information comes in the form of primary documents, manuscripts, newspapers, photographs, maps, etc. Sometimes the information is neatly categorized, nicely labeled and stored in its appropriate spot, ready and waiting for the next researcher. On the other hand, quite often this information is in disarray, scattered or labeled as “miscellaneous” and often overlooked by the researcher. When someone comes in the archives to look for a specific topic, it can be problematic not only because valuable information may go missed, but researchers or students may be crunched for time, as this can become rather time consuming.

This is where I come in. My goal as the Archival Assistant Intern for the Florida Historical Society is to create a finding aid for all things related to Florida Native Americans in the archives. The past three weeks I have been browsing the archives, making note of what is already organized. Today, I rummaged blindly through the archives on my own. This is where the fun begins! I came across a Petition from John Forbes & Co. to the President of the United States to abolish the Chickasaw Nations debt. It caught my eye as a beautifully preserved primary document with elegant cursive handwriting of its time. As I began to read it, I noticed that it did not have a date, and did not specify which President was addressed. This is a perfect example of one of the many obstacles that an Archivist may face. Sometimes items are acquired with no provenance, or source of origin. One must then indirectly date this document with other information that might be gathered to make the best educated guess possible. It’s a dirty job but someone’s has to do it! I am excited about this project and am looking forward to both the new discoveries to be made, and the challenges I may face.