Henry N. Michael papers

Following his birth in Pittsburgh on July 14, 1913, Henry Michael's family moved to Prague where he lived until returning to Pennsylvania in the early 1930s. In the 1940s he served as First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II. He received his Bachelor's degree (1948), Master's degree (1951), and PhD (1954) from the University of Pennsylvania. He taught briefly at Penn but spent the bulk of his academic career as a professor in the Geography Department at Temple University, from 1959 through 1980. He served as Head of Temple’s Geography department from 1965 though 1973. He retired from Temple in 1980, but continued his work through the University of Pennsylvania Museum. In 1984 he became a Senior Fellow at the Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA).

Dr. Michael is most well known for his research on ancient bristlecone pine trees in California with his research partner, Elizabeth K. Ralph, also of the Penn Museum. The California tree ring research was a collaborative project between MASCA, the University of Arizona’s Tree Ring Lab, and the University of California at San Diego. By studying the growth rings in the ancient pine trees, Dr. Michael and Dr. Ralph developed a calibrating or “correcting scale” to help resolve problems in radiocarbon dating in archaeology. This research led to the re-dating of many archaeological sites, and served to discredit the theory that Northern European civilizations must have derived from Greece or Egypt. The master chronology extended C-14 dating far beyond 5,000 years by adding samples from preserved trees to reach back 10,000 years from the present. In the early 1990’s Dr. Michael handed over responsibility for further collection of samples to the University of Arizona.

Always fascinated with the people of Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions, Henry Michael also published extensively on various aspects of the archaeology and ethnography of Siberia and the Arctic. From 1959 to 1974 he served as Director and Editor of the series, "Anthropology of the North: Translations from Russian Sources". Dr. Michael also collaborated with Alexander Dolitsky, Director of the Alaska-Siberia Research Center, to translate and publish legends of indigenous people in the Kamchatka peninsula and along the Bering Strait.

In 2000, the University Museum awarded Dr. Michael the Director’s Award established by the University of Pennsylvania Museum to honor exceptional volunteer achievement. Henry Michael died on February 19, 2006. He was survived by his wife, Ida (Nemez) Michael, daughter Shelley Susan, and sons Andrew Michael and Richard Michael.

The papers of Henry N. Michael consist of 6 cubic feet of biographical information, correspondence, field notes, research and lab work, index cards containing records of wood samples, notes and drafts of publications and presentations, and documentation from his work with the Arctic Institute of North America (A.I.N.A.) and the Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (M.A.S.C.A.). The collection also contains photographs, negatives and slides of bristlecone pine trees, tree-ring sampling, and archaeological field sites. Dendrochronological charts are also a part of the collection.

The records did not possess a clear or significant original order. Sources of the collection materials included Dr. Michael’s daughter, Shelley Susan Michael, and the University of Pennsylvania Museum. The papers have been divided into seven series: Personal Materials, Correspondence, Research, Arctic Institute of North America (AINA), Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA), Publications, Conferences, and Visual Materials.

Although primarily composed of research and publication materials, there is some overlap between his personal and professional papers. Henry Michael was a man who was very generous with his time. There are many examples in the collection of his assisting the professional advancement of students and colleagues by recommending them to institutions or acting as a personal reference. He also edited papers that were sent to him for review. Dr. Michael maintained connections with Russian anthropologists during the Cold War, helping to translate and publish their work. He also participated in the North American Archaeologists protest in 1986 of the ban on South African attendees to the 11th International Congress of the International Union of Pre- and Proto-Historic Sciences (IUPPS) held in Southampton, England while South Africa was under apartheid.

The personal records in the collection span the years 1938-1953. The series contains Henry Michael’s military records from 1943–1945 and letters of application to the CIA from 1953. Also included are school papers from 1951-1953, and one undated paper. Military and school papers are arranged chronologically.

The correspondence spans from 1962 through 2003. This series contains letters between Henry Michael and publishers, translators, colleagues, researchers and students. Included is significant correspondence from him as a MASCA fellow and editor of the MASCA newsletter, and letters with publishers and colleagues about translation work and setting up field work. The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by last name or agency. Unidentified correspondence is in a folder at the beginning of the series.

The research and field work papers span from 1952 through 1995. This series contains notes and data from various projects, including his field work with California sequoias and bristlecone pines (1959-1994); alluvial fans in Inyo National Forest, California; wood beams from the site of Gordion, Turkey (1963-2001); radiocarbon lab work and dendrochronology samples (1960-1990); paleomagnetism (1968); cellulose extraction (1969); Carbon-14 correction factors (1969); sampling of Egyptian tombs (1969-1974); testing a funerary boat of Sesostris III in Egypt (1970); radiocarbon chronology in NW Iran (1970,1989); thermoluminescence (1969-1973); dosimetry experiment in Egypt (1971-73); sampling of wood from the U.S.S. Constitution (1981); and Ban Chiang, Thailand C-14 dates (1995). Also includes index cards of records of wood samples (1962-1990, some undated) and dendrochronological charts. There are three master charts of tree-ring dates, each with the date of the period represented in the data and the scale of the work. In addition there are forty-nine additional charts of various sizes. All the charts are stored rolled. Research and field work is arranged chronologically, except the dendrochronological charts, which are housed in a separate record storage container.

Materials regarding Dr. Michael's participation in the Arctic Institute of North America (AINA) spans the years 1960-1987. This series contains general correspondence (1960-1987), correspondence regarding the Russian translation series (1961-1973), and materials pertaining to the publication committee (1966-1970). Folders in this series are arranged chronologically.

The large series that comprises Henry Michael's time as senior fellow of the University of Pennsylvania's Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) spans the years 1960-1982. This series contains National Science Foundation proposals (1960-1982), correspondence and reports (1964-1977), MASCA proposal background materials (1976-1978), C-14 and dendrochronology outlines (1986). NSF Proposals include: Research and Development in New Techniques for Archaeology (1960); Development of Chronometric Center (1961); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples (1962); Completion of First Turkish Tree-Ring Study (1962); Research in the History and Chronology of Metals (1963); Study of Remnant Magnetic Measurements (1964); Training Program in Metallurgy and Archaeology (1964); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples (1964); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples and Experiments with Thermoluminescense for C-14 Detection (1968); Dendrochronology of Bristlecone Pines (continuation of NSF grant GP-4892) (1970); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples (continuation of NSF grant GA-12572) (1970); Dating of Pottery and Faience by Thermoluminescence (1971); Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) (1972); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples (continuation of NSF grant GA-12572) (1973); C-14 Measurements of Known Age Samples (continuation of NSF grant GA-12572) (1974); Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) (1975); C-14 and C-13/C-12 Measurements of Known Age Samples and Laser Enrichment of C-14 (1977); Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA) (1977); C-14 Dating of Tree-Ring-Dated Bristlecone Pines and Search for Older Bristlecone Pines (1980); Search for Bristlecone Pine Wood from the Interval 20,000-10,000 C-14 Years B.P.; an Exercise in Applied Quarternary Stratigraphy (1980); Radiocarbon Dating of Archaeological Samples (1982). Folders are arranged chronologically by date of proposal.

The visual materials series is organized by type of material (mainly 35mm color slides), and thereunder cataloged individually in the photographic database. Most of the photographic material consists of slides from Michael's fieldwork in the southwestern United States, collecting wood samples. A group of ten prints collected by Michael while serving in World War II in Germany has been donated to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 2010

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Corporate Name(s)

• University of Pennsylvania. Museum Applied Science Center for Archaeology.

Form(s)/Genre(s)

• Manuscripts for publication

Geographic Name(s)

• Alaska
• Egypt
• Gordion (Extinct city)

Personal Name(s)

• Michael, Henry N. , PhD, 1913-2006
• Ralph, Elizabeth K., 1911-2000

Subject(s)

• Anthropology
• Bristlecone pines
• International Research and Exchange Board (IREX)
• Physical anthropology
• University of Pennsylvania MASCA