American Section Early Man Project

Edgar Billings Howard, geologist and archaeologist, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana but attended St. Paul's School in Philadelphia before enrolling at Yale University. There, he completed a Ph.D. in paleontology from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1909. He served as a Captain in the infantry in World War I. Following his return from the war, Howard worked in business until his retirement in 1928. He turned his interests to what he called the "Earth Sciences" enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania. Howard completed his Ph.D. in geology in 1930.

From 1929 to 1936, Howard conducted field expeditions in Texas and New Mexico in the quest of finding links to early man. His investigations included Burnet cave in the Guadelupe Mountains and sites along the Blackwater Draw between Clovis and Portales in eastern New Mexico. His discoveries added to the knowledge of the "Folsom Complex" and included the Folsom flints, mammoth and sloth bones and other early fauna.

As a part of his investigation into similarities among the tools of early man, Howard traveled to Russia in 1935 to examine collections from eastern Siberia. He collected data on the relationship between Old and New World forms of implements.

In March 1937, Howard sponsored the International Symposium on Early Man conducted at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

With the outbreak of World War II, Howard attempted to enlist but was rejected due to a heart condition. He began to make a contribution to the war effort through employment in the engineering department at the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation in LaJolla, California.

Edgar Billings Howard died in 1943. The Early Man project, incomplete at the time, was assumed by Dr. Loren Eiseley of the Penn Museum.

Howard's publications include the books, , , and .

Howard belonged to many scientific organizations and served as President of the Society for American Archaeology from 1938 to 1939.

Howard's Clovis, New Mexico field notes are a part of the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

Edgar Billings Howard, geologist and archaeologist, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana but attended St. Paul's School in Philadelphia before enrolling at Yale University. There, he completed a Ph.D. in paleontology from the Sheffield Scientific School in 1909. He served as a Captain in the infantry in World War I. Following his return from the war, Howard worked in business until his retirement in 1928. He turned his interests to what he called the "Earth Sciences" enrolling at the University of Pennsylvania. Howard completed his Ph.D. in geology in 1930.

From 1929 to 1936, Howard conducted field expeditions in Texas and New Mexico in the quest of finding links to early man. His investigations included Burnet cave in the Guadelupe Mountains and sites along the Blackwater Draw between Clovis and Portales in eastern New Mexico. His discoveries added to the knowledge of the "Folsom Complex" and included the Folsom flints, mammoth and sloth bones and early fauna.

The Early Man Project records consist of five folders of correspondence plus the original research proposal of Edgar B. Howard and some financial records. Howard's correspondence fills one folder. The remainder of the letters reflect what the program became following Howard's involvement(1940 to 1950).

Publication Information: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives, 6/30/2015

Finding Aid Author:

Use Restrictions:

Howard's Clovis, New Mexico field notes are a part of the collection of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia.

Geographic Name(s)

• New Mexico

Personal Name(s)

• Cotter, John L., 1911-1999
• Eiseley, Loren C., 1907-1977
• Howard, Edgar Billings, 1887-1943
• Jepsen, Glenn L., 1904-1974
• Rainey, Froelich, Director of the University Museum
• Satterthwaite, Linton, 1897-1978

Subject(s)

• Ethnology--Indigenous peoples
• Folsom culture
• North American Indians
• Paleontology