Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
John Davidson fonds
General material designation
- Textual record
- Photographic material
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: The title is based on the provenance of the fonds
Level of description
Fonds
Repository
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
2.6 m of textual records
18 photographs
Memorabilia
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
John Davidson was born in Aberdeen, Scotland and graduated from Gordon's College. As botany assistant and later curator of the Botany Museum at the University of Aberdeen from 1893 to 1911, he developed considerable plant classification and general biology skills. In 1911, he was appointed as British Columbia's first Provincial Botanist. Davidson established Canada's first botanical garden at Essondale's Colony Farm near New Westminster. In 1916, the 25,000 plants were transferred to the new Point Grey site of the University of British Columbia, and the garden continued to develop under his supervision. Davidson joined the UBC faculty in 1917 as an instructor of Botany. He remained at the university until his retirement in 1945. He was the founder and, until 1937, president of the Vancouver Natural History Society.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of biographical material (1901-1987), teaching material (1899-1948), publications (1913-1949), lectures (1919-1945), journals/notebooks (1911-1948), correspondence/ subject files (1912-1962), Vancouver Natural History Society material (1927-1941), printed material and photographs (1919-1949).
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
The collection of badges and judge's ribbons was transferred to the Archives from Koerner Library in April 2017.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Selected teaching materials and manuscripts have been digitized and are available online via links in the inventory.
Restrictions on access
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Online Finding Aid
Please see finding aid for the file list.
Uploaded finding aid
Associated materials
There is a separate John Davidson fonds at the City of Vancouver Archives.
Accruals
General note
Photographs have been digitized and included in the UBC Archives Historical Photograph Database UBC 32.1
Alternative identifier(s)
Standard number area
Standard number
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Vancouver Natural History Society (Subject)
- University of British Columbia. Dept. of Botany (Subject)
Genre access points
Control area
Description record identifier
Rules or conventions
Status
Level of detail
Dates of creation, revision and deletion
Updated in January 2021, JM.