An official website of the United States government.

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites always use a .gov or .mil domain. Before sharing sensitive information online, make sure you’re on a .gov or .mil site by inspecting your browser’s address (or “location”) bar.

This site is also protected by an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate that’s been signed by the U.S. government. The https:// means all transmitted data is encrypted — in other words, any information or browsing history that you provide is transmitted securely.

NAL Special Collections
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Home / Guide Collections / Don Cameron Warren Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

Don Cameron Warren Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

Don Cameron Warren Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers Introduction

Don Cameron Warren worked at Kimber Poultry Breeding Farms in Fremont, California. This collection contains personal and official correspondence to and from poultry industry leaders covering the period 1928 to 1973. Included are three letters from, and his reply to, Henry A. Wallace, former Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President of the United States and Candidate for the office of the Presidency.

Included is a typewritten translation of Aristotle's History of Animals, covering those chapters which deal with various aspects of poultry raising. The original was written about 350 B.C. and the translation was published in 1897. Another translation, that portion of The Treatises of Roman Farm Animals which is concerned with poultry and was written about 37 B.C., is also part of the collection.

Six large envelopes contain information on the life and work of Warren, from his birth in 1890 to his death in 1994. An autobiography written in 1975 and a brief history of his forefathers, traced to North Carolina in 1786, is a part of the collection.

Copies of newspaper articles concerning Warren's contributions to the poultry industry, certificates on awards given him during his career, his induction into the Poultry Hall of Fame in 1971, and many photographs of him at work with colleagues and friends are included.

Four bound volumes, covering the years 1917 through 1966, contain reprints of 88 scientific papers, mostly on genetics, published by Warren during that 49 year period. Research notes, sketches and the final draft of work completed on Drosophila melanogaster in 1918, are of interest.

Copies of many speeches the donor made around the world, together with penciled annotations, show his wide field of interest in genetics.

Included is an audio tape recording of induction speeches for the honorees when Warren and four other industry leaders were inducted into the Poultry Hall Of Fame in a 1971 ceremony at the National Agricultural Library. A seven inch reel of 6 mm motion picture film entitled "Forming an Egg," one of Warren's areas of expertise, rounds out this collection.

Dr. Warren's heirs also donated the following monographs to the Special Collection Section of the National Agricultural Library:
Studies on Physiology, Genetics and Evolution of some Cladocers, A.M. Banta, Carnegie Institute of Washington. 1939.
Heredity, Evolution and Society, I. Michael Lerner. 1968.
Wilhelm von Nathusius, 1821-1899, on Avian Eggshells.
Practical Poultry Breeding. Don C. Warren. 1953.
Pendleton Farmer's Society. Atlanta, GA. Foot and Davies Co. 1908.

Disclaimer

Special Collections of the National Agricultural Library (NAL) acquires, arranges, describes, preserves and makes available rare materials significant to the history of agriculture. Materials are obtained through donation or active collection in accordance with the established Special Collections collection development policy. Special Collections staff organize and describe materials according to archival principles and create descriptions and indexes to enhance access. Staff do not edit or otherwise modify the original materials. The views expressed in the collections do not necessarily reflect the policies of the National Agricultural Library or the United States Department of Agriculture.

Container List

Box 1 of 2

  • File contains personal correspondence to and from industry leaders from 1928 to 1973, including three letters from Henry A. Wallace, former Secretary of Agriculture, Vice President of the U.S. and Candidate for the office of the Presidency, 1928-73.
  • A collection of brochures and bulletins from poultry breeders and colleges, 1909-23.
  • Translations of chapters relating to poultry from Aristotle's History of Animals (c. 350 BC)

Envelope #1

  • Special awards at Indiana University, 1990.
  • Special edition "Kimberchick News," 1968.
  • Other awards and recognitions
  • Pictures and speeches

Envelope #2

  • Regional Breeding Projects
  • Partial Bibliographies of Investigators

Envelope #3

  • Warren Autobiography
  • Early history of Warren family

Envelope #4

  • Speeches and notes

Envelope #5

  • Drosophila
  • 1930 World's Poultry Congress And Europe
  • Poultry consultant on India, 1955.

Envelope #6

  • Miscellaneous items collected by Warren

Box 2 of 2

  • Four bound volumes of reprints of Warren's Scientific Papers, 1917-24, 1925-31, 1932-38, 1939-66.
  • Audio. tapes of induction of Honorees into the Poultry Hall of Fame in 1971.
  • An 6 mm movie film on "Forming an Egg"