Background on Benjamin Hoag
Responding to the fascination with oology at the turn of the twentieth century, Benjamin Hoag of Stephentown, New York, operated a small, but successful business collecting and selling the eggs of wild birds. Hoag was born on March 14, 1865 in Ancram, New York, to Orr and Martha Hunt Hoag. He had one brother, Charles. Coming from a family of farmers, and never straying far from Stephentown, Hoag made his living as a merchant, operating several concerns.
By 1905, Hoag struck out on his own in the business world, establishing a dealership in bicycles, but from shortly thereafter through the 1930s, he was generally listed as a dry goods merchant and grocer. On the side, he plied his trade as a mail-order oologist, specializing in the collecting and study of bird eggs, and selling specimens, oology tools and equipment, and magazine subscriptions as well. His business foundered with passage of the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, which banned collecting, ownership, or transportation of the eggs of eight families of migratory birds.
On October 26, 1899, Hoag married Gertrude Atwater, 12 years his junior, in Sand Lake, New York. The couple had no children, but their nieces lived with them between 1920 and 1930. Hoag passed away in Stephentown at age 67 on September 9, 1932. He was survived by his wife, Gertrude. The couple are buried in Stephentown's Garfield Cemetery.
Scope of collection
The Hoag collection is comprised primarily of letters addressed to a professional oologist from 1907-1914, with the majority of letters relating to his business selling bird eggs and collecting supplies. Although the significance is not entirely clear, there is a high concentration of letters from the first three months of each year -- mostly requests for subscription renewals -- with more letters received in the winter months than the summer and fall. Hoag maintained a fairly consistent clientele over the years, and many of the letters are friendly and conversational in tone, although there are a few sharp-edged requests for fulfillment of delayed orders, sometimes months past due. The collection includes two unopened letters and several undated ones.
The collection also has deposit slips from deposits (1911-1917) made by Hoag. His oology business was forced to dissolve in 1918 due to enactment of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act enactment of federal legislation protecting birds, and consequently there are no letters, deposits, or requests after this date. Finally, there are two pamphlets in the collection, and handful of receipts for items purchased by Hoag, including clothing and oology tools..
Inventory
Correspondence
1901-1906
Box 1: 1
Correspondence
1907 Jan-Feb
Box 1: 2
Correspondence
1907 March
Box 1: 3
Correspondence
1907 April
Box 1: 4
Correspondence
1907 May
Box 1: 5
Correspondence
1907 June
Box 1: 6
Correspondence
1907 Jul-Aug
Box 1: 7
Correspondence
1907 Sep-Oct
Box 1: 8
Correspondence
1907 November
Box 1: 9
Correspondence
1907 December
Box 1: 10
Correspondence
1908 January
Box 1: 11
Correspondence
1908 February
Box 1: 12
Correspondence
1908 March
Box 1: 13
Correspondence
1908 Apr-May
Box 1: 14
Correspondence
1908 Jun-Sep
Box 1: 15
Correspondence
1908 Oct-Dec
Box 2: 1
Correspondence
1909 Jan-Feb
Box 2: 2
Correspondence
1909 March
Box 2: 3
Correspondence
1909 Apr-Jul
Box 2: 4
Correspondence
1909 Aug-Nov
Box 2: 5
Correspondence
1909 December
Box 2: 6
Correspondence
1910 January
Box 2: 7
Correspondence
1910 Feb-Mar
Box 2: 8
Correspondence
1910 Apr-May
Box 2: 9
Correspondence
1910 Jun-Sep
Box 2: 10
Correspondence
1910 Oct-Dec
Box 2: 11
Correspondence
1911 Jan-Feb
Box 2: 12
Correspondence
1911 Mar-Apr
Box 2: 13
Correspondence
1911 May-Dec
Box 3: 1
Correspondence
1912 Jan-Feb
Box 3: 2
Correspondence
1912 Mar-Apr
Box 3: 3
Correspondence
1912 May-Sep
Box 3: 4
Correspondence
1912 Oct-Dec
Box 3: 5
Correspondence
1913 Jan-Mar
Box 3: 6
Correspondence
1913 Apr-Jun
Box 3: 7
Correspondence
1913 Jul-Dec
Box 3: 8
Correspondence
1914 Jan-Mar
Box 3: 9
Correspondence
1914 Apr-Jun
Box 3: 10
Correspondence
1914 Jul-Dec
Box 3: 11
Correspondence
1915
Box 3: 12
Deposits
1911-1917
Box 3: 13
Envelopes and Unopened Letters
1906-1914
Box 3: 14
Receipts, Pamplets and Undated Letters
1905-1915
Box 3: 15
Administrative information
Search terms
Subjects
- Birds--Eggs
- Egg trade--New York (State_
Genres and formats
- Correspondence
- Receipts (Financial records)
Link to similar SCUA collections
