Larry and Carol Aten Research Papers on Clarence Bloomfield Moore
Scope and Content
The Larry and Carol Aten Research Papers on Clarence Bloomfield Moore are an extensive collection of research materials gathered by the Atens about the archaeologist Clarence Bloomfield Moore. Larry Aten intended to write a biography of but passed away, before completing it. The collection contains drafts of his work and notes and materials copied from various archives, including articles, bibliographies, biographical materials, books, correspondence, documents, field reports, indexes, manuscript drafts, newspaper clippings, and photographs. For the sake of convenience, the first part of the collection highlights Aten’s work on Moore, followed by duplicates of original materials covering Moore's excavations and his personal and professional relationships with family, friends, and colleagues.
Researchers interested in archaeological methods and techniques, southeastern Native American mounds and artifacts, prehistoric cultures and societies, and Clarence B. Moore himself will find this collection valuable for their research. Despite the controversies, Moore contributed significantly to the field of archaeology, from which current-day archaeologists and researchers can reference.
Series 1. Aten Book Drafts
This series contains partial manuscript drafts, written mainly by Larry Aten. Highlighted materials include a completed draft written by Aten and collaborator Jerald T. Milanich, with editor notes and reviewer comments. Jerald T. Milanich is emeritus faculty at the University of Florida who served as a curator at the Florida Museum of Natural History for 35 years with special interests in prehistoric cultures of the Southeast, early Spanish exploration, culture and society of the Seminole, and the writings of early archaeologists and ethnologists of the region.
Series 2. Aten Correspondence
This series contains email exchanges between Larry Aten and acquaintances, collaborators, expert specialists, and archival and library institutions.
Series 3. Aten Research Notes
This series contains a mixed collection of materials that covers logistics related to Larry Aten’s manuscript preparation and research into C.B. Moore’s life. Materials include Moore biographical materials, compiled research data, copyright permissions, correspondence, index notes, museum accession and donation records, and general research materials and notes. Notable materials include C.B. Moore’s will and estate records, his archaeological collection at the Museum of the American Indian (Heye Foundation), and the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and Aten’s index notes categorized by specific topics, to assist in writing the C.B. Moore biography.
Series 4. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Archaeology Fieldwork
This collection contains copies of C.B. Moore’s written documentation of fieldwork conducted at excavation sites between 1891 and 1918. Highlighted materials include C.B. Moore’s excavation work on Tick Island, documented in the book “The East Florida Expeditions of Clarence Bloomfield Moore,” a compilation of his archaeological publications published by the University of Alabama Press. This book is just one of nine in the Clarence Bloomfield Moore Expedition series, along with sixty-eight other books related to Moore’s life in UF’s library catalog.
Series 5. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Family and Associates Correspondence
This series contains correspondence between C.B. Moore and family and associates. Highlighted materials include correspondence between C.B. Moore and his niece and nephew, as well as correspondence between C.B. Moore and Frederic Ward Putnam, a curator of the Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard and later a curator at the American Museum of Natural History.
Series 6. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Family History Friends and Associates
This series contains biographical material, correspondence, newspaper clippings, publications, and research materials about C.B. Moore’s family members, friends, and associates. Notable materials include correspondence between Aten and Moore’s descendants, an interview with Celia J. Clime, the wife of Arthur Clime, a photographer who worked with C.B. Moore for 5 years documenting the excavation sites, an index of C.B. Moore’s associates and friends, and research material on Josiah Raybon, the Captain of the Gopher.
Series 7. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Peer Reviews and Publications
This series contains published writings written by Moore or written about Moore and his work in archaeology. Notable material includes an article written by W.H. Holmes with notations by C.B. Moore.
Series 8. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Newspaper Clippings
This series contains copies of newspaper clippings about C.B. Moore and his family, written over the course of their lives.
Series 9. Photographs
This series contains photographs of C.B. Moore and family and associates. Also included are images of the excavation sites, as well as pictures taken by Larry Aten of C.B. Moore’s residences in Philadelphia and Florida.
Dates
- Creation: 1800 - 2017
Creator
- Aten, Lawrence Edward, 1939-2019. (Person)
- Aten, Carol. (Person)
Access
The collection is open for research.
Biographical/Historical Note
Lawrence "Larry" Edward Aten (1939-2019), the creator of this research collection, was an archaeologist and a leader in the National Park Service (NPS) archaeology and historic preservation programs. He was born in Jamesburg, New Jersey, and spent his childhood there. He eventually moved to Deland, Florida with his family when he was 12. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Houston, earning a Bachelor of Science in Geology, and later obtained a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. Aten was instrumental in establishing foundations for public policies and professional practices that support the National Park Service's administration of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). He worked with the NPS for 22 years before retiring in 1994. During retirement, he devoted his leisure time to researching the career of archaeologist Clarence Bloomfield Moore (1852-1936) with the intention of writing a biography of his life and contributions to the field. Aten conducted an exhaustive effort through correspondence and visits to many museums and library institutions with CBM holdings, corresponded with professionals in archaeology and with those familiar with Moore's work, and reached out to Moore's family descendants and acquaintances.
Carol Aten assisted Larry in collecting materials for research on Clarence B. Moore. She also worked for the NPS for many years before retiring. She was an executive vice president for the National Parks and Conservation Association of Washington and has advocated for funding of public lands.
Clarence Bloomfield Moore was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on January 14, 1852. His family owned the Jessup & Moore Paper Company in Wilmington,Delaware. Moore's mother, Clara Jessup Moore (1824-1899), was a philanthropist and writer. His father, the founder of the Jessup & Moore Paper Company, was businessperson Bloomfield Haines Moore (1819-1878). Moore was the second child and only son in the family; his oldest and younger sisters were Ella Carlton Moore (1843-1892) and Lillian Augusta Stuart Moore (1853-1911).
Moore attended Harvard University, graduating in 1873 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Following his graduation from Harvard, Moore spent the next five years traveling to Asia, Central and South America, and Europe. He returned to Philadelphia after his father died in 1878 and subsequently became president of the family's paper company. After ten years of managing the company and accumulating a massive fortune, Moore turned the company over to others to pursue his interests in travel, photography, and archaeology.
From 1891 to 1895, Moore began excavations of native shell mounds along the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers, setting up a base in Palatka, Florida. He used Ocklawaha River steamers, "Osceola" and "Alligator", to investigate shell middens along the rivers and to facilitate excavations. The vessels, notably "The Gopher of Philadelphia," commissioned in 1895, played a significant role in navigating coastal waters and rivers. For more than 20 years, Moore traveled to the coastal regions and rivers of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and South Carolina, conducting surveys and excavations along rivers and tributaries and documenting Native American mounds throughout the southeastern United States. His last major excavation project took place on the coast of Florida at the Apalachicola and Flint rivers in 1918. Moore was older and likely suffering from limited vision due to an injury to his left eye sustained while playing tennis sometime between the 1880s and 1890s.
During his investigation of archaeological sites, Moore documented his work through drawings, field notes, photographs, and published articles, several of which appeared in the "American Naturalist" and the "Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia." His most notable publications in relation to Florida included "A Burial Mound of Florida" and "Certain Aboriginal Mounds of the Florida Central West Coast." These can be found, along with other articles and documentation compiled, edited, and arranged by region, in nine folio books published by the University of Alabama Press.
Clarence Bloomfield Moore died March 24, 1936, in St. Petersburg, Florida. His family laid him to rest at Woodland Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Some modern-day archaeologists criticize Moore’s work, citing his excavation methods and questionable record-keeping. Moore did not study archaeology but had great enthusiasm for the field, along with substantial financial backing and sponsorships. Though an amateur, he was able to chronicle and preserve data on various artifacts and mound sites, contributing to the body of knowledge about prehistoric indigenous cultures in the southeast that might otherwise have been destroyed by agricultural expansion, urban development, and/or a lack of legal protections.
Source:
Lawrence E. (Larry) Aten – The Coalition To Protect America’s National Parks. (2017, December 4). Protectnps.org. https://protectnps.org/centennial-biographies-2/lawrence-e-larry-aten/
Legacy. (2019, June 16). LAWRENCE ATEN Obituary (2019) - Washington, DC - The Washington Post. Legacy.com; Legacy. https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/lawrence-aten-obituary?id=1825585
Moore, Clarence Bloomfield. (2019, March 19). Encyclopedia of Arkansas; Central Arkansas Library System. https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/clarence-bloomfield-moore-574/
Pearson, C. (2021). Clarence Bloomfield Moore’s Archaeological Expedition on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, 1896-1897. https://ossabawisland.org/wp-content/uploads/C.B.-Moore-archaeology-1.pdf
Videos | Search | C-SPAN.org. (1998, April 14). C-Span.org. https://www.c-span.org/search/ searchtype=Videos&sort=Newest&personid%5b%5d=54658
Wikipedia Contributors. (2025, October 7). Clarence Bloomfield Moore. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Bloomfield_Moore
Extent
6 Linear Feet (6 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
A collection of research materials compiled by Larry Aten and his wife Carol Aten about the life and profession of amateur archaeologist Clarence B. Moore. This collection highlights various aspects of early 19th and 20th century archaeology, the history of Moore’s family, his personal and professional relationships, and archaeological excavation fieldwork conducted by Moore.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 9 series: Series 1. Aten Book Drafts, Series 2. Aten Correspondence, Series 3. Aten Research Notes, Series 4. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Archeological Fieldwork, Series 5. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Family and Associates Correspondence. Series 6. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Family History Friends and Associates, Series 7. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Peer Reviews and Publications, Series 8. Clarence Bloomfield Moore Newspaper Clippings, and Series 9. Photographs. Folders are arranged both alphabetically and chronologically.
Location
Please note that this collection is housed in the Auxiliary Library Facility off campus and will require advance notice for timely retrieval. Please contact the Special and Area Studies Collections department prior to your visit.
Acquisition Information
The collection was donated to the University of Florida archives by Mrs. Carol Aten in 2025.
Subject
- Title
- A Guide to the Larry and Carol Aten Research Papers on Clarence Bloomfield Moore
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid created by Andrea Phillips
- Date
- December 2025
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Prepared Using Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Description is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida Repository
George A. Smathers Libraries
PO Box 117005
Gainesville Florida 32611-7005 United States of America
352-273-2755
special@uflib.ufl.edu