The Millionaire and the Mummies: Theodore Davis's Gilded Age in the Valley of the Kings

314 Pages·2013·2.49 MB·English

by  John M. Adams

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For Nancy
Acknowledgments

The life of Theodore Davis is the story of two distinct and widely separated
histories: that of Gilded Age robber barons and of Egyptology. To piece together
the tale, I have been extremely fortunate to draw upon the work, assistance, and
friendship of scholars in both fields, without whose help the book would have
been impossible to produce.
Gratitude beyond measure is due to Aidan Dodson, who plowed through the
early drafts and kept me from making a number of embarrassing errors regarding
Egyptian archaeology. Dennis Forbes, editor of Kmt: A Modern Journal of
Ancient Egypt, was of constant and unflagging assistance in clarifying historical
fine points, introducing me to other experts, and producing illustrations. Arwen
Bicknell spent endless hours refining my work and transforming a monstrous
prose outline into a readable text. My agent, Jessica Papin, was wonderfully
patient and gentle in revealing to me the realities of the publishing business. My
editor at St. Martin’s Press, Daniela Rapp, has been of inestimable help in
transforming the manuscript into a successful narrative. Frances Sayers edited
the final version to perfection.
Since no collection of Davis’s papers has survived, I am deeply indebted to
the libraries, archives, and private collections I have been able to draw upon.
Special thanks are due to Susan Allen, Marsha Hill, and Dorothea Arnold at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art for access to Emma Andrews’s journal; to CEO
Christopher Lee of the Columbus Chapel and Boal Mansion Museum in
Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, for permission to consult the Boal family archives; to
Lady Eileen Baker Strathnaver, Alice Newberry Hall, and Mary Newberry
Matthews for offering the letters of Ellen Mary Newberry; and to the Keweenaw
Land Association for their unpublished company history.
The staffs at the many institutions I have used have been unfailingly helpful.
An incomplete list must include: James P. Quigel Jr., at the Historical
Collections and Labor Archives at the Pennsylvania State University; the Ohio
Historical Society; the New York State Historical Association; the public
libraries in Bridgewater, New York, Worthington, Ohio, Iowa City, Iowa, and
Pepperell, Massachusetts; the Special Collections Unit at the University of
Rhode Island Library; the Redwood Library in Newport, Rhode Island; the
Newport Historical Society; the Burke Library of Union Theological Seminary
at Columbia University; the State Historical Society of Iowa; the University of
Illinois at Champaign-Urbana; and especially the interlibrary loan department at
the Orange County Public Library in California. For illustrations, thanks are due
to the New-York Historical Society, the Semitic Museum at Harvard University,
the City of Birmingham Library and Archives (UK), the Metropolitan Museum,
and the Boal Mansion Museum.
Personal assistance at various vexing moments in the project has been
graciously given by Dan Gordon, who blazed the trail; Nancy Pritchard,
historian for Westmoreland, New York; Dennis O’Connor, for background on
Joseph Lindon Smith; John Larson, archivist at the University of Chicago’s
Oriental Institute; Rush Clark and Rosemary Clark for information on their
family; and Janice Kamrin, Geoffrey Martin, John Romer, Betsy Bryan, Don
Ryan, Otto Schaden, and Nicholas Reeves. Any remaining mistakes or
inaccuracies are wholly my own.
Personal thanks are due to Darrell Baker and David Moyer for books and
encouragement; to Debb and Leon Green for Iowa City hospitality; to Tom and
Joyce Coultas for the use of their barn; to Mike Hurrelbrink for IT support; and
to Aby, Crombie, Desh, and Kem for company.
Finally and forever, my endless gratitude and love to Nancy Ileen, the light of
my life, solver of all problems, and repairer of all things broken. She shared her
home with Theodore Davis for more than half a decade, and I fear on occasion
he was a somewhat inconvenient guest.
A Note on Names
Since the written ancient Egyptian language did not include vowels, translation
of names into English has always been varied and a bit arbitrary. As a result
Thuyu, Tuya, Tjuya, Tjuiu, Thuaa, and Touiou are all the same person. I have
chosen to use the generally accepted current transliterations, per Baker’s
Encyclopedia of the Egyptian Pharaohs, observing the dominant conventions
such as “Thutmose” (the U.S. name for the kings) instead of “Tuthmosis” (the
usual British choice). In quoted passages I preserve the original authors’
spellings to provide a sense of their times, and believe most are similar enough
to avoid confusion.
Contents

Photograph of Theodore Davis
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
A Note on Names
Tombs in the Valley of the Kings Discovered or Cleared by Theodore M. Davis
One: Thuyu’s Golden Coffin
Two: Rekhmire’s Bronze Bowl
Three: Hatshepsut’s Quartzite Sarcophagus
Four: Kiya’s Alabaster Jar
Five: Tawosret’s Golden Earrings
Six: Yuya’s Vanished Shabtis
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the Author