Words frequently conjure up images, and this turns out to be the explanation
of how I came to take an interest in the Wellcome Library. Two or three years
ago, when surfing the Internet I came across the website
and followed up on it, not because of medical people in my family tree but because
I could "see" my mother applying Wellcome Toilet Lanoline to dry skin.
The familiar yellow tube was always in the bathroom cabinet.
A pleasant genealogical sideline is an abiding interest in visiting libraries
anywhere; browsing the website of the Wellcome Library convinced me I had come
across a fascinating place. This conclusion was reinforced by the fact that
the human genome was in the news and the Wellcome
Trust was a major participant; so, I made plans to see the library on my
next trip to London.
The Origins of the Library
The work of the Wellcome Trust, including the Wellcome Library, is the legacy
of Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome. He was an American, born in Almond, Portage County,
Wisconsin, August 21, 1853; his parents were Solomon and Mary Wellcome and Henry
was their second child. When he was about eight years old the family moved to
Garden City in Minnesota. Henry's uncle was already in the area. Jacob Wellcome,
a physician, and his good friend William Mayo (father of the Mayo brothers who
established the Mayo Clinic), were to be key influences on young Henry.
Henry studied pharmacy and, in due course, went to work for a major American
pharmaceutical company in New York. He met Silas M. Burroughs and was, after
initial caution, convinced of the advantages of going into partnership and relocating
to England where Burroughs was building a pharmaceutical business. In September
1880 the firm of Burroughs Wellcome was established.
It was the success of the business that gave Wellcome the means to support
research, build vast collections, and leave a legacy for the future when he
died in 1936. How he achieved this, together with the ups and downs of his business
partnership and his personal life, are told in the book Henry Wellcome by Robert
R. James (Hodder and Stoughton, 1994).
The Resources
The Wellcome Library offers a great many resources of interest to family historians.
Several aspects of genealogical research might bring you here: an ancestor who
was a physician, surgeon, pharmacist, apothecary, nurse, veterinarian, etc.;
or curiosity about the treatment of the sick or about military casualties; interest
in disease, sanitation, nutrition, mortality, or genetics.
The roots of the collection were medical but the interpretation for the purposes
of gathering books, manuscripts, images, and artifacts was infinitely wider.
It is therefore no surprise that much of interest to family and local historians
has ended up in the Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine.
I recommend two ways to search for relevant books and manuscripts. First, read
the resource guide for family history; it can be found by selecting "Electronic
Resources" at the library home page and then choosing this particular guide
from the list. Second, use the search tools for one or more of the following:
Catalogue, Images, Manuscripts and Archives. These links can also be found on
the library home page.
In my visits to the Wellcome library I have used the lists of medical people—there
are, for example, directories of doctors from 1846, obituaries, compilations
of early doctors in London, registers of nurses and of army and navy medical
officers. Many records of individual practitioners are here, as well as records
from a variety of institutions like hospitals and almshouses. The general collection
contains some 600,000 volumes and over 70,000 are on open shelves; the collection
has helped me when researching population history, poor relief, and diet (trying
to do more than simply imagine what my ancestors ate).
Going There
The Wellcome Library is located at 183 Euston Road, sort of kitty-corner to
the St. Pancras railway station, and about four blocks from the new home of
the British Library. There is no charge to use the Wellcome Library, but it
is necessary to apply for a reader's ticket. This can be done at your first
visit. I like the atmosphere, quiet and comfortable.
A news item at the website explains that major renovations will be happening
from 2004 through 2006. During that time the library will relocate across the
road to a building known as Bentley House. The Wellcome Library web site is
easy to navigate and gives an excellent overview of collections, computer resources
and services offered on site. I recommend you visit it, and if you are going
to London in the near future, add the Wellcome Library to your list of places
to visit.
Sherry Irvine, CGRS, FSA (Scot) is an author, teacher, and lecturer specializing
in English and Scottish family history. She is the author of Your English Ancestry
(2nd ed, 1998) and Your Scottish Ancestry (1997) and she is a regular contributor
to several journals including Genealogical Computing. Since 1996, she has
been a study tour leader, course coordinator, and instructor for the Institute
of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford University. She teaches online
for the family history program of Vermont College and has lectured at conferences
in Canada, the United States, and Australia. She is the president of the Association
of Professional Genealogists.
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