This collection contains the correspondence Mr. Greene carried on in connection with his acquisition of fossils and minerals, and includes letters exchanged with collectors such as W. C. Egan concerning the fossils of Cook County, Illinois; and with paleontologists such as Charles Wachsmuth, Robert P. Whitfield, and James Hall. Mr. Hall, in fact, made several trips to Milwaukee to help Mr. Greene identify specimens.
After the mineral and fossil collections, and this related manuscript material, were presented to Milwaukee-Downer College, Mr. Greene's manuscripts were organized to some extent by the college. The letters were grouped by correspondent, and correspondence for each was arranged in chronological order. This arrangement has been retained and completed, and the folders are filed in alphabetical order. A major portion of the A. G. Warner correspondence is also accompanied by typewritten copies.
In addition to correspondence, and some miscellaneous receipts and lists, there are four volumes that Mr. Greene evidently kept. These catalogue many of the fossils and minerals, and record the sources and costs. Finally, there are two photocopied documents including an application for the Thomas A. Greene Memorial Museum to the National Register of Historic Places with a biography of Greene and a description of the building of his collection.
