George Fraser Black

George Fraser Black (1866 – September 7, 1948) was a Scottish-born American librarian, historian and linguist. He worked at the New York Public Library for more than three decades, and he was the author of several books about Scottish culture and anthroponymy, gypsies and witchcraft.

George Fraser Black
Born1866 (1866)
Scotland
DiedSeptember 7, 1948(1948-09-07) (aged 81–82)
Lyndhurst, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationLibrarian, historian, linguist
EmployerNew York Public Library

Early life

George Fraser Black was born in 1866 in Scotland.[1][2] He earned a PhD before emigrating to the United States.[2]

Career

Black became a librarian, historian and linguist. He worked at the New York Public Library from 1896 to 1931.[3][4] He authored several books about Scotland, especially its folklore, witchcraft and surnames, as well as gypsies.[2] In Scotland's Mark on America, Black writes about the contributions made by Americans of Scottish descent, including many presidents.[5]

Black collected books about witchcraft, some of which were later acquired by Fairleigh Dickinson University, followed by Drew University.[6] Among them is a copy of Malleus Maleficarum, co-authored by Heinrich Kramer and Jacob Sprenger.[6]

Death

Black died on September 7, 1948 in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, where he resided.[3][4]

Selected works
  • Black, George Fraser (1894). Scottish Charms and Amulets. Edinburgh, Scotland: Neill and Co. OCLC 3149242.
  • Black, George Fraser (1903). Thomas, Northcote W. (ed.). Examples of Printed Folk-lore Concerning the Orkney & Shetland Islands. London, U.K.: The Folklore Society. OCLC 4894963.
  • Black, George Fraser (1914). A Gypsy Bibliography. London, U.K.: Bernard Quaritch. OCLC 1026364.
  • Sinclair, Albert Thomas (1915). Black, George Fraser (ed.). An American-Romani Vocabulary. New York City: New York Public Library. OCLC 670364327.
  • Black, George Fraser (1916). A List of Works Relating to Scotland. New York City: New York Public Library. OCLC 681892745.
  • Black, George Fraser (1916). Romani and Dard. New York City: New York Public Library. OCLC 4582505.
  • Black, George Fraser (1921). Scotland's Mark on America. New York City: The Scottish section of "America's Making". OCLC 671920925.
  • Black, George Fraser (1926). Macpherson's Ossian and the Ossianic Controversy: A Contribution Towards a Bibliography. New York City: New York Public Library. OCLC 4582473.
  • Black, George Fraser (1938). A Calendar of Cases of Witchcraft in Scotland, 1510-1727. New York City: New York Public Library. OCLC 2232591.
  • Black, George Fraser (1946). The Surnames of Scotland: Their Origin, Meaning, and History. New York City: New York Public Library. ISBN 9780871041722. OCLC 1303608.

References
  1. "Online Books by George Fraser Black (Black, George Fraser, 1866-1948)". Online Books Page. University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  2. "Librarian". The Kingston Daily Freeman. Kingston, New York. September 28, 1948. p. 3. Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Deaths in Jersey: Lyndhurst". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, New Jersey. September 8, 1948. p. 30. Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Dr. George F. Black. Librarian, historian". The Daily News. New York City. September 8, 1948. p. 68. Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Book Points To Great Americans Who Were Scotch. George Fraser Black Tells of Part That Country Has Played in Our Development". The St. Louis Star and Times. St. Louis, Missouri. February 12, 1922. p. 23. Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Bruno, Laura (October 30, 2002). "A wicked display: Drew exhibit demystifies witch lore". The Daily Record. Morristown, New Jersey. pp. 1, 8. Retrieved September 17, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.


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