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Record

CodePX1827
Dates1920-2000
Person NameSmit; Franciscus Gerardus Albertus Maria (1920-2000); Entomologist
SurnameSmit
ForenamesFranciscus Gerardus Albertus Maria
EpithetEntomologist
ActivityMuseum Staff: Senior Scientific Officer. Smit finished secondary school education in Nijmegen. For health reasons and because of his interest in natural history, he attended a local horticultural college for two years. This was followed by working at a florist's as a volunteer for six months while another six months were spent at the office of an estate agent. In March 1940, through the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, he embarked upon a study of the life-circle and control measures of the subject of the apple-blossom weevil (Anthonomus pomorum L.). This was carried out at Geldermalsen, in a fruit-growing region north of the river Waal. During WW2 he managed to earn a few guilders by gardening and teaching the violin. In 1941 he worked at the office of a transport firm at Venlo but was given permission by his employer to spend one day a week attending entomology lectures at the Agricultural University of Wageningen. In 1942 he obtained a clerical position at the Goverment Coal Office in Nijmegen. During the war years Smit was able to study garden architecture and successfully passed examinations in 1944. After he left the Coal Office in 1946, Frans spent two weeks at Tring, where he became utterly fascinated by the Rothschild flea (siphonaptera) collection housed there. After returning home he failed to get started in garden architecture and instead spent the winter writing a popular book in Dutch on fleas and lice (Vlooien en Luizen).

In September 1947 Smit was appointed entomologist at the Phytopathological Institute at Wageningen. Another holiday was spent at Tring in February 1948. When, in the summer of that year, The Hon. Miriam Rothschild enquired whether he would be interested in coming over to work as a temporary assistant in the Flea Room at Tring, Frans gratefully accepted the opportunity. The Custodian of the Rothschild Collection of Siphonaptera, FJ Cox, retired in 1950, and Frans Smit was appointed as his successor, a position which he held until his retirement in 1980. During those years he published just over 200 books and articles and described more than 200 new forms of fleas. Smit was re-employed by the The Natural History/ Miriam Rothschild as a part-timer to continue work on volume VII of the Rothschild Flea Collection until 1983. After another two years of voluntary work to finish that Catalogue, Frans had to sever his links with flea studies in 1985.
In retirement he was fully occupied with research into Dutch-engraved glasses of the 17th and 18th centuries. Frans had embarked upon those studies as a spare-time interest in 1970 and had also taught himself to engrave glass. In 1980 he was elected a Fellow of the Guild of Glass Engravers. He became known as an authority on Dutch-engraved glass and issued over 50 papers and monographs relating to that subject.

See Austin, 2007, The Second Tring Collection pp.63-67
See also autobiography in Flea News.
RelationshipsMarried Tineke October 1949; four children
Catalogue
RefNoTitle
DF/ENT/340/20/6Satchell - Saunders
DF/ENT/340/19/1Rothschild, Dr Honorable Miriam Luisa (Miriam Lane) (I)
DF/ENT/340/2Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ba-Bl
DF/ENT/340/8/17Hsu - Humphreys
DF/ENT/340/17/1Pfitzer - Phillips
DF/ENT/340/12/10Klein, Dr J M
DF/ENT/340/5Smit, Franciscus: correspondence De-Em
DF/ENT/340/28/6Paper of Phytopathologie
DF/ENT/340/14/27Merdivenci - Meynier
DF/ENT/340/30/11Smit MSS, Literature references incl domestic animals
DF/ENT/340/2/2Barrera, Prof Dr José Maria de la (II)
DF/ENT/340/23/13Toumanoff, Prof C
DF/ENT/340/11/14Jameson, Dr E (Bill) W, Jr (III)
DF/ENT/340/4/10Cooper, J E
DF/ENT/340/1/16Balfour- Browne, John William Alexander Francis
DF/ENT/340/20/15Séguy, Prof E
DF/ENT/340/16/22Peus, Prof Dr Fritz (1904-1978) (V)
DF/ENT/340/26/5Winding - Witherby
DF/ENT/340/26/16British Museum (Clay, Theresa Rachel)
DF/ENT/340/31/12Flea collection (II)
DF/ENT/340/22/5Tamsitt, Dr J R
DF/ENT/340/23/6Tiflov, Dr E V
DF/ENT/340/13/19Lindberg, Dr K
DF/ENT/340/20/19Shaw - Shu
DF/ENT/340/4/20Darskaya, N F (Parasitological Laboratory, Stavropol-Caucasus, USSR) (II)
DF/ENT/340/26/13British Museum (Annual Reports)
DF/ENT/340/12/2Johnson, Dr Phyllis T (II)
DF/ENT/340/13/15Lewis, Prof Dr Robert E (Bob) (V)
DF/ENT/340/13/12Lewis, Prof Dr Robert E (Bob) (II)
DF/ENT/340/30/8Smit letters/ manuscript, pictures (II)
DF/ENT/340/9/5Holland, Dr George P (V)
DF/ENT/340/2/1Barrera, Prof Dr José Maria de la (I)
DF/ENT/340/11/18Jellison, Dr William Livingston (II)
DF/ENT/340/10/2Hubbard, Professor Dr Clarence Andresen (II)
DF/ENT/340/30/12Smit MSS, translation with BM & Traub
DF/ENT/340/30/9Smit letters/ MSS (III)
DF/ENT/340/26/11Zhovtyi, Prof I F
DF/ENT/340/25/20Watkins - Watts
DF/ENT/340/27/2British Museum (Doncaster, John Priestman I)
DF/ENT/340/25/3Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (XV)
DF/ENT/340/12/4Johnson, Dr Phyllis T (IV)
DF/ENT/340/24/11Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (XI)
DF/ENT/340/9/10Hopla, Prof Cluff E (II)
DF/ENT/340/20/27Smit, FGAM
DF/ENT/340/15/5Mofidi, Dr Chamseddine M H
DF/ENT/340/10/8Institut Pasteur du Maroc (Morocco)
DF/ENT/340/18/1Radford, Charles Denys
DF/ENT/340/7/4Grainger, W E
DF/ENT/340/17/8Pilgrim, Prof Robert L C (Bob) (III)
DF/ENT/340/10/6Hubbard, Prof Dr Clarence Andresen (VI)
DF/ENT/340/2/16Bierkens - Birdseye
DF/ENT/340/20/5Sakagati, Dr Kôhei
DF/ENT/340/10Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Hu-In
DF/ENT/340/23Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ten-Ty
DF/ENT/340/10/1Hubbard, Prof Dr Clarence Andresen (I)
DF/ENT/340/11Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ja-Jel
DF/ENT/340/28Smit, Franciscus: notices, copies & papers (I)
DF/ENT/311/304Smit, F G A: drawings of fleas for the illustrated catalogue of the Rothschild collection and other publications
DF/ENT/340/14Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ll-Me
DF/ENT/340/6Smit, Franciscus: correspondence En-Fu
DF/ENT/340/7Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ga-Has
DF/ENT/340/12Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Jo-Ku
DF/ENT/340/11/3Jacobs, Brigitte
DF/ENT/340/4/7Commonwealth Institute of Entomology
DF/ENT/340/19/10Rothschild, Dr Honorable Miriam Luisa (Miriam Lane) (X)
DF/PH/2/3/7Staff Photograph: Franciscus Gerardus Albertus Maria Smit, entomologist at Natural History Museum at Tring
DF/ENT/340/20/8Sawyer - Sazonova
DF/ENT/340/14/3Loveridge, Dr Arthur
DF/ENT/340/13Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Lac- Li
DF/ENT/340/17Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Pf-Qu
DF/ENT/340/18Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ra-Ro
DF/ENT/340/3Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Bo-Ch
DF/ENT/331/10Smit, Franciscus: Correspondence
DF/ENT/340/9/3Holland, George P (III)
DF/ENT/340/8/18Humphries, Dr David A
DF/ENT/340/1/19Balter - Barnes
DF/ENT/340/7/21Hamson - Hase
DF/ENT/340/20Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ru-Sn
DF/ENT/340/24/9Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (IX)
DF/ENT/340/22/14Tervuren Museum (Koninklijk Museum van Belgisch Congo, Musée Royal du Congo Belge) (III)
DF/ENT/340/4/5Clay - Cluff
DF/ENT/340/2/14Bernard - Besuchet
DF/ENT/340/1Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ab-Bay
DF/ENT/340/25/16Walder - Walker
DF/ENT/340/26/9Yarrow - Yemelyanova
DF/ENT/340/10/5Hubbard, Prof Dr Clarence Andresen (V)
DF/ENT/340/26/14British Museum B-Ca
DF/ENT/340/25/21Watt, J Charles
DF/ENT/340/10/4Hubbard, Prof Dr Clarence Andresen (IV)
DF/ENT/340/9/2Holland, George P (II)
DF/ENT/340/25/1Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (XIII)
DF/ENT/340/14/20Matheson, Colin
DF/ENT/340/16/1Nuorteva, Dr Pekka
DF/ENT/340/24/7Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (VII)
DF/ENT/340/27/8British Museum (Ro-Sa)
DF/ENT/340/16/12Parker, Dr R R
DF/ENT/340/31Smit, Franciscus: fleas collected elsewhere
DF/ENT/340/25/2Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (XIV)
DF/ENT/340/13/17Chen, Prof Li Kuei-
DF/ENT/340/7/17Haeselbarth, Dr Erasmus (II)
DF/ENT/340/9/9Hopla, Prof Cluff E (I)
DF/ENT/340/20/9Scalon, Dr Olga Ivanovna
DF/ENT/340/27/10British Museum (Sm-W)
DF/ENT/340/22/16Tervuren Museum (Koninklijk Museum van Belgisch Congo, Musée Royal du Congo Belge) (V)
DF/ENT/340/27/7British Museum (Riley, Norman Denbigh)
DF/ENT/340/27/11British Museum (different notices)
DF/ENT/340/28/7Adverts & Reviews
DF/ENT/340/23/8Tipton, Prof (Colonel) Vernon J (I)
DF/ENT/340/22/15Tervuren Museum (Koninklijk Museum van Belgisch Congo, Musée Royal du Congo Belge) (IV)
DF/ENT/300/110Correspondence: Shredded - Smit
DF/ENT/340/8/1Hastriter, Michael W
DF/ENT/340/15Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Mi-No
DF/ENT/340/18/2Radovsky, Prof Dr Frank J
DF/ENT/340/9Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Hol-Hop
DF/ENT/340/26Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Wi-Z; BM A-C
DF/ENT/340/4Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Ci-Da
DF/ENT/340/21Smit, Franciscus: correspondence So-Sy
DF/ENT/340/25Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Traub, Uc-Wh
DF/ENT/340/19Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Rot-Rü
DF/ENT/340/8Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Has-Ho
DF/ENT/340/30Smit, Franciscus: general notices - fleas collected elsewhere
DF/ENT/340/29Smit, Franciscus: notices, copies & papers (II)
DF/ENT/340/27Smit, Franciscus: correspondence (BM C-W; Press & Editors- Press & Editors Cambridge)
DF/ENT/340/9/8Hopkins, George Henry Evans (III)
DF/ENT/340/5/15Elbel, Dr Robert E
DF/ENT/340/5/17Emerson, K C
DF/ENT/340/1/12Allan, Ronald M (II)
DF/ENT/340/1/20Barrera, Prof Dr Alfredo
DF/ENT/340/2/11Bequaert, Prof Joseph (Department of Tropical Medicine, Harvard University Medical School)
DF/ENT/340/3/4Brinck, Prof Dr Per Gunvor Lindroth- (I)
DF/ENT/340/12/5Kadarsan - Kaschef
DF/ENT/340/6/18Fuller, Dr Henry Shepard
DF/ENT/340/14/19Martin - Mason
DF/ENT/340/12/8Kiefer - Kissileff
DF/ENT/340/11/12Jameson, Dr E (Bill) W, Jr (I)
DF/ENT/340/15/15Meillon, Dr Botha de (III)
DF/ENT/340/15/3Mikhailov - Milner
DF/ENT/340/25/23Weidner, Prof. Dr. H.
DF/ENT/340/16/10Osgood - Oxford
DF/ENT/340/24/5Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (V)
DF/ENT/340/19/11Rothschild, Dr Honorable Miriam Luisa (Miriam Lane) (XI)
DF/ENT/340/27/6British Museum (G-P)
DF/ENT/340/25/18Wallis - Wasserburger
DF/ENT/340/26/1Wickham - Wilkinson
DF/ENT/340/26/8Wright - Wytsman
DF/ENT/340/26/12Zimmerman - Zwilling
DF/ENT/331/10/1Smit, Franciscus: correspondence on the Catalogue of Rothschild Collection of Fleas (Siphonaptera)
DF/ENT/340/24Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Traub
DF/ENT/340/16/3Oakley - Olsson
DF/ENT/340/29/3College Entomology (Entomology notes Wageningen)
DF/ENT/340/15/2Mikulin, Dr M A
DF/ENT/340/22Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Sz-Ter
DF/ENT/340/18/12Rombach, Froube
DF/ENT/340/12/3Johnson, Dr Phyllis T (III)
DF/ENT/340/3/6Brinck, Prof Dr Per Gunvor Lindroth- (III)
DF/ENT/340/29/5Morphology & Anatomy of Insects
DF/ENT/340/20/3Ryckmann - Rysavy
DF/ENT/340/4/15Cullen - Cyprich
DF/ENT/340/14/5Lukoschus, Dr F S
DF/ENT/340/27/12Press and Editors
DF/ENT/340/17/15Quackenbush - Quivira
DF/ENT/340/23/11Titschak, Prof Dr Erich
DF/ENT/340/18/18Rostigayev, Dr B A
DF/ENT/340/1/23Bayley - Bayreuther
DF/ENT/340/31/6Flea collection elsewhere (VI)
DF/ENT/340/25/25Whang - White
DF/ENT/311/282Smit, F G A M: An illustrated catalogue of the Rothschild collection of fleas (Siphonaptera)
DF/ENT/340/9/4Holland, Dr George P (IV)
DF/ENT/340/23/5Thompson - Tiflov
DF/ENT/340/17/13Prince, Dr Frank M
DF/ENT/340/15/14Meillon, Dr Botha de (II)
DF/ENT/340/26/3Wilson
DF/ENT/340/21/4Spectrum - Sprague
DF/ENT/340/2/8Beier, Prof Dr Max (Zoological Department, Natural History Museum, Vienna)
DF/ENT/340/30/4Annotated maps, collecting localities (III)
DF/ENT/340/22/13Tervuren Museum (Koninklijk Museum van Belgisch Congo, Musée Royal du Congo Belge) (II)
DF/ENT/340/16Smit, Franciscus: correspondence Nu-Pe
DF/ENT/340/4/8Conci, Prof C
DF/ENT/340/26/7World Health Organisation (Switzerland)
DF/ENT/340/1/11Allan, Ronald M (I)
DF/ENT/340/27/3British Museum (Doncaster, John Priestman II)
DF/ENT/340/15/11Mucino - Murzakhmetova
DF/ENT/340/22/12Tervuren Museum (Koninklijk Museum van Belgisch Congo, Musée Royal du Congo Belge) (I)
DF/ENT/340/3/14Buxton, Prof Patrick Alfred
DF/ENT/340/18/13Romer, J D
DF/ENT/340/26/15British Museum (China, Dr William Edward)
DF/ENT/340/6/1Royal Entomological Society of London
DF/ENT/340/21/7Stark, Dr Harold E (I)
DF/ENT/340/8/8Hincks - Hither Green
DF/ENT/340/27/5British Museum (Freeman, Dr Paul)
DF/ENT/340/18/16Rosický, Prof Dr Bohumír (II)
DF/ENT/340/24/12Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (XII)
DF/ENT/340/7/16Haeselbarth, Dr Erasmus (I)
DF/ENT/340/26/6Wodzicki - Wooster
DF/ENT/340/24/10Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (X)
DF/ENT/340/30/10Smit letters/ MSS (IV)
DF/ENT/340/18/8Ribeiro, Dr H
DF/ENT/340/25/5Valenti - Vasquez
DF/ENT/340/7/13Haas, Dr Glenn E (I)
DF/ENT/307/84Smit, Franciscus G A M
DF/ENT/307/85Smit, Franciscus G A M
DF/ENT/340/10/3Hubbard, Prof Dr Clarence Andresen (III)
DF/ENT/340/5/9Eads, Dr Richard B
DF/ENT/340/1/8Atkinson - Augustson
DF/ENT/340/1/13Baars - Baker
DF/ENT/340/16/21Peus, Prof Dr Fritz (1904-1978) (IV)
DF/ENT/340/16/23Peus, Prof Dr Fritz (1904-1978) (VI)
DF/ENT/340Custodian of the Rothschild Collection of Siphonaptera, Correspondence and Papers
DF/ENT/340/31/4Flea collection elsewhere (IV)
DF/ENT/311/281Smit, F G A M: An illustrated catalogue of the Rothschild collection of fleas (Siphonaptera)
DF/ENT/340/1/5Allison, Frederick Richard
DF/ENT/340/24/3Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (III)
DF/ENT/340/24/6Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (VI)
DF/ENT/340/21/21Svihla, Dr Ruth Dowdell & Arthur
DF/ENT/340/32Smit, Franciscus: Directory of specialists in Siphonaptera with list of papers published, wanted species and wanted publications
DF/ENT/340/25/7Vickers - Violovich
DF/ENT/340/30/7Smit letters/ MSS (I)
DF/ENT/340/4/22Davies, David H S (I)
DF/ENT/340/21/8Stark, Dr Harold E (II)
DF/ENT/340/27/9British Museum (Smith, Arthur)
DF/ENT/340/1/2Aellen, Dr Villy
DF/ENT/340/1/3Aeschlimann - Akademii
DF/ENT/340/1/7Arata - Assuricao
DF/ENT/340/2/13Berlinguer, Prof Giovanni (Istituto di Parassitologia, Università di Roma, Italy)
DF/ENT/340/2/5Beaumont - Beer
DF/ENT/340/2/17Bishop - Blickle
DF/ENT/340/3/1Board - Borough
DF/ENT/340/3/3Box - Brimley
DF/ENT/340/3/7British - Britt
DF/ENT/340/4/6Cockerell - Collins
DF/ENT/340/5/1Department - Devignat
DF/ENT/340/5/12Eichler, Prof Dr Wolfdietrich
DF/ENT/340/6/16Fox, Prof Irving
DF/ENT/340/12/1Johnson, Dr Phyllis T (I)
DF/ENT/340/13/5Larson - Layne
DF/ENT/340/13/21Chi-ying, Prof Emeritus Liu
DF/ENT/340/14/22McArthur - McRobert
DF/ENT/340/16/11Pacific - Parcs
DF/ENT/340/16/17Pazos - Petrides
DF/ENT/340/18/10Robert - Rolston
DF/ENT/340/22/6Tandan - Tauber
DF/ENT/340/24/8Traub, Dr Colonel S Robert (VIII)
DF/ENT/340/25/24Weir - Wettstein
DF/ENT/340/30/6Smit letters, flea news correspondence
DF/ZOO/232/12/2/14Hayman, Robert William: Correspondence, 1947-1952, S
DF/ZOO/232/12/4/15Hayman, Robert William: Correspondence, 1956, T
DF/ZOO/232/12/5/20Hayman, Robert William: Correspondence, 1959, R-T
DF/ZOO/232/12/6/8Hayman, Robert William: Correspondence, 1960, S-T
DF/ZOO/232/12/8/10Hayman, Robert William: Correspondence, 1962, S
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