EVOLUTION OF A FLORA - EARLY CONNECTICUT VALLEY BOTANISTS

22 Pages·1994·12.7 MB·English

by  C J Burk

RHODORA,
Vol
No. 75-96, 1994
96, 885, pp.
EVOLUTION OF A EARLY
FLORA;
CONNECTICUT VALLEY
BOTANISTS
Burk
John
C.
ABSTRACT
The known botanical studies of the Connecticut Valley western Mas-
first in
sachusetts were initiated during the decade 18 10-19. Four area physicians, David
Hunt of Northampton (1773-1837), Jacob Porter of (1783-1846), Den-
Plainfield
nis Cooley of Deerficid (1789-1860), and Stephen West Williams of Deerfield
Amos
790-
1855), kept extensive personal herbaria and corresponded with Eaton
( 1
at Williams College and Benjamin Silliman at Yale. Porter, Cooley, and Williams
published phenological accounts of local vegetation and other scientific obser-
Beginning around Edward Hitchcock (1793-1864) commenced
vations. 1816,
botanical studies at Deerfield that culminated in the flora of the region,
first
published at Amherst in 1829. Hitchcock acknowledged Cooley and Williams as
"early coadjutors in this work," which served as a basis for Hitchcock's 1833
compilation of the Massachusetts
flora.
Key Words; botanical history, Connecticut Valley, Massachusetts, David Hunt,
Jacob Porter, Dennis Cooley, Stephen West Williams, Edward Hitch-
cock, Massachusetts
flora
INTRODUCTION
The early 19th Century in both Europe and North America
is
"remarkable for the simultaneous appearance of groups of highly
with such broad from
intelligent leaders interests politics to phi-
losophy and impact on outweighed
science that their the future
numbers"
Nonetheless, sources of
their (Billings, 1985). infor-
mation on the development of botany in the Connecticut Valley
in western Massachusetts throughout this period are scattered,
and
fragmentary, occasionally contradictory, often accessible only
from archival sources and special collections. The purpose of this
study assemble and synthesize information on botanical
to
is
known
from through
activities in the region the earliest studies
Edward
the completion of complete Hitchcock's
its first flora,
Growing Without
''Catalogue of Plants Cultivation in the Vicinity
Amherst which
of College" (Hitchcock, 1829), a served as a
list
major source for the compilation of the Massachusetts flora
first
(Hitchcock,
1833).
who
Hitchcock, by then a prominent geologist had served as
Amherst
president of College, observed in his reminiscences
75
Rhodora
76
96
[Vol.
Amos who
had Amherst
(Hitchcock, 1863) that Eaton, lectured in
and Northampton, Massachusetts 1816 and was "the
1817,
in
chief agent of introducing a taste for [natural history] into the
and
Connecticut Valley" that the time "Dr. Stephen Williams,
at
Dr. Dennis Cooley, and myself, of Deerfield, took hold of
all
mineralogy and botany with great zeal." Widely regarded as a
Eaton had 1817
charismatic teacher (Ballard, 1897), in just re-
A
Manual
cently published the edition of of Botany for the
first
work and
Northern This described
States (Eaton, 1817). classified
known mod-
genera occur north of Virginia according
to to a
all
version of the Linnean system and included brief descriptions
ified
common
of the more species with notes on their occurrence in
Wilhams
and
the vicinity of College elsewhere.
work had been
Despite Hitchcock's recollections, botanical in
some
progress in the Connecticut Valley for years prior to the
when much
time of Eaton's and Eaton published a ex-
lectures,
panded and enlarged second edition of his manual in 1818, he
was
able to include within catalogue localities for at least 91
its
Con-
species, indicated by the letter "N.," that occurred along the
River between Northampton and These were
necticut Deerfield.
D. Hunt, and Williams and Cooly of
attributed to ''Dr. Drs. (sic)
Deerfield" (Eaton, 1818).
The work which was done
of Eaton, largely outside the area,
Edward
and of Hitchcock have been
the geological contributions
some Foose and
studied in detail (Ballard, 897; Lancaster, 1981;
1
Knowlton, Smallwood, Jenny
1897; 1941). In addition, (1980,
herbarium
1987) has recently described the ''rediscovery" of the
of Stephen Williams and the "small but highly competent group
who
of botanists'' lived in Deerfield around 1816. However, the
various and botanical contributions of Hunt, Wil-
inter-related
liams, and Cooley, as well as those of Jacob Porter, whose plant
from were acknowledged both by Eaton
the area later (1822,
lists
and by Torrey and Gray known,
1824) (1838-40), are well
less
as Hitchcock's early work in botany. In this paper. Hunt, Porter,
is
Cooley, Williams, and Hitchcock are discussed chronologically
according to their dates of birth. This chronological order rough-
is
correlated with the increasing importance of their contributions
ly
to the development of botanical science in the region and with
amount on
the greater of information available the later individ-
uals.
Burk—
77
Early Botanists
1994]
HUNT
DAVID
Information
member
(1773
fam
Williams
Hunt was
Medical Biography (Williams, 1845). also described,
"a and min-
in a tribute written long after his death, as botanist
Union, Wil-
eralogist of considerable note" (Springfield 1904).
who knew Hunt Hunt maintained
liams, personally, reported that
Benjamin and academic
correspondence with Silliman other
a
belonged medical and and
scientists, to several scientific societies,
was and
possessed a "cabinet of minerals'' that ''rare large,
. . .
The
(WiUiams, Centennial
for a private individuaP' 1845).
Hampshire Gazette (1886) reprinted William's tribute, including
Hunt
of (Figure along with additional biographical
a portrait
1),
who
materials by Hunt's son Seth, recalled that his father pos-
sessed a 'iarge herbarium very neatly and scientifically ar-
. . .
own Hampshire
ranged and by hands" (Centennial
labelled, his
Both David Hunt and Ebenezer Hunt
Gazette, 1886). his father
among
were the sponsors of Eaton's 1817 course of lectures in
Northampton and signed a of commendation, included in
letter
the introduction of Eaton (1818), expressing their "entire satis-
faction" with Eaton's work there. Although Porter (1821) reported
"Doctor David Hunt
one of Hunt's observations, that
at least
. . .
Northampt
blossoms."
name. Williams
ioum
medical
a
case of lead poisoning, and concluded that "the productions of
pen were not numerous."
his
Hunt was married for nearly 42 years to Wealthy Dickinson,
a descendent of one of the settlers of Hadley, Massachusetts.
first
whom
The had of reached adulthood
couple thirteen children, ten
(Centennial Hampshire Gazette, Sept, 1886.) In the of his
first
6,
major Edward Hitchcock acknowledged
geological papers, his
Hunt and Benjamin
Silliman
"particular obligations" to to
and Hunt's nonprofessional almost
(Hitchcock, interests
1818),
more
were centered geology than botany.
surely in
The of Hunt's herbarium, present
location if it still exists, is at
Rhodora
78
96
[Vol.
David
Hunt,
Dr.
Figure Dr. David Hunt, reprinted from Williams
(1845) Centennial
1. in
Hampshire
Gazette (1886). Courtesy of Historic Northampton.
Burk—
79
Early Botanists
1994]
unknown. Although the Amherst College "cabinet" during Hunt's
herbarium
lifetime included the only institutional in the area.
among
Hitchcock does not mention Hunt's specimens the
(1863)
and have been
botanical materials in the collections not able to
I
Hunt Amherst
identify any specimens in the College materials
mass
incorporated in in the 1950's.
JACOB PORTER
bom
Massachu-
Jacob Porter (1783-1846) was in Abington,
He
attended Williams College, but in 1802 transferred to
setts.
Yale University, receiving an A.B. degree there in 1803 (Dexter,
Massachusetts
1885
He
he practiced medicine for the remainder of his assembled
life.
a collection of plants and minerals from the vicinity (Porter, 834)
1
"although
and, according to a local historian (Dyer, 1891), a
highly educated man, gave his attention mostly to literary pur-
being well versed botany and mineralogy." In addition
in
suits,
and and geology
to poetry, translations of religious tracts, a history
published two accounts of
of Porter
Plainfield (Porter, 1834),
among
phenomena These were
phenological (Porter, 1818, 1821).
number encouragement
of calendars" published with the
a "floral
amm
umes
American
Journal
memoir by Jacob Bigelow out
counts in response to a setting
research into "the comparative forwardness of the spring season
in different parts of the United States" (Bigelow, 1818).
Plainfield situated at an elevation of 684 feet on the western
is
1
edge of the Connecticut Valley watershed (U.S.G.S. topographic
and
map, Quadrangle, Franklin Co., Massachusetts),
Plainfield
"show
was intended that vegetation
Porter's calendar, to is
first
on which
considerably on the range of mountains, this place
later
The was
paper
situated, than in the level parts of our country."
is
by observations of
possibly also inspired the well-publicized
(Humboldt
Humboldt and Bonpland chmate
relating altitude to
Though men-
author
andBonpland, neither
1805; Billings, 1985).
compared
data could be with similar
tioned the other, Porter's
Massachu-
more from
though extensive observations Deerfield,
in the Connecticut Valley to the east reported by Stephen
setts
The American
Williams the subsequent issue of Journal
8 in
9)
(1
1
example, found Hepatica (H.
of Science. Williams, for triloba
80 Rhodora
96
[Vol.
americana) and Erythronium americanum)
on
{E. in flower April
Massachusetts
Quadrangl
Massachusetts), while Porter reported these taxa blooming
first
May
more
and
season 1820 through 30 and
July includes the observations
on Sarracenia by David Hunt
with notes from North-
a trip to
ampton
Silliman
"objections to highly detailed calendars" com-
floral (editorial
ment
in Porter, 1821); nonetheless, the entries for 1819 alone
more
of
om
most
entry
May
kalmia, painted and
trillium water cress" bloom.
in Porter's
style
is occasionally "literary" ("the petals of the roundleaved
violet,
in particular, resemble specks of gold scattered around the path"
May
on
one and
6, 8 9 in instance), he sometimes suggests herbal
1 1
remedies, including a tincture of goldenrod root brandy
in as a
proven
cure
for spitting blood. In addition
to phenological
its
information, the value of the work of wide
lies in listing a
its
from
Wcstfield
town
the of Hawley, which
are botanically important.
still
knew
Porter and corresponded with academic
several
scientists
of who
the period; these include Hitchcock,
several
cites species
on
Porter's authority (Hitchcock, Eaton, who,
1829), in the third
Manual
"im-
provements
from mountain
"the
* *
range Hawley, and Cummington,
in Plainfield, Mass." and John
Torrey and Asa who him
Gray,
include of
in a contributors
list
Massachusetts and
(Torrey Gray, 1838-40)
member
Massachusetts
W
Mayhew,
of
Massachusetts
in 1813; his second wife, Sally Reed, outlived him many
for years
(Dexter, 1885-1912).
Burk—
1994] Early Botanists
81
DENNIS COOLEY
Two
short biographical sketches of Dennis Cooley 789-1
860)
(1
were
published in the decades following his death. The and
first
longer of these (Kenaston, 1863) consists of a two page account
of
Cooley's connection with of
life in a set resolutions accepting
M
Michigan
East Lansing). This account with
consistent genealogical data
is
The
Sheldon two
in (1895-96). second, a paragraph "sketch" by
some
Beal (1901) is inaccurate in details, including the year of
Cooley's
birth.
Dennis Cooley was born Bloody Brook
in the section of Deer-
Massachusetts 1789 The
field, in (Sheldon, 1895-96). Cooley
many
Will
of Will
Williams and son Stephen West Wilhams
his (Williams,
He
1849) received a degree from the Berkshire Medical
Insti-
1822 and "...
tution in (Beal, 1901), reportedly, his leisure hours,
during his whole course of study, were spent in pastures, woods
swamps
and
in pursuit of botanical specimens" (Kenaston,
1863).
These
botanical activities led to the 1818 contributions to Eaton
and
a "floral calendar" for Deerfield (Cooley, 820) which, though
1
brief, included a chart comparing seven phenological phenomena
over a five year interval, beginning 1815.
in
Correspondence (now Amherst
in the College Archives) be-
tween Hitchcock and Silliman and between Hitchcock and John
Torrey indicates that by the early 1820's, Cooley and Hitchcock
had
prepared manuscript
jointly a catalogue of the Deerfield
flora.
The
fate of the Cooley/Hitchcock manuscript considered
is later
in this paper. However, in a letter to John Torrey (Edward Hitch-
cock John Torrey, Nov. 1819 Edward
to 25, in President Hitch-
cock Papers, Box Folder Amherst College Archives) Hitch-
6, 12,
commented
cock that Cooley was not appreciated by the people
who
of Deerfield, that he neglected medical
felt his practice for
and moved
his botany; subsequently, Cooley Geor-
Monticello,
to
who
gia "to seek his fortune" according to Hitchcock, urged
Sil-
Hman
him
provide with
to introductions, possible, to southern
if
botanists (Edward Hitchcock Beniamin
to Silliman. Oct. 822.
7.
1 1
Rhodora
82 [Vol. 96
Edward Amherst
Box Folder President Hitchcock Papers,
6, 4,
College Archives).
In Georgia, Cooley practiced medicine for about three years, a
period "turned to a good account in his rapidly growing Herbar-
North
ium" (Kenaston, For reasons of health, he returned
1863).
Macomb
and Washington Township,
eventually relocated to
him
County, Michigan 1827, taking his plant collections with
in
then or at a later date. Cooley's Massachusetts specimens alone
according Hitchcock "nearly the plants
represented, to (1829), all
hitherto found in this district.'' In Michigan, Cooley began a study
Macomb
from
of the of County, sending of plants that
flora lists
area to Eaton as early as 1829 (Eaton, 1829, 1833, 1836; Eaton
He Anderson
and Wright, was married Elizabeth of
1840). to
whom
Deerfield in 1830; the couple had two children, both of
Anderson and
died in early childhood. Elizabeth died in 1834,
who
him
Cooley married A. Andrews, survived
1836, Clarissa
in
(Kenaston, 1863; Sheldon, 1895-96). Cooley apparently spent
Memorial
most of his later years in Michigan; the Libraries at
hand (Dennis Cooley
Deerfield possess a single letter in his to Eli
Pocumtuck
Cooley, June 1850, Cooley Family Papers, Valley
2,
which
Memorial Association Library, Deerfield, Massachusetts) in
he says that he had thought of visiting Deerfield, "but suppose
i
come
and
that folks are not enlitened there shall not this year/'
Cooley continued of medicine 1856 and served
the practice until
as postmaster of Washington township until 1859 (Beal, 1901).
Hitchcock Cooley "be-
In his reminiscences, (1863) reflected that
when
came an excellent botanist, and even at a recent date, he
died Michigan, has pursued the subject with zest." His her-
in
when was
barium presented to the Agricultural College estimated
contain more than 20,000 specimens and described as "es-
to
pecially rich in our indigenous flora" with "a large collection of
Many
Californian, and Australian species of the plants
tropical,
. . .
W.
were obtained by exchanges with Dr. Torrey, Sullivant, Dr.
S.
many
."
Dewey, John Carey, and other celebrated Botanists,
. .
herbarium contained
(Kenaston, 1863). Beal (1901) stated the
around 4000 specimens, and Jenny (1987) noted that the contra-
diction in these estimates had not been resolved. Possibly Beal
may
not have included the specimens obtained by exchange in
his estimate.
The herbarium Michigan University
Beal-Darlington State
at
now contains the Cooley collection, including material from Deer-
Burk—
Early Botanists 83
1994]
collected between 1817 and 1821 (Jenny, 1987; Martha Case,
field
pcrs. corresp.).
STEPHEN WEST WILLIAMS
Stephen West Williams (1790-1855) was and
also a physician
member He
prominent
a of a Deerfield family. attended Deerfield
Academy
and
then studied medicine as an apprentice to his father,
William Stoddard Williams, spending one winter as a student at
New
Columbia York
College (Huntington,
in 1881; Viets, 1936).
By was "enamoured"
1816, he with the of botany, inspired
field
by works
readings in the of Barton, Bartram, Bigelow, Cutler,
Eaton, Muhlenberg, Pursh, and others (Williams,
Elliott, 1849).
He
recorded botanical observations as early as 1811 (Williams,
and, along with Cooley and Hitchcock, began
1819); collecting
By
plants about 1816. 1817 he had compiled an herbarium
that
included around 500 pressed specimens
(Jenny, 1980, 1987).
This 1817 herbarium was when
privately held until recently
its
botanical was recognized by Roberta Poland and
interest iden-
its
by William Jenny The
tity established (Jenny, 1980, 1987). her-
now
barium Pocumtuck Memorial
preserved the Valley As-
at
is
sociation Library Deerfield, Massachusetts. contains
at
It
common
specimens of 360 ranging from garden
at least taxa,
flowers to local rarities such as Asplenium ruta-mumria. These
mounted, bound volume, and
are often several to a sheet, in a
vary from whole pressed plants to small portions of a single shoot
The
or even single flowers. specimens are identified by Latin and/
common
names
or either written directly on the sheet or on a
slip of paper attached to the specimen. Collection data, including
and
localities dates, are generally lacking.
Goodhue
In 1818, Williams married Jiarrict of Deerfield, the
Goodhue, army
daughter of Joseph an surgeon
(Viets, 1936).
About Williams prepared companion volume
this time, a to his
now owned
herbarium, handwritten manuscript by
a the Flynt
Library at Historic Deerfield (Jenny, 1987). contains indices to
It
common
and names
the scientific of the specimens in the her-
barium, an outline of the Linnean system, and a description of
each plant listed, medicinal properties and other characteris-
its
Cultural directions for garden plants such as hyacinth and
tics.
from
are given, as are materials various authors, including
lilac
Rhodora
84
96
[Vol.
r
Goodhue
from Bartram
a passage describing Sarracenia. Harriet
num-
drew and painted "from nature, and from other sources" a
which
ber of compilation,
original illustrations for this interesting
from contemporary
also includes illustrations clipped publica-
The Monthly
such
tions as Flora.
Also around 1818, Williams sent Benjamin Silliman a box of
specimens of minerals be and, responding,
to identified, in Sil-
liman encouraged both Hitchcock and Williams contribute
to to
The American Journal of Science (Benjamin Silliman Edward
to
March Edward
Hitchcock, 1818, President Hitchcock Papers,
1,
Wilhams
Box Amherst
Folder College Archives). In 1819,
6, 5,
phenomena
published his accounts of phenological for the years
more work
and
1811, 1812, 1818. This original (Williams, 1819)
seemingly has been confused by Viets (1936) with the manuscript
companion volume herbarium which
to the in the Flynt Library,
The
was prepared roughly the same period. contrast between
at
1811-12 and
Williams's observations in the period his obser-
and taxonomic
vations 1818 increasing
in striking reflects his
is
number
and In he reported a of phenological
skills interests. 8
1 1
1 ,
phenomena, upon
particularly observations time of the ger-
''the
and of around 60
mination, foliation, florification frutification"
common
names and
providing of
plant taxa, for these scientific
all
Of
names approximately the taxa over two thirds
for half. listed,
were in cultivation as either ornamentals or crop or garden plants,
while the remainder were natives such as bloodroot, Sanguinaria
canadensis, or non-native ruderals, such as the dandelion (as
Leontodon taraxacum). In 1812, he repeated observations on
many
of these and included information on an additional 14 taxa.
In 1818, however, in addition to continued observations on the
plants previously noted, he provided data on an additional 92
common
of these by Latin binomials, with
species, listing all
names The number new
for most. greater of the 92 entries are
from
native species taken a diversity of natural habitats, including
wetlands (for instance skunk cabbage, as Pothosfoctida) or upland
woods
(Epigaea repens, Trillium cernuum).
Although, his career centered on teaching medical jurispru-
dence, chiefly at the Berkshire Medical Institution with stints at
Willoughby University Ohio and the Dartmouth Medical School
in
Wilhams
botany
(Viets, 1936), retained a lively interest in for the
was acknowledged
remainder of He, along with Cooley,
his hfe.
my
by Hitchcock as ''among early coadjutors'' in the 1829 Cat-