Elizabeth Carrington Morris (July 7, 1795 – February 12, 1865)[1] was an American botanist[2][3] who studied the flora of Philadelphia. With her sister, Margaretta Morris, she has been credited by historian Catherine McNeur as helping to transform American science in the 19th century.[4][5]
Elizabeth Carrington Morris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 July 1795 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | 12 February 1865 (aged 69) Germantown, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Burial place | Saint Luke's Episcopal Churchyard, Germantown |
| Occupation | Botanist |
| Relatives | Margaretta Morris (sister) |
Life
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Elizabeth Carrington Morris was born in Philadelphia on July 7, 1795, the daughter of Ann Willing Morris (1767–1853) and Luke Morris (1760–1802) of Germantown.[6] Elizabeth and her sister, Margaretta, used the back garden of the family home in Germantown to observe and study insects and plants.[6] This was described by Samuel Hotchkin in Ancient and Modern Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill (1889):
The garden, so protected by its trees and shrubbery as to retain the attractions of its original seclusion, was for many years the beautiful scene of the scientific researches of Miss Elizabeth Carrington Morris, who, retiring in disposition, was an accomplished botanist, and numbered among her many scientific correspondents Dr. William Huttall, Dr. William C. Darlington, of West Chester, and Dr. Asa Gray, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her collection of rare plants, cultivated and preserved, was celebrated among many, whose refined taste led them to pursue with her this course of study. Her garden was her Eden, and the greenhouses of Messrs. Thomas Meehan and Henry C. Waltemate, were her favorite resorts.[7]
The Morris sisters had a wide circle of correspondents, which included botanist Asa Gray[8] and social reformer Dorothea Dix.[5] Both Elizabeth and Margaretta contributed articles to scientific journals using pseudonyms, and though Margaretta later began to use her real initials, Elizabeth remained anonymous.[9] In the words of historian Catherine McNeur, she 'preferred anonymity to accolades'.[4] Nevertheless, she established a reputation for herself as an expert in the flora of Philadelphia: authoring articles, supplying plants to the country's leading botanists, and creating illustrations for scientific books and articles.[4]
Elizabeth Carrington Morris died at home in Germantown on February 12, 1865[7] and was buried at Saint Luke's Episcopal Churchyard.
References
edit- ^ The biographical dictionary of women in science : pioneering lives from ancient times to the mid-20th century. Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie, Joy Dorothy Harvey. New York: Routledge. 2000. ISBN 0-415-92038-8. OCLC 40776839.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ Jellett, Edwin C. (Edwin Costley) (1914). Germantown Gardens and Gardeners. McLean Library Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Philadelphia: Horace F. McCann.
- ^ Proffitt, Pamela (1999). Notable women scientists. Detroit: Gale Group. ISBN 978-0-7876-3900-6.
- ^ a b c "Sister Scientists". Catherine McNeur. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ a b "History Colloquium-Workshop Series". Portland State University. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ a b "Littell family papers | Manuscript and Archival Collection Finding Aids". library.udel.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ a b Hotchkin, Samuel Fitch (1889). Ancient and modern Germantown, Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill. Harvard University. Philadelphia, Pa., P. W. Ziegler & co.
- ^ "Gray, Asa, 1810-1888. Asa Gray papers, 1840-1859. - View Resource - Social Networks and Archival Context". snaccooperative.org. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
- ^ "Upcoming Events – WATCH PARTY – Recovering the History of Women in Science – Penn State Berks Chemical Society". sites.psu.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-30.