Elon Howard Eaton (sometimes Elon Eton; 8 October 1866 – 27 March 1934) was an American ornithologist, scholar, and author. He was born in the Town of Collins near

Springville, New York Springville is a village in the southeastern section of the town of Concord in Erie County, New York, United States. Springville is the principal community in the town and a major business location in southern Erie County. The population was 4,2 ...

, the son of Luzerne Eaton and Sophie Newton. As a youth, he took a

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

course in Buffalo, New York, where he prepared wildlife he had taken in the field with his shotgun. Eaton was home-schooled and self-taught in rural southern Erie County, although he also attended the Griffith Institute in nearby Springville. He attended the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private university, private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants Undergraduate education, undergraduate and graduate degrees, including Doctorate, do ...

where he graduated in 1890 with a B.A. Subsequently, Eaton received an M.A (1893), M.Sc. (1910) and Sc.D. (1927), all from Rochester. After teaching science in local schools, he attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

(1899–1900) for additional graduate work, studying paleontology under

Henry Fairfield Osborn Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. (August 8, 1857 – November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist, geologist and eugenics advocate. He was the president of the American Museum of Natural History for 25 years and a cofounder of the American Euge ...

. Eaton established the biology department in Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1908, where he taught until his death. He was the New York State ornithologist from 1908 to 1911. Each May he led a group of students and fellow ornithologists on a bird survey of Potter Swamp. Part of the delay between volume one and volume two of "Birds of New York" was due to his marriage in 1909 to Gertrude Yeames and a heart attack in 1913. The publication of this work elicited many letters to Eaton, including one from the then-young Roger Tory Peterson. In 1915, Eaton later married second time, to Ester Woodman. His two marriages produced four children. Elon Eaton also enjoyed a sporting life. Game taken in the field Eaton prepared himself for dinner parties. Eaton died in

Geneva, New York Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake; all land portions of the city are within Ontario County; the water portions are in Seneca County. The population was 13, ...

atherosclerosis Atherosclerosis is a pattern of the disease arteriosclerosis in which the wall of the artery develops abnormalities, called lesions. These lesions may lead to narrowing due to the buildup of atheromatous plaque. At onset there are usually no s ...

Publications

* ''Birds of Western New York'', 1901 * ''Birds of New York'', (v. I: Water Birds, 1910, v. II: Land Birds, 1914), New York State Museum Memoir 12 * ''Biological Survey of the Finger Lakes''

References

*Rising, Gerry, "A tribute to a gifted ornithologist from Springville," Buffalo News (21 September 2008) * "Eaton was a vintner, a chef and an excellent shot," Buffalo News (5 October 1908) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eaton, Elon Howard American naturalists American ornithologists Hobart and William Smith Colleges faculty Columbia University alumni People from Collins, New York People from Geneva, New York 1866 births 1934 deaths Scientists from New York (state)