Humphry Marshall (October 10, 1722 – November 5, 1801) was an American
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
and plant dealer.
Biography
Humphry Marshall was born at
Derbydown Homestead
Derbydown Homestead, also known as the Abraham Marshall House and Birthplace of Humphry Marshall, is a historic home located in West Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The original house was built in 1707, as a one-room, three bay, ...
in the village of
Marshallton, Pennsylvania
Marshallton is a census-designated place (CDP), located in Coal Township, in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 1,441 at the 2010 census.
Geography
Marshallton is located at (40.787484, -76.538358).
Accordi ...
(within
West Bradford Township) on October 10, 1722.
[ ''Note:'' This includes ] He was the cousin of botanists
John Bartram
John Bartram (March 23, 1699 – September 22, 1777) was an American botanist, horticulturist, and explorer, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for most of his career. Swedish botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus said he was the "greatest na ...
and
William Bartram
William Bartram (April 20, 1739 – July 22, 1823) was an American botanist, ornithologist, natural historian and explorer. Bartram was the author of an acclaimed book, now known by the shortened title ''Bartram's Travels'', which chronicled ...
. Like many early American botanists, he was a
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
.
Marshall received the rudiments of an English education, and was apprenticed to the business of a
stonemason
Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, mo ...
, which trade he subsequently followed. Soon after his marriage in 1748 to Sarah Pennock he took charge of his father's farm. His first book, ''A Few Observations Concerning Christ'', in 1755.
[A Few Observations concerning Christ, or the Eternal Word (London, 1755) https://www.google.com/books/edition/A_Few_Observations_concerning_Christ_or/nhpgAAAAcAAJ?hl=en ] He began to devote his attention to astronomy and
natural history, building a small observatory in one corner of his residence.
[American Philosophical Society Archives. Appleton's entry is incorrect.] He specialized early in native plants, after gaining his enthusiasm for
botany
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...
from John Bartram. In 1767 he came into the possession of the family estate,
and in 1773 he created a
botanical garden
A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens, an ...
at Marshallton with both native and exotic plants. This was the second botanical garden in the United States, the first having been established by John Bartram. As late as 1849, many of the plants still survived, although neglect had turned the garden into a wilderness.
[
In 1785, Marshall published ''Arbustrum Americanum: The American Grove, an Alphabetical Catalogue of Forest Trees and Shrubs, Natives of the American United States'' (Philadelphia). For many years, he was the treasurer for ]Chester County Chester County may refer to:
* Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States
* Chester County, South Carolina, United States
* Chester County, Tennessee, United States
* Cheshire or the County Palatine of Chester, a ceremonial county in the North Wes ...
and trustee of the public loan office. In 1768, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
, and he was a member of other scientific societies.[
Marshall's first wife died in 1786; he married Margaret Minshall in 1788. He had no children by either wife. In his later years, he was partly blinded by ]cataract
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of the eye that leads to a decrease in vision. Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include faded colors, blurry or double vision, halos around light, trouble w ...
s. Marshall died on November 5, 1801.
Legacy
Marshall has been called the "Father of American Dendrology
Dendrology ( grc, δένδρον, ''dendron'', "tree"; and grc, -λογία, ''-logia'', ''science of'' or ''study of'') or xylology ( grc, ξύλον, ''ksulon'', "wood") is the science and study of woody plants (trees, shrubs, and lianas), ...
."
A genus of plants, ''Marshallia
''Marshallia'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Helenieae within the family Asteraceae. ''Marshallia'' is native to the southeastern and south-central United States. A common name applied to most species in the genus is Barbara's buttons.
Descr ...
'', was named in honor of Humphry Marshall and his nephew Moses Marshall, also a botanist.
In 1848 the Borough of West Chester established the Marshall Square Park in his honor. Marshall Square Park is four miles east of Marshallton.
On June 27, 2007 — proclaimed Humphry Marshall Day by West Chester mayor Dick Yoder — a marker honoring the park's namesake was unveiled.
Notes
References
American Philosophical Society: Humphry Marshall
Friends of Marshall Square Park
Historical Marker database HMdb - Humphry Marshall
Humphry and Moses Marshall Papers
at the William L. Clements Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, Humphry
American botanists
American Quakers
Botanists active in North America
Botanists with author abbreviations
1722 births
1801 deaths
Dendrologists
People from Chester County, Pennsylvania
People of colonial Pennsylvania
Members of the American Philosophical Society