Maria Haskell Herrick Bray (1828–1921), was a 19th-century

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

writer, editor, and phycologist, best known for being a

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

heroine of an incident during the first days of winter in late 1864. Bray was married to Alexander D. Bray (1818-1885), the

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

at Thacher Island Light, off Rockport on

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts, United States on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of ...

. From December 21 to December 24, 1864, she and her twelve-year-old nephew tended the lights of the station during a winter storm, while her husband was stranded on the mainland, where he had taken an ill co-worker. The Bray family was reunited on Christmas Day. During her lifetime Bray was recognised as an expert in marine algae. In 1876 Bray exhibited her herbarium collection in the Women's Building at the

Centennial Exposition The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876, the first official World's Fair to be held in the United States, was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from May 10 to November 10, 1876, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the ...

. In 1880 she was described in a French publication as a correspondent with expertise in marine algae. Her collecting expertise was acknowledged by John Robinson in his 1880 book ''The flora of Essex County, Massachusetts'' and many of her specimens helped inform his research. Her expertise in marine algae was again recognised by Alpheus Baker Hervey in his 1882 book ''Sea mosses. A collector's guide and an introduction to the study of marine Algae''. Bray was a member of the

Essex Institute The Essex Institute (1848–1992) in Salem, Massachusetts, was "a literary, historical and scientific society." It maintained a museum, library, historic houses; arranged educational programs; and issued numerous scholarly publications. In 1992 th ...

, hosted meetings at her residence and guided members in a botanical field trip. She was acknowledged in an obituary of

Frank Shipley Collins Frank Shipley Collins (1848–1920) was an American botanist and algologist specializing in the study of marine algae.Makers of American Botany, Harry Baker Humphrey, Ronald Press Company, Library of Congress Card Number 61-18435 He was a pio ...

' as helping inspire his interest in algae. In 2000, the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

named a

coastal buoy tender The United States Coast Guard commissioned a new Keeper class of coastal buoy tenders in the 1990s that are 175 feet (53 m) in length and named after lighthouse keepers. Keeper-class cutters serve the Coast Guard in a variety of missions and a ...

in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Maria American lighthouse keepers Women lighthouse keepers People from Rockport, Massachusetts 1828 births 1921 deaths American Universalists 19th-century American women Female United States Coast Guard personnel American phycologists