Sophia McIlvaine Herrick ( Bledsoe; March 26, 1837 – October 9, 1919) was an American science writer, editor, and literary critic.
Life
Born as Sophia McIlvaine Bledsoe on March 26, 1837, the daughter of
Albert Taylor Bledsoe and Harriet ( Coxe) Bledsoe (of
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,391 at the 2010 census.
Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. A major feature is a gravel path running the length of the village, referred to as "Middle Path". This ...
), Sophia moved to New York after her marriage to the Reverend James B. Herrick, by whom she had several children. The couple separated when Herrick left the ministry to become a member of the
Oneida Community.
She joined her father in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, contributing to the ''
Southern Review
''The Southern Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established by Robert Penn Warren in 1935 at the behest of Charles W. Pipkin and funded by Huey Long as a part of his investment in Louisiana State University. It publishes ficti ...
'' and beginning a school for girls. She pursued an early interest in evolutionary theory by studying biology at
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...
and published scientific articles in ''
Century
A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c.
A centennial or ...
'' and ''
Scribner's Magazine'' for a general audience. She became a frequent contributor of articles, writing as Mrs S. B. Herrick, and was for a time assistant editor to
Richard Watson Gilder at ''Century''. Her later works were on natural history and travel.
Sophia Bledsoe Herrick died on October 9, 1919 in
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...
, aged 82.
She had three children: Albert (born 1862), Virginia (born 1863), and Louise (born 1866).
Her granddaughter was the anthropologist
Sophie Bledsoe Aberle.
Books
*''The Wonders of Plant Life under the Microscope'' (1883)
*''Chapters on Plant Life'' (1885)
*''The Earth in Past Ages'' 1888
*Editor of ''A Century of Sonnets'' (1902)
References
External links
Bledsoe-Herrick family papers, 1750-1964.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
*
People from Gambier, Ohio
American science writers
American botanical writers
American magazine editors
Women magazine editors
1919 deaths
1837 births
Journalists from Ohio
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