John Bradbury (naturalist)
Encyclopedia
John Bradbury was a Scottish
botanist
noted for his travels in the United States Midwest and West in the early 19th Century and his eyewitness account of the New Madrid earthquake
.
Bradbury was born near Stalybridge
in Lancashire
and worked in a cotton mil. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1792. While living in Manchester
he petitioned the trustees of the Liverpool Botanic Garden to fund a visit America to collect plants (with a provision that he would work on improving the supply of cotton from United States).
In the United States he met with Thomas Jefferson
in 1809 who recommended that he should base his investigations in St. Louis, Missouri
rather than New Orleans, Louisiana
.
While in St. Louis Bradbury explored the area and sent seeds back to Liverpool.
In 1811 he and naturalist Thomas Nuttall
joined the Astor Expedition
to find a faster overland route to Astoria, Oregon
.
Bradbury did not stay with the Expedition all the way to Oregon but rather stayed with the group on the Missouri River
to Montana
before starting to return to New Orleans while documenting 40 new species of plants by sending seeds to his son. Some of Bradbury's plants were documented, without Bradbury's permission, by Frederick Traugott Pursh
in Flora americae septentrionalis; or A Systematic Arrangement and Description of The Plants of North America ( http://www.botanicus.org/title/b11729004 ) (which is given various publication dates: 1813 or 1814.) Bradbury was "Deeply offended [by Pursh's purloining of his botanical specimens] and with his fame as a collector and discover of new plants stolen, Bradbury did little in botany after that." ( http://www.plantsystematics.org/reveal/pbio/LnC/pursh.html )
While Bradbury was returning from the Astor Expedition to New Orleans, Louisiana
he was near at Chicksaw Bluffs (future site of Memphis, Tennessee
on 16 December 1811, on the Mississippi River
when the first the first of three earthquakes known as the New Madrid Earthquake
occurred.
His first person account is reported as the only eyewitness account of the earthquake from a person with a scientific background. He was to publish an account of his research in Travels in the interior of America, in the years 1809, 1810, 1811 which was published in 1817.
Bradbury had intended to return to England but the War of 1812
delayed the return and he was to study the states east of the Mississippi and published an appendix to his Travels book entitled "Remarks on the States of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, with the Illinois and Western Territory, and on the Emigrations to Those Countries."
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
botanist
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
noted for his travels in the United States Midwest and West in the early 19th Century and his eyewitness account of the New Madrid earthquake
New Madrid earthquake
The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811. These earthquakes remain the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit the eastern United States in recorded history...
.
Bradbury was born near Stalybridge
Stalybridge
Stalybridge is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Tameside in Greater Manchester, England, with a population of 22,568. Historically a part of Cheshire, it is east of Manchester city centre and northwest of Glossop. With the construction of a cotton mill in 1776, Stalybridge became one of...
in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and worked in a cotton mil. He was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 1792. While living in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
he petitioned the trustees of the Liverpool Botanic Garden to fund a visit America to collect plants (with a provision that he would work on improving the supply of cotton from United States).
In the United States he met with Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
in 1809 who recommended that he should base his investigations in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
rather than New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
While in St. Louis Bradbury explored the area and sent seeds back to Liverpool.
In 1811 he and naturalist Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall
Thomas Nuttall was an English botanist and zoologist, who lived and worked in America from 1808 until 1841....
joined the Astor Expedition
Astor Expedition
The Astor Expedition of 1810-1812 was the next overland expedition from St. Louis, Missouri to the mouth of the Columbia River after the Corps of Discovery, led by Lewis and Clark.-History:...
to find a faster overland route to Astoria, Oregon
Astoria, Oregon
Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...
.
Bradbury did not stay with the Expedition all the way to Oregon but rather stayed with the group on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
to Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
before starting to return to New Orleans while documenting 40 new species of plants by sending seeds to his son. Some of Bradbury's plants were documented, without Bradbury's permission, by Frederick Traugott Pursh
Frederick Traugott Pursh
Frederick Traugott Pursh was a German-American botanist.Born in Grossenhain, Saxony, to the name Friedrich Traugott Pursh, he was educated at Dresden Botanical Gardens, and emigrated to the United States in 1799...
in Flora americae septentrionalis; or A Systematic Arrangement and Description of The Plants of North America ( http://www.botanicus.org/title/b11729004 ) (which is given various publication dates: 1813 or 1814.) Bradbury was "Deeply offended [by Pursh's purloining of his botanical specimens] and with his fame as a collector and discover of new plants stolen, Bradbury did little in botany after that." ( http://www.plantsystematics.org/reveal/pbio/LnC/pursh.html )
While Bradbury was returning from the Astor Expedition to New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
he was near at Chicksaw Bluffs (future site of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
on 16 December 1811, on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
when the first the first of three earthquakes known as the New Madrid Earthquake
New Madrid earthquake
The 1811-1812 New Madrid earthquakes were an intense intraplate earthquake series beginning with an initial pair of very large earthquakes on December 16, 1811. These earthquakes remain the most powerful earthquakes ever to hit the eastern United States in recorded history...
occurred.
His first person account is reported as the only eyewitness account of the earthquake from a person with a scientific background. He was to publish an account of his research in Travels in the interior of America, in the years 1809, 1810, 1811 which was published in 1817.
Bradbury had intended to return to England but the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
delayed the return and he was to study the states east of the Mississippi and published an appendix to his Travels book entitled "Remarks on the States of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, with the Illinois and Western Territory, and on the Emigrations to Those Countries."
External links
- Travels in America (available on print.google)