Biography:Jonathan Pearson
Jonathan Pearson | |
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| Born | February 23, 1813 Chichester, New Hampshire, United States |
| Died | June 20, 1887 (aged 74) Schenectady, New York, United States |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Natural philosophy, chemistry, botany, agriculture, history. |
| Institutions | Union College |
Jonathan Pearson (February 23, 1813 - June 20, 1887) was an American botanist and historian.[1]
Life
Pearson was born in Chichester, New Hampshire, where his father worked as a miller.[2] From 1832 to 1835 he attended Union College in Schenectady, New York, as a student before taking a position as a tutor in 1836, eventually becoming a professor.[2] Along with professorial positions, Pearson was the college's librarian from 1839 to 1886, and treasurer.[1]
In April 1841 he married Mary Lord Hosford, and they had three children.[3]
He died in Schenectady on June 20, 1887.[4]
Published major works
- Pearson, Jonathan, A general catalogue of the officers, graduates and students of Union College from 1795 to 1854. (Schenectady : printed by S. S. Riggs, 1854)
- Pearson, Jonathan, Early records of the city and county of Albany, and colony of Rensselaerswyck (1656-1675) (Albany, N.Y. : J. Munsell, 1869) (Four volumes)
- Pearson, Jonathan, Contributions for the genealogies of the first settlers of the ancient county of Albany, from 1630 to 1800. (Albany, J. Munsell, 1872)
- Pearson, Jonathan, Two hundredth anniversary of the First Reformed Protestant Dutch church, of Schenectady, N. Y., June 20th and 21st ... 1880. (Schenectady : Daily and Weekly Union Steam Printing House, 1880)
- Jonathan Pearson, A. M. and others, edited by J. W. MacMurray. A History of the Schenectady Patent in the Dutch and English Times; being contributions toward a history of the lower Mohawk Valley (Albany, NY: J. Munsell's Sons, Printers, 1883)
- Jonathan Pearson, and Harold C. Martin (editor) The diary of Jonathan Pearson. (Schenectady: Union College Press, 2004)
Unpublished sources
His diaries are held by the Union College library.[5]
Legacy
Pearson appears to be best known as a local historian who was particularly focused upon the history of Schenectady.[6] He was also a plant collector and accomplished botanist, and was particularly interested in the local flora of his town.[7]
Botanical collections
A small number of specimens collected by Pearson are held by the National Herbarium of Victoria Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and the National Museum of Natural History, France.[8][9] His collecting labels are identifiable through their Latinisation; Pearson is identified as Iona. Pearson and his collections are from Schenectadiae, Nov. Ebor.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Schenectady County Historical Society (2020). "Pearson Street Books". New York Heritage. https://nyheritage.org/collections/pearson-street-books.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 George Alexander (1883). "Sketch of the Life of Professor Jonathan Pearson, A. M., Union College, Schenectady, N. Y.". Schenectady County Public Library. http://www.schenectadyhistory.org/resources/patent/04.html.
- ↑ Stefan Bielinski (12 November 2016). "Jonathan Pearson". New York State Museum. https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/albany/bios/staff/jopearson.html.
- ↑ Johnson, Rossiter, ed (1906). "Preface". Preface. Boston: American Biographical Society. pp. 262. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_Biographical_Dictionary_of_America,_vol._08.djvu/262. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
- ↑ Jonathan Pearson. "Manuscript: Diary, Feb. 18, 1828-June 5, 1875.". https://union.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01UCNY_INST/12ak7rp/alma991001785469704651.
- ↑ Codman Hislop (1938). "Jonathan Pearson and his "Thinking Books"". New York History 19 (4): 365–373.
- ↑ Jonathan Pearson (1844). "Jonathan Pearson and John Torrey correspondence". https://archive.org/details/jonathanpearson00pear.
- ↑ "The Australasian Virtual Herbarium". Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH). 2020. http://avh.chah.org.au.
- ↑ "Collection: Hb Iona Pearson". National Museum of Natural History, France. 2021. https://science.mnhn.fr/all/list?originalCollection=Hb+Iona+Pearson.
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