Category: Bartram History
Category
Ailanthus: John Bartram and Philadelphia’s Most Notorious Tree
Few trees define America’s urban environments more than Ailanthus altissima, or the “Tree-of-Heaven.” If you are not familiar with that name, you are undoubtedly familiar with the tree itself. Ailanthus…
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William Bartram, Indigenous Botany, and the Roots of American Medicine
Eighteenth century American medicine was closely tied to botanical knowledge. While the Bartrams’ contribution to early American medicine through their relationships with physicians in Philadelphia is well-documented, what is less…
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John Bartram’s Journey to Onondaga, 1743
In July of 1743, Conrad Weiser, Pennsylvania’s interpreter and diplomat for Native American nations, invited John Bartram and land surveyor Lewis Evans to accompany him to the Iroquois capital of…
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The Bartrams, the White Mulberry Tree, and the Story of American Silk
The Bartrams were a family of natural scientists who would happily collect and cultivate almost any plant, but they were not immune to acquiring plants that carried the allure of…
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An African Plant in Louisiana: William Bartram’s Encounter with Cleome gynandra
In October of 1775, William Bartram discovered a curious plant while voyaging through the bayous and cypress swamps of coastal Louisiana. While he was passing by the Taensapoa River along…
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Plantations in Pennsylvania
Passages taken from “Slavery and Freedom at Bartram’s Garden” by Joel T. Fry, presented at the McNeil Center for Early American Studies conference: Investigating Mid-Atlantic Plantations: Slavery, Economies, and Space,…
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Mary and Grace Clark
On November 26, 1792, Mary and Grace Clark were manumitted by Ann Bartram (1741-1824), the youngest daughter of Bartram’s Garden founder, John Bartram (1699-1777). Mary Clark purchased her freedom from…
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