Jonathan Pearson

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Jonathan Pearson
Born(1813-02-23)February 23, 1813
Chichester, New Hampshire, United States
DiedJune 20, 1887(1887-06-20) (aged 74)
Schenectady, New York, United States
Scientific career
FieldsNatural philosophy, chemistry, botany, agriculture, history.
InstitutionsUnion 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Unpublished sources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.

Example of a specimen collected by Pearson. Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (France) Collection: Vascular plants (P) Specimen P00328454

References

  1. ^ a b Schenectady County Historical Society (2020). "Pearson Street Books". New York Heritage. New York Heritage. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b George Alexander (1883). "Sketch of the Life of Professor Jonathan Pearson, A. M., Union College, Schenectady, N. Y." Schenectady Digital History Archive. Schenectady County Public Library. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. ^ Stefan Bielinski (12 November 2016). "Jonathan Pearson". The People of Colonial Albany. New York State Museum. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. ^ Johnson, Rossiter, ed. (1906). "Preface". The Biographical Dictionary of America. Boston: American Biographical Society. p. 262. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  5. ^ Jonathan Pearson. "Manuscript: Diary, Feb. 18, 1828-June 5, 1875". Union College Library. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  6. ^ Codman Hislop (1938). "Jonathan Pearson and his "Thinking Books"". New York History. 19 (4): 365–373. JSTOR 23134616.
  7. ^ Jonathan Pearson (1844). "Jonathan Pearson and John Torrey correspondence". The Internet Archive. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  8. ^ "The Australasian Virtual Herbarium". The Australasian Virtual Herbarium. Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH). 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Collection: Hb Iona Pearson". National Museum of Natural History, France. National Museum of Natural History, France. 2021. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
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