Francis Parkman
Historian of the American forest and critic of women's suffrage
Francis Parkman Jr. was an American historian and horticulturist born September 16, 1823.[1][2] He is best known for his seven-volume history France and England in North America and the book The Oregon Trail.[1][2] From 1858 until his death in 1893, Parkman held the position of trustee at the Boston Athenæum.[1][2]
Quick Facts
- Born
- 16 September 1823
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Died
- 8 November 1893
- Resting place
- Mount Auburn Cemetery, Massachusetts, U.S.
- Occupation
- Historian, writer
- Education
- Harvard University
- Spouse
- Catherine Scollay Bigelow
- Children
- 3, Grace, Francis III, and Katherine Scollay
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
As a boy, Parkman was sent to live on his grandfather's wilderness tract in Medford, Massachusetts, to improve his poor health.[3][2] He developed a love of forests there and learned to hunt and survive in the wilderness.[3] In 1846, Parkman traveled west on a hunting expedition and spent weeks living with the Sioux tribe.[4][2] Parkman believed the conquest of American Indians represented progress, a common view in the era of manifest destiny.[4]
Parkman suffered recurrent headaches, insomnia, and near blindness, which he called "the enemy"[2] Their son Francis died of scarlet fever at age three, and Catherine Bigelow Parkman passed away in 1858.[5][2] Parkman was 70 years old when he died at his Jamaica Plain residence; his final resting place is Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5]
What the cited sources add
The Boston Athenaeum account notes that Parkman played a crucial role in procuring Confederate imprints for the library in the final months of the Civil War.[2] Parkman devised a wire lattice to guide his hand when he could not see his own handwriting.[2] He specialized in roses and lilies, cultivating hybrids that still bear his name.[2] Parkman served as president of the Massachusetts Historical Society from 1875 to 1878.[2]
A 3-cent stamp from the Prominent Americans series, honoring Parkman, was issued by the United States Postal Service on September 16, 1967.[6][7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Francis Parkman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Sheola, "Francis Parkman", Boston Athenaeum, June 8, 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Sheola, "Francis Parkman", Boston Athenaeum, June 8, 2011. facts only, no text reused. bostonathenaeum.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis Parkman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wade, Mason. Francis Parkman, Heroic Historian (1942). (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis Parkman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: McConnell, "The Conspiracy of Pontiac and the Indian War After the Conquest of Canada", University of Nebraska Press, 1994, p. ix–x; Doughty, "Francis Parkman", The Macmillan Company, 1962, p. 142; "Book of Members, 1780–2010: Chapter P", American Academy of Arts and Sciences; "Members Directory", American Antiquarian Society (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis Parkman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Death of Francis Parkman", The New York Times, 1893-11-10, p. 5 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Francis Parkman" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: U.S. Stamp Gallery: Francis Parkman. (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- U.S. Stamp Gallery: Francis Parkman.. facts only, no text reused. usstampgallery.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Francis Parkman (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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