Humphry Marshall
Humphry Marshall ( also Humphrey Marshall, born October 10 in 1722 in West Bradford, Pennsylvania, † November 5, 1801 ) was an American botanist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " Marshall "; earlier was also the abbreviation " Marsh. " used.
Life and work
After the death of his father in 1767 Marshall had a sizable inheritance, which enabled him to spend more time and commitment to the botany. Around this time, his correspondence with the British botanist John Fothergill had become a close friendship researchers. Fothergill encouraged Marshall to collect plants outside of Chester County and supported him financially for it. Fothergill mediated Marshalls Collector services on to other botanist and plant collector, and thus secured Marhalls income. A few years later, Marshall was safe enough to be able to financially support in collecting and cultivating plants alone. His business flourished with plants thanks to a network of acquaintances about family members, Quakers and friendly scientists.
In 1772 Marshall built a botanical garden on his land owned and stocked it with all sorts of plants from the region, and with so many exotic plants, as he could get. In the very next year he began the construction of another house adjacent to the botanical garden.
After his first wife died, he married on January 10, 1788 Margaret Minshall ( 1774-1823 ). As his first marriage remained childless this. In his last two years he suffered from cataracts, which limited his vision strong. He died in 1801.