_1Ёродога 
JOURNAL OF 
THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL CLUB 
Vol. 10. January, 1908. No. 109. 
GEORGE EDWARD DAVENPORT. 
F. S. COLLINS. 
(With portrait.) 
GEORGE EDWARD Davenport was born in Boston, August 3d, 
1833, the son of William E. and Deborah (Skidmore) Davenport, 
‘both of old Boston families. He completed the regular public school 
course, graduating from the High School. At twenty years of age he 
married Miss Mary Francis and removed to South Boston, remaining 
there until 1875, after which date his home was at Medford. He 
died November 27, 1907, leaving a wife, eight children, ten grand- 
children and one great grandchild. 
Even in his school days he was much interested in nature studies, 
soon concentrating the interest on botany, later making ferns a spe- 
cialty, which they remained all of his life. The study, however, had 
to be pursued in what time was left from an active business, which he 
kept up till two years before his death. In all the study of the ferns 
for the past forty years he had a noteworthy part; though no work of 
great volume remains from his pen, his influence is to be seen in much 
of what has been published by others, and his shorter articles are to 
be found in many botanical publications, notably the Bulletin of the 
Torrey Botanical Club, the Fern Bulletin and Rhodora. The bib- 
liography of these articles at the end of this note, compiled by Miss 
Mary A. Day of the Gray Herbarium, is probably fairly complete, but 
does not attempt to include the many articles he wrote referring more 
especially to forestry or horticulture. He had long been at work on a 
manual of the North American ferns, but when his release from busi- 
ness cares gave him the time he so much needed for the task, sight and 
strength were no longer equal to it, much to his sorrow. The last 
