Rhodora ~ 
JOURNAL OF 
THE NEW ENGLAND BOTANICAL CLUB 
Vol. 20. — July, 1918. No. 235 
CHARLES EDWARD FAXON. 
C. S. SARGENT. 
(With portrait.') 
CHARLES Epwarp Faxon died at his home in Jamaica Plain on the 
6th of February, 1918. He was born in Jamaica Plain, then a part 
of the town of Roxbury, January 21, 1846, and was the son of Elisha 
and Hannah Mann (Whiting) Faxon. Elisha Faxon was a direct 
descendant in the eighth generation from Thomas Faxon who came 
from England to America about 1647 and settled in Braintree, Massa- 
chusetts. The father died when Charles was nine years old and the 
oldest son of the family, Edwin,? took his place and exercised a wise 
influence on the younger children. Under his guidance Charles and 
his youngest brother Walter learned to love Nature. With him they 
roamed the fields and woods in what is now Greater Boston which sixty 
years ago were full of interest for the lovers of Nature. He taught 
them to look at trees, to gather and observe flowers, to watch birds 
and collect their eggs, and it is probable that the two boys would 
never have become distinguished in science without this brother’s 
inspiration and guidance. The Faxon family was a remarkable one 
even for New England in the middle of the last century. The children 
y were taught music, and constantly attended the best concerts and the 
opera. They studied French at home and as children read it fluently, 
and no effort was spared for their intelligent education. As a child 
1 For permission to use the plate from which the portrait of Mr. Faxon is printed RHODORA 
is indebted to the courtesy of the Massachusetts Biographical Society. 
2 See Ruopora, ii. p. 107. 
