14 TWELFTH REPORT. 



drowned. Two weeks later, his body was found and buried from his 

 home in "Little Woods Cemetery," Wayne, Illinois. 



Mr. Sayer was careful to painstaking-, very systematic, and patient. 

 No truth was too homely for him ; he Avished no garnishments to cloak 

 the facts. Therefore, what he did was honestly done and what he said 

 was ti'ue, so far as he cotild determine. Such were the strong character- 

 istics of the man. 



W. J. Beal, 



Charles E. Marshall, 



Committee. 



CHARLES FAY WHEELEK. 



Charles Fay Wheeler was born June 14. 1842, at ^lexico, Oswego 

 county, New York ; died at (leorge Washington Hospital in Washing- 

 ton, D. C, March 5th, 1910, and was buried in xlrlington Cemetery. 



He graduated from the Academy- at Mexico, near where he was born, 

 and enlisted in October ISOl, as a private in Company B, Seventh Regi- 

 ment of the New York ( lilack Horse) Cavalry; was mustered out in 

 March 31, 1802. He again enlisted Augaist 20th, 18G2, in Company F. 

 147th Regiment of New York lufantn', to serve three years but was 

 discharged March 21st, 1808, by reason of disability. 



L^nable to work, he lived in the woods, tields and marshes for a year 

 or more and with Gray's Manual of Botany studied plants and to a 

 great extent regained his health. In 1866-67 he spent one year in the 

 Medical Department of the LTniversity of Michigan. He then settled 

 in Hubbardston and for 22 years conducted a drug and book store, 

 sjiending much of his time among his beloved plants. On March 4th, 

 1800, he was married to Catherine T. Holbrook of OakhauL ^lass. 



During all these years as a merchaint he continued his study of the 

 local tiora in which he became very proficient, devoting much time also 

 to reading vahuible botanical works. 



In the spring of 1889, Mr. Wheeler Avith Professor L. H. Bailey, then 

 Professor of Horticulture at the Agricultural College, two students and 

 the Avriter, the jiarty si»ent two weeks in a botanical trip, passing across 

 the state from Harrisville in Alcona county to Frankfort in Benzie 

 county. During his stay in Hubbardston, he had collected a herbarium 

 of over 7.000 plants which later became tlie property of the Agricultural 

 College. In 1889, he Avas elected instructor at this College, taking 

 studies enabling him to graduate in 1891 Avith the degree of B. S., 

 which Ccdlege granted him the honorary degi'ee of D. Sc. in May 1907. 

 He became assistant I'rofessor, in all spending eleAen yeai*s before ac- 

 cepting a position in the United States Department of Agiiculture Avhere 

 he soon found his ])lace in identifying ])lants for several departments 

 of the Government in Washington. 



While at the Agiucultural College, he spent much time in collecting- 

 plants for the herbarium in Avhich he Avas intensely interested. Previ- 

 ously, in company Avith ErAvin F. Smith, they i)ublished a Flora of 



