THE OSPREY. 



/\M ILLLLSri^A'rCD /Wf^G/VIMI: Or POPULAI? OPMITHOLOOY. 

 Published Moi\thly except iiA July ciiul Augusf. 



Volume III, 



MARCH, J899. 



Number 7. 



Original Articles. 



BEHIND THE WEDDING VEIL.^ 



By Julia Smickton Rubins. Philadelphia, I'a, 



Alexander Wilson, as the author of the 

 ■'American Ornithology," is familiar to all of 

 us, but how many people know anything of 

 him as a man? There was a romance in his 

 life that two of his most prominent biogTaphers 

 do not even mention. I refer to his love affair 

 with Ann Bartrajn. a brief account of which 

 appeared in the Philadelphia Sunday Press 

 some years ago. She was the granddaughter 

 of John Bartram, the botanist, and the niece of 

 'Wilson's friend. William Bartram. She is de- 

 scribed as being "slenderly built, with brown 

 hair and expressive eyes." Alexander Wilson 

 was teaching- school at Oray's Ferry, a short 

 distance from the famous botanical gardens, 

 where the Bartrams lived, and what was more 

 natural than for him to fall in love with this 

 charming' young Quakeress'.' A])]iareutly Miss 

 Bartram had no objection to this, and had their 

 cotirse of true love run smoothly, we might 

 never have had the "American Ornithology." 

 Fate, in the shape of a father, overburdened 

 with common sense, suggested that a poor 

 school teacher was no match for his daughter, 

 and sternly refused his consent. It seems as 

 if Ann must have been lacking' in sjiirit. that 

 .she did not make moie of a fight for her lover; 

 but. we can not tell what influences were 

 brought to bear on her feelings. For one 

 thing, the friend and staunch u))holder of the 

 young couple. Dr. .Tames Bartram. Ann's 

 brother, was absent from home. and. lacking 

 this moral sujiport. she was unable to resist 

 the parental authority. In 1805 she was per- 

 suaded to marry Colonel Ttobert Carr. theii a 

 well-to-do iirinter on Second street, below jSfar- 

 ket. Philadelphia. When I)r. .Tames Bartram 

 returned home he was exceedingly aug-T-y. and 

 positively refused to speak to Col. Carr. !Mrs. 

 Carr lived for many years, but it is to be sup- 

 posed that she never quite recovered from her 

 early disappointment. She must have often 

 heard of Wilson's great work, and perhaps felt 

 a pang of jealousy when she thought of the 

 birds that at least filled his life if they did not 

 entirely console him for her loss. She died at 

 Beverly. New .Tersey. on October 30. IS.'iS. 



But to return to Wilson. After his sweet- 

 heart's marriage in ISO.t. he apparently began 

 to think seriously of ornithology as a profes- 



sion. He wrote to W iUiam Bartram, and said, 

 "1 dare say you will smile at my presumption 

 when I tell you that I have seriously begun to 

 make a collection of the drawings of birds to 

 be found in Pennsylvania." From this time 

 until his death, which occurred seven years 

 later, his whole time and thought were given 

 to this absorbing work. Of course, it was ab- 

 solutely necessary for him to have bread to 

 eat; he, therefore, procured a jjosition in Phila- 

 delphia with a firm of booksellers, Messrs. 

 Bradford & Co., where he was employed as as- 

 sitant editor for a new edition of Rees's Ency- 

 clo])edia. The salary was higher and the 

 work less arduous than that of school teaching, 

 and every spare minute was devoted to his 

 book. He burned his caudle at both ends, and 

 by the light of it wrote the biographies of 

 birds and painted their jjortraits. At first he 

 tried to be also his own engraver, but failed in 

 that attempt, and gave it over to Alexander 

 I.aAvson. 



It occurred to me not long ago that ir would 

 be interesting to know what the new.spapors 

 had to .say about Wilson in the wty of obituary 

 notices. A careful search revealed very little. 



In the I'nited States Cazette for August 23, 

 1813. I found the following: "Died, this morn- 

 ing, Mr. Alexander AVilson. author of the Amer- 

 ican Onithology. His friends and acquaintances 

 are invited to attend his funeral, from Mr. W^il- 

 liam Jones', No. 233 Spruce street. Philadel- 

 phia, at 9 o'clock to-morrow morniug." 



In the Amei'ican Daily Advertiser for August 

 24. 1813, there is juuch the same notice, except 

 that an extract is given from the minutes of 

 the Columbian Society of .\rtists. in which they 

 resolve to "wear crape on the left arm for 

 thirty days, in testimony of the high consider- 

 ation the virtues and talents of the deceased 

 are held by the Society." That is all. Fancy 

 one of our modern papers allowing a great man 

 to die without giving' him at least a column 

 and a portrait! 



There is little left to remind us of the love 

 affair between our pioneer ornithologist and 

 .\un Bartram. Kven their lettci's. whi<'h. at 

 one time, were in the possession of William 

 !Middlet07i Bartram. were borrowed by a friend 

 and have mysteriously disappeared. But "The 



