262 ROCHESTER ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. [April 23, 



Beach Bradley, was born in Westmoreland, Oneida county, N. Y., in 

 August, 1796, and died at his home in West Greece, Monroe county, 

 in September, 1880, at the age of 84 years. 



He graduated at Union College, Schenectady, in 1814, and then 

 studied medicine with Dr. Seth Hastings, of Clinton, Oneida county. 

 Dr. Hastings had an extensive botanical garden for the special use 

 of his students, and it was here that Dr. Bradley became interested 

 in botany, and he made a thorough study of the local plants. 



Dr. Bradley practised medicine for a time in Eaton, N. Y., and 

 at the age of 21 he married Miss Cornelia Bradley, whose death a 

 few months after their marriage shadowed his life for many years. 

 At this time he gave himself up to the solace of his books, especially 

 to the languages, both modern and classical, and during his whole 

 life, up to his last illness, he daily read some portion of Scripture in 

 both Greek and Hebrew. 



He came to Parma, N. Y., in 1820, and in 1823 was a member of 

 the Assembly. He settled in West Greece, Monroe county, in 1825. 

 He used to say that at that time Greece was infinitely more attractive 

 in every way than the settlement that has grown to be Rochester, and 

 as the Ridge Road had begun to be settled, it seemed to offer much 

 better inducements to a physician. It was about this time that he 

 began his botanical work in this section, and it was his delight to 

 explore every swamp and woods for rare plants. He kept up his interest 

 in botany as long as he lived, and the last few months of his life were 

 devoted to naming and rearranging the specimens in his herbarium. 

 He corresponded with many eminent botanists of his day, and he is 

 often quoted as an authority on the plants of this vicinity. The 

 greater part of his herbarium was given after his death to the North- 

 western University, Evanston, Illinois. 



Dr. Bradley's love for books was one of his characteristics. He 

 was a very correct Latin scholar, and gave much time to the best 

 authors. He had a very large collection of the best French authors, 

 and also read with ease German and Italian. He had also ytudied 

 Sanskrit, Arabic and Anglo-Saxon. He was an earnest student of 

 history, and a most indefatigable reader of the best literature, both 

 modern and classical. 



In character Dr. Bradley was a perfect type of a Christian 

 gentleman. He had a warm sympathy for all who suffered, and a 

 broad charity which made him kind to all alike, no matter how 

 unworthy. He was the trusted friend and counselor of many who 



