250 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



William Hooker, Director of th6 Gardens, who subjected 

 him to petty annoyances. Mr. Meehan refused to leave the 

 gardens unless he received a certificate. Having obtained it 

 the following year, he came to the United States (March 

 1, 1848), sailing on a vessel named " The Devonshire." He 

 reached America on March 21st, on his twenty-second 

 birthday, with twenty-five dollars in his pocket, traveling 

 to Philadelphia by canal boat. He secured a position at 

 the nurseries of Robert Buist on Darby Road, where he 

 remained for one year, afterwards working for Andrew 

 Eastwick, under whose supervision he laid out and restored 

 Bartram's Garden. Leaving the employ of Eastwick, he 

 worked for Caleb Cope, at Holmesburg, where he remained 

 until 1853. In 1852 he married Catherine Colflesh, and 

 after the birth of a son, started a nursery business of his 

 own at Ambler, with a branch nursery at Germantown, 

 with William Saunders as partner. During the War of the 

 Rebellion Mr. Meehan lost nearly everything ; subsequently 

 he entered into partnership with a certain Wandell, under 

 the business name of Meehan & Wandell. This partner- 

 ship was eventually dissolved, Mr. Meehan taking the 

 entire responsibility of the business, which grew rapidly, 

 until seventy-five acres were cultivated at Germantown. 



In March, 1860, he was elected a member of the 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, in which body he has taken 

 an active interest ever since. He was elected Vice-President 

 after a hot fight. He is one of the oldest members of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, and 

 is also a member of various learned societies, notably 

 among which may be mentioned : The x^merican Phil- 

 osophical Society, the Pennsylvania Historical Society, the 

 Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, and other scientific 



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