AN HISTORICAL SKETCH. 



BT SAMUEL P. FOWLER. 



The Essex County Natural History Society was organ- 

 ized on the eighteenth day of December, 1833, in Salem. 

 The officers of the society who were then elected were : 

 Dr. Andrew Nichols of the old town of Danvers, Presi- 

 dent ; Mr. William Oakes, of Ipswich, and Rev. Gardner 

 B. Perry, of Bradford, vice presidents ; Mr. John M. 

 Ives, of Salem, secretary and treasurer ; Rev. John Lewis 

 Russell, of Salem, librarian and cabinet-keeper ; William 

 Oakes, of Ipswich, John C. Lee, of Salem, Thomas 

 Spencer, of Salem, and Charles G. Page, of Salem, 

 curators. 



Andrew Mchols, William Oakes, William Prescott 

 and their associates were made a Corporation under the 

 name of the Essex County Natural History Society, Feb- 

 ruary 12, 1836. A circular, dated Jan. 1, 1834, was pub- 

 lished and distributed, setting forth the object of the 

 society, which was to promote more generally the study 

 of natural history in the county of Essex. 



We may further notice the gallantry of the men who 

 formed this society fifty years ago in inviting ladies to 

 join in their work, not because there was at that time any 

 discussion concerning woman's rights, but because they 

 well knew the fondness of the fair sex for flowers and the 

 beautiful things of nature. 



I am an old man, but in the course of my long life I 

 have never yet met with a woman who would say she 

 was not fond of liowers. In this circular they say em- 



ESSEX INST. BULLETIN, VOL. XVI. 10 (141) 



