6 WILLIAM BARTRAM 



and indirectly, colored William's childhood. Bartram's garden, 

 before and during the tumultuous days of the Revolution, as 

 well as in the days that followed, was a place visited by many 

 intellectual and otherwise notable persons: Crevecoeur, Peter 

 Kalm, Andre Michaux, Franklin, Washington, Hamilton, Jef- 

 ferson, James Logan, Joseph Breintnall, Benjamin Rush, and 

 Governor Golden of New York. In 1794, Alexander Wilson 

 came to Philadelphia, made the acquaintance of William Bar- 

 tram and spent many days in the garden, which he called Bar- 

 tram's " little Paradise." '^ There can be no question but that 

 the garden helped enormously to form William Bartram's life 

 and character. Its very existence in his childhood meant much 

 to his future development. His father was born on a farm and 

 began life as a farmer; he was born in a botanical garden and 

 started life as a horticulturist. The extensive correspondence of 

 John Bartram with such persons as Linnaeus, Gronovius, Cates- 

 by, Sir Hans Sloane, Dr. Fothergill, Collinson, Queen Ulrica, 

 William Byrd, Isham Randolph, Dr. Alexander Garden, John 

 Ellis, George Edwards, Philip Miller, Dr. John Hope, and Pro- 

 fessor DiUenius, could not but in some way prove an influence 

 on the career and personality of his son. It was certainly advan- 

 tageous to have a father of whom it was " believed, that there 

 have been but two or three native Americans whose correspond- 

 ence with the learned men of Europe was so extensive as that of 

 Mr. Bartram. . . . He likewise lived in habits of intimacy and 

 friendship, or corresponded, with most of the distinguished 

 literary characters of that time in North- America." ^^ 



William was fourteen years old when his father took him on 

 an exploration journey to the Catskills. When he was fifteen 

 his father sent to Collinson some of William's drawings of 

 natural objects. A year later Bartram informed Collinson of 

 his intentions to " set Billy to draw all our turtles with remarks, 

 as he has time, which is only on Seventh days in the afternoon, 

 and First-day morning; for he is constantly kept to school or 

 learn Latin and French." William was then attending the old 



^^ Oberholtzer, The Literary History of Philadelphia, p. 140. 



** Editorial (Benjamin S. Barton) in Phila. Med. & Phys. Journal, I, I19. 



