Naturalist; born in Kingsessing, Pa., Feb. 9, 1739.
He engaged in business in
North Carolina in 1761, and became a devoted student of natural history.
Son of
John Bartram, a distinguished botanist, and the founder of the first botanical garden in the
United States.
William accompanied his father, when the latter was seventy years of age, in a botanical excursion and exploration of
east Florida, and resided some time on the banks of the
St. John River, returning home in 1771.
He was employed by
Dr. Fothergill, of
London, in 1773-78, in botanical explorations and collections in
Florida,
Georgia, and
South Carolina.
Mr. Bartram was a member of the American Philosophical Society and other scientific associations in the
United States and
Europe.
In 1790 he published an account of his travels in the
Gulf region, in which he gave an account of the
Creek.
Choctaw, and
Cherokee indians.
Mr. Bartram made the most complete table of American ornithology previous to the work of
Wilson, and to him we are indebted for a knowledge of many curious and beautiful plants peculiar to
North America.
He died in Kingsessing, Pa., July 22, 1823.