Lewis, Graceanna (1821–1912)

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Lewis, Graceanna (1821–1912)

American ornithologist and reformer . Born on August 3, 1821, in West Vincent Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania; died on February 25, 1912, in Media, Pennsylvania; third of four daughters and one son (who died in infancy) of John Lewis (a farmer) and Esther (Fussell) Lewis; schooled at home; attended Kimberton Boarding School for Girls; never married; no children.

Born into a Pennsylvania Quaker farm family, Graceanna Lewis was interested in science from as far back as she could remember. "I inherited from my mother a strong love of nature," she recalled, "she having guided our attention in this direction from our early youth." Lewis was three when her father died, leaving her and her three sisters in the care of her mother Esther Fussell Lewis , who endured a lengthy battle for control of the estate left to her by her husband. A teacher before her marriage, Esther began her children's education at home, then sent them to a Quaker Boarding School located two miles from the farm. Social awareness was also a strong trait in Lewis' family, and Graceanna grew up a staunch abolitionist, viewing slavery as "one of the greatest of crimes against humanity." The Lewis home, though small, was frequently a refuge for fugitive slaves.

Upon completing her education in 1842, Lewis was not yet ready to commit herself to science, and so she gravitated to teaching, one of the few professions open to a woman of her class and qualifications. Her first job was as a teacher of botany and astronomy at a small boarding school in York, Pennsylvania, run by her uncle Bartholomew Fussell, who, like the entire extended Lewis family, had one foot in social reform. The school lasted only two years, after which Lewis taught for a term in a similar school in Phoenixville. She was unhappy there, however, and in 1845 she moved back home, devoting herself to the farm and to abolition activities while pursuing her scientific studies independently Following her mother's death in 1848, Lewis took over more responsibility for the farm and for the family's Underground Railroad activities. As the 1850s progressed, she became more active in the cause, organizing meetings and procuring speakers for local anti-slavery organizations. It was not until after the Civil War that she once again took up her scientific studies.

By then in her 30s, Lewis moved to Philadelphia, living within the close-knit community of Quakers active in science. Focusing her work in ornithology, in 1862 she met John Cassin, America's leading ornithologist and volunteer curator of birds at the Academy of Natural Sciences. In her words, he provided a "sesame to the scientific world." Over the next seven years, she read in the academy's library and studied the specimens in its museum. By 1865, she was giving parlor lessons in ornithology, and, as the years passed, her interest expanded to include the entire animal kingdom, and then the plant and mineral kingdoms as well. In 1874, and again in 1879, she lectured at Vassar, and in 1875 she presented a talk on frost crystals to the New England Women's Club in Boston. But freelancing was a difficult way to earn a living, so Lewis applied for numerous scientific positions both at the academy and in the private sector. However, her lack of formal education beyond high school

was a stumbling block, as was her gender. Twice she applied for a vacant professorship in natural history at Vassar, losing out both times to male applicants. Following her second interview in 1877, she was described as "unquestionably better acquainted with zoology as a science than any other person of her sex in the country." Despite her qualifications, the job went to Reverend William Buck Dwight. Unable to secure a college position, Lewis taught for several years at preparatory schools: first at the Friends' School in Philadelphia (1870–71), then at the Foster School for Girls in Clifton Springs, New York (1883–85).

During this period, Lewis also authored a number of scientific publications, the first of which, Natural History of Birds (Part 1 of a projected 10), was published in pamphlet form in 1868. Due to the high costs of publishing and a lack of public interest in her work, she never completed the remaining nine parts. Lewis also produced articles and drawings for the scientific journal The American Naturalist and contributed drawings for Key to North American Birds by Elliott Coues, although she was never credited.

In the summer of 1871, at age 50, Lewis suffered mental and physical problems, possibly caused by menopause, although she described it as "an affliction of the brain." Plans to develop some family land never materialized, and she eventually sold the property and used the profit to support her subsequent research, which focused on illustrating the relationships between members of the animal kingdom. Her plan was to produce a chart of the animal kingdom as well as phylogenic charts of plants, birds, fish, and geology, with special reference to paleontology. But she had difficulty keeping up with the rapid influx of new information, and refused to publish the charts in an incomplete form, so the project was never finished.

In 1885, Lewis returned to Media, Pennsylvania, and moved in with her widowed sister Rebecca . She remained there for the rest of her life, enjoying the activities of her extended family. She continued to write and produce illustrations of plants and animals, including a series of 50 large watercolors of the leaves of Pennsylvania trees, commission by the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission. They would be exhibited at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, the Pan American Exhibition in Buffalo in 1901, and the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition in St. Louis in 1904. Lewis also became active in several community organizations, including the Media Women Suffrage Association, of which she served as secretary for a number of years. She was active in the Women's Christian Temperance Union and was a member of the Women's Club of Media, which she deemed "a very useful organization, taking hold of questions of real importance and giving courses of valuable lectures."

Graceanna Lewis died on February 25, 1912, following a stroke, and was buried in Media. On Memorial Day, 1915, the suffragists of Media held services at her gravesite to honor her work in both science and reform.