Mary E. Byrd
Encyclopedia
Mary Emma Byrd was an American educator and is considered a pioneer astronomy teacher at college level.
to the reverend John Huntington Byrd and Elizabeth Adelaide Lowe as the second of six children. The family moved to Kansas
in 1855.
Her father was strongly opposed to slavery and the slave trade
. Her mother was a descendant of John Endecott
.
Her parents instilled in her a strong Puritan belief, making her a person of high moral principles. Her uncle, David Lowe
, a Kansas judge, who served for one term in Congress
, refused to seek re-election because he found "politics and ideal honesty incompatible".
She died of cerebral hemorrhage on July 13, 1934 in Lawrence, Kansas
and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.
She was one of a group of young women who were the pioneers of coeducation. Most notable in this group was probably Alice Freeman Palmer
.
She worked briefly at The Coast Star in Manasquan, NJ prior to her death.
In 1906, Byrd, at the height of her career, resigned from her positions at Smith because the college accepted money from Andrew Carnegie
and John D. Rockefeller
, which she found reprehensible. Upon her resignation, she returned to Lawrence, Kansas.
She continued writing, and contributed many articles to Popular Astronomy magazine
.
During her life Byrd was a member of:
Personal life
Mary E. Byrd was born November 15, 1849 in Le Roy, MichiganLe Roy, Michigan
Le Roy is a village in Osceola County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 267. The village is located within Le Roy Township.-Geography:...
to the reverend John Huntington Byrd and Elizabeth Adelaide Lowe as the second of six children. The family moved to Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
in 1855.
Her father was strongly opposed to slavery and the slave trade
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
. Her mother was a descendant of John Endecott
John Endecott
John Endecott was an English colonial magistrate, soldier and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. During all of his years in the colony but one, he held some form of civil, judicial, or military high office...
.
Her parents instilled in her a strong Puritan belief, making her a person of high moral principles. Her uncle, David Lowe
David Perley Lowe
David Perley Lowe was a Representative from Kansas.He graduated from the Cincinnati Law College in 1851 and was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in Cincinnati, Ohio. He moved to Mound City, Kansas in 1861 and continued the practice of law...
, a Kansas judge, who served for one term in Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
, refused to seek re-election because he found "politics and ideal honesty incompatible".
She died of cerebral hemorrhage on July 13, 1934 in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery.
Education
In the late 19th century it was very difficult for a young woman to get a decent education. This was no different for Mary Byrd and this is reflected in her education. She was a teacher, on and off, while trying to get an education.- Byrd graduated from Leavenworth High School.
- She attended Oberlin CollegeOberlin CollegeOberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
from 1871-1874. At a time when John Millott EllisJohn Millott EllisJohn Millott Ellis was a 19th century Abolitionist minister and intellectual who served as acting President of Oberlin College in 1871. He was a Professor of Philosophy at Oberlin from 1866 to 1896....
was the college president. She left Oberlin before graduating. - She graduated fom the University of MichiganUniversity of MichiganThe University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
with a degree of B.A. in 1878. - She studied under Edward PickeringEdward Charles PickeringEdward Charles Pickering was an American astronomer and physicist, brother of William Henry Pickering.Along with Carl Vogel, Pickering discovered the first spectroscopic binary stars. He wrote Elements of Physical Manipulations .Pickering attended Boston Latin School, and received his B.S. from...
at Harvard College ObservatoryHarvard College ObservatoryThe Harvard College Observatory is an institution managing a complex of buildings and multiple instruments used for astronomical research by the Harvard University Department of Astronomy. It is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and was founded in 1839...
. - She received the degree of Doctor of Philosophy from Carleton CollegeCarleton CollegeCarleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
in 1904.
She was one of a group of young women who were the pioneers of coeducation. Most notable in this group was probably Alice Freeman Palmer
Alice Freeman Palmer
Alice Freeman Palmer was an American educator.She was born Alice Elvira Freeman in Colesville, New York and brought up in Windsor, New York. Her parents both came from well-to-do families with interests in lumber, dairy farming and land...
.
She worked briefly at The Coast Star in Manasquan, NJ prior to her death.
Career
Mary Emma Byrd held many teaching posts. The most important:- 1883-1887 Teacher of mathematicsMathematicsMathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
and astronomyAstronomyAstronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
at Carleton CollegeCarleton CollegeCarleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S... - 1887-1906 Director of the observatory at Smith CollegeSmith CollegeSmith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Northampton, MassachusettsNorthampton, MassachusettsThe city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...
.
In 1906, Byrd, at the height of her career, resigned from her positions at Smith because the college accepted money from Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
and John D. Rockefeller
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller was an American oil industrialist, investor, and philanthropist. He was the founder of the Standard Oil Company, which dominated the oil industry and was the first great U.S. business trust. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of...
, which she found reprehensible. Upon her resignation, she returned to Lawrence, Kansas.
She continued writing, and contributed many articles to Popular Astronomy magazine
Popular Astronomy (US magazine)
Popular Astronomy was a magazine for amateur astronomers published between 1893 and 1951. It was the successor to The Sidereal Messenger, which ceased publication in 1892. Each yearly volume of Popular Astronomy contained 10 issues, for a total of 59 volumes.The first editor, from 1893-1911, was...
.
During her life Byrd was a member of:
- the Astronomical and Astrophysical Society of America (now the American Astronomical SocietyAmerican Astronomical SocietyThe American Astronomical Society is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC...
or simply AAS), - the Astronomical Society of the PacificAstronomical Society of the PacificThe Astronomical Society of the Pacific is a scientific and educational organization, founded in San Francisco on February 7, 1889. Its name derives from its origins on the Pacific Coast, but today it has members all over the country and the world...
- the British Astronomical AssociationBritish Astronomical AssociationThe British Astronomical Association is the senior national association of amateur astronomers in the UK.-Function:It encourages observational astronomy by non-professionals in areas which cannot be covered by professional observatories...
- the Anti-Imperialist League of Northampton.
Publications
Mary Emma Bird has written two books:- Laboratory Manual in Astronomy which was published in 1899 and is currently available as a reprint by BiblioLife, ISBN 978-1-110-12258-5
- First Observations In Astronomy: A Handbook For Schools And Colleges which was published in 1913 and is currently available as a reprint by Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 0548622744
Further reading
- Bailey, Martha J. ; Byrd, Mary Emma (1849–1934), astronomer. In American women in science, a biographical dictionary. Santa Barbara, Calif., ABC-CLIO, 1994. p. 46.; 1994
- Leonard, John William, editor-in-chief; Byrd, Mary Emma. In Woman's who's who of America. A biographical dictionary of contemporary women of the United States and Canada. 1914-1915; New York, American Commonwealth Co.; p. 152.; 1914