Mary Strong Clemens
Encyclopedia
Mary Strong Clemens was an American botanist
and plant collector
. Born in New York
as Mary Knapp Strong, she married Joseph Clemens
, a Methodist Episcopalian
minister, in 1892. Throughout her life she collected plants assiduously, mainly in Asia, New Guinea
and Australia
. The latter part of her life was spent in Australia, where she died in Brisbane
, Queensland
.
Her husband joined the United States Army
in 1902 as a chaplain
, with the rank of Captain, and served in the Philippines
, America, and then France
during the First World War
, retiring in 1918. During the period spent in the Philippines in 1905-1907, she made extensive trips through Luzon
and Mindanao
. After her husband’s retirement, he became her assistant and the couple worked as a team of professional, full-time botanical collectors. Usually Mary collected the plants while Joseph dried them and prepared them for shipment.
Between the First and Second World War
s the Clemenses visited Hebei
and Shandong
provinces in China
as well as Indo-China, British North Borneo, Sarawak
, Java
and Singapore
. Especially notable are their visits to Mount Kinabalu
in northern Borneo in 1915, and again in 1931-1934, where they amassed the largest collections of plants ever made from that mountain.
In August 1935 they went to the Mandated Territory of New Guinea
where Joseph died in January 1936 of food poisoning from contaminated wild boar
meat. Mary continued to work in New Guinea
until December 1941 when she was compulsorily evacuated to Australia because of impending war.
In Australia Mary Clemens was allocated some space at the Queensland Herbarium
in Brisbane, in a shed behind the main building, which she used as a base from which she continued her botanical collecting. Although the provision of facilities at the Herbarium was intended to be temporary and occasional, she settled in for the next 20 years. Living in a hostel 5 km away, she would walk to the herbarium early in the morning, and sometimes cook meals and sleep in her shed there overnight, despite being ordered not to.
Mary Clemens had a strong religious faith, expressed in such ways as writing quotations from the Bible daily in her field journal, frequent hymn-singing that brought complaints from co-residents and neighbours, and payment for field-trip accommodation with scripture lessons and hymn-singing.
Mary Clemens restricted her botanical work in Australia to the state of Queensland and made field trips to Charleville
(1945), the Jericho
district (1946), the Mackay
area (1947), the Maryborough
district (1948), and to Ingham
and Tully
in North Queensland (1949). A broken hip in 1950 marked the end of extended field trips but she continued to work at the Queensland Herbarium until the early 1960s. She died peacefully at the age of 95.
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
and plant collector
Plant collecting
Plant collecting involves procuring live or dried plant specimens, for the purposes of research, cultivation or as a hobby.-Collection of live specimens:...
. Born in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
as Mary Knapp Strong, she married Joseph Clemens
Joseph Clemens
Joseph Clemens was an American Methodist Episcopalian chaplain, missionary and plant collector who served and worked in South East Asia and elsewhere. He was born in the rugged western English county of Cornwall. Later, his family migrated to Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and then moved to...
, a Methodist Episcopalian
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
minister, in 1892. Throughout her life she collected plants assiduously, mainly in Asia, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The latter part of her life was spent in Australia, where she died in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
.
Her husband joined the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
in 1902 as a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
, with the rank of Captain, and served in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, America, and then France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, retiring in 1918. During the period spent in the Philippines in 1905-1907, she made extensive trips through Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
. After her husband’s retirement, he became her assistant and the couple worked as a team of professional, full-time botanical collectors. Usually Mary collected the plants while Joseph dried them and prepared them for shipment.
Between the First and Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
s the Clemenses visited Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
and Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
provinces in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
as well as Indo-China, British North Borneo, Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Especially notable are their visits to Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu
Mount Kinabalu is a prominent mountain on the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. It is located in the East Malaysian state of Sabah and is protected as Kinabalu National Park, a World Heritage Site. Kinabalu is the tallest peak in Borneo's Crocker Range and is the tallest mountain in the Malay...
in northern Borneo in 1915, and again in 1931-1934, where they amassed the largest collections of plants ever made from that mountain.
In August 1935 they went to the Mandated Territory of New Guinea
Territory of New Guinea
The Territory of New Guinea was the Australia-controlled, League of Nations-mandated territory in the north eastern part of the island of New Guinea, and surrounding islands, between 1920 and 1949...
where Joseph died in January 1936 of food poisoning from contaminated wild boar
Boar
Wild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
meat. Mary continued to work in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
until December 1941 when she was compulsorily evacuated to Australia because of impending war.
In Australia Mary Clemens was allocated some space at the Queensland Herbarium
Queensland Herbarium
The Queensland Herbarium is situated at the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, Mount Coot-tha, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is part of Queensland’s Environmental Protection Agency...
in Brisbane, in a shed behind the main building, which she used as a base from which she continued her botanical collecting. Although the provision of facilities at the Herbarium was intended to be temporary and occasional, she settled in for the next 20 years. Living in a hostel 5 km away, she would walk to the herbarium early in the morning, and sometimes cook meals and sleep in her shed there overnight, despite being ordered not to.
Mary Clemens had a strong religious faith, expressed in such ways as writing quotations from the Bible daily in her field journal, frequent hymn-singing that brought complaints from co-residents and neighbours, and payment for field-trip accommodation with scripture lessons and hymn-singing.
Mary Clemens restricted her botanical work in Australia to the state of Queensland and made field trips to Charleville
Charleville, Queensland
Charleville is a town in south western Queensland, Australia, 758 kilometres by road west of Brisbane . It is the largest town and administrative centre of the Murweh Shire, which covers an area of 43,905 square kilometres...
(1945), the Jericho
Jericho, Queensland
Jericho is a rural village situated on the Capricorn Highway in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 census, Jericho and the surrounding region had a population of 309.-History:...
district (1946), the Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
area (1947), the Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
district (1948), and to Ingham
Ingham, Queensland
Ingham is a town in the Great Green Way region of North Queensland, Australia. The town was founded in 1864, gazetted a shire in 1879, and is the service centre for many sugarcane plantations, pioneered in the 1870s by William Ingham, for whom the town is named...
and Tully
Tully, Queensland
Tully is a small town in Queensland, Australia, adjacent to the Bruce Highway approximately south of Cairns by road and north of Townsville. At the 2006 census, Tully had a population of 2,457....
in North Queensland (1949). A broken hip in 1950 marked the end of extended field trips but she continued to work at the Queensland Herbarium until the early 1960s. She died peacefully at the age of 95.
External links
- Australian National Botanic Gardens Biography - entry on Mary Clemens Accessed 4 May 2007
- New York Botanical Garden - Biography of Mary Strong Clemens Accessed 4 May 2007