Benjamin Matlack Everhart
Born(1818-04-24)April 24, 1818
DiedSeptember 22, 1904(1904-09-22) (aged 86)
West Chester, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Resting placeOaklands Cemetery
OccupationMycologist
Parent
RelativesJames Bowen Everhart (brother)
Isaiah Fawkes Everhart (cousin)

Benjamin Matlack Everhart (April 24, 1818 – September 22, 1904) was an American mycologist from West Chester, Pennsylvania.

Biography

Everhart was born in 1818. His father, William Everhart, the son of a Revolutionary soldier, was a merchant, and a member of congress in 1853–55.[1] Benjamin was educated in private schools in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and spent his early life in mercantile business there and in Charleston, South Carolina, making a comfortable fortune.

From boyhood, he was an ardent student of botany, and after retiring from business in 1867 he devoted himself almost entirely to that science, particularly to cryptogamic botany. In connection with J. B. Ellis, of New Jersey, he was active in issuing yearly fifty volumes, called The Century of North American Fungi, each volume describing 100 species. At the same time, with William A. Kellerman, of Kansas, they published the Journal of Mycology.

He discovered many new fungi. The genus Everhartia was named by Pier Andrea Saccardo in Everhart's honour (in 1888),[2] as well as the following species:

The standard author abbreviation Everh. is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.[3]

Personal life

His brother James Bowen Everhart was a member of congress. His brother John R. Everhart was a surgeon and author.[1] He owned a mansion on West Manor Street in West Chester.[4]

Everhart died on September 22, 1904, in West Chester.[5] He was buried at Oaklands Cemetery.[4] A large portion of his estate was left to his cousin Isaiah Fawkes Everhart.[6]

Legacy

Following his death, Everhart donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) to West Chester for Everhart Park.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b West Chester, Past and Present; Centennial Souvenir. Daily Local News. 1899. p. 98. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Archive.org.Open access icon
  2. ^ Burkhardt, Lotte (2022). Eine Enzyklopädie zu eponymischen Pflanzennamen [Encyclopedia of eponymic plant names] (pdf) (in German). Berlin: Botanic Garden and Botanical Museum, Freie Universität Berlin. doi:10.3372/epolist2022. ISBN 978-3-946292-41-8. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  3. ^ International Plant Names Index.  Everh.
  4. ^ a b "Servants, Family and Friends Get Botanist's Wealth". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 25, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  5. ^ "World-Famed Botanist Dead in West Chester". Reading Times. September 23, 1904. p. 1. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ "Another Fortune for Dr. Everhart". The Scranton Truth. September 27, 1904. p. 2. Retrieved November 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  7. ^ "A Beautiful Park for West Chester". The New Era. November 18, 1905. p. 3. Retrieved December 29, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon

References

Attribution

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