William
Bartram was the son of John Bartram. John had been
declared by Linnaeus as "the greatest natural botanist
in the world." William extended his father's
explorations and made extensive plant collections as
well. As a result, William earned for himself an
outstanding reputation as an early American plant
explorer and a plant taxonomist as well. William
Bartram's accounts of the Indians among whom he spent
time and his descriptions of America as he saw it was
of much importance to the natural history of Eastern
America. Both John and William Bartram were well
acquainted with many of the political leaders of the
colonies and both corresponded with many distinguished
European botanists and horticulturalists.
William Bartram likewise traveled extensively
throughout Eastern United States and continued the
activities abroad which had made his father so
famous.
Reference: John and William Bartram Botanists
and Explorers, University of Pennsylvania Press
1940
