Thoreau in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates

“Notice of the Death of Mr. Thoreau” (1862)

[51] UT “Notice of the Death of Mr. Thoreau” (1862) [Charles T. Jackson] Dr. Charles Thomas Jackson (1805–1880), brother of Lidian Jackson Emerson, was a physician and chemist who for many years served as an officer of the Boston Society of Natural History. In 1850, Thoreau became a corresponding member of the Society, which regularly acknowledged in its annual proceedings his donation of specimens and collections. Here, Jackson affirms the importance of Thoreau’s studies and contributions to the organization. henry d. thoreau was distinguished for the great accuracy of his observations , and for the thoroughness with which he executed every research upon which he entered. He was esteemed as an accurate land surveyor, the only business upon which he ever entered for pay. As a botanist he was highly esteemed by those who are the best judges of the subject. As an observer of the habits of animals he was unrivalled. He would wait all day, if it was necessary, for a bird to approach him. He said their curiosity would bring them to examine him if he would remain quiet long enough; and he generally managed to make familiar acquaintance with all living creatures he met with in his rambles through the forest. Thoreau had a genuine love of nature, and pursued natural history for his own gratification , and not with any ambitious views. He was greatly troubled to find that anything had escaped the observation of eminent naturalists, and seemed to be surprised that anything should have been left by them for him to discover. Thoreau was a man of original genius, and very peculiar in his views of society and the ways of life. He was conscientiously scrupulous, and was opposed to aiding or abetting, even by a poll-tax, measures which he did not approve of, and therefore got into trouble occasionally with the constituted authorities of the town, who could not indulge him in his opposition to a tax because any part of it might go to support the militia; so they twice shut him up in the jail, from whence his friends took him by paying his tax against his protest.1 thoreau in his own time [52] His published works are full of knowledge of the secrets of nature, and are enlivened by much quaint humor, and warmed with kindness towards all living beings. Those who knew Thoreau best loved and appreciated him most. Dr. Jackson proposed the following resolutions, which were adopted:— Resolved, That the Boston Society of Natural History has learned with profound regret the premature decease of their corresponding member, Henry D. Thoreau, of Concord, who was a most faithful and devoted student of nature, a keen and appreciating observer, whose researches, had longer life been granted him, promised important acquisitions to science. Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the mother and sister of this eminent naturalist, with expressions of the warm sympathy of this Society in their great loss. Dr. Jackson announced the donation of Mr. Thoreau’s collections to the Society. These consisted of: 1. His collection of New England pressed plants, numbering more than one thousand species, arranged by himself, together with those western plants collected in his journey of 1861. 2. His collection of birds’ eggs and nests, carefully identified by himself, composed of New England species. 3. The collection of Indian antiquities, consisting of stone implements and weapons (chiefly) found by himself in Concord. Note 1. Jackson is mistaken; Thoreau spent only one night in jail, in late July 1846. [Charles T. Jackson], Proceedings of the Boston Society of Natural History 9 (1865): 71–72. ...