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“B” is for Bartram, John (1699-1777) and William Bartram (1739-1823)

“B” is for Bartram, John (1699-1777) and William Bartram (1739-1823). Naturalists. John Bartram was born in Pennsylvania. A self-taught botanist, he became a participant in the international world of botanical exchange, sending seeds, bulbs, and cuttings of American plants to Europe. Bartram’s skill was recognized in the learned communities of American and Europe. His first botanical trip to South Carolina occurred in 1762 when he explored the interior of the state. He returned in 1765 for a longer trip to the southeastern British colonies. William Bartram, a keen botanist, accompanied his father on this second trip. William was a gifted illustrator. He is best known for his narrative of a series of expeditions in southeastern North America from 1772 to 1776. Bartram’s publication Travels Through North & South Carolina… was well-received and popular in Europe.

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Dr. Walter Edgar has two programs on South Carolina Public Radio: Walter Edgar's Journal, and South Carolina from A to Z. Dr. Edgar received his B.A. degree from Davidson College in 1965 and his Ph.D. from the University of South Carolina in 1969. After two years in the army (including a tour of duty in Vietnam), he returned to USC as a post-doctoral fellow of the National Archives, assigned to the Papers of Henry Laurens.