Mease, James, 1771-1846

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James Mease (Aug. 11, 1771-May 14, 1846), physician, scientific thinker and author, was one of Philadelphia's most prominent citizens and an ardent booster of both the United States and Pennsylvania. His interests were wide-ranging, as were his contacts with notable figures in science, agriculture and natural history in the United States and abroad. Mease was born in Philadelphia into a wealthy and patriotic shipping merchant family; during the Revolutionary War his father, John Mease, served in the Philadelphia Troop of Light Horse. James graduated from the College of the University of Pennsylvania, and received an M.D. degree in 1792 from the same institution. He married Sarah Butler, the daughter of a South Carolina senator, in 1800. During part of the War of 1812 the younger Mease served as a hospital surgeon. Mease was one of the managers of the "Company for the Improvement of the Vine," in connection with which he developed a vineyard; he was a prominent member of The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, a member, curator, and councilor of the American Philosophical Society, and one of the founders and first vice-president of the Philadelphia Athenaeum. Mease belonged to an informal international network of scientifically-inclined thinkers who shared information, books, pamphlets, geological samples, seeds, etc. in an ongoing exchange. He wrote to Count Rumford, to Sir Joseph Banks, sent a pamphlet to Cuvier, had a lively correspondence with the Scottish horticultural writer, John C. Loudon, and sent rocks to Donald Stewart, mineralogist of the Dublin Society. On the subject of the Pennsylvania penal system and general criminal reform he wrote to the President of the United States, cabinet department heads, state governors, and numerous federal and state legislators. He was interested in a wide range of agricultural and horticultural topics, in various technologies, in geology, in the medicinal properties of plants. All together these papers render a portrait of a remarkably intelligent, dedicated and thoughtful individual.

From the description of James Mease papers, 1794-1848. (University of California, Los Angeles). WorldCat record id: 738619454

Philadelphia physician.

From the description of ALS : Philadelphia, to Julius Timoleon Ducatel, 1834 Apr. 10. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122490278

From the description of ALS : Philadelphia, to Jane Aitken, 1810 Mar. 15. (Rosenbach Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 122541878

Physician and scientist of Philadelphia.

From the description of Letter, 1796, Sept. 6 : to Benjamin Rush, Philadelphia. (Duke University). WorldCat record id: 31705715

Physician, philanthropist and antiquarian of Philadelphia.

From the description of Papers, 1811-1842, Philadelphia. (Duke University). WorldCat record id: 35201001

Jared Sparks was a clergyman, editor, historian, and president of Harvard College; he became an American Philosophical Society member in 1837.

From the guide to the Jared Sparks selected papers, 1819-1863 Franklin Bache S. D. Bradford William Duane Peter S. Du Ponceau J. Francis Fisher George Gibbs Henry D. Gilpin Edward D. Ingraham James Mease William B. Reed Henry Stevens, Sr. Henry Stevens, Jr. Benjamin Vaughan Petty Vaughan William Vaughan There are also extracts from Sparks's journal, 1831-1841, relating to his Franklin researches. Table of contents (11 pp.). (Film 570), 1819-1863, (American Philosophical Society)

Biography

James Mease (Aug. 11, 1771-May 14, 1846), physician, scientific thinker and author, was one of Philadelphia's most prominent citizens and an ardent booster of both the United States and Pennsylvania. His interests were wide-ranging, as were his contacts with notable figures in science, agriculture and natural history in the United States and abroad.

Mease was born in Philadelphia into a wealthy and patriotic shipping merchant family; during the Revolutionary War his father, John Mease, served in the Philadelphia Troop of Light Horse. James graduated from the College of the University of Pennsylvania, and received an M.D. degree in 1792 from the same institution. He married Sarah Butler, the daughter of a South Carolina senator, in 1800. During part of the War of 1812 the younger Mease served as a hospital surgeon. Mease was one of the managers of the "Company for the Improvement of the Vine," in connection with which he developed a vineyard; he was a prominent member of The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, a member, curator, and councilor of the American Philosophical Society, and one of the founders and first vice-president of the Philadelphia Athenaeum

Mease belonged to an informal international network of scientifically-inclined thinkers who shared information, books, pamphlets, geological samples, seeds, etc. in an ongoing exchange. He wrote to Count Rumford, to Sir Joseph Banks, sent a pamphlet to Cuvier, had a lively correspondence with the Scottish horticultural writer, John C. Loudon, and sent rocks to Donald Stewart, mineralogist of the Dublin Society. On the subject of the Pennsylvania penal system and general criminal reform he wrote to the President of the United States, cabinet department heads, state governors, and numerous federal and state legislators. He was interested in a wide range of agricultural and horticultural topics, in various technologies, in geology, in the medicinal properties of plants. All together these papers render a portrait of a remarkably intelligent, dedicated and thoughtful individual.

From the guide to the James Mease Papers, 1794-1848, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)

James Mease was born on August 11, 1771, the son of Philadelphians John and Esther (Miller) Mease. After receiving his bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1787, he continued in medical school there, receiving his M.D. in 1792. Early in his medical career, Mease published several articles, and he served as a surgeon for nine months during the War of 1812. His published contributions to medical knowledge, however, were less significant than his contributions to several other fields. In addition to several medical works, Mease edited the well-received Domestic Encyclopedia (1803-04) and the two volume Archives of useful knowledge (1811-12), but he remains best known for his Picture of Philadelphia (1807) and his Geological Account of the United States (1807), which was among the earliest geological treatises by an American. A numismatist, Mease published "Description of Some of the Medals Struck in Relation to Important Events in North America" in the Collections of the New York Historical Society (vol. 3, 1821). Many of his papers were read before the American Philosophical Society, to which he was elected in 1802 and of which he was an officer, 1824-1836. He was a founder and first vice-president of the Philadelphia Athenaeum.

On July 3, 1800, Mease married Sarah Butler, the daughter of South Carolina Senator, Pierce Butler. They had two sons, both of whom changed their surnames as adults to Butler in order to secure an inheritance. One of the sons, Pierce Butler, married the renowned stage actress, Frances Anne Kemble. James Mease died in Philadelphia on May 14, 1846, and was buried in the cemetery of Third Presbyterian Church.

From the guide to the James Mease journal, Mease, James, 1835; 1841, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Mifflin, John F. (John Fishbourne), 1759-1813. Receipt book, 1800-1813. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. ALS : Philadelphia, to Julius Timoleon Ducatel, 1834 Apr. 10. Rosenbach Museum & Library
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Library. Miscellaneous Manuscripts Collection. 1668-1983. American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Documents, 1728-1816, relating to the province of Pennsylvania and to the American Revolution, 1728-1816 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Mitchill, Samuel L. (Samuel Latham), 1764-1831. Letters, 1794-1827. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Selected papers relating to Benjamin Franklin, ca. 1819-1863 American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. Letter, 1796, Sept. 6 : to Benjamin Rush, Philadelphia. Duke University, Medical Center Library & Archives
creatorOf Baily, Jeremiah. Letters, to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1821. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. Letter, 1792 June 16, Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania], to Thomas Jefferson, High Street, [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. William & Mary Libraries
creatorOf Hulme, Peter. Letter to Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1845. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Browne, Peter A. (Peter Arrell), 1782-1860. Letters to Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1844-1850. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Barnard, Hannah, 1754?-1825. Letters to James Mease, 1825. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Taylor, John, 1753-1824. John Taylor of Caroline letters to James Garnett [manuscript], 1809. University of Virginia. Library
creatorOf Townsend, David, 1787-1858. Letter, to James Mease, 1821. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Bell, Whitfield J. (Whitfield Jenks). American manuscripts, 1703-1806, from the British Museum. American Philosophical Society Library
referencedIn Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Miscellaneous letters, 1744-1894. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Marshall, Humphry, 1722-1801. Humphry Marshall Papers, 1721-1863 (bulk: 1760-1800). William L. Clements Library
creatorOf Busti, Paul. Letters to Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1821, n.d. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. Papers, 1775-1825. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf McArthur, Duncan, 1772-1839. Papers, 1799-1835. Ohio History Connection, Ohio Historical Society
referencedIn Franks Family Papers, 1711-1821, [1965-1968] American Jewish Historical Society
creatorOf Harrison, Benjamin. Letter to James Mease, 1825. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. Letter, 1792 October 12, Philadelphia, [Pennsylvania] to Tho[ma]s Jefferson, [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]. William & Mary Libraries
referencedIn Featherstonhaugh, George William, 1780-1866. Papers, 1809-1840. American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Audubon, John James, 1785-1851. Robert B. Haines III collection, 1793-1834. Haverford College Library
referencedIn George William Featherstonhaugh papers, 1809-1840, 1809-1840 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. James Mease papers, 1794-1848. University of California, Los Angeles
creatorOf Autograph letters of naturalists, 1744-1894, 1744-1894 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf James Mease Papers, 1794-1848 University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division
creatorOf Garrigues, Edward, 1756-1845. Letter to James Mease, 1818. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Landwirthschaftlichen vereins in Bayern. Letters to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1821-1823. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn George Weedon Orderly Book, 1777-1778 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Vaughan, John, 1755-1841. Papers, 1768 - ca. 1936 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Howell, Samuel Ladd, 1787-1835. Letter to James Mease, 1814. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Jefferson, Thomas, 1743-1826. Correspondence regarding horticulture, and especially, gardening at Monticello [manuscript] 1796-1824. University of Virginia. Library
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIa, 1743-1806 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf American manuscripts, 1703-1806, from the British Museum, 1703-1806 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. Papers, 1811-1842, Philadelphia. Duke University, Medical Center Library & Archives
referencedIn John F. (John Fishbourne) Mifflin receipt book, 1800-1813, 1800-1813 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Gilpin, Joshua, 1765-1840. Letters to the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture, 1822. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. Letters, 1803-1846. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn John Holker Papers, 1777-1822 Library of Congress. Manuscript Division
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IId, 1837-1844 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Thomas Jefferson papers, 1775-1825, 1775-1825 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Miscellaneous letters, 1744-1894. American Philosophical Society Library
referencedIn New Sweden Records, 1650-1655 (1820) American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Baader, Joseph, Ritter von, 1763-1835. Letter to James Mease, 1828. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIc, 1826-1836 American Philosophical Society
creatorOf Patrick, John. Letters, 1823-1824. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Peters, Richard, 1743-1828. Letters, 1808-1825. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf Mease, James, 1771-1846. ALS : Philadelphia, to Jane Aitken, 1810 Mar. 15. Rosenbach Museum & Library
creatorOf Jared Sparks selected papers, 1819-1863 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Sparks, Jared, 1789-1866. Selected papers relating to Benjamin Franklin, ca. 1819-1863 American Philosophical Society Library
creatorOf Biddle, Nicholas, 1786-1844. Letters, 1821-1844. University of Pennsylvania Libraries, Van Pelt Library
creatorOf James Mease journal 1835; 1841 Mease, James William L. Clements Library
referencedIn American Philosophical Society Archives. Record Group IIj, 1898-1988 American Philosophical Society
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Birth 1771

Death 1846

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