Albert S. Bickmore

Albert Smith Bickmore was born on March 1, 1839, and passed away on August 12, 1914. He was an American naturalist, which means he studied plants, animals, and other parts of nature.

Bickmore played an important role in creating the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. He was one of the museum’s founders, helping to start this famous place where people can learn about the natural world. His work helped make the museum a special spot for learning and exploration.

Childhood

Albert Bickmore was born on March 1, 1839, in a small town called St. George near Martinsville harbor in Maine. Growing up by the beach and close to a forest helped him develop a deep love for nature. As a child, he enjoyed collecting shells and sea urchins, learning the names of plants and animals, and skating on a nearby pond in the winter.

Bickmore’s community centered around the church and school. Books were rare, but he cherished a book called "Goldsmith's Natural History, Abridged," which had simple drawings of animals that he loved to study. When he was 8 years old, he traveled to France with his parents and sister.

Education

Albert Bickmore went to prep school in New London, New Hampshire and then studied at Dartmouth College. His favorite subjects were chemistry, geology, and mineralogy. The teachers at Dartmouth noticed his love for natural history and gave him a letter to study with a famous professor at Harvard named Louis Agassiz.

After graduating in 1860, Bickmore became one of Agassiz’s special students. He worked at Agassiz’s Museum of Comparative Zoology to help pay for his studies. During this time, Bickmore started dreaming of creating a Museum of Natural History in New York City. He believed New York should have a grand museum like the ones in Europe, since New York was an important city in America. When the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII, visited Cambridge, MA in 1861, Bickmore got to talk about his museum idea with Dr. Henry Acland from the University of Oxford. Dr. Acland’s support made Bickmore even more determined to build the museum, though others had tried and failed to get enough money for it before.

Civil War military service

In 1862, Albert Bickmore joined the 44th Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers. He served under Colonel Francis L. Lee and Major General John G. Foster. The regiment went to New Bern, NC and faced the Confederate Army, but Bickmore was not hurt. After the battle, he asked to keep weather records at a hospital near Cape Lookout. Later, he went back home to continue his studies at Harvard.

Book written

Albert S. Bickmore wrote a book called "Travels in the East Indian Archipelago" in 1868. He started his trip to collect shells mentioned in an old book. His journey through the East Indian Archipelago happened from April 1865 to May 1866. He reached Batavia on April 30, 1865, on a ship named Memnon from Boston.