George Ord Collection, American Philosophical Society

George Ord made important contributions as an ornithologist and writer but is also famous for his contempt of fellow ornithologist, John James Audubon. Ord devoted most of his scientific endeavors to the study of birds and mammals but also had a fascination for words. Throughout his life he published numerous articles of a scientific nature and assisted in the completion Alexander Wilson's life's work, American Ornithology; or, The Natural History of the Birds of the United States. Ord also left his mark as a member of the American Philosophical Society and as the president of the Academy of Natural Science of Philadelphia. The George Ord collection consists primarily of outgoing personal correspondence to Charles Waterton ranging from 1831 to 1866 highlighting his professional as well as personal affairs most notably his hostility towards John James Audubon. The collection is supplemented by correspondence of Ord's to and from various individuals regarding personal and business matters.

Background note

Although George Ord was a devoted naturalist, ornithologist, and writer, he is also noted for his animosity towards famous ornithologist John James Audubon. Ord was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to George Ord, a retired sea captain and rope maker, and Rebecca Lindemeyer. He was educated in Philadelphia and became interested in the study of science and literature at an early age. Following in his father's footsteps, Ord joined his father in his rope-making business in 1800 and continued in the business after his father's death in 1806, finally retiring from the business in 1829 to devote more time to science. In 1804, Ord married Margaret Biays, daughter of the Baltimore rope maker and shipbuilder Joseph Biays. Before Margeret died in 1808, the couple had three children, only one of whom survived to adulthood. Ord's second wife, whose name is unknown, battled mental illness for most their marriage.

Shortly after his first marriage, Ord befriended the Scottish poet and naturalist Alexander Wilson, who became one of his greatest influences. Wilson died in 1813 leaving Ord to finish the eighth volume of Wilson's greatest work, American Ornithology. One year later, Ord published the ninth and final volume of this great work.

In addition to a tribute to his friend entitled, Sketch of the Life of Alexander Wilson, Ord wrote memoirs on the lives of fellow naturalists Thomas Say and Charles A. Lesueur. He also contributed numerous articles that appeared in many of the scientific periodicals of the day, including the British Annals and Magazine of Natural History, the Transactions of the American Philosophical Society, and the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Despite these publications, Ord is most remembered for his less than friendly relationship with John James Audubon. In fact, Ord detested Audubon and called him a "impudent pretender" and "neither a scholar nor philosopher." He described Audubon's book, Birds of America, as "stupid" and felt that his illustrations were "vile." After Audubon's death, Ord wrote that he believed his autobiography was a "fable" and that "little reliance can be placed on his [Audubon's] narrative." Audubon was not the only ornithologist to receive harsh words from Ord. He once wrote that he felt botanist and naturalist Thomas Nuttall was a "presumptuous ass" who deserved the "lash." Ord was known for his harsh words and strong opinions and he may have felt threatened by the success of others in his field.

In 1815, Ord became a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Two years later Ord became a member of the American Philosophical Society, serving as secretary, vice president, librarian, treasurer, and councilor. He later served as president of the ANS from 1851 to 1858, a position that he "never sought after." He resisted the position because of his age and "infirmities," and his "habits of retirement," which had rendered him "averse to company and the turmoil of life." Moreover, Ord plunged further into the life of a recluse with each passing year. Ord's health was not always well, he suffered from poor eyesight, regular bouts of Influenza, and various attacks on his health. Ord died on 24 January 1866 and is buried in Philadelphia next to friend and mentor Alexander Wilson.

Scope and content

The George Ord Collection is a significant resource for the study of the life of George Ord an important figure in the field of ornithology during the 19th century. The collection is primarily comprised of outgoing correspondence from Ord to Charles Waterton between 1831 and 1864, regarding fellow ornithologists, his everyday activities, and his personal affairs. Letters to and from Ord from various individuals, including Titian Ramsay Peale, who struggled with his career after the 1848-52 Wilkes expedition, are part of the collection. This collection clearly draws a picture of Ord's personality as an outspoken opinionated individual.

Ord's animosity towards John James Audubon is well represented through out the collection. He complains that Audubon was a fake and unworthy of the high esteem that he received as an ornithologist from colleagues and he contests numerous aspects of Audubon's writings and detests his drawings. His close personal relationship with Waterton is also illustrated in this collection. Through his correspondence with Waterton a clear picture is drawn of his close but at times distant relationship with Charles Lucien Bonaparte, an influential ornithologist and nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.

In addition to his quick temper and strong opinions, other aspects of Ord's personality are also revealed through various letters. He mistrusted paper money and believed that the United States bank had "probably committed more frauds, and has been the occasion of more mischief and suffering, than any similar corporation that ever was erected." Although at times mistrustful, Ord was generally optimistic towards emerging technologies, such as photography, steam-power, and telegraphic communication, feeling that he lived "in an age of wonders."

Many of the letters in this collection discuss Ord's feelings on everyday matters and many of the issues that concerned ornithologists of the day, such as the description of rattlesnakes and avian taxonomy. Most of the material relating to his membership at the APS and the ANS are found not in his correspondence to Waterton but in the remaining correspondence from various individuals.

Administrative information

Restrictions

None.

Provenance

Ord's correspondence with Charles Waterton was acquired in 1942 and 1975. Other letters to and from Ord have been acquired from miscellaneous sources..

Preferred citation

Cite as: George Ord Papers, American Philosophical Society.

Processing information

Catalogued by Leigh McCuen, 2001.

Additional information

Related material

Ord appears as a correspondent in a number of manuscript collections at the APS including the papers of John Lawrence Le Conte, Charles Waterton, Isaac Hays, John Torrey, William Darlington and the Peale-Sellers Family correspondence. As a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Ord also appears in the Library Committee records of that collection.

The APS also houses a collection of the Papers of Charles Waterton and family.

References

Robert McCracken Peck, "George Ord," American National Biography 16 (1999): 755-756.

Abolitionists--United States--Attitudes	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 March 4
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1852 January 27
American Philosophical Society	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885, 1845 December 21 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 February 10
Animals--Habits and behavior of.	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 September 23
Audubon, John James, 1785-1851	AMsS 1831 July 20 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1832. April 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1833 April 28 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1835 April 15, 16, 17 AL to Charles Waterton, 1835 September 29 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1841 September 30 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1843 August 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1844 February 24 AL to Charles Waterton, 1845 June 22 Als to Charles Waterton, 1849 April 30 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 September 3 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 October 7,8
Audubon, John James, 1785-1851. Birds of America	AMsS 1831 July 20
Banks and Banking--United States	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1841 December 25, 27 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1842 March 17, 18
Biddle, Alexander, 1819-1899.	Vaughan, William,, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1842 July 6
Birds	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1834 November 15 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1835 March 16
Birds--Study and teaching	AMsS 1831 July 20 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1834 September 17 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 May 13
Bonaparte, Charles Lucien, 1803-1857	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1841 September 18 TLS Cy to Charles Waterton, 1842 November 21 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1845 August 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1845 October 24 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1846 May 24 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 March 4 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 September 3 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 August 11, 18 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 May 5 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 October 6 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 December 12 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 October 7,8
British Association for the Advancement of Science.	Wagner, Tobias, Ord, George, 1781-1866 1844 September 30
Brown, John, 1800-1859	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 March 4
Cholic Acid	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 June 3 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1862 November 3 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 January 18
Church buildings--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1862 April 20
Cicada (Genus)	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 October 6
Columbidia	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1834 September 17
Cuba--Insurrection, 1849-1851	ALS Charles Waterton, 1851 August 24 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1851 October 13 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 December 12
Cuckoos	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 November 29
Daguerreotypes	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1841 September 30
Dictionary of the English language. Johnson, Samuel, 1709-1784	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1858 August 22
Du Chaillu, Paul Belloni, 1831-1903	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 December 1 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 July 21 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 October 20
English language--Dictionaries	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1859 April 3
Famines--Ireland	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 September 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 October 22
France--19th Century	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 July 23
Frogs--United States	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 July 23
Frost--Great Britain	Waterton, Charles, 1782-1865, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1859 May 27
Garibaldi, Guiseppe, 1807-1882	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 March 10 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1864 May 8, 9
Geese	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1844 August 25 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1846 February 22 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1853 April 17
Gold mines and mining--California--19th Century	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 December 17, 18 Als to Charles Waterton, 1849 April 30 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 March 4 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 February 18 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 July 8
Gray, John Edward, 1800-1875.	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 December 19
Great Britain--Foreign relations--Russia	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1854 March 19
Harpers Ferry (W. Va.)--History--John Brown's Raid, 1859	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 March 4
Heatstroke	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 August 23
Hunter, John Dunn, 1798?-1827.	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 December 1 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 October 20
Immigrants--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1853 June 26
Influenza--United States	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 May 5
Irish--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 May 13
Italy--Revolution of 1848	Als to Charles Waterton, 1849 April 30
Italy--War of 1859	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 November 29
Jardin, William, Sir, 1800-1874	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1845 December 21 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1858 August 22
Kagoshima-shi (Japan)	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 December 19
Kane, Paul, 1810-1871.	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1844 December 4
Memorials--Great Britain	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1862 July 27
Mercury	Sartori, John B., ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1846 September 20.
Mexican War, 1846-1848	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1846 May 24
Monk, Maria, d. 1850	ALS Charles Waterton, 1851 August 24
National Gallery of Art (U.S.)	Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885., ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1845 July 3
National Institute for the Promotion of Science.	Peale,Titian, Ramsay, 1799-1885, ALS to Ord George, 1781-1866 1843 March 14
Nuttall, Thomas, 1786-1859	AL to Charles Waterton, 1835 September 29
Partridges	Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1845 May 20
Peale's Museum (Philadelphia, Pa.)	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1838 March 27 AL to Charles Waterton, 1845 June 22 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1854 December 7
Peale, Charles Willson, 1741-1827--Art collections.	Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1845 May 20
Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1838 March 27 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1846 May 24 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1848 September 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 October 6 ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1852 December 4 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 October 7,8 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 January 18
Philological Society (Great Britain)	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1859 April 3
Potatoes	Darlington, William, 1782-1863., ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1847 August 18
Railroads--19th Century	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1843 August 23
Raleigh, Walter, Sir, 1552?-1618.	Darlington, William, 1782-1863., ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866. 1847 August 18
Rattlesnake	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1832. April 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1833 April 28 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1835 April 15, 16, 17 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1852 October 7,8
Reptiles	AL to Charles Waterton, 1834 July 16
Roux de Rochelle, 1762-1849.	Du Ponceau, Peter Stephen, 1760-1844., ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1844 January 13
Royal Society (Great Britain)	Vaughan, William,, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1842 July 6
Russia--Foreign relations--Germany--Prussia	Waterton, Charles, 1782-1865, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1859 May 27
Sea monsters	AL to Charles Waterton, 1834 July 16
Secession--Southern States	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 June 2 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 March 10
Skin--Diseases--Treatment	ALS to Waterton, George, 1782-1865 1853 July 31
Slaves--Emancipation--America	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1864 October 2
Smithsonian Institution	TLS Cy to Charles Waterton, 1842 November 21 Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1799-1885, ALS to Ord, George, 1781-1866 1844 November 26
Smoking--Health aspects--United States	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1864 March 20
Soap trade--Pennsylvania	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1849 October 22 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1850 February 18
St. Paul's Church (Philadelphia, Pa.).	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 December 1
Steam-navigation--Atlantic Ocean	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1858 August 22
Steamboat disasters	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1841 September 18
Stout Family	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 March 11
Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 1811-1896 Uncle Tom's Cabin.	ALS to Waterton, George, 1782-1865 1853 July 31
Telegraph	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1858 August 22
United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842).	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1852 January 27
United States--Civil War 1861 1865--Participation Foreign	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1862 November 3 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 January 18
United States--Civil War, 1861-1865	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 July 21 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1862 April 20 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 August 23 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 October 24 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1864 October 2
United States--Civil War, 1861-1865--Economic aspects	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1863 May 23
United States--Politics and government--1861-1865	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 June 2
United States. President (1861-1865 : Lincoln).	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1860 November 29 ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 March 10
Waterton, Charles, 1782-1865.	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1844 December 4 ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1852 January 27
Wied, Maximilian, Prinz von, 1782-1867.	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1844 December 4
Wilkes, Charles,	Peale, Titian Ramsay ALS to Ord, George, 1845 July 3
Wilkes, Charles, Narrative of the United States exploring expedition.	ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1844 December 4 ALS to Peale, Titian Ramsay, 1845 December 21
Williams, Eleazer, 1787-1858	ALS to Charles Waterton, 1861 December 1