Torrey Botanical Society records

The Torrey Botanical Society is the oldest botanical society in America. Because of its gradual growth, the club's establishment date is often argued. Dr. Thomas Field Allen, who would eventually become the club's vice president, is said to have been the first to suggest the formation of the club. It is said that he first brought local flora samples to his then professor, Dr. John Torrey, for whom the club is named, in 1858 which started an informal meeting of collectors to go on excursions together. It was not until December 20th 1867 that the club started to keep records of their meetings. The first signed membership list at the time of the club's 1873 incorporation showed thirty-one members.

In 1860, Torrey's constantly growing personal herbarium contained 40,000 specimens and his personal library contained 600 volumes which he gave to Columbia College in exchange for free rent in a house on their campus. The first Torrey Botanical Club meetings were held in the Columbia College Herbarium which was located on 49th Street and Madison Avenue at the time. Columbia was the club's headquarters for thirty years until it moved to its Morningside Heights campus in 1897 and a few years later the herbarium at Columbia was given to the New York Botanical Garden along with the papers and library of Dr. Torrey.

In the beginning, the club remained nameless for quite a while. By its members it was simply called "The Club," formally "The Botanical Club," and to outsiders the "Botanical Club of New York." But there was no official name until 1870 when William H. Leggett, one of the earliest founders, started up a monthly newsletter that he titled the "Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club." This bulletin was the very first botanical periodical in America. Leggett, who individually owned and operated the whole publication on his own, chose the club's name so he could title his bulletin. All the club members agreed that this name was perfect, except the very modest president at the time, Dr. John Torrey.

After trying for charter in early 1871, which was prevented from going through because of New York politics and corruption at the time, the club became incorporated on January 7th 1873. John Torrey passed away March 10th of the same year and so the club's name then became a well deserved monument to his memory. Dr. Torrey attended his last club meeting on January 29th 1873, being able to preside as president of the officially incorporated Torrey Botanical Club.

Many prosperous changes came to the club within the decade from 1880 to 1890 and an increased active membership to more than twice its existing size. The bulletin was taken in by the club and became no longer Leggett's personal responsibility in 1882. Then another club publication started in May of 1889 called "Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club" which was a regular series of lengthy club publications in monographic form.

Nathaniel Lord Britton joined the Torrey Botanical Club in 1875. Elizabeth Gertrude Knight, bryologist and later wife of Britton, joined the Torrey club in 1879. Britton had become the editor-in-chief of the club's publications in 1889, strengthening its prestige. The Britton's visited Kew Gardens in England and after Elizabeth Britton gave an enthusiastic illustrated report about their visit prompting the formation of a Botanic Garden Committee within the club to promote the establishment of a botanical garden in 1888. This movement took hold throughout New York City involving The American Museum of Natural History, Columbia University and newspapers such as the Herald and the Sun. Then in January 8th, 1889 the idea of the New York Botanical Garden was adopted, and on April 18th 1891, vacant park land was reserved by the New York State Legislature for the creation of "a public botanic garden of the highest class" for the City of New York. Traditionally, the Torrey Botanical Club meetings were held in the evenings, but starting on June 27th 1900 the club held an afternoon meeting at the New York Botanical Garden to celebrate "Torrey Day," a day to honor their namesake, and changed their evening meetings to afternoon.

In the same year the Bulletin grew to 700 pages and included many plates within the publication. To touch on more popular topics instead of technical ones, the club started the publication called Torreya, named after Dr. Torrey and the pine tree species, Pinus torreyana, which was named for him in 1838. In the following year the publishing of club proceedings were transferred from the Bulletin to Torreya which published short papers, general interest notes, field excursion reports and obituaries. In 1997 the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club then became known as The Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society marking the club's renaming.

From its beginning in 1870, the Bulletin featured a section entitled Index to American Botanical Literature. This useful component indexed journal articles pertaining to the botany of the Americas. It was first reprinted on index cards which were sold to a limited number of libraries and would eventually be compiled into printed volumes covering the years 1886-1976. The online version of the index covers the years 1996 to the present but is incomplete in its retrospective coverage.

The Torrey Botanical Society continues to hold regular meetings and hosts free field excursions in the New York area to members and non-members alike.

For further information on the club's early history see:

Barnhart, John H. Historical sketch of the Torrey Botanical Club. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club, v. 17. pp12-21.

Hollick, Charles A. Torrey Botanical Club reminiscences. Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club, v. 17, pp. 29-30

Rickett, Harold William. The Torrey Botanical Club: a retrospective. Garden Journal v. 17 pp. 3-4 (December 1967)

Rusby, Henry H. A historical sketch of the development of botany in New York City. Torreya, v. 6 pp 101-111