William Baldwin papers

William Baldwin (1779-1819) was a physician and one of the first botanists to explore the American Southeast, especially Georgia and Florida, and parts of Latin America and the West Indies. He was the initial botanist on Stephen Long's expedition to find the headwaters of the Missouri River. Sadly, he died at Franklin, Missouri six months into the expedition.

He is known to the history of botany through his friend and biographer William Darlington and his plant collections which are located in the William Darlington Herbarium, West Chester, Pa and the Herbier Durand at Paris. Baldwin's personal herbarium was sold to Zaccheus Collins after his death and subsequently purchased by Lewis von Schweinitz. Although von Schweinitz discarded Baldwin's labels, lists of his collections and von Schweinitz's commentaries are found in the Lewis David von Schweinitz collection in the NYBG Archives. The von Schweinitz herbarium is located at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

Baldwin was born in Newlin, Chester County, PA. He became interested as a child in botany through his acquaintanceship with Dr. Moses Marshall, nephew of Humphry Marshall. In 1802 he began the study of medicine under Dr. William A. Todd at the University of Pennsylvania. There he met Darlington. Baldwin nursed him through an illness and earned Darlington's lifelong friendship.

In 1805, short of money to continue his studies, Baldwin enlisted as ship's surgeon on a merchant ship which went to Canton by way of Antwerp. In 1807 he was awarded his medical degree and he married Hannah M. Webster and moved to Wilmington DE where he opened a practice. They would have four children.

In 1811 he began a correspondence with Henry Muhlenberg who introduced him to Stephen Elliott. Baldwin's contributions to his "Sketch of the Botany of South Carolina and Georgia" were acknowledged by Elliott in his book.

Baldwin collected in Georgia and in territory occupied by the Creek Indians in Florida. He was extremely sympathetic to them, comparing them favorably to those of his own race who would conquer them. In 1817 Baldwin was named a corresponding member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

In 1818, he was appointed ship's physician on the US. Congress and accompanied Rodney's diplomatic mission to South America. He collected in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janiero and Uruguay.

The Long expedition left on March 24, 1819. Baldwin fell ill at Franklin, MO and resigned from the expedition, remaining behind. He died there on Sept. 1, 1819 and was buried beside the Missouri River. Darlington tried unsuccessfully to obtain a military pension for Hannah Baldwin and their children. In 1843 he published Baldwin's collected letters. These were reprinted with a new introduction by Joseph Ewan in 1969.