MAYNARD, Charles
Johnson, naturalist
He was educated in the public schools, engaged in farming and made a study of natural history from his youth. He made extensive investigations of the vocal organs of birds, discovered the vocal organs of the American bittern, and made a specialty of the land shells of the West India genus Strophia, now known as Cerion. He began his work of the introduction of nature study into schools in 1875 and was instrumental in introducing a new method of instruction whereby children are taught to observe facts in nature and to reason about those facts and form their own conclusions.
He was vice-president of the Nuttall Ornithological club of Cambridge, Mass., in 1875, and an original member and president of the Newton Natural History society in 1891. He was originator and editor of Nuttal's Ornithological Bulletin (1881); editor of Nature Study in Schools (1899); and the author of Naturalist's Guide (1870); Birds of Eastern North America (1881); Manual of Taxidermy (1883); Butterflies of New England (1886); Eggs of North American Birds (1889); Contributions to Science (3 vols., 1889-96); Bahama Fruit Finch; Manual of North American Butterflies (1891); Sparrows and Finches of New England (1896); Monograph of the Genus Strophia (1896); Nature Studies, No. 2, Sponges (1898); Warblers of New England (1901); and contributions to scientific publications.
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume VII
He received his primary education at Hamilton academy; entered the U.S. Military academy in 1831, but resigned the same year on account of delicate health. He then studied anatomy, architecture, drawing and civil engineering, and practiced dentistry in Washington, D.C., 1836-90. He was professor of the theory and practice of dentistry in the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, 1857-90, and of the same in the dental department of the National university at Washington, D.C. He discovered the great diversity of form, situation and capacity of the maxillary antra; announced the existence of dental fibrils before their discovery by use of the microscope, and was one of the first if not the first (in 1838) to fill thoroughly with gold foil the nerve cavity, including the nerve canals in molar and bicuspid teeth, which operation he introduced in Europe in 1845. He declined the position of court dentist offered by Emperor Nicholas I. of Russia in 1845.
He invented, besides many instruments used in dental surgery, firearms and ammunition, and patented a priming to take the place of percussion-caps in firearms (1845); a reechloading rifle, called the Maynard rifle (1851), second patent (1859), which resulted in great increase in precision and was adopted by the U.S. government, by all American manufacturers of breech-loading arms and for military rifles of nearly all the nations of the world. He also invented a method of converting muzzle-loading into breech-loading arms (1860); a method of joining two barrels (rifle or short) by a device that permits either barrel to expand or contract, end wise, independently (1868), and a contrivance for indicating the number of cartridges in the magazine of a repeating firearm at any time (1886). He received honors from Prussia and Sweden for his inventions in fire-arms.
He was first married, Sept, 8, 1838, to Sophia Ellen, daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (Pike) Doty, and in 1869, to Nellie, daughter of William Long, of Savannah, Ga. He died in Washington, D.C., May 4, 1891.
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume VII
(Note: He is the father of George Willoughby, artist - see separate sketch)
MAYNARD,
George Willoughby, artist
He began the study of art in the National Academy of Design, New York city, in 1868, and studied under Van Lerius at the Royal Academy at Antwerp and traveled and studied in France, Germany, Austro-Hungary, Turkey, Greece and Italy, 1869-74. He became an assistant of John La Farge, with St. Gaudens, Millet and Lathrop, in the interior decoration of Trinity church, Boston, in 1875; engaged in painting portraits; and in 1877 made a special study of mural painting in England, France and Italy. He opened a studio in New York city in 1878; was elected a member of the Society of American Artists in 1880; an associate of the National Academy in 1883, and an Academician in 1885, and was a member of the American Water Color society and president of the Salmagundi Sketch club.
He taught drawing in the Cooper institute and the National Academy, and designed parts of the interior decoration for the Metropolitan opera house, New York; Keith's theatre, Boston; the Ponce de Leon hotel, St. Augustine, Fla.; William Rockefeller's home at Tarrytown, N.Y.; Whitelaw Reid's residence at Tarrytown, N.Y., and the dining-rooms of the Plaza, Imperial and Savoy hotels and the ball-room of Sherry's, New York city. He also received the commission for the decoration of the Agricultural building at the World's Columbian exposition in 1893, and received a medal of honor as one of the designers of the World's Columbian exposition. He made a specialty of portraits and figure group paintings, was awarded the Temple gold medal by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1884; the medal of honor by the American Art association in 1888; the Evans prize by the American Water Color society, and the Shaw prize by the Society of American Artiste. Besides portraits his paintings include: Vespers at Antwerp (1873) and 1776, exhibited at the Centennial exhibition of 1876; An Ancient Mariner (1883); Strange Gods (1885); The Portrait of a Child (1886); Old and Rare (1887); In Strange Seas (1889); Sappho, The Sirens, and Aurora (1899).
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Volume VII
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He paid his own way through college and was graduated at Amherst, valedictorian of the class, 1838. He was an instructor and principal of the preparatory department, East Tennessee college, 1838-40, and was professor of mathematics and natural history there, 1840-44. He was married, Aug. 30, 1840, to Laura Ann, daughter of the Rev. Azel Washburn of Royalton, Vt.
He was admitted to the bar in 1844, practiced in Knoxville, and was an unsuccessful candidate on the Whig ticket for representative in the 33d congress in 1852; elector on the Scott and Graham ticket, and elector at large on the Fillmore and Donelson ticket. He was a delegate to the Whig national convention of 1852; a member of the constitutional convention of Tennessee, 1865; a delegate to the Philadelphia Loyalists' convention, 1866, and president of the Border State convention, Baltimore, 1867. He was Native American representative from the second Tennessee district in the 35th, 36th and 37th congresses, 1857-63; and was chairman of the special committee to investigate the accounts of William Cullom, clerk of the house.
For his disloyalty his property was confiscated by the Confederate government in 1862, and he and his family were driven from eastern Tennessee. He was attorney-general of Tennessee, 1863-65, was a Republican representative in the 39th congress; being admitted to his seat near the close of the first session, and was re-elected to the 40th, 41st and 42d congresses, and as a representative at large to the 43d congress, serving 1866-75. He was chairman of the committees on southern railroads and banking. He was the defeated Republican candidate for governor of Tennessee in 1874; was U.S. minister to Turkey, 1875-80, and postmaster-general under President Hayes from August, 1880, until March 4, 1881. He received the degree of LL.D. from Amherst in 1862. He died in Knoxville, Tenn., May 8, 1882.
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans: Volume VII
MAYNARD,
Washburn, naval officer
He was a student in the public schools of Westboro, Mass.; attended the East Tennessee university through the junior year and received private instruction, under the Rev. Frederick Esperandieu, near Knoxville. He was graduated at the U.S. Naval academy in June, 1866; was promoted ensign, March 12, 1868; master, March 26, 1869; and lieutenant, March 21, 1870.
He was married, Oct. 4, 1871, to Bessie, youngest daughter of the Rev. Charles Timothy, and Harriet Lyman (Hazard) Brooks of Newport, R.I. Of the children of this marriage, all of whom were born in Newport, George Stevens Maynard was born Jan. 23, 1873; Edward Washburn Maynard, Sept. 13, 1875, and Robert Washburn Maynard, Oct. 19, 1879.
He served on the California, Saranac and Richmond of the Pacific fleet, 1872-74, on special duty in connection with the seal fisheries, 1874-75, and on the iron-clad Wyandotte on the North Atlantic station in 1876. He was engaged on the coast survey, 1876-77, commanded the coast-survey steamer Fathomer in 1877, and was attached to the Tennessee on the North Atlantic station, 1879-82. He was promoted lieutenant-commander, Sept. 27, 1884; served on the Brooklyn on the North Atlantic and Asiatic stations, 1885-87; at the bureau of ordnance, 1887-91; commanded the Pinta, 1891-93, and served in the bureau of equipment, 1893-97. He was promoted commander, Sept. 27, 1893; commanded the Nashville Aug. 19, 1897, to July, 1899, and during the Spanish-American war, from April to August, 1898; was made lighthouse inspector of the 2d district, Dec. 12, 1899, and on March 9, 1900, was promoted captain.
The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans:
Volume VII
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