Background
Eaton was born in Seabrook, New Hampshire, and moved to a family farm in Salisbury, Massachusetts when he was twelve.
Eaton was born in Seabrook, New Hampshire, and moved to a family farm in Salisbury, Massachusetts when he was twelve.
He finished a four-year high school education within two years at Putnam School in Newburyport.
He worked as a teacher for a year in Seabrook, and for three more in California, along with farming. After returning to New England, he decided to become a florist due to pressure from poor health. He went on three field trips to Florida and one to Europe for the Ames Botanical Laboratory in Easton, Massachusetts.
He frequently contributed to the Fern Bulletin and developed an Herbarium for the Society.
Until his death in 1908, he was curator of the herbarium.
He was a member of the Linnean Fern Chapter, precursor to the American Fern Society.