American ornithology: or, The natural history of the birds of the United States... By Alexander Wilson. With a sketch of the author's life, by George Ord, F. L. S. & c
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George Ord was an American naturalist, ornithologist and writer.
Background
George Ord was born on March 4, 1781, probably in Philadelphia, where his father, George Ord, formerly a sea-captain, had established himself in 1798 as a ship-chandler and rope-maker. His mother was Rebecca Lindemeyer, daughter of George and Judith Lindemeyer, said to be descended from early Swedish settlers on the Delaware.
Education
Of George Ord's early education there is no record, but he acquired somehow a broad and varied knowledge of both literature and science.
Career
George entered his father's firm in 1800 and continued the business for some years after his father's death in 1806, eventually retiring, probably in 1829, to live thereafter the life of a gentleman of leisure. At twenty-four he was the close friend and companion of Alexander Wilson, fifteen years his senior, who was then beginning his great work on American birds: American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States. Ord accompanied him on various excursions in the neighborhood of Philadelphia and his name not infrequently occurs on the pages of the Ornithology. Upon Wilson's premature death, Ord, who was one of his executors, took upon himself the completion of the work, editing Volume VIII, then ready for the press, and writing all of the text for Volume IX, which covered the birds depicted in Wilson's remaining drawings. Several years later, in 1824-25, he published another edition of the work with much additional material. Because of the excessive modesty which was one of his marked characteristics and his earnest desire not to detract from Wilson's credit, he concealed his participation whenever possible, and it is difficult in some instances to determine which paragraphs are his contributions.
In the ninth volume (1814) of the Ornithology, he published a life of Wilson, in which he paid full tribute to his lamented friend, the perpetuation of whose memory and the defense of whose work became the great purpose of his life. The appearance of Audubon's beautiful plates about the time that Ord was preparing his later edition excited Ord's jealousy to a high pitch, and with the aid of his friend Charles Waterton he did all in his power to discredit Audubon. The attacks were vigorously met by Audubon's friends and thus arose what has often been termed the Wilson-Audubon controversy, although Wilson had died long before the controversy began.
In 1818 Ord accompanied Thomas Say, Titian Peale, and William Maclure on what was perhaps his only extensive field trip, an expedition to Georgia and Florida resulting in the acquisition of many interesting collections. Besides the biography of Wilson he prepared memoirs of Say and C. A. Lesueur, an anonymous account of the zoology of North America for the second American edition (1815) of William Guthrie's New Geographical and Commercial Grammar, and a dozen papers on various subjects published in the proceedings of several societies. In later life he disposed of his manuscripts on philology, the results of forty years research, to Latham of London who used them with full credit in the compilation of his new edition of Johnson's Dictionary. Ord's profound learning received ample recognition in the honors conferred upon him by the scientific societies of Philadelphia. He attained the age of eighty-five, outliving most of his old friends and making no new ones. In his last years he was a recluse, withdrawn from the world, living among his books. Ord died in 1866 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(A reprint of the North American zoology 192 Pages.)
Membership
George Ord was a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and of the American Philosophical Society.
Personality
Quotes from others about the person
George Ord is described by Malvina Lawson, daughter of the engraver of Wilson's plates, as "a very singular person, very excitable, almost of pure nervous temperament. Proud, shy and reserved toward strangers; but expansive and brilliant with his friends. "
Connections
George Ord was married in 1815 and had a daughter who died in infancy and a son, Joseph Benjamin Ord, who became an artist and portrait painter.