Fanny Searls facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fanny Searls
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Searls c. 1870
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| Born | September 21, 1851 |
| Died | May 24, 1939 (aged 87) |
| Other names | Fanny Gradle |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Physician |
| Spouse(s) |
Henry Gradle
(m. 1881; died 1911) |
| Children | 2 |
Fanny Searls (born September 21, 1851 – died May 24, 1939) was an amazing American doctor and plant collector. She was also known as Fanny Gradle after she got married. A special plant, the Searls' prairie clover (Dalea searlsiae), is named after her!
Fanny was born in Waukegan, Illinois. She studied at Northwestern University and the University of Michigan. She earned her medical degree in 1877. After medical school, she worked as a student nurse at Bellevue Hospital. This was because it was hard for women to get medical internships back then.
Fanny was also a talented concert pianist. She was very good at collecting plants and rocks. She gave a collection of 215 plant samples from Nevada to Northwestern University. This collection included the plant later named Searls' prairie clover. She later moved to Santa Barbara, California, where she passed away in 1939.
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Fanny Searls' Early Life and Education
Fanny Searls was born on September 21, 1851. Her hometown was Waukegan, Illinois. Her father, Stewart Searls, was a lawyer. Her mother, Emily Cuthbert, was the daughter of a doctor.
Fanny went to school in Waukegan. Later, she attended the Northwest Female College in Evanston, Illinois. She earned a science degree from there in 1870.
Becoming a Doctor
After college, Fanny went to Northwestern University. She was one of the first women to join a co-educational class there. This means it was one of the first times boys and girls studied together. She was also one of the first women to graduate from the university's medical school.
Fanny earned her medical doctor degree from the University of Michigan in 1877. At that time, it was tough for women to get special training called internships. So, Fanny worked as a student nurse at Bellevue Hospital in New York instead.
Talented Musician
While in New York, Fanny also performed as a concert pianist. She had a natural talent for the piano from a young age. She even studied music with a famous composer, Richard Strauss.
On August 30, 1881, Fanny married Henry Gradle. He was an eye doctor, also known as an ophthalmologist. Henry later became a professor at Northwestern University, Fanny's old school. They lived in Chicago and also had homes in Waukegan and Santa Barbara.
Fanny and Henry had two sons. Their names were Harry, born in 1883, and Roy, born in 1892. After her husband passed away in 1911, Fanny moved to Santa Barbara. She died there on May 24, 1939.
Fanny Searls' Collecting Career
In 1871, Fanny went with her father to the Pahranagat Valley in Nevada. While there, she collected many interesting things. She found different kinds of rocks, fossils, and even quartzite with pieces of ancient sea creatures called crinoids.
Most importantly, she collected 215 different plant samples. She gave this collection to Oliver Marcy at Northwestern University. He then shared the samples with a famous botanist named Asa Gray.
New Plant Discoveries
Asa Gray studied Fanny's plant collection. He described and published information about four new plant species. One of these was a brand new discovery! It was called Petalostemon searlsiae A. Gray.
This plant is now known as Dalea searlsiae. It was named the Searls' prairie clover in honor of Fanny. This shows how important her plant collecting work was!
