Florence M. Hawley facts for kids

Florence May Hawley Ellis (born Florence May Hawley) was a pioneering scientist. She was one of the first anthropologists to deeply study dendrochronology, which is a fancy word for tree-ring dating. This means she could figure out how old things were by looking at the rings inside trees!

Florence did a lot of research in the Southwestern United States. She studied both archaeology (the study of old human history through digging up artifacts) and ethnography (the study of human cultures). She also did some of the first tree-ring dating research in eastern North America.

She was known as a fantastic teacher. She inspired her students to think for themselves and work hard. Even though she faced challenges and was sometimes treated unfairly because she was a woman, she never gave up. She became a huge influence for her students and other women in her field.

Early Life and Family

Florence Hawley was born in Cananea Sonora, Mexico, in 1906. Her father was a chief chemist at a copper mine there. In 1913, her family moved to Miami, Arizona, because of the Mexican Revolution.

She got interested in archaeology at a young age. Her father would dig up old ruins around their home in southern Arizona. This sparked her curiosity about the past.

In 1936, Florence married an archaeologist named Donovan Senter. They had a daughter named Andrea. Later, in 1950, after they divorced, she married Bruce Ellis, who was a historian. They were married until he passed away in 1985.

Education and Teaching

Florence started teaching at the University of Arizona in 1929. There, she learned about dendrochronology from a class taught by A. E. Douglass. She loved it!

In the fall of 1934, she began teaching at the University of New Mexico. She taught there until she retired in 1971. Many professional anthropologists in the United States learned from her.

Even after retiring, she stayed active in her research until she passed away in 1991. She kept writing and digging at archaeological sites. She was so passionate about her work that even after breaking her hip, she went back to the field to supervise!

New Ways of Studying the Past

Florence broke new ground in her research. She developed and used new ways to study things. This included chemical analysis, tree-ring dating, ethnohistory (the study of cultures using historical records), and Ethnoarchaeology (studying how people lived in the past by looking at modern cultures).

She earned her first degree (a B.A.) from the University of Arizona in 1927. She studied English and also anthropology. The next year, she got her M.A. in anthropology.

She then went to the University of Chicago for her Ph.D. in anthropology. For her main research project, she studied her digs at Chetro Ketl. She used tree-ring dating and a method called stratigraphic dating. This helped her understand the history of Chetro Ketl much better.

A Demanding but Inspiring Professor

When Florence taught at the University of Arizona, the Great Depression caused money problems. She had to take a year off. In 1934, she got a job at the University of New Mexico. She earned less than the male professors, but she didn't let that stop her.

Florence was known as a tough but fair professor. She expected her students to learn and think for themselves. She taught over 20 different courses, many of which were usually taught by men. She often taught more classes than anyone else in her department!

She always brought new ideas and ways of thinking into her teaching. Her students knew they had to organize information and understand it well. They also had to know the important books and articles in their field. Even after retirement, she continued to teach students in the field.

Achievements and Recognition

Florence worked hard for equal opportunities for men and women. This was true in both jobs and professional recognition. She was part of the "Women's Movement" to help achieve this.

Because of her excellent research and teaching, she was honored at a special event. It was called the "Daughters of the Desert" symposium. She was recognized as a leader among women anthropologists in the Southwest.

In 1969, Florence was the President of the American Society for Ethnohistory. In 1987, she was honored again. She was one of 45 amazing women featured in a traveling exhibit. This exhibit was from the Smithsonian Institution and was also called "Daughters of the Desert."

The University of New Mexico gave her an honorary Doctorate of Letters in 1988. This was to recognize all her great accomplishments. The Ghost Ranch of Abiquiu, where she worked in the 1980s, has a large museum complex. It holds her huge library and is named after her.

Important Research

Florence used her tree-ring dating skills from A. E. Douglass's class. She applied them to the Chaco Canyon digs. She worked there with the University of New Mexico during the summers of 1929, 1930, and 1931.

She also studied ceramics (pottery) from Chetro Ketl and other nearby sites. Her dates for the pottery were proven correct by tree-ring dates. From the late 1950s through the 1960s, she led summer archaeology field schools.

One of her most exciting discoveries was San Gabriel de Yunge. This was the first Spanish capital of New Mexico, dating back to 1600. It was found near San Juan Pueblo. Her work on tree-ring dating helped create a timeline for the Southwest. Her skills are still very much needed today.

Tree-Ring Research in the East

Florence also did tree-ring research in eastern North America. This was some of the first work of its kind in that area. She started her research in the Midwest around 1933-1934.

She collected tree-ring samples and looked at archaeological wood. This wood came from the University of Chicago's digs in southern Illinois. In 1937, she continued her fieldwork in the Midwest. She collected 1000 living tree samples from eight different states. She wanted to see how trees recorded the climate across the Midwest.

In 1941, Florence published a book called Tree-Ring Analysis and Dating in the Mississippi Drainage. In it, she talked about the big problems she and her team faced. They were working with new types of trees. They were also working across a huge area. There wasn't much old wood left because of all the tree cutting. Plus, the wood wasn't preserved well because the soil was damp.

In 2019, the Tennessee Valley Authority found tree-ring data in their old files. Florence Hawley had collected this data, but she was never allowed to publish it back then.

Key Digs

Florence Hawley worked on many important archaeological digs. This included her work at the Chetro Ketl site in Chaco Canyon. Even after she retired, she kept offering field training to students. This training was based around the Ghost Ranch of Abiquiu.

In 1934, she and her team worked in western Kentucky. They also worked at the Wickliffe mounds and in the Norris Basin in Tennessee. They collected samples from living trees, charcoal, and modern wood. She also did work in the Mississippi Valley and many other Midwestern states.

See also

In Spanish: Florence M. Hawley para niños