Henry Perrine facts for kids
Henry Perrine (born April 5, 1797 – died August 7, 1840) was a doctor, a plant expert, and a United States Consul in Mexico. He was very keen on bringing new tropical plants to grow in the United States.
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Henry Perrine's Early Life
Henry Edward Perrine was born on April 5, 1797, in New Jersey. When he was young, he taught school for two years. He then studied medicine and became a doctor at age 22. He moved to Ripley, Illinois, where he worked as a doctor for five years. During this time, he also helped with the Underground Railroad, a secret network that helped enslaved people find freedom. In 1821, he accidentally got sick from arsenic poisoning. He never fully recovered from this illness. In 1822, he married Ann Fuller Townsend.
Studying Medicine and Plants
After his illness, cold weather bothered Dr. Perrine a lot. In 1824, he moved to Natchez, Mississippi, hoping the warmer climate would help him feel better. There, he started studying different herbs and medicinal plants.
Researching Quinine for Malaria
Malaria was a common illness in the Natchez area. Dr. Perrine began studying how to use quinine to treat it. He published his findings in a medical journal in 1826. His report was an important source of information about quinine for many years.
In 1825, Dr. Perrine and his family moved to his wife Ann's hometown in New York. He still felt he needed an even warmer climate. In 1824, he had applied for a diplomatic job in a tropical country. After sending copies of his quinine report to Washington in 1827, he was appointed United States Consul in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico. He served there for ten years.
Bringing Tropical Plants to Florida
Soon after Dr. Perrine arrived in Campeche, the U.S. Treasury Department asked all U.S. Consuls to find useful plants that could be grown in the United States. Dr. Perrine began looking into tropical crops to introduce. He sent seeds and plants to people he knew in the southern United States. Some of his plant samples are now kept at the New York Botanical Garden.
Finding the Right Place in Florida
Dr. Perrine was the only U.S. Consul to respond to the Treasury Department's request. Newspapers in the United States started writing about his work. Through letters with people in Florida, he became sure that the southern tip of Florida was the best place in the United States to grow tropical plants.
While still in Mexico and after returning to the U.S., he worked hard to get a land grant. He wanted to start a plant introduction station there. He was offered a site in Louisiana, but he turned it down. He believed only southern Florida had the right climate.
In 1838, Dr. Perrine, Judge James Webb, and Charles Howe started the Tropical Plant Company. It was officially recognized by the territory of Florida. Also in 1838, the United States Congress gave Dr. Perrine his request for a large piece of land (about 36 square miles) in southern Florida.
Life and Work in Florida
While waiting for the fighting with the Seminole people to calm down, Dr. Perrine and his family moved to Indian Key in the Florida Keys in late 1838.
Planting a Nursery
While living on Indian Key, Dr. Perrine started a tropical plant nursery on Lower Matecumbe Key. He also visited the settlement at Key Vaca. He treated the Bahamian people living there and tried to convince them to grow some of the tropical plants he was trying to establish in Florida. In April 1840, Dr. Perrine spent several days near Cape Sable planting seeds. Even though Seminole people were in the area, he continued his work.
Henry Perrine's Death
On August 7, 1840, Seminole people attacked Indian Key. The Perrine family woke up to gunshots and shouts. Henry Perrine quickly sent his family into the space under their house. He then covered the trap-door with a chest.
Ann Perrine and their three children moved to a safe area under the wharf behind the house. They were able to take a boat that the Seminoles had partly loaded with items. They headed for the United States Navy base on nearby Tea Table Key. Two Seminoles chased them in a canoe, but sailors in a whale boat rescued them. Dr. Perrine was killed in his house, which was then burned by the Seminoles. Several other people on the island were also killed. Some bones found in the burned ruins of the Perrine house were buried on Lower Matecumbe Key.
Henry Perrine's Legacy
Dr. Perrine had chosen Cape Sable for his land grant. After his death, his wife successfully asked for the grant to be moved to the shore of Biscayne Bay. It remained with the Perrine family. Part of the Perrine Grant later became the community of Perrine, Florida.
Dr. Perrine is also known for introducing the Key lime to the United States. This fruit has since been used to create many different types of citrus plants.
See also
In Spanish: Henry Perrine para niños
