Reuben Haines III facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Reuben Haines III
|
|
|---|---|
| Born | February 8, 1786 |
| Died | October 19, 1831 (aged 45) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|
| Resting place | Germantown Friends' Meeting House Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Known for | animal science, agricultural science, meteorology, ornithology, firefighting |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | naturalist, ornithologist |
| Institutions | Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia |
Reuben Haines III (born February 8, 1786 – died October 19, 1831) was a very active and important person from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a Quaker farmer, brewer, and a strong supporter of ending slavery. He was also a scientist who studied animals and weather, a firefighter, and someone who loved helping others and improving schools.
Reuben Haines III helped start the Philadelphia Hose Company. This was the first group in the United States dedicated to fighting fires using water pumped through long leather hoses. He also helped create the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, which focuses on plants and gardening. For 17 years, he was a key leader at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. He even brought the first Alderney cattle (a type of cow) to the United States.
Haines owned the historic Wyck House in Germantown, Pennsylvania. This house is still famous today!
Contents
About Reuben Haines III
His Family and Home
Reuben Haines III was born into a wealthy Quaker family. They had many important friends and connections. His great-grandfather, Caspar Wistar, was a famous glassmaker. Reuben's family had owned the Wyck House in Germantown since 1692. This house was passed down through generations.
Reuben married Jane Bowne in New York on May 12, 1812. They had nine children together. One of their daughters, Jane Reuben Haines, took care of the Wyck House after her father passed away.
Where He Lived
Reuben Haines spent some of his childhood at the Wyck House in Germantown. This house is now a National Historic Landmark. In 1793, a terrible yellow fever sickness spread in Philadelphia. To stay safe, his family moved to the Wyck House.
From 1794 to 1797, Reuben lived at Wyck. He helped his father build a stone barn and a brewery there. After his father died in 1801, Reuben moved back to Germantown. Later, he lived in Philadelphia with his mother.
When Reuben married in 1812, he and Jane moved into a new house in Philadelphia. This house sometimes hosted famous "Wistar Parties." These were gatherings of smart people, including scientists and thinkers.
In 1820, Reuben and his family moved to the Wyck House permanently. He wrote in his diary on June 1, 1820, that he had moved all his belongings from Philadelphia to Germantown.
His Education and Early Life
Reuben Haines went to boarding school in Burlington, New Jersey, and then in Philadelphia. He was part of the first group of students at Westtown School. This was a private Quaker boarding school in Pennsylvania.
At Westtown, Reuben became friends with Thomas Say, a famous zoologist and explorer. He also learned about many science topics, like astronomy and natural history. He left Westtown after three years when his father died.
After school, Reuben worked in a store owned by his uncles. During this time, he also took classes at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied birds and plants with Benjamin Smith Barton. He learned chemistry from Thomas Cooper and medicine from Benjamin Rush.
In 1809, Reuben decided he wanted to focus on learning and being with good friends. He used his family's money to support himself. This money came from properties, the Germantown Brewery, and investments.
His Important Work
Fighting Fires in Philadelphia
Reuben Haines was a key person in starting the Philadelphia Hose Company. He held the first meeting for this group at his home in 1803. At that time, he was working as a clerk for his uncle. The Philadelphia Hose Company was very important for making fire safety better in the city.
Helping Others and the Community
Reuben Haines used his money to help build important projects in Philadelphia. He invested in the Fairmount Water Works, which provided clean water to the city. He also supported the Philadelphia and Lancaster Turnpike, a major road.
Joining Scientific Groups
Reuben Haines was chosen to join the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia in 1813. He became the corresponding secretary in 1814. This meant he was in charge of connecting with scientists through letters. He built a large network of scientists in North America and other countries.
Even though Reuben didn't publish his own scientific papers, he helped other scientists. He reviewed their work and gave feedback. He was also a volunteer librarian at the Friends' Library.
In 1824, Reuben Haines was one of three members who suggested that John James Audubon join the Academy. Audubon was a very famous bird artist.
Discoveries in Animal Science
Reuben Haines made some interesting discoveries. He found one of the first Queen snakes (a type of snake) ever described. He found it on the second floor of his own home, the Wyck House!
He also collected a type of American fish called Catostomus vittatus. A scientist named Charles Alexandre Lesueur described this fish in 1817. Lesueur wrote that Reuben Haines found it in Wissahickon Creek near Philadelphia.
Reuben Haines also had a very old fossil in his collection. It was a Baculites ovatus, which is a type of ancient sea creature. This fossil was lost for over 180 years after his death. But in 2017, it was found again at the Wyck House!
His Love for Birds
Reuben Haines studied birds with Benjamin Smith Barton. He was the first person known to successfully breed Canada Geese in captivity in Pennsylvania. This means he raised them in a controlled environment.
Many famous bird experts visited the Wyck House between 1818 and 1828 to see his geese. These visitors included George Ord, Thomas Nuttall, Charles Alexandre Lesueur, and John James Audubon. Reuben even had lunch with Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who was a prince and a relative of Napoleon, after they went on a bird-watching trip!
Reuben Haines was one of the few people in Philadelphia who became good friends with Thomas Nuttall. Nuttall was a quiet person who loved his studies.
Improving Education
Reuben Haines was a strong supporter of education. He believed that all people should have the chance to learn. He especially supported the education of African American youth and the freedom of enslaved people.
He helped start the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb in 1821. This school, now called the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf, helps students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Reuben also hired Amos Bronson Alcott to teach at a new school in Germantown just before he died. Their families were close friends.
His Passing
Reuben Haines III died suddenly on October 19, 1831. He was buried in his family's plot at the Germantown Friends' Meeting House cemetery in Philadelphia.
A handwritten speech from his funeral described his importance. It said that when Reuben Haines joined the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, it was a small group just starting out. The speech said that Reuben Haines helped the Academy become successful.
