Patriot-Improvers: Members of the American Philosophical Society, Volume One, 1743-1768, Memoirs, American Philosophical Society (vol. 226)

When Benjamin Franklin adopted John Bartram's 1739 idea of bringing together the "virtuosi" of the colonies to promote inquiries into "natural secrets, arts and syances," the result was, in 1743, the founding of the American Philosophical Society. In this “first systematic attempt to collect and preserve data on the lives of [the Society's first] members,” Bell records the early years of the Society through sketches of its first members, those elected between 1743 and 1769. Together, this s...