Maunsell Schieffelin Crosby (February 14, 1887 - 1931) was an ornithologist, writer, and farmer. Crosby was the son of Ernest Howard Crosby, [1] a noted author and reformer who served in the seat in the New York State Legislature formerly held by Theodore Roosevelt. [2] Crosby was also a nephew of Eugene Schieffelin, the bird enthusiast who introduced the starling to the U.S. [3] The 1933 book The Birds of Dutchess County by Ludlow Griscom based much of its information on records compiled by Crosby. [4]
Crosby was born to Ernest Howard Crosby and Fanny Kendall Schieffelin Crosby in New York City on February 14, 1887. He graduated from Morristown School (now Morristown-Beard School) in Morristown, New Jersey in 1904. During his three years of study at Morristown School (1901-1904), Crosby grew his interest in ornithology. In 1915, he published an article titled "Some Notes from Morristown, N. J." in The Oriole, a magazine published by the Somerset Hills Bird Club in Somerset Hills, New Jersey. The article describes his experiences observing birds as a youth. [5]
In 1908, Crosby completed his bachelor's degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1908. While studying at the school, he ran for the Harvard Crimson's cross country team. [6] Following his graduation from the school, Crosby went on a three-month overseas trip to Western Europe. He traveled through the countries of England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and Austria-Hungary (now the countries of Austria and Hungary). [7]
Crosby and noted poet John Hall Wheelock were classmates at both Morristown School and Harvard; Wheelock and Crosby roomed together during their sophomore year at Harvard. [8] Wheelock later served as the best man at Crosby's wedding. [9]
Crosby made several expeditions to Central America and South America for the Museum of Natural History in New York City. In 1921, he traveled on an expedition to Panama with Ludlow Griscom that brought back about 500 species of birds. Many of these species had been previously unknown to scientists in the United States. [10]
Returning from his overseas trip to Europe, Crosby took over management of Grasmere, the family farm. His mother Fanny had operated Grasmere for 15 years after purchasing it from Margaret Livingston Lee. On the purchase of the Grasmere estate Fanny was supported by her mother Sarah Minerva Kendall Schieffelin, widow of Henry Maunsell Schieffelin, in 1894. [11]
Crosby raised livestock, including Jersey cattle, Brown Swiss cattle, Holstein Friesian cattle, hogs, chickens, turkeys, and ducks. He also grew apples, pears, potatoes, beans, and other crops. [7]
In 1987, Grasmere received a placement on the National Register of Historic Places. The property, which dates from the 18th Century, once served as the birthplace of William Alexander Duer, president of Columbia College (now Columbia University). [12]
Crosby worked at the Division of Forests at the New York State Conservation Commission (now the Department of Environmental Conservation) from 1912 to 1913. In 1912, he joined the 10th New York Infantry Division as a second lieutenant. Crosby received promotions to first lieutenant in 1914 and captain in the Quartermaster Corps on 1917. Later that year, he entered federal military service with an assignment to the New York State Arsenal. Crosby transferred to Camp Mills in August 1917. [7]
While serving in the military, Crosby was appointed to serve as an aide to Governor Charles S. Whitman. He served in that role from 1915 to 1917. [7]
Crosby developed a close friendship with Franklin Roosevelt during their days in Hyde Park, New York; [13] They were neighbors who shared a common interest in ornithology. [14] [15] The Hudson River Valley and Dutchess County Manuscript Collection at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum house many of Crosby's writings. The collection includes his birdwatching records, his scratch list of birds observed, and his six volume birding diary. [16] The ornithology collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. contains a black and white photograph of Crosby. [3]
Crosby also developed a friendship with noted artist John Butler Yeats. Writer and historian Van Wyck Brooks, a mutual friend, introduced them. Yeats sketched Crosby and his wife and spent time with them in Rhinebeck. [17]
Crosby's granddaughter, Susan Schieffelin McCabe Gillotti, wrote an extensive history of Crosby, their family, and their relationships with Wheelock and the Roosevelts. [18]
Crosby married Elizabeth Coolidge on June 11, 1908, during his senior year at Harvard. Crosby and Elizabeth Coolidge had two children together: Maunsell Howard Crosby and Helen Elizabeth Crosby. In 1916, Crosby and Elizabeth Coolidge divorced.
Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later organized in 1713. The county is part of the Hudson Valley region of the state.
Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of the United States.
Rhinebeck is a village in the town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The population was 2,657 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Connecticut.
Roger Tory Peterson was an American naturalist, conservationist, citizen scientist ornithologist, artist and illustrator, educator, and a founder of the 20th-century environmental movement, where he was an inspiration for many.
Philip Jeremiah Schuyler was an American politician from New York. His siblings included Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer.
The American Birding Association (ABA) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America." Originally concentrated on finding, listing, and identifying rare birds, the ABA now seeks to serve all birders with a wide range of services and publications.
Ludlow Griscom was an American ornithologist known as a pioneer in field ornithology. His emphasis on the identification of free-flying birds by field marks became widely adopted by professionals and amateurs. Many called him "Dean of the Birdwatchers."
Rhinecliff is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located along the Hudson River in the town of Rhinebeck in northern Dutchess County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Rhinecliff was 425.
Ernest Howard Crosby was an American reformer, georgist, and author.
Eugene Schieffelin was an American amateur ornithologist who belonged to the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society and the New York Zoological Society. In 1877, he became chairman of the American Acclimatization Society and joined their efforts to introduce non-native species to North America for economic and cultural reasons. His 1890 release of European starlings in Central Park resulted in the first successful starling nesting in North America to be observed by naturalists.
Edward Alexander Bergstrom was an ornithologist, scientific journal editor, and conservationist, doing all of his work in these fields as a volunteer.
The U.S. Post Office in Rhinebeck, New York serves the 12572 ZIP Code. It is located on Mill Street just south of the intersection with NY 308 at the center of the village.
The Parish of Good Shepherd and St. Joseph is a parish under the authority of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York. The church address is Good Shepherd Church, 3 Mulberry Street, Rhinebeck, New York 12572
Grasmere is a national historic district and estate located at Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York. It was built by Janet Livingston Montgomery, widow of General Richard Montgomery.
Alexandra Carlisle was an English actress and suffragist who settled in the United States. She was also known in the U.S. as Alexandra Carlisle Pfeiffer, adding the name of her third husband.
The Beekman Arms Inn—formerly known as the Traphagen Tavern, Bogardus Tavern and Potter's Tavern, and currently known as the Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn—is a historic inn located in the village of Rhinebeck, New York. It is within the Rhinebeck Village Historic District, a historic district added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as a cohesive area of preserved historic buildings. In 2022 the Beekman Arms and Delamater Inn has also been a member of Historic Hotels of America, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, since 2006. The inn claims to be America's oldest continuously operated hotel.
Dutchess County Historical Society, located in Rhinebeck, New York, was formed in Pleasant Valley, New York May 26, 1914 and received its Charter from the Regents of the University of the State of New York in 1918. Its mission is to discover, preserve and share the local area's history and artifacts from the time of its earliest people to the present.
Valentine Gill Hall Jr. was an American socialite, banker, and merchant who was the maternal grandfather of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.
Henry Maunsell Schieffelin, was an American businessman, philanthropist and consul general in Liberia. He was a founding member and President of the New York Colonization Society who financed a mission to explore the interior of Liberia.
Margaret Eleanor Crosby, Baroness Huntingfield, of Heveningham Hall was an American heiress and philanthropist.