Sophia McIlvaine Herrick ( Bledsoe; March 26, 1837 – October 9, 1919) was an American science writer, editor, and literary critic.

Life

Born as Sophia McIlvaine Bledsoe on March 26, 1837, the daughter of

Albert Taylor Bledsoe Albert Taylor Bledsoe (November 9, 1809 – December 8, 1877) was an American Episcopal priest, attorney, professor of mathematics, and officer in the Confederate army and was best known as a staunch defender of slavery and, after the South lost ...

and Harriet ( Coxe) Bledsoe (of

Gambier, Ohio Gambier ( ) is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2020 census. Gambier is the home of Kenyon College. History Gambier was laid out in 1824. The village was named after one of Kenyon College's early ...

), Sophia moved to New York after her marriage to the Reverend James B. Herrick, by whom she had several children. The couple separated when Herrick left the ministry to become a member of the

Oneida Community The Oneida Community ( ) was a Christian perfection, perfectionist religious communal society founded by John Humphrey Noyes and his followers in 1848 near Oneida, New York. The community believed that Jesus had Hyper-preterism, already return ...

. She joined her father in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, contributing to the ''

Southern Review ''The Southern Review'' is a quarterly literary magazine that was established by Robert Penn Warren in 1935 at the behest of Charles W. Pipkin and funded by Huey Long as a part of his investment in Louisiana State University. It publishes ficti ...

'' and beginning a school for girls. She pursued an early interest in evolutionary theory by studying biology at

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

and published scientific articles in ''

Century A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. ...

'' and ''

Scribner's Magazine ''Scribner's Magazine'' was an American periodical published by the publishing house of Charles Scribner's Sons from January 1887 to May 1939. ''Scribner's Magazine'' was the second magazine out of the Scribner's firm, after the publication of ...

'' for a general audience. She became a frequent contributor of articles, writing as Mrs S. B. Herrick, and was for a time assistant editor to

Richard Watson Gilder Richard Watson Gilder (February 8, 1844 – November 19, 1909) was an American poet and editor. Life and career Gilder was born on February 8, 1844 at Bordentown, New Jersey. He was the son of Jane (Nutt) Gilder and the Rev. William Henry Gi ...

at ''Century''. Her later works were on natural history and travel. Sophia Bledsoe Herrick died on October 9, 1919, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

, aged 82. She had three children: Albert (born 1862), Virginia (born 1863), and Louise (born 1866). Her granddaughter was the anthropologist

Sophie Bledsoe Aberle Sophie Bledsoe Aberle (née Herrick; July 10, 1896 – October 1, 1996) was an American anthropologist, physician and nutritionist known for her work with Puebloan peoples, Pueblo people. She was one of two women first appointed to the National S ...

Books

*''The Wonders of Plant Life under the Microscope'' (1883) *''Chapters on Plant Life'' (1885) *''The Earth in Past Ages'' 1888 *Editor of ''A Century of Sonnets'' (1902)

References

External links

Bledsoe-Herrick family papers, 1750-1964.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. * People from Gambier, Ohio American science writers American botanical writers American magazine editors American women magazine editors 1919 deaths 1837 births Journalists from Ohio {{US-nonfiction-writer-stub