Dr William Stork (flourished 17511768) practiced as an oculist in England and the American colonies, and subsequently settled in the British colony of

East Florida East Florida () was a colony of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain from 1763 to 1783 and a province of the Spanish Empire from 1783 to 1821. The British gained control over Spanish Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty of Paris (1763), Tre ...

and published pamphlets encouraging its settlement. Some accounts state that he was initially from

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, but do not provide primary references which prove the claim. Stork advertised in London in 1751 and 1752 that he was the oculist to the Princess of Wales. He then advertised his services as an oculist in Jamaica in 1760. He arrived in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and advertised his services as an oculist in 1761. He travelled up and down the Eastern colonies from

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

between 1761 and 1764. From the diary of

Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. First settled by E ...

physician

Nathaniel Ames Nathaniel Ames (July 22, 1708 – July 11, 1764) was a Thirteen Colonies, colonial American physician who published a popular series of annual almanacs. He was the son of Nathaniel Ames first (1677–1736) and the father of Nathaniel Ames (thi ...

, we know that Stork performed cataract couching. Stork is the first known to have performed cataract couching in the area that became the United States. The British acquired

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

from the Spanish by the treaty of 1763 which ended the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

(i.e. the French and Indian War). Stork made a career change in 1764, and decided to be a plantations agent in the colony of East Florida. Stork was in Florida in 1765, and traveled to England by 1766, when the first edition of his Florida journal was published. He then travelled back to Florida in 1767, and "died with the fright" during an insurrection of indentured servants in August 1768. His ''An Account of East Florida'', written in English, was published in three editions, two in 1766, subtitled "With Remark on its Future Importance to Trade and Commerce" and a third in 1769, as ''A description of East-Florida'', subtitled "with a journal kept by John Bartram of Philadelphia, botanist to His Majesty for the Floridas : upon a journey from St. Augustine up the river St. John's, as far as the lakes : with explanatory botanical notes, illustrated with an accurate map of East-Florida, and two plans, one of St. Augustine, and the other of the Bay of Espiritu Santo", the latter referring to

St. Augustine, Florida St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...

St. Johns River The St. Johns River () is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders 12 counties. The drop in elevation from River s ...

, the bay now known as

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

, and the botanist

John Bartram John Bartram (June 3, 1699 – September 22, 1777) was an American botanist, horticulturist, and explorer, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for most of his career. Swedish botanist and taxonomist Carl Linnaeus said he was the "greatest natu ...

. The book reputedly featured a plagiarised copy of a map by George Gauld, who wrote (speaking of himself in the third person):Gauld, George. 1790. "An account of the surveys of Florida, &c: with directions for sailing from Jamaica or the West Indies, by the west end of Cuba, and through the Gulph of Florida. To accompany Mr. Gauld's charts." Page 6.
/ref> A manuscript work by

John William Gerard de Brahm John William Gerard de Brahm (1718 c. 1799) was a German cartographer, engineer and mystic. Life He was born in Koblenz, Germany, the eight child of a court musician employed by the Elector of Trier. He became "Captain Engineer" in the Imper ...

, in the library of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

, listing the residents of East Florida up to 1771, refers to him as "William Stork, Esq., historian". The published work by de Brahm lists "Storck William Esqr." as a Florida inhabitant between the years 1763 and 1771 "In the King's Employ" under the category of "Draughtsmen" with the stated qualifications "Oculist, Physician", with his status listed as "Dead."

Bibliography

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References

External links

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''A description of East-Florida''
(1769) scans and description {{DEFAULTSORT:Stork, William People from British Florida Year of birth missing Year of death missing Place of birth missing Oculists