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Historical records matching George Washington Carver
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About George Washington Carver
Parents: father thought to be Giles, a slave from a nearby plantation to the one his mother Mary worked on. (See further references at the bottom of the page).
Adoptive parents: Moses and Susan Carver.
Mary Ann was George's real Mom. the accounts vary on what happened to her after she was kidnapped. one of the accounts is below
George Washington Carver, was an American scientist, botanist, educator and inventor whose studies and teaching revolutionized agriculture in the Southern United States. The day and year of his birth are unknown; he is believed to have been born before slavery was abolished in Missouri in January 1864.
Much of Carver's fame is based on his research into and promotion of alternative crops to cotton, such as peanuts and sweet potatoes. He wanted poor farmers to grow alternative crops both as a source of their own food and as a source of other products to improve their quality of life. The most popular of his 44 practical bulletins for farmers contained 105 food recipes that used peanuts.[3] He also created or disseminated[clarification needed] about 100 products made from peanuts that were useful for the house and farm, including cosmetics, dyes, paints, plastics, gasoline, and nitroglycerin.
In the Reconstruction South, an agricultural monoculture of cotton depleted the soil, and in the early 20th century the boll weevil destroyed much of the cotton crop. Carver's work on peanuts was intended to provide an alternative crop.
In addition to his work on agricultural extension education for purposes of advocacy of sustainable agriculture and appreciation of plants and nature, Carver's important accomplishments also included improvement of racial relations, mentoring children, poetry, painting, and religion. He served as an example of the importance of hard work, a positive attitude, and a good education. His humility, humanitarianism, good nature, frugality, and rejection of economic materialism also have been admired widely.
One of his most important roles was in undermining, through the fame of his achievements and many talents, the widespread stereotype of the time that the black race was intellectually inferior to the white race. In 1941, Time magazine dubbed him a "Black Leonardo", a reference to the white polymath Leonardo da Vinci. To commemorate his life and inventions, George Washington Carver Recognition Day is celebrated on January 5, the anniversary of Carver's death.
His slave owner, Moses Carver, was a German American immigrant who had purchased George's mother, Mary, and father, Giles, from William P. McGinnis on October 9, 1855, for seven hundred dollars. Carver had 10 sisters and a brother, all of whom died prematurely.
George, one of his sisters, and his mother were kidnapped by night raiders and sold in Kentucky, a common practice. Moses Carver hired John Bentley to find them. Only Carver was found, orphaned and near death Carver's mother and sister had already died, although some reports stated that his mother and sister had gone north with soldiers. For returning George, Moses Carver rewarded Bentley.
After slavery was abolished, Moses Carver and his wife, Susan, raised George and his older brother, James, as their own children. They encouraged George Carver to continue his intellectual pursuits, and "Aunt Susan" taught him the basics of reading and writing.
Since blacks were not allowed at the school in Diamond Grove, and he had received news that there was a school for blacks ten miles south in Neosho, he resolved to go there at once. To his dismay, when he reached the town, the school had been closed for the night. As he had nowhere to stay, he slept in a nearby barn. By his own account, the next morning he met a kind woman, Mariah Watkins, from whom he wished to rent a room. When he identified himself as "Carver's George," as he had done his whole life, she replied that from now on his name was "George Carver". George liked this lady very much, and her words, "You must learn all you can, then go back out into the world and give your learning back to the people", made a great impression on him
Carver never married and rebuffed the match-making efforts of his friends. From 1935 on, however, he enjoyed the companionship of young Austin Curtis Jr., a Cornell graduate in chemistry. Mr. Curtis accompanied Carver everywhere, providing comfort, assistance and protection, making it possible for Carver to continue his work. Carver would gently tuck his hand into Curtis’s arm when the two set off to check experiments.
Upon Carver’s death in 1943, his assets went to Curtis, his devoted companion.
As a child, George learned knitting and crocheting from Susan Carver. Crochet was a restful pastime for Carver. It allowed him to be creative and recycle materials.
- Reference: Wikipedia
- Reference: Tuskegee Institute Historical Site
- Reference: Missouri Government
- Reference: Find-A-Grave
- Reference: History
- Reference: Live Science
- Reference: Notable Biographies Scientist, Inventor. He developed three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more for soybeans, pecans, and sweet potatoes. Born a slave in 1864 on his father's farm near Diamond Grove, Missouri, as an infant he and his mother were kidnapped by Confederate night-raiders and possibly taken to Arkansas. His father, Moses Carver found and reclaimed his son, but his mother was never found. It was on his father's farm where Carver first fell in love with nature, where he earned the nickname "The Plant Doctor" and collected in earnest all manner of rocks and plants. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897 from Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University). He later became the first African-American member of the faculty of Iowa Agricultural College, teaching classes about soil conservation and etc. In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee University in Alabama, convinced George Washington Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture where he remained until his death in 1943. Only three patents were ever issued to him during his lifetime, but among his numerous listed discoveries are: adhesives, axel grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, instant coffee, linoleum, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Countless products we enjoy today come to us by way of Carver. He did not patent or profit from most of his products, he freely gave his discoveries to mankind. In 1940, he donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture. George Washington Carver was bestowed several honors in his lifetime for his works which included being named a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in London in 1916, a honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928, the Spingarn Medal in 1923 by the NAACP, and the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for restoring southern agriculture. On July 14, 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt honored him with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. In 1951, the George Washington Carver National Monument was established on 210 acres of the Missouri farm where carver was born. There is also the George Washington Carver Museum on the campus of Tuskegee University in Alabama where he is buried.
Bio by: Curtis Jackson
- Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Aug 8 2019, 23:49:15 UTC
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George Washington Carver's Timeline
| 1864 |
July 12, 1864
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Diamond, Newton County, Missouri, United States
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| 1943 |
January 5, 1943
Age 78
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Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States
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Tuskegee University Campus Cemetery, 1200 West Montgomery Road, Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, United States
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