Author talk:Helen Ingersoll

I think her middle initial is M. and that she was a librarian for the Torrey Botanical Club and perhaps is the daughter of naturalist Ernest Ingersoll who had a daughter named Helen. Bob Burkhardt (talk) 17:30, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

There are two VIAF records for "Ingersoll, Helen" (26985507 and 18986369) but neither appears to be a good match. [There is a librarian Helen Frances Ingersoll in Colorado, but she doesn't appear to be a match either. - BB]

If Helen M. Ingersoll is the same person who corresponded with Elizabeth Britton, also of the Torrey Botanical Club, then the M. stands for Marcy. See http://library.nybg.org/finding_guide/archv/E_G_Brittonb.html.

Ernest/Helen link: The 1896 Naturalists' Universal Directory lists a Helen Ingersoll living at 788 Broadway, New York. Further googling shows an Ernest at the same address, such the members list of this 1902 Manual of the Author's Club (his own entry in Americana says he was the secretary of this club). The 1905 Naturalists' Directory lists both an Ernest and a Helen Ingersoll living at 50 Morningside Ave., New York. Slightly more interesingly, the 1902 Botaniker-Addressbuch (PDF, Austrian) lists "Ingersoll, Helen M." at the Broadway address and the 1909 edition lists the same at the Morningside address. It's a little weak but I think links Ernest, Helen M. and the Torrey Botanical Club. It doesn't prove that she wrote for Americana, however.

Additional information from AdamBMorgan (talk) 22:04, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

She appears in the 1930 U.S. census (April, age 55) where her father's birthplace is listed as Michigan and her occupation is writer and botanist. Her mother was born in Massachusetts. A record for her in mytrees.com gives her mother as Mary Schofield and father as Ernest Ingersoll. 71.174.236.5 18:05, 4 May 2013 (UTC)