Page:The part taken by women in American history.djvu/920

Rh learned men of Great Britain welcomed her. She was entertained by Sir John Herschel, and Lady Herschel, Alexander Von Humbolt, Professor Adams, of Cambridge, Sir George Airy, the astronomer royal of England, who wrote a letter of introduction for her to Leverrier of Paris. Later she visited Florence, Rome, Venice, Vienna, and Berlin, where she met Encke. After a year of such triumphs she returned to Nantucket. In i860 her mother died and the family removed to Lynn to be nearer Boston, where she could pursue her work under better conditions. Miss Mitchell received at this time five hundred dollars a year from the government for her computations. About this time Matthew Vassar was founding and equipping the woman's college that now bears his name. After the observatory of this institution was completed there was but one person mentioned or desired by the patrons and students to be placed in charge, and this was Maria Mitchell. Miss Mitchell moved to the college and made it her home. In 1868, in the great meteoric shower she and her pupils recorded the details of four thousand meteors and gave valuable data of their height above the earth. She gave valuable observations on the transit of Venus, has written on the satellites of Saturn, and on the satellites of Jupiter. She died on June 28, 1889, and was buried in the little island village, where most of her life had been passed.

Was born December, 1851, in London, England. Her father's name was Dixon, and her mother was Sophia Cook. She married Dr. Le Plongeon, whose extensive travels in South America and Mexico, for the purpose of studying the ancient manuscripts preserved in the British Museum, so interested her that she accompanied him to the wilds of Yucatan. The work done here by Dr. and Mrs. Le Plongeon is well-known all over the world. For eleven years they remained here studying the ruins of that country. Much of the work, and many of the discoveries were made by Mrs. Le Plongeon. They made many hundred photographs, surveying and making molds of the old palaces to be used as models, but the greatest achievement was the discovery of an alphabet by which the American hieroglyphics may be read, something before considered impossible. Though of English birth they have made their home for many years in Long Island, and have written many articles for magazines and papers and published a small volume, "Here and There in Yucatan"; also one "Yucatan, Its Ancient Palaces and Modern Cities," and in order to make ancient America better known to modern Americans, Mrs. Le Plongeon has lectured upon this subject very extensively, and in recognition of her labors the Geographical Society of Paris placed her portrait in the album of celebrated travelers.

Was born near Kimberton, Chester County, Pennsylvania, October, 1821. Daughter of John Lewis and Esther Lewis. They were descended from Quaker stock, her father's ancestors coming to this country in 1682. Her mother was the oldest child of Bartholomew Fussell and Rebecca Bond Fussell. Bartholomew