Today in history: Pioneer naturalist, Mary Elizabeth Barber dies
As a natural historian, Barber was instrumental in influencing many of her family members and friends.
On 4 September, 1899, early South African naturalist and 1820 Settler, Mary Elizabeth Barber died in Malvern, KwaZulu-Natal.
Barber was a remarkable woman with an extensive knowledge of natural history, especially botany and entomology.
She also supplied Charles Darwin with valuable information for his work on the Origin of Species in 1859.
She was later elected to the Hungarian ornithological society and several of her papers were translated into Hungarian.
She helped to establish the stratigraphic geology of South Africa for the first time, and initiated the examination of its ethnology, archaeology and palaeontology.
As a natural historian, Barber was instrumental in influencing many of her family members and friends.
Information sourced from: South African History Online.
