Treasured as one of the most beautiful and mysterious native plants in America, the Franklinia tree was almost lost to extinction were it not for the efforts of John and William Bartram. John Bartram was an extraordinary, self-taught naturalist who was appointed by Englandâs King George III as Botanist for the North American colonies in 1765. William Bartram was John Bartramâs third son, and he would become Americaâs first native-born natural history artist.
This father and son pair explored widely throughout the American colonies to collect and preserve botanical specimens, seeds, and living plants as well as to propagate them in order to share specimens with colleagues. They explored regions from Charleston, South Carolina to Georgiaâs shorelines and well into Florida. Much of their efforts focused along river banks and drainage land. In the fall of 1765, during one of their collection trips near the mouth of the Alatamaha River, south of Savannah, GA, John and