John Lewis Sheldon

Posted on by Carol Ann McCormick

(10 November 1865 –  17 January 1947)8

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Herbarium (NCU) curates few specimens collected by John Lewis Sheldon, who usually signed his labels as “J. L. Sheldon”.  However, his specimens are curated by many institutions including Cornell University (CUP; fungi), Harvard University Herbaria (FH, GH, NEBC; fungi, lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants),  New York Botanical Garden (NY; fungi, lichens, bryophytes), Purdue University (PUR; fungi), Field Museum (F; lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants), University of Nebraska State Museum (NEB; fungi, lichens, bryophytes), University of Washington (WTU; fungi, lichens, bryopytes), University of Wisconsin, Madison (WIS; fungi, bryophytes), University of Wyoming (RMS; fungi), Museum of Evolution in Uppsala, Sweden (UPS; fungi), US Forest Service Center for Forest Mycology Research (CFMR; fungi), US National Fungus Collection, UDA-ARS (BPI; fungi), Washington State University (WSP; fungi), US National Herbarium (US; lichens), University of Cincinnati (CINC; lichens), University of Michigan (MICH; lichens), University of West Virginia (WVA; lichens, bryophytes, vascular plants), Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (PH; bryophytes, vascular plants), Norwegian University of Science & Technology (TRH; bryophytes), Duke University (DUKE; bryophytes), Missouri Botanical Garden (MO; bryophytes, vascular plants), North Dakota State University (NDA; bryophytes), Southern Illinois University (SIU; bryophytes), University of Arkansas (UARK; bryophytes), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (ILL; bryophytes), University of Vermont (VT; bryophytes), Miami University (MU; bryophytes), Yale University (YU; bryophytes), Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT; vascular plants), Brigham Young University (BRY; vascular plants), Carnegie Museum of Natural History (CM; vascular plants), Clemson University (CLEMS; vascular plants),  Desert Botanical Garden (DES; vascular plants), Eastern Kentucky University (EKY; vascular plants), Emory University (GEO; vascular plants), Kent State University (KE; vascular plants), Louisiana State University (LSU; vascular plants), Marshall University (MUHW; vascular plants), and Valdosta State University (VSC; vascular plants).1,2,3,4,5

“John Lewis Sheldon was born at Voluntown, Conn. [Connecticut], on November 10, 1865.  He was educated in the elementary schools of Connecticut and was a teacher in the Connecticut school system from 1885 to 1890.  From 1892 to 1894 he was an instructor in the Mt. Hermon school.  In 1895 he received the degree of B.S., B. Ped. from Ohio Northern and was again a teacher in the Connecticut public schools from 1895 to 1897.  He became a teacher in the preparatory school of the University of Nebraska in 1898, and proceeding with graduate work, received the degree of B.S. from Nebraska in 1899 and the degree of M.S. from Ohio Northern the same year.  During 1899-1900 he was a teacher in the Nebraska State Normal School.  From 1900 to 1903 he was as an instructor of botany at Nebraska and continued his graduate work, receiving the A.M. degree in 1901 and the Ph.D. in 1903.  He was appointed as professor of bacteriology at West Virginia University in 1903 and as professor of botany and bacteriology at that institution in 1907.  In 1913 he was designated as professor of botany, which position he retained until his retirement in 1919.

After coming to West Virginia, Dr. Sheldon made many trips over the State, studying carefully the plant life and making extensive collections.  His field work added a large number of species to the previously known flora of the State, many of which were published in Millspaugh’s “Living Flora of West Virginia”, in 1913.  He has been especially interested in cryptogams.  He was a collaborator of the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture, from 1902 to 1903 and from 1905 to 1922…

He married Clara Fleming, of Hopkins, Missouri, in 1907 and they have one son, Earl.”6

John Lewis Sheldon died at age 81 on 17 January 1947 in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia.8

PUBLICATIONS 7

Sheldon, John L. 1939. The Lichens of West Virginia. Castanea 4 (6/7): 75–126. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4031126. Accessed 17 Aug. 2021.

Sheldon, John L.  1936.  Nematode galls in bryophytes.  The Bryologist 34:

Sheldon, John L.  1913.  Some rose anthracnoses.  Phytopathology 3:  70.

Sheldon, John L.  1912.  Additions to the recorded mosses of West Virginia.  The Bryologist 15:  95-97.

Sheldon, John L.  1910.  Menyanthes trifoliata in West Virginia.  Rhodora 12:  11-12.

Sheldon, John L.  1910.  Additional West Virginia Hepaticae.  The Bryologist.  13:  64-65.

Sheldon, John L.  1910.  Additional localities for Connecticut Hepaticae.  The Bryologist 13:  63-64.

Sheldon, John L.  1910.  The Andropogon – Viola Uromyces.  Torreya 10:  90.

Sheldon, John L.  1910.  Those Wonderberry Seeds.  Plainfield Journal 24 (27):  January 27, 1910.

Sheldon, John L.  1909.  Frog-eye disease of apple leaves.  American Phytopathological Society, Boston.

Sheldon, John L. 1909.  Notes on Uromyces.  Torreya 9: 54.

*Sheldon, John L.  1908.  Another leaf-spot fungus of the apple, Illosporium malifoliorum sp. nov.  Torreya 8(6):  139-140.

Sheldon, John L. 1907.  Report on apple diseases.  15th Annual meeting of the West Virginia State Horticultural Society, Weston, Dec. 9-10, 1907.  pp. 40-44.

Sheldon, John L. 1907.  Peach scab.  15th Annual meeting of the West Virginia State Horticultural Society, Weston, Dec. 9-10, 1907.  p.26.

Sheldon, John L.  1907.  Peach yellows and its control.  Rep. West Virginia State Board Agriculture 22-26.  30 September 1907.

Sheldon, John L.   1907.  Species of Hepaticae known to occur in West Virginia.  The Bryologist 10: 80-84.

Sheldon, John L. 1907.  Concerning the relationship of Phyllosticta solitaria to the fruit blotch of apples.  Science, New Series 26(658):  183-185.

Sheldon, John L.   1907.  A study of the leaf-tip blight of Draceaena fragrans.  Journal of Mycology 13:  138-140.

Sheldon, John L. 1907.  The taxonomy of a leaf-spot fungus of the apple and other fruit trees.  Torreya 7(7): 142-143.

Sheldon, John L.   Report of the Bacteriologist.  West Virginia.  Report of the Work of the Experiment Station for the years 1905 and 1906, pp. 29-39.

Sheldon, John L.   1906.  A rare Uromyces.  Torreya 6(12) : 249-250.

Sheldon, John L. 1906.  Tubercles on legumes with and without cultures.  West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 105:  319-334.

Sheldon, John L. 1906.  Parphyses in the genus Glomerella .  Science, New Series 23 (596):  851-852.

Sheldon, John L.  1906.  The ripe rot or mummy disease of guavas.  West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 104:  299-315.

Sheldon, John L.   1906.  Frog-eye:  its cause and effect.  Report of the West Virginia State Board of Agriculture for the quarter ending March 31, 1906.  pp. 56-62.

Sheldon, John L.  1906.  Clover sickness.  The National Stockman and Farmer 29(51):  44-45.

Sheldon, John L.  1905.  Report of the Bacteriologist for 1904-5.  West Virginia.  The Report of the Work of the Experiment Station for the years 1904 and 1905.  pp. 26-38.

Sheldon, John L. 1905.  The effect of different soils on the development of the carnation rust.  Botanical Gazette 40:  225-229.

Sheldon, John L. 1905.  Concerning the identity of the fungi causing an anthracnose of the sweet-pea and the bitter-rot of the apple.  Science, New Series 22 (550):  51-52..

Sheldon, John L. 1905.  Nematode galls on clover roots.  West Virginia Farm Review 13:2.

Sheldon, John L.   1905.  The ascigerous stage of Gloeosporium psidii.  Science, New Series 21(536): 143.

Sheldon, John L.  1904.  A corn mold (Fusarium moniliforme n. sp.).  Ann. Rep. Neb. Agr. Exp. Sta. 17:  23-32.

Sheldon, John L. 1905.  Report on plant diseases of the state.  West Virginia.  Report of Work of the Experiment Station 1903-1904.  West Virginia Agriculture Experiment Station Bulletin 96:  71-99.

Sheldon, John L.  1904.  Diseases of melons and cucumbers during 1903 and 1904.  West Virginia Agriculture Experiment Station Bulletin 94:  121-138.

Sheldon, John L.  1904.  Some introduced weeds of Connecticut.  Rhodora 6:  66.

Sheldon, John L.  1904.  Twig blight.  West Virginia Farm Review 12: 2.

Sheldon, John L.   1904.  Twig blight.  West Virginia Farm Review 12:  8.

Sheldon, John L. 1903.  Infection and parasitism of Uredineae.  Studies of the rusts of the carnations and asparagus and parasitism of Darluca filum.  Ph.D. thesis, University of Nebraska.

Sheldon, John L. 1903.  Cultures of Empusa.  Journal of Applied Microscopy and Laboratory Methods 6:3.

Sheldon, John L.  1903.  Ergot in rye-grass, hay and grain, and its effects on cattle.  The Nebraska Farmer 35(8):  202-203.

Sheldon, John L. 1903  Ergot in rye-grass, hay and grain, and its effects on cattle.  Nebraska Dairyman 6(10):  204.

Sheldon, John L. 1902.  The “damping-off” disease and its relation to a disease of carnations.  Annual Report of the Nebraska State Horticultural Society for 1902.  pp. 266-269.

Sheldon, John L.  1902.  Preliminary studies on the rusts of asparagus and the carnation:  Parasitism of Darluca filum.  Science, New Series 16 (397):  235-237.

Sheldon, John L.  1902.  Botany on the farm.  Agriculture 1(5):  9-12.

Sheldon, John L.  1902.  A carnation disease.  Nebraska Farmer 33(2):  29.

Sheldon, John L.  1902.  Notes on the blue-berried huckleberry.  Rhodora 4(37):  14.

Sheldon, John L.  1901.  Some plants which live in and upon insects.  Annual Report of the Nebraska State Board of Agriculture for 1901.  pp. 131-141.

Sheldon, John L.  1901.  Rooting of Oxalis leaves.  Plant World 4(11):  201-202.

Sheldon, John L.  1901.  Some abnormal flowers.  The American Botanist 1(5):  66-67.

Sheldon, John L.  1900.  Asparagus rust in Nebraska.  The Nebraska Farmer 29(52):  931.

Sheldon, John L.  1898.  Plainfield [Connecticut] local flora.  Plainfield Journal, 1898.

SOURCES:

  1. MyCoPortal . 2021. http://mycoportal.org/portal/index.php. Accessed on August 18.
  2. CNALH. 2021. http//:www.lichenportal.org/cnalh/index.php. Accessed on August 18.
  3. CNABH Portal. 2021. http//:bryophyteportal.org/portal/index.php. Accessed on August 18.
  4. Data Portal. 2021. http//:sernecportal.org/index.php. Accessed on August 18.
  5. Index Herbariorum.  2021.  http://sweetgum.nybg.org/science/ih/ .  Accessed on August 18.
  6. “John Lewis Sheldon.” Castanea, vol. 4, no. 6/7, 1939, pp. 69–71. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4031124. Accessed 17 Aug. 2021.
  7. “A Bibliography of the Botanical Writings of John L. Sheldon.” Castanea, vol. 4, no. 6/7, 1939, pp. 72–74. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4031125. Accessed 17 Aug. 2021.
  8. “John Lewis Sheldon”.  Find A Grave Memorial # 63153253.  https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63153253/john-lewis-sheldon .  Accessed 18 August 2021.

TO CITE THIS DOCUMENT:  McCormick, C. (2021, August 18). John Lewis Sheldon. North Carolina Botanical Garden. https://ncbg.unc.edu/2021/08/18/john-lewis-sheldon/.