Who was Mrs. William Owen?

By Emily Hunter, Field Book Project

I recently cataloged a small field book by a “Mrs. William Owen”. I found this book unusual (and very interesting) for several reasons. First of all, the diminutive book contains entries on only 16 collected specimens, but the entries are incredibly rich and descriptive; I can almost hear her thoughts as she wrote them. Secondly, no years are included. No specific localities (beyond Guatemala) are written. And for the life of me, I could not find biographical information on this woman! Thirdly, her entries include a wealth of information on the native names and uses of plants. Uses of plants range from medicinal, to culinary, to bases for useful products and tools.

Title page and entries of field book by Mrs. Wm. Owen, Mrs. William Owen Field Notes from the Department of Botany, undated, SIA Acc. 12-345.

Take, for example, this entry:

Chu-che’ [Indian] This tree has no Spanish name. Its Indian name Chu-Che means bad smelling (Chu) tree (che’), because the branches when broken emit a strong pungent odor. The leaves of this tree after being wilted over embers are burned to the temples to relieve neuralgia. It grows like bamboo or cane putting up shoots from the root until 3 or 4 years old, when it becomes a gnarled and unattractive tree. Of the long straight shoots of the young tree the Indian makes his blow gun (pub-che’).

What a great deal of information Owen has provided in a short paragraph! She gives a detailed physical description of the plant, including how it looks at varying stages. Even more interesting is the information she includes regarding the use of the plants by native Guatemalans. No Latin name is given for this plant, but she has indicated the local language name. I especially love the fact that this tree is used for a blowgun.

Plant specimen entries by Mrs. Wm. Owen, Mrs. William Owen Field Notes from the Department of Botany, undated, SIA Acc. 12-345.

I wish I could find more information on this woman. Was she a botanist? Plant enthusiast? Ethnographer? What years did she work? (Her materials don’t have dates!) What brought her to Guatemala (assuming she emigrated there)?

When searching for biographical information on a “Mrs. William Owen” I found some materials on someone who studied Guatemalan folklore, and was married to Captain William Owen—Mrs. Mary Owen. There isn’t enough evidence to be sure it is the same person, but this is my favorite (unfounded) theory.

So, I will put this out there for all. Do you know who Mrs. William Owen was? Comment below!

Comments

[Emily Hunter]

Kathleen, Thank you for this trove of information! I am also convinced now with the extra evidence that this is the same Mrs. Wm Owen who made these collections. What a fascinating woman! I have also learned from colleagues at NMNH and SIA that there is at least one letter from Mrs. William Owen, regarding the sale of anthropological objects to the museum.

[Kathleen Dorman]

One follow-up comment. There's a photograph of Mary Owen in Elin C. Danien, ed., Maya Folktales from the Alta Verapaz (2005), p. 6, accompanying a discussion of her collection of folktales. That source says her letters, presumably in connection with publication of the folktales, are in the University of Pennsylvania Museum Archives.

[Kathleen Dorman]

I think you've already got the right person with Mary Owen, wife of William Owen, manager of the Northern Transportation Company in Livingston, Guatemala. The field book "title page" says specimens were collected in the "state of Alta Vera Paz, Guatemala." According to the information on the University of Pennsylvania site to which you link, the Owens lived in Livingston, which is in the state (or department) just east of Alta Verapaz. According to the link below, expeditions heading to the Copan Ruins in Alta Verapaz passed through Livingston, which is on the coast, before heading west. The author specifically mentions the hospitality of Mrs. [William] Owens:
http://cdigital.dgb.uanl.mx/la/1080028120_V/1080028120_T1/1080028120_05.pdf
So while I haven't seen any dates for her, I think it's safe to say this is the right person and that she was in Guatemala while her husband was there managing a railroad (which opened in 1883). She would have met and hosted scientists who came to explore in the area and apparently headed west for some collecting herself.