Kerryann Goode
Nathaniel Bowditch
Backround: On March 26, 1773 in Salem Massachusetts, American mathematician and astronomer, Nathaniel Bowditch was born. Although he was born in the city of Salem, his parents, Habakkuk Bowditch and Mary Ingersoll moved to Danvers Massachusetts shortly after his birth. Bowditch only attended school until he was 10 years old and his family circumstances forced him to work. He worked with his father in a cooperage shop, where they made wooden caskets, for a few years and later he became a clerk in a shop that dealt with ship supplies. Throughout this time in his life he showed a love for mathematics. He began to study algebra and taught himself calculus. After reading John Hamilton Moore’s book, The New Practical Navigator, he found several errors and fixed them. He also taught himself how to speak different languages in order to learn how to do other types of mathematics, specifically in the French language.
Between the years 1775 and 1779 Nathaniel Bowditch made four sea voyages. A few years later he was a merchant and joint owner of a ship himself. The voyages he went on were mostly to the East Indies but one was to Europe. Returning to Salem, in between voyages, Bowditch married Elizabeth Boardman, but unfortunately she died about seven months after the wedding. He later married again to his cousin Mary Ingersoll and they had 8 children together.
As Bowditch grew older he gave up his career as a sailor and moved into the business world. He became the president of the Essex Fire and Insurance Company in Salem. At this time the war of 1812 had been going on, but even though the war created difficult conditions for the company, Bowditch's leadership helped it prosper. While he was in the leadership position for the company, his mathematical skills increased and gave him a better reputation in the academic world. The company's success helped him afford a house in Salem for his family. He later published The New American Practical Navigator in 1802, which became popular in both America and Europe. This book talks about the navigational law and measurement and is meant to help sailors over seas. Bowditch's book limited education for sailors since it was so easily understood and is still carried aboard every U.S. Naval vessel.
After moving to Bosotn, Bowditch got a new job working for the Massachusettes Hospital Life Insurance Company. The money he earned at his new job gave him the finances he needed on order to publish his translation of Pierre Laplace's Mecanique Celeste. This was a very important piece of work because it examined the relationship between Newton's theory of gravity to astronomy, including other information of other European Newtonian scientists. In the year 1838, Nathaniel Bowditch died on March 16, but continues to live on through Salem's history.
As Bowditch grew older he gave up his career as a sailor and moved into the business world. He became the president of the Essex Fire and Insurance Company in Salem. At this time the war of 1812 had been going on, but even though the war created difficult conditions for the company, Bowditch's leadership helped it prosper. While he was in the leadership position for the company, his mathematical skills increased and gave him a better reputation in the academic world. The company's success helped him afford a house in Salem for his family. He later published The New American Practical Navigator in 1802, which became popular in both America and Europe. This book talks about the navigational law and measurement and is meant to help sailors over seas. Bowditch's book limited education for sailors since it was so easily understood and is still carried aboard every U.S. Naval vessel.
After moving to Bosotn, Bowditch got a new job working for the Massachusettes Hospital Life Insurance Company. The money he earned at his new job gave him the finances he needed on order to publish his translation of Pierre Laplace's Mecanique Celeste. This was a very important piece of work because it examined the relationship between Newton's theory of gravity to astronomy, including other information of other European Newtonian scientists. In the year 1838, Nathaniel Bowditch died on March 16, but continues to live on through Salem's history.
Bowditch in Salem Today
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Bowditch Family Home
Located at 9 North Street in Salem Massachusettes is the house of Nathaniel Bowditch. The Bowditch has a combination of Chinese and Federal style elements in its archiecture, which are a representation the Great Age of Sail in Salem at that time. Tourists are able to visit this house and walk around the inside still today. Some people say they can feel Bowditch's spirit lingering from room to room.
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Bowitch Hall at Salem State University
Named after Nathaniel Bowditch, Bowditch Hall is a residential hall for freshman that attend Salem State University. Given its name due to the important role that Nathaniel Bodwitch played in Salem, Bowditch Hall is just one of the dorms on campus named for historical purposes. Not many people are aware that the buildings are named after certain figures in Salem's history.
Bowitch Hall at Salem State University
Named after Nathaniel Bowditch, Bowditch Hall is a residential hall for freshman that attend Salem State University. Given its name due to the important role that Nathaniel Bodwitch played in Salem, Bowditch Hall is just one of the dorms on campus named for historical purposes. Not many people are aware that the buildings are named after certain figures in Salem's history.