2011

Although you've listed her as a chemist, it appears that she was a zoologist/biologist. Some more information about her: She was born on 2 Sep 1884 at Au Sable, Chasm, NY. Her parents were William J Hayden & Catherina Alger Hayden. Name:Margaret Alger Hayden Birth Date:2 Sep 1884 Birth Place:Au Sable, Chasm, New York Age:38 Residence:Ashland, Massachusetts Passport Issue Date:4 Jun 1923 Father Name:William C Hayden, deceased Father's Birth Location:Rutland, Vermont [source: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Microfilm Serial: M1490;Roll #2291.] In the 1920 US Census, she was listed in Wellesley, Ma, as a teacher at Wellesley College. She lived with her widowed mother, Catherine Hayden, and her widowed grandmother Frances Alger. Going further back, we find that Frances Alger was the wife of William J. Alger, a clergyman. [Source Citation: Year: 1880; Census Place: Saco, York, Maine; Roll: 491; Family History Film: 1254491; Page: 531B; Enumeration District: 205; Image: 0804.] Her doctoral thesis was published in 1924: Karyosphere formation and synapsis in Phanaeus Author:Margaret Alger Hayden Publisher:Wellesley, Mass., 1924. Dissertation:Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia university, 1924. [source: worldcat] The abstract of her thesis can be found here online library of wiley She retired from Wellesley College in June 1950, after 32 years of service. [source: Report of the President of Wellesley College 1949-50 ] In 1961, she was listed as an Emeritus Member of the American Society of Zoologists [source: Amer. Zool. (1961) 1 (4): 538-539.] According to the Social Security Administration, Margaret Hayden passed away in Jan 1969.

Hi Brenda- This is some incredibly detailed information! Thank you very much, especially for the detailed citations. I'm passing it along to our archivists now. Best, Catherine Shteynberg Smithsonian Institution Archives

Brenda Anderson Brenda, We have finally update the caption. Thank you so much for your comment such a long time ago. Cheers, Effie

Thanks Effie. Better late than never! ;)

There's a lecture series named for her, at the American Genetic Association's annual symposium: www.theaga.org/2010/key_lecture.php She also published a report in 1915 titled "Feeble-Minded Citizens in Pennsylvania," based on eugenic pedigrees of a population in rural Pennsylvania. books.google.com/books?id=x0biAAAAMAAJ

Key was very active in the American Eugenics Society as well. Eugenics....what a different time. We have an interesting click! photography changes everything piece by Carol Squiers that examines and critiques the role of photography in eugenics that I think is worth a read: click.si.edu/Story.aspx?story=762 Thanks for sharing the information, Penny. Best, Catherine Shteynberg Smithsonian Institution Archives

Her parents were Anna Belle Purmont and George Hempl (1859-1921); George Hempl was a Michigan-born professor of German philology at Stanford University. Her husband was a zoologist, Edmund Heller (1875-1939), who co-wrote a book about Africa with Theodore Roosevelt. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Heller At age 60, Hilda Hempl Heller was collecting fish specimens in Peru in 1950-51.

Hi Penny- Unfortunately, as far as I know we don't have any more of Hilda Heller's work on hand (though there are a few snapshots of her in Smithsonian Collections: ). collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?view=grid&dsort... However, we do have some of Edmund Heller's papers (who you mention above) and a series of photos taken by him while on various expeditions to Alberta and British Columbia, British East Africa, and Peru, as well as the Roosevelt expedition: collections.si.edu/search/results.jsp?view=grid&date.... Thanks for sharing, Catherine Shteynberg Smithsonian Institution Archives