Valley Girl Views: Nelson Fithian Davis 1872-1939

Dr Nelson Fithian Davis 1872-1939

I first came across the name Nathian Fithian Davis while researching the Sober Chestnut nursery. Davis was the author of the book Chestnut Culture, based primarily on the Sober Nursery.

Months later I was made aware of an archive of covered bridge photos from 1935 and 1936, by the same man.

In further research, I then learned he's also responsible for the collection at Old Main at Bucknell that perished in the fire - which almost certainly contained the mastodon tusk that had been discovered in Lewisburg in 1851.

Nelson Fithian Davis was born in New Jersey in 1872, the son of George and Anna Frances [Moore] Davis. He studied at Cold Spring Harbor, the University of Chicago, John Hopkins, and Jefferson Medical College. In 1891, he came to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, first as a student, then an assistant professor, and then the Professor of Biology, remaining at Bucknell for "some 43 years."

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On his 65th birthday, students and associates presented him with a privately printed volume of scientific articles which they had written in his honor. "Contributors to the volume include some of the country's leading scientists, graduated of Bucknell."

The Fire at Old Main, Bucknell, 1932

"Dr. Davis built up one of the finest zoological collection in the country. This collection store in the center section of Old Main, was completely destroyed by the fire in l931 and represented one of the major losses in the conflagration since it contained articles that cannot be replaced."

Sober Nursery, Largest In The World

Davis was a contemporary of Coleman K. Sober, and wrote the book on "Chestnut Culture", featuring Sobers work. The two were often mentioned together in newspaper articles, appointed to committees and traveling to events together.

The Davis Photo Collection

In 1935 and 1936, Dr. Davis spend a great deal of time pursing an interest in photography, specifically "old wooden bridges". His collection of Covered Bridge photographs can be found online at: https://www.jstor.org/action/doBasicSearch?Query=creator%3A%22Davis%2C+Nelson+Fithian%22&so=rel&searchkey=1791506438663

At the time of his death in 1939, he was survived by his 3rd wife Jessie [Palmer] Davis, and two children, Nelson F. Davis Jr, and Miss Frances M. Davis. He had been widowed twice, his first wife, Nellie Taylor, died in 1904, his second, Marion Briggs, in 1936. He married Jessie in 1937, two years before his death.

Snow Scene by Professor Nelson Davis 1906

Hanging In the Bertrand Library, Bucknell

"This photograph was the result of Professor Davis' experiment with long-exposure photography and was made on December 24, 1906. Professor Davis, Class of 1895 and chair of the Biology Department, was an avid photographer whose work included campus scenes, nature, and a significant study of Pennsylvania's Covered Bridges"