Elon Howard Eaton Ornithology Collection

Elon Howard Eaton was born in Springville, New York, on October 8, 1866 to Luzerne and Sophia Eaton. He was a member of the faculty of Hobart and William Smith Colleges from 1908 to 1935. He received his A.B. and M.A. degrees from the University of Rochester in 1890 and 1893, respectively. Afterwards, he taught in secondary schools for 15 years, and came to Hobart and the newly founded William Smith College in 1908, establishing a department of biology. Professor Eaton taught courses in biology, ornithology, and hygiene, among others, and was chairman of the department for 26 years.               
He is perhaps best known for his books on the birds of New York, his studies and surveys for state and local governments, and serving as state ornithologist and curator of the New York State Museum. His most important contribution was Birds of New York, which at the time of its publication in 1910 was the most complete treatise on birds in any state.
Professor Eaton married Gertrude Yeames in 1909, with whom he had two children, Elizabeth and Elon Howard Eaton, Jr. After Gertrude's death he married Esther Woodman in 1915 and had two more children, Mary and Stephen Woodman Eaton. Elon Howard Eaton died on March 27, 1935, of heart disease at his home in Geneva.