Teaching Certificate for John Burroughs, from Orange Township, New Jersey, February 7, 1860

Before John Burroughs (1837-1921) became an internationally known naturalist and writer he earned a living as a teacher. In 1860, Burroughs -- twenty-three, married and an aspiring writer -- taught briefly in Essex County, New Jersey. Later that year he wrote an essay that was published in the Atlantic Monthly. The article gained wide-spread recognition and changed the course of Burroughs' life.