Frances Eliza Babbitt

Frances "Franc" Eliza Babbitt (1824–1891) was a schoolteacher in Minnesota and an archaeologist. She influenced early debates about the Paleolithic Era in North America, the "American Paleolithic". Babbitt collected quartz tools and other artifacts from the Little Falls, Minnesota area. Her findings were presented in papers at American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meetings and in academic journals. Although women were active in other scientific disciplines during this time, Babbitt was one of few to participate in archaeology.

Early life Babbitt was born in New York on January 24, 1824, and became a schoolteacher at the age of 20. In 1873, she moved to Cold Water, Michigan. A few years later, in 1878, she moved to Little Falls, Minnesota.

Some archaeologists, including William H. Holmes, rejected the conclusions of Babbitt and her coauthors, arguing that the objects were more modern and were rejects from a quarry. Holmes's objections to Babbitt's findings also focused on the credentials of Babbitt and her collaborators. The debate about the "Babbitt finds" continued into the 1890s after she died. and became a fellow of the society in 1887.

Babbitt died on July 6, 1891, and is buried in a family plot in Coldwater, Michigan. A relative "disposed" of her collection of quartz objects after her death.

Selected works