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 widespread recognition and changed the course of Burroughs's life.