On Track: A Real Treat
Producer of film about Vineland naturalist Mary Treat issues a callout for stories, photos, or letters from your ancestors. By Helga Merits, Merits Productions
Mary Treat. Has anyone heard of her through family archives, or stories passed on from one generation to the other? She was a naturalist who lived in Vineland many years ago, from 1868 to 1919.
My name is Helga Merits. I’m a Dutch Estonian documentary filmmaker. Some might know me from the film, The Paradox of Seabrook Farms. The stories about Seabrook, which I first heard about in 2018 brought me to Seabrook and Bridgeton—and I kept coming. It is hard for me to say—finished, done, and move on. Real-life stories continue and don’t stop when a film has been finished. Interviewees become friends, Bridgeton becomes a familiar place, and there are warm memories that are so good to revisit.
Most of you know Deborah Boerner Ein as the editor of your newspaper, and as the author of a biography about Mary Treat. About a year ago, she asked me if I would like to make a documentary about Mary Treat. It was hard to say no—so I said yes.
Mary Treat was quite famous in her time; she was called the “World’s Most Famous and Industrious Woman Naturalist” in the Philadelphia Public Ledger in 1913.
At that time, she was not still publishing her nature observations and research but was clearly still remembered. The New York Times wrote about her when she passed away 10 years later—that “she was well known as an author and naturalist in this country and abroad.” But then slowly, somehow, she was forgotten.
The Mary Treat project is very different from my previous work, but it gives me an opportunity to return to Cumberland County, and it gives me a reason to delve into nature studies, into the role of women in science, to walk the path that Mary traversed in the Pine Barrens, and to just enjoy nature. I now study the work of Mary Treat, of Charles Darwin with whom she corresponded, and the tumultuous time in which Mary lived. It is all incredibly interesting.
Mary Treat biographer Deborah Boerner Ein points out the railroad ties and the tracks that took Treat to collecting sites in the Parkdale section of Atsion. • RIGHT: Helga Merits at Willow Oak Natural Area on an autumn visit to the region. Richard Zielinski examines fallen leaves while Merits enjoys a wider view of the landscape. Photos: Naomi Ingraldi
While researching for a documentary, there are always questions that arise, and with every project such as this, a lot of the questions will go unanswered. But still I wonder if you, the reader, might be able to help me uncover more about this remarkable woman.
Mary came to Vineland in 1868 and lived there until 1919 when she moved to upstate New York with her younger sister, Cornelia “Nellie” Brown. There, she spent her last years. Though many years have passed, I wonder if there are people around Vineland and Cumberland County whose great-grandmothers went to see Mary Treat at her home and perhaps listened to her lectures. Have any of these stories been passed down through the generations?
Few photographs were taken at the time, or at least not many survive, but perhaps some exist hidden away in attics or old scrapbooks, and therefore I would like to ask if anyone has photos to share of Vineland or of the Pine Barrens around 1900. Does anyone have stories to share? Please let me know. It would be wonderful to get to know more about Mary Treat, about Vineland, about the people she might have known, and about her research in the Pine Barrens. You can reach me at [email protected]
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Making a film takes time and a dedicated team to have it come to fruition. We are looking for support to bring the story of Mary Treat to life on film. In case you would like to help: https://gofund.me/b8cb402b1
Please know that you can support the project with a donation in dollars. As I’m living in Holland, GoFundMe automatically notes the amount in euros, and this can’t be changed. Know also that it is not necessary to donate something to GoFundMe. It is possible to adjust this down to zero.
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And for those who still want to see The Paradox of Seabrook: It will be shown on April 12 at Landis Theater, starting at 2 p.m., but the doors will be opened at noon. A panel discussion will immediately follow the movie with John Seabrook, Masaru Nakawatase, Helle Gawrylewski, Gloria Kates, and me. John Seabrook will be selling and signing copies of his book The Spinach King. Tickets are $15. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/the-paradox-of-seabrook-farms-movie-event
I hope to see you there!
In the Works:
Mary Treat Documentary
By Deborah Boerner Ein, Editor
In an effort to spread the word about Mary Treat and her accomplishments far and wide, there is a documentary in the works! If you viewed The Paradox of Seabrook a few years ago when it played at The Levoy, you are familiar with the work of Dutch Estonian filmmaker Helga Merits.
When I approached Helga Merits some months ago about a Mary Treat documentary, she immediately embraced the idea and saw the “necessity” in producing a biographical sketch that would have great relevance for today. The film will highlight the importance of immersing ourselves in nature—if not for research as Treat did, then at least for good mental health. In the Victorian era in which Treat lived, females were discouraged from exploring the outdoor world. The gender was considered too frail or “invalid” when in fact getting outdoors in the fresh air and busying yourself with the natural world around you does just the opposite. It elevates our mood—and is much needed in society today.
In the accompanying article, the filmmaker asks you, the reader, for any connection you or your ancestors may have had to Mary Treat in the time that she lived and worked in Vineland and the Pine Barrens. To learn more about what’s known already—and to learn some of the names of Treat’s family and friends—my book, Mary Treat: A Biography, is available from links on my website: www.marytreat.com or directly from the publisher’s bookstore (QR code takes you to my book page in the Lulu bookstore).
I must admit that my genealogy skills only took me so far in tracing Treat’s ancestry, and I believe it would be extremely useful to find relatives who are most likely to have stories passed down to them. These paths may take a genealogist to upstate New York, the Midwest, Florida, and even to Japan, where Treat’s beloved niece lived.
For now, enjoy the YouTube trailer, “Mary Treat: Love Letters to Nature,” produced by Merits Productions:
