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Mary E. Holland
(This article by a long--time SCAFO member, was originally published in the May 1993 issue of THE PRINT.) by RUSSELL R. BRADFORD Who was the most important person in the advancement of fingerprint classification in the United States? Was it Richard Edward Henry, who developed the “Henry System” in 1900? What about Alexander J. Reno, who developed the “Reno Extension” to the Henry System? Or was it John Kenneth Ferrier, who brought the Henry System to America in 1904? No, it is none of the above. The author believes it was Mary E. Holland, who was born February 25, 1868, in Iowa. She was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Elias Troxel and in about 1888 married Phillip C. Holland. Mr. Holland published “The Detective,” a criminology magazine that contained photographs of criminals wanted, law enforcement supplies, and for many years was the official journal for police and sheriff associations. Mary soon became co--editor and took a major hand in the firm. She headed a manufacturing extension of police supplies (she patented a boot for prisoners to wear instead of a ball and chain). She also became manager of a detective agency. Richard Henry developed the “Henry System” in England in 1900. James H. Parke, New York State Prison Department, developed in 1903, the “American System of Fingerprint Classification.” Parke took his system, in 1904, to the World's Fair in St. Louis. Sgt. John Ferrier, fingerprint expert with New Scotland Yard, came to America as part of the security accompanying the “Queen Victoria diamond jubilee collection” to the World's Fair. Both Parke and Ferrier set up fingerprint exhibits at the Fair. Sgt. Ferrier, who had personally trained under Richard Henry, began teaching the Henry System. Various persons would sit in on the classes, but a core of nine students studied for seven and one half months. They were: Edward Brennan and John Shea of St. Louis, Mr. Ryan of St. Joseph, Capt. Edward Foster from Canada, George Koestle of Cleveland, H.A. Thompson of Oklahoma City, and Edward Evans, Emmet A. Evans, and Mary Holland, of Chicago. Mary Holland became an advocate of the Henry System and began teaching it around the United States. In 1906 she introduced the Henry System and then taught it to the Navy Department. Her teaching advanced the Henry System throughout the country, while Parke's system spread only to the New England states (today it is used only in New York, and some believe it is superior to the Henry System). In about 1910, Mary Holland testified in the People vs. Jennings trial in the State of Illinois. This is said to be the first judicial ruling on fingerprinting in the United States. The conviction was supported by the Illinois Supreme Court. Sgt. John Ferrier wrote, “Later on, in England, it gave me special pleasure to renew my friendship, with John W. Shea, Edward Brennan, William McCoughry and my dear old friend, the inimitable, Mary E. Holland.” Mary died on March 27, 1915 at the age of 47 -- America's First Fingerprint Instructor and Fingerprint Pioneer. (Editor— After reading the informative account of the Jennings case in the last issue of THE PRINT, Russell Bradford sent me a letter and commented that while he has always known the importance of the Jennings case, he had not known all the facts of the case. Russ is one of SCAFO's senior members and prepared the 1967 SCAFO “30 year” history. Thanks, Russ, for this article about this important pioneer and for the 42 years of continuous support of the association.)
This article was printed in “THE PRINT” |