Thomas Birch
met the family and sympathized their financial predicament. So, he held an auction to sell all of fine fossils. He then donated
the proceeds to the Anning family. Mother Mary had been running the fossil collecting
business up to this point. But by the mid 1820’s daughter Mary had been known to have a very keen eye. Joseph no longer
collected fossils.
Mary made many mind blowing
discoveries! She made found the aforementioned ichthyosaur. Yet, possibly her most glorified find was her discovery of the
first plesiosaur. Many scientists doubted Mary and her finds. Even to this day cannot believe that a young lady from such
a poor background had the knowledge and skills she seemed to present.
Mary ended up dieing of breast cancer in her 40’s. she lived a short and often difficult life. But, her discoveries
have been a vital source of reconstructing the world’s past and the history of its life., and we thank and remember
her for that!