Molloy, Georgiana (1805-1843), was a botanist and a member of a pioneering family in Western Australia.
Georgiana Kennedy was born on May 23, 1805, in Cumberland, England. In 1831, she married Captain John Molloy, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars. Shortly afterward, the couple sailed for Western Australia and established themselves at Augusta, south of Bunbury.
Georgiana Molloy developed an interest in collecting botanical specimens. She carefully packed and labeled seeds, leaves, and flowers. English botanists were deeply interested in Western Australia’s strange and unknown wildflowers. Molloy sent her collections to a well-known English botanist, Captain James Mangles of the Royal Navy, who distributed them among English public gardens and parks. Over the years, Molloy’s botanical collections became large, particularly when the family moved northward to the Vasse River. In return, Mangles forwarded English seeds for her garden, and botanical books. The books greatly assisted Molloy in classifying her plants as well as extending her knowledge of Western Australian plants. She also collected specimens for a visiting German botanist, Ludwig Preiss. Molloy died on April 8, 1843, soon after giving birth to her sixth child.
