Francis Buzzacott

Francis Henry Buzzacott (1861-1947) was an American hunter, conservationist, army scout, and explorer famous for writing the Hunter's and Trapper's Complete Guide and the Complete American and Canadian Sportsman's Encyclopedia, better known today as Buzzacott's Masterpiece.

Early life
Francis Buzzacott was born on Christmas Day 1861 to Welsh immigrant parents, Henry Buzzacott (1833-99) and Eliza Turner (born 1838). His father, Henry Buzzacott, also worked as a hunter and trapper after the Civil War and assisted Francis in drafting his Masterpiece.

Career
During the Indian Wars of the 1870s, Buzzacott worked as a guide, trapper and frontiersman in the American West. In between expeditions, he found employment as a seal hunter in Canada, sailor on a whaleboat, and commercial fisherman. Later in life he became interested in human sexuality, and published a scientific study of bisexuality and human hermaphrodites in 1914.

Expeditions
As an explorer and guide with over 40 years' experience, Buzzacott participated in many expeditions during the late Victorian era. These included the British South African Expedition of 1879, Jeannette expedition of 1879–81, Lady Franklin Bay Expedition of 1881–84, and the Walter Wellman Polar Expedition of 1906. He was also a member of the American Geological Society, National Rifle Association of America, and the National Geographic Association.

Military service
From 1885 to 1898, Buzzacott enlisted in the American army as a scout. He saw action in the Spanish-American War and Philippine–American War. In 1899 he testified at the embalmed beef scandal. He became a supporter of the temperance movement after witnessing the effects of excessive alcohol consumption on his fellow soldiers. During the 1890s he invented a portable bread oven for the US Army. After leaving the army he was involved with the early Boy Scout movement in America.

Death
Buzzacott died in Lake City, Florida, in 1947. He was survived by his wife Tillie Van Luranee (born 1868) and three daughters Beatrice (1892-1979), Tillie (1892-1980) and Lillian (born 1894).

Publications



 * Hunter's and Trapper's Complete Guide, 1903
 * Complete Fisherman's and Angler's Manual, 1903
 * Complete American and Canadian Sportsman's Encyclopedia of Valuable instruction, 1905
 * Totem Club Boys' Handbook, 1912
 * Buzzacott's Masterpiece, 1913
 * Mystery of the Sexes, 1913
 * Bisexual Man, or Evolution of the Sexes, 1914
 * Complete Sportsman's Guide, 1929 revision of his 1913 Masterpiece
 * Lost Arts of the Sportsman, reprinted 2013