Biography of ABRAHAM GESNER
GESNER, Abraham, Canadian geologist, born in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, 2 May
1797; died in Halifax, Nova Scotia, 19 April 1864. He was a son of Henry
Gesner, loyalist, who, during the Revolutionary war, fled to Nova Scotia,
where he received a grant of land in compensation for that confiscated in New
York. The young man studied medicine at St. Bartholomew's hospital, and
surgery at Guy's hospital in London, and, after receiving his degree, returned
to Nova Scotia in 1824. At first he practiced his profession, but soon turned
his attention to scientific pursuits. In 1838 he was appointed by the
legislatures of the lower provinces of British North America to explore and
report on their geological resources. In this connection he made collections
of minerals, of specimens illustrating the surveys, and of ethnological
implements, and also gathered many other objects of natural history, which now
constitute the Gesner Museum in St. Johns, New Brunswick. He became familiar
with numerous Indian dialects, and was appointed Indian Commissioner of Nova
Scotia in 1850. Dr. Gesner had an excellent knowledge of chemistry, and was
among those who early became connected with the development of artificial
illuminants from hydrocarbons. In 1851 he experimented with Trinidad asphalt,
and obtained from it an illuminating oil. Subsequently he distilled an oil,
suitable for burning in lamps, from cannel coal and bituminous shale, thus
originating in America the discovery of "kerosene," the name which he gave
it, and which since has been extended to all mineral illuminating oils. The
name, as he first formed it, was "keroselain," from the Greek words for wax and
oil, and was suggested by the waxy nature of paraffin, which is
derived from the distillation of bituminous substances, coming over with the
oily part of the distillate. Afterward it was shortened to "kerosene." In
1853 Dr. Gesner came to New York, and took out several patents for the
manufacture of kerosene from coal, but subsequently disposed of them to the
New York kerosene company, whose extensive works were erected under his
supervision. These soon ceased to be valuable in consequence of the discovery
of petroleum in Pennsylvania, at which time there were fifty-six such
factories in the United States. Shortly before his death he returned to Nova
Scotia, expecting to fill the chair of natural history in Dalhousie College,
but meanwhile occupied himself with literary work. He was a member of the
Royal Geological Society of London and of other scientific associations in
England, and also maintained a continual correspondence with eminent
scientists abroad, among whom were Sir Roderick Murchison, Sir Charles Lyell,
and the Earl of Dundonald. Besides scientific papers and reports, he
published "Remarks on the Geology and Mineralogy of Nova Scotia" (Halifax,
1837); "Reports on the Geological Survey of the Province of New Brunswick"
(St. Johns, 1844); "New Brunswick, with Notes for Emigrants" (London, 1847);
"Industrial Resources of Nova Scotia" (Halifax, 1849); "A Practical
Treatise on Coal Petroleum and other Distilled Oils" (New York, 1861). He
left an uncompleted manuscript on "The Fisheries of the Provinces," which has
not been published.
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