Adam Sedgwick Collection 1825-1870

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Adam Sedgwick Collection 1825-1870

http://www.amphilsoc.org/mole/view?docId=ead/Mss.B.Se25L-ead.xml

Adam Sedgwick (1785-1873, APS 1860), geologist, was an important figure in the development of the modern discipline of geology. He was educated at Cambridge, being ordained in 1817. An excellent field geologist, he did significant work interpreting complex old rock in such places as Devonshire (naming the Devonian Period after that location), Cornwall, and the Lake District, correlating his findings with strata in places such as Germany. Sedgwick first interpreted strata from the period he named Cambrian. He served in many professional organizations and was honored for his work with the Wollaston and Copley medals. Sedgwick, a Liberal in politics, served on committees that reformed the administration of university education. Despite being a friend of Charles Darwin's, Sedgwick was critical of the materialist bent of Darwinian thought. The 37 letters in the collection were acquired at various times, mainly through purchase, and assembled for the collection. The letters span the dates 1825-1870. Individually most letters are not especially significant, but collectively they touch on most aspects of Sedgwick's life and career. There are letters about Sedgwick's work on university reform, the Geological Museum at Cambridge, lectures, colleagues, travel, health, and family. Only one letter in the collection delves into detail about Sedgwick's geologic work.

0.25 Linear feet

American Philosophical Society

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SNAC Resource ID: 6631827

Related Entities

There are 14 Entities related to this resource.

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De La Beche, Henry T. (Henry Thomas), 1796-1855

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Geological society of London

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Lloyd, Humphrey, 1800-1881

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Sedgwick, Adam, 1785-1873

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Adam Sedgwick was one of the founders of modern geology. He proposed the Devonian period of the geological timescale. Later, he proposed the Cambrian period, based on work which he did on Welsh rock strata. Though he had guided the young Charles Darwin in his early study of geology, Sedgwick was an outspoken opponent of Darwin's theory of evolution by means of natural selection. From the description of Letter to Richard Owen, [1860?], January 8. (Huntington Library, Art Collections &...

Lonsdale, W. (William), 1794-1871

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James, John. K., Sir, bart., 1815-1893

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Peacock, George, 1791-1858

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Mathematician. Fellow of the Royal Society. From the description of Letters from J. Tate, 1809-1843. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 81378898 From the description of Correspondence, ca. 1820-1854. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 78585357 ...

Clift, William, 1775-1849

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William Clift, English museum curator, was born in Cornwall on 14 Feb. 1775. He married Caroline Amelia Pope in 1799; their daughter, Caroline Amelia Clift, married Sir Richard Owen in 1835. Clift died in London on 20 June 1849. Clift became an apprentice to physician John Hunter in 1792; after Hunter's death, Clift was retained to care for his extensive collection of pathological specimens. When this collection was acquired by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in...

Sopwith, Thomas, 1803-1879

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English cleric William Buckland worked as a geologist and vertebrate paleontologist. The first Reader of Geology, University of Oxford (from 1819), Buckland is most noted as the scientific discoverer of dinosaurs. From the guide to the William Buckland papers, 1817-1848, 1817-1848, (American Philosophical Society) ...

Sedgwick Museum

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Palmerston, Henry John Temple, Viscount, 1784-1865

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English statesman. From the description of Printed letter signed : London, to Clinton G. Dawkins, H.M. Consul General at Trieste, 1849 Apr. 17. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270612596 From the description of Autograph letter signed : Stanhope St., to Dr. Budd, 1837 Apr. 14. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 270610835 From the description of Autograph letter in third person : Foreign Office [London], to M. Arichini, 1834 Aug. 12. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 27060970...

University of Cambridge.

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Harvard University celebrated its 250th anniversary in 1886. Many institutions of higher education, governments, and individuals sent greetings and congratulations to commemorate the occasion. This seal accompanied greetings from the University of Cambridge, England, to the university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. From the description of Sigillum coe cancellarii mror et scholariu Universitat Cantebrigie, 1886. (Harvard University). WorldCat record id: 228509847 The University...

Procter, Joseph, b. 1829

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