David T. Ansted
Encyclopedia
David Thomas Ansted was an English geologist
and author
.
on 5 February 1814. He was educated at Jesus College
, Cambridge
, and after taking his degree of M.A. in 1839 was elected to a fellowship of the college.
, his attention was given to geology
, and he was a respected geologist by age 30. http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007SE/finalprogram/abstract_118610.htm In 1840, he was elected professor of geology in King's College London
, a post which he held until 1853. From 1845 he was also a lecturer at the East India Company
's Military Seminary at Addiscombe
, and professor of geology at the College for Civil Engineers at Putney
.
Meanwhile he became a fellow of the Royal Society
in 1844, and from that date until 1847 he was vice-secretary of the Geological Society
. The practical side of geology now came to occupy his attention and he visited various parts of Europe
as a consulting geologist and mining engineer.
-Seekers Manual (1849) attempted to improve the prospects of emigrants to the California
gold rush
. His other published works include Geology, introductory, descriptive, & practical (1844), The Geologist's Text-Book (1845), Syllabus of lectures on mineralogy, geology, and practical geology... (1848), An elementary course of geology, mineralogy, and physical geography (1850), The Great Stone Book of Nature (1853), The applications of geology to the arts and manufactures... (1865).
By 1853, his reputation was sufficient that he was hired by potential investors to survey promising coal fields along the New River
in southern Virginia
in the United States
, and he was one of the earlier geologists to identify the rich bituminous coal
seams which lay there. His work set the stage for a mining boom in the area, where he invested in land along the Midland Trail
in Fayette County
in what became the new state of West Virginia
in 1863 during the American Civil War
(1861–1865).
A protégé of Dr. Ansted, William Nelson Page (1854–1932), became a leading industrialist and developer of iron furnaces, coal mines and railroads in the area, leading and managing such enterprises as the Victoria Furnace in Goshen, Virginia
and the Gauley Mountain Coal Company for absentee investors, many of whom were based overseas in the United Kingdom
.
about 1860. In 1868, Dr. Ansted became an Examiner in Physical Geography to the Science and Art Department of King's College.
Ansted died at Melton
near Woodbridge
in Suffolk
, England
on 13 May 1880.
in Fayette County
was named in his honor in 1873.
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Youth, education
Ansted was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 5 February 1814. He was educated at Jesus College
Jesus College, Cambridge
Jesus College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The College was founded in 1496 on the site of a Benedictine nunnery by John Alcock, then Bishop of Ely...
, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, and after taking his degree of M.A. in 1839 was elected to a fellowship of the college.
Noted geologist
Inspired by the teachings of Adam SedgwickAdam Sedgwick
Adam Sedgwick was one of the founders of modern geology. He proposed the Devonian period of the geological timescale...
, his attention was given to geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
, and he was a respected geologist by age 30. http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007SE/finalprogram/abstract_118610.htm In 1840, he was elected professor of geology in King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
, a post which he held until 1853. From 1845 he was also a lecturer at the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
's Military Seminary at Addiscombe
Addiscombe Military Academy
The East India Company Military Seminary, colloquially known as Addiscombe Seminary, Addiscombe College, or Addiscombe Military Academy was a British military academy at Addiscombe, Surrey, in what is now the London Borough of Croydon. It was established in 1809, and closed in 1861...
, and professor of geology at the College for Civil Engineers at Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
.
Meanwhile he became a fellow of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1844, and from that date until 1847 he was vice-secretary of the Geological Society
Geological Society of London
The Geological Society of London is a learned society based in the United Kingdom with the aim of "investigating the mineral structure of the Earth"...
. The practical side of geology now came to occupy his attention and he visited various parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as a consulting geologist and mining engineer.
Books, surveying coal fields in the eastern U.S.
Dr. Ansted's GoldGold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
-Seekers Manual (1849) attempted to improve the prospects of emigrants to the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
gold rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
. His other published works include Geology, introductory, descriptive, & practical (1844), The Geologist's Text-Book (1845), Syllabus of lectures on mineralogy, geology, and practical geology... (1848), An elementary course of geology, mineralogy, and physical geography (1850), The Great Stone Book of Nature (1853), The applications of geology to the arts and manufactures... (1865).
By 1853, his reputation was sufficient that he was hired by potential investors to survey promising coal fields along the New River
New River (West Virginia)
The New River, part of the Ohio River watershed, is a tributary of the Kanawha River about 320 mi long. The river flows through the U.S. states of North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia...
in southern Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and he was one of the earlier geologists to identify the rich bituminous coal
Bituminous coal
Bituminous coal or black coal is a relatively soft coal containing a tarlike substance called bitumen. It is of higher quality than lignite coal but of poorer quality than Anthracite...
seams which lay there. His work set the stage for a mining boom in the area, where he invested in land along the Midland Trail
Midland Trail
For the trail's section in West Virginia see: The Midland Trail in West Virginia.The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C...
in Fayette County
Fayette County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
in what became the new state of West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
in 1863 during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–1865).
A protégé of Dr. Ansted, William Nelson Page (1854–1932), became a leading industrialist and developer of iron furnaces, coal mines and railroads in the area, leading and managing such enterprises as the Victoria Furnace in Goshen, Virginia
Goshen, Virginia
Goshen is a town in Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States. The population was 406 at the 2000 census. The town is known amongst the Boy Scouts of America for hosting Goshen Scout Reservation, one of the largest Boy Scout camps in America....
and the Gauley Mountain Coal Company for absentee investors, many of whom were based overseas in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Charles Darwin
Dr. Ansted exchanged correspondence with Charles DarwinCharles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
about 1860. In 1868, Dr. Ansted became an Examiner in Physical Geography to the Science and Art Department of King's College.
Ansted died at Melton
Melton, Suffolk
Melton is a village in Suffolk, England, located approximately one mile north east of Woodbridge. The 2001 census recorded a population of 3718. The village is served by Melton railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line....
near Woodbridge
Woodbridge, Suffolk
Woodbridge is a town in Suffolk, East Anglia, England. It is in the East of England, not far from the coast. It lies along the River Deben, with a population of about 7,480. The town is served by Woodbridge railway station on the Ipswich-Lowestoft East Suffolk Line. Woodbridge is twinned with...
in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 13 May 1880.
Legacy
The town of AnstedAnsted, West Virginia
Ansted is a town in Fayette County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is situated on high bluffs along U.S. Highway 60 on a portion of the Midland Trail a National Scenic Byway near Hawk's Nest overlooking the New River far below....
in Fayette County
Fayette County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
was named in his honor in 1873.