WILLIAM WILLIAMS MATHER
BY JOHN H. NEWVAHNER
William Williams Mather was the first
State Geolo-
gist of Ohio, and chief of the first
Geological Survey of
the State. In this capacity he
discovered and brought to
light a knowledge of the vast mineral
resources of the
State. And the development of these
resources has
brought untold wealth to Ohio and to
the Nation. Who
was this man who was entrusted with
such responsibility
by our great commonwealth? Why was he
chosen for
this work? To answer these questions we
must go back
to the conditions in Ohio of one
hundred years ago.
At that time the science of geology had
nowhere at-
tained anything like its present state
of perfection. Very
little, indeed was known by anyone
about the structure
of our country. The Geological Survey
of New York
was then in progress, but its results
had not yet been an-
nounced.
The first information obtained by the
citizens of
Ohio in regard to the geological structure
and mineral
resources of the State was derived from
the report of a
committee appointed under a joint
resolution of the Leg-
islature, passed March 14, 1836, to
report to the next
Legislature the best method of
obtaining a complete geo-
logical survey of the State.
The committee appointed, did splendid
work. They
submitted a plan for a general
geological survey of the
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WILLIAMS MATHER (191) |
192 Ohio
Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
State, with an estimate of its probable
cost. The Legis-
lature of 1836-37 at once acted on the
recommendation
of the committee and passed a bill on
March 27th, 1837,
providing for a geological survey,
appointing a corps of
geologists and voting an appropriation
of $12,000 for
the work. The board was then organized
as follows:
W. W. Mather, Chief Geologist.
Assistants as follows:
Dr. S. P. Hildreth
Prof. J. P. Kirtland
J. W. Foster
Charles Whittlesey
Caleb Briggs, Jr.
The gentlemen entered at once upon
their duties and
presented to the next Legislature the
First Annual Re-
port on the Geology of Ohio. This
report was imme-
diately published.
In the succeeding summer, the work was
continued
under the same organization, and the
second Geological
Report of Ohio was made and published.
Both reports
contained much valuable information
concerning the re-
sources of the State.
In consequence of the financial panic
of 1837, and
the paralysis of business that
followed, it was decided
by the Legislature, to discontinue the
appropriations for
the Survey. This was a short-sighted
policy. The de-
velopment of our resources was not
stopped, but it was
retarded by this policy. The Geological
Survey was a
producer and not a consumer. It added
far more to the
Public Treasury than it took out of it,
and deserved sup-
William Williams Mather 193
port and encouragement, even in that
dark financial
hour.
The successful work of this early
Survey is due
largely to the Chief Geologist, William
Williams Mather.
Professor Mather came from one of the
most cele-
brated Puritan families of America. He
was descended
from Rev. Richard Mather, who fled from
England to
Massachusetts in 1635 to escape
persecution for non-
conformity. Richard Mather brought four sons to
America, from the second of whom,
Timothy, the sub-
ject of this article was descended. The
paternal grand-
father of William, Eleazer Mather, was
an officer of the
Connecticut troops during the
Revolutionary War. The
eldest son of Eleazer, who bore the
same name, was the
father of William. He married a Miss
Fanny Williams
of Brooklyn, N. Y. Their son, William
Williams
Mather, the subject of this sketch, was
born in Brooklyn,
May 24, 1804.
He seems to have been a studious youth,
for while in
his teens, he decided to become a
physician, and went to
Providence, Rhode Island, to take up
medical studies.
While there he became interested in
chemistry.
These facts indicate the studious
nature of the young
man, and indicate that he was naturally
a scientist. At
the age of eighteen, however, he
applied for admission
to West Point Military Academy as a
cadet, and was
successful. He entered the Academy in
1823 and grad-
uated five years later. Young Mather
was proficient in
chemical analysis, and when Webster's
Chemistry was
going through the press, the proof
sheets were all sent to
him by the author for suggestions and
corrections. This
shows that even then, he had won a
reputation as an ex-
Vol. XL--13.
194
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
pert chemist. He had special aptitude
for science, and
took great delight in experimenting.
And needless to
state, he easily led his class in
scientific subjects.
On graduating he was assigned to the
Seventh In-
fantry with the customary rank of
Second Lieutenant.
He remained at West Point as assistant
instructor of ar-
tillery for a time, then was ordered to
Jefferson Bar-
racks, then to Fort Jessup, Louisiana.
After this, he
was detailed to act as assistant
professor of chemistry,
mineralogy, and geology at West Point,
where he re-
mained six years. During the recess of
his course of in-
struction in 1833, and with the
permission of the War
Department, he acted as Professor of
geology at Wes-
leyan University, Middletown,
Connecticut, and the fol-
lowing year received the honorary
degree of A. M. from
that University. In the summer of 1834
he made a
geological survey of Windham County,
Connecticut.
Within the first year of his
graduation, Lieutenant
Mather published in the American
Journal of Science,
several articles on scientific
subjects. He also wrote a
text book, "Elements of
Geology," which was enlarged
and passed through several editions. In
1835 he made
a topographical map of St. Peter's
River Valley, Minne-
sota, which he presented direct to the
United States Gov-
ernment. He was now promoted to the
rank of First
Lieutenant, and sent to join his
regiment at Fort Gibson,
Idaho Territory. The following summer
he marched
into the Choctaw Country in command of
his company.
But, feeling that he could now safely
adopt the pursuit
of science as a profession, he resigned
his commission in
the Army, in August, 1836.
When he had been one year at West Point
as assist-
William Williams Mather 195
ant professor, Lieutenant Mather
married Miss Emily
Maria Baker. By this marriage he had
three sons and
three daughters.
After leaving the Army, Mr. Mather was
for a short
time professor of chemistry,
mineralogy, and geology at
the University of Louisiana, but before
the close of the
year 1836, Governor Marcy of New York
appointed
him, with three others, to make a
geological survey of
the State of New York. Each of these
principal geolo-
gists was assigned to one of four
districts, into which
the State was divided for the purpose.
Mather had the
first district, which comprised
Washington, Saratoga,
Schenectady, Schoharie and Delaware
Counties, and all
that part of the State to the southeast
of them. The work
of the survey lasted about seven years.
During this time
Professor Mather made five periodical
reports and a
final report. This last forms a volume
of six hundred
pages, with forty-six colored plates,
and is altogether a
splendid report, which the State of New
York gladly
published.
With all this education, and training
and experience
of Professor Mather, it is readily to
be seen why the
State of Ohio called him to be Chief of
her Geological
Survey. And he obeyed the call. As
stated, the Survey
published two reports. But the business
depression of
1837 and 1838 caused the Legislature of
Ohio to aban-
don the work. No provision was made for
preserving
papers, field notes nor maps. This was
a great loss and
was only partly made up forty years
later by the New-
berry Report of 1878. He also at this
time assisted in
the Geological Survey of Kentucky.
While engaged in his work in Ohio, Mr.
Mather be-
196
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
came impressed with the mineral
resources of Jackson
County. He called the attention of
capitalists to the vast
mineral resources of that county, and
thus hastened the
development of that section of Ohio.
Indeed, he thought so much of Jackson
County that
he purchased one thousand acres of land
about three
miles north of the city of Jackson, the
county seat of
Jackson County, and later purchased
five hundred acres
more. He cleared part of the land,
built for himself a
comfortable home on it, and became a
citizen of Ohio.
Even after leaving it later, he would
return and spend a
part of the summer on it annually. He
always consid-
ered and called it his family
homestead.
From his home he could enjoy the most
beautiful
scenery to be found in all Ohio. The
most gorgeous sun-
sets were his to see. And here, almost
out of touch with
the rest of the world, was the home of
this busy man for
over ten years. He recognized his duties
as a citizen
and took an active interest in
community affairs. He
became a charter member of the First
Baptist Church of
Jackson, and a charter member of Trowel
Lodge, Num-
ber 132, Free and Accepted Masons of
Jackson, Ohio.
Here in his Jackson County home, his
beloved wife and
two sons, Increase and Cotton Mather,
passed away.
And all three were buried in the Mather
Cemetery at the
top of the hill on the side of which
his home had been
built. Later the remains of his wife
and mother were
removed to Ironton by a remaining son
of this marriage.
And as late as 1930, lilies and other
cultivated flowers
were still to be found growing wild on
the hillside where
once had been his home. They were no
doubt descend-
William Williams Mather 197
ants of the flowers once tended with
loving care by his
devoted wife.
About the time Professor Mather
finished his Sur-
vey in New York, he was chosen
professor of natural
science in the Ohio University, at
Athens, Ohio. He
held this position from 1842 to 1845,
and from 1847 to
1850, being vice-president and acting
president in 1845.
From 1845 to 1847 he was engaged in
examining min-
eral lands for mining companies, about
Lake Superior,
and also in New Jersey, Virginia and
Massachusetts.
During part of 1846 he was acting
professor of
chemistry and geology at Marietta
College, his other
engagements making him unwilling to
accept the pro-
fessorship. In the winter of 1845 he
began a series of
experiments on the extraction of
bromine from the salt
waters of works near Athens, Ohio. At
that time bro-
mine, which now sells for a few cents a
pound, was sell-
ing at sixteen dollars an ounce. His
work has revolu-
tionized the making of this substance.
In similar public and private
employments the rest of
his life was passed. He was
agricultural chemist for
the State of Ohio, and secretary of the
State Board of
Agriculture from 1850 to 1854. During
part of this
time he edited the Western
Agriculturist and during the
last year was a member of the United
States Board of
Agriculture. His wife having died, he
married, in 1851,
Mrs. Mary Curtis, who survived him. By
this mar-
riage he had one son. Mr. Mather died
in Columbus,
February 26, 1859, aged fifty-four
years.
In addition to his writings already
mentioned, he
contributed frequent papers to the American
Journal of
Science and other scientific periodicals. He received the
198
Ohio Arch. and Hist. Society Publications
degree of LL. D. from Brown University,
was a mem-
ber of twenty-five scientific and
literary organizations,
was a life member of many religious
associations, and
for fifteen years was a trustee of
Denison University
at Granville, Ohio.
His geological and mineralogical
specimens num-
bered at the time of his death, over
twenty-six thousand.
Equable in his disposition, and gentle
in his man-
ners, considerate of others, modest,
but manly and self-
reliant, thoroughly versed in the
branches to which he
devoted himself, he had neither
dogmatism nor osten-
tation. As he observed in a letter to a
friend who dif-
fered from him on a geological
question, "I am not wed-
ded to any theory, but seek the
truth--and when found
adopt it." He was a man of gentle
disposition, firm
principles, and a high sense of honor.
The supremacy of his will-power over
physical pain
is illustrated in the following
experience he had while
making an examination of coal lands
near Pomeroy,
Ohio. He had injured the second finger
of his right
hand, and the finger evidently required
amputation. He
directed the surgeon to procure a
block, a chisel, and a
mallet; and placing his finger on the
block, told the sur-
geon to sever the finger at one blow.
This was at-
tempted but proved a sad failure. The
chisel was too
thin and highly tempered and the edge
crumbled. But he
told the surgeon to go on, and several
blows were re-
quired before the severance could be
made. Although
in this painful operation the bone was
crushed instead of
being cut, he bore the pain without
flinching.
Such was this splendid man. Through the
whole of
his active and busy life, dealing with
many men and
William Williams Mather 199 many organizations, always laboring for others, in all the various and important public positions which he oc- cupied, no breath of censure ever assailed his integrity. He honored his own good name, his State, and his coun- try. The influence of his good life and works goes ever onward. |
|
WILLIAM WILLIAMS MATHER
BY JOHN H. NEWVAHNER
William Williams Mather was the first
State Geolo-
gist of Ohio, and chief of the first
Geological Survey of
the State. In this capacity he
discovered and brought to
light a knowledge of the vast mineral
resources of the
State. And the development of these
resources has
brought untold wealth to Ohio and to
the Nation. Who
was this man who was entrusted with
such responsibility
by our great commonwealth? Why was he
chosen for
this work? To answer these questions we
must go back
to the conditions in Ohio of one
hundred years ago.
At that time the science of geology had
nowhere at-
tained anything like its present state
of perfection. Very
little, indeed was known by anyone
about the structure
of our country. The Geological Survey
of New York
was then in progress, but its results
had not yet been an-
nounced.
The first information obtained by the
citizens of
Ohio in regard to the geological structure
and mineral
resources of the State was derived from
the report of a
committee appointed under a joint
resolution of the Leg-
islature, passed March 14, 1836, to
report to the next
Legislature the best method of
obtaining a complete geo-
logical survey of the State.
The committee appointed, did splendid
work. They
submitted a plan for a general
geological survey of the
(190)