Scientist, Inventor. He was the first to distill a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale, which he named "kerosene". Although a medical doctor, his love for geology led him to revolutionize the energy industry. Beginning in his childhood on the Nova Scotia coast, he collected and studied fossils and rocks becoming a self-taught geologist. In the mid-1840s he began experimenting with coal looking for an alternative illuminant to whale oil. By distilling lumps of coal he was able to develop a clear liquid that when lit with a wick produced a bright light, calling it "kerosene". His discovery was a success and he moved to Long Island, New York where he established the North American Kerosene Light Company. His company eventually became a part of Standard Oil Company and he returned to Canada to teach at Dalhousie University. His work, "A Practical Treatise on Coal, Petroleum and Other Distilled Oils" published in 1861, is recognized as a standard in the industry. In 1933, Imperial Oil Company erected a tombstone at the geologist's grave in his honor.
Scientist, Inventor. He was the first to distill a liquid fuel from coal, bitumen and oil shale, which he named "kerosene". Although a medical doctor, his love for geology led him to revolutionize the energy industry. Beginning in his childhood on the Nova Scotia coast, he collected and studied fossils and rocks becoming a self-taught geologist. In the mid-1840s he began experimenting with coal looking for an alternative illuminant to whale oil. By distilling lumps of coal he was able to develop a clear liquid that when lit with a wick produced a bright light, calling it "kerosene". His discovery was a success and he moved to Long Island, New York where he established the North American Kerosene Light Company. His company eventually became a part of Standard Oil Company and he returned to Canada to teach at Dalhousie University. His work, "A Practical Treatise on Coal, Petroleum and Other Distilled Oils" published in 1861, is recognized as a standard in the industry. In 1933, Imperial Oil Company erected a tombstone at the geologist's grave in his honor.
Bio by: Bigwoo
Inscription
ABRAHAM GESNER,
M. D., F. G. S.
GEOLOGIST
BORN AT
CORNWALLIS, N. S.
MAY 2, 1797,
DIED AT HALIFAX
APRIL 29, 1864.
----
HIS TREATISE ON
THE GEOLOGY AND
MINERALOGY OF
NOVA SCOTIA, 1836,
WAS ONE OF THE
EARLIEST WORKS
DEALING WITH THOSE
SUBJECTS IN THIS
PROVINCE AND ABOUT
1852 HE WAS THE
AMERICAN INVENTOR
OF THE PROCESS
KEROSENE OIL.
----
ERECTED BY
IMPERIAL OIL LTD.
AS A TOKEN OF
APPRECIATION AND
FOR HIS IMPORTANT
CONTRIBUTION TO
THE OIL INDUSTRY.
Family Members
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