Background

Henry Bolton was born on January 28, 1843, in New York City, New York, United States, the only child of Dr. Jackson Bolton and Anna Hinman (North) Bolton, the daughter of Dr. Elisha North, one of the first American physicians to practise vaccination. He was descended from good English stock on his father's side, after whom Bolton Abbey, Priory, Woods and others, were named.

Education

Henry was educated at Columbia University, graduating in 1862; his studies in chemistry were continued under Wurtz and Dumas in Paris, Bunsen at Heidelberg, Hofmann at Berlin, and Woehler at Göttingen where he took his doctor's degree in 1866, his thesis being on "The Fluorine Compounds of Uranium. " In connection with this work he isolated and preserved a material which was kept in phials. After his death these were found to give off radioactive rays, due to the presence in the material of radium, so that he very nearly anticipated the work of the Curies

Career

After graduating at Göttingen Bolton returned to New York and opened a private laboratory. In 1872 he became an assistant at Columbia, and in 1875 professor of chemistry in the Woman's Medical College. In 1877 he accepted the chair of chemistry at Trinity College, where he remained for ten years. He then retired and, having sufficient means, devoted his time to literary and scientific pursuits. In 1882 a visit to the "Singing Beach" at Manchester, Massachussets, interested him in this subject; he wrote several papers and with his wife traveled many thousand miles to investigate similar occurrences elsewhere. While at Columbia he published papers on the action of organic acids on minerals.

Bolton was interested in folklore, contributed to the Journal of American Folk-Lore, and published The Counting Out Rhymes of Children (1888) and other similar works. He was also interested in alchemy and the history of chemistry and wrote The Follies of Science at the Court of Rudolph II, 1576-1612 (1904), and the Evolution of the Thermometer, 1592-1743 (1900). In 1874 he proposed and carried out a pilgrimage to the grave of Priestley at Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Here an acquaintance with Priestley's descendants enabled him to edit the Scientific Correspondence of Joseph Priestley (1892), an account of the Lunar Society, and an inventory of the contents of Priestley's laboratory destroyed by the rioters in 1791.

In connection with his own work on uranium bolton published in the Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History (1870) an index of the literature on the subject; this was the beginning of an interest in bibliography which he cultivated with zeal and great success for the rest of his life. He was chairman of a committee on the bibliography of chemistry of the American Chemical Society and wrote many annual reports.

Achievements

• Henry Bolton was a well-known chemist. The action of organic acids on minerals is his most important investigation. Bolton achieved more success as bibliographer of science. His best known works include a Catalogue of Scientific and Technical Periodicals, 1865-82 (1885), and Select Bibliography of Chemistry (1893) which was continued in several volumes.

Works

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  • The follies of science at the court of Rudolph II, 1576-1612

    (The follies of science at the court of Rudolph II, 1576-1...)

  • Evolution of the thermometer 1592-1743

    (Evolution of the thermometer 1592-1743 118 pages)

  • A select bibliography of chemistry, 1492-1902

    (A select bibliography of chemistry, 1492-1902. 480 Pages.)

  • Contributions of alchemy to numismatics (1890)
  • A catalogue of scientific and technical periodicals
  • The Students' Guide in Quantitative Analysis: Intended As an Aid to the Study of Fresenius' System.

Membership

Bolton was a founding member of the American Folk-Lore Society.

Personality

Blton was a man of medium height and rather stocky build, with blue eyes. His disposition was kindly and amiable and he was deeply religious, a great traveler, full of anecdote, and fond of funny stories.

Connections

Bolton married Henrietta Irving, a great-niece of Washington Irving, in 1893.

Father:

Jackson Bolton

Mother:

Anna Hinman (North) Bolton

Spouse:

Henrietta (Irving) Bolton

Grandfather:

Elisha North