Description

1844 Dictionary of Science, Lit & Art, Brande. 2V George Gillespie Evans New Ark 1844 Dictionary of Science, Lit & Art, Brande. 2V George Gillespie Evans New Ark A Dictionary of Science, Literature, and Art Comprising The History, Description, and Scientific Principles of Every Branch of Human Knowledge With the Derivation and Definition of All the Terms in General Use Two-Volume Set Edited by W. T. Brande Assisted by Joseph Cauvin Harper & Brothers, New York 1844. First American edition. Three-quarter leather over cloth-covered boards with ribbed spine, gilt spine titles, large octavos, total of 1252 pages, small b&w illustrations. The signature of the original owner, George G. Evans of New Ark, Delaware is written of the front pastedowns of both volumes. (See below.) William Thomas Brande FRS (11 January 1788 – 11 February 1866) was an English chemist. Biography Brande was born in London, England. After leaving Westminster School, he was apprenticed, in 1802, to his brother, an apothecary, with the view of adopting the profession of medicine. However, Brande's bent was towards chemistry, a sound knowledge of which he acquired in his spare time. In 1812 he was appointed professor of chemistry to the Apothecaries' Society, and delivered a course of lectures before the Board of Agriculture in place of Sir Humphry Davy, whom in the following year he succeeded in the chair of chemistry at the Royal Institution, London. From about 1823 onwards, Brande worked increasingly with the Royal Mint, eventually becoming Superintendent of the Coining and Die Department. Brande's Manual of Chemistry, first published in 1819, enjoyed wide popularity, and among other works he brought out a Dictionary of Science, Literature and Art in 1842. He was working on a new edition when he died at Tunbridge Wells. He contributed articles to Rees's Cyclopaedia on Chemistry, but the topics are not known. Lectures In 1834, 1836, 1839, 1842, 1844, 1847 and 1850 Brande was invited to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on Chemistry; Chemistry of the Gases; The Chemistry of the Atmosphere and the Ocean; The Chemistry of the Non-Metallic Elements; The Chemistry of the Gases; The Elements of Organic Chemistry and The Chemistry of Coal respectively. George Gillespie Evans (1815 – 1904), the active community leader for whom this collection is named, oversaw commerce, education, and the Presbyterian Church in Newark, Delaware, for over fifty years in the nineteenth century. In addition to managing a general store on Main Street, Evans administered estates, served multiple terms on the Newark Town Commission, and held trusteeships at the First Presbyterian Church of Newark, Newark Academy, and Delaware College (University of Delaware). Brick from his two area brick yards built the facades of many Newark locales, including the Deer Park Hotel, Town Hall, and his own home, which still stands today on the corner of Main Street and North College Avenue. The University named Evans Hall, a College of Engineering building, to honor the many contributions of the family. George Gillespie Evans was born in Delaware on 1 June 1815, to John Evans and Agnes (Ann) Gillespie Evans. George G. Evans was one of six children, and the oldest son. The Evans family, George G. Evans’ paternal ancestors, emigrated from Wales to America in the early eighteenth century, settling near Glasgow, Delaware. His father, John Evans, owned a general store on Main Street in Newark, Delaware. In addition, beginning in 1783, John Evans served as a trustee of Newark Academy, a position his son and grandson would both also hold. Following the Civil War, George Evans also served as a trustee of Delaware College. When John Evans died in 1828, thirteen-year-old George Gillespie Evans assisted at his father’s general store. Later he ran the store, and eventually gained sole ownership. George G. Evans continued to deal in general merchandise until his death in 1904. Along with his younger brother William D. Evans, George G. Evans also owned and rented extensive property in the Newark area. On 17 June 1856, George Gillespie Evans married Mary Jane Black, the youngest daughter of Samuel Henry Black. Samuel H. Black, son of David William and Margaret Ferris Black, was born in New Castle County on 20 December 1782. He studied medicine with Dr. John Groome, of Elkton, Maryland, and completed a medical degree at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1812 and 1818, Samuel H. Black was elected state senator; he also served several terms in the General Assembly. In 1817 he married Dorcas Armitage Middleton, daughter of Robert and Mary Middleton, of Glasgow, Delaware; nine of the couple’s children survived. Dr. Black, too, served as a trustee of Delaware College; in fact, at an 1827 meeting of the board he suffered a sudden stroke and subsequently died. After marriage, George Gillespie and Mary Jane (Black) Evans settled in Newark, building their house across from the Evans family’s general store. Their six children included son Charles B. “Charley,” and five daughters: Ann M. “Annie,” Harriet N. “Hallie,” Margaret G. “Maggie,” Agnes Armitage “Armey,” and Lena Evans. Annie Evans married a Newark dentist, Dr. H. G. M. Kollock, and continued to reside in Newark. She was a founding member of the New Century Club and she and her husband also provided funds to the Newark Public Library. Margaret Evans married John S. M. Neill of Montana. He was a student at Delaware College when he met the Evans family; John and Margaret (Evans) Neill eventually settled in Montana. Agnes Armitage Evans married Charles W. Reed; the couple had four children. Harriet and Lena Evans never married. From 1856 until 1897, George G. Evans served as treasurer and secretary of the Delaware College Board of Trustees; his only son, Charles Black Evans, also served in this capacity for over thirty years. Church leadership was also a family tradition, George G. Evans’ maternal great-grandfather, the Reverend George Gillespie, came to Delaware, building up and ministering to the Christiana Presbyterian Church in 1712; again, George G. Evans was succeeded as trustee and treasurer of the First Presbyterian Church of Newark by his son, Charles B. Evans. CONDITION: Good-. (Covers have shelf wear, some wear to leather. Name of original owner on front pastedowns. Dust darkened top edges. Fore-edge piece of last text page missing The major. flaw in both volumes is the dampstains which are mostly in the margins and occasionally extend into the text. There is also occasional light to moderate foxing. The text however is completely readable. Complete contents. Tight bindings,) Check our other auctions and store listings for additional unusual items. Check our other auctions and store listings for additional unusual items Listing and template services provided by inkFrog