John Jeremiah Bigsby

Who was John Jeremiah Bigsby?

John Jeremiah Bigsby, M.D., F.R.S, F.G.S., F.R.G.S., was an English physician who became known for his work on geology, an interest developed while on military service in Lower and Upper Canada, 1818-1826. He was a member of the American Philosophical Society. Before moving to London, he was Alderman and Mayor of Newark-upon-Trent, 1827-1830. In 1850, he published a lively book recounting his life and travels in British North America, The Shoe and Canoe. In 1868, he published his most important scientific work, Thesaurus Siluricus, being a list of all the fossils which occur in the Silurian formation across the world. He contributed about twenty seven papers to various scientific societies in London. He published Thesaurus Devonico-Carboniferus but died shortly before completing Theasaurus Permianus. In 1874, he was awarded the Murchison Medal. In 1876, he endowed the Bigsby Medal.