Henry Eld
Encyclopedia
Henry Eld was born in Cedar Hill
, New Haven, Connecticut
, on June 2, 1814, and lived in the area now known as View Street, but when it started becoming more populated he removed his house and relocated. He was a Lieutenant
in the U.S. Navy.
on the ship Peacock, on the ship Vincennes at Fiji
, and joined Lieutenant George Emmons's
overland journey through Oregon
and California
(while in California he was involved in the Mexican War
). He produced 43 maps and 42 pencil sketches of the land between the Columbia River and the Sacramento Valley. Eld kept journals and sketch books of the Wilkes Expedition, accompanied by letters, reports and orders, documenting his personal and professional life.
Henry Eld died at sea on board U. S. ship of war Ohio on March 12, 1850, bound home from Rio de Janeiro
after a three and a half years' cruise.
Lieut. Eld was one of the officers of the U.S. exploring expedition under Capt. Charles Wilkes
in 1838 and 1842 in search of the Antarctic continent, which Lieut. Eld first descried and called out land from the crosstree of the sloop Peacock on January 16, 1839. From this the United States dates the first discovery of the Antarctic continent, and Capt. Wilkes named the highest mountain peak "Elds Peak
". They proved that the Antarctic was a continent (Lieutenant Eld was the first to see the Antarctic mountains at a crucial stage of their survey of the ice fields). Specimens where collected during the expedition - fifty thousand plants, and over 7 thousand mineral specimens, 3 thousand insects, innumerable shells, fish, reptiles, mammals, and hundreds of tribal artifacts- all these became scientific treasure.
Also, Eld Inlet
of Puget Sound
in Washington state
was named after Eld by Capt. Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition, to honor him.
"...thrice had weary sickness laid him low
Upon the troubled couch of feverish pain —
And days and nights of anguish measured slow
Their length upon the prostrate sufferer's chain;
Yet oft bright visions to his heart would come..."
Cedar Hill (New Haven)
Cedar Hill is a neighborhood in New Haven, Connecticut. It includes portions of the city-designated neighborhoods of East Rock, Quinnipiac Meadows, and Mill River.Cedar Hill was named for cedar trees that were once plentiful there in 1665...
, New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, on June 2, 1814, and lived in the area now known as View Street, but when it started becoming more populated he removed his house and relocated. He was a Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the U.S. Navy.
Overview
Eld served as a geographerGeographer
A geographer is a scholar whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society.Although geographers are historically known as people who make maps, map making is actually the field of study of cartography, a subset of geography...
on the ship Peacock, on the ship Vincennes at Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, and joined Lieutenant George Emmons's
George F. Emmons
George Foster Emmons was a rear admiral of the United States Navy, who served in the early to mid 19th century.-Biography:Born in Clarendon, Vermont, Emmons began his distinguished career as a midshipman on 1 April 1828...
overland journey through Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
(while in California he was involved in the Mexican War
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known as the First American Intervention, the Mexican War, or the U.S.–Mexican War, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S...
). He produced 43 maps and 42 pencil sketches of the land between the Columbia River and the Sacramento Valley. Eld kept journals and sketch books of the Wilkes Expedition, accompanied by letters, reports and orders, documenting his personal and professional life.
Henry Eld died at sea on board U. S. ship of war Ohio on March 12, 1850, bound home from Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
after a three and a half years' cruise.
Lieut. Eld was one of the officers of the U.S. exploring expedition under Capt. Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
in 1838 and 1842 in search of the Antarctic continent, which Lieut. Eld first descried and called out land from the crosstree of the sloop Peacock on January 16, 1839. From this the United States dates the first discovery of the Antarctic continent, and Capt. Wilkes named the highest mountain peak "Elds Peak
Lazarev Mountains
Lazarev Mountains is a chain of mountains along the west side of Matusevich Glacier southward of Eld Peak, about 40 km long. Photographed from the air by Operation Highjump , the Soviet Antarctic Expedition and ANARE . Named by the Soviet expedition after Lieutenant M.P...
". They proved that the Antarctic was a continent (Lieutenant Eld was the first to see the Antarctic mountains at a crucial stage of their survey of the ice fields). Specimens where collected during the expedition - fifty thousand plants, and over 7 thousand mineral specimens, 3 thousand insects, innumerable shells, fish, reptiles, mammals, and hundreds of tribal artifacts- all these became scientific treasure.
Also, Eld Inlet
Eld Inlet
Eld Inlet is an inlet at the southern end of Puget Sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It lies between Budd Inlet to the east and Totten Inlet to the northwest. Eld Inlet is about long.-History:...
of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
in Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
was named after Eld by Capt. Wilkes during the United States Exploring Expedition, to honor him.
Tributes
- A Sailor's Poem written in memory of Henry Eld's passing in 1854:
"...thrice had weary sickness laid him low
Upon the troubled couch of feverish pain —
And days and nights of anguish measured slow
Their length upon the prostrate sufferer's chain;
Yet oft bright visions to his heart would come..."
External links
- Photos of some sketches by Henry Eld
- Narrative of the United States' exploring expedition, during the years 1838, 1839, 1840, 1841, 1842 (1845), Wilkes, Charles (1798–1877)