"The Leakeys of White Mountain Geology": Hanover New Hampshire’s James Walter Goldthwait (1880-1947), Richard Parker Goldthwait (1911-1992) and Lawrence Goldthwait (1914-2001)

James Walter Goldthwait

James Walter Goldthwait

For countless years the Goldthwait name was synonymous with geology and geography, not only in New Hampshire, but throughout the world. Their legacy lives on in their studies, publications, and progeny.  James Walter Goldthwait, the father, was the son of a humble Lynn Massachusetts livery stable owner. Of James siblings, Emily became a music teacher, and Cora Olive, a teacher who married Isaiah Bowman–one of the world renown geographers of his time.

James W. Goldthwait furthered his education at Harvard where he was awarded a PhD in 1906. He shared his love of the earth with his sons, Richard Parker, and Lawrence.

Richard parker Goldthwait

Richard parker Goldthwait

Richard Parker Goldthwait, the elder son, born in Hanover NH, was particularly fascinated with glacier geology. In college he majored in geology. His doctoral dissertation concerned the sequence of local cirque glaciation versus overriding continental ice on Mount Washington, NH. He wrote for the Mount Washington News Bulletin. His extensive accomplishments can be found in his obituary, located in the Goldthwait Genealogy below, and in the links provided for additional reading.

Lawrence Goldthwait, the younger son, also majored in geology at Dartmouth College, and was a professor of geology at the University of Maine. He and his brother Richard frequently adventured together in the Wolfeboro NH area.

“During the summer of 1992, Dick and Lawrence and their families were, as usual, at their summer homes on the shores of Lake Wentworth near Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. On the morning of July 6, while the two brothers were in a boat collecting water samples for a continuing pollution study of the lake, Dick suffered a sudden, massive cerebral hemorrhage, and died a day later.”

All three of these amazing men spent their lives carried out much of the earliest scientific research on the late-stages of the Ice Age on the Presidential Range and the White Mountains, and were dubbed, “The Leakeys of White Mountain Geology.”

Janice

**Additional Reading**

(A Tribute To) Richard P. Goldthwait, by Guy Gosselin-

Geological Society of New Hampshire

***GOLDTHWAIT GENEALOGY***

Thomas Goldthwait, son of Thomas & ?Jane Goldthwaite, was b. July 1610 in Yorkshire England [another source says b. in Salem MA], d. 1 March 1682/83 in Salem, Essex Co MA; was living in Roxbury MA 1631, prob. came in the fleet the year before. He was freeman 14 May 1634; removed probably 1637 to Salem MA. He m July 1636 in Salem MA to Elizabeth –. She d. by 1679. He married 2nd, Rachel Leach.  His will was proved at Salem MA March 6, 1719.
Children of Thomas & Elizabeth (?) Goldthwait:
1. +Samuel Goldthwait, bap 20 Aug 1637 Salem MA
2. Mehitable Goldthwait, bapt 27 Apr 1640, d. 3 May 1668 unmarried
3. Elizabeth Goldthwait, bap 20 Nov 1642, m. Sep 1660 John King, son of William King. He was baptized 11 Nov 1638 in Salem MA. In 1682 he was called son-in-law in the will of Thomas Goldthwait. Had issue: John, Samuel, Capt William, Jonathan, Thomas, Hannah and Benjamin.

—————Next Generation—————–

Samuel Goldthwait, son of Thomas & Elizabeth Goldthwait, baptized 20 Aug 1637 Salem MA, d. 31 Dec 1718 in Salem MA; m. 3 Sep 1666 in Charlestown MA to Elizabeth Cheever, probably daughter of Ezekiel Cheever, the “famous master of the Boston Latin School”
Children of Samuel & Elizabeth (Cheever) Goldthwait:
1. Elizabeth Goldthwait, b. 7 Dec 1667, d. in a few weeks
2. +Samuel Goldthwait, b. 5 March 1669, m. 2 Dec 1697 in Salem MA to Mary Thomas
3. John Goldthwaite, b. 25 Dec 1677 in Salem MA; master mason and contractor. He married twice, his 2nd wife being Jane Tawley/Taley. His son was the famous (or infamous) Colonel Thomas Goldthwait.
4. Nathaniel Goldthwaite, b. 1679 Salem MA
5. Thomas Goldthwait, b. 17 Feb 1671, prob. died young
6. Ezekiel “Ezechil” Goldthwait, b. 3 Oct 1674, bap 24 July 1707 Salem MA; d. 1761 in Salem MA; m. Esther Boyce. Their son Samuel b 17 Oct 1703 in Salem MA married Sarah Reed/Read.  Their son Ezekiel’s line of descent is shown here.
7. Mary Goldthwaite, b. 1681 Salem MA
8. Hannah Goldthwait, b. 9 Apr 1686/87 Salem MA
9. Thomas Goldthwait 2nd, b. 1 March 1689/90 Salem MA

—————Next Generation—————–

Samuel Goldthwaite, son of Samuel & Elizabeth (Cheever) Goldthwait, b. 5 March 1669 in Salem MA; baptized 13 May 1669 Salem MA; d. 1747. He married 2 Dec 1697 in Salem MA to Mary Thomas. She b. 3 Dec 1671 in Salem MA, an d. betw 1735 and 1737
Children of Samuel & Mary (Thomas) Goldthwait: [may be more]
1. Mary Goldthwaite, bap 21 May 1699 Salem MA
2. Ruth Goldthwaite, bap 13 Apr 1701 Salem MA
3. Samuel Goldthwaite, bap 30 May 1703 Salem MA
4. +Thomas Goldthwaite, bap 1 Aug 1708 in Salem MA; m. Eunice Flint
5. Lydia Goldthwaite, bap 14 May 1710 Salem MA

—————Next Generation—————–

Thomas Goldthwaite, son of Samuel & Mary (Thomas) Goldthwait, bapt. 1 Aug 1708 in Salem MA, d. 1756 in Salem MA; m. 4 June 1730 in Salem MA to Eunice Flint, dau of Joseph & Abigail (Howard/Hayward) Flint. She b. abt 1710 in Salem MA, and d. abt 1744 in Petersham MA.
Children of Thomas & Eunice (Flint) Goldthwaite:
1. Eunice Goldthwaite; m. Isaac Buffam
2. Thomas Goldthwaite, b. 1734 in Petersham MA; m1) Lucy Flint; m2) Lois Stebbins; had issue: Hitte, Samuel, Thomas, Elijah, Erastus, Lucy.
3. +William Goldthwaite, b abt 1743; m. Abigail King

—————Next Generation—————–

William Goldthwait, b. abt 1743; d. 26/29 March 1808. He m. 28 Feb 1765 at Danvers MA to Abigail King. She b. 1745 in Danvers MA and d. 1820
Children of William & Abigail (King) Goldthwait:
1. Abigail Goldthwait, b. 3 July 1769 in So. Danvers MA; d. 1856; m. 4 Apr 1788 S. Danvers MA to Henry Tewksbury; had issue.
2. William Goldthwaite, , b. 11 Aug 1771, d. 11 Aug 1771, abt 6 hours old.
3. Mehittable Goldthwaite, b. 16 Aug 1772 Danvers MA; died 6 Sep 1772
4. Elijah Goldthwaite, b. 21 Nov 1774 Danvers MA; died Oct 16, 1775
5. Anna Goldthwaite, b. 16 Sep 1776 Danvers MA, d. 18 Oct 1840
6. +William Goldthwaite, b. 21 Nov 1778 South Danvers MA; m. Pamelia Sheldon
7. Elisabeth Goldthwaite, b 11 Jan 1781; died 19 May 1781.
8. Mary “Polly” Goldthwaite, b. 7 Sep 1783
9. Esther Goldthwaite, died 22 Sep 1810

—————Next Generation—————–

William Goldthwaite, son of William Goldthwait, was b. 21 Nov 1778 in South Danvers MA and d. 30 Oct 1842 in Danvers MA. he m. 12 Jan 1800 in Danvers MA to Pamelia “Pamela” Sheldon, dau of Ephraim & Eunice (Felch) Sheldon. She b. Feb 1781 in Danvers MA and d. 3 June 1866
Children of William & Pamelia (Sheldon) Goldthwaite:
1. William G. Goldthwaite b 29 July 1800 Danvers, Essex co MA; m. 3 Aug 1820 Salem MA to Sally Andrews. Had ch, Sally, b. 21 May 1821 Danvers MA; William Henry Jr. b 1 July 1822 Danvers MA; Sally Andrews b 24 Sep 1824 Danvers MA; Eliza Ann, b 5 July 1827 Danvers MA; Francis, b. 8 Oct 1829 Danvers MA; Mehitable Proctor, b. 27 Dec 1832 Danvers MA; Abigail, b. 15 Feb 1835 Danvers MA; Maria, b. 29 Dec 1837 Danvers MA; Charles Morton, b. 10 Aug 1839 Danvers MA; Joseph b. 9 Jan 1842 Danvers MA.
2. infant child, d. 1801, age 1 day
3. Eliab (son), b. 28 March 1803 Danvers MA
3. Elizabeth “Betsey” Goldthwaite b 6 June 1806 Danvers MA
4. Joseph E. Goldthwaite b 21 July 1809 Danvers MA; d. 26 Jan 1877; m. Ruth Andrews
5. +Dennison “Dennis” Wallis Goldthwaite, b. 1 Apr 1813 Danvers, Essex Co. MA
6. Jonathan Marble Goldthwaite b 17 Oct 1814 Danvers MA
7. Augustus Charles Goldthwaite b Apr 1823 Essex MA

—————Next Generation—————–

Dennison Wallis Goldwaite, son of William & Pamelia (Sheldon) Goldthwaite, was b. 1 Apr 1813 in Danvers, Essex Co MA and d. 24 May 1863 in Turnbridge VT. He m. 20 Sep 1832 in Salem MA to Adeline Johnson Wiggins, dau of James & Sally (Chadwell) Wiggins. She b. 29 March 1815 in Lynn MA and d. 23 Nov 1895 in Lynn MA.
————
Census > U.S. Census > 1850 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Danvers
Dennison W. Goldthwait 38 M Farmer 5000 MA
Adeline J. Goldthwait 35 F MA
Lucy M. Goldthwait 15 F MA
Emily D. Goldthwait 13 F MA
James W. Goldthwait 11 M MA
Harriet P. Goldthwait 6 F MA
Charles D. Goldthwait 5 M MA
Martha E. Goldthwait 2 F MA
Olivia Goldthwait 1 F MA
Thomas Grant ?Goldthwait 19 M Laborer NH
Patrick Martin 27 M Labor Ireland
Martin Donahue 17 M Ireland
John Carr 50 M Ireland
Adaline A. Goldthwait 17 F Mass
Margaret McGinnis 19 F Ireland
————
1860 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Lynn Ward 4
Dennis W. Goldthwait 48 M Livery Stable 8000/4500 Mass
Adeline J. Goldthwait 43 F Mass
Emma D. Goldthwait 22 F Mass
James W. Goldthwait 20 M Book keeper Mass
Hattie P. Goldthwait 18 F Mass
Chas. D. Goldthwait 16 M Mass
Evelyn Goldthwait 12 F Mass
Alice J. Goldthwait 11 F Mass
Louise C. Goldthwait 8 M Mass [?Louis]
Freddie P. Goldthwait 5 M Mass
————
1880 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Lynn > District 210
Goldthwait Adaline W F 65 keeping House MA MA MA
Goldthwait M. Eva W F 32 dau Dressmake MA MA MA
Goldthwait Louis C W M 28 son works on shoes MA MA MA
Goldthwait Fred P. W M 24 son clerk in stable MA MA MA
Chapman, Edgar W M 19 boarder  — MA MA MA
————
Children of Dennison W. & Adeline J. (Wiggins) Goldwaite:
1. Adaline Augusta Goldthwait, b. 28 Oct 1832 Salem MA, recorded Danvers MA
2. William Frederick Goldthwait, b. 22 Dec 1833 at Danvers MA; d. 1833, rec. at Lynn MA
3. Lucy Maria Goldthwait, b. 16 March 1835 at Salem MA, recorded at Danvers MA
4. Emeline “Emily” Dennison Goldthwait, b. 9 Nov 1837 at Salem MA, recorded at Danvers MA
5. +James Wesley Goldthwait, b. 3 Sep 1839 in Danvers MA
6. Charles Dennison Goldthwait, b. 18 June 1840 Lynn MA, recorded at Danvers MA; died Sept 1841 at Lynn MA
7. Harriet Pamelia “Hattie” Goldthwait, b. 31 March 1842 at Lynn MA, recorded at Danvers MA
8. Sarah Chadwell Goldthwait, b. Aug 1843 at Lynn MA, recorded at Danvers MA; d. Sept 1844 at Lynn MA
9. Francis Cusneau Goldthwait, b. 6 Aug 1844 at Lynn MA, recorded at Danvers MA; d. Sept 1844 at Lynn MA
10. Martha Evelyn Goldthwait, b. 24 Sep 1847 at Lynn MA, recorded at Danvers MA; m. 16 Nov 1887 to Charles R. Volkey/Valkey. He age 36 of Lynn MA a framemaker (she a bookkeeper). He b. abt 1851 Lynn MA son of George A. & Sarah F. Volkey/Valkey
11. Alice “Alie” Jewett Goldthwait, b. 18 May 1849 Danvers MA
12. Lewis C. “Louis” Goldthwait, b. abt 1852 MA, d. 15 June 1905, age 53 yrs 6 mo, 9 days, an insurance agent of apoplexy and cerebral hemorrhage; buried Pine Grove Cemetery in Lynn MA. He was not married per death cert.
13. Frederic P. “Freddie” Goldthwait b abt 1855 MA; m. 28 July 1886 to Georgianna Sims Lewis, of Lynn MA a teacher. She b. 24 Sep 1853 in Lynn MA dau of Allen Webster
& Maria (Ryan) Lewis.  [See Edmund Lewis of Lynn MA, by George Harlan Lewis, page 129]

—————Next Generation—————–

James Wesley Goldthwait, son of Dennison W. & Adeline J. (Wiggins) Goldwaite, was b. 3 Sep 1839 in Danvers, Essex Co MA and d. 1 May 1917 at Topsfield, Essex Co MA. He m. 8 May 1872 in Lynn MA to Olive Jane Parker, dau of Joseph F. & Harriet (Shaw) Parker. She b. 27 July 1845 in Stow, Oxford Co ME and d. 5 Apr 1880 in Lynn MA. Owner of a livery stable.
———-
U.S. Census > 1870 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Lynn Ward 5
Goldthwait James W 29 M W Livery stable keeper 10,000/10,000 Mass
Goldthwait, Charles D. 25 M W livery stable keeper Mass
Goldthwait, Adeline J. 54 F W keeping House MA
Goldthwait, Louis C. 18 M W works in shoe factory Mass
Goldthwait, Frederic 15 M W at school Mass
Goldthwait, Octavia 25 F W keeping house MA
Goldthwait, Emily 5 F W at school MA
Goldthwait, Ella 3 F W at home Mass
Pratt, Mary 66 F W Housekeeper Mass
Goldthwait, Alice 21 F W clerk in Store Mass
Goldthwait, Eveline 24 F W keeping house Mass
———-
U.S. Census > 1880 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Lynn > District 214
Goldthwait, James W M 40 Livery Stable MA MA MA
Goldthwait, H. Emmily W F 16 dau school Mass Mass Mass
Goldthwait, Cora O. W F 5 dau at home MMA MA Maine
Goldthwait, James W. W M 2/12 March son Mass Mass ME
———-
U.S. Census > 1900 United States Federal Census > Massachusetts > Essex > Lynn Ward 4 > District 374
Parker, Thomas E. Head W M Apr 1847 53 married 25 yrs MA MA MA Retired Good Dealer
Parker, Alice J.D. wife W F May 1849 51 married 25 yrs 1 ch 0 living MA MA MA
Goldthwait, James W. brother-in-law, W M Sep 1839 60 widow MA MA MA —-
Goldthwait, Emily H. niece W F Aug 1864 35 single MA MA MA music teacher
Goldthwait, Cora O. niece W F Oct 1874 25 single MA MA MA School Teacher
Goldthwait, Walter, nephew, W M March 1880 20 single MA MA MA student
Sinnot, Elizabeth M. servant W F Nov 1876 23 single Ire Ire Ire imm 1894 servant
———-
Children of James W. & Olive J. (Parker) Goldthwait:
1. Emily Goldthwait, b. 8 Aug 1864 Lynn, MA; music teacher; in 1900 single and living in Lynn MA with her uncle (mother’s brother) Thomas Parker, et al.
2. +Cora Olive Goldthwait, b. Oct 1874 MA; d. —. She m. Isaiah Bowman of Baltimore MD; graduated Radcliffe; cellist.
3. +James Walter Goldthwait, b. 22 March 1880 Lynn MA

—————Next Generation—————–

Cora Olive Goldthwait, dau of James W. & Olive J. (Parker) Goldthwait. She was b. Oct 1874 in MA and died 11 May 1952 in Chevy Chase MD. She graduated from Radcliffe class of 1898; cellist. She m. 28 June 1909 in Lynn MA to Isaiah Bowman, son of Samuel C. & Emily (Schantz) Bowman. He was born 16 Dec 1878 in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and d. 6 Jan 1950 in Baltimore MD, at age 71. When he was 7 his family and 7 other children moved to a log cabin in eastern Michigan. He studied at Michigan State Normal School, received his bachelor’s degree at Yale, and also his doctor’s degree there in 1909. He continued at Yale as an Assistant Professor until 1915. He headed two scientific expeditions to South America before he began at John Hopkins in 1935, being the director of the American Geographical Society of New York [American Geographical Society]. From 1935-1948 he was President of John Hopkins University.  He was one of the worlds foremost geographers. He was a close advisor to President Wilson when the World War I President advanced his League of Nations plan.He gave similar help to Pres. Roosevelt throughout World War II and the preliminary work on the United Nations. Months before his death he was heading a commission to discover how to restore seafood resources to Chesapeake Bay.  His 1942 WWII Registration card reads: “Isaiah Bowman 4302 N. Charles Street, Baltimore MD / 63 b. Dec 26, 1878 Ontario Canada; wife Cora S. Bowman, employer John Hopkins University.”
———-
U.S. Census > 1910 United States Federal Census > Connecticut > New Haven > New Haven Ward 8 > District 410
Bowman, Isaiah Head M W 31 m1x 0yr Michigan Can-Eng Can-Eng Professor, geography University
Bowman, Cora Wife F W 34 m1x 0 yrs 0 ch MA MA Maine
———-
U.S. Census > 1920 United States Federal Census > New York > Westchester > Yonkers Ward 8 > District 260
Bowman, Isaiah Head M W 41 M imm 1879 naturalized 1900 Can-Eng Ca-Eng Ca-Eng  Director, Geographic Society
Bowman, Cora wife F W 45 married MA MA Maine
Bowman, Walter son M W 9 single CT Canada MA
Bowman, Robert son M W 7 single CT Canada MA
Bowman, Olive dau F W 4 single NY Canada MA
———-
The Herald Statesman, Yonkers NY, May 15, 1952, Thursday.
Obituary: Mrs. Isaiah Bowman, Former Resident of Yonkers
Mrs. Cora Olive Goldthwait Bowman, widow of Dr. Isaiah Bowman, president emeritus of Johns Hopkins University, and a former resident of Younkers, died Sunday in her home at 5331 Baltimore Avenue, Chevy Chase, Md., after suffering a stroke. She was in her seventies.
The couple had resided at 46 Lewis Parkway for many years until 1935 when Dr. Bowman was appointed the fifth president of John Hopkins. He died Jan. 6, 1950.
Mrs. Bowman, who was in her seventies, was formerly of Lynn, Mass.  She had accompanied her husband, who was former director of the American Geographical society of New York, on many journeys to various parts of the world.
Surviving are two sons, Dr. Walter Bowman, and Dr. Robert Bowman, both leading educators, and a daughter, Mrs. Walter (Olive) Gerwig, and a number of grand and great-grand children.
———-
Children of Isaiah & Cora O. (Goldthwait) Bowman:
1. Walter P. Bowman, b 13 Nov 1910 New Haven CT; d. 3 June 2001; also resided District of Columbia;in 1939 res. Oak Place, Charles Street, Baltimore MD. From: Granite State News, Published on: 8/23/2001, Headline: Walter P. Bowman , Ph.D. Summer resident since 1911. ROCHESTER , N.Y. – “Walter Parker Bowman of Brockport, N.Y, a summer resident of Wolfeboro since 1911, died June 3, 2001 in Rochester, New York from complications arising from a 1993 automobile accident and subsequent stroke. He was 90. He may best be remembered in Wolfeboro for his authorship of the book Lake Wentworth (1956)  which was reissued in 1996 in an expanded version. He served as president of the Lake Wentworth Association and was an honorary Life Member of the LWA. At his request his remains will be interred in Wolfeboro’s Lakeview Cemetery. Dr. Bowman was born in New Haven Conn., a son of Isaiah Bowman and Cora Goldthwait Bowman.”
2. Robert Bowman, Ph.D., b 29 Nov 1912 New Haven CT, d. 24 July 2007 in Visalia, Tulare Co CA at the age of 94. His obituary: “Robert Goldthwait Bowman, born Nov. 29, 1912, in New Haven, Conn., to Cora and Isaiah Bowman, passed peacefully on July 24, 2007, in Visalia at the age of 94. A lover of the natural world, he followed his father’s footsteps into the study of geography. Robert received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, N.H., in 1935, and his doctorate in geography from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1941. After serving in the South Pacific with the Army Air Corps supervising gardens for food to feed the troops during World War II, he taught at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, for three years. Then, in 1950, became professor of geography at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He traveled the country extensively in the summers, camping with his wife and three daughters, exploring and sharing the many unique and beautiful formations of our land. His beloved wife, Jean, passed in 1982, and he remained in Lincoln until 2000, when he moved to Visalia to be cared for by his oldest daughter, Barbara. He is survived by his daughters, Barbara and her husband, Shahab Momtazi, Diane and her husband, Craig Dreeszen, and Coral and grandchildren Kia, Jesselyn, Pierce and Vanessa.Robert loved to collect rocks, grow cacti, read voraciously, fish and spend summers at his family’s adored Turtle Island on Lake Wentworth, N.H. Private services will be held at a later date. Donations may be sent in his memory to Lake Wentworth Foundation, Box 2235, Wolfeboro, NH 03894. Condolences may be sent to barbarabowman05@comcast.net”
3. Olive Bowman, b 20 Dec 1915, prob. Yonkers, Westchester Co. NY, and died 21 Sep 2002 at the age of 86; She married Walter Henry  Gerwig, Jr. He was a Lieut. Colonel in the United States Army during World War II.  He was born 26 November 1910 in West Virginia and died 8 May 1984 in California. They are both buried at Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside California.

James Walter Goldthwait, son of James W. & Olive Jane (Parker) Goldthwait, was b. 22 March 1880 in Lynn MA and d. 31 Dec 1947 at Hanover, Grafton Co NH of a heart attack, and age 67. He graduated from Lynn Classical High school in 1898, Harvard (with an A.B.) in 1902, (A.M.) 1903, Ph.D. (1906). He m. 25 June 1906 in Newtonville MA to Edith Dunnels Richards, dau of Charles G. & Mary A. (Dunnels) Richards. She b 9 July 1879 in Roxbury MA and d. 10 Aug 1947 in Wolfeboro NH. Military Service [per A history of the town of Hanover NH, page 211] Enlisted April 8, 1918, Sig. C. Washington; capt. mil. intel. div. April 8-July 15, 1918 in charge of maps, then in map room of Chief of Staff; discharged Dec. 31, 1918. He was assistant professor of geology, Northwestern University from 1904-1908; asst. prof. geology Harvard and Radcliffee College 1908-11, Hall prof. geology Hanover NH beginning in 1911. Resided 34 Occum Ridge, Hanover NH. He engaged during summers in geologic field work forstate surveys of Wisconsin and Illinois for the U.S. Geological Survey and for Geol. Survey of Canada as physiographer 1907-15. He was a Geologist for the N.H. State Highway Department in 1917. Fellow, Geological Society of America, American Academy Arts and Sciences; member Phi Beta Kappa,Sigma Xi.  Ganuma Alpha, Assn. American Geographers. Author, “Abandoned Shorelines of Eastern Wisconsin” (Wis. Geol. Survey) 1906; “Physiography of Nova Scotia” (Geol. Surv. Canada 1925); also numerous reports and papers, dealing with extinct shorelines, earth movements and glacial and physiographic studies in N.E. and Canada.[Whos Who in Engineering 1925]. He was a member of the Dartmouth College faculty for 39 years.  He received an honorary degree of Doctor of Science from UNH.
—————–
U.S. Census > 1920 United States Federal Census > New Hampshire > Grafton > Hanover > District 45
Goldthwait, James W. Head M W 39 married MA MA ME Teacher College
Goldthwait, Edith B. wife F W 40 M MA US MA
Goldthwait, Richard P. son M W 8 single NH MA MA
Goldthwait, Laurence son M W 5 single NH MA MA
—————–
U.S. Census > 1930 United States Federal Census > New Hampshire > Grafton > Hanover > District 17 [Occom Ridge]
Goldthwait, James W. Head 15,000 M W 50 married at age 26 MA MA ME – Professor, Dart. College
Goldthwait, Edith R. wife F W 51 married at age 27 MA MA MA
Goldthwait, Richard P. son M W 18 single NH MA MA
Goldthwait, Lawrence son M W 16 single NH MA MA
—————–
Children of James W. & Edith R. (Parker) Goldthwait:
1. Richard Parker Goldthwait, b. 6 June 1911 Hanover NH and d. July 1992 at Wolfeboro, Carroll Co NH. He also had recently resided at Anna Maria, Manatee, Florida. In 1948 he was living at 452 Colonial Ave, Worthington Ohio.  He married 12 June 1937 in Brookline MA to Katherine Davenport Burnham. She b. 1 March 1915.  Children: Jane Goldthwait, Burnsville, NC; Susan (Goldthwait) Carlson, Denver, CO; Betsy (Goldthwait) Atkinson, Cedarville, OH; son Thomas, Concord, NH; and seven grandchildren. [see his obituary below]
2. Lawrence Goldthwait, b. 7 March 1914 NH; d. 18 May 2001 New London, Merrimack Co. NH; Professor of Geology at University of Maine. The 1949 City Directory of Bangor ME shows: “Goldthwait, Lawrence (Charlotte S.) asst prof U of M h20 College Hts” In 1947 he coached the Kents Hill Ski Team. His wife Charlotte S. was b. December 1914 and died December 2004.

******************************************
*Obituary of Richard Parker Goldthwait (1911-1992)*

Richard Parker Goldthwait, age 81, died 7 July 1992, in Huggins Hospital, Wolfeboro, NH, following a massive cerebral hemorrhage the previous day. He was with his brother on a field trip collecting water samples in Lake Wentworth, near his native and summer home of Wolfeboro. An internationally respected glacial geologist, Goldthwait studied the characteristics, movements, and deposits of glaciers in Alaska, Antarctica, Greenland, New Zealand, and New Hampshire. Because of his investigations on the glacial geology of Ohio since 1947, Goldthwait became one of the state’s most respected and foremost geologists, having become known for his “Glacial Map of Ohio,” co-authored with his colleague, George W. White, and his student, Jane L. Forsyth, and published by the United States Geological Survey (1961, revised 1967). Dr. Goldthwait was president of The Ohio Academy of Science (1958-1959), and his presidential address, “Scenes in Ohio during the last Ice Age,” was published in The Ohio Journal of Science (1959). This paper is still one of the most useful summaries of the Wisconsinan glaciation in Ohio.

Born 6 June 1911, in Hanover, NH, Richard Goldthwait was the older of two sons of James Walter and Edith Dunnel (Richards) Goldthwait. His father, a graduate of Harvard University (A.B. 1902, M.A. 1903, Ph.D. 1906), was a well-known glacial geologist, who came to Dartmouth College (1908) and was elected Hall Professor of Geology (1911). James Goldthwait taught courses in general and glacial geology and conducted field surveys of the geology of the state for more than 36 years. Richard and his younger brother, Lawrence (b.1914), both received early training in geology from their father during summer field expeditions. Both young men took their bachelor’s degrees from Dartmouth College and continued on to graduate study in geology, specializing in glacial geology, with both eventually becoming professors of geology at The Ohio State University and the University of Maine, respectively.

Richard Goldthwait graduated from Hanover High School (1928) and Deerfield Academy (1929). In college he majored in geology at Dartmouth College (A.B. cum laucle, 1933) and Harvard University (M.S. 1937, Ph.D. 1939). His doctoral dissertation concerned the sequence of local cirque glaciation versus overriding continental ice on Mount Washington, NH. He remained at Dartmouth College as an Instructor in Geology (1934-1935), before doing graduate work at Harvard University while a teaching assistant there (1935-1939). Following the Ph.D., Dr. Goldthwait was Assistant Professor of Geology at Brown University (1939-1943), Technical Consultant in the United States Army Air Force (1943-1944) in Wisconsin, and then came to Ohio as a Lieutenant Colonel in the USAAF assigned as Materials Engineer at Wright Field, Dayton (1944-1946). In 1946, the late George W. White, geologist with the State Survey, recruited Dr. Goldthwait for the faculty in the Department of Geology and Mineralogy at The Ohio State University, where the latter remained until retirement from teaching (1977). He began as associate professor of geology (1946), was promoted to professor (1948), and became professor emeritus (1977). Concurrently, Dr. Goldthwait founded and was the first director of the Institute of Polar Studies (now Byrd Polar Research Center) (1960-1965), served as chairman of the Department  of Geology and Mineralogy (1965-1969), and as Acting Dean
of the College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (1972).
Dr. Goldthwait’s early research in glacial geology took him to many distant places. He estimated the relative age of the Damariscotta Indian shell heaps on the coast of Maine, mapped the glacial deposits of southwestern Cape Cod, joined an expedition to northeast Tibet, and joined another expedition, as one of two U.S. geologists, to study the histoiy of the Barnes Ice Cap on Baffin Island. Intrigued by the great glaciers of Alaska, he helped to make the first seismic survey of ice thickness, conducted on Crillon Glacier in 1934. Dr. Goldthwait was the geologist with the Reynolds-Boston Museum expedition to China in 1948. During 1953-1956, he studied the ice cap north of Thule in Greenland. While there and attempting to record continuous movement of the ice-cliff front, he “invented” the cryokinegraph, an instrument similar to a water-level recorder. Dr. Goldthwait conducted glaciological studies while a Fulbright research scholar in New Zealand (1957). He launched a research program to chart the glacial chronology in Glacier Bay, AK, using the succession of climates and organisms occurring in the wake of present-day retreating glaciers to interpret, in similar fashion, the succession of climates and organisms occurring following the glaciers’ retreat during the Wisconsinian ice age. (1958). Dr. Goldthwait published over 100 professional papers and was the writer/editor of five books, including a revision of a book on the geology of New Hampshire, originally written by his father.  A veteran of numerous expeditions to the world’s cold regions, Dr. Goldthwait began organizing, during the 1950s, a group of research scientists interested in the geology, glaciology, botany, and paleontology of the Antarctic and Arctic polar regions. Formal designation of an Institute of Polar Studies on the OSU campus came in I960, and Goldthwait served as its first director during the first five years of its existence. During austral summerson the Antarctic Continent, he directed teams of international scientists, his OSU colleagues, and graduate students in studies on the glacial geology, stratigraphy, vertebrate and plant fossils, and vegetation, especially the lichens. The Institute of Polar Studies continued under strong leadership and
became one of the world’s leading centers for polar research. Because the Institute obtained the extremely valuable collection of Richard F’. Byrd’s memorabilia from his polar expeditions, the name of the Institute was changed to the Byrd Polar Research Center (1986), to commemorate this gift and name. The Center’s Library, named the Goldthwait Polar Library (1976), that houses Richard Goldthwait’s many geology and polar books, was rededicated when the collection moved to Scott Hall (May 1992). The Library serves as a continuing reminder of Prof. Goldthwait’s legacy to polar research and the many students that participated in his programs.Soon after arriving at The Ohio State University, Dr. Goldthwait began investigating the glacial geology of Ohio, a subject that would occupy his talents until his death. The portions on glacial geology in the bulletins on the water resources of Montgomery and Greene counties were authored by him (1948, 1950). In 1950, he began the first of six summers in the field for the Division of Geological Survey and began to publish the first of morethan 30 papers on the glacial geology of the state. Dr. Goldthwait was among the first to use l4C-dating to unravel the time stratigraphy of glacial deposits. Numerous graduate students wrote theses and dissertations on Ohio glacial geology under his guidance. Dr. Goldthwait’s final and perhaps most significant contribution to the glacial geology of Ohio, is a revised map of the glacial deposits of the state, compilation of which occupied much of Dr. Goldthwait’s time during his retirement years. This map, to be published by the Ohio Division of Geological Survey, will replace the present Glacial Map of Ohio (U.S. Geol. Surv. 1961, rev. 1967). Richard Goldthwait held memberships in many professional societies. In addition to being president of The Ohio Academy of Science, he served as president of a section of the Geological Society of America (1971), and Governor of the Arctic Institute of North America (1960-1966). He was elected a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Ohio Academy of Science, the Geological Society of America, and the Arctic Institute of North America; and was also a member of the American Geophysical Union (1956-1975), American Institute of Professional Geologists (1964-1977), American Polar Society (1950-1992), American Meteorological Society (1939-1950), Alaska Earthquake Commission of the National Academy of Science (1964-1974), International Geophysical Year (1957-1958), and  International Glaciological Society (1947-1992).
Numerous honors have been bestowed on Prof. Goldthwait. While an undergraduate, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa (1933), and was a Rufus Choate Scholar during his senior year. He was elected to Sigma Xi (1948) and served as president of The Ohio State University Chapter (1958-1959) and a member of its Board of Trustees (1985-1989). Dr. Goldthwait was voted one of  the ten outstanding men by the Columbus Dispatch (1962); was “National Lecturer” on Alaskan glaciers for Sigma Xi (1964); received the United States Antarctica Service Medal given by the United States Congress (1968); the Outstanding Quaternary Scientist Award (1981) and the first  Distinguished Career Award (1986), both from the Geological Society of America; elected one of 12 Honoraiy Members of the International Glaciology Society (1983); received the Distinguished Service Award from The Ohio State University (1981); chosen the Paul C. Daniels Memorial Lecturer of the Antarctican Society (1984); and was given a “Token of Esteem” at the 50th Annual Reunion of the Friends of the Pleistocene. Mt. Goldthwait in Antarctica was named in his honor by the United States Board on GeographicNames (1969). Dr. Goldthwait was the recipient of the Mather Medal for his lifelong contributions to the knowledge of the geology of Ohio, formally recognized by the Ohio Division of the Geological Survey (1989). As a member of The Ohio Academy of Science, Dr. Goldthwait joined (1947), was elected a Fellow (1949), served as vice-president of Section C. Geology (1952-1953), elected president (1958-1959), participated in the visiting scientist program (1961), and served as chairman of the Government Advisory Committee (1962-1976). It was during his tenure as president that the Academy received the first of several grants from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation toward the establishment of a permanent central office. The acquisition of those grants under Goldthwait’s leadership not only changed the Ohio Academy, but also had a profound effect on the entire state academy movement in the United States. Dr. Goldthwait’s leadership and personal gifts enabled the Academy to establish The Kirtley F. Mather Memorial Fund in the Geology Section to assist in defraying page charges for papers published in The Ohio Journal of Science. In 1991, he was one of 25 Centennial Honorees selected by the Academy’s Centennial Celebration Commission for contributions to science, education, and the Academy.  In Brookline, MA, 12 June 1937, Richard Goldthwait married Katherine Burnham, who survives along with his brother Lawrence and family of New London, NH; daughters Jane Goldthwait, Burnsville, NC; Susan (Goldthwait) Carlson, Denver, CO; Betsy (Goldthwait) Atkinson, Cedarville, OH; son Thomas, Concord, NH; and seven grandchildren. He attended the United Presbyterian Church, Worthington, OH; the Roser Memorial Community Church, south of Tampa, FL; and the Wolfeboro Center Community Church, Wolfeboro, NH.
This obituary represents a combined account largely drawn from the following published sources of Dr. Goldthwait’s life and career by Michael C. Hansen (Ohio Geology [a quarterly publication of the Division of Geological Survey] Summer 1992, p. 7); Sidney E. White (Arctic and Alpine Research 25: 71-73); and Kenneth C. Jezek (Ice: News Bulletin of the International Glaciological Society, No. 101, pp. 30-31)-
A memorial service was held 30 October 1992 for Richard P. Goldthwait at the Fawcett Center, The Ohio State University. Those who spoke were Garry D. McKenzie, organizer; David H. Elliot, Kaye R. Everett, David M. Mickelson, Jane L. Forsyth, and Lynn Edward Elfner, followed by a reception for family and friends in the Goldthwait Polar Library. Memorial contributions may be made to the Byrd Polar Research Center through the Development Fund of The Ohio State University, Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43210.

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[updated March 2013]

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2 Responses to "The Leakeys of White Mountain Geology": Hanover New Hampshire’s James Walter Goldthwait (1880-1947), Richard Parker Goldthwait (1911-1992) and Lawrence Goldthwait (1914-2001)

  1. john pepper says:

    Lawrence Goldthwait was a well-loved teacher of Geology at St George’s School in Newport, RI for many years. He was a cross country running coach and instigator of an annual Ugly Tie Day.

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