THE 
BaMERICAN, GEOLOGIST. 
Vor. XXIX. MARCH, 1902. No. 3. 
DR. FERDINAND VON ROEMER, THE FATHER OF 
THE GEOLOGY OF TEXAS; HIS LIFE 
AND WORK.* 
By FREDERIC W. SIMONDs, Austin, Texas. 
PORTRAIT. 
Ferdinand Roemer, who has justly been called the ‘Father 
of the Geology of Texas,” was born at Hildesheim, Hanover, 
on January 5, 1818. His early education was obtained at the 
Gymnasium Andreanum of that town, where, under the influ- 
ence of his teacher, Dr. Muhlert, he developed a great fondness 
for science, especially in the line of natural history. His love 
of geology, however, was strongly developed by excursions 
with his oldest brother, F. A. Roemer, Frederic Hoffmann and 
F. A. Quenstedt. Notwithstanding his predilection in this di- 
rection, he was induced by his brother, probably with the view 
of entering a well established profession, to undertake the 
study of law. Accordingly, from 1836 to 1839 he was engaged 
in attending legal instruction at Gottingen, with the exception 
of the summer semester of 1838, which was spent at Heidel- 
berg. Still the attraction of science was well-nigh irresisti- 
ble. With the keenest pleasure he listened to Hausmann on 
geognosy and when at Heidelberg the zoological instruction of 
Bronn was eagerly sought. His future calling was, however, 
to be decided in favor of his natural bent. As he was about to 
*I wish here to express my great indebtedness to Dr. Karl Hintze, ‘enc mend 
of mineralogy at the ntvérekks of Breslau, the pupil, friend and colleague of 
Dr. v. Roemer, first for the excellent photograph reproduced in the accompany- 
ing illustration, and second for copies of his publications upon the life, charact- 
er and work of the distinguished scholar who first gave to the world an ont- 
line of the geology of Texas. From the latter and the notice by Dr. W. Dames, 
in the Newes Jahrbuch fur Mineralogie, Geologie und Palaecontologie, 1892, I. 
Band, I have taken much of the matter which appears in this sketch. In trans- 
lating from the German I have been ably assisted by my friend, Mr. Conrad L. 
B. Shuddemagen. 
