Joseph Henry Notebook, Oil and Oil Lamps, 1865

Why would a scientist be interested in lard? While traveling in New England in 1865, the Smithsonian’s first Secretary and pioneering physicist Joseph Henry’s thoughts turned to oil and oil lamps. Constantly thinking about scientific possibilities, questions to research and problems to solve in many fields, this time in New England was no different for Henry. This pocket notebook is a personal record of his notes, conversations with other scientists, research, and experiments in relation to lard oil along with drawings and diagrams of his experiments. Please help us transcribe Joseph Henry’s notebook. You may also find mention of an engine Henry worked on, and notes about weather phenomena such as water spouts, tornados, and thunderstorms.