History of Saint Michaels, (Talbot County) Maryland United States of America

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Mark Brickell Kerr, geographer, was born at St. Michael's, Talbot county, Md., June 28, 1860; fourth son of the Hon. John Bozman and Lucy Hamilton (Stevens) Kerr, and grandson of the Hon. John Leeds and Sarah Hollyday (Chamberlain) Kerr. His ancestor, John Leeds, of Wade's Point, Md., was a commissioner appointed to adjust the Mason and Dixon survey. Mark B. Kerr studied in the schools of the District of Columbia, and was appointed an assistant upon the surveys west of the 100th meridian under the war department in 1878, and after his resignation served on railroad engineering work in Utah and Mexico. He was appointed in 1882 assistant topographer of the U.S. geological survey, and was given charge later of the division of Northern California. He also engaged in general practice as a mining engineer in San Francisco, Cal. In 1886 he ascended Mount Shasta, remaining nearly a week upon its summit to complete the geodetic work. As the topographer of the first expedition of the National Geographic society to Alaska in 1890, he nearly succeeded in reaching the top of Mt. St. Elias, made a new estimate of its height (15,350 feet), and discovered new peaks and glaciers. An account of this work was published in Scribner's Magazine, Vol. IX., No. 3. He was elected a member of the Sons of the Revolution through his maternal great2 grandfather, Col. Mathias Brickell, of Hertford county, North Carolina. He also became a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, of the National Geographic society, and of the Philosophical society of Washington, and several scientific organizations in San Francisco.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Saint Michaels, (Talbot County) Maryland

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