Ernest Volk (August 25, 1845 — September 15, 1919) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

-born

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

and

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

.Eggers 1920, p. 97. He is best known for his twenty-two-year investigation of the early human occupation of the

Delaware River Valley The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for alo ...

in the United States.Mann 2005, pp. 163-164.

Biography

Volk was born in

Waldkirch Waldkirch () is a town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, located 15 kilometers northeast of Freiburg im Breisgau. While the English translation of its name is ''Forest Church'', it is known as the "town of mechanical organs", where fairground org ...

, Germany, on August 25, 1845. He emigrated in 1867 and arrived in the United States that same year, spending the rest of his life in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

. In 1899, he began working for

Frederic Ward Putnam Frederic Ward Putnam (April 16, 1839 – August 14, 1915) was an American anthropologist and biologist. Biography Putnam was born and raised in Salem, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer (1797–1876) and Elizabeth (Appleton) Putnam. After leaving ...

of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for two decades, helping to add to the collection through excavations of Trenton. In addition to his specimens at the Peabody Museum, Volk's contributions can also be found at the

Field Museum of Natural History The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educationa ...

and the

American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Located in Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 21 interconn ...

, as well as at several universities. Volk was a curator of a collection he compiled at the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

in 1893.Cleary 1929, Chapter XV, II. Trenton Authors and Their Books. Along with his colleague Charles Conrad Abbott, Volk is best known for his twenty-two year investigation of early human occupation of the

Delaware Valley The Philadelphia metropolitan area, also known as Greater Philadelphia and informally called the Delaware Valley, the Philadelphia tri-state area, and locally and colloquially Philly–Jersey–Delaware, is a major metropolitan area in the Nor ...

. In 1881,

Charles Conrad Abbott Charles Conrad Abbott (June 4, 1843 – July 27, 1919) was an American archaeologist and naturalist. Biography Abbott was born at Trenton, New Jersey, son of Timothy and Susan (Conrad) Abbott; grandson of Joseph and Anne (Rickey) Abbott, and a ...

hypothesized about a purported human presence in the

. Volk analyzed glacial deposits known as the Trenton Gravels, excavating the area using a form of

archaeological stratigraphy Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes. Archaeology ...

.Lee & O'Brien 2006, pp. 211-212. His research in the area supported Abbott's hypothesis with evidence derived from his excavations. Volk published his findings in ''The Archaeology of the Delaware Valley'' (1911). Volk died in a

car accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...

Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania Tunkhannock ( ) is a borough and county seat of Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located 31 miles (50 km) northwest of Wilkes-Barre, Tunkhannock is in the Scranton–Wilkes-Barre–Hazleton, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area. I ...

, on September 15, 1919.

Selected work

*Volk, Ernest. (1911).
''The Archaeology of the Delaware Valley.''
Peabody Museum of American Archaeology and Ethnology. Papers 5.

References

Bibliography

*Cleary, John J. (1929

Chapter XV. ''Trenton Historical Society''. *Eggers, H. E. (Jan.-Mar., 1920)
"Anthropological Notes"
''American Anthropologist''. New Series, 22 (1): 97-99. *Hinsley, Curtis M. Wilcox, David R. (2016). ''Coming of Age in Chicago: The 1893 World's Fair and the Coalescence of American Anthropology''. University of Nebraska Press. . *Lee Lyman, R. J. O'Brien, Michael J. (2006).
''Measuring Time with Artifacts: A History of Methods in American Archaeology''
University of Nebraska Press. . *Mann, Charles C. (2005)
''1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus''
Random House. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Volk, Ernest 1845 births 1919 deaths American archaeologists People from Baden-Württemberg People from Trenton, New Jersey Road incident deaths in Pennsylvania World's Columbian Exposition