Gabriel Marklin (July 1, 1777 – August 29, 1857) was a Swedish naturalist and collector. Born in a poor farming family he entered

Uppsala University Uppsala University (UU) () is a public university, public research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the List of universities in Sweden, oldest university in Sweden and the Nordic countries still in operation. Initially fou ...

and was made a member of the Swedish Academy of Sciences to which he bequeathed his large natural history specimen. He also made a catalogue of academic dissertations (disputations) and collected academic dissertations which he sold to make a living.

Life and work

Marklin was born in the large farming family of Hans Jonsson and Sara Eriksdotter in Ersmarks village in

Västerbotten Västerbotten (), sometimes called West Bothnia or Westrobothnia, is a province (''landskap'') in northern Sweden, located by the Gulf of Bothnia. It borders the provinces of Ångermanland, Lapland and Norrbotten. The region is famous for Väs ...

, Skellefteå parish. He worked as a farmhand and went to school in

Piteå Piteå (; ) is a locality and the seat of Piteå Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. Piteå is Sweden's 58th largest city, with a population of 23,326. Geography Piteå is located at the mouth of the Pite River (), at the shore of ...

and Härnösands working on the side to support himself. In 1803 he entered Uppsala University. He trained in entomology under Gyllenhall at Höberg, earning money as a tutor. In 1818 he translated

Illiger Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger (19 November 1775 – 10 May 1813) was a German entomologist and zoologist. He founded the entomological periodical ''Magazin für Insektenkunde.'' The plant genus '' Illigera'' is named in his honour. Biography Illi ...

's work on systematic terminology for plants and animals. In 1824 he became an amanuens under Carl Thunberg at the university museum. He became a lecturer at the Swedish Society of Sciences in 1829. He led a spartan life and was supported by scholarships from academies and others. Through his life he collected natural history specimens, mainly insects and fossils, from across the region. He also collected 20,000 academic dissertations which he sold in 1836 to Count Paul Riant and which was later acquired by

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. He was given an honorary doctorate by Uppsala University in 1857. He died during a cholera outbreak in Uppsala where he is buried.

References

External links

Catalogus Disputationum in Academiis Scandinaviae et Finlandiae Lidenianus Continuatus
(1819) {{DEFAULTSORT:Marklin, Gabriel 1777 births 1857 deaths Swedish entomologists People from Skellefteå Municipality