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ArchivesRe: Ether?
in reply to a message by LMS
I'm inclined to think that Ether as a name was a variant of Esther, probably pronounced Eth ur, and nothing to do with atmospheres, deities or chemical substances at all, which would probably have been spelt 'aether', and pronounced eethur or aye-thur.
Use of the term for a medical substance in the 18th century here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12522/pg12522.html
An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether, by Matthew Turner (pub 1788, written c. 1761)
- nice little document, very short
Found a will dated 1826 for an 'Esther or Ether' Parkes in England, so someone else clearly conflated the two. Can't check for earlier instances of Ether in original records atm (many of the later instances I found turned out to be mistranscribed Esthers) but can confirm that it was in use in England in the 19th and 20th century, although very rare.
Use of the term for a medical substance in the 18th century here:
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12522/pg12522.html
An Account of the Extraordinary Medicinal Fluid, called Aether, by Matthew Turner (pub 1788, written c. 1761)
- nice little document, very short
Found a will dated 1826 for an 'Esther or Ether' Parkes in England, so someone else clearly conflated the two. Can't check for earlier instances of Ether in original records atm (many of the later instances I found turned out to be mistranscribed Esthers) but can confirm that it was in use in England in the 19th and 20th century, although very rare.
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