Seth J. Turnell

Seth John Turnell (1835-1909), the first Administrator of the New England Science Committee, anthropologist and also a writer of many books on antiquities and also the study of ethnic groups. Turnell was chosen as the head of the Science Committee in 1888 and also served until his death in 1909 from pneumonia.

Early Life
Seth J. Turnell was born on November 14, 1835, in Boston, Massachusetts and was the son of a renowned scientist named Joseph K. Turnell. His mother died when he was an infant and then his father and many siblings moved to Eastbury, Massachusetts. In 1854 Turnell attended the University of Eastbury and graduated in 1860 with a Bachelor of Science degree and also majored in anthropology.