Jean Baptiste Perrin (1870 - 1942)

Born 30 Sep 1870 in Lille, Nord, France

Died 17 Apr 1942 at age 71 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States

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Biography

Jean Perrin is Notable.

Jean Baptiste was born on 30 Sep 1870 in Lille, Nord, France and registered on 1 Oct 1870. His parents were Elise Gelquin Perrin and Thérèse Estelle Lasalle.^[1]

Jean married Henriette Duportal in 1897, the same year he received his doctorate. They had son Francis in 1901, who became a professor of mathematics and physics.^[2][3]

In 1913 Jean traveled to New York with his family. The Perrin family is listed as Jean (43, professor), Mistress (44), Aline (15, school girl), and Francis (12, school boy).^[4]

In 1926 he was awarded the Nobel prize in physics, recognizing his confirmation of Albert Einstein's explanation of Brownian motion which was key evidence for the atomic nature of matter.^[5] The Nobel site specifically says "for his work on the discontinuous structure of matter, and especially for his discovery of sedimentation equilibrium".^{[6] [7]}

The work cited for the Nobel prize was far from his only contribution. He was a Profesor at the Sorbonne, determined the sign of the charge of cathode rays, estimated Avogadro's number, and attributed the sun's energy to themonuclear fusion of hydrogen. He was also important on an institutional level, serving as undersecretary for research and founding the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).^[5] A scientific memoir provides much more.^[8]

Jean Perrin left France when the Germans invaded during WWII. He arrived in New York in 1941 aboard the ship Excambion.^[9]

He died in New York only months after his arrival, listed as Jean, son of Jean Baptiste Perrin & Marie Lasalle, age 71.^[10] His body was transported to France after the war for burial at the Pantheon mausoleum in Paris.^{[5] [11]}

Research Notes

Jean Baptiste was a very common name, and there were multiple births of a Jean Baptiste Perrin in France each year around 1870. The birth date in his WikiPedia profile (30 Sep 1870) is consistent with his death record is used to select his birth record from among those in 1870.

His death certificate names parents Jean Baptiste Perrin and Marie Lasalle. The birth certificate names parents Elise Gelquin Perrin and Thérèse Estelle Lasalle. Perhaps there is some error with his parents, but it seems mostly likely that these are the same people, and that memories and records were not perfect over the course of two world wars and across two countries.

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration: "France, Nord, Parish and Civil Registration, 1524-1893"
   citing Record number: 0;
   FamilySearch Record: 8FQ2-9GN2 (accessed 20 October 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C3W6-FHSZ Image number 00608
   Jean Baptiste Perrin birth 30 Sep 1870 in Lille, Nord, France.
2. ↑ Jean Perrin American Institute of Physics. Accessed 20 Oct 2022.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Francis Perrin (physicist)," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Francis_Perrin_(physicist)&oldid=1106131932 (accessed October 20, 2022).
4. ↑ Immigration: "New York Passenger Arrival Lists (Ellis Island), 1892-1924"
   citing Page: 94; Affiliate Publication Title: Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York , NY, 1897-1957; Affiliate Film Number: T715-2181; Affiliate Line Number: 0016; FHL microfilm: 1400865;
   FamilySearch Record: JNB7-248 (accessed 20 October 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 3Q9M-C9T6-29TZ-9 Image number 00182
   Name: Francis Perrin; Immigration Date: 20 Sep 1913; Immigration Place: Ellis Island, New York City, New York, United States; Birth Date: 1901; Marital Status: Single; Nationality: France, French; Residence Place: Paris, France; Age: 12; Event Place Sup: Ellis Island, New York City, New York, United States; Event Place Year Range: 1892-1955; Departure Port Name: Havre; Ship Name: La Provence; XDep Contact Name: Abad Lepretre; XDep Contact Name Gn: Abad; XDep Contact Name Surn: Lepretre; XFs Unique Id: 1003025515624; XPr Arr Date: 20 Sep 1913; XPr Arr Dep Port: New York.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Wikipedia contributors, "Jean Baptiste Perrin," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jean_Baptiste_Perrin&oldid=1111359552 (accessed October 20, 2022).
6. ↑ Jean Baptiste Perrin – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Thu. 20 Oct 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1926/perrin/facts/>
7. ↑ Jean Baptiste Perrin – Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Thu. 20 Oct 2022. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/1926/perrin/biographical/>
8. ↑ Jean Baptiste Perrin, 1870-1942. John Sealy Edward Townsend. 1 Nov 1943, V. 4, Issue 12. The Royal Society.
9. ↑ Immigration: "New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925-1957"
   citing Immigration, New York, New York, United States, NARA microfilm publication T715 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).
   FamilySearch Record: 24LJ-K18 (accessed 20 October 2022)
   FamilySearch Image: 33S7-95JS-9LQ8 Image number 00204
   Name: Jean Perrin; Immigration Date: 1941; Immigration Place: New York, New York, United States; Birth Date: 1870; Birth Place: France; Age: 71; Ship Name: Excambion.
10. ↑ Death: "New York, New York City Municipal Deaths, 1795-1949"
    citing FHL microfilm: 2130786; Record number: 149;
    FamilySearch Record: 2WR5-2Z4 (accessed 20 October 2022)
    Jean Perrin death 17 Apr 1942 (born 30 Sep 1870), son of Jean Baptiste Perrin & Marie Lasalle, husband of Henierette, in Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States.
11. ↑ Burial: "Find A Grave Index"
    citing record ID 7510, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
    FamilySearch Record: QVJ1-BKBM (accessed 20 October 2022)
    Find A Grave: Memorial #7510
    Jean Baptiste Perrin burial (died on 17 Apr 1942) in Paris, City of Paris, Île-de-France, France.