One damned letter. And a juicy story.
It’s not Lister. It’s Litster. Thayer got it wrong. Lots of internet sites get it wrong. Not Lister, Litster.
John Litster was born 30 April 1886 in Alva, Scotland to George Litster and Janet Romanes. Litster says his father was in government service, and when John was three, the family relocated to South Africa, where he lived for thirteen years. He attended college in Scotland, then returned to Johannesburg, working in mining until he was twenty-three. He had contracted malaria, and at that time it had developed into blackwater fever; doctors told him he needed a change of scenery. Litster chose Denver, Colorado, where he could continue to work as a mining engineer. Almost all of that history comes from Litster’s own report; I’m only confident that he was born in 1886, and that he did live in Scotland when he was about 15—at least, there’s a John Litster of that age in the 1901 Scottish census.
It’s not Lister. It’s Litster. Thayer got it wrong. Lots of internet sites get it wrong. Not Lister, Litster.
John Litster was born 30 April 1886 in Alva, Scotland to George Litster and Janet Romanes. Litster says his father was in government service, and when John was three, the family relocated to South Africa, where he lived for thirteen years. He attended college in Scotland, then returned to Johannesburg, working in mining until he was twenty-three. He had contracted malaria, and at that time it had developed into blackwater fever; doctors told him he needed a change of scenery. Litster chose Denver, Colorado, where he could continue to work as a mining engineer. Almost all of that history comes from Litster’s own report; I’m only confident that he was born in 1886, and that he did live in Scotland when he was about 15—at least, there’s a John Litster of that age in the 1901 Scottish census.