b. Jan. 1821, Upper Sackville, NS -d. 10 June 1892, Lower Sackville, NS
Nova Scotia
Charles Fenerty was born in Upper Sackville, Nova Scotia, and died in Lower Sackville. Concerned about the difficulty a local paper mill was having in obtaining an adequate supply of rags to make quality paper, Fenerty succeeded in making paper from wood pulp as early as 1841. He neglected to publicize his discovery until 1844, by which time others had patented paper-making process based on wood fibre.
Detail: Fenerty's inspiration has been attributed to either a study of spruce fibres, influenced by the reports of Titus Smith concerning its possible usefulness, or to his observations of how wasps made a form of paper from vegetable fibres; but most likely it came from perceiving that the fibrous matter formed by the constant friction of wood upon wood in the moving parts of sawmills could be used to make paper.
Sources: The Canadian Encyclopedia, 1988
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