USA > Indiana > Decatur County > A Genealogical and biographical record of Decatur County, Indiana : compendium of national biography > Part 1
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52
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Gc 977.201 D35g 1715748
TAY
REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 00827 3192
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalbiog00lewi_0
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL A
RECORD
OF
DECATUR COUNTY
INDIANA
COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY
CHICAGO THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1900
1
1715748
INDEX.
PART I.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
A.
Abbott, Lyman, 144. Adams, Charles Kendall, 143.
Adams, John. 25. Adams, John Quincy, 61. Agassiz, Louis J. R., 137.
Alger, Russell A., 173. Allison, William B., 131. Allston, Washington, 190.
'Altgeld, John Peter, 140. Andrews, Elisha B., 184.
Anthony, Susan B., 62.
Armour, Philip D., 62. Arnold, Benedict. 84. Arthur, Chester Allen. 168. Astor, John Jacob, 139. Audubón, John James, 166.
B.
Bailey, James Montgomery. 177.
Bancroft, George, 74. Barnard, Frederick A. P., 179.
Barnum, Phineas T., 41 Barrett, Lawrence, 156.
Barton, Clara, 209. Bayard. Thomas Francis, 200. Beard, William H., 196. Beauregard, Pierre G. T., 203. Beecher, Henry Ward, 26. Bell, Alexander Graham, 96. Bennett, James Gordon, 206. Benton, Thomas Hart, 53. Bergh, Henry, 160. Bierstadt, Albert, 197. Billings, Joslı, 166. Blaine, James Gillespie, 22. Bland, Richard Parks, 106. Boone, Daniel, 36.
Booth, Edwin. 51. Booth. Junius Brutus, 177. Brice. Calvin S., ISI. Brooks. Phillips, 130. Brown. John. 51.
Browne. Charles Farrar, 91.
Brush, Charles Francis, 153. Bryan. William Jennings, 158. Bryant. William Cullen, 44. Buchanan, Franklin, 105. Buchanan. James, 128. Buckner. Simon Bolivar, 188. Burdette. Robert J .. 103. Burr, Aaron, III. Butler. Benjamin Franklin, 24.
C.
Calhoun, John Caldwell. 23.
Cameron. James Donald, 141. Cameron, Simon, 14I. Cammack, Addison, 197. Campbell. Alexander, 180.
Carlisle. John G .. 133.
Carnegie, Andrew, 73. Carpenter. Matthew Hale, 178. Carson, Christopher (Kit). 86. Cass. Lewis, IIO. Chase, Salmon Portland, 65.
Childs. George W., 83. Choate. Rufus, 207. Claflin. Horace Brigham, 107. Clay, Henry. 21. Clemens, Samuel Langhorne, 86. Cleveland. Grover, 174. Clews, Henry. 153. Clinton, De Witt, 110. Colfax. Schuyler, 139. Conkling, Alfred, 32. Conkling, Roscoe. 32.
Cooley, Thomas McIntyre, 140. Cooper, James Fenimore. 58. Cooper, Peter. 37. Copely, John Singleton, 191. Corbin, Austin, 205.
Corcoran. W. W .. 196. Cornell, Ezra, 161. Cramp, William, 189. Crockett, David. 76. Cullom, Shelby Moore. 116. Curtis, George William, 144. Cushman, Charlotte, 107. Custer, George A .. 95.
D.
Dana, Charles A .. 88. "Danbury News Man." 177. Davenport, Fanny, 106. Davis, Jefferson. 24. Debs, Eugene V., 132. Decatur, Stephen. 101. Deering, William. 198. Depew, Chauncey Mitchell. 200.
Dickinson, Anna. 103. Dickinson, Don M., 139.
Dingley, Nelson, Jr., 215. Donnelly, Ignatius, 161. Douglas, Stephen Arnold. 53. Douglass, Frederick, 43. Dow, Neal. IOS. Draper. John William, 184. Drexel. Anthony Joseph, 124. Dupont, Henry, 198. E.
Edison, Thomas Alva, 55. Edmunds. George F., 201. Ellsworth, Oliver, 168. Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 57.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
Ericsson, John, 127. Evarts, William Maxwell, 89.
F.
Farragut, David Glascoe, 80. Field, Cyrus West. 173. Field, David Dudley. 126. Field, Marshall. 59. Field, Stephen Johnson, 216. Fillmore, Millard. 113. Foote, Andrew Hull. 176. Foraker, Joseph B., 143. Forrest, Edwin, 92. Franklin, Benjamin, 18. -Fremont, John Charles, 29. Fuller, Melville Weston, 168. Fulton, Robert, 62.
G.
Gage, Lyman J .. 71.
Gallatin, Albert, 112.
Garfield, James A., 163.
Garrett, John Work. 200. Garrison, William Lloyd, 50. Gates, Horatio, 70. Gatling, Richard Jordan, 116. George, Henry, 203. Gibbons, Cardinal James, 200. Gilmore, Patrick Sarsfield. 77. Girard, Stephen, 137.
Jackson. "Stonewall." 67.
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Jackson. Thomas Jonathan, 67.
Jay. John, 39.
Jefferson, Joseph, 47.
Jefferson, Thomas, 34.
Johnson, Andrew. 145.
Johnson, Eastman, 202.
Johnston, Joseph Eccleston. 85.
Jones, James K., 171.
Jones, John Paul. 97.
Jones, Samuel Porter, 115.
K.
Kane. Elisha Kent. 125.
Kearney. Philip. 210. Kenton. Simon, 188. Knox. John Jay, 134.
I .. .
Lamar. Lucius Q. C .. 201. Landon. Melville D., 100. 1.ec. Robert Edward, 38. Lewis, Charles B., 193. Lincoln. Abraham, 135. livermore, Mary Ashton. 131. Locke. David Ross, 172.
Logan, John A., 26. Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth.
37. Longstreet, James, 56. Lowell. James Russell, 104.
M.
Mackay. John William, 148. Madison, James, 42. Marshall, John. 156.
Mather, Cotton, '164.
Mather, Increase, 163.
Maxim, Hiram S., 194.
MeClellan, George Brinton, 47.
Houston, Sam, 120.
Hughes, Archbishop John. 157.
Hughitt. Marvin, 159.
Hull, Isaac. 169.
Huntington, Collis Potter, 94.
I.
Ingalls. John James, 114. Ingersoll, Robert G., 85. Irving. Washington, 33.
J.
Moody, Dwight L .. 207.
Moran, Thomas, 98.
Morgan. John Pierpont, 208.
Morgan John T., 216. Morris, Robert, 165. Morse. Samuel F. B., 124. Morton, Levi P., 142.
Morton. Oliver Perry. 215.
Motley. John Lathrop. 130.
N.
Gray, Asa, 88. Gray, Elisha, 149. Greeley, Horace, 20.
Greely, Adolphus W., 142. Greene, Nathaniel, 69. Gresham, Walter Quintin, 183.
H.
Hale, Edward Everett, 79. Hall, Charles Francis, 167. Hamilton, Alexander, 31. Hamlin, Hannibal, 214. Hampton, Wade. 192. Hancock, Winfield Scott. 146. Hann'a, Marcus Alonzo, 169. Harris, Isham G., 214. Harrison, William Henry. 87. Harrison, Benjamin, 182.
Harvard, John, 129. Havemeyer. John Craig, 182. . Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 135. Hayes, Rutherford Birchard, 157. Hendricks. Thomas Andrew, 212. Henry, Joseph, 105. Henry. Patrick, 83.
Hill. David Bennett. 90.
Hobart, Garrett A., 213.
Holmes. Oliver Wendell. 306.
Hooker. Joseph, 52.
Howe. Elias, 1 30. Howells, William Dean, 104.
McCormick. Cyrus Hall, 172.
McDonough, Com. Thomas, 167.
McKinley, William. 217.
Meade. George Gordon, 75.
Medill, Joseph, 159. Miles, Nelson A., 176.
Miller, Cincinnatus Heine, 218.
Miller. Joaquin, 218.
Mills, Roger Quarles, 211.
Monroe, James, 54.
Jackson. Andrew, 71.
Gough, John B., 131. Gould, Jay, 52. Gordon, John B., 215. Grant, Ulysses S., 155.
"Nye. Bill." 59. Nye, Edgar Wilson, 59. O
O'Conor, Charles, 187. Olney, Richard, 133. . P. Paine, Thomas. 147. Palmer, John M., 195. Parkhurst. Charles Henry. 160. "Partington, Mrs .. " 202. Peabody, George, 170. Peck. George W., 187. Peffer. William A., 164. Perkins, Eli. 109. Perry, Oliver Hazard, 97.
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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
Phillips, Wendell, 30. Pierce, Franklin, 122. Pingree, Hazen S., 212. Plant, Henry B., 192. Poe, Edgar Allen, 69. Polk, James Knox, 102. Porter, David Dixon, 68. Porter, Noah, 93. Prentice, George Denison. 119. Prescott, William Hickling. 96. Pullman, George Mortimer, 121.
Q.
Quad, M, 193. Quay, Matthew S., 171. R.
Randolph, Edmund, 146.
Read, Thomas Buchanan, 132. Reed, Thomas Brackett, 208. Reid. Whitelaw, 149.
Roach, John, 190. Rockefeller. John Davison, 195. Root, George Frederick, 218. Rothermel. Peter F .. 113. Rutledge, John, 57.
S.
Sage, Russell, 21I. Schofield. John McAllister, 199 .. Schurz. Carl, 201. Scott, Thomas Alexander, 204. Scott, Winfield. 79. Seward, William Henry, . 44. Sharon, William, 165. Shaw, Henry W., 166.
Sheridan. Phillip Henry, 40. Sherman, Charles R., 87. Sherman, John. 86. Shillaber, Benjamin Penhallow. 202. Sherman, William Tecumseh, 30. Smith, Edmund Kirby, 114. Sousa. John Philip, 60.
Spreckles. Claus, 159.
Stanford. Leland. IOI. Stanton. Edwin McMasters, 179. Stanton. Elizabeth Cady, 126.
Stephens, Alexander Hamilton, 32. Stevenson. Adlai Ewing, 141.
Stewart. Alexander T., 58.
Stewart, William Morris, 213.
Stowe. Harriet Elizabeth Beecher, 66. Stuart. James E. B., 122. Sumner, Charles, 34. T.
Talmage. Thomas DeWitt. 60.
Taney. Roger Brooke, 129.
Taylor. Zachary, 108.
Teller. Henry M., 127.
Tesla, Nikola. 193.
Thomas, George H., 73. Thomas. Theodore, 172. Thurman. Allen G., 90. Thurston. John M .. 166. Tilden. Samuel J., 48.
Tillman, Benjamin Ryan, 119.
Toombs. Robert. 205. "Twain, Mark." 86.
Tyler, John, 93.
Van Buren, Martin. 78. Vanderbilt, Cornelius, 35. Vail, Alfred, 154. Vest, George Graham, 214. Vilas. William Freeman, 140. Voorhees, Daniel Wolsey. 95.
W.
Waite, Morrison Remich, 125. Wallace, Lewis, 199. Wallack, Lester. 121.
Wallack. John Lester, 121.
Wanamaker, John. 89.
Ward, "Artemus," 91. Washburne, Elihu Benjamin, 189.
Washington, George, 17. Watson, Thomas E .. 178.
Watterson, Henry, 76.
Weaver, James B., 123.
Webster, Daniel, 19.
Webster, Noah, 49. Weed. Thurlow, 91. West, Benjamin, 115. Whipple, Henry Benjamin, 161.
White. Stephen V .. 162. Whitefield. George. 150. Whitman, Walt, 197. Whitney Eli, 120. Whitney, William Collins, 92. Whittier. John Greenleaf. 67. Willard, Frances E., 133. Wilson, William L., 180. Winchell. Alexander. 175. Windom, William, 138.
PORTRAITS OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
A Alger, Russell A., 16. Allison, William B., 99. Anthony, Susan B., 63. Armour, Philip D., 151. Arthur, Chester A., 81. B. Barnum, Phineas T., 117. Beecher, Henry Ward, 27. Blaine, James G., 151.
Booth, Edwin, 63. Bryan, Wm. J., 63. Bryant. William Cullen, 185. Buchanan, James, 81. Buckner, Simon B .. 16. Butler, Benjamin F., 151.
C.
Carlisle. John G., 151. Chase. Salmon P .. 16. Childs. George W., 99.
Clay. Henry, 81. Cleveland. Grover, 45. Cooper, Peter, 99. D.
Dana, Charles A., 151. Depew, Chauncey M., 117. Douglass, Fred, 63.
E. Emerson. Ralph Waldo, 27. Evarts, William M., 99.
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V.
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PORTRAITS OF NATIONAL CELEBRITIES.
F.
'Farragut, Com. D. G., 185. Field, Cyrus. W., 63. Field, Marshall, 117. Franklin, Benjamin, 63. Fremont, Gen. John C., 16.
G.
Gage, Lyman J., 151. Garfield, James A., 45. Garrison, William Lloyd, 63. George, Henry, 117. Gould, Jay, 99. Grant, Gen. U. S., 185. Greeley, Horace, SI.
H.
Hampton, Wade, 16. Hancock, Gen. Winfield S., 185. Hanna, Mark A., 117. Harrison, Benjamin, 81. Hayes, R. B., 45. Hendricks, Thomas A., SI. Holmes, Oliver W., 151. Hooker, Gen. Joseph, 16.
I.
Ingersoll, Robert G., 117. Irving, Washington, 27.
J.
Jackson, Andrew, 45. Jefferson, Thomas, 45. Johnston, Gen. J. E., 16.
Lee, Gen. Robert E., 185. Lincoln, Abraham, 81. Logan, Gen. John A .. 16. Longfellow, Henry W., 185. Longstreet, Gen. James, 16. Lowell, James Russell, 27.
M. McKinley, William. 45. Morse, S. F. B., 185. P. Phillips, Wendell, 27. Porter, Com. D. D., 185. Pullman, George M., 117.
Q. Quay, M. S., 99. R.
Reed, Thomas B., 151.
S.
Sage, Russell, 117. Scott. Gen. Winfield, 185. Seward, William H., 45. Sherman, John, 99. Sherman, Gen. W. T., 151. Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, 27. Stowe, Harriet Beecher, 27. Sumner, Charles, 45.
T.
Talmage, T. DeWitt, 63. Teller, Henry M .. 99. . Thurman, Allen G., 81. Tilden, Samuel J., 117.
V.
Van Buren, Martin, SI. Vanderbilt, Commodore, 99.
W.
Webster, Daniel, 27. Whittier, John G., 27. Washington, George. 45. Watterson, Henry, 63.
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PART II.
BIOGRAPHICAL COMPENDIUM OF DECATUR COUNTY.
A.
Ardery, David A., 292.
B.
Bartlett, Robert A., 248. Bonner, Samuel A., 225. Bonner, Walter W., 316. Boyd, Harry, 402. Boyer, James M., 394. Bracken, William, 392. Braden, Luther D., 290.
C.
Clark, Jamcs B., 415. Coombs, Jacob, 377. 'Craven, Herman J., 225. Cumback, William, 254.
D.
Davis, Aaron, 423. Dcem, Oliver, 286. Donnell, Samuel A., 280. Dunn, George H., 380.
E.
Elder, Dyer C., 241. Ewing, Cortez, 230. Ewing, James K., 230. Ewing, Putnam, 251.
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.F.
Foley. James B., 239. Foley, Jolin J., 240. Forsyth, E. R., 285.
G.
Gardner. George P .. 417. Gaston, Benjamin F., 300.
Gilchrist, Archibald C., 278. Gilmour, Andrew S., 276. Gosnell, Alexander, 240.
Gosnell, Benjamin, 231. Goyert, August, 333. Grover, Ira G., 335.
Grover, Marshall, 335.
H.
Hamilton, David N., 320.
Hamilton, Robert A., 262. Hamilton, R. P., 315.
Harper, James S., 260. Harper, Mary E., 260.
Hausc, William, 351. Hendricks Family, The, 348.
Hittle, John P., 324.
Hogg, William, 390. Holcomb. John W., 233. Hood, William T., 250.
J.
Jackson, Jolın H., 418.
Jenkins, Benjamin, 379.
Jerman, Elmer C., 321. Johnson, Harry, 416.
Johnson, Robert, 409. Johnson, Thomas, 271.
K.
Kammerling. Henry, 384. Kemble, Charles, 372. Kerrick, Nimrod, 419. Kincaid, William J., 353.
L.
Lambert, Paschal T., 298. Lathrop. James. B., 296. Linch. Benjamin F., 388. Link, Henry, 386. Logan, Samuel H., 426.
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Loyd, Cretli J., 331. Lugenbell, John F., 361.
M.
Matthews, Harry O., 299. McCoy, Isaiah, 228. McCracken, Hugh T., 319. Mccullough, W. F., 407.
Meck, Jethro C., 395. Mendenhall. Edgar N., 336. Mendenhall. James E., 365. Miller, H. C., 305. Miller, John D., 354.
Miller, Theophilus E. F., 247.
Montgomery, Robert S., 420.
Montgomery, Sarah A., 267. Moor, A. S., 413. Moor, Milton G., 235.
Moore, Benjamin F., 317. Morgan, David L., 293. Morgan, Jamcs, 350. Morrison, John, 367. Moss, David, 421.
N.
Nation, John W., 362. Newhouse, Marshall E., 302.
P.
Parker, John W., 308. Parsons, Milton F .. 371. Penington, Eli, 397. Plcak, Coleman T., 404. Pleak, Josepli D .. 398. Plcak. William R., 289. Porter, Matthew E., 329.
R.
Redington. John MI., 337. Robbins, Frank R., 339.
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BIOGRAPHICAL COMPENDIUM OF DECATUR COUNTY.
Robbins, James G., 326. Robbins, William A., 322. Robbins, William H .. 272. Roberts, George L., 253. Robison, J. B., 246. Robinson, William J., 288. Ross, Marine D., 232.
S.
Schofield, J. V., 289. Schultz, E. G., 382. Sefton, Edward B., 374. Sefton, Isaac, 283.
Sefton, James, . 376. Shannon, William P .. 343. Shera, Elizabeth, 313. Shirk, Thomas A., 310. Shoemaker, George P., 359. Smith, William, 411. Stewart, Paul, 237. Stimson, Samuel M., 223.
T.
Talbott, Henry H., 308. Thomson Family. The, 364. Tincher, Frank S., 373.
V.
Van Buskirk, Daniel R., 243.
W.
Walker, Joseph R .. 356. Watson, William A .. 386. White, Benjamin S .. 328. Williams, William A .. 385. Willoughby, Andrew MI., 383. Wood, James M .. 355. Wooden, John L .. 400. Wooden, William H .. 402. Woodfill. James M .. 333. Woodfill, William S., 368.
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INTRODUCTORY
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INTRODUCTORY
HE greatest of English historians, Macaulay, and one of the most brilliant writers and profound thinkers of the present centary, has said: "The history of a country is best told in a record of the lives of its people." This is a fact which is becoming more and more recognized as our people advance in education and intelli- gence, and our own great Emerson, whose name stands at the head of American writers of his day, in carrying forward and emphasizing the great fact expressed by Macaulay, says: " Biog- raphy is the only true history." It was for the purpose of gathering and preserving this biographical matter in enduring form that the design for this volume originated.
COMPENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY.
- Regarding the fore part of this volume, "Part I," which is devoted to a "COM- PENDIUM OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY," but little need be said. The lives of the great men and celebrities of America are so inaccessible to the general public, and are so often in demand without being accessible, that it has been deemed wise to gather together a vast number of the biographies of our nation's greatest men and include them in this work as a fitting preface to the life histories and biographies of the local parties which follow and embrace the latter part of the volume. It is not given to all men to become great in a national sense, but the life history of those who do, makes up the history of our nation, and as such the history of their lives should be in every home and library as a means of reference and education.
COMPENDIUM OF LOCAL BIOGRAPHY.
That portion of the volume devoted to a "COMPENDIUM OF LOCAL BIOGRAPHY," or "Part II," is of the greatest value, and its value will increase as the years go by. In this department of local biography is carried out the object which led to the com- pilation of this work, in gathering together and placing in enduring form, before it becomes too late, the life history of those who have helped to build up this region and who have taken part in the progress and development in business, political, social, and agricultural affairs. The rank that any county holds among its sister counties depends largely upon the achievements of its citizens. Some add to its rep- utation by efficient public service, some by increasing its manufacturing or commercial
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INTRODUCTORY.
interests, and some by adding to the general wealth and prosperity in cultivating and improving its lands. To give a faithful account of the lives of old settlers and rep- resentative .citizens of this region is to write its history in the truest sense. Each year, as it rolls its endless way along the mighty pathway of time, is thinning the ranks of those hardy pioneers and old settlers whose lives are so thoroughly identi- · fied with this region. The relentless hand of death, pursuing its remorseless and unceasing avocation, is cutting down, one by one, those whose life histories should be preserved as a part of the history of the growth and development of this region. The necessity for the collection and preservation of this matter, before it becomes too late, is the object of this work.
Instead of going to musty records and taking therefrom dry statistical matter and official generalities, which can be appreciated by but few, our corps of writers have gone direct to the people, to the men and women who have by their enterprise and industry, brought about the development found in this region, and from their lips have written the story of their life struggles. No more interesting or instructive mat- ter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this department, devoted to LOCAL BIOGRAPHY, will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and economy have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence widely extended. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in · life who have striven to succeed, and records how success has usually crowned their efforts. It tells, also, of many, very many, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued "the even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy,-" they have done what they could." It tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood, left the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's call. went forth valiantly "to do or die," for the cause and principles they held so dear. In the life of every man and of every woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follow after.
Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treas- ure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into pub- lic records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible and lost forever. Great care has been taken in the compilation of this work, and every opportunity for revision possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written. and the publishers feel warranted in saying that they give to their readers a work with very few, if any, errors of consequence.
In closing this brief introductory the memorable words of Carlyle fittingly express the hope, aim, and desire of the publishers in the compilation of this volume: "Let the. record be made of the men and things of to-day, lest they pass out of memory to-morrow and are lost. Then perpetuate them, not upon wood or stone that crun- bles to dust, but chronicled in picture and in words that endure forever."
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.. PART I ..
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NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY
Copyright 1897, by Geo. A. Ogle & Co.
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY . OF ..
CELEBRATED AMERICANS
G EORGE WASHINGTON, the first president of the Unit- ed States, called the "Father of his Country," was one of the most celebrated characters in history. He was born Feb- ruary 22, 1732, in Washing- ton Parish, Westmoreland county, Virginia. His father, Augustine Washington, first married Jane Butler, who bore him four children, and . March 6, 1730, he married Mary Ball. Of six children by his second marriage, George was the eldest.
Little is known of the early years of Washington, beyond the fact that the house in which he was born was burned during his early childhood, and that his father there- upon moved to another farm, inherited from his paternal ancestors, situated in Stafford county, on the north bank of the Rappahan- nock, and died there in 1743. From earliest childhood George developed a noble charac- ter. His education was somewhat defective, being confined to the elementary branches taught him by his mother and at a neighbor- ing school. On leaving school he resided some time at Mount Vernon with his half
brother, Lawrence, who acted as bis guar dian. George's inclinations were for a sea- faring career, and a midshipman's warrant was procured for him; but through the oppo- sition of his mother the project was aban- doned, and at the age of sixteen he was appointed surveyor to the immense estates of the eccentric Lord Fairfax. Three years were passed by Washington in a rough fron- tier life, gaining experience which afterwards proved very essential to him. In 1751, when the Virginia militia were put under training with a view to active service against France, Washington, though only nineteen years of age, was appointed adjutant, with the rank of major. In 1752 Lawrence Washington died, leaving his large property to an infant daughter. In his will George was named one of the executors and as an eventual heir to Mount Vernon, and by the death of the infant niece, soon succeeded to' that estate. In 1753 George was commis- sioned adjutant-general of the Virginia militia, and performed important work at the outbreak of the French and Indian war, was rapidly promoted, and at the close of that war we find him commander-in-chief of
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COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY.
all the forces raised in Virginia. A cessation of Indian hostilities on the frontier having followed the expulsion of the French from the Ohio, he resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces, and then proceeded to Williamsburg to take his seat in the Virginia Assembly, of which he had been elected a member.
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January 17, 1759, Washington married Mrs. Martha (Dandridge) Curtis, a young and beautiful widow of great wealth, and devoted himself for the ensuing fifteen years to the quiet pursuits of agriculture, inter- . rupted only by the annual attendance in winter upon the colonial legislature at Williamsburg, until summoned by his coun- try to enter upon that other arena in which his fame was to become world-wide. The war for independence called Washington into service again, and he was made com- mander-in-chief of the colonial forces, and was the most gallant and conspicuous figure in that bloody struggle, serving until Eng- land acknowledged the independence of each of the thirteen States, and negotiated with them jointly, as separate sovereignties. December 4, 1783, the great commander took leave of his officers in most affection- ate and patriotic terms, and went to An- napolis, Maryland, where the congress of the States was in session, and to that body, when peace and order prevailed everywhere, resigned his commission and retired to Mount Vernon.
It was in 1789 that Washington was called to the chief magistracy of the na- tion. The inauguration took place April 30, in the presence of an immense multi- tude which had assembled to witness the new and imposing ceremony. In the manifold de- tails of his civil administration Washington proved himself fully equal to the requirements of his position. In 1792, at the second presi-
dential election, Washington was desirous to retire; but he yielded to the general wish of the country, and was again chosen presi- dent. At the third election, in 1796, he was again most urgently entreated to con- sent to remain in the executive chair. This he positively refused, and after March 4, 1797, he again retired to Mount Vernon for peace, quiet, and repose.
Of the call again made on this illustrious chief to quit his repose at Mount Ver- non and take command of all the United States forces, with rank of lieutenant-gen- eral, when war was threatened with France in 1798, nothing need here be stated, ex- cept to note the fact as an unmistakable testimonial of the high regard in which he was still held by his countrymen of all shades of political opinion. He patriotic- ally accepted this trust, but a treaty of peace put a stop to all action under it. He again retired to Mount Vernon, where he died December 14, 1799, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. His remains were depos- ited in a family vault on the banks 'of the Potomac, at Mount Vernon, where they still lie entombed.
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