History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 74

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992

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James Barr Walker, D.D., in 1855, published "The Philosophy of the Plan of Salvation," which has been very extensively read, and has been translated into several foreign languages. The same year ap- peared " God Revealed in Nature and in Christ, in- cluding a Refutation of the Development Theory contained in the Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation ;" in 1857, "Philosophy of Scepticism and Ultraism ;" in 1862, "The Philosophy of the Divine Operations in the Redemption of Man." He edited The Ohio Observer, The Watchman of the Valley, and The Watchman of the Prairies. He has also published some poetical pieces.

Vietor Value, a French teacher, published " Ollen- dorff's New System of Learning French ; with Value's System of French Pronunciation ;" in 1856 and 1858, " French Prosody."

Samuel Hulbeart Turner, D.D., professor in the man, published, in 1861, " A Sermon on the Nation's | General Theological Seminary of New York, was a native of Philadelphia. He was a voluminous writer, Frederick Ratchford Starr, a native of Nova Scotia, published, in 1866, " Didley Dumps; or, John Ellard the Newsboy," and " What Can I Do? A Question for Professing Christians;" and the following year, "May I Not? or, Two Ways of Looking Through a Telescope." and his works have been highly esteemed. In 1824 he published "Notes on the Epistle to the Ro- mans;" in 1841, "Companion to the Book of Gen- esis;" in 1848, "Parallel References Illustrative of the New Testament ;" in 1851, " Essay on our Lord's Discourse at Capernaum ;" in 1852, "Thoughts on

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AUTHORS AND LITERATURE OF PHILADELPHIA.

the Origin, Character, and Interpretation of Scrip- ture Prophecy ;" and " St. Paul's Epistle to the He- brews, in Greek and English ;" in 1853, "St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans;" in 1856, "To the Ephe- sians ;" in 1858, " Teachings of the Master;" in 1869, "Spiritual Things compared with Spiritual ;" in 1861, "The Gospels compared with the Ammonian Sections and the Tables of Eusebius ;" besides many others. His " Autobiography" appeared in 1862, the year after his death.

John C. Trautwine, civil engineer, was author of (1) "New Method of Calculating the Cubic Contents of Excavations and Embankments by the Aid of Diagrams," 1851; (2) "Field Practice of Laying Out Circular Curves for Railroads," 1851; and (3) in 1854, "Rough Notes of an Exploration for an Inter-Oceanic Canal Route by way of the Rivers Atrato and San Juan, New Granada." He was also a contributor to the Journal of the Franklin Institute.

John Warner published a work on Railroad Exca- vation and Embankment, with Diagrams.

John K. Townsend was author of " A Narrative of a Jouruey across the Rocky Mountains to the Columbia River, and a Visit to the Sandwich Islands," etc., 1837, and (1839) "Ornithology of the United States."

Mary Townsend published "Life in the Insect World."

Miss Hannah Townsend, in 1852, published “ His- tory of England in Rhyme."

John W. Torrey published, in 1857, "Interest Tables;" and John J. Breban published a work on the same subject. All these were preceded by " Row- lett's Interest Tables." Rowlett was for some years a clerk in the Bank of North America.

William P. Tatham (1869) published "On the Re- storation of the Standard of Value, and the Proper Limit to the Use of Bank Credit as Money."

A. De Kalb Tarr, in 1859, published " The Ameri- can Reader of Prose and Poetry."

George M. Dallas, son of Alexander J. Dallas, was United States senator; ambassador to Russia from 1837 to October, 1839; Vice-President of the United States from 1845 to 1849; minister to England, 1856 to 1861. He wrote and published pamphlets and speeches. Allibone gives a list of thirty of these. His "Letters from London in 1856-60" were edited and published by his daughter Julia.

Samuel D. Gross, M.D., physician and surgeon, translated Holland's "General Anatomy," Hatin's " Manual of Obstetrics," Hildebrand on "Typhus Fever," and Tavernier's "Operative Surgery." He has been a prolific writer on medical subjects : "Dis- eases and Injuries of the Bones and Joints," 1830; " Elements of Pathological Anatomy," 1839; "Wounds of the Intestines," 1843; "Diseases, Injuries, and Mal- formations of the Urinary Organs," 1851; " Foreign Bodies in the Air-Passages," 1854; " Report on the Causes which Retard the Progress of American Med- ical Literature," 1856; "System of Surgery : Path-

ological, Diagnostic, Therapeutic, and Operative," 1859; "American Medical Biography," 1861. About 1876 he wrote a comprehensive review and history of the progress of medicine and surgery during the pre- vious century, and prepared an interesting discourse upon the origin and early history of Jefferson College.

Alexander D. Bache, LL.D., A.A.S., born July 19, 1806, was made regent of the Smithsonian Insti- tute in August, 1846, having previously held many distinguished positions. In 1833 he edited Brewster's "Optics," with notes. He published " Observations" at the observatory of Girard College in 1840-45; " Report of Experiments to Navigate the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal by Steam," in 1834, and con- tributed mauy valuable papers to scientific journals of the day. He died at Newport, R. I., Feb. 17, 1867.

Samuel Austin Allibone, LL.D., the emineut bibli- ographer, who gave sixteen years of his life to the preparation of a monumental dictionary of the writers in English literature, was boru in Philadelphia in 1816. The main labor of his career was preceded by the printing of two minor books, -" A Review by a Layman of New Themes for the Protestant Clergy," 1853; and "New Themes Condemned," 1854. " At the age of thirty-four," says Mr. Duyckinck, "while engaged in mercantile life, he projected, and three years later (Aug. 1, 1853) he began, the compilation of 'A Critical Dictionary of English Literature and British and American Authors, Living and Deceased, from the Earliest Accounts to the Latter Half of the Nineteenth Century.'

" The first volume, exceeding one thousand royal octavo pages, was published in December, 1858. Its notices extended from A to J, inclusive, but the vol- ume was subsequently made to include those under K and L also. The second volume, reaching from M to S, inclusive, appeared in the spring of 1870, aud the third, T to Z. in the year following. His only assist- ant was his wife, who copied the manuscript, cover- ing about twenty thousand foolscap pages, from his notes." The entire work contains three thousand one hundred and forty double-column pages, and mentions the writings of about forty-seven thousand writers. While busied with his dictionary, Dr. Alli- bone prepared some valuable indexes, one of three hundred and ninety-six columns to "Orations and Speeches of Edward Everett," 1850-59; another of seventy-six columns to the "Life and Letters of Washington Irving," 1861-64 ; and also " An Alpha- betical Index to the New Testament," prepared in spare moments on Sundays. He has been secretary of the American Sunday-School Union and editor of its publications, giving his mornings to its ser- vice, since 1867. Among his works are "Union Bible Companion," a compendium of scriptural knowledge, 1871; " The New Explanatory Question- Book on the Harmony of the Gospels," and one on the Acts, 1869; "Poetical Quotations from Chaucer to Tennyson," 1873 ; and a companion volume of " Prose

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HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA.

Quotations." This distinguished author has been for some years librarian of the Lenox Library, in New York.

Dr. Isaac Cathrall, born in 1764, studied medi- cine under Dr. Redman, and in London, Edinburgh, and Paris. He returned home in 1793 during the prevalence of yellow fever, and suffered severely with the disease. In 1797-99 he remained at his post, and even dissected those who died of the fever. He published " Remarks on the Yellow Fever," 1794; " Buchan's Domestic Medicine, with Notes," 1797 ; " Memoir on the Analysis of the Black Vomit," 1800, in vol. v. of the "Transactions of the American Phil- osophieal Society ;" and a pamphlet on the yellow fever in conjunction with Dr. Currie, in 1802. He was a surgeon of the city ahnshouse from 1810 to 1816. He died Feb. 22, 1819.

Zachariah Poulson was born in Philadelphia Sept. 5, 1761. His father was also named Zachariah, and was born at Copen- hagen, Denmark, from whence he emigrated to America and settled in Germantown in 1749. Zachariah, the elder,. learned the printers' trade with Christopher Sauer (thesecond). The younger Poulson, following in the footsteps of his father, learned the art of print- ing with Joseph Cruik- shank, on Market Street. He was editor, publisher, and proprietor of the first daily paper published in the United States, which was called Poulson's Amer- ican Daily Advertiser, and was continued for nearly forty years, when it ceased to exist in 1849. He was elected for many years printer for the Senate of Penn- sylvania. In 1789 he printed the " Minutes of the Con- vention which was appointed to Amend and Revise the Constitution of the State." Among the most impor- tant of the works printed by him are Proud's "His- tory of Pennsylvania," in 1797-98; " Poulson's Town and Country Almanac," 1789 to 1801; "The Amer- ican Tutor's Assistant ;" the works of William Gerard de Braam : "Journals of the General Conventions from the Abolition Societies of the United States," in- termittently from 1794 to 1801. Besides his business as a printer and publisher he was prominently asso-

Poulsen 222220)

ciated with many public benefactions. He was one of the founders and at his death the president of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, at one time a manager of the Penn- sylvania Hospital, for fifty-nine years connected with the Library Company of Philadelphia,-twenty-one years as librarian, six as treasurer, and served thirty- two years as a director. The portrait accompanying this sketch is from a painting by Sully, which is now the property of the library. He was an enterprising and public-spirited man, and a citizen who was an honor to the place of his birth. His death occurred at Philadelphia, July 31, 1844, and he was buried in the family cemetery at Germantown.

Dr. Henry Bond was the author of many valu- able papers on profes- sional subjects, and con- tributed largely to medical and other journals. He was a member of numer- ous historical and other societies, and of religious and charitable associa- tions, and was several years president of the Board of Health. Besides his high reputation as a physician, he obtained that also of being a suc- eessful and thorough ge- nealogist. He was born at Watertown, Mass., March 21, 1790, and grad- uated at Dartmouth Col- lege in 1813. He studied medicine, settled first in Concord, N. H., and in November, 1819, in this city, where he resided till his death, May 4, 1859.

Lucy Hamilton Hooper, a Philadelphia lady of cul- ture, published " Poems : with translations from the German of Geibel and others," and, in conjunction with Charles G. Leland, edited Our Daily Fair, the daily chronicle of the great Central Sanitary Fair held in this city in 1864. For two years she was as- sistant editor of Lippincott's Magazine, and was a con- stant contributor to the Galaxy and other leading periodicals. A second and complete volume of her poems was published in 1871. She has been for some years a popular correspondent at Paris with journals published in Philadelphia.

Frank R. Stockton, a contributor to leading maga- zines, was born in 1834. He has been connected edi- torially with the Philadelphia Post and Hearth and

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AUTHORS AND LITERATURE OF PHILADELPHIA.

Home and Scribner's Monthly. He wrote "Ting-a- Ling," "The House that John Built," "Roundabout Rambles," etc. He contributed to the Southern Lite- rary Messenger, Punchinello, and other journals.

Henry Simpson died in 1868, aged seventy-seven years. He was a member of the Legislature of Penn- sylvania, appraiser of the port of Philadelphia, and author of "The Lives of Eminent deceased Phila- delphians," 8vo, 1859.

Thompson Westcott, editor of the Philadelphia Sunday Dispatch since its beginning, in 1848, was born in 1820. He was admitted to the bar in 1841, and is the author of a " Life of John Fitch," 1857 ; " Taxpayers' Guide," 1864; "Names of Persons, etc., with a History of the Test-Laws of Pennsylvania," 8vo, 1865 ; "Chronicles of the Great Rebellion," originally compiled for the "Old Franklin Almanac ;" "The Official Guide Book of Philadelphia," 1876; "Centennial Souvenir," 1876; author of "The His- toric Mansions and Buildings of Philadelphia," 1877 ; "History of Philadelphia," published in the Sunday Dispatch, and numerous contributions to the periodical literature of the country.

William Bradford Reed, LL.D., grandson of Gen. Joseph Reed, was born in this city June 30, 1806; graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1822. He was attorney-general of Pennsylvania in 1838, envoy extraordinary and minister to China 1857-58, and negotiated the treaty ratified Jan. 26, 1860. Au- thor of "Life and Correspondence of Joseph Reed," 2 vols. 8vo, 1847; "Life of Esther Reed," 8vo, 1853; "Vindication of Joseph Reed," in reply to Bancroft's "History," in several pamphlets. He edited the posthumous works of his brother Henry, and published a large number of historical addresses and political pamphlets. He contributed to the Amer- ican Quarterly and North American Review, and at the time of his death was one of the editors of the New York World.

Rev. Charles Philip Krauth, in 1825, assisted in preparing a " Hymn-Book, Liturgy, and Prayers for the use of the Churches of the Lutheran District Synod ;" in 1831 he was placed on the editing com- mittee of fifteen ; from 1827 to 1834 he was pastor of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in this city, and was regarded as one of the finest pulpit orators in the city. From 1834 to 1847 he was president of Penn- sylvania College. He published some addresses, and furnished many articles for the Lutheran Intelligencer and the Evangelical Review.

His son, Rev. Charles Porterfield Krauth, was pas- tor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church from 1859 to 1863; professor of Theology in the Lutheran Seminary, 1864-68; and subsequently professor of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy in the University of Penn- sylvania. He published "The Pastoral Office," 1845; "The Transfiguration," 1850; "Popular Amuse- ments," 1851; "The Bible a Perfect Book," 1851 ; "The Old Church on the Hill," 1854; " The Lutheran

Church and the Lord's Day," 1857; "Translation of Tholuck's Commentary on the Gospel of St. John ;" and wrote many other important treatises and criti- cisms. In 1861 he became editor of the Lutheran and Missionary. He has contributed to numerous reviews and periodicals.

Robert Shelton Mackenzie, M.D., D.C.L., LL.D., was literary and foreign editor of The Press. Among his publications are "Lays of Palestine," "Titian," " Partnership ' en Commandite,'" " Mornings at Mat- lock," a collection of fugitive magazine pieces ; Sheil's " Sketches of the Irish Bar," " Noctes Ambrosianæ," "Bits of Blarney," "Dr. Maginn's Writings" and others, " Tressilian and his Friends," "Memoirs of Robert Houdin," "Life of Charles Dickens," "Life of Sir Walter Scott," etc. He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Glasgow, and subsequently was admitted Doctor of Civil Law at Oxford. Mrs. Adelheid Shelton Mac- kenzie, his wife, has written several attractive ro- mances, among them " Married against Reason," and "Aureola; or, The Black Sheep."

Thomas Mackellar, poet, was born in New York, Aug. 12, 1812, and in 1833 removed to Philadelphia, where, on the death of Mr. Johnson in 1860, he be- came senior partner of the great type-foundry of Lawrence Johnson & Co. He early wrote for the Journal of the Sunday-School Union, and published "Droppings from the Heart," 1844; "Tam's Fort- night's Rambles," 1847; and "Lines for the Gentle and Loving," 1853 ; also " The American Printer."

Joseph Clay Neal, humorist, was born at Green- land, N. H., Feb. 3, 1807, and died July 18, 1847. He removed to Philadelphia about 1820, and became editor of the Pennsylvanian, and after a tour in Europe and Africa for his health, in 1841-42, assumed, in 1844, the editorship of the Saturday Gazette, which he con- tinued till his death. His first humorous compositions were "The City Worthies," a series of sketches which appeared in the Pennsylvanian. In 1837 he published the " Charcoal Sketches," reprinted in London under the auspices of Charles Dickens; in 1844, " Peter Ploddy, and other Oddities," and subsequently a new series of "Charcoal Sketches."

Oswald Seidensticker, professor of German Lan- guage and Literature in the University of Pennsyl- vania, has written and published several valuable literary works, and delivered a number of interesting historical addresses. He has also contributed a num- ber of articles to the periodical literature of this country and Germany upon the German element in America.

Charles Henry Hart was born Feb. 4, 1847. He studied law in the office of Samuel H. Perkins, was admitted to the bar in 1868, and received the degree of Bachelor of Laws from the University of Penn- sylvania in the following year. He published " Bib- liographia Lincolniana : an Account of the Publica- tions occasioned by the Death of Abraham Lincoln,

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HISTORY OF PHILADELPHIA.

Sixteenth President of the United States, with Notes and an Introduction." The introduction was subse- quently reprinted as a " Biographical Sketch of Mr. Lincoln." In May, 1870, he delivered a " Discourse on the Life and Services of Gulian Crommelin Ver- planck, LL.D.," and subsequently published a " Me- moir of George Ticknor, the Historian of Spanish Literature," and "A Treatise on the Doctrine of Equitable Conversion." He also contributed to the New England Historical and Genealogical Register a " Memoir of William Hickling Prescott," and has contributed many articles to the press of the country.

George Lippard, novelist, was born near Yellow Springs, Pa., April 10, 1822, and died in 1854. In 1841 he became a contributor to the Spirit of the Times. His first novel was "The Lady Annabel," followed by "The Quaker City," "Herbert Tracy," " Wash- ington and his Generals," "Paul Ardenheim," " Me- moirs of a Preacher," "Adonai," "Jesus and the Poor," " Adrian the Neophyte," "The Empire City," "Nazarene," "Blanche of Brandywine," "Legends of Mexico," "Washington and his Men," " The Rose of Wissahickon," "Bel of Prairie Eden," and "New York, its Upper Ten and Lower Million," etc. His life and selected writings were published, with an essay on his writing and genius, by C. C. Burr, in 1847.

William M. Gouge, editor of the Philadelphia Gazette, was born Nov. 10, 1796, and died at Trenton, N. J., July 14, 1863. He published " A Fiscal His- tory of Texas," 1852; " History of the American Banking System," 1835; " Expediency of Dispensing with Bank Agency and with Bank Paper," 1837. He edited several journals, and for thirty years contrib- uted articles on banking to various journals.

William Grimshaw, anthor of school histories and grammar, emigrated to America in 1815 from Ireland, and lived many years in Philadelphia. He published "Life of Napoleon," "Etymological Dictionary," "Gentlemen's and Ladies' Lexicons," " Merchant's Law Book," "Form Book," " American Chesterfield," etc. lle died in this city in 1852.

James Gilborne Lyons, LL.D., died at Haverford, Jan. 2, 1868, where he had for many years a select boys' school of a high character. Hle was an accom- plished scholar, and published "Christian Songs, Translations, and other Poems," 1861.

Samnel W. Pennypacker, a prominent member of the bar, was the author of many valuable historical contributions. His chief writings are "History of Phoenixville," " History and Biographical Sketches," and various addresses upon public occasions. He edited several volumes of law reports, and contributed many articles to the magazines and newspapers of the country. His historical researches in reference to the history of Germantown and of the Germans in Penn- sylvania show great knowledge and patient industry.

Herman Hooker, a bookseller, was the author of "The Portion of the Soul ; or, Thoughts on its Attri-

butes and Tendencies as Indications of its Destiny," " Popular Infidelity," "The Philosophy of Unbelief in Morals and Religion," etc., "The Uses of Adver- sity and the Provisions of Consolation," " The Chris- tian Life a Fight of Faith," and several others. He died July 25, 1865.

Noah Webster, the philologist and publicist, in 1787 was principal of the Episcopal academy, and when the Constitution of the United States was formed by the convention of that year, gave it his assistance in a pamphlet, an " Examination of the Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution." While on a visit to Philadelphia in 1782 he was en- couraged by Mr. Madison and Professor Samuel S. Smith to enter upon the preparation of the school- books by which he subsequently became so well known. His public spirit and impulses were shown in his successful efforts to remove the remains of Godfrey, the inventor of the quadrant, from a ne- glected spot on an old farm near Germantown to Laurel Hill, where an appropriate monument was erected. He also suggested the erection of a monu- ment to Gen. Francis Nash, of North Carolina, at Germantown, where the gallant soldier fell on the battle-ground of 1777.

William Henry Fry, composer and journalist, was born in August, 1815, and died at Santa Cruz, West Indies, Dec. 21, 1864. His father, William Fry, was proprietor of the National Gazette. The musical talent of W. H. Fry was very early manifested, and in 1835 he received from the Philharmonic Society an honorary medal for four overtures performed by them. He be- came connected with the National Gazette in 1839, was editor of the Ledger in 1844, and afterward wrote for the Sun. His opera " Leonora" was produced at the Chestnut Street Theatre in June, 1845, and an Italian version at the Academy of Music, New York, in the spring of 1858. From 1846 to 1852 he was in Europe, chiefly residing in Paris, and corresponding with the New York Tribune (with which he was subsequently connected), the Philadelphia Ledger, and other news- papers. In 1852 he delivered in New York a series of ten lectures on the history of music, illustrating them by two new symphonies, "The Breaking Heart" and a "Day in the Country." These, with two others, "Santa Claus" and " Childe Harold," were also soon after played by Jullien's orchestra in various parts of the United States. He also wrote the music to an ode for the opening of the great Indus- trial Exhibition at New York in 1853, and a Stabat Mater, composed in 1855. He was also a political orator, and a popular lecturer on miscellaneous sub- jects. He published " Artificial Fish-Breeding" in 1854.

His brother, Joseph Reese Fry, translated and adapted the opera of "Norma" from the Italian for the Wood English Opera Troupe, wrote the libretto of his brother's opera "Leonora," and also of the opera of " Notre Dame." An accomplished scholar and lin-

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AUTHORS AND LITERATURE OF PHILADELPHIA.

guist, he was well versed in the history of the literature of music, and wrote with ease and taste. He was largely instrumental in raising the Union League Brigade during the civil war, and was the author of " Life of Zachary Taylor," 1848.

John Fanning Watson was born June 13, 1779, in Burlington County, N. J. His parents were of Eng- lish origin; his grandfather, Thomas Watson, came to America in 1667, settling at Salem, where the father of John F., William Watson, was born.

After enjoying but limited advantages for an edu- cation, Mr. Watson came to this city and entered the commercial house of James Vanuxein, an eminent merchant. Here he remained until nineteen years of age, when, through his becoming a member of the Macpherson Blues, he offended the firm, and was compelled to withdraw. He next became a clerk in the War Department at the city of Washing- ton until 1804, when he resigned his position to form a business connec- tion with Gen. James O'Hara at New Orleans. After a residence of two years at New Orleans he returned to the city of Philadelphia, where he made his first essay as a bookseller and pub- lisher, establishing a business house on Chest- nut Street.

adding an appendix to the second volume. The edi- tions subsequent to the first did not contain the mat- ter relative to New York.

In 1832 he published a duodecimo volume, " His- toric Tales of Olden Time, concerning the Early Settlement and Advancement of New York City and State." This was followed the next year by a similar volume, "Historic Tales of Olden Time, concerning the Early Settlement and Progress of Philadelphia and Pennsylvania." In 1846 his " Annals and Occurrences of New York City and State in the Olden Times" was published. Besides these works he edited "A Dictionary of Poetical Quotations, consisting of Elegant Extracts on every Subject, compiled from Various Authors, and ar- ranged under Appropriate Heads." Mr. Watson's first publisher and most active co-laborer was Samuel Hazard, and to them is due the awaken- ing of that spirit of anti- quarianism and histori- cal research from which sprung the Historical Society. Mr. Watson was an ardent collector of all objects of historic inter- est, many of which are now deposited in the Philadelphia Library and with the Historical So- ciety. While his pub- lished writings are mostly local history, he also wrote articles on a variety of subjects, particularly upon theology. Mr. Wat- son died on Dec. 23, 1860, being eighty-two years of age, and leaving behind him a monument to his mental powers in his " Annals."

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History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Part 74

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 992

Author: Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas), 1843-1898. cn; Westcott, Thompson, 1820-1888, joint author
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa. : L. H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 992