USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 23
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71
The Army of California was organized by the following General Order :
Besides the' Governor, and Commander-in-Chief, there will be from this day a Military Commandant of the Terri- tory of California, whose duty it will be to superintend and direct all the military operations in the Territory, according to the directions that he may from time to time receive from the Governor, to whom he will report all his proceedings. The Territory will hereafter be divided into three military departments, to each of which will be appointed a Miltary Commandant, who will receive instructions from, and be responsible to, the Military Commandant of the Territory.
R. F. STOCKTON, Governor and Commander-in- Chief of the Territory of California.
Ciudad de los Angelos, Sept. 2, 1846.
He received instructions as follows :
MONTEREY, Sept. 22, 1846.
SIR :- I herewith. enclose to you your commission as Military Commandant of this Department. Martial law will continue in force throughout the whole Territory until otherwise ordered by the Governor of the same. Notwith- standing, however, the existence of martial law, you will permit the civil officers of the Government to proceed in the. exercise of their proper functions; nor will you interfere with their duties, except in cases where the peace and safety of the Territory require your aid or interference. You will take care that my proclamation of the 17th be strictly ob- served throughout this Department, except as to those per- sons who may be exempted by your written order from the
N
Saleze PaE Cy Fhisda
Im A. J. Maddox
CAFT & A.Q .M U.S.M.C.
.
Galaxy, Pub Co Philad.
@fm@Dllogers
103
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
oporation of its provisions. You are authorized, whenever it can be prudently done, to give written permission to per- sons known to be friendly to the Government, to be out themselves, and to send their servants out, before sunrise in the morning. You are likewise authorized to grant permis- sion when you see fit, to persons known to be friendly, to carry arins with them, whenever it appears to you that they stand in need of them for their own or their servants' pro- tection. The Alcaldes and all the civil officers of the Gov- ernment within this Department, which have not been elected by the people or commissioned by me, will be ap pointed by Judge Colton, subject to my approval. He will have at his disposal, in Monterey, three constables to do the ordinary business of his court, and you will afford any as- sistance that he may require and which you can give, with the forces under your command, to apprehend or detain. prisoners; or in any other way to support his authority as Judge of this district. I enclose to you a General Order, for the organization of the Army of California. Whenever op- portunity offers, you will write to me as to the state of the country and the feelings of the people within this Depart- ment. Faithfully your obedient servant,
R. F. STOCKTON,
Governor and Commander-in-Chief. To LIEUT. WM. A. T. MADDOX,
Military Commandant of the Middle Department.
The following acknowledgment of his services was en- closed :
Know all men by these presents. That I, Robert F. Stockton, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Terri- tory of California : Reposing special confidence in the ability and patriotism of Lieutenant William A. T. Maddox, of the United States Marine Corps, do hereby appoint him to be the Military Commandant of this Department. That is to say, of the Territory of California, extending from.San Yues at the south to Santa Cruz at the north. To have and to exercise all the powers and privileges of that office until the Governor of the said Territory shall otherwise direct. ' There- fore by these presents I hereby command all civil and mili- tary officers and citizens to obey him accordingly.
Given under my hand, at Monterey, this twenty-third day of September, A. D., one thousand eight hundred and forty- six.
R. F. STOCKTON, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Territory of California.
Ile discharged his high official functions with commend- able efficiency until he was relieved by a force of artillery, on February 18th, 1847, under the following complimentary General Order :
The Commander-in-Chief has great satisfaction in an- nouncing to the inhabitants of Monterey, that from informa- tion received from various sources, he has every reason to believe that the disorders which have recently disturbed the Territory of California are at an end, and that peace and security are restored to this district certainly, and he hopes OGERS, WILLIAM D., Carriage-builder, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, July 19th, 1821. He served an apprenticeship to the carriage- building business in Philadelphia, and worked at the same in various New England cities, together with others in the West and South. He visited Havana, likewise. He met with success and disappointment, to the whole, Territory. The improved state of affairs in the flistrict and the arrival of a company of United States artil- lery, under Captain Tompkins, has enabled the Commander- in.Chief to dispense with the services of the company of Mounted Volunteers, under Lieutenant Maddox, of _ the Marine Corps. The patriotic settlers who compose this company nobly stepped forward in the time of danger, and stood between the flag of the United States and the defence- less women and children of Monterey on the one hand, and |alternately, but finally returned to Philadelphia with a
bands of lawless disturbers of the peace on the other. For such disinterested conduct the company of Mounted Volun- teers, under Lieutenant Maddox, of the Marine Corps (act- ing as Captain), is tendered the thanks of the Commander- in-Chief, and will without doubt receive applause and due recompense from the General Government.
Given on board the United States ship " Independence," Harbor of Monterey, February 1, 1847.
WV. BRADFORD SHUBRICK, Commander-in-Chief.
Ile subsequently accompanied Commodore Stockton, with a party of men, overland from Ensanada, Southern Cali- fornia, south to Santa Tomassa, and thence to the Rio Colorado, to intercept the Mexican force expected by that route, and returned to Monterey May 15th, 1847. He was brevetted. Captain October 24th, 1848, to take rank from January 3d, 1847, for gallant conduct at Santa Clara on that date, and in suppressing the insurrection at Monterey while he was Military Commandant. IIe was commissioned Captain, United States Marine Corps, March 7th, 1857, to take rank from September 27th, 1856, and commanded the Second Company of the Marine Battalion that fired on the mob in June, 1857, at Washington, District of Columbia; he assisted in the capture of the cannon of the " Phig Ugly" rioters, and in the suppression of the riot. Ile married Miss Monghon, of Georgia, October 9th, 1850, and, after having seen his full proportion of sea service, he was influenced by the delicate . health of his wife to seek a staff appointment, which deprived him of further promotion in the line. He was accordingly commissioned Assistant-Quartermaster, United States Marine Corps, October 6th, 1857, to take rank from September 28th, 1857; and since the 26th of October following has had charge of the Quartermaster's Department in Philadelphia. The staff duties appertaining thereto during the war were very onerous, and thereby pre- vented him from taking a more active part in the suppression of the Rebellion. Had Captain Maddox remained in the line of promotion, he would now be the Senior Colonel and next to the General Commandant. The distinguished ser- vices of this gallant officer have won for him the repeated and flattering encomiums of his brother officers, also the Government officials, and he has reduced the business of the Assistant-Quartermaster's Office to a model of system and economy. He is commanding in person, and possesses much dignity of manner, but is very attractive in society, and a man of much benevolence.
C
104
BIOGRAPIIICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
small amount of means, and a thorough knowledge of his trade, acquired under some of the most skilful master work- men. Hle then went into business on his own account, and employed ten hands the first year, which numbered fifty, two years later, and thereafter gradually increased year by year. From a small beginning, he built up a great business, and raised himself to a level with Watson, the leading manufacturer of Philadelphia. Ilis vehicles were sought for and shipped to every city in the Union; France, Eng- land, Italy, and Germany became familiar with his name. For fourteen years he prospered, but at the outbreak of the late civil war, he encountered adversity through filling large orders from the South. He met misfortune bravely, and immediately arranged for the unreserved sale of all his real and personal estate. His creditors, sixty in num- ber, gave him a written and unconditional release; and many of his friends, more fortunate than himself, came for- ward with offers of pecuniary help. He however declined these kindly proffers, and bravely began the world for the second time. When the auction sale took place, in order that the contents of the factory might not be sacrificed, a creditor's fund was instituted, and most of the unfinished work, apparatus, and tools were bought in; and he pledged himself to work for the fund, at a salary for six months. At the end of that period, the stockholders received seventy and one-half per cent. on their investment. They then transferred the tools, machinery, and unfinished work yet remaining to him, with the understanding that payment for the same was to be made at his own time and convenience. With this property and $285 cash capital, he went to work again with renewed hope and energy. Prostrated by the first shock of disaster, and for some time confined to his bed by illness, he put forth all his energies, fully discharged his obligations, over $60,000, completely re-established his business, repaired his broken fortunes, and his standing in the mercantile community became higher than before. Having suffered from the credit, he changed his policy to the cash system. In 1870, he leased the factory formerly in the occupancy of George W. Watson & Co., in the same business; and in 1871, entered into partnership with Joseph Moore, Jr., son of the President of the National Bank of the Northern Liberties, and thoroughly re-organized its various departments to fulfil the growing demands of the trade.
RESSON, JAMES, Manufacturer, was the son of James and Hannah Cresson. He was born in Philadelphia on October 10th, 1806, and was educated in the Friends' Schools of his native State. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in Pittsburgh, in 1826, and remained there until 1829, when he returned to Philadelphia and subsequently engaged in the hardware business. On May 22d, 1832, he was married to Mary J. Leedom, the daughter of Jonathan Lee-
dom, of Philadelphia, and continued to reside in Philadel- phia until 1839, when he purchased a farm in Montgomery county, and removed thither. There he lived until 1850. On June 6th, 1848, he associated with D. O. & II. S. Hit- ner, and purchased the William Penn Furnace, at Spring Mills, Montgomery county. He managed that alone until 1856, when they built William Penn No. 2, and continued the operation of both works until 1859, when he retired from business. But his disposition could not long endure a retirement from the active duties of life, and, having as- sociated with Francis Bacon, he purchased the mill on Ford street, Norristown, on January 20, 1864, and continued to lend his energy and large business experience to its opera- tion until his death, January 30th, 1872. Ife early imbibed Abolitionist principles, and, during the existence of slavery, he was among the most earnest advocates of its eradication. Of generous nature, his ample means were largely expended in benevolence. He was descended from members of the Society of Friends, and was himself a member from birth. ITis consistent and beautiful life was a living exposition of the doctrines of his sect. Upon the division of the Society, he adhered to the Orthodox branch, and was a prominent and useful member thereof to the time of his decease. During the last few years of his life, he was much troubled with vertigo, and for two weeks prior to his death had been an anxious and unceasing attendant at the bedside of a sick wife, while the cares of a large manufactory pressed upon him heavily. Under this burden his wearied and overtaxed brain gave way, and he died.
IMPSON, JOHN ALEXANDER, Lawyer, was born in Wilmington, Delaware, February 17th, 1824. A few years later, his parents removed to Philadelphia and placed him at various schools in that city-that kept by Mrs. Mundel, in Fifth street, above Prune, the model school in Chester street, then conducted on the Lancasterian system, and a grammar school in 1837. When fifteen years old, as he was now well grounded in a solid English education and manifested uncommon aptitude for mechanics, his parents placed him in the establishment of Messrs, Garret & Hay- cock, watch-case makers, in order to learn that trade, There he remained until he was of age, when he commenced as a silversmith, and later, with his brother, as a watch- case maker, and, in 1850, opened a watch and jewelry store. Anxious, however, to exchange these pursuits for a profes sional life, he obtained, in 1852, the position of appear- ance clerk in the Sheriff's office, and devoted his leisure to the study of law. Previous to this his interest in political questions had secured him, in 1850, an election from the Whig party to the Board of Commissioners, and, in 1851, the Assessorship of the Second Ward of the Northern Liberties, to which he was re-elected in 1852 and 1853. In
105
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
the latter year he was admitted to the bar and was a candi- date for the legislature, but was not successful in obtaining this office until the following year. As School Director of the Twenty-fourth Ward he was elected successively in IS60, 1863, 1866, 1869 and 1872, and was put in general nomination for Congress in 1870, but unsuccessfully. When delegates were chosen to the Convention for remodelling the State Constitution in 1872, he was elected to that office, by perhaps the heaviest majority cast for any one member. As a ready debater, a keen advocate, and a gentleman of liberal views and .courteous demeanor, he has gained many friends and won a wide reputation. In 1848, he married Mary A. Atmore, of Philadelphia, and has four children.
OTT, COLONEL HENRY SPEERING, Mer- chant and Politician, was born September 23d, ISII, at Easton, Northampton county, Pennsyl- vania. His paternal ancestry were English Quakers, his grandfather having emigrated from the old country to Philadelphia. His father, Edward Mott, studied law in Easton and moved to Pike county, where he married Elizabeth Speering. This lady was the daughter of Henry Speering, who, from the rank of fifer in the patriot armies of the Revolution, rose to the position of General in those of the war of 1812, besides holding the offices of Sheriff and Prothonotary of Northamp- ton county. With such ancestry, his tendency to political life was hereditary. Although he commenced as a mer. chant, and until his twenty-fourth year followed that calling, no sooner had he attained his legal majority than he was commissioned Justice of the Peace by Governor George Wolf, an office he held until 1838, when he voluntarily re- signed it, to take the position of Sheriff of Pike county. His election to this post was, however, not recognised by Gover- nor Bitner, and no commission was sent him. When OWARD, HON. THOMAS, Lawyer, was born in Rome, New York, August 28th, 1818. ITis father was an eminent minister of the Baptist Church, and with his family moved to Crawford county, Pennsylvania, in 1828. There, at the early age of thirteen, his son, with no means and but such education as could be obtained in the old log school house, set out on foot for the lake shore, and walked up to the waters of Erie, a distance of eighty miles, with all his patrimony upon his back. At Erie he entered a store, and engaging for his leisure hours a competent teacher, soon acquired a sound education. At the age of nineteen he started for Pittsburgh, and there studied law with John Williamson, and, in 1843, was admitted to the bar. In the outset of life he affiliated with the Democratic party, but seeing reason to change his views, he supported Fre- mont in 1856, and has since been an earnest and active Republican, starting with that organization at the hour of Governor Porter was elected he immediately commissioned Colonel Mott as Prothonotary and Clerk of the Courts of Record, which offices he continued to hold without inter- ruption and almost without opposition for seven years. In 1851, his party elected him to the State Legislature, and in 1854 again, by a majority of 188,000, to the office of Canal Commissioner, which he filled three years, leaving behind him a most honorable record. The three years, 1860-1863, he was State Senator, and in the legislation of that trying period has left many marks of his inflexible devotion to the principles he considered essential to the well-being of the Commonwealth. When the Constitutional Convention of the State was convened in 1872, he was sent as a dele- gate, and in the arguments held there bore a conspicuous part. Early in life he married Hannah Bull, of Orange county, New York, by which union he had three children. In 1844, he was united in second marriage to Delinda Peters, by whom he has two sons, still surviving. In 1872, its christening. In 1861, he was selected by Secretary of
he lost also this companion, and now resides with his chil- dren in the town of Milford, one of the most beautiful sites in northern Pennsylvania. Of tall and robust figure, sound constitution, and undiminished vigor, he promises still many years of useful labor to the State in whose growth he has always been so profoundly interested.
OWRIE, WALTER IL., Jurist, was born March 3Ist, 1820, while his parents were en route from Cumberland county to Pittsburgh. Matthew B. Lowrie, his father, was of Scotch descent, and Sarah Emmerson, his mother, of Scotch-Irish lineage. Living in Pittsburgh as a boy, he was placed at the best schools of that city, and received an aca- demical education at the Western University. Choosing to pursue the profession of law, he entered the office of Judge Forward and was admitted to practice after the usual exami- nation. His rise at the bar was rapid, and, in 1848, he was appointed President Judge of the District Court, and, in 1857, was elected on the Democratic ticket to the Supreme bench as Associate Justice. In 1870, on his election to the President Judgeship of the district in which Meadville is located, he removed to that town and has since made it his home. Early in life he married Rachel Thompson, and has three children. Still in the vigor of his years, and with a reputation for knowledge and ability which extends throughout the State, he may reasonably look forward to many years of usefulness. He has always been an earnest Presbyterian, taking an active part in church matters, and held the office of Presiding Elder in the Second Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh.
1.4
106
BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
State Seward to go to San Juan del Sud, in Nicaragua, where, after seven months of faithful service he resigned the consulate and resumed the practice of his profession in Pittsburgh. In 1869, he was elected to the State Senate, to fill the unexpired term of Hon. Russell Errett, resigned, and served one year. Soon after this he began to suffer from ill health, and for two years was so much of an invalid that he could take but little interest in politics or publie af- fairs. He therefore held no other office until 1873, when he was elected to the Convention called for the purpose of amending the Constitution of the State of Pennsylvania. In that body he proved himself to be a fine speaker and a fearless and bold statesman, taking the front rank in favor of radical reform. He is of medium height, with a fine head, and is so youthful in appearance that it is hard to re- alize that he is the father of Hon. Jay T. Howard, now' consul in Italy.
ORSON, GEORGE NORMAN, Lawyer, was born March 11th, 1834, in South Providence township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. The family is one numbering among its members seve- 6 ral men of eminence in scientific circles, his uncles, Drs. Hiram Alan and William Corson, having long been distinguished as practitioners"and writers on pro- fessional subjects. His mother's name was. Sarah Egbert, and that of her mother was. Norman, from whom his middle name is derived. The occupation of his father, Charles Corson, being that of a farmer, he. received his early educa- tion at country schools, subsequently. being sent to Treemont Seminary, in Norristown, then _conducted by the - Rev. Samuel Aaron, and Freeland Seminary at the-Trappe, in the same county. With a laudable love of independence, he commenced teaching at the age of seventeen, in order to pro- vide himself means to study law, and entered for that pur- pose the office of James Boyd, of Norristown, becoming a fellow student of Charles Hunsicker, December 5th, 1853. Three years later he was admitted to the bar, and soon com. manded a respectable practice. In 1862, he received from Governor Curtin the appointment of Notary Public, and in 1862, was appointed Register in Bankruptcy, upon the recommend ation of Judge Chapman, James Boyd, and the Hon. Simon Cameron. This office he held until elected a delegate to the Constitutional Convention called for the pur- pose of remodelling the Constitution of the State of Pennsyl- vania in 1872-1873, when he resigned the former responsi- ble trust. He was also nominated for the office of Presi- dent Judge of the Seventh Judicial District, receiving the unanimous vote of the Convention, but owing to the fact that the district was Democratic, and he Republican, he was defeated. He has always taken an active and ardent part in polities. In 1861, at the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was instrumental in raising a regiment under the call of
the President for 75,000 men, and served himself as a private soldier from 21st of April, 1861, to the expiration of the term of enlistment-three months. He is a thorough Re- publican, having served his party in various responsible capacities, and having been chosen as delegate to several county and State conventions. The presidency of county conventions has been assigned him, and as a member of State and county committees, he has been frequently en gaged as a campaign speaker since Angust, 1856, often speaking every night during a canvass. In 1870, he made an extended tour through Europe, corresponding during his absence with the Norristown Herald, his letters attract- ing much attention. Literary efforts in fact, were by no means strange to him, as he had been a frequent contri- butor to the periodicals of the day, had written a number of articles for Appleton's American Cyclopedia, and was for some years editor of the Norristown Independent, in which capacity he had manifested a decided ability in jour- nalism. The first editorial advocating General (since Gov. ernor) Hartranft was written by him, and he was one of the examining committee who admitted the General to the bar. He is the author of the Pen Portraits of delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1873, published in the Philadelphia Press. As a popular and entertaining lecturer his services have often been solicited by literary associa- tions, even as far as New England, but the increasing de- mands of. his; law practice have obliged him to limit his labors in this line to the vicinity of his home. Ile married, September 29th, 1859, Maria S. Hurst, daughter of Alfred Hurst, formerly. of. Philadelphia, now of Norristown, and is the father 'of four children. It is a characteristic boast of his that he has supported himself since he was fifteen years of age, and that his present handsome fortune is the result of his own labor, as he has never inherited or married a dollar.
ARNUM, JOIIN, Merchant and Manufacturer, was born in Uxbridge, Worcester county, Massa- chusetts. He was a citizen of Philadelphia for some thirty-seven years, actively and extensively engaged in mercantile pursuits up to the time of his death. The complications of business during the disastrous year 1857, and the failure of those indebted to him, obliged him also to succumb. Having effected a settlement with his creditors, he recommenced business, which he pursued with unabated energy and signal success. Not satisfied with a legal discharge, he determined, as soon as in his power, to satisfy every equitable claim upon him; his death prevented him from accomplishing this himself, but by his will his executors were directed to carry out his intentions. Although largely engaged in manufac- turing concerns, which necessarily den.anded his close at- tention, he still found time to devote to objects of charity,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.