Biography of James and Thomas Surridge

The Surridge Brothers, of Bridgeport, Idaho County, came to the territory of Idaho in June 1876, and are numbered among the most enterprising and progressive citizens of the community in which they make their home. They are both natives of London, England, sons of John and Mary (Cochran) Surridge, who emigrated to America in 1859, bringing with them their three children. They located at Milan, Monroe County, Michigan, where the father improved a good farm and spent his remaining days. Mr. Surridge died in 1898, at the age of seventy-two years, and his wife is still living, in 1899 at … Read more

Biography of Ottley Papineau

Ottley Papineau, is a manufacturer and dealer in harness, saddles, buggy robes, etc., and also proprietor of one of the leading business establishments of Riverside. His products are well known in the county and his trademark “O. P.” is a sufficient guarantee for first-class material and workmanship. The subject of this sketch is a native of England, dating his birth in London, in 1846. The first ten years of his life was spent in that city and at Canterbury in attending school. In 1856 he went to Australia and joined his father, who had preceded him to that country in … Read more

Descendants of Jonathan Dyer of Fall River, Mass.

Seventh Massachusetts Volunteer Infrantry

Through three generations the Dyer family of Fall River, descendants of Jonathan Dyer, have been actively and prominently identified with the city’s commercial and social life; especially prominent has been for some forty years there in the great industrial life the present David Hartwell Dyer, who has been officially connected with a number of the large mills and is of the firm of D. H. Dyer & Son, civil and mechanical engineers, of which the junior member, George F. Dyer, is a thoroughly educated and expert electrical engineer.

Biography of John Coleridge Patteson

Bishop Patteson

Missionary. New Zealand, discovered by Captain Cook in 1769, lay derelict for half a century, and like others of our Colonies it came very near to passing under the rule of France. From this it was saved in 1840 by the foresight and energy of Gibbon Wakefield, who forced the hand of our reluctant Government; and its steady progress was secured by the sagacity of Sir George Grey, one of our greatest empire-builders in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Thanks to them and to others, there has arisen in the Southern Pacific a state which, more than any other, … Read more

Biography of Charles James Napier

Sir Charles Napier

The famous Napier brothers, Charles, George, and William, came of no mean parentage. Their father, Colonel the Hon. George Napier, of a distinguished Scotch family, was remarkable alike for physical strength and mental ability. In the fervor of his admiration his son Charles relates how he could ‘take a pewter quart and squeeze it flat in his hand like a bit of paper’. In height 6 feet 3 inches, in person very handsome, he won the admiration of others besides his sons. He had served in the American war, but his later years were passed in organizing work, and he … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Frank H. Clark

Clark, Frank H.; electrotype business; born, London, Eng., Apr. 17, 1869; son of Robert and Elizabeth Steeds Clark; public school education, Cleveland; married, Cleveland, Jan. 10, 1900, Edith Handy Johnson; four sons, John Steeds Clark, born Nov. 16, 1900; Robert Johnson Clark, born Sept. 30, 1903; Frank Henry Clark, born Jan. 23, 1908; William Handy Clark, born Dec. 12, 1909; The Eclipse Electrotype & Engraving Co. was established by Howard and Henry White in 1882; he became identified with the firm in 1887, and came into control in 1897; The Eclipse Electrotype & Engraving Co. moved to 2041 East 3rd … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Thomas Corlett

Corlett, William Thomas; physician; born Orange, O., April 15, 1854; son of William and Ann Avery Corlett; educated, Oberlin College, 1870-1873; M. D., Wooster University, 1877; student and asst. London Hospital, 1879-1881; Hospital St. Louis, Paris, winter 1881; diploma Royal College Physicians, London 1881; later studied in Vienna, Berlin and Breslau; married at Rheinpfalz, Germany, Amanda Marie Leisy, of Cleveland; June 26, 1895; prof. diseases of the skin and genito-urinary diseases, Wooster University, 1883-1885; prof. dermatology and syphilograph, Western Reserve University, since 1885; fellow Royal Society Medicine (Great Britain); member 11th International Medical Congress, Rome, 1894; American Public Health Ass’n, … Read more

Biography of Cyrus Strong Merrill, M. D.

CYRUS STRONG MERRILL, M. D. AMONG the noted professional men of Albany no name shines with greater resplendency in a special department of science than that of Dr. C. S. Merrill, the eminent oculist and aurist. On the 21st of September, 1847, in the town of Bridport, Vermont, he first saw the light. His parents were Edward Henry Merrill and Sarah Wilson Strong, whose ancestors were among the earliest settlers of that state and exerted a marked influence on its affairs before, as well as since the revolution. From his earliest years the natural inclination of his genius was plainly … Read more

Biography of Edward Thomas Young

EDWARD THOMAS YOUNG. – Young’s Hotel, at the capital of Washington Territory, is a conspicuous building, well known to the traveling public and to the members of the legislature, and is the pride of the city. Its proprietor, whose name it bears, is a native of London, England. He was born in 1846. At an early age he crossed the water and lived with his parents at Newcastle, Canada. Subsequently he went to Bruce county, near Lake Huron, where he worked at the carpenter’s trade and general building, and acquired the means to cross the continent. He came with a … Read more

Genealogy of the Whitney Family of New Bedford, Massachusetts

amasa whitney

The Whitney family of New Bedford, of which the late Amasa Whitney, one of the well known citizens of that place, was a worthy member, is one of the oldest and best known of the early families of America. Its members in every generation here from the Colonial ancestor have been noted for high attainments, vigorous intellect and the qualities which make for influential citizenship. Notable among the descendants of John Whitney, the emigrant ancestor, are Eli Whitney, whose fame as the inventor of the cotton gin and no less in other lines has won a place in the hall of fame; the late William Collins Whitney, lawyer and politician, famous as corporation counsel of New York City and secretary of war, 1885-89; and Henry M. Whitney, of Boston – illustrious names Which have added to the glory of their country as well as to the fame of an honored race.

Biography of John Andreson

John Andreson, prominent among the men whose business sagacity and enterprise have made San Bernardino an important railroad center, and one of the prettiest and most flourishing interior cities of California, was born in Schleswig-Holstein, near the border of Denmark, in 1834. He came to America, sailing around Cape Horn to the Peruvian Guano Islands, in 1850, and returned with the loaded vessel to London, England. While there he taw the grand pageant on the anniversary of the Queen’s birthday, and saw the Queen near Buckingham Palace. In 1852 he returned around Cape Horn to the Pacific coast, and, after … Read more

Biography of Dward J. Davis

Dward J. Davis, born in Devizes, Wiltshire County, England, in 1844, son of Robert and Sarah (MacVittie) Davis, natives of that country. The subject of this sketch was reared and given the advantages of a common-school education in his native place, and when fifteen years of age was apprenticed to the trade of a carpenter and builder. He served a seven years apprenticeship and entered life as a journeyman, a thorough master of his calling in all its details, and established himself in London. He was also employed on the Government work at Woolwich, and later on the Paris Exposition … Read more

Biography of John MacDonald

John MacDonald of Topeka has probably done more for the cause of education in Kansas than any other one man, and in saying this no disparagement is intended for the scores of men and women who have devoted much of their lives to educational work. He may well be distinguished as a pioneer in the method of reason as applied to learning. His kindly personality has left a deep impress for good, and many who have achieved distinction in the different walks of life are indebted to him for their early training. Throughout his career he has evidently been impressed … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Vernon Backus

Backus, William Vernon; lawyer, lecturer and inventor; born, Cleveland, Aug. 24, 1860; son of William and Lena Strobel Backus; educated. public schools and private tutors in German and Spanish; studied in London and Mexico, pupil of Dr. William Windsor; one son, Richard C. Backus, lawyer in New York; one daughter, Edna Lois Backus Scott, E. Orange, N. J.; member and pres. of Cleveland Board of Education, 1880-95; vice pres. American School Ass’n, Mexico City, 1906-8; pres. American Colony in Mexico City, 1905-7; practised law in Ohio; editor of the following: The Spur, The Courier, The American Union, and at one … Read more

Narrative of the Captivity of Nehemiah How

Fort Dummer

A Narrative of the captivity of Nehemiah How, who was taken by the Indians at the Great Meadow Fort above Fort Dummer, where he was an inhabitant, October 11th, 1745. Giving an account of what he met with in his traveling to Canada, and while he was in prison there. Together with an account of Mr. How’s death at Canada. Exceedingly valuable for the many items of exact intelligence therein recorded, relative to so many of the present inhabitants of New England, through those friends who endured the hardships of captivity in the mountain deserts and the damps of loathsome prisons. Had the author lived to have returned, and published his narrative himself, he doubtless would have made it far more valuable, but he was cut off while a prisoner, by the prison fever, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, after a captivity of one year, seven months, and fifteen days. He died May 25th, 1747, in the hospital at Quebec, after a sickness of about ten days. He was a husband and father, and greatly beloved by all who knew him.

Biography of Joseph Jarvis, M. D.

Joseph Jarvis, M. D., a well-known citizen of Riverside, is a native of England, born in Oxford, in 1842. His parents, Jonathan and Eliza (Allen) Jarvis, were also natives of that country. The subject of this sketch was reared in his native place until eighteen months of age. His parents then immigrated to Canada, locating in Oxford County. There he graduated at the Ingersoll High School, and in 1862 entered upon his medical studies. In 1864 he went to New York City and spent the next two years in medical study in the Bellevue Hospital Medical College and in the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Miss Anna L. Fuller

Miss Anna L. Fuller, of Azusa, is the daughter of Harrison Fuller, of Azusa, Los Angeles County. She is a native of Maryland, from whence her parents moved to Iowa, and from thence to California in 1883. Miss Fuller took an interest in music from earliest childhood, and studied it whilst yet in her teens, under excellent teachers in Philadelphia and New York. She was first soprano at St. Stephen’s church in Philadelphia, three years, which position she resigned in 1886, to go abroad to study music. In Florence, Italy, she studied under Vannucini; in London, under Randegger (oratorio), and … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Felix Hughes

Hughes, Felix; singer; born at Lancaster, Mo., Oct. 1, 1874; son of Felix Turner and Jean Amelia Summerlin Hughes; brother of Rupert H. (q. v.); academic education; studied at Rudy Institution, Paris, and under singing masters in Paris, Berlin and London; married, Adella Prentiss, of Cleveland, Oct. 5, 1904; appeared in concerts in France; made debut in La Juive, Liege, Belgium; returned to United States, 1901; has sung in concerts, recitals, and oratorios under Van der Stucken and Paur; baritone; repertoire includes 40 operas and all standard oratorios. Clubs: Hermit, Euclid, Mayfield Country.

Biographical Sketch of Henri S. Rigo

Rigo, Henri S.; chef, Hollenden Hotel; born, Vienna, Austria, Feb. 9, 1882; son of Simon and Hedwig Filler Rigo; educated in public schools in Vienna; at the age of 14, went to Paris, and served two years’ apprenticeship in cooking masters business; studied four years in London; married, Feb. 22, 1906, Miss Katherine O’Shea; while in London, chef at the Mount Ephraim Hotel, and for Lord Lambington, one year; came to New York, and worked in Cafe Martin for one year; went to Florida; in the Royal Poinciona Hotel, at Palm Beach; then in West Virginia for six months; returned … Read more

Biography of Sylvester Mowry

Sylvester Mowry entered West Point Academy in 1848, graduating high up in his class in 1852. Among his classmates were General Crook, General Kautz, Colonel Mendel, Jerome Bonaparte, Jr., Major General Evans, Captain Mullin of San Francisco, Lieutenant Ives, and other well known army officers. In the summer of 1853, he was engaged with George B. McClellan on the Columbia, surveying for a railroad route; in 1855 he was with Colonel Steptoe at Salt Lake City, and in the spring of that year conducted some recruits and animals through to California. At this time he was a lieutenant, and, late … Read more