History of Sycamore, (DeKalb County) Illinois United States of America

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Biographies:

Mark Walrod Harrington, scientist, was born at Sycamore, Ill., Aug. 18, 1848; son of James and Charlotte (Walrod) Harrington; grandson of Lot Harrington, and a descendant of the early Harringtons of Eastern Massachusetts and of the Walrodts of the Mohawk valley. He was graduated from the University of Michigan in 1868, and remained there as curator of the museum till 1870. He was then instructor in mathematics and assistant curator of the museum, 1870-72, meanwhile visiting Alaska, 1870-71, in the employ of the U.S. coast and geodetic survey; instructor in geology, zo?1ogy and botany, 1872-73; and assistant professor of the same branches, 1873-76. He studied in Leipzig, 1876-77, and was professor of mathematics and astronomy in the United States foreign office cadet school, Peking, 1877-78. Resigning because of ill health, he returned home and in 1879 was appointed professor of astronomy and director of the observatory in the University of Michigan. In 1891 he became chief of the U.S. weather bureau at Washington, D.C. He was a member of the American association for the advancement of science, and in 1891 was made vice-president of the international meteorological conference at Munich. He founded the American Meteorological Journal in 1884, and was its managing editor till 1892. He is the author of About the Weather (1899); and also contributed to various scientific journals and was an associate editor of Johnson's Universal Cyclopoedia (1894), and of the Standard Dictionary.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Frederick William Partridge, soldier and diplomatist, was born in Norwich, Vt., Aug. 19, 1824; son of Capt. Cyrus (1786-1842) and Mary (Loveland) (1786-1866) Partridge; grandson of Capt. Isaac Partridge of the Revolution and of Joseph and Mercy (Bigelow) Loveland; great-grandson of Capt. Samuel Partridge of the Colonial wars, and of David and Mercy (Lewis) Bigelow, and a descendant of Thomas Bigelow, the immigrant, and of Elisha and Lucy (Sparks) Level, who immigrated to Glastonbury, Conn. Frederick William Partridge attended the district school; the Norwich Literary, Scientific and Military academy, and Dartmouth college one year; studied law at Albany, N.Y., and in the office of Franklin Pierce of Concord, N.H., and had charge of the Harrisburg Military college, Pa., established by his cousin, Capt. Alden Partridge , 1845-47. In January, 1847, he enlisted in the U.S. army and went to Mexico as special commissioner of President Polk to visit the seat of war and report his impressions of the conduct and progress of the campaign to the secretary of war. Having no credentials, as his mission was secret, he was captured by the American army as a spy, ordered to be imprisoned at San Juan de Ul?a, commanded by his cousin, Lieut. Henry S. Burton, 1st artillery, and after his release returned to Washington without accomplishing his mission. He resigned from the army in 1847 and was located on a farm in Kendall county, Ill., 1847-55, during part of which time he was captain of a company of militia. He was married in 1852 to Mary, daughter of William Pauline of East Aurora, N.Y. He continued his law studies under Isaac N. Arnold in Chicago, 1855-57. In 1857 he removed to Sandwich, Ill., and in 1861 became senior captain in the 13th Illinois volunteer regiment. He was made major of the regiment in June, 1861, lieutenant-colonel in December, 1862, and colonel, June 18, 1864, for gallantry at Lookout Mountain, and was brevetted brigadier-general for acts at Missionary Ridge. He was wounded at Chickasaw Bayou, Miss., at Chattanooga, and at Ringgold Gap. He was mustered out with his regiment, July 18, 1864, practised law in Sandwich and had an office in Chicago. He was postmaster of Sandwich; clerk of the circuit court, and U.S. consul-general at Bangkok, Siam, 1869-76, when he saved the life of the son of the king and did much to promote the safety of Christian missionaries in the kingdom. He returned to the United States in 1876 by way of Singapore and the Suez Canal, visiting the chief cities of Europe. He served as U.S. examiner of pensions at Rushville, Ind., and Tiffin, Ohio, 1882-89. He died at Sycamore, Ill., Jan. 29, 1899.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor