History of Paris, (Bourbon County) Kentucky United States of America

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Biographies:

John Price Durbin, educator, was born near Paris, Bourbon county, Ky., Oct. 10, 1800; son of Hozier and Elizabeth (Nunn) Durbin. In November, 1818, he was licensed to preach in the Methodist Episcopal church, and in 1819 was appointed to the Greenville (Ohio) circuit. He was subsequently assigned to the church at Hamilton, Ohio, and at the same time attended Miami college. He was graduated at Cincinnati college in 1825, receiving his A.M. degree in 1828. He was agent for Augusta college, Ky., 1825-26, and was professor of ancient languages there, 1826-31. In September, 1827, he was married to Frances B., daughter of Alexander Cook of Philadelphia, Pa. He was professor of natural science in Wesleyan university, Middletown, Conn., 1831, resigning in December, 1831, when he was elected chaplain of the United States senate. He was editor of the Christian Advocate, New York, 1832-33. In 1833, when Dickinson college passed into the hands of the Methodist denomination, Mr. Durbin was elected its president. He held the office from 1838 until 1845, when he resigned and became pastor of the Union church, Philadelphia, Pa., having been transferred to the Philadelphia conference in 1836. In 1842-43 he made an extensive tour through Europe, Egypt and the East. In 1849 he was appointed presiding eider of the north Philadelphia district, and was secretary of the missionary society, 1850-72. He was a delegate to eight sessions of the General conference, 1844-72. He received the degrees of D.D. and LL.D. He published: Observations in Europe, principally in France and Great Britain (2 vols., 1844, 9th ed., 1848); 0bservations in the East, chiefly in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor (2 vols., 1845, 10th ed., 1854); and an annotated edition of Wood's Mosaic History of the Creation (1831). See Life of John Price Durbin by John A. Roche, M.D., D.D. (1889). He died in New York city, Oct. 17, 1876.

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

William Whitty Hall, physician, was born in Paris, Ky., Oct. 15, 1810; son of Stephen and Mary (WooIcy) Hall. He was graduated at the Centre college of Kentucky in 1830, after which he studied in the medical department of Transylvania university, and subsequently practised in New Orleans, Cincinnati and New York city. In the last named city, in 1854, he established Hall's Journal of Health, which he conducted till his death. He was married to Hannah Matlock of Cincinnati, Ohio. Besides the editorial work on his journal he published works on hygiene and kindred subjects, including: Soldier's Health; Health Tracts; Family Physician ; Treatise on Cholera (1852); Bronchitis and Kindred Diseases (1852); Consumption (1857); Health and Disease (1860); Coughs and Colds (1870); Guide-Board to Health (1870); and Fun Better than Physic (1871). He died in New York city, May 10, 1876.

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

William Penn McCann, naval officer, was born in Paris, Ky., May 4, 1830. He was appointed a midshipman in the U.S. navy in 1848; was promoted passed midshipman, June 15, 1854; lieutenant, Sept. 16, 1855; and was lieutenant and navigator of the Sabine, flagship of the Brazil squadron on the Paraguay expedition, 1858-59, and also on a cruise in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico, 1859-61. He was stationed at Vera Cruz at the outbreak of the civil war, and in April, 1861, re-enforced Fort Pickens with sailors and marines. He remained off the fort for one hundred and twenty-seven days, and in June, 1861, assisted in landing reinforcements under Col. Harvey Brown. He remained with the Sabine on blockading duty on the South Carolina coast, 1861-62; commanded the gunboat Maratanza at the siege of Yorktown in April, 1862, and was relieved by Commander Stevens in 1862, but remained on board as executive officer. On July 4, 1862, he captured the Confederate gunboat Teazer, with plans of the batteries, torpedoes and defences of Richmond. He was promoted lieutenant-commander, July 16, 1862, and commanded the Hunchback and a fleet of five gunboats in the sounds of North Carolina, 1862-63. He commanded the Kennebec of the West Gulf blockading squadron in the Mobile blockade, 1863-64, and the Tahoma in 1865, when she was disabled by a gale and returned to Boston. He commanded the Tallapoosa, West Gulf squadron, 1866-67; naval rendezvous and yard at Philadelphia, 1867-70, and commanded the Nipsic of the North Atlantic squadron, 1871-72. He was promoted commander, July 2, 1872, to rank from July 25, 1866, and was advanced sixteen numbers. He was stationed at the navy yard, Norfolk, Va., in 1873; was lighthouse inspector, 1873-76; promoted captain, Sept. 21, 1876; commanded the Lackawanna on the Pacific station, 1877-78; the receiving ship Independence in California, 1879-81; and the flagship Pensacola, Pacific station, 1881-89; was assigned to court-martial duty in 1883, and served on the lighthouse board, 1883-87. He was president of the naval advisory board, 1885-87; was promoted commodore, Jan. 26, 1887; commanded the Boston naval station, 1887-90, and was president of the navy yard site commission and president of the board on the policy for the increase of the navy. He commanded the South Pacific station, 1890-91, and in June, 1891, having five U.S. cruisers under his command, he enforced the surrender of the steamer Itata, laden with arms and ammunition smuggled out of the port of San Diego, Cal., and transferred to the Itata. He sent the captured vessel back to San Diego, and for this act received the thanks and commendation of the navy department. He was president of the retiring board, 1891-92, and was retired in May, 1892, with the rank of commodore. He served during the war with Spain, 1898, as president of the board of inquiry and court-martial and as prize commissioner of the southern district of New York.

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