History of Sheffield, (Berkshire County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Chester Dewey, educator, was born in Sheffield, Mass., Oct. 25, 1784; son of Stephen, Jr., and Elizabeth (Owen) Dewey; grandson of Capt. Stephen, great-grandson of James, great-great-grandson of Jedediah, and great-great-great-grandson of Thomas Dewey, who came from England to the colony of Massachusetts in 1630. He was graduated at Williams college in 1806, studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Stephen West of Stockbridge, and was licensed to preach in 1807. He preached in Tyringham for a short time and was tutor in Williams college, 1803-10, and professor of mathematics and natural philosophy, 1810-26, resigning his chair in the last named year and removing to Pittsfield, Mass., to become principal of the Berkshire gymnasium. He was professor of chemistry and botany in the Berkshire medical college from 1822 for about forty years, and also at Woodstock, Vt., from 1841, spending four months of each year as long as his strength remained. In 1836 he removed to Rochester, N.Y., and was principal of the Rochester collegiate institute, 1836-50. He was professor of chemistry and natural philosophy in the University of Rochester which he helped to found, 1850-60, and was professor emeritus up to the time of his death. He helped to lay the foundation for the study of science in the United States. His correspondence extended to eminent botanists all over the world and he was the acknowledged authority on carices. He gave his remarkable collection of grasses to Williams college. He was a member of the American association for the advancement of science and of the American philosophical society. Yale conferred upon him the degree of M.A. in 1809, and that .of M.D. in 1825; Union the honorary degree of D.D. in 1838, and Williams that of LL.D. in 1850. He wrote: History of the Herbaceous Plants of Massachusetts, published by the state; and among his review articles are: The True Place of Man in Zo?logy, and An Examination of Some Reasonings Against the Unity of Mankind. See Sketch of the Life of Prof. Chester Dewey, D.D., LL.D., by Martin B. Anderson, published in the annual report ef the regents of the Smithsonian institution, 1870. He died in Rochester, N.Y., Dec. 5, 1867.

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

Orville Dewey, clergyman, was born in Sheffield, Mass., March 28, 1794; son of Silas and Polly (Root) Dewey, grandson of Stephen, great-grandson of James, great-great-grandson of Jedediah, and great-great-great-grandson of Thomas Dewey, the original immigrant. He was graduated from Williams college in 1814, taught school in Sheffield for a year, spent a year in business, and in 1816 entered Andover theological seminary where he was graduated in 1819. He was undecided as to his theological views and refused to be a candidate for any settlement, accepting an invitation from the American education society to preach in the churches of Massachusetts in behalf of its objects. In the spring of 1820 he engaged to preach for a year at the Congregational church at Gloucester. There he was married, Dec. 26, 1820, to Louisa, daughter of William Farnham of Boston. At the end of the year he announced his decision to enter the Unitarian denomination and became assistant to Dr. William Ellery Channing at the Federal street church in Boston, filling the pulpit during Dr. Channing's visit to Europe in 1822-23. He was ordained pastor of the New Bedford Unitarian Congregational church, Dec. 17, 1823, and besides ably discharging the duties of his parish he became a constant contributor to the Christian Examiner. His health gradually gave way under the strain of overwork and in 1833 he was obliged to leave his parish for a year's visit to Europe. In 1835 he was installed as pastor of the second Congregational church in New York, situated on Mercer street. The building was burned in November, 1837, and a new one called the Church of the Messiah was erected in 1839 on Broadway. In 1841 he again went abroad for his health, returning in August, 1843, but was no longer able to carry on his work and in 1849 finally dissolved his connection with the Church of the Messiah, retiring to his old home in Sheffield, Mass. In 1851 he delivered before the Lowell institute in Boston a series of lectures on the "Problem of Human Destiny," which he afterward delivered in many of the large cities of the east and south. The following year he delivered a second course of lectures at the Lowell institute, on the "Education of the Human Race." In 1851 he became pastor of a church in Washington, D.C., and at the same time was appointed by President Fillmore, one of his parishioners there, chaplain in the U.S. navy. He remained in Washington two years. In 1856-57 he preached and lectured in Charleston, S.C. In 1858 he became pastor of Church Green in Boston, and in 1861 retired to Sheffield, where he passed the rest of his life. Harvard conferred upon him the honorary degree of D.D. in 1839. He published his complete works in three volumes (1847) and many sermons and addresses. See Autobiography and Letters of Orville Dewey by Mary E. Dewey (1883.) He died in Sheffield, Mass., March 21, 1882.

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

John Crawford Crosby, representative, was born in Sheffield, Mass., June 15, 1859; son of John and Margaret (Crawford) Crosby, and grandson of John Crosby and of Andrew Crawford. He attended the public schools of Pittefield, was graduated from the law school of Boston university in 1882, and was admitted to the bar of his native county in the same year. He served as a member of the school committee of Pittsfield, 1885-91. He was a representative in the Massachusetts legislature in 1886 and 1887, and a senator in 1888 and 1889. He was a Democratic representative in the 52d congress, 1891-93; and an unsuccessful candidate for the 53d congress. He was first president of the Young men's Democratic club of Massachusetts, and served as such until his election to congress in 1890.

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

Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard, educator, was born at Sheffield, Berkshire county, Mass., March 5, 1809; son of Robert Foster and Augusta (Porter) Barnard. He was graduated at Yale college in 1828; taught in a grammar school in Hartford; was tutor in Yale college, and a teacher in the asylum for deaf mutes at Hartford and in the New York institution for the instruction of the deaf and dumb. From 1837 to 1848 he was professor of mathematics and natural philosophy in the University of Alabama, and afterwards professor of chemistry. In 1854 he was ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal church, and removed to Alabama, where he was made professor of astronomy and mathematics in the University of Mississippi. Two years later he was elected president and chancellor of the university. Upon the threatened outbreak of civil war he went to Labrador to observe the eclipse of the sun, and in 1862 journeyed to the southern hemisphere to carry out astronomical researches. In 1862 he was appointed director of the printing and lithographing of the maps and charts of the coast survey, which office he held until 1864, when he was chosen president of Columbia college in New York city. In 1867 he was United States commissioner to the Paris exposition, and on his return he published a valuable "Report on Machinery and the Industrial Arts." He was again commissioned to the Paris exposition of 1878. President Barnard transformed Columbia college into one of the great universities of the United States. The law school, the school of mines, the school of political science, and the Barnard college for women were housed and almost founded through his exertions. The wide range of his scholarship admirably fitted him to sympathize with the many departments of a great university, and in addition to the schools already established by his influence, at the time of his death he was planning for a school of letters and philosophy. He originated a system of the teaching of the deaf and dumb, and was editor-in-chief of "Johnson's Cyclop?dia," many articles on the exact sciences and mathematics being from his pen. President Barnard won many scientific honors. He was one of the original incorporators of, and foreign secretary to, the National academy of sciences from 1874 to 1880; president of the American metrological society, also of the American association for the advancement of science, of the Board of experts of the American bureau of mines, of the American institute, and also an honorary correspondent to many foreign scientific associations. In 1855 Jefferson college, Miss., gave him the degree of LL.D.; Yale conferred the same degree in 1859; the University of Mississippi gave him the degree of S.T.D., 1861, and in 1872 the University of the state of New York that of L.H.D. He published a "Treatise on Arithmetic" (1830); one on "Analytical Grammar" (1836); "Letters on Collegiate Government" (1855); "A History of the United States Coast Survey" (1857); "Recent Progress of Science" (1859); "The Metric System" (1871); "Mono-Metallism, Bi-Metallism, and International Coinage "(1879); "Two Papers on Academic Degrees" (1880); "Imaginary Metrological System of the Great Pyramid" (1884), and "Theory of Magic Squares and of Magic Cubes," in National academy of science (1888). He died in New York city and is buried in the old cemetery at Sheffield, Mass. The date of his death is April 27, 1889.

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