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

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Biographies:

John Gross Barnard, soldier, was born at Sheffield, Mass., May 19, 1815. He was graduated from West Point in 1833, and was appointed to duty at Newport, R. I., in the engineer corps with the rank of brevet 2d lieutenant. He was afterwards engaged on fortifications at Pensacola and New Orleans and had attained a captaincy in 1848. During the Mexican war he was constructing engineer, the fortifications of Tampico being built under his direction, and he made the topographical maps of the country around the city of Mexico preparatory to its capture. For these services he received a brevet major's commission on May 30, 1848. In the Tehuantepec survey for a railroad across the isthmus in 1850 he acted as chief engineer by appointment of President Fillmore, and in 1852 he surveyed the mouths of the Mississippi river. In 1854 he was instructor of practical engineering at the military academy, of which, in 1856, he was made superintendent. He was afterwards given charge of the defences of New York city. In 1858 he was promoted major of engineers. In 1861 he was appointed chief engineer of defences of Washington and afterwards of the army of the Potomac, serving thus until 1864, when he was placed on General Grant's staff and given the management of the engineering department of the entire army. On March 31, 1863, he was promoted lieutenant-colonel of engineers, and at the close of the civil war he was made colonel of engineers, and brevetted major-general U.S. army "for gallant and meritorious services in the field." He served as a member of the joint board of army and navy officers in harbor defences, torpedoes, etc., and as senior member of the board of engineers for fortifications up to the time of his death. The University of Alabama gave him the degree of A.M. in 1838, and Yale college conferred upon him that of LL.D. in 1864. Among his published works are: "Survey of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec" (1852); "Phenomena of the Gyroscope" (1858); "Dangers and Defences of New York" (1859); "Notes on Sea-Coast Defence" (1861); "The Confederate States of America and the Battle of Bull Run" (1862); "Reports of the Engineer and Artillery Operations of the Army of the Potomac" (1863); "Eulogy on General Totten" (1866); "Report on the Defences of Washington" (1871); "The North Sea Canal of Holland and Improvement of Navigation from Rotterdam to the Sea "; "Problems of Rotary Motion presented by Gyroscope, the Precession of the Equinoxes, and the Pendulum, "and numerous reports and memoirs. He died in Detroit, Mich., May 14, 1882.

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

Daniel Dewey Barnard, lawyer, was born at Sheffield, Mass., July 16, 1797. His education was received at Williams college, and after his graduation in 1818, he took up the study of law in Rochester, N.Y., where he was admitted to the bar in 1821. He won a wide reputation at the bar of western New York. In 1826 he was elected district attorney of Monroe county, and in 1828 was chosen to represent his district in the 2lst Congress. He then went abroad, and on his return made his home in Albany, N.Y., where he served one year in the state assembly. He was a representative in the 26th-29th congresses, 1839-'47. He received the degree of LL.D. from Hobart in 1834, Columbia in 1845, and Brown in 1853; and was a member of the New York historical society. In 1850 President Fillmore appointed him U.S. minister to Prussia, where he represented his country for three years. He died in Albany, N.Y., April 24, 1861.

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

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