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

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Biographies:

William Livingston Alden, author, was born in Williamstown, Mass., Oct. 9, 1837, son of Prof. Joseph Alden. He was educated in Lafayette and Jefferson colleges, and was graduated at the latter in 1858. He then studied law, became an editor on the New York Times, and subsequently wrote for young people. He was U.S. consul at Rome in 1885-'89, and received from the king the cross of chevalier of the order of the Crown of Italy. He was leader writer on the Paris Herald in 1890-'3, when he retired to London. He is the author of "Domestic Explosives (1878); "Shooting Stars" (1879); "A New Robinson Crusoe" (1880); "Canoe and Flying Proa" (1880); "The Moral Pirates" (1881); "Life of Christopher Columbus" (1882); "The Cruise of the Ghost" (1882); "The Cruise of the Canoe Club" (1883); "The Adventures of Jimmy Brown" (1885); "The Loss of the Swansea" (1889); "Trying to Find Europe" (1889); "A Lost Love" (1892); "Told by the Colonel" (1893); "Freaks" (1895); "The Mystery of Elias G. Roebuck"; "His Daughter"; "Van Wageners Way."

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

Bliss Perry, editor, was born in Williamstown, Mass., Nov. 25, 1860; son of Arthur Latham and Mary (Smedley) Perry; grandson of the Rev. Baxter and Lydia (Gray) Perry, and of Dr. James and Lucy (Bridges) Smedley, and a descendant of John Perry, who came from London to America about 1666. He was graduated from Williams college, A.B., 1881, A.M., 1883, studied at Berlin and Strasburg universities, Germany; was professor of elocution and English at Williams college, 1886-96, and professor of oratory and ?sthetic criticism at Princeton university, 1893-99. He was married in 1888 to Annie L., daughter of F.R. Bliss, of New Haven, Conn. In 1899 he became editor of the Atlantic Monthly, Boston, Mass. The honorary degree of L.H.D. was conferred on him by Princeton university in 1900, and by Williams college in 1902. He edited selections from Burke; Scott's Woodstock and Ivanhoe, and Little Masterpiece, and is the author of: The Broughton House (1890); Salem Kittredge and Other Stories (1894); The Plated City (1895); The Powers at Play (1899), and A Study of Prose Fiction (1902). In 1902 he delivered the Charter Day address at the University of California, Berkeley.

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

Edward Herrick Griffin, teacher, was born in Williamstown, Mass., Nov. 18, 1843; son of Nathaniel Herrick and Hannah (Bulkley) Griffin; grandson of Nathaniel Griffin and of Solomon Bulkley, and a descendant of Jasper Griffin, a native of Wales, who settled at Southold, L.I., about 1670; and of the Rev. Peter Bulkley of Concord, Mass., who died in 1659. He was graduated from Williams in 1862, attended Princeton theological seminary, 1863-64, was tutor at Williams, 1864-65, and returned to the theological seminary at Princeton, 1865-66. He was graduated from the Union theological seminary in 1867; ordained a Congregational clergyman, Feb. 6, 1868; and held a pastorate at Burlington, Vt., 1868-72. He filled the chair of Latin language and literature at Williams, 1872-81; was Morris professor of rhetoric there, 1881-86, and Mark Hopkins professor of intellectual and moral philosophy, 1886-89. The latter year he was called to Johns Hopkins as professor of the history of philosophy and was made dean of the faculty. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred upon him by Amberst in 1880, and that of LL.D. by the College of New Jersey in 1888.

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

Francis Henshaw Dewey, jurist, was born in Williamstown, Mass., July 12, 1821; son of Judge Charles Augustus and Frances A. (Henshaw) Dewey. He was graduated at Williams college in 1840, studied law at Yale and Harvard, and with the Hon. Emery Washburn at Worcester, and was admitted to the bar in 1843. He practised in Worcester until 1869 when he was appointed a judge of the superior court of the state. He was a state senator in 1856 and again in 1869, was for several years president of the Worcester county horticultural society, was a trustee of Williams college, 186037, and a member of the American antiquarian society. Williams gave him the honorary degree of LL.D. in 1873. He was married in 1846 to Frances A., daughter of John Clark of Northampton, Mass. She died in 1851 and in 1853 he was married to Sarah B., daughter of the Hon. George A. Tufts of Dudley, Mass. He died in Worcester, Mass., Dec. 16, 1887.

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