History of Middlefield, (Hampshire County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

Lyman Coleman, educator, was born at Middlefield, Mass., June 14, 1796; son of Dr. William and Achsah (Lyman) Coleman; grandson of Dr. Seth and Sarah (Beecher) Coleman, and a descendant in the 7th generation from Thomas Coleman, who emigrated from England to New England about 1634-35 and was among the early settlers of Wethersfield, Conn. He was graduated at Yale in 1817; was principal of the Latin grammar school at Hartford, Conn., 1817-20, and was tutor and student of theology at Yale, 1820-25. He was married Sept. 21, 1826, to Maria Flynt of Munson, Mass. He was ordained to the Congregational ministry, Oct. 19, 1825, and preached at Belchertown, Mass., 1825-32. He was principal of Burr seminary, Manchester, Vt., 1832-37, and of the English department, Phillips academy, Andover, 1837-42. After study in Germany, 1842-44, he was professor of Greek at Amherst college, 1844-45, and of German, 1845-46; professor of German at the College of New Jersey, 1847-49; principal of the Presbyterian academy, Philadelphia, Pa., 1849-58; and engaged in literary labors, 1858-61. He visited Egypt, the desert, and Palestine, in 1856, with six young men, and prepared a map of Palestine. In 1861 he accepted the chair of Latin and Greek at Lafayette college, and in 1868 was transferred to that of Latin language and literature. He visited California and the Yosemite in 1872 and ascended Gray's peak when in his seventy-sixth year. He received the honorary degree of M.A. from Middlebury college in 1833, and that of LL. D. from the College of New Jersey in 1847. He published Antiquities of the Christian Church (1841); The Apostolical and Primative Church (1844); Historical Geography of the Bible (1850); Ancient Christianity Exemplified. (1852); Historical Text-book and Atlas of Biblical Geography (1854); Prelacy and Ritualism (1869); and Lyman Genealogy. He died in Easton, Pa., March 16, 1882.

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

Ebenezer Emmons, geologist, was born at Middlefield, Mass., May 16, 1799; son of Ebenezer and Mary (Mack) Emmons; and nephew of the Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, theologian. He was graduated from Williams in 1818 and from the Rensselaer school, Troy, N.Y., in 1826. He attended the Berkshire medical school, Pittsfield, Mass., and in 1828 removed to Williamstown, Mass., where he practised medicine. He was also lecturer on chemistry at Williams, 1828-33, and junior professor in the Rensselaer school, 1830-39. In 1836 he was appointed upon the geological survey of New York, and in 1838 accepted the chair of chemistry in the Albany medical college, removing to that city in the latter year. He was afterward transferred to the chair of obstretrics and remained on the faculty of the medical school until 1852. He was professor of natural history at Williams, 1833-59, and of mineralogy and geology, 1859-63. In surveying New York he was assigned to the northern district, much of which was unexplored territory. He discovered a group of rocks constituting as he supposed a distinct system underlying the Silurian and not recognized in the ordinary classification. He believed the rocks to be the equivalents of the Cambrian rocks of England and applied to them the term Taconic system. His discovery was not received seriously by contemporary geologists and subjected him to ostracism. Later discoveries in the Canada survey and by Barrandi in Bohemia, corroborated his views which before his death were generally accepted by American geologists. Subsequent investigations, however, showed that Dr. Emmons misread the geological structure of the region studied by him and his arrangement was therefore set aside. In 1853 he was placed in charge of the geological survey of North Carolina, and in this field made several important contributions to the advance of American geology. He was married in 1818 to Maria Cone of Williamstown, Mass. Berkshire medical school conferred upon him the degree of M.D. in 1830. He published: Manual of Mineralogy and Geology (1826); Report on the Second Geological District of New York (1842); The Agriculture of New York (4 vols., 1846-49-51 and 54); The Geology of the Midland Counties of North Carolina (1856); The Agriculture of the Eastern Counties of North Carolina (1858); The Swamp Lands of North Carolina (1860), and A Textbook of Geology (1860). He died in Brunswick county, N.C., Oct. 1, 1863.

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

Edward King, journalist, was born in Middlefield, Mass., July 31, 1848. He became a reporter on the Springfield Union, in 1864 changed to the Republican, on which he served as reporter and editorial writer until 1867, when he reported the Paris exposition. He accompanied J. Wells Champney, the artist, on a trip through the southern states, and wrote a series of articles on their condition and resources for Scribner's Magazine. These papers were published in book form, entitled "The Great South" (1875). He went as a newspaper correspondent to Paris in 1875; served in the Carlist war in Spain and in the Russo-Turkish war. He also served as secretary of the Soci?t? de Gens de Lettres of Europe for several years. He returned to the United States in 1888, and was employed as an editorial writer on the New York Morning Journal and Once a Week. He is the author of: My Paris, or French Character Sketches (1868); Kentucky's Lose (1873); Echoes from the Orient (1879); French Political Leaders (1882); The Gentle Savage (1883); Europe in Storm and Calm (1885); The Golden Spike (1886); A Venetian Lover (1887); Joseph Zalmonah (1893). He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., March 28, 1896.

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