History of Greenwich, (Worcester County) Massachusetts United States of America

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Biographies:

James Fisk, senator, was born in Greenwich, Mass., Oct. 4, 1763. He was descended from John and William Fisk, who came to Massachusetts from Laxfield, Sussex, England, in 1637 or from relatives of these pioneers who followed soon after and settled near Boston. He was self-educated, his father having died when he was two years old. He enlisted in the American army in 1779 and served three years. Returning to Greenwich he worked on a farm and in 1785 was a representative in the general assembly of Massachusetts, and soon after preached as a Universalist minister. He removed to Barre, Vt., in 1798, cleared a farm, continued to preach, and studied law. He represented Barre in the Vermont legislature, 1800-05, 1809-10 and 1315. He was a judge of the Orange county court, 1802-09; a representative from Vermont in the 9th and 10th congresses, 1805-09, and in the 12th and 13th congresses, 1811-15; judge of the supreme court, 1815-16, and U.S. senator, 1817-18, succeeding Dudley Chase, resigned. In congress he was a friend and adviser of President Madison, and a supporter of the war of 1812. In the conspiracy carried on between John Henry employed by the governor of Canada, and the leaders of the Federal party in New England, he arraigned the conspirators and exposed their duplicity and was a large factor in destroying the political power of the Federal party. In 1812 he was nominated by President Madison and was confirmed by the senate as judge of the territory of Indiana, but he declined the office. He resigned his seat in the U.S. senate in 1818 to accept the appointment of collector of customs for the district of Vermont. He removed to Swanton, where he resided during the remainder of his life. He was displaced from office in 1825 by President J.Q. Adams and became a follower of Henry Clay and as earnest a Whig as he had been a Democrat. He was a member of the board of trustees of the University of Vermont, 1810-12, and received the honorary degree of A.M. from that institution in 1812. He was married about 1784 to Priscilla West of Greenwich, Mass., who died Aug. 19, 1840. They had three daughters and three sons. Their son Willbur became president of Wesleyan university. Judge Fisk died in Swanton, Vt., Dec. 1, 1844.

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

Erastus Edgerton Marcy, physician, was born in Greenwich, Mass., Dec. 9, 1815; son of Laban and Frances (Howe) Marcy; grandson of William Marcy, and a brother of Gen. Randolph B. Marcy, U.S.A. He was graduated at Amherst, A.B., 1834, and at the Jefferson Medical college, M.D., 1837. He practised in Hartford, Conn., 1834-47, and in 1847 visited Paris, studied the original manuscripts of Hahnemann and adopted homoeopathy and removed to the city of New York, where he practised, 1847-1900, being also prominently known throughout the United States. He was married to Emeline, daughter of Henry Kilbourne of Hartford. He founded the North American Journal of Homoeopathy in 1852 and edited it, 1852-65. He is the author of: Theory and Practice of Medicine (1850); Homoeopathy vs. Allopathy (1852); Theory and Practice of Homoeopathy (2 vols., 1858); Christianity and its Conflicts (1867); Life Duties (1869), and many essays. He died in New York city, Dec. 27, 1900.

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

Randolph Barnes Marcy, soldier, was born in Greenwich, Mass., April 9, 1812; son of Laban and Frances (Howe) Marcy, and grandson of William Marcy. He was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1832; was promoted 2d lieutenant, Nov. 25, 1835, and 1st lieutenant, June 22, 1837. He took part in the military occupation of Texas, 1845-46, and in the war with Mexico, being engaged in the battles of Pale Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He was promoted captain of the 5th infantry, May 18, 1846, and was in garrison and on frontier duty, 1846-51. He escorted Lieut.-Col. William G. Belknap when he selected the Red River military posts in 1851, being with that officer when he died near Preston, Texas, Nov. 10, 1851, and served on the exploration of the Red River country and prepared reports thereon, 1852-54. He survHed the land for the Texas Indians, 1854-55; at Corpus Christi, Texas, 1855-56, and at Fort McIntosh and Fort Brown, Texas, 1856-57. He took part in the Florida hostilities against the Seminole Indians, being engaged in the skirmish of Big Cypress Swamp, April 23, 1857, served in Missouri and on the Utah expedition of 1857-58, and with a small escort made a laborious march through the snow to New Mexico, to procure animals. He was acting inspector-general of the Department of Utah, June to August, 1858, and on special duty in New York, preparing a handbook for overland expeditions in 1859. He was promoted paymaster with the rank of major, Aug. 22, 1859, and was paymaster of the northwestern posts, 1859-61. He was appointed chief of staff to Gen. George B. McClellan in May, 1861, was commissioned brigadier-general of volunteers, Sept. 23, 1861, engaged in the campaign of western Virginia, May to July, 1861, and was in Washington, D.C., from July, 1861, to March, 1862. He was promoted inspector-general, U.S.A., with the ranker colonel, Aug. 9, 1861; was with McClellan in Virginia and Maryland 1862; on inspection duties in the departments of the Northwest, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi and The Gulf, 1863-65, and on leave of absence, 1865-66. He was brevetted brigadier-general, and major-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services during the war. He was inspector-general of the military division of the Missouri, 1866-69, inspector-general, U.S.A., with headquarters at Washington, D.C., 1869-81; and was promoted inspector-general, U.S.A., with the rank of brigadier-general, Dec. 12, 1878. He was retired, Jan. 2, 1881. He contributed to magazines; is joint author with George B. McClellan of Explorations of Red River in 1852 (1853); and author of: The Prairie Traveller, a Handbook for Overland Emigrants (1859); Thirty Years of Army Life on the Border (1866); and Border Reminiscences (1871). He died in Orange, N.J., Nov. 22, 1887.

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