History of Norwich, (Chenango County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Gail Borden, inventor, was born in Norwich, N.Y., Nov. 6, 1801. In his early years he migrated with his parents from place to place, residing in Kentucky and in Indiana; in 1829 he removed to Texas. He was a delegate to the San Felipe convention, which met in 1833 to petition the Mexican government for a separation from Coahuila; was superintendent of official surveys under General Austin, and manager of the San Felipe land office. He compiled the first topographical map of the territory embraced in the colony of Texas,and he made the first surveys of the city of Galveston. In 1835 he and his brother established the Texas Telegraph and Land Register, the publication of which was continued for about half a century. It was the only paper issued in Texas during the Texan war for independence. He was the first collector of the port of Galveston, under the newly formed republic, and he acted for twelve years as agent of the Galveston city company, a corporation holding the greater part of the land on which Galveston was built. In 1849 he became interested in providing simple, nutritious and easily portable food supplies for emigrants and exploring parties. After much experimenting he produced Borden's pemmican, meat biscuit, and condensed milk. The pemmican was first used by Dr. Kane on his arctic expedition. The meat biscuit was awarded "the great council medal" at the World's fair, London, in 1852, and won for Mr. Borden at the same time, an election to honorary membership in the London society of arts. He applied for a patent for the condensed milk in 1853, but it was not until 1856 that he succeeded in demonstrating to the satisfaction of the commissioner of patents that there was any difference between milk evaporated in the open air and "the production of concentrated sweet milk by evaporation in vacuo, the same having no sugar or other foreign substance mixed with it." He next produced a condensed meat juice. He died Jan. 11, 1874.

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

Jesse D. Bright, senator, was born at Norwich, Chenango county, N.Y., Dec. 18, 1812. He removed to Indiana with his parents in 1820, where he received an academic education and began the practice of law. He was elected probate judge In 1834, but resigned in 1838 to become United States marshal. He was sent to the state legislature as a representative in 1836; chosen a state senator in 1841; Heutenant-governor in 1843, and in 1845 was elected to the U.S. senate as a Democrat. He was twice re-elected to the senate, serving nearly eighteen years. In 1862, a letter addressed to President Davis, dated March, 1861, recommending to him a friend who had an improved firearm, and signed by Senator Bright, fell into the possession of the senate, and for this he was charged with disloyalty and expelled. In 1864 he removed to Kentucky, where he served for several terms in the state legislature. He died in Baltimore, Md., May 20, 1875.

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

John Cutler Covert, journalist, was born in Norwich, N.Y., Feb. 11, l839; son of Jacob and Pheba Ann (Cutler) Covert; and grandson of Stephan Covert. On the father's side his ancestors were originally French, driven from their country to Holland by the revocation of the edict of Nantes. They sailed for New Amsterdam in 1560. The first ancestor was Teunis Jans Covert. On the mother's side he descended from John Cutler, who emigrated from Norfolk, England, and settled in Hingham, Mass., in 1637. Two brothers of the Covert family had twenty-two descendants in the army of the war for American independence. When ten years old he was initiated into the printers' craft as a "devil" in the office of Edwin Cowles, proprietor of the Cleveland Leader. He served there three years and worked as journeyman in other printing offices until 1859. During this time he had gained a broad education and had prepared himself for admission to the bar. He was admitted at St. Louis, Mo., in 1859, and when in 1861 he offered himself as a Union volunteer he was rejected on account of physical disability. He spent several years in Paris, where he taught English, and meanwhile made extended journeys through France, Germany, Russia, Poland, Belgium and Holland, largely on foot, his wanderings taking him as far as Nijni, Novgorod. In 1868 he returned to America with restored health, a master of the French language and with a good knowledge of German, Italian and Spanish. He began his journalistic career as a reporter on the Cleveland Leader. He soon became city editor and in a few years managing editor. In 1890, on the death of Mr. Cowles, he was made editor-in-chief. In 1877 he was elected to the lower house of the Ohio legislature and was re-elected in 1879. His address before the legislature in favor of taxing church property was widely circulated. His influence was, however, more felt as the directing force of his powerful daily journal. He delivered frequent addresses before literary, social and commercial gatherings, was president of the Rowfant (a literary club) and a prominent member of the Cleveland chamber of commerce. He was appointed by President McKinley in 1897 United States consul to Lyons, France. In 1870 Mr. Covert was married to Minnie, the only daughter of Addison P. Dutcher, a well-known medical author.

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