History of Dutchess County New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Duncan McArthur, soldier, was born in Dutchess county, N.Y., June 14, 1772. His parents removed to the Pennsylvanian frontier in 1780, and in 1790 Duncan enlisted as a volunteer in Gen. Josiah Harmar's expedition against the Miami Indians. He was engaged in Indian warfare in Kentucky and Ohio, 1790-94, and subsequently settled near Chillicothe, Ohio, and engaged as a surveyor. He purchased a large tract of land near Chillicothe; was a representative in the state legislature, 1804-05, 1815-16, 1817-18 and 1826-27, and speaker, 1817-18. He was elected major-general of the state militia in 1808, and was commissioned colonel of the 1st Ohio volunteer regiment, May 7, 1812. He was second in command at the time General Hull surrendered Detroit, and led the foraging party that obtained provisions from the British settlements on the Thames river. Although absent at the time of Hull's surrender, he was included in the terms and was released by exchange and commissioned brigadier-general, March 12, 1813. Upon the resignation of General Harrison, May 31, 1814, McArthur succeeded to the command of the Northwestern army. He formulated a plan for the conquest of Canada, and on Oct. 26, 1814, crossed the St. Clair river with 750 men and five field pieces, drove the militia from Oxford, Nov. 4, 1814, and reached Bruntford, where he was confronted by a large force of British regulars and Indians. He turned southward, and upon reaching Dover learned that Gen. George Izard, whom he had counted upon for support, had withdrawn his troops from Canada, and he retreated to Detroit by way of St. Thomas, discharged his troops at Sandwich, Nov. 17, 1814, and was mustered out, June 15, 1815. He was a Democratic representative in the 18th and 18th congresses, 1813-15 and 1823-25; governor of Ohio, 1830-32, and a candidate for representative in congress in 1832. He died near Chillicothe, Ohio, April 28, 1839.

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

Homer Crane Blake, naval officer, was born in Dutchess county, N.Y., Feb. 1, 1822. Shortly after his birth his parents removed to Ohio where he grew up on his father's farm. In his eighteenth year he was appointed midshipman, and served on the frigate Constellation, of the East Indian squadron, making a three years' cruise around the world. The next year was spent on the African coast in active service against the slave traders, and in 1845 he entered the naval academy and was graduated in 1846, and again attached to the East Indian squadron with the rank of passed midshipman. In 1855 he was commissioned lieutenant and ordered to the Paraguay expedition, after which he served in the Pacific squadrons until the breaking out of the civil war. In 1861-'62 he was attached to the home squadron, and in 1863, with a commission as lieutenant-commander, was placed in command of the Hatteras. In an action between the Hatteras and the confederate cruiser Alabama, the former was crippled and sunk, and Blake and his crew were taken prisoners and carried to Jamaica. He was paroled and then exchanged, and after his return to the United States was placed in command of the gun-boat Utah of the North Atlantic squadron. He rendered brilliant services in several important engagements, and was commissioned commander in 1866 and captain in 1871. He acted as commander of the naval rendezvous in New York harbor from 1873 to 1878 and was promoted to the rank of commodore in 1879. He died Jan. 21, 1880.

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

Samuel Herrick, representative, was born in Dutchess county, N.Y., April 14, 1779; eldest son of Capt. Samuel and Margaret (Per-Lee) Herrick; grandson of Col. Rufus Herrick, an officer in the Revolutionary war; great grandson of Edward and Mary (Dennison) Herrick; great2 grandson of Stephen and Elizabeth (Trask) Herrick, and great3 grandson of Ephraim Herrick of Beverly, Mass. He had few advantages of education and before the age of twenty-one he conducted a mercantile enterprise at Quebec, Canada, and others on the Pennsylvania frontier. In June, 1803, he began the study of law, and was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar June 5, 1805, and started at once for the west. He was married, Feb, 6, 1804, to Margaret, daughter of James and Mary (Howard) Davidson, of Cecil county, Md., and settled in Zanesville, Ohio. He was elected by the legislature, collector of taxes in February, 1810; was appointed by President Madison U.S. district attorney Dec. 19, 1810; and on Dec. 28, 1810, he was appointed by Governor Meigs aide-de-camp to the commander-in-chief of the state forces. In July, 1812, be was appointed by President Madison a commissioner to survey and mark the boundary line of Virginia military lands for the state of Ohio. In the fall of 1812 he was appointed prosecuting attorney for the county of Muskihgum, succeeding Lewis Cuss. In 1814 he was appointed to the same position for Licking county, succeeding his brother Edward. In May, 1814, he was commissioned brigadier-general to command the 4th brigade, 3d division, Ohio state militia. In October, 1816, he has elected a representative in the 15th congress, but as congress did not meet until December, 1817, he did not resign the office of U.S. district attorney until Nov. 19, 1817. On this ground his scat was contested, but he was declared elected, and was re-elected to the 16th congress, serving 1817-21. He was a Jackson elector in 1828, and in May, 1829, was again appointed U.S. district attorney for Ohio. He resigned in June, 1830, retired to his farm near Zanesville, and devoted the rest of his life to charity. He died near Zanesville, Ohio, June 4, 1852.

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

John Bachman, naturalist, was born in Dutchess county, N.Y., Feb. 4, 1790. At the age of twenty-three he was licensed by the Lutheran synod of New York, having been previously elected pastor of three congregations in his own neighborhood in Dutchess county. In 1815 he went to South Carolina for his health, and for about fifty years preached at the Lutheran church at Charleston. There he became associated with Audubon, and aided him in writing his books on ornithology. The three-volume work on quadrupeds was written almost wholly by him and illustrated by Audubon and his sons. His two eldest daughters married Audubon's sons. In 1835 Mr. Bachman received the degree of D. D., and in 1838 the University of Berlin conferred upon him the degree of Ph.D., and the South Carolina college at Columbia that of LL.D. Among his published works are: "Account of Experiments Made on the Habits of the Vultures Inhabiting Carolina" (1834); "Two Letters on Hybridity" (1850); "Defence of Luther and the Reformation" (1853); "Characteristics of Genera and Species, as Applicable to the Doctrine of the Unity of the Human Race" (1854); "Notice of the Types of Mankind by Nott and Gliddon" (1854); "Catalogue of Ph?nogamous Plants and Ferns Growing in the Vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina;" "Examination of Professor Agassiz's Sketch of the Natural Province of the Animal World," and in conjunction with J. J. Audubon, "The Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" (3 vols., 1846-'53). He died in Charleston, S.C., Feb. 25, 1874.

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

History of Dutchess County New York

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