History of Batavia, (Genesee County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

George Washington Lay, representative, was born at Catskill, N.Y., July 26, 1798; son of John and Phoebe (Lee) Lay; grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Spencer) Lay; great grandson of Robert and Mary (Grinnell) Lay, and a descendant of Robert Lay, who was in Saybrook, Conn., as early as 1647. His father, John Lay (Yale, A.B., 1780, A.M., 1783), removed from Saybrook, Conn., to Clinton, N.Y., and served two terms as a Federalist member of the assembly. George W. Lay was graduated from Hamilton college in 1817; was admitted to the bar in 1820, and practised in Batavia. He was married, July 26, 1821, to Olive, daughter of John Foot, of Hartford, Conn., and of their three sons, John Foot, of Batavia, is the author of the Lay Genealogy, George Washington became a resident of Batavia, N.Y., and Asa Tracy, a resident of Chicago, Ill. He was judge-advocate of the 4th brigade of cavalry; treasurer of Genesee county, 1825-31. He was a leader in the political movements based on the abduction of William Morgan from Batavia by the Free Masons in 1826. He was a Whig representative in the 23d and 24th congresses, 1833-37; a member of the assembly, 1840; and chairman of the canal committee and made a report on the completion of the enlargement of the Erie canal, and was appointed by President Tyler charg? d'affaires to Sweden, serving from May 12, 1842, to Oct. 29, 1845. He died at Batavia, N.Y.,Oct. 21, 1860.

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

Emory Upton, soldier, was born at Batavia, N.Y., Aug. 27, 1839. He attended Oberlin college, Ohio, and was graduated from the U.S. military academy and promoted 2d lieutenant, 4th artillery, in 1861, being promoted 1st lieutenant, 5th artillery, May 14, 1861. He took part in the Manassas campaign, being engaged in the action of Blackburn's Ford, July 18, 1861; and the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861, where he was wounded. He commanded a battery, Army of the Potomac, in the Virginia Peninsular campaign, being engaged in the siege of Yorktown, March-August, 1862; and the battles of Yorktown, West Point, Gaines's Mill and Glendale. He commanded the artillery brigade, 1st division, 6th army corps, Army of the Potomac, in the Maryland campaign, taking part in the battles of South Mountain, Antietam and the march to Falmouth. He was promoted colonel of 121st New York volunteers, Oct. 23, 1862; and served at Fredericksburg, Salem Heights, and Gettysburg, where he commanded a brigade, 6th army corps, Army of the Potomac. He was brevetted major, Nov. 8, 1863, for gallantry at Rappahannock Station, Va. He commanded his brigade at the battles of the Wilderness, and at Spottsylvania, where he led the assaulting column and was severely wounded, May 10, 1864. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, May 10, 1864, for gallant services at Spottsylvania, and was promoted brigadier-general, U.S.V., May 12, 1864. He participated in the battles of Cold Harbor, Petersburg, the defense of the capitol at Washington and commanded the 1st division in the battle of Opequan, where he was wounded. He was brevetted colonel, Sept. 19, 1864, and major-general, U.S.V., Oct. 19, 1864, for services at Winchester; was promoted captain, 5th artillery, Feb. 22, 1865; commanded the 4th cavalry division in Gen. J. H. Wilson's operations in Alabama and Georgia, March-May, 1865; and was brevetted brigadier-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for gallant and meritorious services in the field during the Rebellion. He commanded the 1st cavalry division, district of eastern Tennessee, July-August, 1865; commanded the district of Colorado, 1865-66; and was mustered out of the volunteer service, April 30, 1866. He was commandant of cadets of the U.S. Military academy, 1870-75; went on a tour of inspection abroad, 1875-77; was assigned to the artillery school for practice at Fort Monroe in 1877, and was promoted colonel, 4th artillery, in 1880 and stationed at the Presido, San Francisco, Cal., 1880-81. He is the author of: System of Military Tactics, adopted by the U.S. army in 1867; Tactics for Cavalry and Artillery, adopted in 1873, and a manuscript of The Military Policy of the United States. He died by his own hand in San Francisco, March 14, 1881.

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

Allan Danvers Brown, educator, was born In Batavia, N.Y., Sept. 2, 1843; son of Joshua Lawrence and Diana (Osborne) Brown, grandson of Cyrus Brown of Jaffrey, N.H., and a descendant of Thomas Brown, one of the original settlers of Concord, Mass., in 1630. He was educated at the military school, Hampden, Conn., entered the naval service as acting midshipman, Sept. 26, 1860; was made midshipman, July 16, 1862; ensign, April 28, 1863, master, Nov. 10, 1865; lieutenant, Nov. 10, 1866; lieutenant-com-mander, March 12, 1868; commander, Jan. 22, 1880; and was retired June 24, 1891. His last command was the Kearsarge on an expedition to South American waters. He was for a time head of the department of astronomy, surveying and navigation at the U.S. naval academy and for four years assistant superintendent of the U.S. naval observatory. He was ordained a deacon in Protestant Episcopal church in 1892 and a priest in 1895. He was missionary at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Barre, Vt., 1894-'96, and in 1896 was elected president of Norwich university, Northfield, Vt. He received the degree of LL.D. from the University of Vermont in 1897 and in May, 1898, he was temporarily assigned to the Boston naval station as equipment office.

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