History of Hartwick, (Otsego County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Chauncey Lee, mathematician, was born in Coventry, Conn., July 10, 1718; son of the Rev. Jonathan Lee, first minister of Salisbury, Conn. He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1784, A.M., 1787; practised law, studied theology and was pastor of Congregational churches at Sunderland and Rutland, Vt., Colebrook, N.Y., and Marlborough, Conn., 1790-1835. He published in Lansingburg, N.Y.: A Compendium of Federal Arithmetic, designed for the Use of Schools, and Especially Calculated for the Meridian of the United States (1797). In this book he set forth a system of "characteristics" by which one vertical stroke designated the mill; two the cent; these two parallel lines crossed by one S-shaped the dime, and two parallel lines crossed by two S's the dollar. He soon after substituted the decimal point to designate mills, cents and dimes, but throughout his book the dollar mark was maintained. This was eight years before Adams's arithmetic was published, and according to careful research made by Dr. Marcus Baker, Washington, D.C., in 1899, there appears to be no book or MS. antedating this arithmetic, in which the dollar sign is used or its evolution explained. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Columbia college in 1823. He is also the author of: Poetical Version of the Book of Job (1807); Sermons for Revivals (1824); Letters from Aristarchus to Philemon (1833). He died at Hartwick, N.Y., Nov. 5, 1842.

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

Isaac Newton Arnold, statesman, was born at Hartwick, Otsego county, N.Y., Nov. 30, 1815, son of George W. Arnold, physician, who emigrated from Rhode Island in 1800 and settled in the wilderness of western New York. In 1835 he was admitted to the bar, and the following year removed to the village of Chicago, Ill. When Chicago was organized as a city, he was elected city clerk and subsequently held other municipal offices. He was a representative in the Illinois state legislature, 1842-'43, and in 1856; a presidential elector in 1844, and was elected to the 37th and 38th congresses, serving, 1861-'65. He was appointed an auditor of the U.S. treasury in 1865, and was president of the Chicago historical society for several years. He lectured before literary societies in England and America and published "Life of Abraham Lincoln and the Overthrow of Slavery'' (1867), and "Life of Benedict Arnold" (1880). He died April 24, 1884.

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

William Henry Bissell, statesman, was born at Hartwick, Otsego county, N.Y., April 25, 1811. He obtained an education through his own efforts, earning the money in winter that enabled him to attend school in the summer. He was graduated at the Philadelphia medical college in 1835, practised for two years in Steuben county, N.Y., and for three years in Monroe county, Ill., and was elected to the Illinois legislature, where he made quite a reputation as a ready and able debator. He turned his attention to the study of the law, was admitted to the bar, practised in Belleville, Ill., and was elected prosecuting attorney of St. Clair county in 1844. During the Mexican was he served as captain of a company in the 2d Illinois volunteers, and took an active part in the battle of Buena Vista. He represented Illinois in the national house of representatives in the 31st, 32d and 33d congresses, from December, 1849, to March 3, 1855, and his emphatic opposition to the Missouri compromise involved him in a controversy with southern Democrats. The question as to the bravery of the soldiers from the north as compared with that shown by the south in the Mexican war led to a debate with Jefferson Davis, and resulted in Mr. Bissell being challenged by Mr. Davis. He accepted the challenge, and chose muskets as the weapons to be used at thirty paces. The friends of Mr. Davis interfered at this juncture and the duel was never fought. On the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, Mr. Bissell separated from the Democratic party and was elected governor of Illinois on the Republican ticket, serving by re-election from 1856 until his death, which occurred at Springfield, Ill., March 18, 1860.

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