History of Ballston Spa, (Saratoga County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

William Walton Morris, soldier, was born at Ballston Spa, N.Y., Aug. 31, 1801. He was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1820, and was promoted 2nd lieutenant of 6th infantry; was promoted 1st lieutenant, Aug. 11, 1823; served on frontier and garrison duty; was transferred to the 4th artillery, July 30, 1824, and was in garrison at Charleston Harbor, 1832-33. He was promoted captain, Dec. 17, 1866, and took part in the Florida war, 1836-37, as major of the mounted Creek volunteers, being brevetted major, Jan. 27, 1837, for "gallant conduct on several occasions and general efficiency in the war against the Florida Indians." He served on the northern frontier during the Canadian disturbances, 1839-41; was in Texas, 1845-46, and in the war with Mexico as major of the artillery battalion of the army of occupation, being engaged in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He was prefect of police and alcalde of Tampico, 1846-47, and of Puebla, Mexico, 1847-48. He was U.S. agent of the Indians in Florida, 1848-49, and was in garrison at New York, 1850-56. He was promoted major, Nov. 4, 1853; served in Florida, 1856-57, and in Kansas, 1857-58. At the outbreak of the civil war he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and was stationed at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Md., in command of the harbor defence, 1861-65. He quelled the Baltimore riots, April 19, 1861, by training the guns of the fort on the rioters. He was promoted colonel and transferred to the 2d artillery, Nov. 1, 1861; was brevetted brigadier-general, June 9, 1862; commanded the Middle department and the 8th army corps, 1865, and was brevetted major-general, Dec. 10, 1865. He died at Fort McHenry, Md., Dec. 11, 1865.

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

Maud Wilder Goodwin, author, was born at Ballston Spa, N.Y., June 5, 1856; daughter of John Nickels and Delia (Farley) Wilder; granddaughter of Joseph and Mary (Nickels) Wilder and of Joseph and Elizabeth (Thomas) Farley; and seventh in descent from John Alden and Priscilla Mullins. In 1879 she was married to Almon Goodwin, a lawyer in New York city. She was co-editor with Blanche Wilder Bellamy of "Open Sesame," a collection of prose and poetry for school children (3 vols., 1890-93); and wrote "Historic New York," a series of papers with Alice Carrington Royce and Ruth Putnam (1897), She is the author of The Colonial Caralier (1894); The Head of a Hundred (1895); White Aprons, a Romance of Bacon's Rebellion (1896); Dolly Madison (1896); Flint: His Faults, His Friendships, and His Fortunes (1897); Fort Amsterdam in the Days of the Dutch (1897) and contributions to periodical literature.

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

Levi Hubbell, jurist, was born in Ballston, N.Y., April 15, 1808. He was graduated at Union in 1827, and was admitted to the bar in 1829. He practised law in Ballston, and was adjutant-general of the state, 1833-36, and member of the state assembly, 1841. He removed to Wisconsin Territory in 1844, and settled in Milwaukee, where be practised law. He was associate justice of the 2d circuit and ex officio of the supreme court of Wisconsin from Aug. 28, 1848, to June 18, 1851, and chief justice to June 1, 1853, when articles of impeachment were preferred on charges of acts of corrupt conduct and malfeasance in office. The legislature convened June 6, 1853, that the senate might sit as a court of impeachment, and the assembly presented the charges and the trial continued till July 13, 1853, when the senate decided that the charges bad not been sustained dud the chief justice was acquitted. He resigned his seat on the bench in 1856 and was succeeded by Alexander W. Randall. He was elected as a War Democrat a member of the state assembly in 1864, and was U.S. district attorney, 1871-75, by appointment of President Grant. He died in Milwaukee, Wis., Dec. 8, 1876.

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

Abner Doubleday, soldier, was born in Ballston Spa, N.Y., June 26, 1819; son of Ulysses Freeman Doubleday, representative in congress. He was graduated from the U.S. military academy in 1842 and served during the Mexican war in the 1st artillery, being engaged at Monterey and Buena Vista, where he defended the Rinconoda Pass. He was promoted 1st lieutenant in 1847 and captain in 1855. He served in the Seminole war, 1856-58, and was one of the garrison in Fort Moultrie, Charleston harbor, 1860, and withdrew his men to Fort Sumter by order of Major Anderson, Dec. 26, 1860. He aimed the first gun fired in defence of that fort, April 12, 1861. He was commissioned major in the 7th infantry, May 14, 1861, and served with General Patterson in the valley and in the defence of the national capitol. He was promoted brigadier-general of volunteers, Feb. 3, 1862, and commanded the defence of Washington; and from May to September, 1862, led a brigade in the northern Virginia campaign. At the second battle of Bull Run he succeeded to the command of Hatch's division and at Antietam his division led the extreme right, opening the battle and capturing six battle-flags. He was promoted major-general of volunteers, Nov. 21, 1862, fought at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, and when Reynolds was made commander of a wing of the army he succeeded him as commander of the 1st army corps. He supported Buford's cavalry at Gettysburg and when Reynolds fell he commanded the field till the arrival of General Howard. On the third day at Gettysburg his division aided in turning back General Pickett's charge and putting the Confederate army to flight. From 1863 to 1865 General Doubleday was on court-martial duty and on various commissions. He was a guest of the war department at Fort Sumter, April, 1865, when the flag was restored. He was brevetted colonel, U.S.A., March 11, and brigadier-general and major-general, March 13, 1865, for services during the war. He was in command at Galveston, Texas, at the close of 1866 and was assistant commissioner of the Freedmen's bureau in Texas until mustered out of the volunteer service Aug. 1, 1867. He was promoted colonel and assigned to the 35th infantry, Sept. 15, 1867, and was afterward stationed on various duties in New York city, San Francisco and in Texas. He was retired, Dec. 11, 1873. He published: Reminiscences of Forts Sumter and Moultrie in 1860-61 (1876); and Chancellorsrills and Gettysburg (1882). He died in Mendham. N.J., Jan. 27, 1893.

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