History of Seneca Falls, (Seneca County) New York United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Seneca Falls, (Seneca County) New York, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Biographies:

Elisha Gaylord Marshall, soldier, was born at Seneca Falls, N.Y., Jan. 26, 1829. He was graduated at the U.S. Military academy in 1850, served on frontier duty, 1850-58; was promoted 2d lieutenant and assigned to the 6th infantry, May 15, 1851, and served on the Utah expedition and on the march to California in 1858. He was at Benicia, Cal., 1858-59; Fort Morgan, N.M., 1859-60, and on recruiting service, 1860-51. He was a mustering and disbursing officer at Rochester, N.Y., 1851-62; was promoted captain, May 14, 1861, and was transferred to the volunteer service as colonel of the 13th New York volunteers, April 20, 1862. He served with the Army of the Potomac on the Peninsula, April to July, 1862; and was brevetted major, June 27, 1862, for Guinea's Mill. He took part in the battles of Manassas and Antietam, the skirmish at Shepardstown, and the march to Falmouth, Va., October to November, 1862. He was severely wounded at Fredericksburg, Dec. 13, 1862; and for service in that battle was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, Dec. 13, 1862. He was mustered out of the volunteer service, May 23, 1863; and served as mustering and disbursing officer at Rochester, N.Y., from May, 1863, to January, 1864. He re-entered the volunteer service as colonel of volunteers and was assigned to the 14th New York Heavy Artillery, Jan. 4, 1864, commanded the provisional brigade made up of dismounted cavalry and heavy artillery in the 4th division, 9th corps, Grant's army, in the campaign against Richmond, and participated in the battles of the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Tolopotomy, and in command of the provisional brigade in the 1st division, 9th corps, at Cold Harbor. He commanded the 2d brigade of Ledlie's division at the battle of the Petersburg Crater, June 17-18, 1864, where he greatly distinguished himself and was severely wounded. He was present at the siege of Petersburg, July 8-30, 1864, led in the main assault, July 30, and was captured after holding the crater nearly all day. He was brevetted colonel, July 30, 1864, for gallant and meritorious services at Petersburg, succeeding the explosion of the mines; was a prisoner of war from July, 1864, to April, 1865, and commanded a brigade in the defence of Washington, D.C., May to July, 1865. He was brevetted brigadier-general of volunteers, and brigadier-general, U.S.A. for gallant and meritorious services during the war, March 13, 1865. He was mustered out of the volunteer service a second time, Aug. 16, 1865; served on recruiting duty from September, 1865, to March, 1866; was promoted major of the 5th infantry, June 12, 1865, and commanded Fort Unfurl N.M., 1866-67. He was retired with the rank of colonel, Sept. 11, 1867. See "Battle of the Petersburg Crater" by Maj. W. H. Powell, U.S.A., in "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War," Vol. IV. pages 545 et seq. He died in Canandaigua, N.Y., Aug. 3, 1883.

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

Junius Henri Browne, journalist, was born at Seneca Falls, N.Y., Oct. 14, 1833. He was educated in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he was graduated at St. Xavier college in 1849, afterwards receiving the degree of A.M. For two years he was with his father, who was a banker in Cincinnati, and then became connected with the newspaper press of that city, and retained his connection until 1861, when he went into the field as war correspondent of the New York Tribune. After two years' service in the southwest, he, with his coadjutor, Albert D. Richardson, was captured May 3, 1863, while running the batteries of Vicksburg. They were placed in seven prisons, and finally escaped together from Salisbury, N. C., after twenty months of confinement. In making their escape they marched by night in the dead of winter nearly four hundred miles, over the mountains, to Strawberry Plains in Tennessee. Subsequently Mr. Browne lectured on the war and prison life, and was editorially connected with the New York Tribune, and later with the New York Times. He was New York correspondent at different times of the leading newspapers in the country, and a contributor to the principal magazines. He is the author of Four Years in Secessia, The Great Metropolis, Sights and Sensations in Europe, and several volumes on the French revolution. He died in New York city, April 2, 1902.

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

James Orton, naturalist, was born in Seneca Falls, N.Y., April 21, 1830; son of the Rev. Azariah Giles and Minerva (Squire) Oroton; grandson of Azariah and Abigail (Jackson) Orton, and a descendant of Thomas and Margaret (Pratt) Orton. Azariah G. Orton. Williams, 1813; Princeton Theological seminary, 1820; D.D., University of New York, 1847; Union college, 1850, was a Presbyterian minister, 1822-60, and died in Lisle, N.Y., Dec. 28, 1864. James Orton was graduated at Williams in 1855, and at Andover Theological seminary in 1858. He was married in 1859 to Ellen E. Foote of Williamstown, Mass. He traveled in Europe, 1859-60; was ordained pastor of the Presbyterian church, Greene, N.Y., July 11, 1860; was pastor at Thomaston, Maine, 1861-63, and at Brighton, N.Y., 1863-69. He developed a strong interest in natural history: and while in college successfully conducted a students' expedition to Labrador. He was instructor in natural history at the University of Rochester, N.Y., 1866-69; conducted a scientific expedition to South America under the auspices of Williams college in 1867, and was professor of natural history in Vasaar college, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 1869-77. He made a second expedition to South America in 1873, crossing the continent from Para to Lima by Lake Titicaca, and in 1876, owing to pulmonary trouble, returned to the high plateau regions of Peru and Bolivia, and in the spring of 1877 undertook the exploration of the Beni river, a large tributary of the Amazon. He had in view a preliminary survey for a railroad to connect the navigable waters of the Amazons with the railroad that had been already built from the Pacific coast to La l'az, Bolivia. He was forced, however, to turn back, reaching the eastern shore of Lake Titicaca on Sept. 24, 1877, and died while crossing to the other side. He brought to the United States the first fossils ever reported from the stratified rocks of the Amazon valley, and became one of the highest authorities on the central region of South America. He was a member of numerous scientific societies in the United States and Europe, and his discoveries were second only to those of Alexander Von Humbolt. He contributed articles on the natural history of South America to scientific journals and to the transactions of societies, and is the author of: Miners' Guide and Metallurgists' Directory (1849); The Proverbalist and the Poet (1852); The Andes and the Amazon (1870); Underground Treasures and How to Find Them (1872); The Liberal Education of Women (1873), and Comparative Zo?logy (1875). He died on Lake Titicaca, Peru, Sept. 25, 1877, and was buried on an island in the lake.

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

Pharcellus Church, clergyman, was born in Seneca, N.Y., Aug. 11, 1801; son of Willard and Sarah (Davis) Church, and grandson of Jonathan and Abigail (Cady) Church. He was graduated from Madison university in 1824, was ordained to the Baptist ministry in 1825, and was settled as pastor at Poultney, Vt., where he remained until 1828. In the latter year he was married to Chara Emily, daughter of John Conant, of Brandon, Vt., and afterward held pastorates at Providence, R.I., New Orleans, La., Rochester, N.Y., and Boston, Mass. In 1846 he was sent to Europe as a delegate to the Evangelical alliance. In 1854 he became editor and partial owner of the New York Chronicle, which later merged into the Examiner. He retained his editorial position until 1865, and held his interest in the paper until his death. During his residence in Rochester he became the head of the movement which had for its outcome the establishment of Rochester university. Madison university conferred upon him the degree of D.D. in 1847. His chief works are The Philosophy of Benevolence (1836); Religious Dissensions: their Cause and Cure (1838); Antioch (1842); Pentecost (1843); Life of Theodosia Dean (1851); Mapleton, or More Work for the Maine Laws (1853); and Seed Truths (1871). He died in Tarrytown, N.Y., June 5, 1886.

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