History of Palmyra, (Wayne County) New York United States of America

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Biographies:

Charles Foster Kent, educator, was born at Palmyra, N.Y., Aug. 13, 1867; son of William H. and Helen (Foster) Kent; grandson of James and Sarah (Hotchkiss) Kent and of Joel and Nancy (Reeves) Foster, and a descendant of Elisha (?) Kent, who landed about 1640, and of Christopher Foster, who landed in 1635 and was made freeman in Boston, April 17, 1637. He was graduated from Yale in 1889, and studied at the University of Berlin, Germany, 1891-92; was an instructor at the University of Chicago, 1893-95, and in 1895 was made professor of Biblical literature and history at Brown university. He received the degree of Ph.D. from Yale in 1891. He is the author of: Outlines of Hebrew History (1895); The Wise Men of Ancient Israel and their Proverbs (1895); A History of the Hebrew People: the United Kingdom (1896); The Divided Kingdom (1897); The Messages of the Earlier Prophets (1898); A History of the Jewish People: the Babylonian, Persian and Greek Periods (1899); The Messages of the Later Prophets (1899). He also edited two series of text-books: The Historical Series for Bible Students and The Messages of the Bible.

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

Increase Allen Lapham, naturalist, was born in Palmyra, N.Y., March 7, 1811; son of Seneca and Raehael (Allen) Lapham, and grandson of Increase Allen. His ancestors on his father's side were of English origin, member of the Society of Friends, and settled in America before 1650. His father was a contractor on the Erie canal, and Increase in 1826 entered the engineer service as rodman for his brother Darius, who was an engineer in Canada. He was employed on the Welland and Miami canal until 1827; on the Louisville canal, Ky., 1827-29; as assistant engineer on the Ohio canal, 1829-32, and was secretary of the state board of canal commissioners at Columbus, Ohio, 1833-35. He settled in Milwaukee,Wisconsin Territory, in July, 1886, where he was made register of claims and became a real-estate dealer. He was chief engineer and secretary of the Milwaukee and Rock River canal company which work was abandoned when the railroad was begun. He suggested to the commission of patents the preparation of a catalogue of the grasses of the United States and went to Washington to make arrangements for this work and also for an expedition to the West Indies and South America for the purpose of collecting improved varieties of sugar cane for the planters of Louisiana. The project failed for want of an appropriation. He observed the fluctuations in the level of Lake Michigan as early as 1836, and in 1847 he published three distinct causes for this, namely: the force and direction of the wind, the change of seasons, and the periodical changes of the moon, and on Sept. 8, 1849, he announced the discovery of a slight lunar tide on the lake. He was active in assisting General Meyer in the organization of the department of the signal service known as the division of telegrams and reports for the benefit of commerce in 1870, and he refused the office of meteorologist owing to advancing years, but in November, 1871, accepted temporarily that of assistant at Chicago. Ill. He was appointed chief geologist of Wisconsin by Governor Washburn, April 10, 1873, but the next legislature failed to confirm his appointment and the commission was annulled, Feb. 16, 1875. In 1846 he donated thirteen acres of land for the purpose of establishing a high school in Milwaukee, but the council neglected the trust, and the property was sold for taxes. He was one of the founders of the Milwaukee Female college and president of its board of trustees; a founder and president of the Wisconsin Historical society, and a founder of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters. He was a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Philosophical society, an original member of the American Entomological society, and an honorary member of the Wisconsin Natural History society, and of the Royal Society of Northern Antiquarians of Copenhagen. He made valuable contributions to the transactions of the Wisconsin State Agricultural society, the Wisconsin Historical society, and the Illinois State Agricultural society. Hie herbarium contained at .the time of his death over 8000 species of plants, mostly native to Wisconsin. He was a member of the Society of Friends. He received the degree of LL.D. from Amherst college in 1860. His published works include: A Catalogue of the Plants and Shells found in the Vicinity of Milwaukee (1828); A Geographical and Topographical Description of Wisconsin (1844); Grasses of Wisconsin (1853); Antiquities of Wisconsin (1855); the chapter on the Geology of Southeastern Wisconsin in Foster and Whitney's "Reports on the Geology of Lake Superior" (1852); and numerous contributions to scientific periodicals. He died at Lake Oconomowoc, near Milwaukee, Wis., Sept. 14, 1875.

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

William Farrington Aldrich, representative, was born in Palmyra, N.Y., March 11, 1853; son of William and Louisa (Klapp) Aldrich; grandson of Nathan Aldrich, and a descendant of Bishop Aldrich of Oxford, England. He was educated at the public schools of Palmyra, removed with his father to New York city in 1865, and was graduated in civil engineering at Warren's military academy, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1873. In 1874 he removed to Alabama, where he engaged in mining and established the mining town of Aldrich in Shelby county, Ala. He was nominated by the Republicans and endorsed by the Populists in 1894 as representative from the 4th district of Alabama in the 54th congress. The certificate of election was given to his Democratic opponent, Gaston A. Robbins, and Mr. Aldrich contested the seat on the ground of fraud in the returns and March 13, 1896, he was seated, serving till the close of the 54th congress, March 3, 1897. He was renominated for the 55th congress and claimed re-election in 1896. Thomas Scales Plowman, Democrat, was given the certificate and Mr. Aldrich again successfully contested the election, and was seated Feb. 9, 1898. In 1898 he was a candidate for the 56th congress, and his opponent, F. A. Robbins, received the certificate of election, claiming it by 1230 majority. Mr. Aldrich again contested the seat before the committee on privileges and elections in the 56th congress, where the case was decided in his favor, and he served 1899-1901.

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