History of Wilkes-Barre, (Luzerne County) Pennsylvania United States of America

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Biographies:

Edmund Lovell Dana, soldier, was born in Wilkesbarre, Pa., Jan. 29, 1817; son of Asa Stevens and Nancy (Pruner), grandson of Anderson and Sarah (Stevens), great-grandson of Anderson and Susanna (Huntington) Dana, and second cousin of Alexander Hope Dana. He attended Wilkesbarre academy and was graduated from Yale in 1838. After spending one year as a civil engineer he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1841. At the outbreak of the Mexican war he was a captain of the Wyoming artillerists, which formed a part of the 1st Pennsylvania volunteers, and served throughout the war. He practised law in Wilkesbarre until 1861, and at the beginning of the civil war was made major-general of the 9th division, Pennsylvania militia. He was chosen colonel of the 143d Pennsylvania volunteers, Oct. 18, 1862, and served at Chancellorsville. Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Hatcher's Run, and the Weldon railroad, besides many minor engagements. At Gettysburg the command of a brigade devolved upon him, and he rendered distinguished service during the three days' battle. He was wounded at the Wilderness and was taken prisoner, May 5, 1864, being confined at Macon, Ga., and at Charleston, S.C. He was exchanged Aug. 3, 1864. On Aug. 23, 1865, he was mustered out with the rank of brevet brigadier-general. He was judge of Luzerne county, 1867-77, retiring in the latter year to private life. He was a founder and the first president of the Wyoming historical and geological society, president of the Society of the army of the Potomac, and president of the Osterhout free library of Wilkesbarre. He died in Wilkesbarre, Pa., April 25, 1889.

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

Samuel Bowman, assistant bishop of Pennsylvania and 64th in succession in the American episcopate, was born at Wilkesbarre, Pa., May 21, 1800. He was educated by private instructors, and his theological course was made under the direction of Bishop White. He was ordained deacon in 1823, and priest, 1824. The first years of his ministry were spent in Lancaster county. In 1825 he became rector of Trinity church, Easton, Pa., and in 1827 returned to Lancaster county as assistant to the Rev. Joseph Clarkson, upon whose decease, in 1830, he succeeded to the rectorate of St. James parish, Lancaster, remaining in this charge until his death. In 1843 he received his degree of doctor of divinity from Geneva college, and in 1847 he was elected by the general convention bishop of Indiana, but declined to serve; shortly after declining the nomination of provincial bishop of Peansylvania. He was chosen, in 1858, as assistant to Bishop Alonzo Potter and consecrated bishop, Aug. 25, 1858, and while on a visitation in the western section of the diocese he died by the wayside near Butler, Pa., his body being found Aug. 3, 1861.

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

George Catlin, author, was born in Wilkesbarre, Pa., July 26, 1796; son of Putnam and Polly (Sutton) Catlin, and grandson of Eli and Elizabeth (Way) Catlin, his grandfather being a captain in the revolutionary army. He was educated at home, and during 1817 and 1818 studied at a law school at Litchfield, Conn., where he became noted as an amateur artist. He followed his profession in New York, Buffalo, Norfolk, and in Philadelphia, from 1823 to 1829, and later travelled in all parts of America and Europe, becoming especially well-known as a painter of North American Indians. From 1852 to 1857 he travelled in Central and South America, and spent the following fourteen years in Europe. Among his published writings, all of which are profusely illustrated by himself, may be noted: Notes of Eight Years' Travels and Residence in Europe with his North American Indian Collection (1848); Museum of Mankind (1851); Illustrations of the Manners, Customs and Condition of the North American Indians (7th ed., 1848); The Breath of Life (1864); Last Rambles amongst the Indians of the Rocky Mountains and the Andes (1868); The Lifted and Subsided Rocks of America (1870); Life Among the Indians (1847); and O-Kee-pa; a Religious Ceremony; and other Customs of the Mandans (1867). He died in Jersey City, N. J., Dec. 23, 1872.

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

Garrick Mallery, ethnologist, was born at Wilkesbarre, Pa., April 23, 1831; son of Judge Garrick and ??? (Harris) Mallery. His first ancestor in America came to Boston from England in 1638 and settled in New Haven, Conn., with Theophilus Eaton's company in 1641. Another ancestor, John Harris, was the founder of Harrisburg, Pa., and another, William Maclay, was the first U.S. senator from Pennsylvania. His father (born in Middlebury, Conn., April 17, 1784, died in Philadelphia, Pa., July 6, 1866), was graduated from Yale, 1808; was a lawyer; representative in the Pennsylvania legislature, 1827-31; judge, Northumberland county, 1831-36, and received LL.D. from Lafayette, 1840. Garrick, Jr., was graduated from Yale, A.B., 1850; and from the University of Pennsylvania, LL.B., 1853; and practised law in Philadelphia, 1853-61. He joined the volunteer infantry as 1st lieutenant, April 15, 1861, was promoted captain in the 71st Pennsylvania volunteers, June 4, 1861, and served in Virginia until taken prisoner before Richmond in 1862. He was confined in Libby prison, exchanged in 1868 and promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 13th Pennsylvania volunteer cavalry, Feb. 17, 1863, and commanded a regiment in several engagements in Virginia in that year. On account of wounds he joined the veteran reserve corps as lieutenant-colonel, July l, 1864; served as judge advocate of courts martial from July, 1864, to September, 1865, and was brevetted colonel of volunteers for gallant and meritorious services during the war, March 1865. He entered the regular service as captain in the 43d U.S. infantry, July 28, 1866, and served as inspector of the bureau of refugees, freedmen, and abandoned lands for the district of Virginia, January to July, 1866. He was mustered out of the veteran reserve corps, Nov. 5, 1866, and was brevetted major and lieutenant-colonel, U.S.A., March 2, 1867, for gallant and meritorious services at Garnett's Farm, June 27, 1862, and in the battle of Peach Orchard, Va., June 29, 1862. He was acting inspector-general and assistant adjutant-general of the bureau of refugees, freedmen and abandoned lands, for the district of Virginia; acting judge advocate of the 1st military district of Virginia; secretary of state; adjutant-general, and for a short time acting governor of Virginia during the reconstruction period. He subsequently served as judge advocate of the general court-martial at Fort McHenry, Md. He was acting signal officer and assistant to the chief signal officer at Washington, D.C., 1870-76; was assigned to the 1st U.S. infantry, Dec. 15, 1876, and commanded Fort Rice, Dak. Ty., 1876-77. While there he made investigation into the pictographs and mythologies of the Dakota Indians, which led to his appointment to Major Powell's geological and geographical survey of the Rocky Mountain region, where he devoted himself to the ethnology of the North American Indian. He was retired from the U.S. army, July 1, 1879, on account of wounds received in the civil war, and was chief of the bureau of ethnology, Washington, D.C., 1879-94. He was founder and president of the Anthropological society and of the Cosmos society of Washington, D.C.; president of the Philosophical society, and of the Literary society of Washington, and of the joint commission of the scientific societies of Washington; also chairman of the Anthropological section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1881. He is the author of: A Calendar of the Dakota Nation (1877); The Former and Present Number of our Indians (1878); Introduction to the Study of the Sign Language among the North American Indians as Illustrating the Gesture Speech of Mankind (1880); Gesture Signs and Signals of the North American Indians with some Comparisons (1880); Sign Language anomg the North American Indians compared with that of other Peoples and Deaf Mutes (1881); Pictographs of the North American Indians (1886); Manners and Meals (1888); Philosophy and Specialties (1889); Israelite and Indian, a Parallel in Planes of Culture (1889); Custom of Courtesy (1890). He died in Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 1894.

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