History of Holmesburg, (Philadelphia County) Pennsylvania United States of America

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Biographies:

Thomas George Gentry, educator, was born in Holmesburg, Pa., Feb. 28, 1843; son of Alfred and Caroline (Dewees) Gentry; grandson of Thomas and Susanna (Castor) Gentry, and of Charles and Sarah (Adams) Dewees. He was educated at the Philadelphia, Fayette Consolidated and Central High schools, and leaving the high school before graduating, worked on a farm three years, during which time he kept up his studies in languages and natural sciences, taking up in course, botany, entomology, ornithology and mammalogy. He entered the profession of teaching in 1861, conducting schools in the vicinity of Philadelphia and in the city. In 1884 he was elected principal of the Southwest boys' grammar school, which was subsequently known as the U.S. Grant boys' grammar school, and in 1890 the three schools in the same building were united and placed under his supervision. He was married, Dec. 27, 1864, to Mary, daughter of Alan and Susanna (Berkheimer) Shoemaker of Lewisburg, Pa. He was elected a member of the Philadelphia academy of natural sciences in 1870; of the Nuttall ornithological club, Cambridge, Mass., in 1876; of the Canadian entomological society in 1876; of the Davenport academy of sciences in 1876; of the Franklin literary society of the University of Pennsylvania in 1876 and of the American academy of political and social science in 1890. He received the degree of Sc.D. from the Chicago college of science in 1888 for meritorious work. He published: Life Histories of Birds of Eastern Pennsylvania (1876-77); The House Sparrow at Home and Abroad (1878); Nests and Eggs of Birds of the United States (1882); Family Names (1892); Pigeon River and Other Poems (1892); Life and Immortality; or, Soul in Plants and Animals (1897), and many magazine articles.

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

John Gibbon, soldier, was born near Holmesburg, Pa., April 20, 1827. He was appointed to the U.S. military academy from North Carolina, and was graduated in 1847, joining the 4th artillery as 2d lieutenant in the army of invasion, Mexico, and was stationed in the City of Mexico after its occupation. He was then on frontier duty and in the Seminole war. He was instructor of artillery at the Military academy, 1854-57, and quartermaster, 1856-59. On Oct. 29, 1861, he was made chief of artillery in McDowell's division of the Federal army; was made brigadier-general of volunteers, May 2, 1862; major-general June 7, 1864, and was honorably mustered out of the volunteer service, Jan. 15, 1866. He received promotions in the permanent service from brevet 2d lieutenant, 3d artillery, July 1, 1847, to the successive ranks of 2d lieutenant, 4th artillery, Sept. 13, 1847; 1st lieutenant, Sept. 12, 1850; captain, Nov. 2, 1859, and colonel of the 36th infantry, July 22, 1866. He was transferred to the 7th infantry, March 15, 1869, was made brigadier-general, July 10, 1885, and was retired from active service by operation of law, April 20, 1891. His brevet commissions were as follows: major, Sept. 17, 1862, for gallant and meritorious services in the battle of Antietam, Md.; lieutenant-colonel, Dec. 13, 1862, for Fredericksburg, Va.; colonel, July 4, 1863, for Gettysburg, Pa.; brigadier-general, March 13, 1865, for Spottsylvania, Va., and major-general March 13, 1865, for Petersburg, Va. At Fredericksburg he commanded a division and was wounded; at Gettysburg he commanded the 2d corps and was severely wounded, being disabled for four months. He commanded the 2d division, 2d corps, 1864, from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and commanded the 24th corps before Petersburg in 1865. He commanded the Yellowstone expedition against Sitting Bull in 1876: fought Chief Joseph and the Nez Perc?s at Big Hole Pass in 1877, where he was wounded; commanded the department of the Columbia, 1885, and took measures to suppress the anti-Chinese riots; and commanded the department of the Pacific with headquarters at San Francisco at the time of his retirement. He published: The Artillerist's Manual (1859); and Our Indian Policy for the Military Service Magazine, for which he received a prize medal He died in Baltimore, Md., Feb. 6, 1896.

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