History of East Greenwich, (Kent County) Rhode Island United States of America

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Biographies:

Silas Casey, soldier, was born at East Greenwich, R. I., July 12, 1807; son of Wanton and Elizabeth (Goodale) Casey. He was graduated at West Point in 1826, and served on frontier duty in Iowa, and in garrison and on recruiting duty in New York state and Michigan until 1836, when he was promoted 1st lieutenant. From 1837 to 1841 he served in the Florida war, being advanced to the rank of captain in 1839. He served during 1847-48 in the Mexican war; on Aug. 20, 1847, received the brevet rank of major for his conduct at the battles of Contreras and Churubusco, and on Sept. 13, 1847, was brevetted lieutenant-colonel for gallantry in the battle of Chapultepec, in which engagement he was wounded. In 1855 he was promoted lieutenant-colonel, and served on frontier duty until 1861, when he was made brigadier-general of volunteers. In October, 1861, he was promoted colonel, and he served with distinction during the civil war, winning the brevet rank of brigadier-general for Fair Oaks. On May 31, 1862, he was made major-general of volunteers, and on March 13, 1865, was brevetted major-general for gallant and meritorious services during the war. He was mustered out of the volunteer service Aug. 24, 1865, and later in that year was placed in command of troops at Fort Wayne and Detroit, Mich. He was retired from active service July 8, 1868, on his own application, after forty consecutive years of service. He is the author of Infantry Tactics (2 vols., 1861), and Infantry Tactics for Colored Troops (1863). He was married July 12, 1830, to Abby Perry, daughter of the Hon. Dut?e Jerauld and Abigail Coggeshall (Perry) Pearce, of Newport, R. I. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., Jan. 22, 1882.

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

George Washington Greene, educator, was born in East Greenwich, R.I., April 8, 1811; son of Nathanael and Anna Maria (Clarke) Greene. His father was the second son of Maj.-Gen. Nathanael Greene, and his mother a niece of Gov. Samuel Ward, member of the Continental congress. He entered Brown university in 1825, but left to travel in Europe for his health after he had passed his junior year. He was U.S. consul at Rome, 1837-45. He returned to the United States in 1848, and was instructor of modern languages in Brown university, 1848-52; a teacher and author in New York city, 1852-65; at East Greenwich, R.I., 1865-83; and lecturer at Cornell university on American history, 1871-73. He is the author of: Life of Gen. Nathanael Greene in Sparks's American biography (1846); Primary Lessons in French (1849); Companion to Ollendorff's French Grammar (1850); Primary Lessons in Italian (1850); History and Geography of the Middle Ages (1851); Biographical Studies (1860); Historical View of the American Revolution (1865); Life of Nathanael Greene (3 vols., 1867-71); The German Element in the War of America (1876); and Short History of Rhode Island (1877). He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Brown university in 1833, and that of LL.D. from Bowdoin in 1875. He died in East Greenwich, R.I., Feb. 2, 1883.

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

Albert Collins Greene, senator, was born in East Greenwich, R.I., April 15, 1791; son of Perry and Elisa (Belcher) Greene; grandson of Nathaniel and Mary (Mott) Greene, and a descendant of John Greene, a surgeon who came to America from Salisbury, England, in 1635. He received his education in Kent academy, East Greenwich, was admitted to the bar in New York city and practised his profession in Rhode Island. He was a member of the general assembly, 1815-16, 1822-25; brigadier-general, commanding the 4th brigade, R.I. state militia, 1816-21, and major-general of the militia of the state, 1822-25; attorney general of the state, 1825-43; state senator, 1843-44; U.S. senator, 1845-51; and again a state senator, 1851-52, and a representative in the general assembly, 1857-58. He was married, March 16, 1814, to Catherine Celia, daughter of William Greene, and four children by the marriage survived him. After the death of his first wife he was married to Mrs. Julia Bourne Jones, widow of Abel Jones and daughter of Benjamin Bourne. There were no children by this marriage. He received the honorary degree of A.M. from Brown university in 1827. He died in Providence, R.I., Jan. 8, 1863.

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

Gideon Olin, representative, was born in East Greenwich, R.I., Oct. 22, 1743: son of John and Susannah (Pierce) Olin, and grandson of John (who came from Wales about 1678), and Susannah (Spencer) Olin, and of Jeremiah Pierce. He was educated in Rhode Island and settled in Shaftsbury, Bennington county, Vt., in 1776. He was a delegate to the Windsor convention of June 4, 1777; was made major of the 2d Vermont regiment in 1778, and served on the frontier during the Revolution. He represented Shaftsbury in the state legislature, and was speaker of the house, 1788-93; was assistant judge of the Bennington county court, 1781-98 and 1800-02, and one of the councilors of state, 1793-98. He was a delegate to the constitutional conventions of 1791 and 1793; was a representative in the 8th and 9th congresses, 1803-07, and was chief-justice of the Bennington county court, 1807-11. He was a founder of the University of Vermont, and one of the firmest friends and supporters of the state government before the state conventions of 179l and 1793. He was married, Dec. 10, 1768, to Patience Dwinnell, and secondly to Mrs. Lydia (Myers) Pope. He died in Shaftsbury, Vt., Jan. 21, 1823.

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