History of Burlington, (Chittenden County) Vermont United States of America

Our database does not include an historic photo for Burlington, (Chittenden County) Vermont, do you have one you would like to contribute? Contact Us!

Biographies:

Truman Seymour, soldier, was born in Burlington, Vt., Sept. 24, 1824; grandson of Moses and Mary (Marsh) Seymour. He was a student at Norwich university, 1840?42, under Capt. Alden Partridge, U.S.A., and was graduated from the U.S. Military academy as brevet 2d lieutenant, and was assigned to the 1st artillery, July 1, 1846; serving at Fort Pickens, Fla., and in the war with Mexico. He was commissioned 2d lieutenant, March 3, 1847; was brevetted 1st lieutenant, April 18, 1847, for gallant and meritorious conduct at Cerro Gordo, and captain, Aug. 20, 1847, for Contreras and Churubusco. He was present at the capture of the City of Mexico, Sept. 13?14, 1847, and was in garrison at Fort Hamilton, New York, 1848?49, and at Fort Columbus, 1849?50. He was assistant professor of drawing at the U.S. Military academy, 1850?53; in garrison at Fort Moultrie, S.C., 1853?56; was engaged in the Seminole Indian war, 1856?58, and was promoted captain, Nov. 22, 1860. He was on garrison duty at Fort Moultrie, S.C., in 1860, and engaged in the defence of Fort Sumter, 1860?61, being present at its bombardment, April 13?14, 1861, and brevetted major, April 14, 1861, for the defence of Fort Sumter. He was transferred to the 5th artillery, May 14, 1861; was on regimental recruiting service, July 5?Sept. 24, 1861; was in charge of camp instruction, Harrisburg, Pa., Sept. 24?Nov. 30, 1861, and was chief of artillery in McCall's division in the defence of Washington, D.C., in 1862. He was promoted brigadier-general of U.S. volunteers, April 28, 1862, and commanded a brigade in the department of the Rappahannock, April 28?June 10, 1862. He commanded a brigade, Army of the Potomac, in the Virginia Peninsular campaign; commanded a division in the battle of Malvern Hill; commanded a brigade in the Northern Virginia campaign and in the Maryland campaign. He was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, Sept. 14, 1862, for gallantry at South Mountain, Md., and colonel, Sept. 17, 1862, for meritorious conduct at Antietam, Md. He was chief of staff of artillery in the department of the South, 1862?64; commanded a division on Folly Island, S.C., July 4, 1863; was severely wounded in the assault of Fort Wagner, July 18, 1863; was at the battle of Morris Island, and commanded the forces at Hilton Head, S.C., Ft. Pulaski, Ga., and Tybee and St. Helena islands, 1863?64. He commanded the expedition to Olustee, Fla., Feb. 5?16, 1864; was in command of the District of Florida, February-March, 1864, and commanded a brigade, 6th army corps, Army of the Potomac, May 4?6, 1864. He was captured in the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864, and was held as prisoner of war till Aug. 9, 1864. He commanded a division, 6th army corps in the operations in the Shenandoah valley, October-December, 1864; and in the Richmond campaign, 1864?65. He was brevetted major-general U.S.V., March 13, 1865, for ability and energy in handling his division, and for gallantry and valuable services in action; brigadier-general U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for conduct at the capture of Petersburg, and major-general, March 13, 1865, for services in the field during the rebellion. He was present at the battle of Sailor's Creek, and at the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox, April 9, 1865, and was mastered out of volunteer service, Aug. 24, 1865. He commanded the troops at Key West, Fla., 1865?66; was promoted major of 5th artillery, Aug. 13, 1866; and commanded Fort Warren, Mass., 1869?70, and Fort Preble, Me., 1870?75. He was retired from active service, Nov. 1, 1876, and traveled abroad. The honorary degree of A.M. was conferred on him by Williams college in 1865. He died in Florence, Italy, Oct. 30, 1891.

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

Davis Rich Dewey, educator, was born in Burlington, Vt., April 7, 1858; son of Archibald Sprague and Lucinda Artemesia (Rich) Dewey; grandson of Davis and Affia (Wright) Rich, and a descendant of Thomas Dewey, the settler. He acquired his preparatory education in the public schools and was graduated from the University of Vermont in 1879. He then taught school, 1879-83, being principal of the high school in Hyde Park, Chicago, Ill., 1881-83. He took a post-graduate course in history and political economy at Johns Hopkins university, where for one year he held a fellowship, and was graduated with the degree of Ph.D. in 1886. He was appointed to the chair of economics and statistics at the Massachusetts institute of technology, Boston, in 1886, and was elected secretary of the American statistical association in the same year. He became editor of the quarterly publications of the association, which had been suspended for many years, and was energetic in increasing its membership. He was elected a member of the American economic association, to whose publications he made contributions. He is the author of a Syllabus of Political History of the Nineteenth Century (1887), afterward revised and enlarged in co-operation with Prof. Charles H. Levermore. In 1894-95 he served as chairman of the Massachusetts committee on the unemployed which submitted a report in print. In 1896-97 he served as a member of a special commission to report on the charitable and reformatory interests and institutions of Massachusetts.

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

William Isaac Fletcher, librarian, was born in Burlington, Vt., April 28, 1844; son of Stillman and Elizabeth (Severance) Fletcher; grandson of Reuben Fletcher; and a direct descendant in the 8th generation of Robert Fletcher, who settled in Concord, Mass., in 1630. He was educated in the public schools of Winchester, Mass., and was assistant in the Boston athen?um, 1861-66. He was librarian of the Silas Bronson library, Waterbury, Conn., 1869-72; of the public library, Lawrence, Mass., 1872-74; in the Hartford, Conn., public libraries, 1874-83; and in 1883 was appointed librarian of Amherst college, from which he received the honorary degree of A.M. in 1884. He was admitted to the American library association in 1877. In 1869 he was married to Annie Le Baron, daughter of Francis Richmond of Hartford, Conn. He was collaborator on and continuator of Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1882-97); editor of the Annual Literary Index (1887-97); and published Public Libraries in America and Index to General Literature (1894).

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

Edson Baldwin Olds, representative, was born in Burlington, Vt., in 1819; son of the Rev. Gamaliel Smith Olds . He lived in Athens, Ga., with his parents, 1825-26, and in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., 1826-41, where he prepared himself for the medical profession. In 1841 he removed with his parents to Circlerville, Ohio, where he practiced as a physician and surgeon, and was married to Anna Maria Carolus. He was a Democratic representative from the ninth district of Ohio in the 31st, 32d and 33d congresses, 1849-55, and was defeated in 1854 for the 34th congress by Samuel Galloway, candidate of the Antislavery party. He was a representative from Pickaway county in the Ohio legislature, 1842-43 and 1845-46; a state senator from Fairfield and Pickaway, 1846-48, and speaker of the senate, 1846-47, and representative from Fairfield county, 1869-66, having removed to Lancaster. He was accused of disloyalty to the government in 1862, and was imprisoned in Fort Lafayette, but the charge not being sustained he was released and took his seat in the state legislature. He built a church in Lancaster in 1865 with the understanding that it "should be free from the heresy of regarding slavery and rebellion as sins." He died in Lancaster, Ohio, Jan. 24, 1869.

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