History of Bradford, (Orange County) Vermont United States of America

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Biographies:

Charles Edgar Clark, naval officer, was born in Bradford, Vt., Aug. 10, 1843; son of James Dayton and Mary (Sexton) Clark; grandson of Charles Clark born in Roxbury, Mass.; and great-grandson of Thomas James Clark, an officer of the troops sent by Washington to occupy Dorchester Heights. His mother was a daughter of Maj. Hiram Sexton of Brookfield, Vt, a soldier of the war of 1812, and granddaughter of Captain Williams of Wilmington, Vt., an officer of the Revolutionary army. His first American ancestor, Robert Williams, from whom he was descended on both the paternal and maternal sides, settled in Roxbury, Mass., in 1636, and his descendants were conspicuous in the French and Indian wars, especially at the battle of Lake George, where Col. Ephraim Williams, the founder of Williams college, and his brother, were killed. Charles was appointed to the U.S. naval academy, Sept. 29, 1860, through the influence of Senator Morrill, and his first sea voyage was on board the Constitution when that historic frigate transferred the cadets from Annapolis to Newport in April, l861. He was promoted acting ensign, Oct. 1, 1863; master, May 10, 1866; lieutenant, Feb. 21, 1867; lieutenant-commander, March 12, 1868; commander, Nov. 15, 1881, and captain, June 21, 1896. He was appointed to the Ossipee, attached to Admiral Farragut's fleet, and commanded the forward gun division. The Ossipee was the last vessel of the fleet to ram the Confederate iron-clad Tennessee, and Ensign Clark was the first officer to exchange words with Captain Johnson when he appeared above the casement to surrender the ship. He was wrecked in the Suwanee, July 7, 1868, near the northern end of Vancouver Island, and, though the fifth officer in rank, was left in command on Hope Island with thirty-three men when the remainder of the crew was taken off by H.M.S. Sparrowhawk. Before relief reached him his camp was surrounded by four hundred armed Indians. He served at sea on the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic stations, 1865-83, with the exception of the years, 1870-73, when he was instructor at the naval academy. He commanded the Ranger, 1883-86, and was in charge of the survey of the west coast of Mexico and Central America. He also commanded the patrol fleet made up of the Mohican, Concord, Yorktown, Adams, Ranger, Alert and Petrel, with the revenue vessels Albatross, Bear and Corwin, sent to the Bering sea, May 16, 1894, to enforce the terms of the Paris arbitration commission in reference to the seal-fisheries act. On March 17, 1898, he took command of the battleship Oregon at San Francisco, Cal., and on March 19, sailed for Cuban waters to co-operate with the Atlantic squadron against threatened war with Spain. The run of 14,000 miles was made at the highest practicable speed by the unprecedented exertion of officers and crew. The Oregon reached Rio de Janeiro, April 30, when Captain Clark was first informed of the actual existence of war with Spain and of the departure of the Spanish fleet from the Cape Verde islands westward, with authority from the naval department to delay his departure from that port if his leaving should be deemed dangerous. He however completed coaling; dropped his slower consorts the Marietta and the Nictheroy off Cape Frio and pushed the battleship at full speed to Bahia, from where, after a council with his officers in which he referred to the tactics of the survivor of the Horatii, he cabled the navy department as follows: "The Oregon could steam fourteen knots for hours, and, in a running fight might beat off and even cripple the Spanish fleet." His plan as well as his rapid advance met the approval of the department, and the official opinion was then expressed that if the Oregon should suddenly encounter the Spanish fleet she would defeat it. Of this telegram Senator Lodge wrote: "And those who read these words think of Sir Richard Grenville in the years gone by"; while as to his plan as outlined to the department for fighting the Spanish fleet, and his reference in the council to the survivor of the Horatii, Captain Mahan wrote: "An instructive instance of drawing such support from the very fountain heads of military history in the remote and even legendary past is given by Captain Clark." In the battle of Santiago, July 3, 1898, after the apparently uninjured Spanish ships had passed to the westward of all the United States battleships except the Brooklyn, the Oregon rushed by the other vessels comprising the fleet, and at the close range of 900 yards sought action with the Maria Teresa, then with the Oquando and then with the Vizcaya, each in the order named turning from the iron hail of the Oregon and running ashore there to suffer destruction from the effect of the terrible punishment received from the concentrated fire of the entire fleet. The Oregon in addition to her rapid fire and her secondary battery, discharged thirty-two of the 13-inch shells. After the three named Spanish battleships retired in flames the Oregon and the Brooklyn hurried on in pursuit of the Colon. After nearly two hours of unremitting effort the American ships began to close, and it was a last shell from the Oregon passing over the Colon that compelled her captain to run her ashore and haul down the flag. This action, a precedent in the annals of naval history, proved an education to the entire world. Captain Clark was married to Maria Louisa, daughter of W. T. Davis of Greenfield, Mass. Of their two daughters, Mary Louisa was married to Lieut. S. S. Robinson, U.S.N., and Carolina Russell to Lieut. C. F. Hughes, U.S.N.

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

Daniel Kimball Pearsons, philanthropist, was born in Bradford, Vt., April 14, 1820; son of John and Hannah (Putnam) Pearsons; grandson of John Putnam, and a descendant of Gen. Israel Putnam. He was a pupil at the public school, 1826-36; a teacher, 1836-41; was graduated from the medical college at Woodstock, Vt., M.D., in 1842, and practised in Chicopee, Mass., 1849-53. He was married in August, 1847, to Marietta, daughter of Giles S. Chapin of Chicopee, Mass. He engaged in farming in Ogle county, Ill., 1857-60, and in the real estate business in Chicago, Ill., 1860-87. He was alderman of the city of Chicago, 1873-76, and during the financial crisis when certificates of indebtedness were issued for the payment of city debts, he was largely instrumental in the restoration of the credit of the city. He retired from active business in 1887, but retained the directorship in the Chicago City Railway Co., and in other corporations. He gave sums of money aggregating $3,500,000 to various educational and other institutions, including McCormick Theological seminary; Chicago Theological seminary; Lake Forest college; Beloit college; Yukon college, S.D.; Mount Holyoke college; Drury college; Colorado college, and Knox college.

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