History of Montpelier, (Washington County) Vermont United States of America

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

Biographies:

Thomas Waterman Wood, artist, was born in Montpelier, Vt., Nov. 12, 1823; son of John and Mary (Waterman) Wood. He attended the district school and academy in Washington county, and studied art in Boston. He was married, in Burlington, Vt., Sept. 24, 1850, to Minerva, daughter of the Rev. Sylvanus Ronsinson of Northfield, Vt.; she died May 15, 1889. In 1852 Mr. Wood established a studio in New York city, and his small portraits attracted the attention of the Queen's painter in Quebec, and led to orders for portraits of many noted Canadians. In 1856-57 he painted portraits of several of the statesmen resident at Washington, D.C., and in 1858, in Baltimore, Md., finished "The Baltimore News Vender," his first essay at genre painting, and the ownership of which became a question at law between two prominent citizens of Baltimore, when exhibited in the National Academy of Design. He studied in Europe, 1859-60, his tour including London, Paris, Rome and Florence. In 1861, he was in Louisville, Ky., and there painted "Triplicate," depicting the transition of the Negro from slavery to freedom, secured by the Metropolitan Museum of Art through the liberality of Charles S. Smith. In 1866 Mr. Wood returned to New York city; was elected an associate of the National Academy of Design in 1869, and an Academician in 1871. He was president of the American Water-Color society, 1878-87; vice-president of the National Academy of Design, 1879-91, and its president, 1891-99; president of the Aldine club; a member of the Century association, the Salmagundi and Country clubs of New York city, and the Apollo club of Montpelier, in which city he established a public art gallery, 1894-96. He died in the New York City hospital, April 13, 1903.

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

Hannibal Day, soldier, was born in Montpelier, Vt., in 1804; son of Sylvester Day, M.D. assistant surgeon, U.S.A. He was graduated at the U.S. military academy in 1823, and was assigned to the 2d infantry. He was promoted 1st lieutenant, April 4, 1832; captain, July 7, 1838; major, Feb. 23, 1852; lieutenant-colonel, Feb. 25, 1861; colonel, Jan. 7, 1862; and brigadier-general by brevet, March 13, 1865. He was in the Black Hawk expedition of 1832, in the Florida wars of 1838-39 and 1841-42, and in the Mexican war, 1846-47. At the battle of Gettysburg, 1863, he commanded the 1st brigade of Ayer's division, in the 5th corps, at the defence of Little Round Top. He commanded Fort Hamilton, N.Y. harbor, 1863-64, was retired from active duty after forty years' service, Aug. 1. 1863, and served on military commissions and courts-martial, 1864-69, when he retired. He died in Morristown, N.J., March 26, 1891.

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

George Dewey, naval officer, was born in Montpelier, Vt., Dec. 26, 1837; son of Dr. Julius Yemans and Mary (Perrin), grandson of Capt. Simeon and Prudence (Yemans), great-grandson of William and Rebecca (Carrier), great-great-grandson of Simeon and Anna (Phelps), great-great-great-grandson of William and Mercy (Bailey), great-great-great-great-grandson of Josiah and Mehitable (Miller), great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Sergt. Josiah and Hepzibah (Lyman), and great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson of Thomas Dewey who emigrated from Sandwich, Kent, England, about 1630. Dr. Julius Y. Dewey (M.D., University of Vermont, 1824), organized the National life insurance company, and was its president, 1851-77. George was educated in the public school and academy and in Norwich university, and was appointed to the naval academy at Annapolis, entering Sept. 23, 1854. He was graduated in 1858 fifth in the class, and was assigned to the U.S. steam frigate Wabash attached to the Mediterranean squadron. On his return home in 1859 he had attained the rank of ensign and was on leave of absence in 1861 when the news of the fall of Sumter reached Montpelier and he at once reported to Washington for duty. He was promoted passed midshipman, Jan. 19, 1861; master, Feb. 23, 1861, and lieutenant, April 19, 1861. He was assigned to the Mississippi and was second officer on that vessel in the West Gulf squadron ordered to capture New Orleans and he took part in the operations of Farragut and Porter that resulted in the reduction of Forts Jackson and St. Philip and the capture of the city, April 29, 1862. When the fleet undertook to run the batteries of Port Hudson the Mississippi, retarded by the disabling of the Richmond, was swept on the flats 100 yards from the battery and speedily sot on fire. After Dewey had spiked the guns he left the ship with Captain Smith in a small boat, the sailors having made their escape by swimming to the opposite shore. In July, 1863, Lieutenant Dewey was with the gunboat flotilla that engaged the Confederate batteries below Donaldsonville and in 1864 he was attached to the Agawam of the North Atlantic squadron. He was subsequently transferred to the Colorado, and with that vessel engaged in both attacks on Fort Fisher, N.C., December, 1864, and January, 1865. He was commissioned lieutenant-commander, March 3, 1865; was executive officer on the Kearsarge, 1865-67; and second officer on board the Colorado of the European squadron, 1867-68. He was assigned to duty at the naval academy in 1868 and in 1870 received his first command, that of the Narragansett. He was on special service, 1876-72, receiving while on that service his commission as commander, April 13, 1872. He had charge of the Pacific survey, 1872-75; was lighthouse inspector, 1876-77; secretary of the lighthouse board, 1877-82; and was in command of the Juniata of the Asiatic squadron, 1882-84. He was made captain, Sept. 27, 1884; commanded the Dolphin of the white squadron, 1884-85; the Pensacola, flagship of the European squadron, 1885-88; was chief of the bureau of equipment and recruiting, 1888-93; was on the lighthouse board, 1893-95; was commissioned commodore, Feb. 28, 1896, and served as president of the board of inspection and survey at Washington, D.C., 1896-97. He was assigned to the command of the Asiatic squadron Nov. 80, 1897. He took command Jan. 1, 1898, and when war with Spain was declared in April, 1898, the British proclamation of neutrality that followed obliged Commodore Dewey to leave Hong Kong, April 28, 1898, with his fleet, which consisted of the Olympia, flagship, the Baltimore, Boston, Raleigh, Concord, Petrel, McCulloch, revenue cutter, Nanshan, collier, and Zafiro, supply ship; nine vessels manned by 1694 officers and men. His orders from Washington were to capture or destroy the Spanish Pacific squadron, then in harbor in Manila Bay. He reached the south channel leading into the bay, April 80, 1898, at 11:30 P.M., and disregarding the torpedoes with which the place was reported to be guarded, he made his way silently up the channel. When the greater part of his fleet had passed within the protection of the bay the Spanish forts first opened fire from a shore battery, their shot going far wide of the mark and doing no damage to the invading fleet. When daylight broke on May 1, 1898, the United States squadron was off the city of Manila, and at 5:15 A.M., five batteries defending the city ?three of which were located at Manila and two near Cavit?, ?and the Spanish fleet, comprising the Reina Cristina, Castilla, Don Antonio de Ulloa, Don Juan de Austria, Isla de Cuba, Isla de Luzon, General Lezo, Marques del Duero, El Correo, Velasco, Isla de Mindanao, Rapido and Hercules, opened fire. The United States fleet returned the fire at 5:41 A.M., maintaining a line parallel to that of the anchored Spanish fleet, and then counter-steaming, again passed the line of Spanish warships and continued to give and receive steady fire as the successive ships passed an antagonist. Admiral Montojo commanding the Spanish fleet, made a desperate effort to steam the Reina Christina, his flagship, out of the line so as to engage more effectively the passing antagonists. The Olympia met the attempt with the full weight of her battery that nearly disabled the Spanish battleship, set it on fire, and forced the Spanish admiral behind the shelter of Cavit? Point, where the vessel continued to burn and finally sank, her crew escaping to the shore. A threat from Commodore Dewey to the governor-general of Manila to shell the city unless the land batteries ceased firing, silenced the forts, and at 7:35 A.M., the United States fleet withdrew out of range of the guns of the enemy's fleet and the crews were ordered to breakfast. When the attack was renewed at 11:16 A.M., the commodore found the Spanish ships on fire and rapidly being put out of fighting condition by the flames. By 12.30 P.M., the Spanish batteries were silenced and all their ships either sunk or deserted and burning. The Petrel completed the work of destruction by firing the smaller gunboats that had sought refuge behind Cavit? Point, and the eight warships with seven men slightly wounded and with no serious damage to any of the vessels, anchored off Manila and held the city at their mercy. On the arrival of General Merritt with sufficient troops to hold the city, the fleet combined with the land forces in a simultaneous attack on the city, on Aug. 13, 1898, and after six hours' engagement Flag-Lieutenant Thomas M. Brumby of the Olympia, raised the Stars and Stripes over the captured city. After the battle of Manila Bay, May 1, 1898, Commodore Dewey was raised to the rank of acting rear-admiral by President McKinley and received from the joint houses of congress a vote of thanks for his signal victory over the Spanish fleet without the loss of a single American life. Congress also presented to him an elegant sword, and caused a medal to be cast to be presented to the commodore and to each officer and man in his fleet. In 1899 congress by special act created the rank of admiral and the President named him for the office and rank which had been held only by Farragut and Porter. He left Manila with the Olympia in April, 1899, making the voyage home by way of India, Red Sea, Suez canal, and the Mediterranean, reaching New York the last of September. He was given a notable series of public ovations at New York city, Washington, D.C., Montpelier, Vt., and Boston, Mass. He then returned to Washington, where he acted with the Philippine commission of which he was a member. He was married, Oct. 24, 1867, to Susie, daughter of Gov. Ichabod Goodwin of New Hampshire. She died, Dec. 28, 1872, leaving one son, George Goodwin, born, Dec. 23, 1872. On Nov. 9. 1899, he was married to Mrs. Mildred McLean Hazen, widow of Gen. W. B. Hazen, U.S.A., and daughter of Washington McLean of Cincinnati, Ohio. Admiral Dewey received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and from Princeton university in 1898, and the degree of Master of military science from Norwich university the same year. Several biographies of Admiral Dewey were published in 1899 and a carefully compiled genealogical record of the Dewey family in America.

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