History of Westminster, (Windham County) Vermont United States of America

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Biographies:

Jerome Allen, educator, was born in Westminster, Vt., July 17, 1830; son of David and Eliza (Graves) Allen; grandson of Silas Allen of Heath, Mass., and a descendant of the Allens of Devonshire, England. He was graduated at Amherst college in 1851; studied theology at East Windsor Hill theological seminary (Hartford theological seminary), 1851-'52; was principal of the academy at Maquoketa, Iowa, 1854; professor of natural sciences in Alexander college, Dubuque, Iowa, 1855-'58; principal of Bowen collegiate institute, 1858-'61; founder and president of Lenox college, Hopkinton, Iowa, 1861-'68. He was the organizer of normal institutes in Iowa and was one of the charter members of the Iowa state teachers' association, and also for a time, editor of the Iowa Journal of Education. He was institute conductor in New York state in 1869-'70; professor of natural sciences, state normal school, Geneseo, N.Y., 1780-81; editor of Barnes's Educational Monthly, 1876-'80; president of the New York state teachers' association, 1880; president of the normal section of the National educational association, 1880; president of the State normal school, St. Cloud, Minn., 1881-'84; editor of the School Journal and Teachers Institute, New York, 1884-'90; one of the founders of and dean of the school of pedagogy, University of the city of New York, 1890-'94, and professor emeritus, 1894. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from Lenox college in 1881. He published "An Elementary Grammar," "National System of Map Drawing," "Laboratory Practice in Chemistry," "Short Studies in English," "Lectures on the History of Education," "Mind Studies for Young Teachers," "Training of Teachers in Scotland," and articles in periodicals and cyclop?dias. He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., May 26, 1894.

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

William Czar Bradley, representative, was born in Westminster, Vt., March 23, 1782; son of Stephen Row and Merab (Atwater) Bradley. He attended Yale one year, studied law; was admitted to the bar in 1802, and practiced at Westminster, Vt., until 1858. He was secretary of the commissioners of bankruptcy 1800-03; prosecuting attorney for Windham county 1804-11; representative in the state legislature 1806-07 and in 1850; a member of the governor's council in 1812, and a Democratic representative in the 13th, 18th and 19th congresses. He was agent under the treaty of Ghent for determining the Northwestern boundary, 1815-20; and a member of the state constitutional convention in 1857. He received the degree A.M. from Yale in 1817, and LL.D. from the University of Vermont in 1851. He died at Westminster, Vt., in March, 1867.

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

Alfred Hitchcock, surgeon, was born in Westminster, Vt., Oct. 17, 1814; son of David and Hannah (Owen) Hitchcock; grandson of Eldad and Esther (Hoar) Hitchock, and a descendant in the seventh generation of Luke Hitchcock. He prepared for college at Phillips Andover academy and was graduated M.D., from Dartmouth in 1838, from Berkshire Medical college in 1843, and from Jefferson Medical college, Pa., in 1845. After practising in Ashby, Mass., for a few years he removed to Fitchburg, where he became a prominent surgeon. He was the second surgeon to perform the operation of oesopha-gotomy, and he designed numerous surgical appliances which came into general use. He was several times a member of the state legislature between 1847 and 1855, and was a member of Gov. John A. Andrew's council, l862-64. During the civil war he was a special agent of the state to superintend the care of the wounded, and in 1864 was director of the transportation of the Massachusetts wounded. He was married first to Fidelia Dorcas, daughter of Barnabas Clark; secondly, Jan. 1, 1851, to Aurelia Phebe Wellman, and thirdly, in 1865, to Ellen Clark. He was an overseer of Harvard college, 1859-65. Middlebury college conferred upon him the degree of A.M. in 1844. He publisbed Christianity and Medical Science (1867). He died in Fitchburg, Mass., March 30, 1874.

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

Elisha Harris, physician, was born in Westminster, Vt., March 4, 1824. He paid for his higher education by teaching school, and was graduated at the College of physicians and surgeons, New York city, 1849. He was a practising physician in New York city, 1849-55; superintendent and physician-in-chief, N.Y. quarantine hospital, 1855-66; organizer and director of the work of the U.S. sanitary commission, 1861-65; registrar of vital statistics and corresponding secretary of the Metropolitan board of health, 1866-69; sanitary superintendent of New York city, 1869-70; again registrar of vital statistics, 1873-76, and secretary of the New York state board of health, 1880-84. He constructed the first floating hospital at quarantine; reformed the building laws of the city causing 40,000 windows and 2000 roof-ventilators to be put in tenement houses in the year 1869; invented a railroad ambulance that gained a prize at the Paris exposition and was adopted by the Prussian army, and wrote extensively on sanitary topics for the public press. He was elected a member of the American academy of medicine in 1879 and was a member of the various sanitary and medical associations of the United States; a delegate to the International medical congress of the American health association in 1876, and president of the association in 1878. He died in Albany, N.Y., Jan. 31, 1884.

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