1885.] 1UJ LRuschcnberger. 



battle of Lexington, April, 1775. She stated also that many- 

 Protestant citizens rejoiced over this resistance of Americans 

 to the British administration. 



James Blythe died in 1787, leaving a widow and three 

 daughters, Elizabeth, Mary Ann and Hannah. The widow, Bessie 

 Bell, who was an intelligent and energetic woman, removed to 

 Strabane, about fifteen miles southward from Londonderry, took 

 into partnership a foreman from the old establishment, set up 

 and conducted a newspaper till she died, in 1794. The business 

 was unprofitable. The daughters were left without support. 

 They promptly determined to emigrate, and embarked in a ship 

 belonging to their cousin, Adam Crampton, of Londonderry, 

 and after a voyage of three months, arrived in Philadelphia the 

 same j^ear. 



They were received by their cousin, wife of Thomas Moore, 

 merchant, who had left Coleraine some time before on account of 

 his affiliation with the " United Irishmen." 



They are described as quick, active, intelligent women, and 

 being like most ladies of that period, proficient in the use of the 

 needle, set to work with it and supported themselves respectably 

 and independently. 



The city directory for 1802 states that P. K. Rogers, A.M., 

 lived at No. 55 Lombard street, implying that he had established 

 a home for himself very soon after his marriage. Where his de- 

 gree of Master of Arts was conferred has not been ascertained. 



In June, 1802, he received the degree of Doctor of Medicine 

 from the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. 

 His thesis was on Liriodendron tulipifera, or poplar tree, in 

 which he records the results of his experimental observations of 

 its chemical and therapeutic properties. 



Now he was a householder, with wife, infant son and a profes- 

 sion. He started to maintain and improve his condition. He 

 obtained some practice, had private pupils, lectured to classes of 

 students, demonstrated in public the exhilarating effects of the 

 inhalation of nitrous oxide or laughing gas, which were dis- 

 covered in 1800, by Sir Humphrey Davy, delivered popular 

 lectures on botany and scientific subjects, and contributed 

 histories of cases to Dr. Barton's Medical and Physical Journal. 

 In successive years he gave a course of lectures upon the 



