646 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



pure Irish, Mr. Meany was the only reporter able to 

 Follow him and write out the speech. He joined the 

 " Young Ireland" movement of 1848, and was im- 

 prisoned three months in consequence. On his re- 

 lease, he went to England, and was employed first 

 on the " Post," and then the " Mercury " in Liver- 

 pool. He was one of the organizers of the Fenian 

 brotherhood, and, after the events of 1866 in London 

 and on the Canadian border of the United States, was 

 arrested and sentenced to fifteen years of penal .servi- 

 tude, but was pardoned after a year's imprisonment. 

 In 1868 he settled in the United States, and estab- 

 lished the "Commercial" in Toledo, Ohio. In ISM 

 he removed to New York city, was admitted to the 

 bar, and was employed as editorial writer and Irish 

 correspondent on tlie "Irish Democrat," " World," 

 and " Star." He was an active member of the Laud 

 League, and took part in the defense of Burton and 

 Cunningham, accused of attempting to blow up the 

 Tower of London with dynamite in 1885. While he 

 was employed on the "Star" an accident compelled 

 him to abandon work for some time, and, on his par- 

 tial recovery, he accepted editorial charge of the 

 "Evening Democrat," in Waterbury, Conn., where 

 he remained from Dec. 1, 1887, till his death. 



Mell, Patrick Hues, educator, born in Walthourville, 

 Liberty County, Ga.. July 19. 1814; died in Athens, 

 Ga., Jan. 26, 1888. He was left a penniless orphan 

 when fourteen years old, and when seventeen bei_'an 

 supporting himself by teaching. Soon afterward he 

 had an opportunity for attending Walthourville Acad- 

 emy by teaching some of the subordinate classes, and 

 thence went to Amherst College, where he studied 

 two years. Before he completed the regular course 

 there he was appointed teacher in the academy in 

 West Springfield, Mass., and, after an engagement of 

 one year, became associate principal of the nigh-school 

 in East Hartford, Conn. He held this office one year, 

 then returned to Georgia, 1838, and taught in various 

 places till February, 1842, when, on the recommenda- 

 tion of Gov. Troup. he was elected Professor of An- 

 cient Languages in Mercer University. In November, 

 1855, he resigned, and in 185(5 was elected Professor 

 of Ancient Languages in the University of Georgia. 

 He occupied this chair till the resignation of Rev. Dr. 

 Church, president of the university, in 1880, and was 

 then elected Professor of Metaphysics and Ethics. This 

 chair, in conjunction with the chancellorship of the 

 university, to which he was elected in 1878, and the 

 efc-ojficio presidency of the State College of Agriculture 

 and" Mechanic Arts he held until his death. With 

 one exception, he was moderator of the Georgia Bap- 

 tist Association for twenty-four years ; excepting four 

 years, was elected president of the Georgia Baptist 

 conventions for twenty-two years j aud was president 

 of the Southern Baptist Convention for eight years. 

 He was the author of" Parliamentary Practice,"" and 

 of several religious works. 



Merrick, Priscilla Braislin, educator, born in Burling- 

 ton, N. J., in July, 1838; died in Holyoke, Mass., 

 Dec. 15, 1888. She was educated and for several years 

 taught in her native city. On the opening of Vassar 

 College in 1865, she was appointed tutor in mathe- 

 matics and chemistry, subsequently became the head 

 of that department, and held the chair till the spring 

 of 1887, when she resigned, and in November married 

 Timothy Merrick, a manufacturer. As Prof. Brnislin 

 she was well known in American educational circles. 



Middleton, John Gavarly, clergyman, born in New 

 London, Conn., in February, 1833 ; died in New York 

 city, July 7, 1888. He was graduated at Yale in 1859, 

 studied theology, and was ordained deacon in the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church in 1800. His first ap- 

 pointment was that of assistant to Bishop Littlejohn, 

 then rector of the Church of the Holy Trinity, 

 Brooklyn, after which he was rector at Stonington 

 and New Britain, Conn., and from 1874 till his death 

 at Glen Cove, Long Island. He was principal of St. 

 Paul's School at Glen Cove from 1874 till 1878, ward- 

 en of the Cathedral schools at Garden City in 1877- 



'79, editor for several years of " The Teachers' Help- 

 er" and the Protestant Episcopal Sunday-school les- 

 son leaflets, author of several hymns, and composer 

 of the C hristmas and Easter carols for his own church 

 and school. At the time of his death he was archdea- 

 con of the diocese of Queens Countv, N. Y. 



Mills, Eobertj pioneer, born in Todd County, Ky., 

 in 1809 ; died in Galveston, Tex., April 13, 1888. lie 

 was graduated at Nashville University, and removed 

 to Texas in 1830. He established himself as a cotton- 

 planter in Brazoria County, and became owner of a 

 dozen of the largest plantations in the South and 1,000 

 slaves. He shipped the tirst bale of cotton from Tex- 

 as to Europe in 1839, and alterward employed vessels 

 of his own to earrv his cotton and sugar abroad. Dur- 

 ing the war for Texan independence he bought and 

 equipped the Texas navy and furnished the means to 

 carry on the war. In addition to his great plantations, 

 he engaged in commercial pursuits, supplied the en- 

 tire Southwest of early days with its currency, and 

 after the panic of 1857, his credit was so high that his 

 private notes of issue were the only currency that was 

 taken at par. He was known through Texas and the 

 South as the " Duke of Brazoria." At the beginning 

 of the civil war, he was considered the richest man in 

 the South, his estates and slaves representing an a- 

 gregate of $3,000,000. He contributed freely to the 

 Confederate cause, and was ruined by the results of 

 the war. With a brother he resumed business, but 

 his losses had been so heavy that in 1867 he was com- 

 pelled to give up. 



Mitchell, Lucy Myers, archaeologist, bom in Oroomi- 

 ah, Persia, in 1845; died in Berlin, Germany, March 

 10, 1888. She was a daughter of Rev. Austin H. 

 Wright, a missionary and physician among the Nes- 

 torians at the time oi' her birth, was educated in the 

 United States chiefly at Mount Holyoke Seminary, 

 returned to Persia in 1864, married Samuel S. Mitchell, 

 an artist, in 1867, and subsequently spent the greater 

 part of her time in Europe. In 1872-73, while living 

 in Leipsic, she became deeply interested in classical 

 archa;ology, and published a series of letters on recent 

 archaeological researches and discoveries and several 

 illustrated articles on Greek sculpture. She published 

 her "History of Ancient Sculpture" (New York, 

 1883), established herself in Berlin and began collect- 

 ing materials for a history of Greek vases and vase 

 paintings in 1884, was taken sick while collecting, and 

 spent the last year of her life in a vain search of health 

 in Switzerland. 



Morford, James Chamberlain, patriot, bom in Balti- 

 more, Md., in 1795; died there, Dec. 17, 1888. He 

 was the last member of the Old Defenders' Associa- 

 tion, which originally had 1,259 memberSj and was 

 formed in 1844 oy the survivors of the citizens who 

 had taken part in the defense of Baltimore, when the 

 British attacked North Point and Fort McHcnry in 

 1814. The members had met annually on Sept. 12, 

 dined, and marched twice around the battle monument. 

 On anniversary day, 1888, but two members were left, 

 and the death of Nathaniel Watts, on Oct. 30, left Mr. 

 Morford the sole survivor. 



Morgan, William Ferdinand, clcrgvman, bom in Hart- 

 ford, Conn., Dec. 21, 1818; died" in New York city, 

 May 19, 1888. He was graduated at Union College in 

 1837, and at the General Theological Seminary of the 

 Protestant Episcopal Church in 1840, was consecrated 

 deacon in 1841, and ordained priest in 1842. He re- 

 mained in New Haven three vears, and then for four- 

 teen years was rector of Christ Church, Norwich, 

 Conn. At the end of this period he was called to the 

 rectorship of St. Thomas's Church, New York citv, 

 and with this parish he continued till his death. 

 During his pastorate the membership of families in- 

 creased from 200 to 500, and of communicants from 

 350 to over 1,000, and the church built a free chapel 

 that cost $40,000. A few weeks before his death he 

 resigned his charge, and was chosen rector emeritus. 



Moulton, Charles William, lawyer, born near Cleve- 

 land, Ohio, Dec. 16, 1830 ; died in New York city, 



