670 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (WATKINS WHITELEY.) 



was elected to Congress in 1856, and was re elected in 

 1858 and 1860, becoming chairman of the committee 

 on printing and a member of the committee on claims. 

 In 1864 he was a delegate to the Baltimore Convention. 

 He was owner and editor of the " Vermont Watch- 

 man " and the " State Gazette" from 1853 till 1868 ; 

 was latterly editor of Walton's " Vermont Register" 

 and the " Collections " of the Vermont Historical 

 Society, and was President of the Vermont Editors' 

 Association from its organization till 1881. 



Watkins, William Brown, clergyman, born in Bridge- 

 port, Ohio, May 2, 1834 ; died at Rideview Park Camp- 

 meeting grounds, forty miles east of Pittsburg, Pa., 

 Aug. 15, 1890. He received a public-school education 

 and studied law in Wheeling, Va., but entered the 

 ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the 

 Pittsburg Conference in 1856. He was presiding 

 elder at Steubenville, Ohio, in 1868-'72, was stationed 

 in Pittsburg in 1872-'81, and was a delegate to the 

 General Conterence of the Methodist Episcopal 

 Church in 1888. His last services were rendered as 

 pastor in New Brighton, Pa., and. as secretary of the 

 Pittsburg Conference. Mount Union College, of Ohio, 

 conferred the degree of D. D. on him in 1868. Dr. 

 Watkins was widely known as a lecturer on philo- 

 logical and educational subjects, was principal proof- 

 reader on Webster's new "Dictionary," was a reader 

 on the Philological Society's historical dictionary, 

 publishing in London, was author of several school 

 books, and had in preparation an u Etymological 

 Dictionary of American Geographical Names." 



Watson, John Whitaker, author, born in New York 

 city, Oct. 14, 1824; died there, July 19, 1890. He 

 received a university education and took a course of 

 medical study, but" afterward engaged in literary 

 work. He bad contributed frequently to " Harper's 

 Weekly " and u Harper's Magazine," and had been 

 an editorial writer on the New York " Times." His 

 writings include nearly fifty serial stories and many 

 popular poems, among the latter " The Dying Sol- 

 dier" and "Patter of Little Feet." The story of 

 " Thirty Millions" was dramatized under the name 

 of " The World." Mr. Watson claimed to be the 

 author of the poem, "Beautiful Snow," and placed it 

 first in a collection of his poems published'm 1869, 

 his claim being that he had first published it in 

 *' Harper's Weekly," in November, 1858. Though 

 he produced evidence to support his claim, it was dis- 

 puted by Eichard H. Chandler, William A. Silloway, 

 H. H. Sigourney, John McMasters, Dora Shaw, Dora 

 Thome, and Henry W. Faxon, each of whom claimed 

 the authorship and detailed the circumstances under 

 which the poem was alleged to have been written. 



Watson, Lewis F,, merchant, born in Crawford 

 County, Pa., April 14, 1819 ; died in Washington, 

 D. C., Aug. 25, 1890. He was educated in Warren, 

 Pa., Academy, engaged in mercantile business, and, 

 retiring therefrom with a large fortune in 1860, be- 

 came an extensive operator in lumber and in the pro- 

 duction of petroleum. In 1861 he organized and was 

 elected first President of the Cone wango Valley Rail- 

 road (now known as the Dunkirk, Alleghany Valley, 

 and Pittsburg Railroad) Company, in 1870 was an 

 incorporator of the Warren Savings Bank, of which 

 he was president from its organization till his death, 

 and, in 1876, 1880, and 1888, was elected to Congress 

 from the 27th Pennsylvania District as a Republican. 

 He served on the committees on expenditures in the 

 Post-Office Department, on naval affairs, and on 

 public lands. 



Webster, Augustus, clergyman, born in Baltimore. 

 Md., in 1806; died there, Oct. 2b, 1890. He entered 

 the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 

 1832, became pastor of St. John's Independent Meth- 

 odist Church in Baltimore in 1848, and was made 

 pastor emeritus in 1880. He was author of theo- 

 logical works, and a mathematician of much ability. 



Welch, Ransom Bethune, theologian, born in Green- 

 ville, N. Y., about 1825 ; died in Healing Springs, 

 Va., June 29, 1890. He was graduated at Union 

 College in 1846, and at Auburn Theological Seminary 



in 1852 ; arranged a system of colportage in Missis- 

 sippi for the American Tract Society in 1853-' 54; was 

 pastor of the Reformed Dutch Church in Gil boa 

 N. Y., in 1854-'56 ; and of one in Catskill, N. Y., in 

 1856-' 59 ; and was appointed Professor of Logic, 

 Rhetoric, and English Literature in Union College in 

 1860. He held this office till 1876, when he became 

 Professor of Christian Theology in Auburn Theo- 

 logical Seminary, where he remained until his death. 

 Dr. Welch was a delegate to the Presbyterian Alliance 

 at Belfast, Ireland, in 1884, and at London in 1888, 

 and to the Centennial Conference of Foreign Missions 

 in London the latter year ; became an associate editor 

 of the "Presbyterian Review" in 1881; and was 

 chosen Vice-President of the American Institute of 

 Christian Philosophy in 1886. He received the de- 



?ree of D. D. from the University of the City of New 

 ork in 1868, and that of LL. D. from Maryville 

 College, Teim., in 1872. 



White, George Bartol, naval officer, born in Pennsyl- 

 vania, March 27, 1839; died in Washington, D. C., 

 Feb. 27, 1890. He was appointed an acting midship- 

 man in the United States navy Sept. 28, 1854 ; was 

 promoted midshipman June 11, 1858 ; passed midship- 

 man, Jan. 19, 1861 ; master, Feb. 23, 1861 ; lieutenant, 

 April 19, 1861 ; lieutenant-commander, March 3, 1865 ; 

 commander, Aug. 13, 1872 ; and captain, Nov. 3, 1884 ; 

 and was appointed Chief of the Bureau of Yards and 

 Docks with the relative rank of commodore April 2, 



1889. During his naval career he was on sea service 

 thirteen years and five months, on shore or other duty 

 twenty years and three months, and was unemployed 

 one year and eight months. He was attached to the 

 "Saratoga" in the action at V era Cruz, which re- 

 sulted in the capture of the steamers " Miramon " and 

 " Marquis de la Habana," in 1860 ; was on the " Ot- 

 tawa," of the South Atlantic blockading squadron, 

 in 1861-' 63; took part in the engagement at Port 

 Royal Ferry, June 1, 1862 ; the engagement with the 

 Confederate flotilla on Cape Fear river, in February ; 

 the capture of Fernandina and the action on St. 

 Mary's river, in March of the same year ; and while 

 on the steamer " Mendota," of the "North Atlantic 

 blockading squadron, in 1864-' 65, took part in the 

 capture of Fort Fisher. He was a member of the 

 Philadelphia Harbor Commission. 



White, Julius, army officer, born in Cazenovia, N. Y., 

 Sept. 29, 1813; died in South Evanston, 111., May 12, 



1890. He removed to Chicago in 1836, engaged in 

 business and political affairs, and was appointed col- 

 lector of the port of Chicago by President Lincoln. 

 But he soon resigned this office, raised an infantry 

 regiment for the national service, and went to the 

 front. He served as colonel of the 37th Illinois 

 Volunteers, under Gen. Fremont, in the eurly Mis- 

 souri campaign, commanded a brigade, and was 

 wounded in the Battle of Pea Ridge ; was promoted 

 brigadier-general of volunteers in June, 1862, and 

 was transferred to the Army of Virginia under Gen. 

 Pope. At the defense of Harper's Ferry he was taken 

 prisoner, and after being exchanged was ordered to 

 Kentucky to fight guerillas. On the reorganization 

 of the 23d Army Corps in 1863, he was given com- 

 mand of the 2d Division, led the right wing of Gen. 

 Burnside's Army of the Ohio into Tennessee, and 

 took part in the battles of Loudon and Knoxville. He 

 was conspicuous in several of the campaigns of 1864 

 till compelled by failing health to resign, and was bre- 

 vetted major-general of volunteers at the close of the 

 war. In 1872 he was appointed United States minister 

 to the Argentine Republic. Four days before his 

 death he was elected Commander of the Illinois De- 

 partment of the Loyal Legion. 



Whiteley, Richard' Henry, lawyer, born in Ireland, 

 Dec. 22, 1830; died in Boulder, Col., Sept. 26, 1890. 

 He emigrated to Georgia in 1836, educated himself, 

 and was engaged in manufacturing from boyhood, 

 and studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1860. 

 In the following year he opposed the secession of the 

 State, but after the adoption of the ordinance he en- 

 tered the Confederate army and served till the sur- 



