502 



OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



1809. He was almost wholly self-taught, and 

 it was only by great exertion and sacrifices 

 that he acquired sufficient education to teach 

 a small district school in Owego, N. Y., in 

 1827, at a salary of eight dollars a month. 

 He continued teaching for several years, study- 

 ing hard at every interval of leisure, and from 

 want of means compelled to borrow his text- 

 books. In 1837 he became assistant in the 

 Owego Academy, and remained there about 

 ten years, with occasional interruptions from 

 ill health and a brief attendance on the State 

 Normal School. In 1848-'50, he was president 

 of the New York State Teachers' Association ; 

 in 1852-'3 he was one of the editors of the New 

 York Teacher, and lectured extensively on 

 educational topics. In the latter year he re- 

 ceived the honorary degree of A. M. from 

 Madison University. In 1854 he took charge 

 of the normal and mathematical department 

 of the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, Brad- 

 ford County, Pa., and from 1857 to 1863 was 

 Superintendent of Schools for the same county. 

 From 1863 to 1866 he was State Superinten- 

 dent of Schools for Pennsylvania, having pre- 

 viously been for one year president of the 

 State Teachers' Association. In 1866 he was 

 elected the city Superintendent of Schools at 

 Harrisburg, Pa., which office he held at the 

 time of his death. 



March 10. LADD, Mrs. JEREMIAH, said to 

 have been the oldest person in Connecticut ; 

 died in East Lyme, Conn., aged 108 years and 

 9 months. 



March 13. FESSENDEN, General SAMUEL, an 

 eminent lawyer and citizen of Maine ; died at 

 his residence near Portland. Maine, in the 

 85th year of bis age. He was born in 

 Fryeburg, Me., July 16, 1784, received his 

 early education at the Fryeburg Academy, and 

 entered Dartmouth College at the age of eigh- 

 teen, graduating with high honors in 1806. 

 He studied law with Judge Dana, of Fryeburg, 

 was admitted to the bar in 1809, and com- 

 menced practice at New Gloucester, Me., 

 where, in spite of formidable competition, he 

 early took high rank as a lawyer. In 1815 

 and 1816 Mr. Fessenden was a representative 

 in the Massachusetts General Court, Maine 

 being then a province of Massachusetts, and in 

 1818 and 1819 represented his county in the 

 Massachusetts Senate. He was elected about 

 this time major-general of the Twelfth Divis- 

 ion of Massachusetts militia, and held the 

 office for fourteen years. In 1822 he removed 

 to Portland, and formed a law partnership 

 with the late Thomas Amory Deblois, which 

 continued for almost forty years, his son, 

 Daniel W. Fessenden, being admitted a partner 

 in 1854. This law firm had a very high repu- 

 tation for ability and character, especially in 

 cases of admiralty and commercial law, 

 throughout the whole country. In 1828 Gen- 

 eral Fessenden was chosen a member of the 

 Maine Historical Society, and overtures were 

 made to him to accept the presidency of Dart- 



mouth College. In 1846 Bowdoin College 

 conferred on him the degree of LL. D. He 

 early became a member of the Masonic Order, 

 and was for a number of years Grand-Master 

 of the Grand Lodge of the State. He was one 

 of the original members of the antislavery 

 party in Maine, and was thoroughly fearless and 

 outspoken in his advocacy of its doctrines. 

 From 1845 to 1847 he was the candidate of the 

 Liberty party for Governor, and received from 

 six to nine thousand votes. Of his large family 

 nine sons and two daughters several were 

 distinguished in the public service, Senator 

 Fessenden, who also died during the year, being 

 the most eminent. 



March 14. CLARKE, STEPHEN T., a jour- 

 nalist for about thirty years ; died at Genoa, 

 Italy, aged 50 years. He was born in Port- 

 land, Me., in 1819, and, before his majority, 

 was for a year connected editorially with the 

 Portland Advertiser, and for a few months 

 was attached to one of the Pittsburg papers. 

 In 1840 he came to New York, and was asso- 

 ciated with the Express, of which he was for 

 some years a considerable owner. In 1863 

 he withdrew from the Express, and became 

 commercial editor of the Tribune, publishing 

 also the Golden Rule, the national organ of 

 the order of Odd Fellows. Always indus- 

 trious and enterprising, with a genius for hard 

 work, he had impaired his health to such an 

 extent that, in September, 1868, he went 

 abroad to recruit, but was taken sick in Italy, 

 and died there after a lingering illness. 



March 15. POLK, THOMAS G., a brother of 

 Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (Bishop 

 Polk), and like him a general in the Confed- 

 erate army during the late war; died at Holly 

 Springs, Miss. 



March 16. BAKSTOW, Brevet Brigadier- 

 General WILSON, a brave officer of volun- 

 teers, who was, during the early part of the 

 late war, successively on the staffs of Major- 

 Generals Dix and Hooker, and subsequently 

 Chief Commissary of Musters of the Depart- 

 ment of the East ; died in New York City, 

 aged 39 years. He served from the first year 

 of the war until its close with zeal and ability, 

 entering the service as a lieutenant, and, pass- 

 ing through the successive grades, attained 

 the brevet rank of brigadier-general. When 

 mustered out, or soon afterward, he was ap- 

 pointed Assistant Appraiser of the port under 

 Mr. McElrath, and in his civil office fully sus- 

 tained the character for ability and integrity 

 which he had gained in the military service. 



March 18. PHELPS, GUT EOWLAND, M. D., 

 a physician, and one of the pioneers in the 

 life insurance business in this country; died 

 at Hartford, Conn., aged 67 years. He was 

 born in Simsbury, Conn., April 1, 1802, edu- 

 cated in his native town, and took his medical 

 degree at the Medical Department of Yale 

 College in 1825. He commenced practice in 

 New York City, but two years later returned 

 to Simsbury, where he had a large practice 



