508 



OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



and amassed a large fortune, from which he 

 gave liberally to philanthropic purposes. 



Jan. 19. WEIGHT, EDWIST R. V., a Demo- 

 cratic political leader, in New Jersey ; died in 

 Jersey City, N. J. He was born in Hoboken, 

 N. J., January 2, 1812 ; received an academical 

 education, became a printer, and in 1835 edited 

 and published the Jersey Blue newspaper. He 

 next studied law, and was admitted to the bar 

 in 1839 ; was elected to the State Senate in 

 1843, and was a leading advocate of the present 

 free-school system of New Jersey ; from 1851 

 to 1856 he was District Attorney for Hudson 

 County, and for several years major-general 

 of militia ; was the Democratic candidate for 

 Governor in 1859, but was defeated. In 1864 

 he was elected to Congress, and served from 

 March, 1865, to March, 1867. 



Jan. 20. MYERS, Captain and Brevet Major 

 MOEDECAI, U. S. A. ; died in Schenectady, N. Y., 

 aged 96 years. He was born May 1. 1776 ; was 

 educated in New York City, and resided for sev- 

 eral years in Richmond, Va., where he served 

 in a military company under Colonel (after- 

 ward Chief-Justice) Marshall. Subsequently 

 he returned to New York, engaged in business 

 there, served in an artillery company, was 

 commissioned as a captain of infantry, and for 

 two years studied military tactics under Mon- 

 sieur De la Croix, who was a military authori- 

 ty at that period. When war was threatened, 

 he was active in raising volunteer companies, 

 and in March, 1812, he was commissioned a 

 captain in the Thirteenth Infantry, and or- 

 dered to report to Colonel Peter B. Schuyler, 

 at Greenbush Barracks, near Albany, and with 

 his regiment joined General Wilkinson's army 

 in the invasion of Canada. During the boister- 

 ous weather which assailed General Wilkin- 

 son's expedition from Sackett's Harbor in 

 October, 1813, Captain Myers was very active 

 in saving lives and property. At the battle 

 of Chrysler's Field, a bullet passed through 

 his arm near the shoulder, while at the head 

 of his men, in assailing the British behind a 

 stone wall. A portion of his epaulet being 

 driven into the wound, rendered his recovery 

 tedious and uncertain, and crippled his arm 

 for life. During the war he performed labo- 

 rious and gallant services under several com- 

 manders in the Northern Department, and in 

 1815 the disability produced by his wound 

 caused him to be disbanded and placed on 

 the pension-roll for the half-pay of a captain. 

 Thus ended his military career. He was the 

 oldest as well as the last surviving officer of 

 the old Thirteenth Regiment, of which the late 

 Major-General Wool was senior captain. Major 

 Myers represented New York City in the Le- 

 gislature of the State for six years, served two 

 terms as Mayor of Schen3ctady, and was a 

 candidate for Congress when eighty-four years 

 of age. He was present at the inauguration of 

 Washington as President, and retained a vivid 

 recollection of that event. He held high rank 

 among the Masonic fraternity, having been a 



member for a period of seventy-five years and 

 held the offices of Grand-Master and Grand 

 High-Priest, respectively, of the Grand Lodge 

 and Grand Chapter of his State. 



Jan. 23. GARRETT, THOMAS, an eminent 

 Quaker philanthropist and reformer; died at 

 Wilmington, Del., aged 81 years. He was born 

 in Upper Darby, Delaware County, Pa., August 

 21, 1789, and learned of his father the trade 

 of scythe and edge-tool maker. In 1820 he 

 removed with his family to Wilmington, Del., 

 and entered upon a prosperous career as an 

 iron-merchant. His success attracting the at- 

 tention of a wealthy rival house, an effort was 

 made to crush him by reducing the prices of 

 iron to cost; but Mr. Garrett, nothing daunted, 

 employed another person to attend his store, 

 put on his leather apron, and returned to his 

 former trade, by which he supported himself 

 until his competitor gave up the eifort. He 

 was widely known for his abolition senti- 

 ments. When quite a young man his attention 

 was directed to the subject of slavery, and he 

 was strongly impressed with the idea that his 

 work in life must be to help and defend those 

 in bondage. He was repeatedly prosecuted 

 for aiding fugitives in their efforts to escape 

 to a region where their right to liberty was 

 undisputed. After the passage of the Fugitive 

 Slave Act 'of 1850, he was convicted of this 

 offence, and sentenced to pay a fine which 

 amounted to nearly or quite all he possessed. 

 Being lectured by the judge, he informed that 

 functionary that he had always helped a 

 human being to liberty when he could, and 

 would continue to do so. His firmness and 

 courage won the admiration even of his ene- 

 mies, and, regardless of persecution and an- 

 noyance, he ceased not in his self-denying 

 labors until the war came, and the work was 

 taken off his hands. He lived to see the reali- 

 zation of his hopes for universal freedom, and 

 was beloved almost to adoration by the race 

 he had served. 



Jan. 24. LYMAN, DAVID, a prominent citizen 

 of Middlesex County,Conn.,an earnest reformer, 

 a skilful and accomplished agriculturist, a clear 

 and vigorous writer, and an efficient promoter 

 of railroad enterprises; died at his home in 

 Middlefield, Conn., aged about 53 years. Hold- 

 ing his reform views on slavery and temper- 

 ance too strenuously ever to accept office, he 

 was yet a man of great weight of character 

 and influence among all parties. His farm was 

 said to have been for some years in the highest 

 condition of cultivation in the State, and he 

 wrote much and ably for the agricultural pa- 

 pers. At the time of his death he was president 

 of the New Haven, Willimantic & Middletown 

 Railroad, generally known as the Air- Line, 

 which he had taken up and carried to comple- 

 tion after several others had failed disastrously 

 in their efforts. 



Jan. 27. YOUNG, Colonel G. J., a journal- 

 ist ; died in Columbus, O. He was member of 

 the Ohio House of Representatives from Co- 



