630 



OBITUARIES, UNITED STATES. 



Danville, Vt, July 3, 1796; died at Underbill 

 Flats, Vt., in the 78th year of his age. His 

 father was a farmer, and he remained on the 

 farm, receiving only the scanty educational op- 

 portunities afforded in a new and scattered popu- 

 lation till he was eighteen years of age. In the 

 winter and spring ot' 1815 he studied with the 

 clergyman of his native parish, and the autumn 

 of that year walked to Andover, Mass., 160 

 miles, to enter Phillips Academy. In 1817 

 he entered Dartmouth College, and graduated 

 thence with honor in 1821, and in 1824 com- 

 pleted his theological course at Andover Theo- 

 logical Seminary. He was ordained in 1825, 

 and was a home missionary in Vermont for 

 two years, and was then called to the pastorate 

 of a Presbyterian Church in Mooers, N. Y., and 

 four years later to a church in Beekmantown, 

 N. Y. His subsequent labors for a period of 

 nearly forty years were connected with Con- 

 gregational churches in Vermont. He had re- 

 sided at Underhill Flats, Vt., since June, 1851. 

 In 1827 he originated and carried into active 

 and successful operation what is known as " the 

 American system of colportage," which has 

 since been employed with such excellent results 

 by the American Tract Society, American Sun- 

 day-School Union, and other religious societies. 

 He was noted for many years as an able polemic 

 and public debater, and had repeated public con- 

 troversies with Universalists, Unitarians, and 

 others. He was a very profound Biblical schol- 

 ar, his knowledge of both Greek and Hebrew 

 being remarkably thorough ; he was also a 

 clear, vigorous, and logical writer, as his pub- 

 lished works testify. His " Uncle Ned : or 

 Exact Conformity to God in his Word," had 

 an extensive circulation, and his essays and 

 sermons on temperance and antislavery were 

 very popular. He had written in the latter 

 years of his life nearly one thousand Biblical 

 hymns, some of which had been published. 



April 5. EDMONDS, JOHN WORTH, an able 

 New York jurist, born in Hudson, N. Y., 

 March 13, 1799 ; died in New York City, aged 

 75 years. He was of patriot stock, his father 

 having been an officer in the Revolutionary 

 army. He was fitted for college in Hudson, 

 and graduated from Union College in 1816, 

 studied law and was admitted to the bar in 



1819, and commenced practice in Hudson in 



1820. He remained there about fifteen years, 

 a part of which time he held the office of Re- 

 corder. Previous to his receiving this appoint- 

 ment from Governor De Witt Clinton, he held 

 various positions in the State militia, rising to 

 the rank of colonel. He also represented Co- 

 lumbia County in the Legislature, both in the 

 Senate and Assembly, and did much to improve, 

 by legislation, the condition of working-men. 

 After leaving the Legislature he went on a 

 Government mission to the Indians, and while 

 living among them learned several Indian lan- 

 guages. Late in 1837 he came to New York 

 City, and began practice as a lawyer, soon se- 

 curing a high reputation among his associates. 



During 1843 he was appointed State-prison In- 

 spector, and founded the prison association for 

 ameliorating the condition of convicted crimi- 

 nals. By his exertions corporal punishment 

 was removed, and a series of rewards for good 

 conduct were instituted. He also adopted 

 measures for enabling discharged criminals to 

 gain an honest livelihood. From 1845 to 1853 

 he occupied the positions of Circuit Judge, 

 Judge of the Supreme Court, and Judge of the 

 Court of Appeals. In 1853 he retired from the 

 bench on account of his having declared a reli- 

 gious belief in spiritualism. His attachment 

 to this doctrine was so strong that for several 

 years he devoted a large part of his time to the 

 investigation of itsphenomena, and became him- 

 self a u medium," and in 1854-'55 published a 

 work entitled " Spiritualism," in 2 vols. 8vo, re- 

 counting what he had seen, and aiming to har- 

 monize the doctrine with Divine revelation. 

 During this period, however, he did not neglect 

 his professional business, though it had seriously 

 fallen off. His legal ability was unquestioned. 

 For many years he was a public defender and 

 firm advocate of the spiritualistic doctrine, but 

 latterly had taken no active part in the move- 

 meat, though he never expressed any doubt of 

 the correctness of his belief. 



April 9. WOOD, Rev. HENRY, D. D., U. S. 

 Navy, a Congregationalist clergyman, journal- 

 ist, and since 1856 a chaplain in the navy; died 

 in Philadelphia, aged 78 years. He was a native 

 of New Hampshire, and learned the printer's 

 trade at Concord, but subsequently fitted for 

 college, and graduated from Dartmouth Col- 

 lege in 1822. In 1823 he was appointed tutor, 

 and in 1825 studied theology and was settled 

 as pastor of a Congregational church at Haver- 

 hill, Mass., and subsequently became pastor of 

 the College Church at Hanover. He owned 

 and edited the Congregational Journal for 

 some years, and, soon after the accession of his 

 friend Mr. Pierce to the presidency, was ap- 

 pointed consul to Syria, and, on his return from 

 that post in 1856, was offered a chaplaincy in 

 the navy. Since 1862 he had been on the re- 

 tired list, but had most of the time performed 

 shore duty. He had been at one time, we be- 

 lieve, in early life, Professor of the Latin and 

 Greek Languages and Literature in Hampden 

 Sydney College, and from that college he re- 

 ceived in 1867 the degree of D. D. 



April 11. BREVOOET, HENRY, a venerable 

 and distinguished citizen of New York; died 

 at Rye, Westchester County, N. Y., aged 83 

 years. He was descended from the old Hol- 

 land Dutch stock, and inherited a large 

 landed estate in the vicinity of Forty-ninth 

 Street and the East River, as well as other 

 property. He removed, in early life, to Yon- 

 kers, but returned to New York and was a 

 member of the Common Council for many years. 

 In 1852 he removed to Rye, where he resided 

 till his death. One of his daughters married 

 Charles Astor Bristed. 



April 11. STORMS, General HENRY, a polit- 



