602 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (TAYLOR THOMPSON.) 



call to the pastorate of Westminster Presbyterian 

 Chureh in Chicago, where he labored with much zeal 

 and success till the destruction of the edifice in the 

 great tire of 1871. For three years he continued his 

 preaching in McVicker's Theater, und then his con- 

 gregation completed a new building. lie had a very 

 large following, and became widely known for the 

 liberality of his views. His sermons and essays were 

 published in the papers, and had a large circulation. 

 In IsT-i he was brought to trial before the Chicago 

 Presbytery on a charge of heresy, with '28 specifica- 

 tions, preferred by Dr. Francis L. Patton. The trial 

 lasted several weeks, and resulted in his acquittal, all 

 but 13 of the 61 members of the presbytery voting in 

 his favor. Fearing that he might become a source of 

 discord in the Church, Prof. Swing withdrew from 

 the presbytery, but retained his pastoral relation. 

 Soon afterward an action was taken against the 

 church, when, to prevent further trouble, he re- 

 signed the pastorate. Fifty wealthy men immediate- 

 ly subscribed a guarantee fund; McVicker's Theater 

 was again leased ; and, under the name of the " Cen- 

 tral Chureh," the greater part of his former congrega- 

 tion resumed their pastoral relations with him. The 

 theater proving too small for his audiences, a stock 

 company was formed, and Central Music Hall was 

 erected in 1878, in which Prof. Swing preached until 

 his death, gathered a Sunday school of 3,000 mem- 

 bers, and organized many benevolent enterprises. 



Taylor, Nelson, military officer, born in South Nor- 

 walk, Conn., June 8, 1821 ; died there Jan. 16, 1894. 

 He received a common-school education, and re- 

 moved to New York city, where, on Aug. 1, 1846, he 

 joined the army as a captain in the 1st New York 

 Infantry (known as Col. Stevenson's regiment), which 

 was ordered to California just before the Mexican 

 War. He served through the war, and at its close 

 settled in Stockton. In 1849 he was elected a State 

 Senator; in 1855, sheriff of San Joaquin County ; and 

 in 1850-'56 was President of the Board of Trustees of 

 the State Insane Asylum. He returned to New York 

 city, and began studying law in 1857, and was gradu- 

 ated at the Harvard Law School in 1860. In 1861 he 

 was commissioned colonel of the 72d New York In- 

 fantry, which was attached to Gen. Sickles's brigade 

 during the peninsular campaign ; and in Gen. Pope's 

 Virginia campaign he commanded the brigade. He 

 was promoted brigadier general on Sept. 7, 1862, and 

 resigned on Jan. 19, 1863, returning to New York city, 

 and engaging in law practice. In 1864 he was elected 

 to Congress as a Democrat, and during his term, which 

 expired March 3, 1867, he served on the committees 

 on freedmen and invalid pensions. About 1880 he 

 returned to his birthplace, where he practiced law, 

 was city attorney for several years, and held other 

 municipal offices. 



Teall, Francis Augnstus, lexicographer, born in Fort 

 Anne, Washington Countv, N. Y., Aug. 16, 1822; 

 died in Bloomtield, N. J., Nov. 16, 1894. He received 

 an academical education, was apprenticed to the 

 printer's trade at an early age, removed to New York 

 eity, and was successively a compositor, proofreader, 

 and editorial critic. He learned to read French by 

 studying a dictionary and grammar while at work on 

 a French book ; assisted Ephraim G. Squier in the 

 preparation of his " Ancient Monuments of the Missis- 

 sippi Valley," and John R. Bartlett in his" Dictionary 

 of Americanisms," and was for a time an editor of 

 " The Whig Review " and editor of u The Long 

 Islander," succeeding on the last newspaper Walt 

 Whitman, with whom he had worked as a com- 

 positor. In 1857, while reading proof on the New 

 York " Tribune," he was engaged as proofreader of 

 the first edition of the u American Cyclopaedia"; and 

 on later editions he was proofreader, a contributor, 

 and an associate editor. In the meantime he edited 

 Hodgson's u Errors in the Use of English," and in- 

 creased the value of that work by original notes. He 

 afterward spent some years pre.parinir a dictionary of 

 proper names on a plan then original, but this was 

 never published. In 1882 he was engaged on the 



staff of "The Century Dictionary," where he re- 

 mained till the completion of that work. He wrote 

 definitions of all common words up to the letter M, 

 most of which stand as he wrote them. He had done 

 nothing literary since the completion of the dictiona- 

 ry, excepting to gather passages from his reading for 

 a projected work on punctuation. He received the 

 honorary degree of M. A. from the University of 

 Rochester in"ls75. 



Temple, William Grenville, naval officer, born in Rut- 

 land, Vt., March 23, 1824; died in Washington, D. C.. 

 June 28, 1894. He was appointed a midshipman in 

 the United States navy on April 18, 1840; was pro- 

 moted passed midshipman, July 1, 1846: master, July 

 21, 1854; lieutenant, April 

 18, 1855 ; lieutenant com- 

 mander, July 16, 1862 ; com- 

 mander, March 3, 1865 ; 

 captain, Aug. 28, 1870 ; com- 

 modore, June 5, 1878 ; and 

 rear admiral, Feb. 22, 1884; 

 and was retired on Feb. 29, 

 1885. During his naval ca- 

 reer he was on sea service 

 twenty-two years and three 

 months ; on shore or other 

 duty, fourteen years and 

 seven months; and was un- 

 employed seventeen years 

 and four months. He was 

 attached to the "Boston" 

 when she was wrecked off the Bahama Islands, March 

 15, 1846, and to the " Scourge " during the Mexican 

 War, in which he took part in the bombardment and 

 capture of Vera Cruz and the engagements at Alva- 

 rado, Tuspan, and Tabasco. In 1848 ne was on duty at 

 the United States Naval Observatory ; in 1849-'50 was 

 engaged in surveying the Florida reef and the Gulf 

 Stream; in 1850-'52 had charge of the hydrographie 

 work on the survey for the projected interoceanic 

 canal and railway across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec ; 

 and in 1852-'59 was on coast-survey duty. He was 

 flag lieutenant of the steam frigate " Lancaster," flag- 

 ship of the Pacific squadron in 1859-'61 ; commander 

 of the " Flambeau " on an independent cruise to the 

 Bahamas in 1861 ; and was on ordnance duty at New 

 York in 1862. He commanded the " Pembina," of 

 the Western Gulf blockading squadron, during tin- 

 latter part of 1862 ; was then appointed fleet captain 

 of the Eastern Gulf blockading squadron ; was at- 

 tached to the North Atlantic blockading squadron, 

 and took part in the two bombardments and the cap- 

 ture of Fort Fisher ; and participated in the capture 

 of Wilmington, N. C., the bombardment of the Con- 

 federate fortifications on James river above Dutch 

 Gap, and the capture of Petersburg. After the war 

 he served on examining and retiring boards, and was 

 president of the " Jeanette " court of inquiry. 



Thompson, Charles P., jurist, born in Braintree, Mass., 

 July 30, 1827 ; died in Gloucester, Mass., Jan. 19, 1894. 

 He received a collegiate education, studied law in Bos- 

 ton, was admitted to the bar in 1857, and settled in 

 Gloucester. He soon acquired a remunerative prac- 

 tice, and became known throughout the State as an 

 authority on constitutional questions, and as the wit- 

 tiest member of the Massachusetts bar. In 1871-'72 

 he was a member of the State Legislature and of the 

 Judiciary Committee of the Lower House, and in 1874 

 he was the successful Democratic candidate for Con- 

 gress against Gen. Benjamin F. Butler. He was chair- 

 man of the congressional committee on the presiden- 

 tial election in Florida, which reported that that State 

 had cast its electoral vote for Messrs. Tilden and 

 Ilendricks, and was conspicuous in the memorable 

 debates in 1877. In 1876 he was defeated for re- 

 election, and in 1880 and 1881 was the unsuccessful 

 Democratic candidate for Governor of Massachusetts. 

 At the time of his death he was a judge of the Superior 

 Court of the State. 



Thompson, Joseph Peter, clergyman, born in Win- 

 chester, Va., Dec. 20, 1818; died in Newburg, N. Y., 



