OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (SMITH STARK.) 



571 



the fire of 1871. He returned to Philadelphia, be- 

 came manager of the Germantown Passenger Rail- 

 way Company, and on his father's death, in 1878, 

 came into possession of stock of that company, 

 which he sold for $1,500,000. Mr. Singerly in 1877 



purchased " The Public Record," changed its name 

 to "The Philadelphia Record," introduced new 

 methods, and soon made it one of the best-known 

 newspapers of the country. He purchased and 

 operated a large paper mill at Elkton, Md. He also 

 purchased large tracts of real estate in the north- 

 vest section of Philadelphia, erected hundreds of 

 louses, and practically created a new residence 

 lortion of the city. At one time he owned the 

 Cmpire Theater, which was burned in 1886. In 1887 

 lie took an active part in establishing the Chestnut 

 Street National Bank, of which he was the second 

 president. He was also president of the Chestnut 

 Street Savings Fund Company. In 1894 he was 

 the Democratic candidate for Governor of Pennsyl- 

 vania, but was defeated by Gen. Hastings. Finan- 

 cial misfortune overtook Mr. Singerly in 1897; the 

 extreme shrinkage in the price of paper and the 

 resulting depreciation in the value of his paper mills 

 it Elkton were the primary causes of his embarrass- 

 ment, and of the suspension of the bank and trust 

 company with which he was identified. Mr. Sin- 

 jerly turned over all his personal assets, including 

 lis interest in " The Record," and the assignees 

 ,vere engaged on a plan of rehabilitating the insti- 

 tutions at the time of his death. Mr. Singerly 

 jwned a celebrated stock farm at Elkton, Md. 

 Smith, Joseph Patterson, journalist, born in 

 fest Union, Adams County, Ohio, Aug. 7, 1856 ; 

 lied in Miami, Fla., Feb. ' 5, 1898. His ances- 

 tors emigrated from Argyleshire. Scotland, to the 

 north of Ireland, and thence to America, and set- 

 tled in New Hampshire as early as 1780. His 

 grandfather, Judge David Campbell Smith, went 

 to Ohio in 1818. and settled at Franklinton (now 

 Columbus}. His father, Judge John M. Smith, set- 

 tled in West Union in 1840. Joseph received his 

 early education in the public schools and in his 

 father's printing office, and then went to work in a 

 nail factory at Bellaire. Ohio. He removed to 

 Greencastle, Ind., and obtained work on a news- 



mother, and went to Cincinnati, where an elder 

 brother had settled. The mother bought a farm 

 and removed to it with her seven other children, 

 leaving Kichard in Cincinnati. Unable to procure 

 mercantile employment, Richard learned the car- 

 penter's trade. About the time his apprenticeship 

 expired he secured a place as reporter in the com- 

 mercial department of the " Chronicle." In 1845 

 he was appointed assistant superintendent of the 

 newly established Chamber of Commerce, and four 

 years afterward superintendent. At this time he 

 also bought the " Price Current." On the extension 

 of the telegraph to Cincinnati, in 1846, he became 

 agent for the newspapers of the city, and was the 

 first to secure the news of the New York Associated 

 Press. During his connection with the Chamber 

 of Commerce he wrote all the daily and weekly 

 market reports for the Cincinnati papers, for which 

 they paid the Chamber ; wrote financial articles for 

 the "'Gazette" ; and built up a high reputation for 

 his " Price Current "by collecting and publishing 

 statistics of the Western hog crop. In 1854 he pur- 

 chased an interest in the " Gazette," and two years 

 afterward applied himself wholly to supervising 

 the business department and the financial and com- 

 mercial columns of that paper. Subsequently he 

 was made its managing editor. In 1881 the " Ga- 

 zette " and the " Commercial " were consolidated 

 under the title of the " Commercial-Gazette," of 

 which Mr. Smith became business manager and 

 Mu rat Halstead editor. On Mr. Halstead's removal 

 to New York, Mr. Smith assumed general control, 

 and a reorganization in 1801 left the latter free to 

 resume editorial work, which he kept up till within 

 a few years of his death. 



Spencer, Jesse Ames, clergyman, born in Hyde 

 Park, N. Y., June 17, 1813 ; died in Passaic. N. J., 

 Sept. 2, 1898. He was graduated at Columbia 

 College in 1837 and at the General Theological 

 Seminary in 1840. In the latter year he was or- 

 dained deacon, and in 1841 was advanced .to the 

 priesthood. His earliest rectorship was at Goshen, 

 N. Y., 1840-43, and from 1863 to 1865 he was rec- 

 tor of St. Paul's Church, Flushing. But it was as 

 author and classical scholar that he was best known. 

 He was Greek Professor at the College of the City 



paper, working at night and attending college dur- of New York from 1869 to 1879, and emeritus pro- 

 ing the day. "lie taught several country schools in fessor two years longer. His published books com- 



' ;d to prise " The Christian instructed in the Ways of the 

 took Gospel and the Church" (New York, 1844"); "His- 

 tory of the English Reformation " (1846) ; " The 

 New Testament in Greek with English Notes." 

 edited (New York, 1874): "Calvin's Commentaries, 

 with English Notes," edited (1848) ; " The East : 



Ohio and Illinois, studied law, and was admitted to 

 the bar, but never practiced. In 1876 he took 

 charge of the political department of the Cincinnati 

 'Commercial." He was successively editor of the 

 West Union "New Era," Clermont "Courier," 

 Lebanon " Star," Urbana " Citizen," and Toledo 

 ' Commercial.'' He was also Columbus correspond- 

 ent for several winters of several dailies, and was 

 journal clerk in the Ohio Senate. He was always 



Sketches of Travel in Egypt and the Holy Land " 

 (New York, 1850) ; " History of the United States to 

 the Death of Lincoln"' (1856-'69); " Pycroffs 



an ardent supporter of Gov. McKinley, serving Course of English Reading," edited ;" Greek Prax- 

 more than four years as State Librarian under him, is " (1870) ; " The Young Ruler who had Great 

 resigning in May, 1896, to take an active part in Possessions" (1871) ; "Sketch of the History of the 

 the presidential campaign. He was - 

 President McKinley, on March 29, 



of the Bureau of American Republic,, _._ r ._ ---= 



pared a comprehensive handbook on Hawaii and In 1883 he was appointed by the House of Bishops 



1 " ~ '*- -' J.---1 CU! 5todian of the Standard Bible. 



Stark, Sarah (Mrs. JAMES STARK), actress, born 

 in New York city in 1823; died in San Francism. 

 Cal., Dec. 9. 1898. She was first known on the 



... stage in New York city, where she made her ap- 



for"l896. A few weeks pearance as the wife of John Hudson Kirby. tin- 

 favorite actor, who was the subject of tin- saving 

 "Wake me up when Kirby dies!" After a long 

 term of service in the Bowery Theater Mrs. Kirby 

 went with her husband to England, where she sup- 

 ported him in a very successful starring tour. On 

 Mr. Kirby's sudden death in England, in 1848, ft 



Alaska, and the Commercial Directory, also articles 

 on trade relations in America in the monthly bulle- 

 tin. He compiled and edited the speeches made 

 by Gov. Mclvinloy while Congressman and Gov- 

 ernor, and also wrote the sketch of McKinley in 

 the 



before his death he 'finished a "History of the Re- 

 publican Party in Ohio." His widow died Sept. 13. 

 Smith, Richard, journalist, born in County 

 Wexford, Ireland, Jan. 30, 1823; died in Cincin- 

 nati, Ohio, April 22, 1898. He received a common- 

 school education, and in 1841, after the death of 



s __ __ . 



is"father7 came to "the United States with his Kirby returned to New York, where she resumed 



