OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. (SKINNER SPENCER.) 



477 



general of volunteers in May, 1861, and major- 

 general in March, 1862; commanded the 1st Corps 

 of the Army of Virginia in the line of operations 

 beginning with Cedar Creek and ending with Ma- 

 nassas; and in June, 1863, received command of 

 the Pennsylvania Reserves and organized a 

 corps of 10,000 men to aid in repelling Lee's in- 

 vasion. He fitted out an expedition that oper- 

 ated under Gen. George Crook in the Kanawha 

 valley, and led a smaller one of 7,000 men 

 through the Shenandoah valley against Lynch- 

 burg and Staunton, but was defeated by Gen. 

 John C. Breckinridge at Newmarket. He was 

 thereupon relieved of his command, and in June, 

 1864, was put in charge of the division guarding 

 Harper's Ferry. In May, 1865, he resigned his 

 commission and returned to journalism in Balti- 

 more, where he remained two years, when he re- 

 moved to New York city, where he resided till 

 his death. He was appointed collector of inter- 

 nal revenue in May, 1871, and elected register of 

 New York city in October following. After the 

 expiration of his term of office as register he lec- 

 tured, and he was for a time pension agent in 

 New York city. He was the author of essays on 

 military subjects; and during the latter years 

 of his life was engaged in the advertising busi- 

 ness and was publisher and editor of the New 

 York Monthly, a German- American publication. 



Skinner, William., manufacturer, born in 

 London, England, in 1824; died in Holyoke, 

 Mass., Feb. 28, 1902. In 1845 he engaged in the 

 silk business in Northampton, Mass. He became 

 a partner in the firm of Warner & Skinner in 

 1848 ; and began business for himself in Williams- 

 burg, Mass., in 1851. His works here were en- 

 tirely swept away by the great Mill river flood 

 in 1874. In October of the same year he began 

 again in Holyoke. He built a gymnasium for 

 Dwight L. Moody's school in Northfield, Mass.; 

 was a frequent benefactor of Vassar, Smith, and 

 Mount Holyoke Colleges; and was president of 

 the Manufacturers' Association of Holyoke and 

 of the local city hospital. 



Smith, Charles Henry, military officer, born 

 in Hollis, Me., Nov. 1, 1827; died in Washington, 

 D. C., July 17, 1902. He was graduated at Water- 

 ville College (now Colby University) in 1856; 

 taught for a short time; and then studied law. 

 He entered the volunteer service in the civil war 

 as captain in the 1st Maine Cavalry Oct. 19, 

 1861; was promoted major, Feb. 16, 1863; lieuten- 

 ant-colonel March 1 following; and colonel June 

 18; and was brevetted major-general of volun- 

 teer^ March 13, 1865. After the war he entered 

 the regular army as colonel of the 28th Infantry ; 

 was transferred to the 19th Infantry March 15, 

 1869; and was retired from active service Nov. 

 1, 1891. During the civil war he took part in 63 

 engagements, and was wounded three times. He 

 received his brevet of major-general of volunteers 

 for gallant and meritorious services during the 

 war; that of brigadier-general, United States 

 army, March 2, 1867, for similar services at Sail- 

 or's Creek, Virginia, and that of major-general, 

 United States army, the same day for gallant 

 services during the war. 



Smith, James B.., actor and theatrical man- 

 ager, born in Schenectady, N. Y., in 1846; died in 

 New York, Jan. 28, 1902. He made his first ap- 

 pearance when he was twenty-one years old, and 

 for many years played humorous rustic charac- 

 ters with great success. He originated and acted 

 numerous rSles of this kind, and took a promi- 

 nent part in the first production of The County 

 Fair. In the days of the old stock companies he 

 often appeared as Ezekiel Homespun in The Heir 



at Law, and for several seasons he acted in Hoyt's 

 A Milk-White Flag, besides playing leading eccen- 

 tric comedy characters in many other companies. 

 But although he achieved distinction as an actor, 

 it was as a manager that he became most promi- 

 nent in the theatrical world. In 1882 he took 

 Barton Hill and Josephine Cameron on an ex- 

 tended tour of the West Indies with great pe- 

 cuniary success. Returning to New York from 

 this trip, he engaged the late John E. Owens for 

 a starring tour of thirty-six weeks, at a salary 

 of $350 a, week, in a play called Cook's Corners, 

 written by Mr. Smith himself. This play was 

 not successful, and as soon as the enterprising 

 manager realized that it was a failure, he prompt- 

 ly revived several of Mr. Owens's famous old 

 plays Solon Shingle, etc. and through their 

 popularity and his own good management he 

 closed the season with a profit. Mr. Smith was 

 the discoverer of Sissieretta Jones, the negro so- 

 prano known as the Black Patti. He met her 

 shortly after the conclusion of his tour with John 

 E. Owens, while he was organizing a company 

 of negro singers for a West Indian tour. Miss 

 Jones applied for an engagement, and when he 

 heard her remarkable voice he realized that he 

 had made a valuable discovery and ' immediately 

 engaged her. He gave a private concert at Wai- 

 lack's Theater, New York, that the best critics 

 of music might hear her sing. The concert was 

 a great success, as was also the tour in the West 

 Indies. 



Spalding, John Franklin, clergyman, born 

 in Belgrade, Me., Aug. 25, 1828; died in Erie, 

 Pa., March 9, 1902. He was educated at Bow- 

 doin College, and after studying for the Episco- 

 pal ministry in the General Theological Seminary 

 in New York city was admitted to the priest- 

 hood in 1858. He served as missionary ' at Old- 

 town, Me., in 1857-'59, and was rector of St. 

 George's parish, Lee, Mass., in 1859-'60. He was 

 an assistant at Grace Church, Providence, R. I., 

 in 1860-'61, and for a short time at St. John's 

 Church in the same city. From 1862 to 1873 he 

 was rector of St. Paul's Church, Erie, Pa., and in 

 December, 1873, was consecrated bishop of what 

 was then the missionary diocese of Colorado. On 

 the organization of the diocese, in 1887, he con- 

 tinued in office as bishop. He was a forceful, 

 active man, with great abilities as an organizer, 

 and under his administration the diocese of Colo- 

 rado has prospered greatly. Bishop Spalding's 

 writings include Modern Infidelity (1862): A 

 Manual for Mothers' Meetings (1871); The Ca- 

 thedral System (1880); The Higher Education 

 of Women (1886); The Catholic Church and its 

 Apostolic Ministry (1887); The Threefold Minis- 

 try of the Church of Christ (1889) ; The Pastoral 

 Office (1889); The Best Mode of Working a 

 Parish (1889); and Jesus Christ the Proof of 

 Christianity (1890). 



Spear, James, manufacturer, born in Mauch 

 Chunk, Pa., Feb. 17, 1827; died in Wallingford, 

 Pa., Jan. 30, 1902. He removed to Philadelphia 

 in 1848, and engaged in the manufacture of 

 stoves. He patented many inventions, among 

 them the anticlinker grate, which is now in gen- 

 eral use; and also made the first successful car- 

 heater, which is used on the principal railroads 

 in the United States. He took an active interest 

 in the Blind Men's Home; was one of the incor- 

 porators of the Hayes Mechanics' Home; and 

 aided many institutions, especially the University 

 of Pennsylvania. 



Spencer, Lily Martin(e), painter, born in 

 southern France. Dec. 10. 1811; died in New York 

 city, May 22, 1902. She was of French parentage, 



