596 



OBITUARIES, AMERICAN. 



York Central, the Michigan Central, the Chi- 

 cago, Burlington, and Quincy, and the Phila- 

 delphia, Wilmington, and Baltimore railroads. 

 He was also a munificent benefactor of Har- 

 vard College, in buildings and endowments. 

 He founded Thayer Hall (1870), the Thayer 

 Commons Hall, etc., and bore the expenses of 

 Agassiz's expedition to South America. Mr. 

 Tbayer was noted for generously contributing 

 to the needs of poor students at Harvard. 



Thome, Charles R., an American actor, born 

 in New York, June 11, 1840; died there, Feb. 

 10, 1883. His father was manager of travel- 

 ing theatrical companies, and young Thome 

 spent his early years in this roving sort of 

 life. His first appearance on the stage was 

 in San Francisco, in 1852, when a mere boy. 

 His father put him to learn a trade, but, as he 

 did not like it, he went back to the theatre. 

 After a while he met with some success, in 



1862. He next went to China, and built a 

 theatre in Shanghai, where he had fair suc- 

 cess. Afterward he went to Egypt, and thence 

 round the world by way of Paris and London. 

 He came back to New York in 1873, and joined 

 the Union Square Company. 



Tom Thumb (Charles Heywood Stratton), an 

 American dwarf, born in Bridgeport, Conn., 

 Jan. 4, 1838; died in Middleborough, Mass., 

 July 15, 1883. On entering the service of P. T. 

 Barnum, in 1852, he received the sobriquet of 

 Tom Thumb, by which he is best known. At 

 that time he was not two feet high, and weighed 

 less than 16 pounds. He was engaged at a 

 salary of $3 a week and traveling expenses ; 

 but, as he proved a great success at Barnum's 

 Museum, his salary was increased to $25 a 

 week. In 1854, Barnum took him, to England, 

 where he was very successful, and was pre- 

 sented to the Queen and royal family. Thence 

 he went to Paris, and saw more of royalty, reap- 

 ing for his employer quite a golden harvest. 

 The General's next experience was in getting 

 a wife, viz., a dwarf girl named Lavinia War- 

 ren, to whom he was married in February, 



1863. During the years subsequent to this, he 

 and his little wife continued in the show busi- 

 ness, traveled over the world, and held exhibi- 

 tions wherever they went. His death was sud- 

 den, being the result of a stroke of apoplexy. 



Trenchard, Stephen Deeatnr, an American naval 

 officer, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 10, 1818 ; 

 died in New York city, Nov. 15, 1883. His 

 father was a naval officer under Com. Chaun- 

 cey in the War of 1812. He was appointed 

 cadet at the age of sixteen, and from 1835 to 

 1837 was stationed on the receiving- ship New 

 York. He spent the year 1839 and part of 

 1840 in the Naval School in Philadelphia. He 

 was promoted to passed-midshipman in July, 

 1840, and detailed for duty on the sloop Preble 

 attached to the West India squadron. He was 

 for two years in another vessel on the home 

 squadron, and two more with the Coast Sur- 

 vey, after which he was promoted in February, 

 1847, to a lieutenancy. He was assigned to 



the Albany, then to duty in the home squad- 

 ron, the receiving-ship Philadelphia, the steam- 

 frigate Powhatan, of the West India squadron, 

 and the steamer Rhode Island. This last was 

 a supply-vessel to the blockading squadron, 

 from 1861 to 1865, under Lieut. Trenchard's 

 command. He was commissioned commander 

 in July, 1862, and distinguished himself in 

 the attacks on Fort Fisher. After the civil 

 war was over, he was stationed at the Brook- 

 lyn navy- yard, and thence was put in com- 

 mand of the Lancaster, flag-ship of the South 

 Atlantic squadron. He was commissioned 

 commodore in May, 1871 ; served on the Board 

 of Examiners ; and subsequently as light-house 

 inspector. He was raised to the rank of rear- 

 admiral in August, 1875. He was in command 

 of the Nocth Atlantic station from 1876 to 

 1878, and was placed on the retired list in 

 July, 1880. 



Uncle Tom (Josiah Benson), the hero of " Uncle 

 Tom's Cabin," born in Charles co., Md., in 

 1789; died in Dresden, Ont., May 5, 1883. He 

 was born a slave, and continued such until he 

 succeeded in escaping into Canada with his 

 wife and four children. Henson had been early 

 taught religious truth and obligation, and so 

 excellent was his character for sincerity and 

 honesty that he was made a Methodist preach- 

 er before he knew how to read. In 1828 

 his Methodist friends contributed a large sum 

 with which he expected to purchase his free- 

 dom ; but he was tricked out of his money 

 by his unscrupulous master. As soon as pos- 

 sible after that he ran away and got to 

 Canada and freedom. He was active and in- 

 dustrious, and assisted largely in the " under- 

 ground railway " mode of helping negroes out 

 of slavery. He risked his life more than once 

 by venturing into Kentucky. In 1851, after 

 his eldest son had taught him to read, he visit- 

 ed England, and was treated with much kind- 

 ness. On his return he wrote and published 

 his autobiography, in order to raise means 

 wherewith to buy the freedom of his elder 

 brother. Mrs. Stowe's famous " Uncle Tom," 

 in her novel, is based largely on the life and 

 character of Henson. He visited England 

 again, a few years ago, and had an interview 

 with the Queen. It is said that 40,000 copies 

 of his autobiography had been purchased by 

 the people of the United Kingdom. 



Van Boron, William H., an American surgeon, 

 born in Philadelphia, April 5, 1819 ; died in 

 New York city, March 25, 1883. His educa- 

 tion was obtained in the city of his birth, with 

 the exception of between two and three years 

 passed at Yale College. He entered the medi- 

 cal class of the University of Pennsylvania, 

 and finished his studies there before reaching 

 the age required for graduation. Having this 

 spare time, he went to Paris with Dr. Har- 

 lan, of Philadelphia, and was engaged in medi- 

 cal studies for eighteen months. On return- 

 ing to the United States he was graduated in 

 medicine from the University of Pennsylvania 



