1881.) 427 ( Ruschenberger. 
OBITUARY NOTICE OF DR. ROBERT BRIDGES. 
By W. 8S. W. RuscHensperGer. M.D. 
(Read before the American Philosophical Society, Heb. 15, 1884.) 
A man whose honest conduct and toil through a long life 
contribute, in any marked degree, towards the comfort, or en- 
lightenment of his fellows, or the good name of the community 
in which he lived, earns a claim to kindly remembrance after 
he has left the field of his labor forever. It is good for the liv- 
ing to know something of his ways and services, though he may 
not have won a foremost place among the leaders of science or 
of letters. Even an imperfect sketch of the life of a man who 
has striven to increase or to diffuse knowledge, is more or less 
valuable, because it may incite others to emulate his example, 
and toil patiently among followers till qualified to fill a chief’s 
place. Ifthe reputation of a workman is in proportion to the 
quality and quantity of his work, then a fair relation of what 
Dr. Bridges has done will suffice to secure, without aid of rhet- 
oric, the degree of encomium which his life deserves in this 
connection. A kind and generous disposition enhanced the 
merit of his work. He did much that brought no pay beyond 
the satisfaction which comes from doing to help others, and to 
contribute to the common progress, His life was characterized 
by uniform, unremitting labor. 
The details of this sketch may be somewhat tiresome, but as 
they contain the gist, all the testimony in the case, they may 
be patiently heard at least, if not excused. 
The ancestry of Dr. Robert Bridges is traced to Edward 
Bridges who, in 1648, was a lieutenant of the English army. 
Edward, his eldest son, who was an architect, married in 1692. 
He left two sons. The elder, named Edward, married Cathe- 
rine Bullen. He was a merchant in Cork. He had six sons 
and two daughters. Edward, the eldest of the sons, who also 
was a merchant in the city of Cork, married a second wife in 
Rotterdam, Cornelia, the second daughter of Thomas Culpeper, 
of Kent county, England. By her he had four children, 
