Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1889, volume 6).djvu/127

&emsp;&emsp; Park," "The Lily Pond." "The Dumplings, Newport," and "View near Stockbridge, Mass."

THORNDIKE, Israel, merchant, b. in Beverly. Mass., in 1757; d. in Boston, Mass., 10 May, 1832. He was educated in the common schools, on 30 Oct., 1776, was appointed captain of the privateer "Warren" by the government of Massachusetts, and made several captures during the Revolutionary war. When peace was concluded he engaged extensively in commerce with China and the East Indies, and also in manufacturing. His enterprises were all skilfully planned, and he soon became wealthy. He was elected to the Massachusetts convention that ratified the constitution of the United States, and for many years sat in the Massachusetts legislature. He settled in Boston in 1810, and in 1818 purchased for the use of Harvard the library of Prof. Christoph Daniel Ebeling, of Hamburg, which consists of 4,000 volumes, and is remarkably rich in works on American history and antiquities.

THORNE, Charles R., actor, b. in New York city, 11 June, 1840; d. there, 10 Feb., 1883. When a child he made journeys with his father and mother, who were popular actors, and managed travelling theatrical companies. The son made his first appearance on the stage in San Francisco at the age of twelve. He was afterward sent to learn a trade, but soon returned to the stage, and in 1862 began to acquire popularity. He was in China subsequently, and erected a theatre at Shanghai, which was moderately successful. After a visit to Egypt and a tour thence round the world, he returned to New York in 1873 and became a member of the Union square company. One of his best characters was Daniel Rochat, in Sardou's play of that name.

THORNTON, Anthony, soldier, b. in the family homestead, Ormsby, Caroline co., Va., 1 Feb., 1748; d. in Paris, Bourbon co., Ky., 21 Dec, 1828. He was a thorough patriot during the Revolutionary war, and commanded a regiment of minute-men in the contest, being present at the head of his regiment at the siege of Yorktown. His brother Presley commanded a company of horsemen, and another brother was an aide to Gen. Washington. Col. Anthony raised a large family, whose descendants are scattered through- out the United States. His sword which he used during the Revolutionary war is still preserved by his grandchildren at Paris, Bourbon co., Ky., to which place he moved with his family in 1808 and engaged in agriculture. — His grandson, James Bankhead, b. in Mount Zephyr, Caroline co., Va., 28 Aug., 1806; d. in Memphis, Tenn., 12 Oct., 1867, was the son of James B. Thornton. He represented his district in the Virginia senate in 1838-'40, and was one of the prime movers in the establishment of the Military institute at Lexing- ton, Va. He was educated at William and Mary college, and subsequently studied law, located at Warrenton, Fauquier co., afterward at Bowling Green, Caroline co., and in 1847 in Memphis, Tenn., where he continued to practise his profession. He was the author of a "Digest of the Conveyancing, Testamentary, and Registry Laws of the States of the Union" (Philadelphia, 1847), and a work on "Assignments," the manuscript of which was burned accidentally before its publication. While engaged in active practice he contributed to current literature. In politics he was a Democrat, and in the civil war he was identified with the southern cause.—James Bankhead's son, Gustavus Brown, sanitarian, b. in Bowling Green, Va., 22 Feb., 1835, was graduated at the Memphis medical college in 1858, and at the medical department of the University of New York in 1860. At the beginning of the civil war he served as a surgeon in the Confederate army, and in 1862–'5 was chief surgeon of a division. In 1868 he was appointed physician in charge of the Memphis city hospital, and continued so until in 1879, when he became president of the Memphis board of health ; also since 1880 he has been a member of the Tennessee state board of health, both of which appointments he still holds. Dr. Thornton acquired reputation by his heroism and skill during the three great yellow-fever epidemics in Memphis in 1873-8 and 1879. He is a member of various sanitary and medical societies, and was in 1882 president of the Tennessee state medical society. In addition to his official reports as president of the Memphis board of health, he has contributed numerous memoirs on sanitary subjects to the "Proceedings of the American Public Health Association" and to the transactions of other societies of which he is a member. These include "Yellow Fever, Pathology and Treatment" (1880) ; "Memphis Sanitation and Quarantine in 1879 and 1880*' (1880); "The Negro Mortality of Memphis" (1882) ; "Sanitation of the Mississippi Valley" (1884) ; "Gulf Coast Quarantine" (1884) ; and "Six Years' Sanitary Work in Memphis" (1886).

THORNTON, Sir Edward, British diplomatist, b. in London, England, 17 July, 1817. He is the son of Sir Edward Thornton, minister to Portugal, who was created Count de Cassilhas by the Portuguese monarch, John VI. The son was graduated at Cambridge in 1840, and became an honorary fellow of Pembroke college, became a member of the diplomatic service in 1842 at Turin, was paid attache in Mexico in 1845, succeeded to the Portuguese title in 1850, and in 1851 was appointed secretary of legation to the republic of Mexico. He was secretary to the special mission to the river Plate, under the late Sir Charles Ilotham, from April, 1852, till October, 1853, and in May, 1854, became charge d'affaires and consul-general in New Grenada, but was transferred to Uruguay in September following. He became minister to the Argentine Confederation in 1859, and was engaged on a special mission to the court of Brazil in July, 1865, wher.e he was appointed minister in the Au- gust ensuing. In September, 1867, he was selected to represent England at the court of Portugal, but before he could take possession of the office he was transferred in December to Washington. He was made a companion of the Bath (civil division) on 9 Feb.. 1863, knight commander on 9 Aug., 1870, and a privy councillor, 19 Aug., 1871. He was a member of the joint high commission on the "Alabama" claims in 1871, and an arbitrator of the American and Mexican claims commission in 1873, also of the boundaries of Ontario in 1878. He was transferred as ambassador to St. Petersburg, in May, 1881, and to Turkey in December, 1884, and was made a G. C. B. on 21 Aug., 1883. The degree of D. C. L. was conferred upon him by Oxford in 1877, and that of LL. D. by Harvard in 1879. On 1 Jan., 1887, he was retired with a pension.

THORNTON, Eliza B., poet. b. in North Hampton, N. H., 23 July. 1795; d. in Saco, Me., 27 July, 1854. She was a direct descendant of Gen. Daniel Gookin, and married James B. Thornton, of Scarboro. Me., on 20 Jan., 1817. Mrs. Thornton was for many years a contributor of poetry to the "Southern Literary Messenger," the "Christian Mirror," and other periodicals. Her best-known piece is "The Mayflower."— Her son. John Wingate, historian, b. in Saco, Me., 12 Aug., 1818; d. there, 6 June, 1878, was graduated at the Harvard