Page:Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography (1900, volume 2).djvu/490

462 his father to Oneida county, N. Y., in 1794, and when about twenty years old engaged in teaching in New Jersey. He "began to study law in Jefi'erson county, N. Y., in 1818, but, having been converted in 1821, studied theology, was licensed to preach in the Presbyterian church in 1824, and began to labor as an evangelist. He met with great success in Utica, Troy, Philadelphia, Boston, and New York. On his second visit to the last city, in 1832, the Chatham street theatre was bought and made into a church for him, and the New York "Evan- gelist " established as an advocate of the revival. His labors here resulted in the establishmentof seven '• free Presbyterian " churches, and in 1834 he became pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle, which had been built especially for him. Mr. Finney accepted, in 1835, the professorship of theology at Oberlin, which had just been founded by his friends, and retained it until his death. Here he assisted in establishing the " Oberlin Evangelist," and afterward the " Oberlin Quarterly." He also became pastor of the Congre- gational church in Oberlin in 1837, but continued at intervals to preach in New York and elsewhere. He spent three years in England as a revivalist, in 1849-51 and 1858-'60, adding to his reputation for eloquence, and in 1851-'66 was president of Ober- lin. Prof. Finney relied greatly on doctrinal preach- ing in his revivals, as opposed to animal excitement, and his sermons were plain, logical, and direct. He was an Abolitionist, an anti-mason, and an advocate of total abstinence. His chief works are " Lectures on Revivals," which have been trans- lated into several foreign languages (Boston, 1835 ; 13th ed., 1840 : enlarged ed., Oberlin, 1868) ; " Lec- tures to Professing Christians " (Oberlin, 1836) ; " Sermons on Important Subjects " (New York, 1839); and "Lectures on Systematic Theology" (2 vols., Oberlin, 1847; London, 1851). After his death were published his " Memoirs," written bv himself (New York, 187G).

FINOTTI, Joseph Maria, author, b. in Ferra- ra, Italy, in 1817; d. in Denver, Col., in 1879. He studied with a view of entering the Austrian army, but afterward changed his plans and entered the Jesuit college, Rome. He joined the Jesuit order, and, on the completion of his theological studies, came to the United States in 1845. He was or- dained priest, and stationed at St. Mary's church, Alexandria, Va., where he had charge of an ex- tensive mission both in Virginia and in Maryland. He built St. Ignatius's church, in Prince George county, Md. He left the Jesuit society in 1852, jiud went to Boston, where he became a member of the bishop's household and literary editor of the Boston " Pilot." Pie was also pastor of the Brook- line and other missions, and established the Catho- lic cemetery of Holyrood. His health failing, he was sent to St. Mary's seminary, Cincinnati, whence he went to Omaha, and finally to Central City, Col., in 1877, and had charge of that parish up to the time of his death. His principal works are a " French Grammar," published in Italy ; " A JMonth of Mary " (1853) ; " Life of Blessed" Paul of the Cross " (1860) ; " Italy in the Fifteenth Century " ; " Diary of a Soldier " (1861) ; " The French Zouave " (1863) "; " Herman the Pianist " (1863) ; " The Spirit of St. Francis of Sales " (1866) ; " Works of the Rev. Arthur O'Leary " ; and " Life of Blessed Peter Claver." His most important work, never completed, was his " Bibliographia Catholiea Ame- ricana." He published one volume of it in 1872.

FIRM, Joseph L., inventor, b. m Williams- burg, N. Y., 19 March, 1837. He was educated in the public schools, served an apprenticeship in the press-room of Harper Brothers, and in 1859 was engaged in the Frank Leslie publishing house. Since that date his connection with the house has been continuous. He has devoted much time to improvements in printing machinery, and invented and secured patents on perfecting presses, web perfecting presses, and paper-folders. He is also the inventor of a process of printing on glass from electrotvpe plates, in colors or otherwise.

FIRMIN, Giles, author, b. in Suffolk county, England, in 1615 ; d. in Ridgwell, Essex, England, in April, 1697. He entered Cambridge university in 1629, but left before taking his degree. In 1632 he came to New England in company with John Wilson, but returned to England before October 1633. In 1637 he again crossed the sea, and was employed, with John Higginson, to take notes of the pi-oceedings of the synod in that year. Pie settled at Ipswich, where he practised medicine. He married the daughter of the Rev. Nathaniel Ward, and was clerk of the writs at Ipswich in 1641-'2. He sailed for England in 1644, but was wrecked off the coast of Spain, and did not reach his destination till the following summer. In 1646 he lived at Colchester, Essex, and in 1651 was settled as pastor at Shalford. He was dismissed by the congregation there in 1662, and afterward practised medicine and preached at Ridgwell. He was the author of many published sermons and theological treatises. His most important work was " The Real Christian " (1670), several times reprint- ed in England and once in Boston. Mass. See a memoir by John W. Dean (Boston, 1866).

FISH, Asa Israel, lawyer, b. in Philadelphia, Pa., in February, 1820 ; d. "there, 5 May, 1879. He was graduated at Harvard in 1842, studied law at the law-school there, was admitted to the bar in Philadelphia in 1846, and began practice in that city. From 1853 till 1862 he was one of the edi- tors of the " American Law Register." Among his many contributions to legal literature are notes to " Troubat and Plaly's Practice," " Tidd's Practice," " Selwyn's Nisi Prius," and " Williams on Execu- tors and Administrators." He was well known as a Shakespearian scholar.

FISH, Benjamin, engineer, b. near Trenton, N. J., in 1785 ; d. in Trenton, 22 June, 1880. In 1812, during the war with England, he was em- ployed in transporting commissary and ordnance stores for the government. During the construc- tion of the first railroads in the United States he undertook to connect New York and Philadelphia by rail. It is related concerning his management of the line that his rule was to wait one hour for a train, and then send out a locomotive to look for it, and that once, when asked by a conductor how long he should wait, his answer was, " Wait, sir, till you learn something." Mr. Fish was largely interested in various railroad and canal enter- prises. He represented the town of Nottingham in the New Jersey legislature in 1833.

FISH, Henry Clay, clergyman, b. in Halifax, Vt., 27 Jan., 1820 ; d. i"n Newark, N. J., 2 Oct., 1877. His father was a Baptist clergyman. The son studied at an academy, taught for two years in