Page:Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography volume 2.djvu/267

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VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY

New York Literary and Philosophical So- ciety. He became translator to the depart- ment of state in Washington in 1828, and in 1850 removed to California, where in 1853 he was associate law-agent to the United States land commission. He published **A History of Tripoli" (1835), and a "Report on the Discovery of the Northwest Coast ot North America," prepared by order of congress in 1837 (New York. 1840), and afterward enlarged into a "History of Ore- gon and California/* a work of high author- ity (1846). Dr. Greenhow also read before the New York Historical Society, in 1848, a paper in relation to the supposed mission- ary labors of Archbishop Fenelon, since fc'und to have been those of a brother, among the Iroquois of New York. His grandfather, John Greenhow, a prominent merchant of Williamsburg, was born in Stanton, near Kendall, county Westmore- land. England, November 12, 1724, and died August 29. 1787. He married three times (first) Judith Davenport, (second) Eliza- beth Tyler, sister of Gov. John Tyler, and (third) Rebecca Harman, daughter of Ben- skin Harman. Robert Greenhow was de- scended from the first marriage.

Alexander, James Waddell, was born in Louisa county, Virginia, March 13, 1804, son of Archibald and Janetta Waddell Alex- ander, and maternal grandson of James Waddell, the blind preacher, made famous by William Wirt. He was educated in the academy at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered Princeton College, and was gradu- ated in 1820, following with a four years' course at the theological seminary. In 1824 he was a tutor in that institution, and was licensed to preach by the presbytery of New

Brunswick, New Jersey. For three years following he was pastor in Charlotte coun- ty, \^irginia. From 1828 to 1832 he had charge of the First Presbyterian Church in Trenton, New Jersey. He gave up preach- ing on account of failing health, and took charge of the "Presbyterian,'' of Philadel- phia, as editor. From 1834 to 1S44 he was professor of belles Icttrcs and rhetoric at Princeton College, and for the next five years he served the congregation of the Duane Street Presbyterian Church of New York City. At the end of his pastorate he returned to Princeton to take the chair of ecclesiastical history and church govern- ment in the theological seminary. In 1S51 he returned to New York to accept a call to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, where he exerted a great power in the pul- pit and with his pen. In preaching and writing he aimed at being practical rather than scholarly, and in the pulpit was in- tensely spiritual. He wrote many transla- tions of popular German hymns, one of which found rts way into many hymn books — Gerhardt's passion hymn, **0, Sacred Head now Wounded." His published works include: "Consolation," "Family Worship," "Plain Words to a Young Communicant," "Discourses on Christian Faith and Prac- tice," "Gift to the Afflicted," "A Biography o^ Dr. Archibald Alexander," and over thirty volumes prepared for the American Sunday School Union. He contributed to the "Princeton Review" and the "Biblical Repertory." Rev. Dr. John Hall published in 1880, in two volumes "Forty Years' Fa- miliar Letters of James W. Alexander." He died at Red Sweet Springs, Virginia, July 3h 1859.

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