Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/210

 CHILDS.

CHILDS.

J. Fenimore Cooper, Hawthorne, Dickens and a liost of celebrities besides. Two extraordinarj^ treasures were the original manuscript of "Our Mutual Friend," dated Thursday, Jan. 4, 1865, and signed "Charles Dickens, "and a volume con- taining a portrait of every president of the United States with an autograph letter of each. Mr. Childs published Some RecoUections of General Grant, wlio was his personal friend for many years, and in 1890 iiis own Recollections was issued. Both works are interesting, and the latter is full of dehghtful reminiscences of famous persons and famous occasions. Mr. Childs died at Philadelphia. Pa., Feb. 3, 1894.

CHILDS, Henry Halsey, physician, was born in Pittsfield, Mass., Jan. 7, 1783; son of Dr. Timothy and Eachel (Easton) Childs. He was a brother of Col. Thomas Childs, the distinguished soldier. He was graduated from Williams in 1802, and studied medicine with his father. Through much opposition he introduced the practice of vaccination into Pittsfield. He obtained a charter for the Berkshire medical institute in 1823; secured an endowment, a library, and a cabinet for the institution ; in 1823 became its professor of theory and practice of medicine; and was its president from 1837 to 1863, when he retired and was elected professor emeritus. He was a member of the faculty of the medical colleges at Woodstock, Vt., and at Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. He represented Pittsfield in the house of representatives of Massachusetts in 1816 and 1827, Berkshire county in the constitutional convention of 1820, and was lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts in 1844. He died in Boston, Mass., March 22, 1868.

CHILDS, Orville Whitmore, engineer, was born at Stillwater, N. Y., Dec. 29, 1803; son of Dr Ephraim and Mary (Woodworth) ChUd. He qualified as a civil engineer, was engaged in the construction of the Champlain canal improve- ments in 1824-"25, and in building the Oswego canal, 1826-"28. His plans for the improvement of the Oneida river, made in 1829-"30, were ac- cepted and later carried into effect, the work being completed in 1850. He assisted John B. Jervis in the construction of the Chenango canal in 1833-'36, and in the latter year was made chief engineer of one of the divisions of the Erie canal enlargement. He was occupied in this work for many years, and in 1840 was ap- pointed chief engineer of the entire New York state work, which position he held until 1847. In 1848-'49 he acted as chief engineer of the New York central railroad from Syracuse to Rochester. He was chief engineer of the Nica- ragua ship canal built by the American, Atlantic and Pacific ship canal company in 1850-'o2. The diflSculties overcome in this work, and his accu-

rately scientific maps, rejjorts and estimates of it, established him in the foremost ranks of his profes- sion. Subsequently he surveyed and constructed the Terre Haute and Alton railroad, of which he was chief engineer, 1855-"58; later was one of a commission of three to report on the practica- bility of tvmnelling the Hudson river at Albany, made the survey which fixed the boundaries of the county and city of New York, and was em- ployed in the construction of the harbor defences of that city. In 1860 he removed to Philadel- phia, where he engaged as one of the proprietors and patentees of the newly invented sleeping cars, and became president of the Central transportation company, and of the Philadelphia car works. He was the first of his branch of the Child family to add the final "s"to the name. He died in Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 6, 1870.

CHILDS, Thomas, soldier, was born in Pitts- field, Mass., in 1796; son of Dr. Timothy and Rachel (Easton) Childs. He was graduated from West Point in 1814, and served with dis- tinction at Fort Erie and Niagara in the same year. He was promoted 1st lieutenant, April 20, 1818, and captain, Oct. 1, 1826. In the Florida Indian war he planned the attack at Fort Drane, Aug. 21, 1836, and won for his conduct the brevet of major, and for subsequent service in the same war was brevetted lieutenant-colonel, Feb. 11, 1841. In the Mexican war he was brevetted colonel. May 9, 1846, for gallant conduct at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Pahna. He led a storming party at Monterey, and served at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo and Puebla. He was commissioned major of 1st artillery, Feb. 16, 1847, and brevet- ted brigadier-general, Oct. 12, 1847, and served as military governor of Jala^a and Puebla in 1847. He was designated by General Scott the "often distinguished Colonel Childs," and was in command of East Florida from Feb. 11. 1852, until his death by yellow fever at Fort Brooke, Tampa Bay, Fla., Oct. 8. 1853.

CHILDS, Thomas Spencer, clergyman, was born in Springfield, Mass., Jan. 19, 1825; son of Joshua and Susan (King) Childs. He was gradu- ated at the University of the city of New York in 1847, and at the Princeton theological seminary in 1850; in the same year he was licensed by the presbytery of New York. In the following year he organized the First Presbyterian church of Hartford, Conn., and he continued its pastor until 1866, when he was elected pastor of the First chvu'ch at Norwalk, Conn., where he re- mained until 1870. From 1871 until 1879 he was professor of Bible and ecclesiastical history in the theological seminary of Hartford, Conn. ; from 1880 to 1882, professor of mental and moral science in the University of Wooster, Ohio; and from that time until 1890, acting