Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/361

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Stevens, and of John and Elizabeth Farrington (Davis) Peters. Her first ancestors in America, John Stevens and Andrew Peters, were early settlers of Andover, Mass., having emigrated from England about the middle of the seven- teenth century. Helen Stevens was educated by a governess and private tutors, and adopted a literary career. She was married at Lawrence, Mass., June 10, 1858, to Samuel Stillman Conant, and their son, Thomas Peters Conant, born in Paris, France, July 11. 1860, was graduated as a mining and electrical engineer from Columbia college in 1882, practised his profession, contrib- uted to current publications, and died in New York city Feb. 24, 1891. Mrs. Conant published The Butterfly Hunters (1868) ; A Primer of German Literature (1877) ; A Primer of Spanish Literature (1878) ; and contributed translations, original stories and poems to magazines and newspapers. She died in Brooklyn, N.Y., April 17, 1899.

CONANT, Samuel Stillman, journalist, was born in Waterville. Maine, Dec. 11, 1831; son of the Rev. Thomas Jefferson and Hannah O'Brien (Chaplin) Conant. He studied at Madison uni- versity and in Berlin, Heidelberg and Munich; and on his return from Europe in 1860 adopted the profession of journalism. He was for seven years managing editor of the New York Times, resigning that position on the death of Henry J. Raymond in 1869, to become managing editor of Harper's Weekly. He continued at the head of that journal until his mysterious disappearance in January, 1885. He was married in 1858 to Helen Charlotte Peters Stevens and had one son, Thomas Peters Conant, who died in 1891, aged thirty years. Samuel Stillman Conant was an extensive contributor to periodical literature and translated Lermontofl's Circassian Boy from the Russian, through the German, in 1875.

CONANT, Thomas Jefferson, educator, was born at Brandon, Vt., Dec. 13, 1802; son of John and Charity Waite (Broughton) Conant; grand- son of Ebenezer and Lydia (Oakes) Conant, and of Waite and Esther (Breding) Broughton ; and a descendant in the seventh generation of Roger and Sarah (Horton) Conant, who came to America from Devonshire, England, and landed at Plymouth about 1623. He was graduated from Middlebury college in 1823, and remained there until 1825. taking a post-graduate course in philosoph}^ He was a tutor in Columbian college, Washington, D.C., 1825-27, and in the latter year accepted the chair of languages in Waterville (Maine) college, afterward Colby university. In 1833 he resigned and removed to Boston, where for two years he studied the Oriental languages. He was professor in Hamilton' (N.Y.) theological seminary, 1835-50. meanwhile spending two years abroad in the universities of Halle and Berlin.

He held the chair of Hebrew in the Rochester (N.Y.) theological seminary, 1851-57, and then removed to Brooklyn, N.Y., where he began his life work, the revision of the common English version of the Bible for the American Bible union. In 1873 he was chosen a member of the American committee, co-operating with the Old Testament companj- of the convocation of Can- terbury, England, in the revision of the author- ized English version of the Bible. He was mar- ried July 12, 1830, to Hannah O'Brien, daughter of the Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, the first president of Waterville college. Middlebury college con- ferred upon him the degree of D.D. in 1844. His Hebrew grammar became a standard textbook in England and America, and he published many exegetical works on New and Old Testament topics, including The Book of Job (1857) ; The Gospel of Matthew (1860); The Book of Genesis (1868) ; The Book of Psalms (1868) ; The Book of Proverbs (1871) ; and a translation, with notes, of the Books of Joshua, Judcjes, Buth I. and II., Samuel I. and II., and Kings (1884). He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., April 30, 1891.

CONANT, William Merritt, physician, wjv born in Attleboro, Mass., Jan. 5, 1856; son of Ira M. and Mary (Bas.sett) Conant. He was prepared for college in the academies of Bridgewater, Andover and Quincy, Mass., and was graduated in arts from Harvard in 1879 and in medicine in 1884. In 1884 he was married to Mary, daughter of the Hon. Edmund Hatch Bennett of Boston. He was house officer at the Massachusetts general hospital, 1883-84; assistant in anatomj- at Har- vard medical school, 1887-90; assistant demon- strator in anatomy, 1890-93, and instructor in the same branch from 1893. In 1894 he was also appointed an assistant in clinical surgerj^. In addition to his positions at Harvard he was surgeon to the Boston dispensary, surgeon to out-patients at the Massachusetts general hos- pital and surgeon to Carney, St. Elizabeth's and Charit}^ club hospitals. He was elected to membership in numerous medical organizations, including the Society of the medical sciences, the Boston society for medical observation, the Boston societ}^ for medical improvement, the Association of American anatomists, and the Massachusetts medical society.

CONATY, Thomas James, educator, was born in Cavan, Ireland, Aug. 1, 1847; son of Patrick and Alice (Lynch) Conaty. He came with his parents to the United States and located in Taunton, Ma.ss., where his father had previously lived. Having passed through the public schools, he entered Montreal college in 1863 and finished his education at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Ma.ss., where he was graduated in June, 1869. He studied theologj' under the