Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/215

 DEEMS

DEEMS

1840-41. He was general agent for North Caro- lina of the American Bible society, 1841-42. He was iDrofessor of logic and rJietoric in the Uni- A-ersity of North Carolina as successor to the Eev. Dr. William Mercer Green, 1842-47. He resigned in 1847 and was professor of natural sciences in Randolph-Macon college, Boydton, Va., in 1848. Early in 1849 he entex-ed the itiner- ancy and was stationed at Newbern, N.C. He was a delegate to the General conference of the Methodist church south at St. Louis, Mo., in May, 1850. While there he was elected to the presi- dency of Greensboro (N.C.) female college. While holding that office he founded and organ- ized at Glenanna, Davidson county, a prei^ara- tory seminary for young ladies. In 1854 he was a delegate to the General conference at Columbus, Ga., and was elected president of Centenary college, Louisiana. This office he declined, at the same time resigning the presidency of Greens- boro college, and returning to the itinerancy. He joined the Everittsville circuit, residing in Golds- boro, N.C, 1854-56, and in Wihnington, N.C, 1856-58. He was presiding elder of the Wilming- ton district, 1858-62, and of the Newbern district, 1862-65. While serving as presiding elder he accepted the presidency of St. Austin's institvite, Wilson, N.C, and organized and conducted a prosperous school in two departments, one a young ladies' seminary and the other a military academy, 1860-63. He gave much time to minis- tering to the wants of the soldiers in the Confed- erate ami}'. After the close of the war he removed to New York city, where he engaged in literary pursuits, and in August, 1866, Qstablished the Church of the Strangers, an independent organization, holding its first meetings in the chapel of the University of the city of New York and subsequently in the cluirch edifice formerly occupied by the Mercer street Presby- terian church, which was purchased and pre- sented to Dr. Deems by Cornelius Vanderbilt, in 1870. His acquaintance with Commodore Vanderbilt also led indirectly to the building and endowment of Vanderbilt university, Nashville, Tenn. He was pre.sident of Rutgers female college, New York city, 1874-76; a member of the council of the University of the city of New York, 1876-93, and founder of the American Institute of Christian philosophy in 1881, and its president, 1881-93. He founded and edited The Christian Watchman, 1848; The Christian Age, 1872, Christian Thought, 1883, and also edited five volumes of the Southern Methodist Episcopal Pulpit, 1846-51 ; compiled three volumes of Annals of Southern Methodism, 1849-52; and edited Frank Leslie's Sunday Magazine from its foundation in 1876 for three years. He was married at As- bury, N.J., June 20, 1843, to Anne, daughter of

Israel D. and Letitia Disosway, and they had children: Theodore Disosway, born in 1844, killed in the civil war; Francis Mellville, born in 1846, a physician ; Edward Mark, born in 1849, a Pres- byterian clergyman; George Israel, born in 1854, died in infancy, and two daughters, Mary Letitia and Anna Louise. His widow and four children survived him. He received the degree of D.D. from Randolph Macon college, Va., in 1853, and that of LL.D. from the University of North Car- olina in 1877 and from Dickinson college in 1889. Besides publishing several volumes of sermons and many addresses, he was a frequent contrib- utor to periodical literature, and is the author of: Triumph of Peace and Other Poems (1840) ; Life of Adam Clarke, LL.D. (1840); Devotional 3Ielo- dies (1842); Twelve College Sermons (1844); The Home Altar (1850); What Now? (1853); Jesu3 (1868) ; Hy7nns for All Christians (1869, new ed., 1881) ; Forty Sermons Preached in the Church of the Strangers (1871) ; Who Was Jesus? (a new edition of Jesus ) ; Weights and Wings (1874) ; A Scotch Verdict (1886) ; The Gospel of Common Sense (1889); The Gospel of Spiritual Insight (1891); a new edition of Jesus entitled The Light of the Nations (1880) ; and My Septuagint (1892), written by Dr. Deems- after his 70th birthday. He died in New York city, Nov. 18, 1893.

DEEMS, James Harry, musician, was born in Baltimore, Md.,. Feb. 4, 1848; son of Gen. James Monroe and Mary Isabelle (Flack) Deems; grandson of Col. Jacob and Svisannah (Grub) Deems, and a descendant of Frederick Deems, who took an active part in the Revolution, enlist- ing " for the war. " His first ancestor in America came to Maryland from Holland about 1646. He began the study of music under his' father in 1856, and at the age of twelve played first violin in an orchestra. For over a year he was an alto singer in a church choir. At thirteen he was appointed organist at the First Baptist church in Baltimore, and was subsequently organist at Brown memorial Presbyterian church and Franklin square Baptist church. In 1895 he became organist at Mount Vernon Methodist Episcopal church. He was graduated from Balti- more city college in 1864 and was appointed jaro- fessor of music at St. Timothy's hall, Catonsville, Md., meanwhile pursuing the study of Latin, Greek and mathematics. In 1868 he was chosen froni fifteen competitors professor of music at the Western female high school and Baltimore city college. He was superintendent of music in the Baltimore public schools and director and pianist of various local clioral associations. In 1872 he was married to MoUie White of Baltimore, who was graduated from the AVestern female high school in 1871, with a remarkable record for scholarship. She died in 1887, leaving two sons.