Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/464

 EMERSON

EMERSON

EMERSON, George Barrell, educator, was born iu Keuuebuiik, Maine, Sept. 12, 1797; sou of Dr. Siimuel Emerson. His father was graduated at Harvard in 17^5 and received the honorary decree of M.D. in 1824; and liis mother was a daughter of Nathaniel Barrell of New York city. He was prepared for college by his fatlier and by twelve weeks of study at Dummer academy, and was graduated from Harvard in 1871. He taught school every winter during his college course. In 18IS he was principtil of an academy in Lan- caster. Mass., and in 1819-21 was tutor in mathe- matics and natural philosophy at Harvard. He then declined the chair of mathematics and became principal of the Boston English classical school, the earliest free school of that kind and grade in the world. He resigned the position in 1823 to conduct a select school for girls, which he continued until 18)5. He was chairman of the committee of the American institute of in- struction; a member of the first board of educa- tion, which he memorialized the legislature to establish; an active founder of the state normal schools, of the Boston natural history society, of which he was for several years president, and of the Arnold arboretum, established at his .sugges- tion by a bequest from his father-in-law, James Arnold. Harvard conferred upon him the liono- rary degree of LL.D. in 1859. He published: Hepfirt on the Trees and Shrtibs Groicing Naturally in the Forests of Massachusetts (1846; 2d ed., 1875); Manual of Agriculture (1861): and Reminiscences of an Old Teacher (1878). He died in Newton, Mass., March 14, 1881.

EMERSON, Henry Pendexter, educator, was bom in Lynnfield, Mass., Jan. 12, 1847; son of Oliver and Eliza (Weston) Emerson; grandson of Daniel and Lucj' (Pratt) Emerson; and a descendant of the Rev. Joseph Emerson, the first minister of Mendon, Mass., who was also the ancestor of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the poet and philosopher. He was educated at Phillips acad- emy, Andover, Mass., and was graduated from the University of Rochester, N.Y., A.B., 1871, A.M., 1874. He was teacher of Latin and Greek in the BufTalo high school, 1874-8.3, and was principal of the school, 188.3-93. He was made superintendent of education in Buffalo, N.Y.. in 1893, and was president of the council of school superintendents of New York state in 1899. He is the author of Ijitin in the High School; A Sum- mer in Europe, and many occasional lectures and papers.

EMERSON, Luther Orlando, composer, was born in Parsonsfield, Maine, Aug. 3, 1820; son of Luther and Elizabeth Usher (Parsons) Emerson; grand.son of Joseph and Lydia (Durde) Emerson and of Thomas and Lucy (Bradbury) Parsons; and a descendant of Thomas Emerson who came

from Durham, Englard, about 1635 and settled in Ipswich, Mass. Luther was educated at the common schools and the Parsonsfield seminary and Effingham academy. He then entered Dra- cut academy near Lowell, Mass., intending to qualify for the medical profession, but finally decided to devote his whole time to music. He studied in Boston and in 1845 began to teach music in Salem, Mass., where he also took charge of a church choir. He composed much of the music sung bj- the choir and in 1853 published " The Romberg Collection " of church music. The book was not a financial success, but one of the tunes contained in it, "Sessions," became very popular. He was organist at the Bulfijich street church, Boston, 1853-57; director of music in the Second Congregational church, Greenfield, Mass., 1857-65, and in Powers' institute, Ber- nardston, Mass., 1858-65. During his musical career he conducted over 350 musical festivals in the United States and Canada, the first being in Keene, N.H., in 1862. For several years he was associated with Conductor Carl Zerrahn at the famous Worcester festivals, and in 1866 he de- clined to become the associate of Dr. Lowell Mason. His first successful church music book, "The Harp of Judah,"' was published in 1863, and 30,000 copies were sold in the first three months. " The Golden Wreath "' (1856) was the initial volume in a long and successful series issued by Oliver Ditson & Company, with which firm he formed a connection in 1857, all of his works with one exception being published by them. He was married. March 4, 1847,. to Mary J., daughter of John and Mary (Burgess) Gove, of Boston, Mass. He received the degree of Mus. Doc. from Findlay college in 1892. Besides his .separate compositions he published nearly seventy works, including church music books, singing-school books, glee books and instruction books.

EMERSON, Ralph Waldo, philosopher and poet, was born in Boston, Mass., May 25, 1803; son of the Rev. William and Ruth (Haskins) Emerson. He received liis primary instruction at home from his mother and from his aunt, ^liss Mary Moody Emerson, a woman of remarkable scholarship and literary ability. He entered the public grammar school at the age of eight and soon after was received into the Latin school. During his childhood he was fond of writing verses and at the age of eleven produced an excellent poetic version of a part of the fifth bucolic of Virgil. He entered Harvard in his fourteenth year, and during his college course excelled especially in Greek, history, declamation and composition, winning several prizes in the last two subjects. He was class poet on class day in 1821 and had one of the twentj'-nine parts