Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 03.djvu/471

 EMMONS

EMMONS

jects. He published : Vesico-Vaginal Fistulae (1868) ; and The Principles and Practice of Gynecol- ogy (1879, 3ded., 1884), which latter was trans- lated into German and French. In 1898 he pri- vately printed an extensive work — The Emmet Family with Some Incidents Relating to Irish His- tory, etc. He is also the author of The Indictment of 189S ; or why Ireland has never Prospered under English little.

EMMONS, Ebenezer, geologist, was born at Middlefield, Mass., May 16, 1799; son of Ebenezer and Mary (Mack) Emmons; and nephew of the Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, theologian. He was graduated from Williams in 1818 and from the Rensselaer school, Troy, N.Y., in 1826. He at- tended the Berkshire medical school, Pittsfield, Mass., and in 1838 removed to Williamstown, Mass., where he practised medicine. He was also lecturer on chemistry at Williams, 1828- 33, and junior professor in the Rensselaer school, 1830-39. In 1836 he was appointed upon the geological survey of New York, and in 1838 ac- cepted the chair of chemistry in the Albany medical college, removing to that city in the latter year. He was afterward transferred to the chair of obstretrics and remained on the faculty of the medical school until 1853. He was professor of natural history at Williams, 1833-59, and of mineralogy and geology, 1859-63. In surveying New York he was assigned to the northern district, much of which was unexplored territory. He discovered a group of rocks con- stituting as he supposed a distinct system under- lying the Silurian and not recognized in the ordinary classification. He believed the rocks to be the equivalents of the Cambrian rocks of England and applied to them the term Taconic system. His discovery was not received seriously by contemporary geologists and subjected him to ostracism. Later discoveries in the Canada sur- vey and by Barrandi in Bohemia, corroborated his views which before his death were generally accepted by American geologists. Subsequent investigations, however, showed that Dr. Emmons misread the geological structure of the region studied by him and his arrangement was there- fore set aside. In 1853 he was placed in charge of the geological survey of North Carolina, and in this field made several important contributions to the advance of American geology. He was married in 1818 to Maria Cone of Williamstown, Mass. Berkshire medical school conferred upon him the degree of M.D. in 1830. He published: Manual of Mineralogy and Geology (1836) ; Report on the Second Geological District of New York (1843); TJie Agriculture of New York (4 vols., 1846-19-51 and 54) ; The Geology of the 3Iidland Counties of North Carolina (1856); The Agri- culture of the Eastern Counties of North Carolina

(1858) ; The Swamp Lands of North Carolina (1860), and A Text-book of Geology (1860). He died in Brunswick county, N.C, Oct. 1, 1863.

EMMONS, George Foster, naval officer, was born in Clarendon, Vt., Aug. 23, 1811. He en- tered the U.S. navy, April 1, 1828, as midship- man, and studied at the Brooklyn naval school, being promoted passed midshipman in July, 1834. He accompanied Capt. Charles Wilkes on his exploring expedition around the world, 1838^2. He was promoted lieutenant, Feb. 25, 1841, and in the following July lost his vessel, the Peacock, which sunk at the mouth of the Columbia river, Oregon. He was then placed in command of a surveying expedition in Oregon and California, and in 1843 was on recruiting duty in Baltimore, Md. He served in the Brazilian squadron, 1843- 46, and during the Mexican war rendered efficient service on the frigate Ohio. He was promoted commander, Jan. 28, 1856, and in 1861 was as- signed to the vessel Hatteras in which he captured Cedar Keys, Fla., and Pass Christian, Miss., to- gether with nearly twenty prizes. He was com- missioned captain, Feb. 7, 1863, serving under Admiral Dahlgren, and in 1864-65 he commanded the Lackawanna in the Gulf of Mexico, rendering valuable service in destroying the Confederate ram Webb at New Orleans. He commanded the Ossipee which conveyed the United States com- missioners to Alaska, 1866-68, being the first to hoist the American flag over the territory. He was promoted commodore, Sept. 20, 1868; rear- admiral, Nov. 25, 1873, and was retired Aug. 23, 1873. He served on the ordnance board in 1869 and as chief of the hydrographic office in 1873. He is the author of: The Navy of the United States from 1775 to 1S53 (1853). He died in Princeton, N. J., July 2, 1884.

EMMONS, Halmer Hull, jurist, was born in Glens Falls, N.Y., in 1815. He was a cousin of George Foster Emmons, naval officer. He was admitted to the bar in 1836 and practised with his father in Detroit, Mich. , until 1853, when ill- ness compelled him to abandon the active prac- tice of his profession. He was appointed by President Grant, judge for the sixth circuit of the United States. He died in Detroit, Mich., May 14. 1877.

EMMONS, Nathanael, theologian, was born in East Haddam, Conn., April 20, 1745. He was graduated from Yale in 1767, studied divinity, was licensed Oct. 3, 1769, and preached for four years in New York state and New Hampshire. He became pastor of the Wrentham (afterward Franklin), Mass., church, April 21, 1773, and re- mained there until 1827, when he retired from active pastoral work. He trained many young men for the ministry, and devoted much time to literary work, contributing frequently to the