Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/403

 CREBLE

GREELEY

QREBLE, John Trout, soldier, was born in Philadelphia, I'a.. Jan. 19, 1834. He was grad- uated at the U.S. military academy in 18.54, was promoted 2d lieutenant of artillery in September, 1854, and served at Tampa, Fla., in the Indian war, 18.')4-.56. He was acting assistant professor of geogr.aphy, history and ethics at West Point, 18.56-60. was promoted 1st lieutenant, March 3, 18.57, and at the outbreak of the civil war was detailed for active service at Fort Monroe, Va. He was master of ordnance and superintendent of fortifications at Newport News, Va., from May 26, 1861, and when the expedition to Big Bethel was planned by Genei-al Butler, Lieutenant Greble was detailed with two guns to accompany the troops. He skilfully covered the retreat of the Federal army when they were surprised and over- powered and hail secured a safe withdrawal of the troops, and was about to retire with his gims when he was killeil by a rifle ball. He was brev- etted captain, major and lieutenant-colonel for his action in this first battle of the civil war, be- fore the news of his death reached the war de- partment. He died on the battle-field of Big Bethel, Va., June 10, 1861.

GREELEY, Horace, journalist, was born in Amherst. N H.. Feb. S. 1811; son of Zaccheus and Mary (Woodl)urn) Greeley: grandson of Zacclieus Greeley, and great-grandson of Zaccheus Greeley, ,-- - _ who with two

lirothers came fi-om the north of Ireland and settled near Londonderry, N.H., in 1640. His ma- ternal greatgrand- father, John Wood- man, emigrated to America in 1718, landed in Boston, Jlass., and located at NuttieM. about fifteen miles nortli from Hav- erhill. N.H. The emi- grants changed the name to Londonderry after the place of their nativity. In 1808 the third Zaccheus Greelej'. the father of Horace, pur- chased the Stewart farm near Amherst, N.H. Mary Greeley was a woman of strong brain and body, who in addition to her household cares, did manual labor in the fields and was said to pos- sess the physical endurance of an ordinary man and woman combined. Zaccheus even with this help found that with a family of seven children and an area of fifty acres of stony land from which to work out a support, he Could make little advance toward prosperity. A succession ot bad crops robbed hhu of his farm and in 1821 he ro-

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BIRTrtPU<E-f HORACE- OREtLEY.

moved his family to West Haven, Vt, where he engaged as a day laborer. While living in Am- herst, Horace had attended the district school in wauter and worked with the other children on the farm nine months of the year. When six years old he declared his intention to become a printer and when ten he applied to the village newspaper for a place in the printing of- fice, but was turned away as "too small.'' The leading cit- izens of Am lierst offered to send him to Phillips acad-

em}', Exeter, but his parents declined the ofl'er as they were unwilling to have the lad so far from their new home in Vermont. Horace continued to assist his father in daily manual labor, and to study every evening and holiday, imtil he saw in the Norlknrii Spectdtiir an announcement that a young man was needed in the office to learn the trade of printer. This was in 1836. He made the journey to East Poultney, and the editor, Amos Bliss, offered him the place, the terms of the indentm-e of apprenticeship being that Horace should serve for five years, should be boarded and lodged in the family of Mr. Bliss, and should receive, after a probationary period of six months, the smn of forty dollars for each year's service. Instead of having the drudgery of the printer's devil forced upon him he was kept at the case and swinging the lever of the press on publication day and it vi-as not long before Mr. Bliss entrusted to him no small part of the edi- torial duties. His entire earnings w^ere contrib- uted to the support of the family. Before he had completed the time of his apprenticeship the Spee- tnti.ir failed and Horace was released from the terras ot the indenture with a knowledge of the printer's art exceeding that possessed by his em- ployer or any o£ the employees of the oflfice. His father had removed the family to western New \'ork, having purchased a small farm in Erie county close to the Pennsylvania line. Horace found irregular work in several of the towns in the vicinity ot his father's home imtil he decided to seek employment in New York. He made the journey mostly on foot and by boat and reached New York city early in the morning of April 18, 1831. His worldly possessions were on Ids back and in a small bundle that he carried in his hand, and his cash capital was ten dollars. He visited each of the offices of the eight daily newspapers of the city, only to be turned away chiefly on ac- coimt of his uncouth personal appearance and the fear that he was a rimavvay a])prentice. When