Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/315

 MATHER

MATHER

her strange actions. He became the foremost adviser and wrote '* Wonders of the Invisible World," being an account of the trials of several witches (1693) concerning tiie supposed phenom- ena. During this ' ' reign of terror " two hundred

persons were ac- cused, one hundred and fifty imprison- ed, nineteen hang- ed, one pressed to death, and twenty- eight condemned but not punished. Wlien the popular reaction followed he was severely cri- ticised and charged with being its " chief cause, pro- moter and agent." It was further charged that lie secutions for witch- craft, countenanced the executions by his presence, and in various ways urged the terrible work of blood." Several vindications of Mather have been written, including one by William Poole. He partly discovered his error near the close of his life. He was in advance of his age in his method of treatment of the afflicted whether in body or mind. On the fall of the delusion, Mather's influence, which had been great, began to decline, until at length he became the object of much ridicule. He was three times married : first, on May 4, 1866, to Abigail, daughter of Col. Jolin Phillips of Charlestown, Mass. : secondly, Aug. 18. 170;J, to Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. John Clark and widow of Mr. Hubbard, and thirdly, July 5, 1715, to Lydia, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Lee and widow of John George. He was almost fanatically religious, having been surrounded by holy influences and imbued with the spirit of devotion from early childhood. He composed forms of ejaculatory praj'er for use on occasions, and kept weekly fasts, prostrating himself on the floor of his study. He was one of the commissioners for Indian affairs ; was an advocate of Christian missions and projected a Society of Peacemakers, to compose and prevent differences and to divert lawsuits. The honor- ary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by Glasgow university in 1710. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 1713, being the first American so honored. His correspondents included scientists and literary men in all parts of the world. Besides his works on witchcraft he is the author of : Magnalia Christi Americana (1702; 2 vols., 1820; 2ded., 2 vols., 1875); Psal-
 * favored the pro-

terium Americanum, being an exact metrical tran.slation of the Psalms in prose (1718); Bihlia Americana, or Sacred Scrijyture of the Old and New Testaments (MS.), besides numerous other publications, both in prose and verse. His works are extremely rare, the most extensive collections having been made by the British museimi and the Bodleian library at Oxford. The Brinley col- lection was the best in the United States, and was sold in New York city in 1879. He died in Boston, Mass., Feb. 13. 1728, and was buried in the family vault in Copp's Hill burying ground.

MATHER, Fredrick, pisciculturist, was born in Green bush, N.Y., Aug. 2, 1833 ; son of Joseph andChianna (Brockway) Mather of Lyme. Conn. ; grandson of Joseph and Zelinda (Goold) Mather and of Elijah and Abigal (Hall) Brockway, and a descendant of the Rev. Richard Mather of Toxteth Park, England, who settled in Dorchester, Mass., 1635, died there in 1669, and was the father of the Rev. Increase Mather and grandfather of Cotton Mather. He was educated at Albany, N.Y., and in 1854 he went to Potosi, Wis., having become interested in the Potosi lead mines. He hunted and trapped in the Bad Axe country. Wis., for several years, and was interpreter of the Chip- pewa language to the government survey in northern Minnesota. He served under Gen. James Henry Lane during the Kansas disturb- ances, 1853-55, and was one of Jennison's " Jay hawkers." At the outbreak of the civil war he enlisted in the Federal army as a private in the 113tli New York volunteer regiment; was promoted 1st lieutenant in 1864, and was com- missioned captain in the 7th New York artillery regiment, serving until the close of the war. He was elected a member of the Loyal Legion. He was employed as a clerk in the live-stock yards near Albany, N.Y., purchased a farm at Honeoye Falls, N.Y., in 1868, and devoted most of his time to the science of fish culture. Upon the found- ing of the U.S. fish commission in 1872, he was engaged to hatch shad for the Potomac river; was appointed assistant to the U.S. fish commis- sion in 1873 ; hatched the first sea-bass and graylings in 1874 ; established hatcheries at Lex- ington and Bl.ackburg for the itate of Virginia in 1875, and during the same year he succeeded in transporting salmon eggs to Germany by means of a refrigerator-box of his own invention. He also invented a conical ap{)aratus, which greatly facilitated the hatching of shsid and other eggs. He hatched the adhesive eggs of the smelt in 1884, although all previous attempts had failed. He was fish editor of Tlie Field, Chicago, III., 1877-80. and of Forest and Stream, New York city, 1880-1900. He was sent to Roslyn, Long Island, to hatch salmon for the Hudson river in 1882; was superintendent of the New York state com-