Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 07.djvu/358

 MELL

MELLEN

Mell and of Thomas and Anna (Baker) Sumner, and a descendant of John Mell, who settled near Charleston, S.C., 1667 ; also of Wil Ham Sumner, who settled in Dorchester, Mass., 1636. He was left an orphan in 1828, and to supi)ort his younger

brothers and sisters taught in academies in Georgia, where he was prepared for col- lege. He matricul- ated at Amherst in the class of 1837, but soon left and taught in an academy at Springfield, Mass., and in the high school at East Hartford, Conn., 1834-37, and in southern Georgia, 1837-39. He was principal of a classi- cal and English school at Oxford, Georgia, 1839-41, where he also preached, 1840-42. He was ordained to the Bap- tist ministry at Penfield, Ga., Nov. 19, 1842, and was pastor at Greensborough, Ga., 1842-52, also supplying Antioch and Bairdstown. He was professor of ancient languages iti Mercer univer- sity, Penfield, Ga., 1841-55, and in 1855, owing to a disagreement with the president, he was dis- missed by the trustees. He declined the presi- dency of various southern colleges, and was at the University of Georgia as professor of ancient languages, 1856-60 ; professor of metaphysics and ethics. 1860-87, and chancellor of the university and ex-ojjicio president of the State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, 1878-88. He was married, June 29, 1840, to Lurene Howard, daughter of George and Nancy (Connor) Cooper. She died in 1861, leaving eight children, and he was married, secondly, Dec. 24, 1861, to Eliza E- Cooper, of Scriven county, by whom he had six children. In 1861 he raised a company known as " Mell's Riflemen " for six months' service and served as captain until domestic affliction forced him to resign. In 1863 the university closed and lie was made colonel of a regiment composed of professors and students of the university, and the regiment served at Rome, Savannah and other p)arts of the state until the close of the war. He was moderator of the Georgia Baptist asso- ciation for thirty years, president of the Southern Baptist convention for seventeen years, and of the Georgia Baptist convention for twenty-six years. He received the degree of D.D. from Furman university. S.C., and from the University of Georgia in 1858, and that of LL.D. from Howard college. Ala., in 1869. He is the author of : Predestination ; Calvinistn ; Ood's Provi-

dential Oovemment ; Baptism (1952) ; Corrective Church Discipline (1860) ; a treatise on Parlia- mentary Practice (1868) ; The Philosophy of Prayer (1875) ; Church Polity (1878). He died in Athens, Ga., Jan. 26, 1888.

MELLt Patrick Hues, scientist, was born in Penfield, Ga., May 24, 1850 ; son of the Rev. Patrick Hues and Lurene Howard (Cooper) Mell. He was graduated at the University of Georgia, A.B., 1871, C.E., 1872, and M.E., 1873, and was state chemist of Georgia, 1874-77. He was made professor of geology and botany in the Alabama Polytechnic institute, 1878 ; was director of the Alabama weather service bureau, 1884-93, and of the Alabama Agricultural experiment station, 1898. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in 1880. He was a member of numerous historical and scientific organizations. He was married, June 15, 1875, to Annie R., daughter of William N. White, of Athens, Ga. He invented a system of weather signals in 1886 adopted by the U.S. weather bureau, revised P. H. Mell's '* Parliamentary Practice " (1893) ; and William N. White's " Gardening for the South " (1901), and is the author of : Auriferous Slate Deposits of the South- ern Region (1881) ; Southern Soapstones and Fireclays (1882) ; Wild Grasses of Alabama (1886) ; Microscopic Study of the Cotton Plant (1890) ; Climatology of Alabama (1890) ; Clima- tology of the Cotton Plant (1892) ; Improvement of Cotton Plant by Crossing (1894) ; Life of Patrick Hues Mell, Sr., LL.D. (1895); Botanical Laboratory Guide (1895), and contributions to scientific periodicals.

MELLEN, George Frederick, educator, was born in Clarke county, Miss., June 27, 1859 ; son of Seth Smith and Susan (Bush) Mellen, natives of Massachusetts. His father was principal of a preparatory school for boys at Pierces Spring, Miss., and received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Alabama in 1883. George Frederick was prepared for college by his father and was graduated from the University of Ala- bama, A.M., 1879. He was honor man of his class and won two prizes given for best examina- tions in Anglo-Saxon and in Shakespeare by the Early English Text and the New Shakespeare societies of Great Britain. He taught in Living- ston and Gainesville, Ala., 1879-85, and was mar- ried, July 7, 1885, to Mary B., daughter of Cyrus B. and Eliza (Van de Graaffe) Baldwin, of Mont- eagle, Tenn. For two semesters, 1885-86, he at- tended the University of Leipzig where he studied Latin, Greek and pedagogics. Ill-health com- pelled him to return home, and he had charge of Marengo institute for girls, Demopolis, Ala., 1887-91 . He organized Marengo Military academy, in which he taught the classics. 1887-90 : studied