Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/147

 ONDERDONK

ONDERDONK

death of Bisliop Hobart, who had expressed a de- sire that Onderdonk might be his successor. He was consecrated at St. John's ciiapel, New York city, Nov. 26, 1830, by Bishops White, Brownell and Henry U. Onderdonk, and continued in his duties as assistant rector of Trinity. On Dec. 4,

1844, he was brought to trial before an ecclesiasti- cal court composed of seventeen bishops, charged with immoral acts said to have been committed be- tween June, 1837, and July, 1844, and on Jan. 3,

1845, was suspended from all exercise of his epis- copal and ministerial functions. Like his brother, the Bishop of Pennsylvania, he acknowledged the excessive use of intoxicating liquors, but asserted his innocence of all criminality from first to last, immediately after the trial, and even on his death-bed. He published "A Statement of Facts and Circumstances Connected with the Bishop of New York " in which he denied every accusation, but made no personal effort to evade punishment. His friends labored zealously in his behalf, and the diocese of New York earnestly endeavored to obtain a remission of the sen- tence. Many pamphlets were issued for and against the bishop, and on Oct. 11, 1847, he ad- dressed a memorial to the General convention. A second memorial was introduced into the General convention of 1850, and a third in that of 1859, when the house of bishops was petitioned by a majority of the clergymen and laity, to re- instate the deposed bishop. The petition was not granted, and he died with the stigma at- tached to his name, although it was quite clearly proven that he was the victim of a band of or- ganized conspirators. He received the degree of S.T.D in 1826 from Columbia, was a trustee of Columbia college, 1824-53, and of Hobart college, 1838-53. He made valuable contributions to the literature of the church, and is the author of the preface to the republication, by the Protestant Episcopal press, of Dr. John Bowden's Letters on the Apostolic Origin of the Episcopacy (1831). He died in New York city, April 30, 1861.

ONDERDONK, Henry, historian, was born in North Hempstead, N.Y., June 11, 1804 ; son of Joseph and Dorothy (Montfort) Onderdonk, and grandson of Adrian and Maria (Hegaman) On- derdonk. He was graduated at Columbia col- lege, A.B., 1827, A.M., 1833, and succeeded the Rev. Dr. Eisenbradt as principal of Union Hall academy, Jamaica, Long Island, N.Y., serving, 1832-65, when he retired and devoted himself to literary work. He was an accomplished classical scholar, and entered the General Theological seminary in the class of 1848 ; but left soon after matriculating on account of the troubles that had come upon his two uncles, the bishops of New York and Pennsylvania. He lectured ex- tensively on temperance and local history, and

made important researches in history and gene- alogy. He was married in 1828 to his cousin, Maria Hegaman, daughter of George and Sarah (Rapelye) Onderdonk. He was a member of several learned societies, and received the degree A.B. from Harvard in 1878, being enrolled with the class of 1828. He is the author of : Documents and Letters Litending to Illustrate the Revolu- tionary Incidents of Queen'' s County, N.Y. (1846); Correspondence loith James Fenimore Cooper, on the Capture and Death of Major Woodhidl (1848); Revolutionary Incidents of Suffolk and Kings County ivith an Account of the Battle of Long Island (1849) ; Long Island and Neio York in Olden Times, being Neivspaper Extracts and His- torical Sketches (1851); The Aimals of Hempstead from 1643 to 1S32 (1878), and The Antiquities of the Parish Church, Hemjistead, including Oyster Bay and the Churches in Suffolk County (1880). He died at Jamaica, L.I., N.Y., June 22, 1886.

ONDERDONK, Henry Ustick, second bishop of Pennsylvania, and 21st in succession in the American episcopate, was born in New York city, March 16, 1789 ; son of John and Deborah (Ustick) Onderdonk. He was graduated at Columbia, A.B, 1805, A.M. 1808; studied medicine at the Uni- versity of Edinburgh, where he was graduated M.D. in 1810. He settled in practice in New York city in 1810, and was associate editor with Dr. Valentine Mott, of the New York Medical Journal in 1815. He studied theology under Bishop Hobart, and was admitted to the diacon- ate in St. Paul's chapel. New York city, Dec. 8,

1815, and ordained in Trinity church, April 11,

1816. He served as missionary and rector of St. John's church, Canandaigua, N.Y., 1816-20, and as rector of St. Ann's church, Brookh-n, N.Y., 1820-27. He was elected assistant bishop of Pennsylvania and was consecrated in Christ church, Philadelphia, Pa., Oct. 25, 1827, by Bishops White, Hobart, Kemp, Croes and Bowen, and on the death of Bishop White, July 17, 1836, succeeded as second bishop of Pennsylvania. Owing to his intemperate habits he was com- pelled to resign in 1844, which resignation was accejited by the house of bishops at the General convention of 1844, and he was suspended from all public offices and functions of the ministry and from those of the episcopacy. He was re- instated by the General convention of 1856, but never actively entered on his duties. He re- ceived the honorary degree D.D. from Hobart and Columbia in 1827. He contributed to medical and religious journals. He is the author of an Appeal to the Religious Public of Canandaigua (1818); Episcopacy tested by Scripture (1830), afterward enlarged and entitled Episcojyacy Ex- amined and Re-Examined (1835); Essays on Re- generation (1835); Family Devotions from the