Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/231

 PARTON

PARTRIDGE

tured successfully on literary and political topics, and contributed to the New York Ledger and various periodicals. It is estimated that the sale of his books brought him $8000 annually in royalties for many years. He is the au- thor of; The Life of Horace Greeley (1855); Humorous Poetry of the English Language from Chaucer to Saxe (1856); The Life and Times of Aaron Burr (1857); Life of Andrew Jackson (3 vols., 1859); General Butler in New Orleans (1864); Life and Times of Ben- jamin Franklin (1864); Famous Americans of Recent Times (1867); The People's Book of Bio- graphy (1868); Smoking and Drinking, an essay (1868); The Danish Islands: Are We Bound to Pay for Them? (1869); Tojjics of the Time (1871); Triumphs of Enterprise, Ligenuity and Public Spirit (1871); The Words of Washington (1872); Fanny Fern, A Memorial Volume (1873); Life of Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States (1874); Taxation of Church Property (1874); Le Parnasse Frangais, a Book of French Poetry from A.D. 1550 to the Present Time (1877); Caricature and other Comic Art in All Times and Many Lands (1877); Lifeof 'Voltaire (1881); Noted Women of Europe and America {1883); Captains of Lidustry; or. Men of Business who did Something besides Making Money (1884); Some Noted Princes, Authors and Statesmen of Our Time (1885), and Captains of Industry, second series (1891). He died in Nevvburyport, Mass., Oct. 17, 1891.

PARTON, Sara Pay son (Willis), author, was born in Portland, Maine, July 9, 1811; daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah (Parker) Willis; grand- daughter of Nathaniel and Lucy (Douglas) Willis, and of Solomon Parker, and a descendant of George and Jane (Palfrey) Willis. George Willis emigrated from England to America, and settled in Cambridge, Mass., 1626. She was educated in the public schools of Boston, and in Catherine Beecher's Young Ladies' seminary at Hartford, Conn. She was married. May 4, 1837, to Charles H. Eldredge of Boston, Mass., who died, Oct. 6, 1846, leaving her with two children and without property. She sewed for a livelihood and tried to secure a position as a public school teacher, but was not successful. In 1851 she began to write for the Olive Branch and the True Flag, Boston periodicals, and her articles vrere copied into newspapers in all parts of the country. She

received only fifty cents for her first contribu- tion. Derby and Miller, New York publisliers, brought out a collection of her stories in one volume in 1853, as Fern Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio, of which 80,000 copies were sold. She removed to New York city in 1854, continuing to use the pen-name of Fanny Fern, and began to write for the New York Ledger, and for sixteen years furnished that periodical with an article every week, and for one story from her pen Robert Bonner paid her $100 a column. She was married secondly to a Mr. Farrington, a merchant of Boston, but the union was brief, and in Jan- uary, 1856, she became the wife of James Parton, the biographer. Slie is the author of: Fern Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio (1853, 2d ser., 1854); Little Ferns for Fanny's Little Friends (1854); Ruth Hall, novel (1854); Fresh Leaves (1855); Rose Clark, novel (1857); A New Story-Book for Children (1864); Folly as it Flies {1SG8); TJie Play- DayBook (1869); Ginger Snaps (1870), and Caper Sauce; A Volume of Chit Chat (1872). Most of her books were republished in England. See "Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern" (London, 1855). She died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 10, 1872. PARTRIDGE, Alden, educator, was born in Norwich, Vt., Jan. 12, 1785; son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Wright) Partridge, and grandson of Samuel and Ruth (Woodwood) Partridge. His father, a soldier in the Revolution, was present at the capture of Burgoyne at Sarato- ga. He entered Dart- mouth in August, 1802, but left before graduating to accept the appointment as cadet at the U.S. Military academy and was transferred to the artillery corps in July, 1806; promoted first lieutenant of en- gineers, Oct. 30, 1806; captain in the engi- neer corps, July 23, 1810, and in Novem- ber, 1806, was appointed assistant professor of mathematics, serving as full professor with the pay and emoluments of major, 1812-13, and as professor of engineering, 1813-16. He was acting superintendent of the academy, 1808-15, in the absence of Colonel Williams, and superintendent, 1815-17. On Jan. 17. 1817, he was relieved of the superintendency and on April 15, 1817, resigned his commission in the U.S. army. He Uien instructed a volunteer corps and gave lectures on fortifications and military science in New York city, and in 1819 engaged in the sur-