Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/308

 PERSICO

PETERS

PERSICO, Ignatius, R. C. bishop, was born in Naples, Italy, Jan. 30, 1823 ; son of Francisco Saverio and Guiseppino (Pennachio) Persico. He was baptized Camillo Guglielino Maria, and as- sumed the name Ignatius when he entered the Order of Minor Capuchins. He attended the Jesuit college at Naples; was ordained priest, Jan. 24, 1846 ; was graduated at tiie Propaganda, Rome, in 1847, and was apostolic missionary to Patna, 1847-52 ; apostolic visitor to the East Indies, 1852-54, and was elected coadjutor to the vicar- apostolic of Bombay, India, March 8, 1854. He was consecrated at Bombay, India. June 4, 1854, in the cathedral of " Our Lady of Hope " by the Right Rev. Anastasius Hartman. vicar-apostolic of Bombay. He was vicar-apostolic of Hindostan and Tiiibet, 1850-60. and on March 11, 1870, was trans- ferred to Savannah, Ga., as successor totheRt. Rev. Augustin Verot, transferred to St. Augus- tine. He was a member of the provincial and Vatican councils at Baltimore, Md.; resigned his see in 1872 ; was translated to the see of " Bo- leno " June 20, 1874 ; became bishop of the united dioceses of Acquino, Pontecowo and Sora, in the East Indies, in 1878. He was sent as commissary to Ireland, in June, 1887, and was created cardinal priest, Jan. 16, 1893. He died at Rome, Italy, Dec. 7, 1895.

PETER, Sarah (Worthington) King, philan- thropist, was born in Chillicothe, Ohio, May 16, 1800 ; daughter of Gov. Thomas and Eleanor (Swearingen) Worthington, and granddaughter of Robert Worthington of Berkeley county, Va. She was married in 1816 to Edward, son of the Hon. Rufus King (q.v.), and made her home in Cincinnati, Oliio. Her husband died and she was married secondly, in 1844, to William Peter, British consul at Philadelphia, Pa., and during her residence in that city, she established the School of Design for Women, which was opened, Dec. 2, 1850. She returned to Cincinnati after the death of Mr. Peter in 1853, and established the Ladies' Academy of Art, which became the Art School of Cincinnati. She was converted to the Roman Catholic faith in 1856, making nine pilgrimages to Rome, on special visits to the Holy Father, and founded at least twenty sistei-hoods and convents in the archdioceses of Pliiladelphia and Cincinnati. She purchased paintings and other works of art in Europe for tiie Cincinnati art school, and statues of saints wliich she pre- sented to different Catholic churches. She be- queathed her wealth to charitable institutions and died at Cincinnati. Oliio. Feb. 6, 1877.

PETERKIN, George William, first bishop of West Virginia and 120th in succession in the American episcopate, was born at Clear Spring, Md., March 21, 1841 ; son of the Rev. Dr. Joshua and Elizabeth (Hanson) Peterkin ; grandson of

Lieut. William Wilkes and Elizabeth (Spencer) Peterkin, and of Thomas Hawkins and Elizabeth Howard (Beall) Hanson, and great-grandson of Col. William Dent Beall of the Maryland Line. He was educated at the Episcopal High School of Virginia, 1856-58 ; the University of Virginia, 1858-59, and enlisted as a private in the 21st Vir- ginia infantry, April 17, 1861, which was brigaded with the 42d and 48th regiments and after De- cember, 1861, was attached to Jackson's division. He was promoted througli the ranks of corporal and sergeant to that of first lieutenant in April, 1802; made adjutant in May, 1862; transferred to the staff of Gen. W. N. Pendleton (q.v.) June, 1862, and served as his aide until paroled at Ap- pomatox court-house, April 10, 1805. He was graduated at the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary of Virginia at Alexandria in 1868 ; was admitted to the diaconate, June 24, 1868, ad- vanced to the priesthood, June 25, 1869, and was assistant to his father, rector of St. James's church, Richmond, Va., 1868-69. He was rector of St. Stephen's church, Gulpeper,Va., 1869-73, and of the Memorial church, Baltimore, Md., 1873-78. The diocese of West Virginia was organized in 1877 and he was elected its first bishop, March 1, 1878, and con.secrated in St. Matthew's church. Wheeling, W.Va., May 30, 1878, by Bishops Bedell, Kerfoot, Whittle, Dudley and Jaggar. In 1903 he had in his diocese 88 parishes and missions, about 4500 communicants and several well organized in- stitutions for mission and charitable work. He was made a member of the board of managers of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary society in 1880, and visited the church mission in Brazil, S.A., at the request of the house of bishops in 1893, reporting the condition of the church in that region to the board of managers. He also visited Porto Rico in 1901 and reported the condition of that Mission to the board. He was vice-president of the American church missionary societ}' for some years. He was married, first, Oct. 29, 1868, to Constance Gardner, daughter of Cassius Fran- cis and Anne Eliza (Cazenove) Lee of Alexandria, Va. She died Aug. 8, 1877 ; and he was married secondly, June 12, 1884, to Marion Mcintosh, daughter of John Stewart of Brook Hill,Va. He received the degree D.D. from Kenyon college and Wasiiington and Lee university in 1878, and LL.D. from Washington and Lee in 1892. He publislied sermons and addresses and contributed to churrh perirydirals.

PETERS, Christian Henry Frederick, astron- nomer, was born in Coldenbiittel, Schleswig. Denmark, Sept, 19, 1813. He was graduated from the University of Berlin, Ph.D. in 1836 and studied in Copenhagen, 1830-38, He was a mem- ber of the expedition to Blount Etna, Sicily, under Baron Sartorius von Walthershausen ; was en-