Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/370

 PLUMER

PLYMPTON

PLUMER, William Swan, clergyman, was born in GriersbiuK. l':t-. July 2(j, IbOtJ. He was gnitluateil from Waslungton college, Va., in 1822 ami attended Princelou Tlieologicul seminary, 1824-2.'). He was ordained by tbe presbytery of Orange. May 19, 1827; served as stated supply and evangelist in southern Virginia and North Carolina. 182t)-29; was pastor at Petersburg, Va., 1830-;}4; Riclunond. Va., 1834-40; Baltimore, Md., 184:-o4, and Allegheny. Pa., 1833-62. He was professor of didactic and polemic theology at the Western Tlieological seminary, Alleglieny, 1854- 62; pastoral Pottsville. Pa., 1805-06; professor of didactic and polemic theology at Columbia Theo- logical seminary, S.C, 1867-75. and of historic, casuistic and pastoral tlieologj*. 1875-80. The honorary degree of D.D. was conferred on him by the College of New Jei-sey, Lafayette and "Wash- ington colleges in 1838 and that of LL. D. by the University of Mississippi in 1857. He founded an institution for the deaf, dumb and blind at Staun- ton, Va., in 1S38, and eslablislied and was editor of the Watcltiiuin of the South, Richmond, Va., 183-8-46. He is the author of: The Bible True, and Infidelity Wicked (1848); Plain Tlionghts for Children (1849); Short Sermons to Little Chil- drpH (1850); Thoughts Worth Remembering {1850); The Saint and the Simier (ISrA); llie Grace of Christ ( 18.53); Rome against the Bible and the Bible against Rome (lS~)-i); Christ our Theme and Story (18.55); The Church and Her Enemies {I85(i)\ Vital Godliness (1865); Jehova Jireh (1860); Studies in the Booh of Psalms (1866); The Rock of our Sal- vation (1867); Words of Truth and Love (1868); Commentaries on the Epistle to the Hebrews (1870), and on the Epistle to the Romans (1870); He .lied in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 22, 1880.

PLUMMER, Mary Wright, librarian, was born at Richmond, Ind., in 1^50; daughter of Jona- than Wright and Hannali Ann (Ballard) Plum- mer; granddaugliter of JolinTliomas and Hannah (Wriglit) Plummer, and descended from the Plummers of ^laryland, and the Ballards of Vir- ginia. Siie was graduated from the Friends academy, Richmond, Ind., 1872; pursued special 8tuk a course in library science at Columbia university, 1886-S8, when she became head of the cataloguing department in the St. Louis Public library, and in 1H90 librarian of the Pratt Institute Free library, Brooklyn, N.Y., of which she was al.s<j appfjinted director in 1896. She was presi- dent of the New York Library c-lub, 1890-97; vice-president of the L(jng Island Library club, 19U0-01, president, 1901-02; a member of tiie council, 1897-1901; vice-president of the Amer- ican Library association. 1900. and a delegate to the International congre.ss of libraries at Paris, France. 1900. Her published works include:

Hints to Small Libraries (1894, 3d ed., 1902); Verses, (privately printed, 1896); Contemporary Spaiti ax Sliown by her Novelists (\8dd), and con- tributions to i)erio(lical literature.

PLUNKET, James Dace, pliy.sician, was born in Franklin, Tenn., Aug. 20, 1839; .son of James and Anna (Smyth) Plunket; grandson of P. Dace and Mary Ross (Real) Plunket, and a des- cendant of Scotch-Irish ancestors. He studied medicine with Dr. Joseph Leidy and was gradu- ated from the University of Pennsylvania, M.D., 1803. He was assistant surgeon in the Confeder- ate hospitai-at Knoxville, and later was promoted full surgeon and assigned to the 40th and sub- sequently to the 52d Georgia infantry, Stovall's brigade, Clayton's division. He returned to Nashville in May, 1865, and in 1872 was married to Jane Eliza, daughter of John and Frances (Hunton)Swope of Danville, K}\ He was elected professor of surgical anatomy in the medical de- partment of Cumberland university, 1868. Owing to his effort a city board of healtii was formed in Nasliville in 1806, of which he was secretar}', and he was president of the city sanitary com- mission during the deadly epidemic of cholera, 1873. He was president of the state board of health, 1877-97, and his strenuous but intelligent and successful effort to quarantine Memphis dur- ing the yellow-fever epidemic of 1879 confined the epidemic to the city, but brouglit him into antagonism with certain commercial interests in that city. In 1879 he was elected president of the sanitary council of the Mississippi valley, which position he still held in 1903. He was elected a member of the American Medical as- sociation, the American Public Health associa- tion, the State Medical association, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, serving as chairman of the committee on meteorology in 1878.

PLYMPTON, George Washington, civil en- gineer, was born in Waltham, Mass., Nov. 18, 1827; son of Thomas Ruggles and Elizabeth (Ilolden) Plympton; grandson of Peter Plymp- ton and of Lewis Holden, and a descendant of Thomas Plympton, who emigrated from Sud- bury, England, in 1640 and was one of the pioneer settlers of Sudbury, Mass. He attended the puVilic schools of Waltliam, Mass., and obtained a position in a machine shop in 1844, where he became a practical mechanic and engineer. He was graduated from Renssalaer Polytechnic in- stitute, Troy, N.Y., C.E., 1847; was instructor in geodesy and matliematics in the institute, 1847- 48, and engaged in civil engineering in Massa- cluLsetts, New York and Ohio, 1848-52. He was professor of chemistry and toxicology in the Long Island College hospital, 1844^5; of en- gineering and architecture in Western Reserve