Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 09.djvu/31

 RAMSAY

RAMSDELL

board of examiners, 1886-87, and commanded the Boston on special service, 1887-89. He com- manded the New York navy yard and station, 1889 ; was promoted commodore, March 26, 1889 ; chief of the bureau of navigation, 1889-97 ; was promoted rear-admiral, April 11, 1894, and having reached the age of sixty-two was placed on the retired list, April 5, 1897, making his home in Washington, D.C., where in March, 1903, he was still residing.

RAMSAY, George Douglas, soldier, was born in Dumfries, Va., Feb. 21, 1802; son of Andrew and Catherine (Graham) Ramsay; grandson of Patrick and Elizabeth (Poythress) Ramsay and of Richard and James (Brent) Graham. Patrick Ramsay emigrated from Glasgow, Scotland, to Virginia, and settled in Bristol Parish. He returned to Scotland prior to the Revolution, and after his death, in 1791, his widow brought her sons to Alexandria, Va., where they followed mercantile, pursuits. George Douglas Ramsay was graduated from the U.S. Military academy, and promoted 2d lieutenant, light artillery, July 1, 1820 ; was transferred to the 1st artillery on re-organization of the army, June 1, 1821 ; and promoted 1st lieutenant, March 1, 1826. He served as adjutant of the 1st artillery, 1833-35 ; as assistant ordnance officer at Washington arsenal, D.G., in 1835, and was promoted captain and transferred to the ordnance department, Feb. 25, 1835, serving as commandant of the New York, Washington, Frankford and Augusta arsenals. He was married, Sept. 23, 1830, to Frances Whetcroft, daughter of Thomas and Frances (Whetcroft) Munroe of Washington, D.C. ; his wife died, April 22, 1835, He was married, secondly, June 28, 1838, to Eliza Rae, daughter of Thomas Gales of Louisiana. He was ordnance officer at Corpus Christi and Point Isabel in the military occupation of Texas, 1845- 46, and in the battle of Monterey, Sept, 21-23, 1846, where he was brevetted major, for gallant conduct. He was chief of ordnance of General Taylor's army, 1847-48 ; commandant of the Frankford, Fort Munroe, St, Louis and Wash- ington arsenals, 1848-61 ; and was promoted major, April 22, 1861 ; lieutenant-colonel, Aug, 3, 1861, and colonel, June 1, 1863, He commanded the arsenal at Washington, D.C, 1861-63 ; served as chief of ordnance of the U.S. army with head- quarters at Washington, 1863-64 ; was promoted brigadier-general, and made chief of ordnance of the U.S. army, Sept. 15, 1863, and retired by age limit, Sept. 12, 1864. He was inspector of arsenals, 1864-66 ; commanded the Washington arsenal, 1866-70 ; was brevetted major-general, U.S.A., March 13, 1865, for long and faithful ser- vices, and was a member of the examining board. He died in Washington, D.C, May 23, 1882.

RAMSAY, Nathaniel, soldier, was born in Lancaster county. Pa., May 1, 1741 ; son of James and Jane (Montgomery) Ramsay, James Ramsay having emigrated from the north of Ireland, and settled in Drumore, Lancaster county. Pa., early in the eighteentli century. He was graduated at the College of New Jersey, A.B., 1767, A.M., 1771, and was admitted to the bar in 1771. He signed the declaration of the freemen of Maryland, was a delegate from Cecil county to the Maryland con- vention of 1775, and a member of the committees to promote the manufacture of saltpetre, and to encoui'age manufactures of any kind. He was appointed captain in Sniallwood's Maryland regiment, Jan. 14, 1776 ; joined the Continental army in Philadelphia in July, taking part in the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27 ; was promoted lieutenant-colonel of the 3d regiment, Maryland line, Dec. 10, 1776, and was stationed with the army at Valley Forge during the winter of 1777- 78, After the retreat of Gen, Charles Lee at Monmouth, June 28, 1778, where he commanded a regiment, he was ordered to drive back the advancing British troops, which he did, holding his position with a remnant of his regiment against the British dragoons until his men were exhausted and he was left alone, wounded and apparently dead. He was taken prisoner and did not obtain an exchange until Dec. 14, 1780. He was promoted lieutenant-colonel U.S.A., June 1, 1779 to date from Jan. 1, 1777, and was retired Jan. 1, 1781. He practised law in Cecil county, 1781-83 ; in Baltimore, 1783-90 ; represented Mary- land in the Contintental congress, 1785-78 ; was appointed U.S. marshal for Maryland, by Presi- dent Washington, serving 1790-98, and was U.S. naval officer of the port of Baltimore, 1794-1817. He was married first in 1771, to Margaret Jane, sister of Charles Wilson Peale, the portrait paint- er, and secondly in 1792, to Charlotte, daughter of Aquila and Sophia (White) Hall of Maryland. He died in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 23, 1817.

RAMSDELL, George Allen, governor of New Hampshire, was born in Milford, N.H., March 11, 1834 ; son of William and Maria A. (Moore) Ramsdell ; grandson of William and Mary (South- ward) Ramsdell, and of Humphrey and Hannah (Peabody) Moore, and a descendant of Abijah Ramsdell, who emigrated from England to America, and settled in Lynn, Mass. He at- tended Appleton academy, and Amherst college for one year, and studied law in Manchester, N.H. He was admitted to the bar in 1857 ; was married in November, 1860, to Eliza D., daughter of David and Margaret (Dinsmore) Wilson of Deering, N.H, ; practised law in Peterboro, N.H., 1857-63 ; and was clerk of the supreme court of Hillsborough county, 1864-88, residing at Am- herst, 1864-66, and at Nashua, 1866-67. He