Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography/Shea, John Dawson Gilmary

SHEA, John Dawson Gilmary, author, b. in New York city, 22 July, 1824; d. in Elizabeth, N. J., 22 Feb., 1892. He was educated at the grammar-school of Columbia college, of which his father was principal, was admitted to the bar, but devoted himself to literature. He edited the “Historical Magazine” from 1859 till 1865, was one of the founders and first president of the United States Catholic historical society, was a member or corresponding member of the principal historical societies in this country and Canada, and corresponding member of the Royal academy of history, Madrid. He had received the degree of LL. D. from St. Francis Xavier college, New York, and St. John's college, Fordham. His writings include “The Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley” (New York, 1853); “History of the Catholic Missions among the Indian Tribes of the United States” (1854; German translation, Würzburg, 1856); “The Fallen Brave” (1861); “Early Voyages up and down the Mississippi” (Albany, 1862); “Novum Belgium, an Account of the New Netherlands in 1643-'4” (New York, 1862); “The Operations of the French Fleet under Count de Grasse” (1864); “The Lincoln Memorial” (1865); translations of Charlevoix's “History and General Description of New France” (6 vols., 1866-'72); Hennepin's “Description of Louisiana” (1880); Le Clercq's “Establishment of the Faith” (1881); and Penalosa's “Expedition” (1882); “Catholic Church in Colonial Days” (1886); “Catholic Hierarchy of the United States” (1886); and “Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll” (1888). He also translated De Courcy's “Catholic Church in the United States” (1856); and edited the Cramoisy series of narratives and documents bearing on the early history of the French-American colonies (26 vols., 1857-'68); “Washington's Private Diary” (1861); Cadwallader Colden's “History of the Five Indian Nations,” edition of 1727 (1866); Alsop's “Maryland” (1869); a series of grammars and dictionaries of the Indian languages (15 vols., 1860-'74); and “Life of Pius IX.” (1875). He had also published “Bibliography of American Catholic Bibles and Testaments” (1859), corrected several of the very erroneous Catholic Bibles, and revised by the Vulgate Challoner's original Bible of 1750 (1871), and had issued several prayer-books, school histories, Bible dictionaries, and translations.