When captain of the " Sea," he took over the last presidential message ever carried by a sailing vessel. He was afterward commander of the steamers " Colorado " and " Minnesota." The latter took fire in mid-ocean, and after twelve houi's' heroic exertion, in which Capt. Freeman distinguished himself, the flames were subdued.
FREEMAN, George Washington, P.E. bishop,
b. in Sandwich, Mass., 13 June, 1789 ; d. in Little
Rock, Ark., 29 April, 1858. His early manhood
was spent in secular occupation, but he afterward
went to North Carolina and studied for the ministry
of the Protestant Episcopal church. He was or-
dained deacon in Christ church, Raleigh, N. C, by
Bishop Ravenscroft, 8 Oct., 1826, and priest in
Christ church, Newbern, N. C, 20 May, 1827, by
the same bishop. For two years he served as mis-
sionary in the diocese of North Carolina. In 1829
he was elected rector of Christ church, Raleigh,
which office he filled until 1840. He then removed
to Columbia, Tenn., and thence, a year later, to
Swedesborough, N. J. After a short stay in the
latter place, he accepted a call to become rector of
Immanuel church, Newcastle, Del. He was soon
afterward elected missionary bishop of Arkansas
and the Indian territorv, and was consecrated in
St. Peter's church, Philadelphia, 26 Oct., 1844. He
received the degree of D. D. from the University
of North Carolina in 1839.
FREEMAN, James, clergyman, b. in Charles-
town, Mass., 22 April, 1759 ; d. in Newton, Mass.,
14 Nov., 1835. He received his first education in
the public Latin-school of Boston, and was gradu-
ated at Harvard in 1777, after which he visited
Cape Cod and drilled a company about to join the
colonial troops. In 1780 he went to Quebec, whei'e
he was captured and detained till 1782, when he
went to Boston and became lay-reader of King's
chapel. This was originally an Episcopal church,
founded in 1686. He became a Unitarian in his
views, and induced the Episcopal society of this
church to alter its liturgy in 1785, and, as the
bishop refused to ordain him, he was consecrated
with a peculiar service Vjy his own wardens and
people, 18 Nov., 1787. He was the first minister
in the United States to avow the name of Uni-
tarian, and through his means the first Episcopal
church in New England became the first Unitarian
church in this country. He continued sole minister
of King's chapel until 1809, when the Rev. Samuel
Cary was given him as a colleague. After the
death of Mr. Cary in 1815 Dr. Freeman served
alone till 1824, when Rev. Francis W. P. (Green-
wood was associated with him. In 1826 Dr. Free-
man gave up his duties to his colleague, owing to
failing health, and retired to a country residence
near Boston, where he spent the rest of his life.
Dr. Freeman printed no controversial sermons, and
seldom preached them. Pie was thoroughly liberal
and intimate with the best men of all denomina-
tions, though he disliked what he called " the cant
of liberality." He was a member of the first
school committee of Boston, chosen in 1792, the
schools previous to this time having been man-
aged by the selectmen of the town. He was a
member of the Academy of arts and sciences, and
one of the founders of the Massachusetts histori-
cal society, to which he rendered valuable service.
He received the degree of D. D. from Harvard in
1811. He was an accomplished scholar, and his
style was a model of pure English. Besides many
contributions to periodical literature, he published
a " Description of Boston " (" Boston Magazine,"
1784) ; a " Sermon on the Death of Rev. John
Eliot, D. D." (1813) ; and a volume of " Sermons and
Charges " (1832), which were criticised by Robert
Southey in a letter to the Lord Bishop of Limerick,
6 March, 1833.
FREEMAN, James Edward, artist, b. in Nova
Scotia in 1808: d. in London, England, 21 Nov.,
1884. His parents removed to Otsego, N. Y., where
his early life was spent. After many hardships
and difficulties he made his way to New York,
where he entered the National academy of design.
He became an associate in 1831 and was elected
an academician in 1833. For a while he painted
in western New York, and removed to Rome in
1836, where he resided until his death. He was a
painter of genre pictures and porti'aits. Among
his works are " The Beggars," " The Flower Girl,"
" The Savoyard Boy in London." " Young Italy."
" The Bad Shoe," " The Crusaders' Return." " Stixdy
of an Angel," " Studv of a Head of Judith," " The
Mother and Child"' (1868), and "The Lucchese
Peasants on the Sands of the Sezchio " (1883). He
published " Gatherings from an Artist's Portfolio "
(New York, 1877). — His wife, Horatia Aug-nsta
Latilla, sculptor, b. in London, England, 28 Aug.,
1826, was of Italian and English parentage. She
was married in 1847, and, devoting her life to
sculpture, has executed several works that show
artistic talent. Among these are " The Princes in
the Tower," "The Triumph of Bacchus," and "Tiie
Culprit Fay." which is the most ideal of her pro-
ductions. She has also made fonts, chimney-pieces,
and vases, both in marble and wood.
FREEMAN, Nathaniel, physician, b. in Den-
nis, Mass., 8 April. 1741 ; d. in Sandwich, Mass.,
20 Sept., 1827. He studied medicine and in 1765
settled in Sandwich, where he studied law with his
relative. Col. James Otis. He was an active patriot
during the Revolution, held command of a regi-
ment of militia in the expedition to Rhode Island,
and served as brigadier-general of militia from
1781 till 1793. He performed various services in
the legislature, was judge of probate for forty-
seven years, judge of the common pleas for thirty
years, and a member of congress from Massachu-
setts from 1795 till 1799. He was one of the best
extempore speakers of the day, and was distin-
guished as a physician and surgeon. He was the
author of " A Charge to the Grand Jury at Barn-
stable" (Barnstable, 1802). — Ilis son, Frederick,
clergyman, b. in Sandwich, Mass., in 1800 ; d.
there, in 1883, was engaged as a school-teacher and
for a time studied law. Subsequently he taught
in the academy at Newbern, N. C., and was finally
made its principal. In 1823 he began to preach,
and in the next year was ordained pastor of the
Presbyterian chui'ch in Plymouth, Mass., where he
remained ten years. He afterward took orders in
the Protestant Episcopal church, and held charges
in Philadelphia, Bangor, and Augusta. He then
returned to Sandwich, where he established a col-
legiate institute in 1834. He was the author of a
" History of Cape Cod " ; " Annals of Barnstalile
County '"' (1858-62) ; " Genealogy of the Freeman
Family" (1875); and " Civilization and Barbarism
illustrated by Especial Reference to Metacomet and
tlie Extinction of his Race" (1878).
FREEMAN, Samuel, jurist, b. in Falmouth (now Portland), Me., 15 June, 1743; d. there, 2 Sept., 1831. He was an active patriot during the Revolutionary struggle, was secretary of the Cumberland county convention in 1774, a member of the provincial congress in 1775, and of the Massachusetts house of representatives in 1776 and 1778.
When the courts were reorganized in 1775 he was appointed clerk, which office he held for forty-five years. He was register of probate until commis-