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which was so profitable that he determined to de- vote himself thenceforth to authorship. He has also lectured successfully on literary and political topics. He resided in New York city till 1875, when he removed to Newburyport, Mass. His first book was followed by a col- lection of " Humorous Poetry of the English Language from Chau- cer to Saxe " (1856). Next appeared the " Life and Times of Aaron Burr," prepared from original sources, in which he sought to redeem Burr's reputa- tion from the charges that attached to his memory (1857 ; new ed., 1864). In writing the " Life of Andrew Jackson," he also had access to inedited

documents (3 vols.,

1859-'60). His subsequent works are " General Butler in New Orleans" (1863: new ed., 1882); " Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin " (1864) ; " Manual for the Instruction of Rings, Rail- road and Political, and How New York is Gov- erned " (1866) ; " Famous Americans of Recent Times," containing sketches of Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, John Randolph, and others (Boston, 1867); "The People's Book of Biography," containing eighty short lives (Hart- ford, 1868) ; " Smoking and Drinking," an essay on the evils of those practices, reprinted from the " Atlantic Monthly " (Boston, 1869) : a pamphlet entitled " The Danish Islands : Are We Bound to pay for Them % " (1869) ; " Topics of the Time," a collection of magazine articles, most of them treat- ing of administrative abuses at Washington (1871) ; " Triumphs of Enterprise, Ingenuitv, and Public Spirit" (Hartford, 1871); "The Words of Wash- ington " (1872) ; " Fanny Fern : A Memorial Vol- ume " (New York, 1873) ; " Life of Thomas Jeffer- son, Third President of the United States " (Boston, 1874) ; " Taxation of Church Property," a pamphlet (New York, 1874) ; " Le Parnasse Frangais, a Book of French Poetry from A. D. 1550 to the Present Time" (Boston," 1877); "Caricature and Other Comic Art, in all Times and Many Lands " (New York, 1877) ; a " Life of Voltaire," which was the fruit of several years' labor (Boston, 1881) ; " Noted Women of Europe and America" (Hartford, 1883); and " Captains of Industry, or Men of Business who did Something besides Making Money, a Book for Young Americans" (Boston, 1884). — His wife, Sara Payson Willis, author, b. in Portland, Me., 9 Julv, 1811; d. in Brooklvn, N. Y., 10 Oct.. 1872, was christened Grata Payson, after the mother of the preach- er. Edward Payson, but the name was changed to Sara. She was educated in the schools of Boston and at Catherine Beeeher's

seminary in Hartford,

and in 1837 married Charles H. Eldredge, cashier of a bank in Boston. In 1846 she was left a widow, with two children, in straitened circum- stances. She attempted to gain a livelihood by sewing, then sought in vaip the post of a public- school teacher, and at last, in 1851; began to write for Boston periodicals short articles that immedi- ately attracted attention. For her first contribu- tion only half a dollar was paid, but she was en- couraged to persevere by seeing it copied into many newspapers. New York publishers soon offered higher rates for her sketches; a volume of them was brought out, of which 80,000 copies were sold, and after her removal to New York city in 1854 she began to write for the " New York Ledger." When she changed her residence to New York city she made the acquaintance of Mr. Parton, then an assistant of her brother, Nathaniel P. Willis, in the office of the " Home Journal," and they were married in January, 1856. She always retained the pen-name of " Fanny Fern," with which she signed her first piece, and had made it famous before even her friends knew that she was the writer. For six- teen years she furnished the " Ledger " with an article every week. Her published works, except two novels, were made up of the humorous, pa- thetic, and satirical essays and the short tales that she contributed to the weekly press. Their titles are "Fern Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio" (Au- burn, 1853), which was followed by a second series (New York, 1854) ; " Little Ferns for Fanny's Little Friends " (1854) ; " Ruth Hall," a pathetic novel based on incidents in her own life (1854) ; " Fresh Leaves " (1855) ; " Rose Clark," a novel (1857) ; " A New Story-Book for Children " (1864) ; " Folly as it Flies" (1868); "The Play-Day Book" (1869); " Ginger - Snaps " (1870) ; and " Caper-Sauce : A Volume of Chit-Chat" (1872). Most of her books were republished in England, and there was issued also " Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern " (London, 1855). See " Fanny Fern : A Memorial Volume," containing selections from her writings, and a me- moir bv James Parton (New York, 1873).

PARTRIDGE, Alden, educator, b. in Norwich, Vt., in 1785; d. there, 16 Jan., 1854. He was graduated at the U. S. military academy in 1806, commissioned as 1st lieutenant in the corps of engineers, and appointed assistant professor of mathematics. He was made a captain on 23 July, 1810, was professor of mathematics in 1813, and of engineering in 1813-'16, and in 1816-'17 was in com- mand at the academy during the absence of Maj. Jonathan Williams, the superintendent. He re- signed his commission on 15 April, 1818, and in 1819 had charge of the exploring survey of the northwestern boundary of the United Stales under the provisions of the treaty of Ghent. In 1820 he founded a military school at Norwich, Vt. In 1822 he was surveyor-general of the state. He removed his school to Middletovn, Conn., in 1825, but it was restored to Norwich, and in 1834 was incorpo- rated as Norwich university, of which he was presi- dent till 1843. He was a member of the Vermont legislature in 1833-4 and in 1839. In 1840 he founded a military academy at Portsmouth, Va. He was also for some time the president of Jeffer- son military college, which he established in Missis- sippi, and the founder in 1847 of a military school at Pembroke, N. H., in 1850 of one at Bristol, Pa., and in 1853 of one at Brandywine Springs, Del. Capt. Partridge was for many years employed as instructor of the militia in the western states. He frequently delivered public lectures on military subjects, and published "An Excursion" (1822); "Lecture on Education" (Windsor, 1825); "Lec- tures on National Defence"; and "Journal oi a Tour of Cadets " (1827).