PROMINENT PERSONS
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commander, March 3, 1827, and captain,
February 9. 1837. He was in command of
the Pensacola and Brooklyn navy yards, and
c: the home squadron, and of the steamers
Fulton and Missouri until 1848. He ranked
as commodore from 1852 until March, 1855,
and during the last two years of his life,
was commandant of the navy yard at
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He died in
Washington, July 28. 1857. He married
(first) Amelia, daughter of Thomas Kirk,
of lirooklyn. New York. He married (sec-
ond) Adele. daughter of Gov. Ralph Izzard,
of South Carolina.
Watkins, Samuel, born in Campbell county, Virginia, in 1794. In his orphanage he was bound to a Scotch family, where he was treated cruelly, and the county court placed him with James Robertson, a planter. He joined the United States army, served «ngainst the Creeks under Gen. Andrew Jack- son, and at the battle of New Orleans. After peace was declared he returned to Na.shville and became a brick-mason and contractor. Among the houses built by him was the First Uaptist Church and the Second Pres- byterian Church in Nashville. He acquired a large fortune but during the civil war his farm near Nashville was a battle-field, his city buildings were destroyed, his house was sacked, his loss amounting to $300,000. Afterwards he engaged in banking, manu- facturing, and building, and dealt m real estate, was president of the Nashville Gas- Light Company, and acquired a second for- tune. He bequeathed $130,000 for the es- tablishment of a polytechnic institution in Nashville, which was erected there in 1882. He made liberal provision for free public lectures, and instruction for such as could
not attend colleges and schools. He died in
Nashville. Tennessee. October 16. 1880.
Morris, Thomas Asbury, born near Charlestown. Virginia. April 28. 1794, son of John and Margaret Morris. He attended the common schools, and later pursued spe- cial studies. He served three years as an assistant in the office of his brother Edmund, clerk of the county. At the age of eighteen he was drafted to serve six months in the war of 1812. but his family procured a sub- stitute. For some years he was a skeptic, but in 1813 was converted, and united with the Methodist Episcopal church. In 1814 he entered the ministry, connecting himself with the Ohio conference. In two years he traveled 5.500 miles on horseback, preached five hundred times, and during the first twelve years of his ministry he received but two thousand dollars. In 1856 he sustained an attack of paralysis. In 1834 he became editor of the "Western Christian Advocate." in Cincinnati. In 1836 he was elected bishop. As early as 1835 he was an advo- cate of total abstinence. In 1844. when the church was divided, he remained in connec- tion with the Methodist Episcopal chuich, though he was a native of Virginia and re- gretted the separation. For sixteen years he was senior bishop of his church. McKendree College gave him the degree of D. D. in 1841. He published a work on "Church Polity.*' a volume of sermons; one entitled '* Essays.*' bi<igraphical sketches, and "Notes of Travel." and "Sketches of Western Meth- odism.*' He died in Springfield. Ohio, Sep- tember 2, 1874.
Kerr, John, born in Pittsylvania county, Virginia, son of Rev. John Kerr, was edu- cated in Richmond, Virginia, studied law
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