PARTON
PARTRIDGE
tured successfully on literary and political topics,
and contributed to the New York Ledger and
various periodicals. It is estimated that the sale
of his books brought
him $8000 annually
in royalties for many
years. He is the au-
thor of; The Life of
Horace Greeley (1855);
Humorous Poetry of
the English Language
from Chaucer to Saxe
(1856); The Life and
Times of Aaron Burr
(1857); Life of Andrew
Jackson (3 vols.,
1859); General Butler
in New Orleans (1864);
Life and Times of Ben-
jamin Franklin (1864);
Famous Americans of
Recent Times (1867); The People's Book of Bio-
graphy (1868); Smoking and Drinking, an essay
(1868); The Danish Islands: Are We Bound to
Pay for Them? (1869); Tojjics of the Time (1871);
Triumphs of Enterprise, Ligenuity and Public
Spirit (1871); The Words of Washington (1872);
Fanny Fern, A Memorial Volume (1873); Life of
Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United
States (1874); Taxation of Church Property
(1874); Le Parnasse Frangais, a Book of French
Poetry from A.D. 1550 to the Present Time (1877);
Caricature and other Comic Art in All Times and
Many Lands (1877); Lifeof 'Voltaire (1881); Noted
Women of Europe and America {1883); Captains
of Lidustry; or. Men of Business who did Something
besides Making Money (1884); Some Noted Princes,
Authors and Statesmen of Our Time (1885), and
Captains of Industry, second series (1891). He
died in Nevvburyport, Mass., Oct. 17, 1891.
PARTON, Sara Pay son (Willis), author, was born in Portland, Maine, July 9, 1811; daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah (Parker) Willis; grand- daughter of Nathaniel and Lucy (Douglas) Willis, and of Solomon Parker, and a descendant of George and Jane (Palfrey) Willis. George Willis emigrated from England to America, and settled in Cambridge, Mass., 1626. She was educated in the public schools of Boston, and in Catherine Beecher's Young Ladies' seminary at Hartford, Conn. She was married. May 4, 1837, to Charles H. Eldredge of Boston, Mass., who died, Oct. 6, 1846, leaving her with two children and without property. She sewed for a livelihood and tried to secure a position as a public school teacher, but was not successful. In 1851 she began to write for the Olive Branch and the True Flag, Boston periodicals, and her articles vrere copied into newspapers in all parts of the country. She
received only fifty cents for her first contribu-
tion. Derby and Miller, New York publisliers,
brought out a collection of her stories in one
volume in 1853, as Fern Leaves from Fanny's
Portfolio, of which 80,000 copies were sold. She
removed to New York city in 1854, continuing to
use the pen-name of Fanny Fern, and began to
write for the New York Ledger, and for sixteen
years furnished that periodical with an article
every week, and for one story from her pen
Robert Bonner paid her $100 a column. She was
married secondly to a Mr. Farrington, a merchant
of Boston, but the union was brief, and in Jan-
uary, 1856, she became the wife of James Parton,
the biographer. Slie is the author of: Fern
Leaves from Fanny's Portfolio (1853, 2d ser.,
1854); Little Ferns for Fanny's Little Friends
(1854); Ruth Hall, novel (1854); Fresh Leaves (1855);
Rose Clark, novel (1857); A New Story-Book for
Children (1864); Folly as it Flies {1SG8); TJie Play-
DayBook (1869); Ginger Snaps (1870), and Caper
Sauce; A Volume of Chit Chat (1872). Most of
her books were republished in England. See
"Life and Beauties of Fanny Fern" (London,
1855). She died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Oct. 10, 1872.
PARTRIDGE, Alden, educator, was born in
Norwich, Vt., Jan. 12, 1785; son of Samuel and
Elizabeth (Wright) Partridge, and grandson of
Samuel and Ruth (Woodwood) Partridge. His
father, a soldier in the Revolution, was present
at the capture of
Burgoyne at Sarato-
ga. He entered Dart-
mouth in August,
1802, but left before
graduating to accept
the appointment as
cadet at the U.S.
Military academy and
was transferred to
the artillery corps in
July, 1806; promoted
first lieutenant of en-
gineers, Oct. 30, 1806;
captain in the engi-
neer corps, July 23,
1810, and in Novem-
ber, 1806, was appointed assistant professor of
mathematics, serving as full professor with
the pay and emoluments of major, 1812-13,
and as professor of engineering, 1813-16. He
was acting superintendent of the academy,
1808-15, in the absence of Colonel Williams, and
superintendent, 1815-17. On Jan. 17. 1817, he
was relieved of the superintendency and on April
15, 1817, resigned his commission in the U.S.
army. He Uien instructed a volunteer corps and
gave lectures on fortifications and military science
in New York city, and in 1819 engaged in the sur-
