| Summary: | Friend to the Mormons; social reformer; son of John K. Kane, a Philadelphia judge who also worked in Washington, D.C. brother of Elisha Kent Kane, an Arctic explorer. Fought on Union side in American Civil War. Developer of Kane, an area of western Pennsylvania. Thomas and his wife, Elizabeth, lived in Kane and in Philadelphia. He traveled to Utah and other parts of the American West, as well as to Jamaica, England, France, and Mexico. Extensive journals, correspondence, scrapbooks, maps, photographs, and legal documents. Includes significant information on politics in the early American republic; Philadelphia history; the extended Kane family and their connections to various national and state figures; Thomas's long-term relationship with the Mormons, especially Brigham Young and George Q. Cannon; Elizabeth W. Kane, Thomas's wife; the American Civil War; the American westward movement; Native Americans; Salt Lake City, St. George, and other Utah communities; Mexico; Washington, D.C. Winter Quarters, Nebraska; Kanesville, Iowa; England; France; Jamaica; and Kane, Pennsylvania. Includes correspondence with numerous individuals (see added author tracings in this catalog record for partial list). John Kintzing KaneKANE, John Kintzing (16 May 1795-21 February 1858), jurist, political strategist, writer, public office holder, philanthropist, newspaper editor, father of Elisha Kent Kane (1820-1857), General Robert Patterson Kane (1826-1906), and Colonel Thomas Leiper Kane (1822-1883).John Kane--s grandfather was John Kane (originally O--Kane). He left Ireland after 1750 and settled in New York. Shortly thereafter he married Sybil, the daughter of the Reverend Elisha Kent. After the Revolution, his Loyalist sympathies caused him to relocate to England. His family, however, went to Nova Scotia, except for his sons who returned to New York. One of these, Elisha, was a merchant. He married Alida Van Rensselaer. In the course of their marriage, John Kintzing Kane was born and named --œJohn Kane,-- and in 1801 their little family moved to Philadelphia. Not many years thereafter, Alida passed away, and Elisha married Elizabeth Kintzing in 1807. Feeling fondness for his new stepmother, and a desire to distinguish himself from his cousins who shared his name, John adopted the middle name --œKintzing-- in honor of his stepmother.Kane attended local boarding schools in his youth, none of which were too far from Philadelphia. In 1809 he began his studies at a tutoring school in New Haven. One year of attendance proved sufficient preparation for him, and from there he entered Yale College. He graduated from Yale College in 1814, and returned to Philadelphia.In Philadelphia, Kane aimed to realize his childhood dream of practicing law. In short time he was studying law in Joseph Hopkinson--s office, and was admitted to the bar on 8 April 1817. Commencing his own practice, Kane quickly established his reputation.These early years also found Kane starting a family. In April 1819, he married Jane Duval Leiper (1796-1866) of Philadelphia. Over the years they would have seven children: Elisha Kent Kane (1820-1857), Thomas L. Kane (1822-1883), John Kent Kane (1824-?), General Robert Patterson Kane (1827-1906), Elizabeth Kane (c.1830-1869), John Kintzing Kane, Junior (1833- 1886), and William Leiper Kane (1838-1856).In 1824 Kane campaigned for a seat in the Pennsylvania legislature. For one year he represented the Federalist Party, and then returned to Philadelphia to become an attorney and board member for the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company. (Throughout his life connections with businesses would also include the Franklin Fire Insurance Company, the Sunbury & Erie Railroad, and the Mutual Assurance Company.) Kane continued his affiliation with the Federalist Party in its final days, but started leaning toward the Democrats until finally he threw in his support for Andrew Jackson in the presidential campaign of 1828. Kane campaigned for Jackson by raising money, coordinating meetings, and putting into national circulation a pamphlet he authored: Candid View of the Presidential Question. Not everyone admired his efforts. With disaffiliation from the Federalists, Kane earned opponents by supporting Jackson--s position against the United State--s Second Bank. Standing clearly to lose in this proposal, Nicholas Biddle, fellow Philadelphian and Bank president, figured prominently in the opposition to Kane and Jackson.Kane further solidified his identification of the Democratic Party in 1828. He contributed to the successful campaign of Philadelphia--s Democratic mayoral candidate, and in return was named solicitor of the city. Kane held this position from 1829 to 1830, and again briefly in 1832. Meanwhile, on July 4, 1831, the United States had held a convention with France. President Jackson appointed Kane as one of the commissioners to settle claims in connection with the convention. He held this post until 1836, at which time he published a report on the Commission--s work, Notes on Some of the Questions Decided by the Board of Commissioners under the Convention with France, of 4th July, 1831.Following this work, Kane returned to Philadelphia. Fortunate to have inherited a considerable estate, Kane had the luxury of dabbling in his law practice while he pursued various social endeavors. Involvement with the Presbyterian Church took up much of his time. He served as a board member in the Church--s General Assembly, and, in 1837, assisted in splitting the denomination. He ended up siding with other Old School board members who had felt the need to separate the Church from New School synods that were formed in the Great Awakening. Kane also headed the board of trustees for Philadelphia--s Second Presbyterian Church, and took an active interest in the architectural design and erection of the new building.Kane--s social interests had led him to join the American Philosophical Society in 1825. He served as its secretary from 1828 to 1848, vice-president from 1849 to 1857, and devoted his life to serving as its president from 1857 until his death. In 1820 he co-founded the Musical Fund Society, a philanthropic organization that raised money through public concerts. Kane--s involvement also extended to Girard College, where he served as a member of its first board of trustees, as well as vice-president of the Institution for the Instruction of the Blind. He subsequently became viceprovost of the Law Academy, and served on the board of the Academy of Fine Arts. These positions opened opportunities for him to join other various lodges and societies.Politics remained an interest of Kane--s. Maintaining his position of influence within the Democratic Party, Kane was instrumental in leading the 1838 Democratic effort to unseat two illegally elected Whig state senators. Known in Pennsylvania as the Buckshot War, this political struggle of Kane--s proved successful. Six years later, in 1844, Kane was again heavily involved in elections. At both the state and national level, Kane wrote pamphlets, delivered speeches, and further organized the party. In recognition of his contributions to the successful election of the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Kane was appointed in January 1845 to be the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, a position that he held until June 1846. At that time he was appointed by President Polk to a judgeship on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and continued in the position for life. As a judge, he was particularly adept at deciding admiralty and patent cases, but at least one decision earned him disfavor. In 1856 he had committed an abolitionist to jail for contempt of court in refusing to produce certain slaves. Not only was this unpopular decision for the time, but it also exacerbated the volatile controversy then raging over the Fugitive Slave Act.As mentioned earlier, Kane had some experience in publishing. Though by no means was he broadly published, Kane nonetheless went on to produce notable works such as A Discourse Pronounced Before the Law Academy of Philadelphia (1831) and Autobiography of the Honorable John K. Kane (privately published, 1949). His literary accomplishments included political writings and reports, bulletins for organizations, reports on transportation and manufactures, editing a psalm book and medical treatise, and serving as newspaper editor of the Philadelphia Gazette.Though Kane is most often remembered as a federal judge, recently scholars have come to a greater appreciation of his influential role as a political strategist and writer. Without such command of the party, Kane may have never earned the confidence, respect, and gratitude of presidents and Pennsylvania politicians. Though disliked by some for his occasional unpopular decision or position, Kane merited respect for his untiring labors in supporting the Presbyterian Church, the blind, and science, the arts, and education. After nearly sixty-three years of a full life, Kane died in his home city of Philadelphia of typhoid pneumonia.Based on the following sources:Chaney, Kevin R. "Kane, John Kintzing." In American National Biography, eds. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, 369-70. Volume 12. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Frederick, John H. "Kane, John Kintzing." In Dictionary of American Biography, 257-58. Volume 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.Elisha Kent KaneKANE, Elisha Kent (3 February 1820-16 February 1857), naval officer, physician, Arctic explorer, and pioneer of the American route to the North Pole; the son of John Kintzing Kane (1795-1858), a jurist, and Jane Duval Leiper (1796-1866).Elisha was born in Philadelphia. His father was well known in political and legal circles, both in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. His younger brother, Thomas L. Kane, was well known for his philanthropy, Civil War bravery, and heroic efforts in assisting the Mormons. Out of this tradition of prominence, Elisha was afforded many opportunities to excel at his interests in both the natural sciences and adventure. In his childhood, Elisha contracted rheumatic fever, which seriously impaired his heart. Told by doctors that he only had a short time to live, his father encouraged him to live out his life in adventure, rather than in perpetual convalescence.Kane worked to overcome his ill health, and by age twenty-two obtained a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a thesis on using urine samples to determine pregnancy and his work was the leading research study in the field for the next twenty years. Notwithstanding his medical achievements, Elisha--s family doubted that he had the strength to pursue traditional medical practice. Instead, Judge Kane arranged for him to become a surgeon in the U.S. Navy. In the time it took to receive his commission, Elisha joined the first U.S. diplomatic mission to China, under the leadership of Caleb Cushing. Following his adventures in the Far East, Elisha began his naval duties in 1846 with a cruise to Africa.Elisha returned the next year, in the middle of the Mexican War. He was selected by President Polk to deliver a dispatch to General Winfield Scott in Mexico City. Though wounded in battle, Elisha--s heroic efforts in thwarting the enemy in battle made him a war hero back in the states.In 1850, Elisha joined the United States Coast Survey. That same year a government expedition, using ships supplied by Henry Grinnell, was organized to search for the lost British explorer Sir John Franklin. He and his crew had disappeared five years earlier while attempting to find the Northwest Passage. Elisha recognized this opportunity, and applied for and received the position of senior medical officer, thus initiating the first of his Arctic adventures.Elisha doubled as surgeon and official historian for his ship, the brig Advance. Joining forces with another rescue fleet, the Advance and her sister ship commenced searching in Lancaster Sound, north of Hudson Bay. In time they found Franklin--s first campsite, along with the grave sites of three members of his crew, but further searches yielded no further information on the whereabouts of Franklin or his crew. Throughout this expedition, British explorers and others were impressed by Elisha--s intelligence and traveling experience. Later, after returning home, Elisha published an account of their adventures in The U. S. Grinnell Expedition in Search of Sir John Franklin (1853).Elisha never gave hope of finding Franklin and his lost crew. He succeeded in persuading Grinnell and the U.S. Navy to undertake a second expedition. Proceeding on the belief then current among society and some scientists of an open polar sea, Elisha prepared for a second expedition that would push even further than the first expedition had. Once again the brig Advance was donated by Grinell and private contributions financed the trip. It was while these preparations were going on that Elisha met and fell in love with Margaret Fox. Though their families were opposed to their relationship, Elisha made arrangements for his aunt to see to Margaret--s tutoring while he was away.The second Grinnell expedition departed in May 1853, with Elisha in command. As they ventured farther north into unknown waters the ship was surrounded by thick ice. Choosing to press on despite these obstacles, Elisha continued by following the narrow waterway still open along the shore. Before long the ship was trapped in ice and forced to stay for the winter. Though the crew found deficiencies in their supplies, most stayed alive. With the arrival of spring, Elisha sent exploring parties out to gather information. As these men searched for possible escape routes (and two lost their lives in the process), William Morton discovered open water but erroneously led Elisha to believe that he had stumbled across an ocean. Notwithstanding their mistaking a channel for an open polar sea, this discovery opened the way for --œthe American route to the pole.--As spring gave way to summer in 1854, the ice never let up around Elisha--s ship. Soon several of Elisha--s men informed him that they were heading out overland in hopes of reaching southern settlements of Greenland. Elisha reluctantly allowed this and even supplied the men with food and supplies. Staying behind, Elisha faithfully provided for the needs of his remaining men. As winter enveloped them, Elisha--s innovations saved his crew. He traded with local Inuit for food, and found a way to harvest the abundant rat supply for food and as a remedy for scurvy. In fact, Elisha was so resourceful that he sent excess food to his starving shipmates who had abandoned him and assisted their return to the ship.In 1855, as summer weather once again allowed for an escape, Elisha led his men to the Greenland settlements. Though they never discovered traces of Franklin--s party, Elisha and his crew were found by a government relief expedition and safely returned to America. Elisha--s return was celebrated across America and the work of his crew was noted for its contributions to science and exploration.For Elisha, his return home was the beginning of a busy but brief life. As reports to Congress, lectures, and writing a book filled much of his time, Elisha struggled to become financially independent from his parents and to find time to spend with Margaret Fox. Unable to ignore invitations to visit England, Elisha met with Franklin--s wife to discuss another exploration expedition and received honors from the British government and the Royal Geographical Society. Unfortunately for Elisha, his health deteriorated in the new climate. Elisha then sailed to Havana, Cuba, seeking relief, but in two months he was dead. The news of Elisha--s death captured the American public--s attention. Thousands gathered in every city to share in the grief for the passing of a national hero. It was said that his last book on Arctic explorations lay for a decade alongside the Bible in nearly every American--s home, and that only the funeral processions of Abraham Lincoln and Robert Kennedy ever approached the magnitude of tribute paid to Elisha Kent Kane.Based on the following sources:Dow, Margaret Elder. "Kane, Elisha Kent." In Dictionary of American Biography, 256-57. Volume 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.Heckathorn, Ted. "Kane, Elisha Kent." In American National Biography, eds. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, 368-69. Volume 12. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Thomas Leiper KaneKANE, Thomas Leiper (27 January 1822-26 December 1883), lawyer, soldier, philanthropist, entrepreneur and defender of the Mormons, was born in Philadelphia, PA, the son of John Kintzing Kane (1795-1858), a jurist, and Jane Duval Leiper (1796-1866), and brother of Elisha Kent Kane (1820-1857), Arctic explorer.He attended school in Philadelphia, and from 1839 to 1844 lived in England and France in order to recover his health, as well as to study and visit relatives. Never robust and small in stature (5'6", 130 lbs.) he would spend most of his life struggling with ill health. While in Paris he served as an attaché of the American legation. He also met Auguste Comte and others who surely encouraged his idealism and what would be manifested in his concern for philanthropic causes. He returned to Philadelphia in 1844, having gained greater appreciation for America--s freedoms, and studied law with his father. He was admitted to the bar in 1846 and clerked briefly for his father who was a federal judge, but his life's activities generally moved in other directions.One of the most important and long-term associations began in 1846 when he read Philadelphia newspaper accounts of the forced exodus of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called Mormons) across Iowa from their Illinois homes. At the same time, Mormon Elder Jesse C. Little had arrived in town to address a Mormon conference. Kane sought out local Mormon leaders, learned more of their western hegira and, after obtaining letters of introduction to Brigham Young, intended to head west to the Mormon encampments on the Missouri River, near present-day Omaha, Nebraska. Meanwhile, Little and Kane met up in Washington D.C. where Kane introduced Little to government officials.Following this and earlier Mormon requests for federal aid, Kane--s father used his influence to obtain help for the Mormons from the Polk administration, which came in the form of government assistance (advance pay and equipment) in return for Mormon men enlisting to fight for the United States in the Mexican War. With these preparations underway, Little and Kane took a train to St. Louis. From there Kane himself delivered the President's instructions to the military officials at Ft. Leavenworth, and then journeyed to the Mormons-- settlement to help recruit the individuals who would eventually make up the Mormon Battalion. He labored to secure permission for the Mormons to travel through and live on Indian lands, assisted them in getting a Post Office established for their settlements, and, in a tribute to his work in their behalf, they named their main settlement on the east side of the Missouri River, in Iowa Territory, Kanesville in 1848. It retained this name until 1853 when it was changed to Council Bluffs. Thomas L. Kane's family connections, communication skills, integrity, and genuine compassion for the downtrodden, were to be effective tools in defending the Latter-day Saints throughout his lifetime. He became Brigham Young's closest non-Mormon friend and confidant.Kane learned first hand in 1846 that before anything could be done for the Mormon cause that public opinion against them must be corrected. Throughout his life he lectured, published and authored letters and editorials defending the Mormons. Though initially he recommended territorial status, Kane reversed and advised Brigham Young in 1849 to apply for statehood for Utah (proposed as "Deseret"), anticipating that the government would send oppressive outsiders if Utah was made a territory; but Utah's future got caught up in the Compromise of 1850 and entered the union as a territory. Kane also warned against partisan politics, feeling that the Mormons could not afford to alienate other groups. In March 1850 Kane delivered an address to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania on "The Mormons". In printed form it was widely distributed and helped to modify public opinion about the Latter-day Saints. When President Millard Fillmore was being politically attacked in 1851 for his policies toward the Mormons, Kane wrote several influential letters supporting the Mormons to Fillmore. During various political crises of the nineteenthcentury, Kane wrote newspaper editorials defending the Mormons. Even with the 1852 announcement that the Mormons were practicing polygamy, Kane continued to defend his friends without endorsing plural marriage. His close friendship with newspapermen like Horace Greeley also helped in shaping more positive public perceptions of the Mormons. Kane rejected Brigham Young's offer to be the territorial delegate in the U.S. Congress from Utah in 1854, but Kane would lobby the Grant Administration in 1869 for the appointment as Governor of Utah Territory. President Ulysses S. Grant spent part of the summer of 1869 enjoying the hospitality of Kane's home as he unsuccessfully lobbied for this appointment. He also worked closely with Mormon representatives assigned to the Nation's Capitol in formulating policy and public positions. He was particularly close to George Q. Cannon--one of Brigham Young's counselors and Utah's Territorial Representative in Congress (a lobbyist after 1867 and the official delegate after 1872). Kane and Cannon visited and corresponded over matters like polygamy, migration, finances, and legal affairs, until Kane--s death in 1883.Kane married his sixteen-year old second cousin, Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood (1836-1909). She had decided to marry him when in her youth, and on 21 April 1853 her dream was realized. They were the parents of four children: Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896), Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935), Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932), and Thomas L. Kane, Jr. (1863-1929). In spite of Elizabeth--s youth, Kane married a woman of intellectual abilities that are evident from her diaries and various writings. She and Thomas kept journals with the promise to record their thoughts and actions, especially for times when he was absent. Though they differed at times over things like the slavery question and struggled with religious unity, Thomas and Elizabeth remained devoted to each other throughout their years.Kane again came west in 1857-58 during a time of grave crisis. Giving up his court clerkship to rescue his Mormon friends, Kane embarked with only a presidential letter of introduction. President James Buchanan had received a variety of reports claiming all kinds of illegal misbehavior by the Mormons and their leaders in Utah and various Indian agencies. In response, Buchanan dispatched a federal military expedition to Utah under the command of General Albert Johnston, and appointed a new governor to replace Brigham Young. Although Mormons burned Fort Bridger and Fort Supply in Wyoming, making the military--s winter stay harsh and with few supplies, Kane managed to moderate Buchanan's views, obtained Presidential support for an unofficial attempt at peace-making, helped soften Mormon defensiveness, won the confidence of the new Governor, Alfred Cumming, and thus helped to bring a peaceful end to a potentially bloody confrontation. His daring personal travel to Utah and then to the winter encampment of the army in Wyoming, and his moderating approach to all major parties revealed his communication skills at their best. He surely made the work of the officially appointed presidential peace commissioners, Lasarus Powell and Ben McCulloch, much easier. Utah would name a city and a county after him, and later in 1959 commissioned a heroic-size bronze statue of him that was placed in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol. Perhaps most telling were Brigham Young--s comments upon Kane--s arrival in Salt Lake: --œI want to have your name live to all eternity. You have done a great work and you will do a greater work still.--Kane was a powerful advocate for social justice. He served as a United States District Commissioner, but resigned in 1850 in protest of the Fugitive Slave Law. His father ordered him jailed in contempt of court, but he was soon released by a Supreme Court ruling. Kane joined the Free Soil Movement in the 1850s, was an active supporter of the abolitionist cause and even worked with the Underground Railroad in the 1850s. He would also have benevolent feelings toward the Native Americans. After his brother Elisha died a national hero, Thomas--s ambitions only increased as he strived to match his brother--s accomplishments.When the Civil War began in 1861, Kane was the first Pennsylvanian to enlist and was commissioned by President Abraham Lincoln to organize a volunteer regiment (13th Pennsylvania Reserves) for the Union Army. This group, the Kane Rifles or the "Bucktails", would be decorated for their military actions during the War. He was commissioned a lieutenant colonel on 21 June 1861. Kane himself was slightly wounded in mid-December in an engagement at Dranesville, VA, and again at Harrisonburg in the Shenandoah Valley, after which he was taken prisoner in June 1862. He was released a short time later as part of a prisoner exchange. He fought at Chancellorsville in May 1863 and at Gettysburg in July 1863. He authored a military manual in 1862 on "Instruction for Skirmishers" which he planned to be the first volume of a series on Tactics. Wounds and continued ill health led to his resignation on 7 November 1863, but only after Elizabeth had traveled through rebel lines at great peril to herself to nurse him and others. He was breveted Major General for "Gallant and Meritorious Services at Gettysburg" on 13 March 1865.As early as 1856 he was involved in land development in western Pennsylvania, especially around the town that would come to be called Kane in the 1860s. After the Utah War, without money and employment, Kane moved his little family to the McKean and Elk counties of remote northwestern Pennsylvania and became a principal organizer in the McKean and Elk Land Improvement Company--an involvement that continued throughout his life. Following the Civil War, he opened roads, encouraged railroad construction and worked to generally improve the area. While business and humanitarian interests occupied her husband, Elizabeth spent much of her spare time caring for the sick and injured, as she was the only physician in their area. Kane also remained active in public life. He was the first president of the Pennsylvania Board of State Charities, was a member of the American Philosophical Society, and was an organizer of the New York, Lake Erie, and Western Coal Railroad Company. He was also the moving force for the building of what was once considered the largest railroad bridge in the world: the 2,053-foot Kinzua viaduct that spans the 301-foot deep Kinzua Creek Valley near Kane, PA.Regarding his association with the Mormons, he remained close to Brigham Young, and at Young's invitation came west again to spend the winter of 1872-73 in southern Utah. Elizabeth Kane's published account of this journey, Twelve Mormon Homes Visited in Succession on a Journey through Utah to Arizona (1874) remains a classic description of Mormon social and religious history. While in southern Utah, Kane and Young discussed expanding Mormon settlements into Mexico, a project both would actively pursue: Kane by spending considerable time in Mexico trying to get a land grant and Young by dispatching a Mormon colony into Arizona. Kane's pamphlet on Coahuila (1877), a Mexican province, also came out of his work. He continued to encourage Mormon expansion in the West. Kane also provided direction for the preparation of Brigham Young's will and counseled Young to separate his personal property from that of the Church. Kane would also assist in obtaining a Philadelphia lawyer who would draw-up Young's will. In addition, Kane helped Brigham Young in the preparation of the documents that would help in the founding of several colleges in Utah: Brigham Young College in Logan, Young University in Salt Lake City, and the only one to survive, the Brigham Young Academy in Provo (now Brigham Young University). No doubt Kane also sought Brigham Young--s advice on various issues.In spite of his close association with the Mormons, Kane never joined the LDS Church, but the feelings of the Mormons for him are expressed in a letter Wilford Woodruff wrote to him a year after the Utah War: --œThe name of Colonel Thomas L. Kane stands most prominent, . . . an instrument, in the hands of God, and inspired by him, to turn away, in 1858, the edge of the sword, and save the effusion of much blood, performing what the combined wisdom of the nation could not accomplish, and changing the whole face of affairs, the effects of which will remain forever. Your name will of necessity stand associated with the history of this people for years to come, whatever may be their destiny.--When Brigham Young died in August 1877, Kane again came west to offer his condolences to the Mormon people, and to reassure Church leaders of his own continued support of their cause. He continued to correspond with and personally meet with various leaders of the Mormon Church. He died in 1883 of pneumonia at his home in Philadelphia, and even though he had requested that his heart be buried in the Salt Lake Temple --œthat after death it may repose where in metaphor at least it was when living,-- he was interred near the family chapel in Kane, Pennsylvania.Based on the following sources:Frederick, John H. "Kane, Thomas Leiper." In Dictionary of American Biography, 258-59. Volume 5. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1932.McAllister, David. --œThomas Leiper Kane.-- In Utah History Encyclopedia, ed. Allan Kent Powell, 295- 96. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1994.Whittaker, David J. "Kane, Thomas Leiper." In American National Biography, eds. John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes, 370-72. Volume 12. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.Zobell, Albert L., Jr. Sentinel in the East: a Biography of Thomas L. Kane. Salt Lake City, Utah: N.G. Morgan, 1965.Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood [Kane][KANE], Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood (12 May 1836-29 May 1909), physician, teacher, prohibitionist, philanthropist, wife of Thomas Leiper Kane (1822-1883), and daughter of William Wood (1807- 1890).Elizabeth was born at Bootle, a suburb of Liverpool, England. Her father was William Wood, a young Scotsman connected with the banking house of Dennistoun, Wood & Co at Glasgow. Harriet Amelia Kane, a beautiful American and daughter of a New York merchant, was her mother. Elizabeth was born the third of six children and afforded a cultured and well-educated upbringing. Thomas, her future husband, was about fourteen years her senior. Notwithstanding this age difference, Elizabeth took up a lifelong enchantment with him after he visited her, when she was six, and presented her with a French doll--forever after a treasured possession. In 1844, when Elizabeth would have been nearly eight years old, her family immigrated to America, thus bringing her closer to her admired cousin. The sad death of Harriet, their mother, struck Elizabeth--s family when she was ten. Her father William remarried the next year, restoring some semblance of balance to the family, and by the age of twelve Elizabeth remarked to her sister that she was surprised everyone didn--t already know that she intended to marry her second cousin Thomas. And in 1853, when Elizabeth was sixteen, she did. Thomas was both a husband and a father to her. It was at his suggestion that she began keeping journals and other records of their life. She would also serve as his secretary.In the early years of their marriage, Thomas and Elizabeth lived in Philadelphia, where John Kintzing Kane was serving as a United States District Court judge. Though Thomas held positions in law from time to time, his interests often led him onto different projects. Thus, when Thomas was away from home, Elizabeth would be left with family or to provide for herself and the children. At times such as Thomas-- trip to Utah in 1857 and 1858, she worried about Thomas-- health and affiliation with the Mormons, and was anxious for religious unity between the two of them, yet her most pressing need was to address the financial situation of herself and her children. Fortunately, while staying in John Kintzing Kane--s home, Elizabeth--s young family was provided for. As her needs were not provided for, Elizabeth also yearned to improve her abilities and station. She found some satisfaction in her two or three years of studies at the Women--s Medical College of Pennsylvania--a school Thomas had helped to incorporate.When Thomas returned from Utah, he and Elizabeth moved their family to northwestern Pennsylvania, to live and develop the land in McKean and Elk counties. They lived there eight months of each year among the mountaineers at Upland, a farm on the McKean county line near Rasselas. While Thomas busied himself with bringing in railroads, highways, and lumbermills (especially during their four months in Philadelphia each year) Elizabeth--s medical skills were put to use in this rural region which still lacked physicians. A short time later the Civil War erupted, and Thomas rushed to be the first Pennsylvanian to enlist. Since Thomas was only allowed rare furloughs to visit his family, he arranged for Elizabeth and their children to stay with his aunt, Ann Gray Thomas, in Philadelphia. Learning that Thomas had received wounds and was taken captive by the enemy, Elizabeth received permission to pass through enemy lines and visit her husband.In 1864 Thomas returned home to recuperate and once again took up his interest in the McKean and Elk Land Improvement Company. He and Elizabeth founded a modest settlement that grew into a town later named Kane by leaders of the Pennsylvania Railroad. The first fall and winter back were difficult; they lived in their stable while hurrying to build a home. These trying times caused Elizabeth to take on additional roles, as she continued her practice of medicine, and filled in as secretary and accountant in the land business. On top of that she raised their four children, the last of which was born in November of 1863: Harriet Amelia Kane (1854-1896), Elisha Kent Kane (1856-1935), Evan O'Neill Kane (1861-1932), and Thomas L. Kane, Jr. (1863-1929).During this period, Elizabeth focused and articulated in writing many of her ideas about women. Dismayed with society--s limitations upon women and the general collapse of morals, Elizabeth worked out what she called her --œTheory.-- Within it she outlined the path of Christian service and hard work for exceptional women who desired to accomplish great things. Not one to be a hypocrite, Elizabeth set these standards as her own goals, and worked to educate herself and increase her abilities while simultaneously laboring to provide necessities for herself and her family.After an unsuccessful bid for a congressional seat in 1872, and beset with ill health, Thomas saw the wisdom in accepting an invitation from friends in the Mormon church to travel west and accompany Brigham Young on his annual trip to St. George in southern Utah, where sunny weather and healthy climate would hopefully facilitate his recovery. Elizabeth and two sons, Evan and Willie (later Thomas L., Jr.), accompanied Thomas in this trip to Utah. Two publications have resulted from Elizabeth--s writings while in Utah: Twelve Mormon Homes Visited in Succession on a Journey Through Utah to Arizona (1874) and A Gentile Account of Life in Utah--s Dixie, 1872-73: Elizabeth Kane--s St. George Journal (1995). While there, Elizabeth--s attitudes softened toward Mormons as they opened their homes and extended their friendship, and Thomas regained his strength and spent much time discussing serious matters with Brigham Young.Upon returning from Utah, Thomas and Elizabeth once again encountered misfortune. Someone, perhaps a relative, had bankrupted them by forging a check on their account. On top of that, the panic of 1873 left their railroad and coal lands unmarketable. Left with no income and little recourse, Elizabeth sold their silver and she and Thomas struggled with their land development company. During this period, Thomas had refused to let his Aunt Thomas leave her fortune to him. In a touching example of Kane innovation, his aunt instead built the Presbyterian church, known now as the Kane Memorial Chapel, close to their home so that they and their children might worship.It was not until the latter part of the 1870s, once timber attracted lumberman and the Erie Railroad brought an influx of settlers, that the Kanes could again enjoy relative prosperity. In later years, it was only with industrial growth in Kane and discovery of oil on her lands near Mt. Jewett that Elizabeth--s family found financial security.Elizabeth was a leader in her family in studying and practicing medicine. Although she did not earn her M.D. until 1883, Elizabeth practiced and magnified her skills throughout her life. Harriet, Thomas and Elizabeth--s daughter, graduated simultaneously with her mother in 1883 from the Women--s Medical College of Philadelphia. In addition, the two sons that accompanied Elizabeth and Thomas to Utah in 1872-73 both studied at Jefferson Medical College and became physicians. Of these two, Evan went on to establish Kane--s Woodside Hospital, which was later moved into Kane, enlarged through Elizabeth--s assistance, and incorporated under the name of Kane Summit Hospital. Here Elizabeth served as treasurer, member of the board of managers, and practiced medicine with her children. Evan credited the establishment of the hospital with the memory of his father--s constant struggle with illness.On December 26, 1883, Elizabeth--s husband, Thomas L. Kane, died from pneumonia and old Civil War wounds. Elizabeth--s resilience bore her through this time, and allowed her to continue her work as physician and --œmother-- of the town of Kane. She taught a Sunday school class in the local Presbyterian Church, and labored for the cause of Prohibition. Despite a threat on her son--s life and the attempted building of saloons in Kane, she was undeterred in her fight for temperance through license-fighting and prohibition campaigns. She was elected as a local president of the --œW.C.T.U.-- (Women--s Christian Temperance Union), and represented her fellow members at state and national conventions.Although Elizabeth had found financial and social success, she endured more challenging losses in the 1890s. Having lost her husband a decade previous, Elizabeth--s grief was nearly as devastating when her father died on October 1, 1894. Ever since her marriage over forty years before, these two had exchanged weekly letters sharing some of their deepest feelings. Tragedy struck again for Elizabeth only two years later. Harriet, her only daughter and a tireless companion in temperance and philanthropic work, fell dead in church in 1896 while leading a prayer and song meeting. At forty-one, Harriet had been a young but white-haired lady who nobly fought a losing battle against a then obscure ailment.Elizabeth--s health and productivity stayed with her until the last five years of her life. Yet even as the effects of age took their toll, Elizabeth continued her aggressive passion for learning. For instance, Elizabeth studied Spanish throughout her last winter. On the morning of May 25, 1909, after a full and satisfying life, her remaining children and grandchildren gathered around her bed at home for a final goodbye, and Elizabeth fell into a tranquil sleep from which she never woke.Based on the following sources:Kane, Elizabeth Dennistoun. --œBrief Biography of the Author Elizabeth Dennistoun Kane.-- In Story of John Kane of Duchess County, New York, 3-10. J. B. Lippincott Company, 1921.Solomon, Mary Karen Bowen. --œProfile of Elizabeth Kane.-- In A Gentile Account of Life in Utah--s Dixie, 1872-73: Elizabeth Kane--s St. George Journal, Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood Kane, with preface and notes Norman R. Bowen, xv-xxix. Salt Lake City, Utah: Tanner Trust Fund, University of Utah, 1995.Elisha Kent KaneThe Honorable E. Kent Kane was born on 19 April 1902 in Kane, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Elisha Kent Kane and Grizelda E. Hays, and the grandson of Thomas L. Kane and Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood. He was raised to cherish and honor the Kane family name. Though actually named Elisha Kent Kane, he went instead by E. Kent Kane--likely to avoid being mistaken for his father and other Kane relatives named Elisha.He developed an interest in government and chose to be trained in the law. Alma Ray Bryan and he were married on 17 March 1929. E. Kent maintained a lifelong interest in his noble ancestors, and was especially fond of learning about his legendary grandfather, Thomas L. Kane. Undoubtedly he knew that his grandfather had been a friend to the Mormons, but E. Kent admitted later in life that it was not until age thirty-five that he --œso much as set eyes on a Mormon.-- In 1939, however, things changed. Arrangements were made for President Heber J. Grant and other Mormon leaders to accompany E. Kent and his family on a tour of Utah that would retrace his grandparents-- 1872 trip with Brigham Young. On this delightful trip across Utah, they traveled through many of the towns that his grandmother described in her book Twelve Mormon Homes, including Nephi, Fillmore, Cove Fort, Cedar City, St. George, and then Manti on the return trip.Around the same time in his life, E. Kent--s ambitions led him to serve his fellow citizens on the Pennsylvania State Legislature for six years. As World War II approached, though, E. Kent switched to serving his country as a Lieutenant Commander in the Navy. He survived the war and returned home safely. In 1947, E. Kent and his family were again requested to visit Utah. By this time George Albert Smith had become President of the Church. His Smith ancestors had known Thomas L. Kane since their days in Winter Quarters. Acknowledging the great role that E. Kent--s grandfather had in early Mormon history, President Smith invited E. Kent to address the Mormon Church in their annual General Conference. He accepted and spoke of the great accomplishments of his grandfather in behalf of the Mormons. It was also during these years that he pursued his research interests in his grandfather--s life, writing and visiting from time to time with historians and librarians.His life was also changing in other ways. After giving birth to their three children, Alma and E. Kent dissolved their marriage. In time, though, he and Dorothy Heller Bergey were married on 8 July 1951. Twelve years later E. Kent was invited to Utah once again, but this time by the State. He was privileged to address the citizens of Utah in 1959 at the unveiling of a new statue of his grandfather at the Utah State Capitol. He and Dorothy--who was thirteen years younger than him--may have split up by this time. In any case, their marriage lasted long enough to share in the birth of a child.On 13 February 1960, E. Kent entered into his third and final marriage--this time to Clara Frieda (Brown) Browning. Being five years older than E. Kent, and clearly past childbearing age, she brought with her two children from her previous marriage. After this time, little is known of E. Kent. He maintained his residence in Pennsylvania and ran for political office in 1964. Unfortunately, he lost the race. From his correspondence files it is apparent that he kept up relationships with family and friends until at least 1978. He likely died that year or soon thereafter. A number of his research files are now housed at Brigham Young University. Though E. Kent never produced the biography of Thomas L. Kane on which he labored for years, he learned for himself that his inspiring grandfather had truly been held in --œhonorable remembrance.--Based on the following source:Evans, Frank. --œElder Frank Evans,-- General Conference Reports (October 1947): 101-5. This Kane family collection came to Brigham Young University in three main installments. Each was purchased from family descendants, in 1978, 1983, and 1996. The first installment was acquired from Sybil Kane. The second came when the Library purchased Kane material from the E. Kent Kane estate. These two groups were integrated into one collection by 1995 under the direction of Dennis Rowley, then Curator of Manuscripts. He was also given a collection of typescripts of mostly Thomas L. Kane letters by Lyndon W. Cook. The Cook typescripts were integrated into the collection by 1995. These have since been removed and can be found as a separate collection [MSS 2221].Then, in 1996, BYU Library acquired its largest collection of Kane family manuscripts. These materials, including printed material and photographs, were purchased from Thomas L. Kane and his wife Dorothy through their representative, Cameron Treleaven, a rare book dealer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This much larger group came to BYU unorganized. Following the preparation of a very detailed inventory of this newer acquisition, it was decided to combine it with the earlier compilation. It became clear that the best way to organize the materials was around key Kane Family members. Hence, organization can be seen as a chronological, centered on a few of the Kane family. Because it was not always possible to segregate each person--s papers into neatly packaged folders, the researcher is warned that materials relating to other Kane family members can be found in Series other than the major grouping. We trust that this Register is sufficiently detailed to assist the researcher in finding the specific person or topic of interest. What follows is a brief summary of the Twelve Series of the collection.Series I: Judge John K. Kane This series gathers the early family and business materials as well as the papers of the Judge Kane into six sub-series. This series includes earlier family materials as well as manuscripts that focus on the life and activities of Judge Kane.Series II: Thomas L. Kane Personal Papers This series gathers the more personal papers of Thomas l. Kane into six sub-series. It includes papers relating to his youth, a large collection of letters he sent home from England and France, his early correspondence with Elizabeth Wood, and their correspondence following their marriage. It also includes his correspondence with Elizabeth--s father, William Wood, as well as with other Kane family members.Series III: Thomas L. Kane and the Mormons This series gathers into fourteen sub-series the material dating from Thomas Kane--s initial meeting with the Mormons in 1846 through his relationships with various Mormons throughout his lifetime. This series gathers all the key materials relating to the call of Mormon Battalion in 1846, the settlement of the Mormons on Indian lands in Nebraska during the winter of 1846-47, the establishment of Winter Quarters and Kanesville, their westward movement, Kane--s public defense of the Mormons, the Utah War period, and later work with individuals like George Q. Cannon. While most of Thomas-- material has been gathered into this section, the researcher ought to remember that Elizabeth, his wife, functioned as his secretary and also kept potentially relevant journals and scrapbooks. Most of her material is gathered into Section VI.Series IV: Thomas L. Kane: The American West and Politics This section gathers material relating to Thomas--s related activities connected with the development of the American West. His lobbying for appointment to Territorial Governorships, his interests in Alaska and Mexico, western railroad development, and his correspondence with a variety of state and national politicians are to be found here.Series V: Civil War Papers of Thomas and Elizabeth Kane This section gathers all the material relating to Thomas-- Civil War experience, including his correspondence with Elizabeth, his capture by the Confederate Army, his release in a prisoner exchange, his Bucktails regiment, and a variety of post-war materials, including his correspondence with the artist of the murals for the Battle of Gettysburg.Series VI: Elizabeth Dennistoun Wood Kane Papers This section, one of the most extensive in the collection, gathers Elizabeth--s manuscripts into five sub-sections. The heart of this section are her fourteen diaries, beginning in 1853 and ending in 1909, although there are numerous gaps in their coverage. The first nine date before Thomas Kane--s death, and thus are important records for his life. This section also includes the papers of her father, William Wood, as well as Elizabeth--s mostly unpublished work.Series VII: Thomas L. and Elizabeth W. Kane Family This section gathers into one area most all the papers of their children and grandchildren. The sub-sections reflect the key individuals or groupings.Series VIII: Kane Family Business Papers This section is organized mostly around the main family business activities. The development of western Pennsylvania, the history of town of Kane, railroad investments, and other more temporal concerns are documented here.Series IX: E. Kent Kane Papers This series documents the life and Kane family history research of a twentieth-century heir. His personal relationship with Mormon leaders, research files and related material are gathered here.Series X: Miscellaneous Items that did not seem to fit neatly into any of the above, were gathered here. Much of the material seemed unrelated to the Kanes, but closer examination could reveal connections.Series XI: Oversized Materials / Maps Because of the nature of this material, mostly because of its larger size, it was gathered into a separate series. Most of the material are certificates, legal items, and numerous maps relating to the Kane family activities. The detailed descriptions and listing will lead the researcher through this part of the collection.Series XII: Photographs This series contains all the photographs that were in the collection. The listing is detailed and while the originals have been transferred to Photoarchives, a photocopy or reproduction of each has been retained in the main collection. These copies will allow the research to search this part of the collection without having to personally handle each photograph, thus helping in the conservation of these valuable items. Item numbers on the copies correspond to the numbers assigned to the original photographs.Note:Publications derived from manuscripts in the collection include: Elizabeth W. Kane, Twelve Mormon Homes (1874); A Gentile Account of Life in Utah's Dixie, 1872-73: Elizabeth Kane's St. George Journal (1995); and John K. Kane Autobiography (privately published, 1949). The history of the United States during the nineteenth-century is one of dramatic growth and change. Between the War of 1812 and the Spanish American War in 1898, modern America emerged. Growing from a nation of farmers to an industrial giant, its economic change and challenges were paralleled in just about every other area of life. From religious revivals, reform movements, political parties, the westward movement and territorial growth, the slavery controversy, Civil War and Reconstruction, much that is America came out of this period of ferment.Spanning this century and, in fact, helping to shape it, was the John K. Kane Family. Members of this Philadelphia family were friends of national political leaders, including a number United States Presidents, and as a group, seem to represent all the various aspects of nineteenthcentury history. Their involvement in politics on both a state and national level, their experiences in war and exploration and westward expansion, their relationships with various people both famous and not so famous, offers the researcher a window into many different areas of American life.Thomas L. Kane--s friendship with Brigham Young is especially important for students of Mormon history. From the Latter-day Saint exodus west from Illinois and Iowa in 1846, to the Utah --œWar-- in 1857-58, to a variety of episodes dealing with the national perceptions and treatment of the Mormons, the Kane Collection has important insights.Important also are the papers of the Kane women, especially Elizabeth, Thomas--s wife. Her valuable journals and correspondence are in this collection, and these allow us to view the nineteenth-century through her eyes. As a bright and sensitive woman, Elizabeth was well read and tried to understand the world around her. She experimented with photography; she attended medical school. She hated Mormon polygamy, but came to love the Mormon women. She was a mother and devoted wife, as well as the daughter of William Wood, to whom she remained close throughout her life. It is to her that we owe the preservation of this wonderful family collection.This collection has been organized and very carefully described in the Register that follows. The researcher is advised to read the introductory material before jumping into the collection itself, as this will better introduce the people and contents of this collection as well as explain why it has been organized as it has. Note: This biographical register has been assembled to assist the researcher in identifying key or major individuals in this collection.Jane Addams: (6 September 1860-21 May 1935) Social reformer and peace activist; was among the first generation of college-educated women in the U.S. opened Hull House in the 1890s, a model settlement house that addressed urban problems; became the first woman president of the National Conference of Charities and Correction, 1909-1915; served as a vice-president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association; helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931. -American National Biography.James Allen: (?-23 August 1846) Captain of the Mormon Battalion; dispatched by Stephen W. Kearny in 1846 to raise five hundred volunteers from the Mormon camps on the Missouri river; promoted to Lieutenant Colonel; died at Fort Leavenworth while leading the Mormon Battalion to Santa Fe. -The Mormon Battalion and Encyclopedia of Mormonism.Susan B. Anthony: (15 February1820-13 March1906) Reformer and organizer for women--s suffrage; taught in district schools; spoke out in favor of economic equality, suffrage, and anti-slavery societies; in 1852 founded the Women's New York State Temperance Society; in 1863 she helped found the Women's Loyal National League for the cause of abolition; assisted in 1869 in founding the National Woman Suffrage Association; became a symbol of suffrage and enhanced opportunities for women.-American National Biography.William I. Appleby: (13 August 1811-20 May 1870) President pro tempore and president of the Eastern States Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1847 and 1857-1858; after joining the church in 1840, he served as a missionary in New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania and later presided over the church in those areas, 1841-1849; emigrated to Utah, 1849; returned to the Eastern States as mission president, 1857-1858.-L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia,4:330.Matthew Arbuckle: (1823-23 May 1883) Musician; noted cornet player and band master; authored the Complete Cornet Method.-Who Was Who in America.Historical Volume, 1607-1896.Turner Ashby: (23 October 1828-6 June 1862) Confederate cavalry leader; organized a volunteer regiment in reaction to John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, 1859; began the Civil War as a cavalry officer in the Seventh Virginia Cavalry Regiment; posing as a horse-doctor, he infiltrated behind Union lines and gathered intelligence, 1861; served as a commander of cavalry units during the Shenandoah Valley campaign, 1862; promoted to the rank of brigadier general, 1862; died in action near Harrisonburg, 1862-American National Biography.Almon W. Babbitt: (1 October 1813-October 1856) President of the Kirtland Stake of Zion of the L.D.S. Church; became a member of Zion--s Camp, 1834; called to the quorum of the Seventy, 1835; served a mission to Canada, 1835-1838; disfellowshipped for teaching contradictory doctrine, 1840 and 1841; reinstated in the church and elected president of the Kirtland Stake, 1841; present in Carthage during the assassination of Joseph Smith, 1844; presided over the settlement of Nauvoo after the main body of the Saints left for the Salt Lake Valley, 1846-1848; emigrated to Utah, 1848; elected by the territorial legislature as a delegate to Congress to deliver a memorial seeking statehood, 1849; served as secretary of the Territory, 1853-1856; killed by Indians while en route to Washington D.C., 1856.-LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:284-286.O.E. Babcock: (1835-1884) Army officer; graduated from West Point; engineer at Washington and at Harper--s Ferry in Virginia; served as an aid to General Grant; became Grant--s private secretary during his tenure in the White House; acted as Commissioner of Public Affairs, Engineer, and Surveyor of the District of Columbia; indicted for fraud in 1876 but acquitted on strength of the President--s testimony.-Biographical Annals of the Civil Government of the United States.Alexander Dallas Bache: (19 July 1806-17 February1867) Physicist; appointed professor of natural philosophy and chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania in1828, later becoming chief of research at the Franklin Institute and the first President of Girard College, 1836; published Education of Europe, that greatly influenced U.S. educational reforms, 1839; appointed Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Survey, 1842-1867; during the Civil War he was one of Lincoln--s advisors and served as vice-president of the Sanitary Commission.-Dictionary of American Biography. Volume I.George W. I. Ball: (c. mid 1800s) Author; wrote General Railroad Laws of the State of Pennsylvania, and Acts Relative to Corporations Affecting Railroad Companies (Philadelphia: 1875.)-Allibone's Critical Dictionary of English Literature: A Supplement. British and American Authors.George Bancroft: (3 October 1800-17 January1891) Scholar and diplomat; started in ministerial service; published in North American Review and wrote a History of the United States; involved as a Democrat in politics; first public office was as collector of the port of Boston; joined the Cabinet as Secretary of the Navy in 1844; eighteen months later accepted position of Ambassador to Great Britain, where he served until 1848; resumed writing his History; reentered public life and politics in 1854; left in 1867 as ambassador to Prussia; returned to the U.S. in 1874 determined to finish his historical projects; served in 1885 as the president of the American Historical Association.-American National Biography.George Dashiell Bayard: (18 December 1835-13 December 1862) Soldier; received commission to West Point, 1852; served as second lieutenant of the cavalry on the Kansas and Colorado frontiers; provoked the Kiowa-Comanche uprising, 1859; with outbreak of the Civil War he was appointed colonel of the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry; served in many early campaigns; appointed chief of cavalry of the III Corps and brigadier general of volunteers, 1862; while in command of the --œleft Grand Division-- of the Battle of Fredericksburg was mortally wounded and died, 1862.-Generals in Blue; Lives of the Union Commanders.Louis Alphonse Bertrand: (8 January 1808-21 March 1875) French socialist, L.D.S. mission president and author; converted to the church in 1850 and subsequently journeyed to Utah, 1855; returned to France as President of the French mission, 1859-1864; also wrote --œLes Prairies,-- a poem contained in the Thomas L. Kane collection.-L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia, 4:334.John M. Bernhisel: (23 June 1799-28 September 1881) Doctor and Utah territorial delegate to Congress; studied medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and practiced in New York State; joined the L.D.S. Church, c. 1840; set apart as a Bishop in the New York area of the Church, 1841; during the persecution of the Saints in Illinois, he wrote a letter to Governor Thomas Ford defending Joseph Smith; migrated west to Utah; elected as Utah--s first delegate to Congress, 1851; served 3 subsequent terms, 1853-1857.-People in History and L.D.S. Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:723-24.Charles John Biddle: (30 April 1819-28 September 1873) Union general, lawyer; son of Nicholas Biddle, former head of the Bank of the United States; fought in the Mexican War; during the Civil War served as Colonel of the 13th Pennsylvania Reserve, June 1861; elected brigadier general of the United States Volunteers 31st, August 1861; forfeited position and ran for seat in Congress, October 1861; resigned commission in the army to devote his full energies to lawmaking, December 1861; after the war, edited The Philadelphia Age.-The Civil War Dictionary.Big Elk: (c.1765-1846) Chief of the Omahas, 1800; embarked on diplomatic missions to Washington D.C. to negotiate treaties, 1821 and 1837; renowned for his captivating oratory skills; was chief of the Omahas during first entry of the Mormons into the Omaha Territory.-The Encyclopedia of Native American Biography.William Bigler: (1 January1814-9 August 1880) Governor and senator; at nineteen began publishing the Clearfield Democrat, a pro-Jackson journal in Pennsylvania; became a large lumber merchant along the Susquehanna; in 1841 was elected to the state senate, and served until 1847, twice as Speaker; won the election for Pennsylvania governor in 1851; became president of the Philadelphia & Erie Railroad Company in 1855; elected to the U.S. Senate in 1856, sought pro-slavery measures and assistance for westward expansion; retired from national politics in 1861.-American National Biography.Jeremiah Sullivan Black: (10 January 1810-19 August 1883) U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Secretary of State; ran a law practice in Somerset, Pennsylvania; he was elected to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1851; appointed U.S. Attorney General in 1857; defended pro-slavery positions in the courts and opposed radicalism; Black was nominated by Buchanan as Secretary of State in December 1861, but the Senate disagreed, and Black returned to private life; served as a reporter to the Supreme Court and restarted his law practice; his continued involvement in the Democratic party, court cases, and writing kept him in the public eye until his death.-American National Biography.Francis Preston Blair: (12 April 1791-18 October 1876) Journalist, politician; entered the world of professional politics as a clerk of the new court of appeals in Kentucky during New Court vs. Old Court struggles; emerged from the struggle as a clerk of the state circuit court, an editorial contributor to the Argus of Western America, and President of the Commonwealth Bank; later served as editor of the Globe, Jackson--s administration organ, 1830-1848; became a confidential member of Jackson--s kitchen cabinet, joined the Free-soil party; helped organize the Republican party; also served as an advisor to Lincoln.-Dictionary of American Biography. Volume I.Rachel Littler Bodley: (7 December 1831-15 June 1888) Botanist, chemist, and educator; became a professor of natural sciences at the Cincinnati Female Seminary, 1862; published well-respected study, Catalogue of Plants Contained in the Herbarium of Joseph Clark, Arranged According to the Natural System, 1865; chosen as the chair of chemistry and toxicology at the Female Medical College in Philadelphia, 1868; appointed as dean, 1874; granted an honorary doctor of medicine degree, 1879; civically, she was an active member of the Educational Society of Philadelphia, 1882; served on the school board of Philadelphia, 1882-1885, 1887-1888.-American National Biography.Samuel Brannan: (2 March 1819-2 May 1889) California pioneer; joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1830s in Kirtland, Ohio; directed by Brigham Young to lead the Eastern saints westward; accordingly, he purchased the ship Brooklyn, and led the saints on a five month voyage around Cape Horn to California; helped establish San Francisco; disagreed with Young in 1847 about the necessity of moving saints from California to Utah, and essentially apostatized; instigated and profited from the Gold Rush of 1849; he was California's first millionaire; spent money to develop surrounding communities; in the 1870s ran into financial troubles and died in poverty.-Our Pioneer Heritage, 3:474 and American National Biography.Benjamin Harris Brewster: (13 October 1816-4 April 1888) Attorney-General of the United States; graduated from Princeton College, 1834; subsequently admitted to the Philadelphia bar; held minor federal post as Ch
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