2l6
VIRGINIA BIOGRAPHY
New York Literary and Philosophical So-
ciety. He became translator to the depart-
ment of state in Washington in 1828, and in
1850 removed to California, where in 1853
he was associate law-agent to the United
States land commission. He published **A
History of Tripoli" (1835), and a "Report
on the Discovery of the Northwest Coast
ot North America," prepared by order of
congress in 1837 (New York. 1840), and
afterward enlarged into a "History of Ore-
gon and California/* a work of high author-
ity (1846). Dr. Greenhow also read before
the New York Historical Society, in 1848,
a paper in relation to the supposed mission-
ary labors of Archbishop Fenelon, since
fc'und to have been those of a brother,
among the Iroquois of New York. His
grandfather, John Greenhow, a prominent
merchant of Williamsburg, was born in
Stanton, near Kendall, county Westmore-
land. England, November 12, 1724, and died
August 29. 1787. He married three times
(first) Judith Davenport, (second) Eliza-
beth Tyler, sister of Gov. John Tyler, and
(third) Rebecca Harman, daughter of Ben-
skin Harman. Robert Greenhow was de-
scended from the first marriage.
Alexander, James Waddell, was born in Louisa county, Virginia, March 13, 1804, son of Archibald and Janetta Waddell Alex- ander, and maternal grandson of James Waddell, the blind preacher, made famous by William Wirt. He was educated in the academy at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, entered Princeton College, and was gradu- ated in 1820, following with a four years' course at the theological seminary. In 1824 he was a tutor in that institution, and was licensed to preach by the presbytery of New
Brunswick, New Jersey. For three years
following he was pastor in Charlotte coun-
ty, \^irginia. From 1828 to 1832 he had
charge of the First Presbyterian Church in
Trenton, New Jersey. He gave up preach-
ing on account of failing health, and took
charge of the "Presbyterian, of Philadel-
phia, as editor. From 1834 to 1S44 he was
professor of belles Icttrcs and rhetoric at
Princeton College, and for the next five
years he served the congregation of the
Duane Street Presbyterian Church of New
York City. At the end of his pastorate he
returned to Princeton to take the chair of
ecclesiastical history and church govern-
ment in the theological seminary. In 1S51
he returned to New York to accept a call
to the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church,
where he exerted a great power in the pul-
pit and with his pen. In preaching and
writing he aimed at being practical rather
than scholarly, and in the pulpit was in-
tensely spiritual. He wrote many transla-
tions of popular German hymns, one of
which found rts way into many hymn books
— Gerhardt's passion hymn, **0, Sacred
Head now Wounded." His published works
include: "Consolation," "Family Worship,"
"Plain Words to a Young Communicant,"
"Discourses on Christian Faith and Prac-
tice," "Gift to the Afflicted," "A Biography
o^ Dr. Archibald Alexander," and over
thirty volumes prepared for the American
Sunday School Union. He contributed to
the "Princeton Review" and the "Biblical
Repertory." Rev. Dr. John Hall published
in 1880, in two volumes "Forty Years' Fa-
miliar Letters of James W. Alexander." He
died at Red Sweet Springs, Virginia, July
3h 1859.
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