Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XI.djvu/779

MONROE JAMES MONROE 761 1 of woollens, 14 saw mills, and 8 flour mills. Capital, Sparta. XVI. A S. county of Iowa, drained by several creeks ; area, 430 sq. m. ; pop. m 1870, 12,724. The surface is diversified, occupied partly by prairies, and the soil is fer- tile. The Burlington and Missouri River rail- road and the Central railroad of Iowa pass through it. The chief productions in 1870 were 159,815 bushels of wheat, 754,692 of Indian corn, 185,173 of oats, 64,073 of pota- toes, 72,052 Ibs. of wool, 282,452 of butter, and 21,206 tons of hay. There were 5,122 horses, 4,687 milch cows, 9,271 other cattle, 21,168 sheep, and 21,739 swine ; 1 woollen, 4 flour, and 6 saw mills. Capital, Albia. XVII. A N. E. county of Missouri, watered by Salt river and its branches ; area, 744 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 17,149, of whom 2,005 were colored. The surface consists in part of rich undulating prairies. The county abounds in coal, lime- stone, and freestone. It is traversed by the Hannibal and Moberly division of the Tole- do, Wabash, and Western railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 104,066 bushels of wheat, 589,127 of Indian corn, 304,275 of oats, 187,091 Ibs. of tobacco, 68,772 of wool, 245,- 975 of butter, and 12,635 tons of hay. There were 9,765 horses, 2,989 mules and asses, 5,813 milch cows, 13,345 other cattle, 25,533 sheep, and 30,320 swine. Capital, Paris. MONROE, a city and the county seat of Mon- roe co., Michigan, situated on both banks of the river Raisin, 2 m. above its entrance into Lake Erie, with which it is connected by a ship canal, and on the Michigan Southern, the Flint and Pere Marquette, and the Canada Southern railroads, 32 m. S. S. "W. of Detroit; pop. in 1850, 2,813; in 1860, 3,892; in 1870,5,086; in 1874, 5,782. The harbor is good, and is protected by points of land jutting out from the river. The surrounding country is fertile. The city has many substantial brick blocks, handsome residences, and fine shade trees, and a park has been laid out in the centre of the business portion. The river affords excellent water power, and there are several founder- ies and machine shops, wagon and carriage shops, three grist mills, two saw mills, two plaster mills, three sash, door, and blind fac- tories, a cabinet and furniture factory, a paper mill, &c. There are four extensive nurseries, and 156 acres of land in vineyards. Near the city is a deposit of sand from which large quantities are shipped to Pittsburgh, Wheeling, and other points, for the manufacture of glass. Monroe is the seat of a young ladies' collegiate institute, established in 1851, and having in 1873-'4 8 instructors, 109 students, and a libra- ry of 1,200 volumes. There are a national bank, three Roman Catholic and three Luther- an schools, a union school, several ward schools, two weekly newspapers, and seven churches. The first permanent settlement here was made by a small party of Canadians in 1784, who called the place Frenchtown. The first American settlement was probably made about 1793. In 1813 it was the scene of the massa- cre of several hundred American prisoners by the Indian allies of the British. It began to grow after the close of the war of 1812, and its name was changed in honor of President Monroe. MONROE, James, fifth president of the United States, bom in Westmoreland co., Va., April 28, 1758, died in New York, July 4, 1831. His father was Spence Monroe, a planter, descend- ed from Capt. Monroe, an officer in the army of Charles I., who emigrated with other cavaliers to Virginia in 1652. He was educated at Wil- liam and Mary college, which he left in 1776 to enter the army as a cadet. Soon afterward he was commissioned lieutenant, and took an active part in the campaign on the Hudson. In the attack on Trenton, at the head of a small detachment, he captured one of the Brit- ish batteries. On this occasion he received a ball in the shoulder, and was promoted to a captaincy. As aide-de-camp to Lord Stirling, with the rank of major, he served in the cam- paigns of 1777 and 1778, and distinguished himself in the battles of Brandywine, German- town, and Monmouth. By accepting the place of aide to Lord Stirling he lost his rank in the regular line. Failing in his efforts to re- enter the army as a commissioned officer, he re- turned to Virginia and began to study law under the direction of Thomas Jefferson, then gov- ernor of the state. When the British appeared soon afterward in Virginia, Monroe exerted himself in organizing the militia of the low- er counties ; and when the enemy proceeded southward, Jefferson sent him as military com- missioner to the army in South Carolina. In 1782 he was elected to the assembly of Vir- ginia from the county of King George, and was appointed by that body, although but 23 years of age, a member of the executive council. In 1783 he was chosen a delegate to congress for three years, and took his seat on Dec. 13. Con- vinced that it was impossible to govern the country under the old articles of confedera- tion, he advocated an extension of the powers of congress, and in 1785 moved to invest that body with authority to regulate trade between the states. The resolution was referred to a committee of which he was chairman, and a report was made in favor of the measure. This led to the convention at Annapolis, and the subsequent adoption of the federal constitu- tion. Monroe also exerted himself in devising a system for the settlement of the public lands, and was appointed a member of the commission to decide upon the boundary between Massachu- setts and New York. He strongly opposed the relinquishment of the right to navigate the Mississippi river, demanded by Spain. In 1785 he married a daughter of Lawrence Kortright of New York, a lady celebrated for her beauty and accomplishments. Having served out his term, and being ineligible for the next three years, Monroe settled in Fredericksburg, Va. In 1787 he was reflected to the general assem- bly, and in 1788 was chosen a delegate to the