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Pratt, Daniel

(Encyclopedia)Pratt, Daniel, 1799–1873, American industrialist, b. Temple, N.H. He moved to Georgia at the age of 20, and after he had become a partner in a cotton gin he went (1833) to Alabama, where he founded ...

Preston, John Smith

(Encyclopedia)Preston, John Smith, 1809–81, Confederate general in the American Civil War, b. near Abingdon, Va. He practiced law at Abingdon and Columbia, S.C., but made his fortune operating a Louisiana sugar p...

Champlain, Samuel de

(Encyclopedia)Champlain, Samuel de shămplānˈ, Fr. sämüĕlˈ də shäNplăNˈ [key], 1567–1635, French explorer, the chief founder of New France. After serving in France under Henry of Navarre (King Henry IV)...

Handsome Lake

(Encyclopedia)Handsome Lake, 1735?–1815, Seneca religious prophet; half-brother of Cornplanter. After a long illness he had a vision (c.1800) and began to preach new religious beliefs. His moral teachings showed ...

Goupil, René

(Encyclopedia)Goupil, René (Saint René Goupil) rənāˈ go͞opēlˈ [key], c.1607–1642, French missionary, one of the Jesuit Martyrs of North America. He went to Canada in 1640, spent two years assisting the Je...

Gansevoort, Peter

(Encyclopedia)Gansevoort, Peter gănsˈvo͝ort [key], 1749–1812, soldier in the American Revolution, b. Albany, N.Y. He served in the Quebec campaign and in 1777 was in command of Fort Schuyler (former Fort Stanw...

Lalemant, Gabriel

(Encyclopedia)Lalemant, Gabriel (Saint Gabriel Lalemant) lälmäNˈ [key], 1610–49, French Jesuit missionary in North America, nephew of Charles Lalemant and Jérôme Lalemant, one of the Jesuit Martyrs of North...

praying Indians

(Encyclopedia)praying Indians, name for Native North Americans who accepted Christianity. Although many different groups are called by this name, e.g., the Roman Catholic Iroquois of St. Regis, it was more commonly...

Burnet, William, 1688–1729, English colonial governor in America

(Encyclopedia)Burnet, William, 1688–1729, English colonial governor in America; son of Gilbert Burnet. As governor of New York and New Jersey (1720–28), he advocated extending the trade with Native Americans, t...

Decapolis

(Encyclopedia)Decapolis dēkăpˈəlĭs [key] [Gr.,=ten cities], confederacy of 10 ancient cities, all E of the Jordan, except Scythopolis. The others were (according to Pliny) Dion, Pella, Gadara, Hippos, Gerasa, ...