ROE, Edward Payson, American Presby terian clergyman and novelist.: b. Moodna, New Windsor, Orange County, N. Y., 7 March 1838; d.. Cornwall, IL Y., 19 July 1888. He studied at Williams College and at Auburn and Union Theological seminaries; was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry; in 1862-65 was a chap: lain in the volunteer service; and from 1865 until his resignation in 1874 held a Presby terian pastorate at. Highland. Falls, N. Y. There his on topics of the Civil War gained for him some notice as a speaker. In 1874 he removed to Cornwall-on-Hudson, N. Y., where he cultivated small fruits and turned out a series of novels which sold largely (759,000 copies, it was estimated, at his death) and met with widespread interest but lacked distinction or literary quality. Among the titles are (Bar riers Burned Away) (1872) • (Opening a Chest nut Burr) (1874) • (A Knight of the 19th Cen tury) (1877) ; (A Face (1878); Back to Eden) (1885) ; and (The Earth Trembled) (1887). 'He 'published also three books on hort lture. Consult (E. P.
Roe: 'Reminiscences of his Life,) by his sister, May Roe (1899).
ROE, Francis Asbury, American naval of ficer: b. Elmira, N. Y., 4 Oct. 1823; d. Wash ington, D. C., 28 Dec. 1901. He entered the naval service in 1841 as acting midshipman on the John Adams and received his later training at the Naval Academy at Annapolis and in serv ice in various parts of the world. He was executive officer of the flagship Vincennes dur ing the Arctic exploring expedition of 1855, and was made a lieutenant in that year. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was appointed executive officer of the Pensacola, which was in the van of Farragut's fleet, and was especially commended for bravery during the famous pas sage of Fort Jackson and Fort Saint Philip.
In 1862 he was ordered to the gunboat Katah din and upon the first day of his command fought the battle of Baton Rouge. For this service he was promoted to the rank of lieu tenant-commander. On 5 May 1864, in com mand of the Sassacus, he defeated the Confed erate ram Albemarle and the gunboat Bomb shell near Plymouth, N, C. As commander of the Gulf Division of Rear-Admiral Palmer's squadron at Vera Cruz he rendered noteworthy service as negotiator between the forces of Gen eral Juarez and the governor of Vera Cruz, and received the surrender of that city in 1867. From 1869 to 1871 he was with the Asiatic fleet and was commissioned captain in 1872. In 1884 he was promoted rear-admiral and was retired the following year.
ROE, John Orlando, American laryngolo gist: b. Patchogue, L. I., 3 Feb. 1849; d. 24 Dec. 1915. He was graduated M.D. at the Univer sity of Michigan in 1870 and later studied at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York. He engaged in practice at Rochester, N. Y., and specialized in laryngology, rhinology and otology, in which fields he made extensive researches and originated several valuable operations. He wrote 'Recurrent Papilloma of the Pharynx) in 'Illustrated Medicine and Surgery' (14) ; 'Foreign Bodies in the Lar ynx and Trachea' and 'Foreign Bodies in the Pharynx and (Esophagus' in 'System of Dis eases of the Ear, Nose and Throat' (1893) 'Injuries and Deformities of the Nose and Throat' and 'Operations in the Upper Air Pas sages) in 'American Textbook of Diseases of the Eye, Ear and Throat) (1899), etc.