Ephraim Dod Saunders of Philadelphia

Back on February 16 and 17, I wrote about this man, who was the father of Captain Courtland Saunders who was killed at the Battle of Shepherdstown at the end of the Antietam Campaign.

From the Famous Americans.net site.

EPHRAIM DOD SAUNDERS

Clergyman born in Brookside, Morris County, New Jersey, 30 September 1808; died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 13 September 1872.

He graduated from Yale  in 1831, and after studying theology in New Haven for a few months, went to Virginia where he was engaged in teaching.  He was licensed to preach there in 1833, ordained to the Presbyterian  ministry in 1834 and was instrumental in building three churches, but relinquished  preaching on account of throat problems and became  principal of an academy in Petersburg, Virginia.

After traveling to Europe, he engaged in missionary work in the Pennsylvania coal region, but in 1852, established, in West Philadelphia, the Saunders  Institute, a military school which attained a high reputation.

He discontinued the school in 1870, and in 1871, gave the buildings and grounds, which was valued at $100,000, to found, as a memorial to his son, Courtland, the Presbyterian Hospital, towards whose endowment he raised $100,000 more by his personal efforts.

He received a degree of D.D. from Lafayette.

During the Civil War,  Dr. Saunders was active in raising volunteers and obtaining money for bounties, and established a drill class in which he trained a lot of officers for the volunteer service.  His son Courtland was a teacher at the institute.

--Old Secesh