Strangers – Today

Joseph Addison Alexander, April 24, 1809 – January 28, 1860

Joseph Addison Alexander was an American clergyman and educator. He studied Hebrew and other languages at the College of New Jersey, later Princeton University, graduating in 1826. Alexander became a professor in ancient languages and literature at the school in 1830, before transferring to Princeton Theological Seminary, where he held various teaching positions until he became the chair in oriental and biblical literature in 1840. He held that position until 1851, when he became the chair of biblical and ecclesiastical history. In 1859, he transferred to the chair of Hellenistic and New Testament literature. Alexander published multiple works on biblical scholarship and translation, and was a member of the American Philosophical Society.

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Joseph Peace Hazard, February 17, 1807 — January 18, 1892

Joseph Peace Hazard was an American businessman. He was educated in Quaker schools in Pennsylvania before settling in Rhode Island, where he became involved in the operation of his family's textile mill. The mill developed into a successful manufacturing enterprise, though Hazard wrote in his diary that he did not have a talent for business. Nevertheless, he enjoyed the benefits of success, and devoted his later life to travel and the building and development of three properties in Rhode Island, including his "Castle" and a stone house called "Druidsdream". Hazard was a spiritualist, detailing his encounters with the spiritual realm and his belief that spirits wanted to communicate with the living in his diaries, a collection of which are held by the Rhode Island Historical Society. In particular, Hazard believed that his pocket watch served as a conduit of communication for spirits. The Record of Strangers indicates that both Joseph and his brother Isaac visited the Athenaeum multiple times over the years.

Portrait courtesy of Rhode Island College — Source —  Source — Source