DE COSTA

de costa, benjamin franklin (1831-1904), american clergyman and historical writer, was born in charlestown, massachusetts, on the 10th of july 1831. he graduated in 1856 at the biblical institute at concord, new hampshire (now a part of boston university), became a minister in the episcopal church in 1857, and during the next three years was a rector first at north adams, and then at newton lower falls, mass. after serving as chaplain in two massachusetts regiments during the first two years of the civil war, he became editor (1863) of _the christian times_ in new york, and subsequently edited _the episcopalian_ and _the magazine of american history_. he was rector of the church of st john the evangelist in new york city from 1881 to 1899, when he resigned in consequence of being converted to roman catholicism. he was one of the organizers and long the secretary of the church temperance society, and founded and was the first president (1884-1899) of the american branch of the white cross society. he became a high authority on early american cartography and the history of the period of exploration. he died in new york city on the 4th of november 1904. in addition to numerous monographs and valuable contributions to winsor's _narrative and critical history of america_, he published _the pre-columbian discovery of america by the northmen_ (1868); _the northmen in maine_ (1870); _the moabite stone_ (1871); _the rector of roxburgh_ (1871), a novel under the _nom de plume_ of "william hickling"; and _verrazano the explorer; being a vindication of his letter and voyage_ (1880).