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CONTEN T8.
Preface ®
Presbyterianism—Origin of in the United States 7
Presbyterian ism in Georgia 11
Hopewell Presbytery. 16
Original Members—Notices of 17
John Brown, D. D 20
Robert Finley, D. D • 21
Moses Waddel, D. D 24
(Georgia Education Society 29
Domestic Missionary Society 38
Protracted Meetings 89
Formula of Admission 45
Presbytery of Georgia 51
Presbytery of Flint River 56
Presbytery of Florida 61
Presbytery of Cherokee 61
Presbytery of Atlanta 64
Presbytery of Macon .... 65
Synod of Georgia 66
NECROLOGY.
Rev. Joseph Young Alexander 71
Rev. Donald John Auld, M. D 78
Rev. Benjamin Burroughs 85
Rev. Samuel Jones Cassels 91
Rev. Remembrance Chamberlain 99
Rev. Alonzo Church, D. D 109
Rev. Benjamin D. DuPree 134
Rev. George Claudius Fleming 138
Rev. Thomas Gouldiug. D. D 140
Rev. John Harrison 147
Rev. Richard Hooker 149
n.
CONTENTS.
Rev. John C. Humphrey 165
Rev. Jesse Hume 172
Rev. Daniel Ingles 179
Rev. Charles Colcoek Jones, D. D 185
Rev. George Whitfield Ladson 212
Rev. Andrew Rutherford Liddell 225
Rev. Richard T. Marks 229
Rev. William Mathews 239
Rev. William McWliir,D. D 243
Rev. Richard Andrew Milner 251
Rev. W. X. Peacock 254
Rev. Robert Quarterman 255
Rev. Joseph Melancthon Quarterman 263
Rev. Lucius A. Simonton 266
Rev. Joseph B. Stevens 269
Rev. John Wilson Reid 272
Rev. Samuel Kennedy Talmage, D. D 283
Rev. Nathan Hoyt, D. D 293
Rev. Washington Baird 320
Rev. Isaac Watts Waddel 327
Rev. Peter Winn 331
Rev. Edwin T. Williams 354
"The Dead of the Synod of Georgia."
NECROLOGY:
OR
MEMORIALS OF DECEASED MINISTERS,
who have died during the first
twenty years after its
organization.
Prepared in Obedience to the Order of the Synod.
wirn a
HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.
BY
JOHN S. WILSON, D. D.,
FASTOK OF THEVIRST PRESBYTERIAN ^TORCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA.
The memory of the just is blessed.—Pro v. x1: 7.
4laata, <8a.:
FRANKLIN PRINTING HOTJSE,
J. J. TOON, PROPRIETOR.
1869.
Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1S67, by
JOHN S. WILSON, D. D„
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
PREFACE.
The work now presented to the public was undertaken in
accordance with the following action of the Synod of Georgia,
at its session at Athens in November, 1863, to-wit:
"The Committee of Bills and Overtures presented Overture
No. 2, as follows:
the dead of tiie synod of georgia.
"That whereas, the next Annual Convocation of this Synod
will be the twentieth year since its organization—the fifth of
a century; and whereas, nearly thirty of its members have
deceased during that period: It is proposed that the Synod
do appoint, at its present Sessions, some person or persons to
prepare memorials of our departed .brethren, embracing not
only the fact3 contained in the Biographical Sketches found
in the Minutes of the Synod, but such other facts as may be
collected from those who knew them best in relation to their
religious life, ministry, and general character; and that such
memorials, when prepared, be printed for general circulation,
or be preserved for the present among the archives of the
Synod.
"The Overture was adopted, and the Rev. John S. Wilson,
D.D., as Principal, and the Rev. N. A. Pratt, D.D., as
Alternate, were appointed to carry the Overture into effect."
Four years have elapsed since the above Overture was
adopted. The war was raging at the time; mail facilities
were cut off; I was driven from my home during parts of
1864 and 1865; my books and papers were mostly destroyed,
being burned by the enemy. Little was accomplished towards
forwarding the work until the summer of 1865; and then
4
PREFACE.
the business of collecting the materials was exceedingly slow.
A correspondence had to he instituted, extending from New
Orleans to New Haven. In many cases, it required months
to ascertain the person best qualified to furnish the desired
information. Although the work is less pretentious than
some others of a similar character, yet doubtless it has cost
more labor, and been attended with much more difficulty
than they, owing to the fact that many of these memorials
are of persons little known beyond the immediate sphere of
their labors. It has been my object to trace out as minutely
as possible the early and private history of each individual,
as far as reliable information could be obtained. In many
instances 1 have failed to accomplish all I could desire,
since no one could be found who was acquainted vith their
early life.
I was led to think of preparing such a work when reading
" Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit," which contains
only "commemorative notices of distinguished American
clergymen." It occurred to me that a work, embracing not
only the more distinguished, but the more humble and
obscure, was desirable, since many a gem of purest ray oft
lies hid in the rubbish of the mine. Hence.the Overture
presented to the Synod, and the result now given to the
public. ,
It will be readily perceived that I have been largely
indebted to others (whose names are given in the margin, *o
far as could be ascertained) for much of the matter compri¬
sing the work.
It occurred to me that some brief account of the origin
and progress of the Presbyterian Church in Georgia would
constitute a suitable introduction to the Necrology of the
Synod.
This has been prepared from such material as came to
hand, principally from the records of the Presbyteries. I
once had a considerable mass of facts for such a work: but
PREFACE.
5
they were destroyed, and are now irretrievably lost. What
is here published may be of use to some future chronicler of
our Church in this State.
I can only express the hope that the Synod of Georgia
will continue to collect and preserve full memorials of her
dead, as they may be called away from their labors. Such
a work would constitute a noble monument, honorable to the
dead aud useful to the living. Man sighs for immortality.
J. s. w.
Ati.akta; April, 18GS).
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
As an Introduction to the following " Memorials of the
Dead of the Synod of Georgia," I propose to write a short
sketch of the early founding and progress of the Presbyte¬
rian Church in this State.
Presbyterianism in the United States was evidently of
Scottish origin. About the time of the accession of William
and Mary, 1G88, Presbyterians began to emigrate from
Scotland and Ireland to the American Colonies in consider¬
able numbers. Yet, after all, the origin of Presbyterianism
in the United States is involved in considerable obscurity.
We have no distinct account of the arrival of the first Pres¬
byterians on this Continent; that they were, however, among
the earliest emigrants from the Old World, there is no doubt.
As early as 1633, the Presbyterians and Independents were
driven from Virginia by oppressive laws enacted by its Leg¬
islature, establishing Episcopalianism.-* They were, however^
scattered through the Middle States for nearly half a century,
with few ministers and no bond of union. They first settled
in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Rhode Island, because the
Quakers, Catholics and Baptists extended a cordial welcome
to emigrants, which was refused by Episcopalians and Puri¬
tans. We know, however, that long before the Puritans
touched the Rock of Plymouth, there were Presbyterians in
the land in sufficient numbers to become the objects of perse¬
cution.
Before the close of the seventeenth century, there were
Presbyterian Churches in Maryland, to-wit: Rehoboth, Snow
Hill, Upper Marlborough, and others. The first named was
*See Marsh Eccl. Hist., 392, 393, 397.
8
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
probably the oldest, and was formed some time anterior to
1690. There Were Churches, also, in Freehold and Wood-
bridge, N. J., constituted in 1692; and the first Church in
Philadelphia in 1698. Churches in New Castle, Delaware,
and Charleston, S. C., were founded at an early day.
The first Presbyterian minister who came to this country,
of whom we have any distinct account, was the Rev. Francis
MaKemie. He settled in Maryland in 1682, and spent
two or three years as the minister in Lynnhaven Parish, Va.
He subsequently fixed his abode in Accomac county, Va.,
where he died in 1708. At the time of his decease, there
were two organized Churches in that county. MaKemie was
an Irishman, a man of great ability and profound piety, and
may be regarded as the father of Presbyterianism in this
country.
The first Presbytery was organized in Philadelphia in
1701. It consisted of seven ministers, to-wit: Francis
MaKemie, John Hampton, George McNish, Samuel Davis,
Nathaniel Taylor, John Wilson,- and Jedediah Andrews.
The first five were from Ireland, the sixth from Scotland,
and the seventh from New England. The first person
ordained by the Presbytery was John Boyd, in 1706. In
1716, the Presbytery consisted of seventeen ministers. In
that year it was divided into four Presbyteries, namely:
Philadelphia, New Castle, Snow Hill, and Long Island,
constituting the Synod of Philadelphia, which held its first
meeting in Philadelphia in September, 1717. This Synod
constituted the bond of union between the Churches until
1741. In it, however, from the beginning, there was not
perfect harmony. This dissatisfaction continued to grow
until in that year it was rent asunder and the Synod of New
York was formed. The Congregational element in the
Synod led to this schism. The inharmoniousness of the
body, which existed from the beginning, was greatly in¬
creased by the act of 1729, adopting the Westminster Con-
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
fession of Faith as containing the symbols of the faith and
polity of the Churches, and requiring every one entering its
ministry to subscribe to it. The Congregationalists, who
were in a minority, were very far from cordially approving
this proceeding, and for many years thereafter contention
ran high.
The old Presbyterians were in favor of a strict Presbyte-
rianism, and were great advocates for a learned ministry.
Congregationalists then, as now, cared very little about rigid
doctrinal forms, and were willing to receive men into the
ministry of every shade of opinion, and with or without
learning, provided they gave some good evidence of personal
piety.
The dissension in the Synod was greatly aggravated by
the coming of Mr. Whitfield in 1739. Between the old and
new side, as they were called, the contest became fiery.
" Personal rancor flppears to have operated strongly on the
minority." The Presbytery of New Brunswick regarded
the adopting act as bearing solely upon them, depriving them
of the power of taking up whatever candidates they pleased.
Tbey protested again and again, but without avail. The
majority held firmly to the doctrinal standards they had
adopted. A division of the Synod was the result.
Congregationalism and Presbyterianism are antagonistic
systems, and every attempt to amalgamate or unite them has
produced a revulsion. The history of the Plan of Uniony
entered into between Congregationalists and Presbyterians-
in 1801, is proof direct and positive of this fact. It resulted
in the division of the Presbyterian Church in 1838. Con¬
gregationalism is a hot bed, from whence springs up a luxu¬
riant crop of isms and errors. Having no common standard
of faith, nor bond of union, requiring a uniform subscription
of t^iose entering its ministry, each ecclesiastical body may
adopt its own formula, whether it be the Westminster Con¬
fession, the Saybrook Platform, or any other system it may
10
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
fancy. Hence the theology of the New England Churches
has presented an appearance, doctrinajly, not very unlike
Jacob's cattle—ring~streaJced, speckled and spotted.
The first meeting of the Synod of New York was in 1745.
The two Synods oontinued in their separate organizations
till 1758, when a re-union was effected. They agreed to
unite in one body under the name and style of the Synod of
New York and Philadelphia, and to receive "the Westmin¬
ster Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechisms
as an orthodox and excellent system of Christian doctrine,
founded on the word of God, and to adhere to the plan of
worship, government and discipline contained in the West¬
minster Directory." * All their former differences were
declared to be laid aside and buried, and any one bringing
them up again was declared to be deemed censurable—guilty
of a breach of this agreement, to be refused and rebuked
accordingly.
This union continued until 1789. At the meeting of the
Synod in 1787, arrangements were made for the formation
of the General Assembly by the division of the Synod into
four Synods, to-wit: the Synod of New York and New
Jersey, the Synod of Philadelphia, the Synod of Virginia,
and the Synod of the Carolinas. These four Synods were
composed of sixteen Presbyteries. The first meeting of the
General Assembly was held in the Second Presbyterian
Church, in the city of Philadelphia, on the third Thursday
of May, 1789.
Having presented this very succinct view of the origin of
our Church in the United States, I shall now proceed, briefly,
to trace its history South.
The Presbytery of New Castle was one of the original
Presbyteries erected by the sub-division of the Presbytery of
Philadelphia, for the purpose of constituting the Synod of
* See Minutes Synod of New York and Philadelphia, p. 286.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
11
Philadelphia in 1716. There was another Presbytery south
of Philadelphia, created at the same time, called Snow Hill,
consisting of three ministers; but one of them dying within
a year, it became extinct. Prom the New Castle was formed
the Presbytery of Hanover, in the year 1755. Out of the
Presbytery of Hanover was erected the Presbytery of Orange,
North Carolina, in 1770. From the Presbytery of Orange
was created the Presbytery of South Carolina, in 1784; and
from the same, the Presbytery of Concord, North Carolina,
was set off in 1705. From the Presbytery of South Carolina
the Presbytery of Hopewell was erected in 1796, which
embraced the whole State of Georgia.
Thus, nearly a century elapsed from the time of the crea¬
tion of the first Presbytery of Philadelphia by the voluntary
union of the existing Churches and ministers until a Presby¬
tery was constituted south of the Savannah River.
But this fact by no means proves that Presbyterianism
did not exist in Georgia long anterior to the formation of a
Presbytery. A Presbyterian Church (the Independent) was
organized in Savannah as early as 1765. A colony of Scotch
Presbyterians settled at Darien, by them called New Inver¬
ness, near the mouth of the Altamaha River, about 1735.*
They joined Oglethorpe in his expedition against the Span¬
iards in Florida. The Presbytery of South Carolina em¬
braced the State within its bounds from its formation, in
1784 until the erection of Hopewell, in 1796, and had many
Churches under its care in Georgia. Among these were
Bethany in Green county, New Hope in Madison, Joppa^
Liberty, Little Britain, Bethsalem, Siloam, Bethsaida, Car-
mel, Providence, and others.
The first petition for ministerial aid from Georgia was
presented to the Synod of New York and Philadelphia at
their Sessions in New York, May, 1766. This came from a
*See Bancroft.
12 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
place called Briar Creek. At the same Sessions of the
Synod it was resolved, that to " meet the earnest supplica¬
tions from North and South Carolina and Georgia, several
ministers should be sent out." A Mr. C. T. Smith also
volunteered at the same time, to itinerate in the Carolinas
and Georgia.* In 1770, Briar Creek was again an appli¬
cant for supplies. This year a Mr. Josiah Lewis was sent
out to Georgia, and directed to preach three months at
Briar Creek. In 1771, a call was presented to the Synod
of New York and Philadelphia, in session at Philadelphia,
for the pastoral services of the Rev. Josiah Lewis, from the
united congregations of Briar Creek and Queensborough.
This was probably the first formal call ever made out in
Georgia for a Presbyterian pastor. Whether he accepted
the call does not appear from the minutes of the Synod.
The probability is, that he did not accept, since the congre¬
gations requested that in case the call was not accepted,
supplies might be granted them; and we find the Synod
afterwards appointing a Mr. Elam Potter a missionary for
six months in Georgia. The Synod also, at the same sessions,
appointed the Rev. P. Allison to a mission in Georgia.
In 1773, a supplication for supplies was sent up from Saint
Paul's parish in Georgia, and a Mr. Wallace was directed
" to preach' to them sometimes." The Revolutionary war
breaking out shortly afterwards, the Southern Churches do
not appear to have had any intercourse with the General
Synod, until the formation of the Presbytery of South Car¬
olina, in 1784. None of the ministers constituting that
Presbytery resided in Georgia at that time. It is not prob¬
able there were any Presbyterian ministers in Georgia during
the Revolution, save the pastor of the Independent, of Sa¬
vannah. Nor does it appear that any advances were made
in planting Churches during that period, nor until the Pres¬
bytery of South Carolina was ushered into being.
* Minutes of Presbyterian Church, p. 360—61.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
13
Only three Churches, then, are known to have existed in
connection with the Synod prior to the Revolution. These
were Briar Creek, Queensborough, and Saint Paul's parish.
As to the particular location of the two former, we have no
certain information. There are several Briar Creeks in
Georgia. If permitted to give our opinion, however, we
would locate them in Burke county. They were certainly
not west of Augusta. And there is a Briar Creek in Burke
and Scriven counties, and, though there is no Queensborough,
there is a Waynesborough. This opinion is fortified by refer¬
ence to a minute entered on the records of Hopewell Pres¬
bytery, in 1799, in the following words: "A number of
people living in the Walnut Branch settlement petitioned for
supplies." And again: "Also a congregation below Waynes-
borough, called the Old Church, petitioned for supplies."
That this " Old Church " was none other than "Briar Creek,"
which appeared so often as a suppliant for supplies at the
bar of the Synod of New York and Philadelphia, we are
fully satisfied. " Saint Paul's parish " was the Augusta
Church. Thus the Augusta Church existed long before the
erection of Ilopewcll—it existed before the Revolutionary
war—it is, probably, at least a hundred years old. It does
not seem that these Churches were under the care of any
particular Presbytery. They held correspondence only with
the General Synod, and from it sought aid. In 1806, or
nine years after Hopewell was set off, the Augusta Church,
by its commissioner, Mr. William Fee, petitioned to be taken
under its care, and to be known as " the Church of Saint
Paul's." The Rev. John Thompson was its first pastor. He
was from New York, and was received as a licentiate under
the care of Hopewell in 1805. He was called to the pastor¬
ate of Saint Paul's in 1806, and was ordained to the full
exercise of the ministry in that Church, by Hopewell Pres¬
bytery, May 9th, 1807.
Presbvterianism, when once firmly planted in a place,
14
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
rarely dies out. The Church at Waynesborough and Bath
may be traced back to Briar Creek and Walnut Branch.
So, also, the Church at Washington, Wilkes county, to
Smyrna; the Church at Mount Zion to Ebenezer; the
Church at Greenesborough to Siloam, etc. There are prob¬
ably not more than two Churches now in Hopewell having
the same names they bore when the Presbytery was organ¬
ized. These are Bethany (not inaptly designated the mother
of Churches) and New Hope. Smyrna is Washington, Eb¬
enezer is Mount Zion, Joppa is Lexington, etc.
We have remarked that there were only (so far as known)
three Presbyterian organizations in the State before the
Revolution. The Independent Presbyterian Church, of Sa¬
vannah, never had any ecclesiastical connection with any
Presbytery or Synod in Georgia or elsewhere. It was
founded at an early day in the history of the colony, by
whom, we know not. Its first pastor was probably the Rev.
John Joachim Zubly.*
Congregationalism never had a strong foothold in Georgia.
Indeed, almost the only organization of the kind in the
State is that of Midway, in Liberty county, before the Rev-
* Dr. Zubley was a native of St. Gall, in Switzerland ; born August
27th, 1724, and ordained August 19th, 1744. He was a man of great
learning and ability. To the Independent Congregation he preached in
English, to a neighboring congregation in German, and to another in
French. lie was a man of undoubted piety, and earnestly devoted to
the cause of his Divine Master. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was
conferred on him by Princeton College in 1770.
At the commencement of the American Revolution he took part with
the colonies, and was a delegate from the State to the Continental Con¬
gress in 1775-1776. But, when the question of separation from the
mother country came up, he opposed it, and, quitting his post in Phila¬
delphia, returned to Georgia, and afterwards took sides against the
colonies and became very unpopular, and was finally compelled to leave
Savannah.
He died, somewhere in South Carolina, July 23d. 1781, and his re¬
mains were afterwards brought to Savannah and interred.—Sprague's
Annals.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
15.
olution, called St. John's parish. This congregation was
originally a colony from Dorchester, Massachusetts. They
emigrated first to South Carolina, and settled at a place they
called Dorchester, near Charleston; but the location proving
unhealthy, they removed to Georgia before the Revolution¬
ary war. They were an ardently patriotic people—sons of
liberty—who resisted courageously. They were honored by
changing the name of their county from St. John's parish
to Liberty county. Midway was, during many years, a
strong and flourishing Church. It has sent more young men
into the ministry than any Church in the South, or prob¬
ably in the United States. The first native Presbyterian
minister ordained iu Georgia, the late Rev. Thomas Gould-
ing, D.D., was from this Church. It is now declining and
even threatened with extinction. The colonies which, have
gone out from it, such as Walthourville and Flemington, are
Presbyterian, and all the young men have entered the Pres¬
byterian ministry. Its pastors have generally been Presby¬
terians.
Having with great brevity sketched the progress of our
Church southward, from its origin, about the commencement
of the eighteenth century, up to the formation of Hopewell
Presbytery, about the beginning of the nineteenth, we will
now present a general view of its progress in Georgia.*
* The author had been engaged many years in collecting materials for
a history of our Church in this State. He had been successful in gather¬
ing together many valuable facts and documents. But these were all
lost during the war, having been burned by the enemy. The loss is
irretrievable.
HOPEWELL PRESBYTERY.
At the Annual Sessions of the Synod of the Carolinas, at
Morganton, North Carolina, the 3d day of November, 1796,
the Presbytery of South Carolina laid before the Synod an
overture, praying a division of the Presbytery, and that a
Presbytery be laid off on the southwest side of Savannah
River, to be known by the name of Hopewell. The petition
was granted, and the ministers, John Newton, John Springer,
Robert M. Cunningham, Moses Waddel, and William Mont¬
gomery, were detached from the Presbytery of South Caro¬
lina ; and it was ordered that it hold its first meeting at
Liberty Church on the third Thursday in March, 1797.*
* Rev. Jolin Newton was born in the State of Pennsylvania, February
80,1759. lie graduated at Liberty Hall—an institution then existing in
Mecklinburgh county, N. C.—20th of August, 1780. lie married Cathe¬
rine Lowrance, November, 1780. By what Presbytery he was licensed
and ordained, is not certainly known, but probably Orange. He came
to Georgia in 1788, and took charge of Bethsalem Church, in Oglethorpe
county, and the New nope Church, now Madison county. Here lia
labored until the period of his death, which occurred in 1797, between
the first and second meeting of the Presbytery. He had a large family
of sons and daughters. His widow lived to an advanced age, and died
in the city of Athens, Ga., a few years since. Many of his descendants
live in this and other States. Several of his sons have filled the office of
Ruling Elder.
Rev. John Springer was the first Presbyterian minister ordained south
of the Savannah River. He was ordained by the Presbytery of South
Carolina about 1793, in the town of Washington. No house of worship
existed in the place at that time, and consequently the ordination service
was performed under the shade of a large tulip or poplar tree, standing
on grounds belonging to A. L. Alexander, Esq. He was installed Pastor
of Smyrna congregation, whose house of worship stood some three
miles southeast of Washington, on the Augusta road. Mr. Springer died
in 1798. Some of his descendants still reside in this State.
Rev. Robert M. Cunningham was born in York county, Pennsylvania,
September 10,1760. He was educated at Dickinson College, Carlisle,
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 17
The Presbytery met, accordingly, on the 16th of March,
1797, all the members being present, together with three
ruling Elders, to-wit: Ezekiel Gillam, James Darrach and
Lodowick Tuggle. The Rev. Mr. Springer opened the
meeting with a sermon from Luke iv: 18. Mr. Springer
was chosen Moderator, and Mr. Waddel Clerk.
At the first meeting of the Presbytery, the Church at
Hebron, Franklin, now Banks county, was taken under its
care, and the people living on the North-fork of the Oconee
(now Thyatira Church) petitioned for supplies. We gather
from the minutes that the following were the more prominent
Churches under its care, to-wit: Liberty, Bethany, Little
Britain, Bethsalem, New Hope, Bethsaida, Siloam, Smyrna,
Joppa, Carmel, Sharon, Ebenezer, Providence, Concord,
Beersheba, and Unity. Several of these Churches have
become extinct, or have been absorbed in other Churches
where he graduated in 1789. He was licensed by the Presbytery of
South Carolina in 1792. He organized the Church of Ebenezer, in what
was then Green, now Hancock county. He settled in that neighborhood,
and preached alternately at Ebenezer and Bethany. He continued the
pastor of these Churches about fifteen years. His pastoral relation was
dissolved in 1808. He then removed to Lexington, Kentucky, and was
installed collegiate pastor with the Rev. Dr. Blythe, of the Presbyterian
Church in that city. Here he remained till the autumn of 1822, when
he resigned his charge, and went to Alabama and settled at a place
called Moulton; thence, after two years, he removed to the Black Warrior
River, in the vicinity of Tuskaloosa. He was instrumental in raising up
a Church in Tuskaloosa and another in Carthage, a neighboring town.
He occupied the pulpit in Tuskaloosa about eight years. The honorary
degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by Franklin College,
Ga., in 1827. He died July 11,1839, in the eightieth year of his age.
Rev. Moses Waddel was born in Rowan (now Iredell) county, North
Carolina, July 29,1770. His parents were emigrants from Ireland, who
arrived in Charleston in 1767. He was educated in part at an institution
called Clio's Nursery, which had been established through the instru¬
mentality of the Rev. James Hall, D.D.* and was for a time taught by
* Dr. Hall was born at Carlisle, Pa., August 22,1744; graduated at Princeton,
1774; was licensed in 1775-6 by the Presbytery of Orange. He died July 25,1826, in
the eighty-second year of his age.
2
18 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
under new names. The names of many have been changed.
Of the latter, we note Smyrna, now Washington; Liberty,
now Woodstock; Ebenezer, now Mt. Zion; Siloam, now
Greensborough; Bethsaida, now Sandy Creek. Bethany,
New Hope, and Hebron, only, retain the names by which
they were known seventy years ago.
Any one who will take the pains carefully to examine the
proceedings of Hopewell in its early days, must be satisfied
that its members were not dumb dogs, lying down, loving to
slumber. There were only five members originally, and one
of them died the first year. Yet they made constant efforts
to supply all their Churches, and to answer every call made
upon them for ministerial aid throughout their wide extended
bounds. In the minutes continually occur orders for supply¬
ing the Churches with the preaching of the Word and admin¬
istration of the ordinances.
The first addition made to their numbers was Mr. Thomas
Newton. He was a brother of the Rev. John Newton, and
had been licensed by Concord Presbytery, N. C. He was
received under the care of Hopewell in 1798, and ordained
at Hebron Church, March 16, 1799. The second ordina-
the Rev. James McEwen, and, after his decease, by the Rev. Francis
Cummins, D.D. In June, 1790, he entered Hampden Sidney College,
Va., and graduated in 1791, remaining only eight months in College.
This was owing to his thorough early education. He was one of the
best classical scholars this country has ever seen. He was licensed to
preach the gospel by the Hanover Presbytery, Va., May 12, 1792. In
1793 or 1794, he came to Georgia and opened a school in Columbia
county. In 1801, he removed to Vienna, Abbeville, S. C., where he
opened a school. In 1804, he settled at Willington. Here he remained
until 1819, when, having been elected President of the University of
Georgia, he removed to Athens. He held this office about ten years,
resigning in 1829. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on
him by South Carolina College in 1807. He died in Athens, July 21,
1840.
Rev. "William Montgomery was for a time pastor of New Hope Church.
He went to the West about 1812, and it is supposed died in the State of
Mississippi. Little or nothing is known of his history.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 19
tion was that of Edward Pharr, at Thyatira,' December 25,
1801. At this meeting, Dr. Waddel was dismissed to the
Second Presbytery of South Carolina. About this period,
the body was so feeble that it repeatedly failed to form a
quorum. On one occasion we find them transacting business
without a quorum. In 1805, the Rev. Francis Cummins
removed to this State and united with the Presbytery, and
was called to the pastorate of Smyrna and Providence
Churches.
In 1804, John Ilodge, a licentiate of the Cumberland
Presbytery, was received under the care of Hopewell, and
ordained at Bethsalem the 6th of April, 1805. He was a
man of an excellent spirit. This was the third ordination
performed by the Presbytery.
At the same Sessions, the Presbytery appointed a Special
Session, or rather, a Commission, to try a case in the Hebron
Church. The propriety of such a course would, no doubt,
in this day, be strongly controverted. They also granted
to petitioners from Bethsalem and Shiloh Churches liberty
"to elect such men as they might think proper" as lay-
exhorters. This would be regarded in our day at least a
very loose, if not unconstitutional proceeding. Perhaps the
exigencies of the Churches warranted such a measure.
At the fall meeting of 1805, there was no quorum, only
two ministers and three elders being present at the opening
of the Session; yet they proceeded to business. Mr. John
R. Thompson, late of New York, and then a resident of
Augusta, was examined and received under their care, and
parts of trial assigned him. On the second day of their
meeting, the Rev. Francis Cummins appeared with a dismis¬
sion from the Second Presbytery of South Carolina, and
was received as a member.
At the meeting of the Presbytery at Shiloh, in 1806,
Saint Paul's Church, Augusta, was taken under its care, and
John R. Thompson licensed.
20
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
At the fall meeting at Smyrna, in 1806, they found them¬
selves again without a quorum on the first day, but on the
Second they had a sufficient number of members. The con¬
gregation of Saint Paul's, by the hand of Dr. Murray, pre¬
sented a call for the pastoral services of John R. Thompson,
which was by him accepted, and he was ordained in the
Church in Augusta, May 9th, 1807. At the meeting of the
Presbytery at New Hope, in September of the same year, Mr.
Thompson sought a dissolutsoion of the pastoral relation. The
Church was cited to shew cause why his request should not
be granted at the next session. But at the next meeting he
withdrew the petition; and it does not appear from the min¬
utes that Mr. Thompson was ever dismissed, nor when he
left the Church. He was, however, Moderator of the Synod
in 1813, but his name does not appear on the roll of Hope¬
well after 1809.
. At the meeting of the Presbytery at Bethsalem, in 1813,
the Rev. Nathan S. S. Beman became a member, on present¬
ing a dismission from the Cumberlain Association of Maine.
At the same time the Rev. Dr. John Brown joined the Pres¬
bytery on a dismission from Harmony Presbytery, S. C.
He had been elected President of the University of Georgia
in 1811. Dr. Brown's removal to Georgia gave a fresh im¬
petus to Presbyterianism, by his preaching and Btanding as
a man of high and commanding influence. He continued in
the Presidency of the College about five years.*
*Dr. Brown was a native of the county of Antrim, Ireland. His
father was poor. His mother, like Hannah, " lent him to the Lord," and
■early taught him to read the Scriptures. He was sent nine months to a
country school when in his sixteenth year, and in his nineteenth year he
Was the same length of time in a grammar school, in the Waxhaw set¬
tlement. This was the sum total of his education in the schools. He
Was licensed to preach in 1788. In 1809, he was chosen Professor of
Logic and Moral Philosophy in the South Carolina College, and in 1811,
•President of the .Georgia University. He was pastor of Mount Zion
Church, Hancock county, twelve years. He died at Fort Gains, Dec.
11th, 1842. " He was a wonderfully fluent speaker." He was an eminently
good man. Humble, generous, guileless, indifferent to the world, he
loved every body, and the law of Kindness dwelt on his tongue.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 21
About this time a number of young man placed themselves
under the care of the Presbytery, with the professed purpose
of entering the ministry. Among these we note Benjamin
Gildersleeve, who was licensed in 1815. He has been dis¬
tinguished as the conductor of a religious newspaper, first
at Mount Zion, then in Charleston, and finally at Richmond,
Ya. lie yet lives in Southwestern Virginia. Orson Doug¬
las, who labored long as seamen's preacher in Philadelphia,
where he died some1 years since. David Root and Ira In-
graham. The former was licensed and after some time was
dismissed to join a Presbytery in Ohio. What became of
Ira Ingraham does not so clearly appear. The memorial of
Alonzo Church will be found among " The Dead of the Synod
of Georgia." All these young men were from the North, and
most of them graduates of Middleburry College, Yt.
In 1817, Rev. Robert Finley, D.D., who succeeded Dr.
Brown as President of the University, united with the Pres¬
bytery, on a dismission from the Presbytery of New Bruns¬
wick, N. J.* He joined the Presbytery at Madison, Mor¬
gan county, the 5th of September, returned home, sickened,
and died on the 3d of October, 1817. He was an eminent
man, and a great loss to the Church and State of Georgia.
In 1817, the subject of establishing a Theological Seminary
was first started. The reasons for attempting such an en-
*Dr. Finley was of Scottish origin, and was bom in Princeton, N. J.,
in 1772. He joined the Freshman Class in Princeton College in his
eleventh year, and graduated in his sixteenth. He was licensed in Sep¬
tember, 1794, and settled at Basking Ridge in 1795. He was the first
who suggested the idea of communicating religious instruction bjfcneans
of Bible classes. Through his influence the subject was carried before
the General Assembly, and, by a unanimous vote of that body, recom¬
mended to the Presbyteries and congregations.
He was the first to conceive the idea of colonizing the free people of
color on the coast of Africa. With many the scheme was regarded as
impracticable and chimerical. But his Thoughts on the Colonization of
the Free Blacks, published about this time, led to the formation of the
Colonization Society in December, 1816.
22 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
terprise were declared to be "the destitute state of the
Churches" within their bounds, and " that many of the peo¬
ple had been obliged to join other religious societies," or
live without the enjoyment " of the communion of saints in
gospel ordinances." And they farther said: "Believing
that our Churches might be increased, and many new con¬
gregations formed, provided we could give reasonable assur¬
ances that they would be supplied with pastors, the members
feel it their duty to pray the Lord of the harvest to send
forth more laborers. And whereas, prayers ought always to
be accompanied with dutiful endeavors for the attainment of
the blessings for which we pray; and whereas, there is but
little opportunity for young men to acquire the knowledge of
those things which are necessary to qualify them for the dis¬
charge of ministerial duties—Presbytery feels it incumbent
on it to endeavor to make some provision for the continuance
and increase of a gospel ministry in this part of the vine¬
yard, when those who now officiate in holy things shall have
rested from their labors. And, believing that a Theological
School in this part of the world might be subservient to this
end, unanimously resolved to take that subject into consid¬
eration, and to use such ways and means as God, in his prov¬
idence may seem to open up to view as likely to be condu¬
cive to this'end."
For carrying into effect these views, the Presbytery
appointed Dr. Cummins, Dr. Brown, and Dr. Finley, a
committee " to draft a plan for a Theological School, to be
laid before the Presbytery at its next session."* This com-
_—# *
*To Hopewell belongs the honor of taking the initiative for es¬
tablishing a Theological Seminary in the South. The Seminary at
Princeton went into operation in 1812, and so did the Theological School
of the Synod of Virginia, in connection with Hampden Sidney College,
of which Dr. Moses Hoge was President, and Theological Professor at
the same time. But Union Seminary proper did not commence its exer¬
cises till 1822, when Dr. John H. Rice was elected Professor.
The enterprise, though abandoned by Hopewell for a time, still pressed
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
23
mittee did not report untjl April, 1819, when the following
minute was entered: " In consequence of the death of Br.
JTinley, the committee appointed in 1817, to draft a plan for
a Theological School, did not report." A new committee
was then appointed, consisting of Dr. Cummins, Dr. Brown,
and Dr. Beman, "to report on that subject at the next session."
At the meeting in September, 1819, this committee reported
"on the subject of a Theological School at considerable
length." The report was "in part considered, but not
adopted." What was the difficulty we are not informed.
The Presbytery, however, proceeded to the choice of a place
or site for the institution. Athens and Mount Zion were
put in nomination. On taking the vote, it was carried in
favor of Athens. Subsequently another report "on the
subject of a Theological School was brought in and read,
but not adopted." After this, the consideration of the sub¬
ject of a Theological School was indefinitely postponed.
Thus ended this enterprise. This was probably owing to a
conflict about the location.
It would seem that the attendance upon the sessions of the
Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, by members of the
Presbytery, were few and far between. The Synod repeat¬
edly called their attention to the fact, charging them with
" negligence" in attending its Sessions, and failures to make
" Presbyterial Reports." Sometimes they excused themselves
by alleging the great distance they were from its place of
meeting. At this time (1818) it consisted of only seven
members, and they so widely scattered that it was often dif¬
ficult to secure a sufficient attendance to form a quorum.
upon the minds of its members; and we shall see, some ten or twelve
years subsequently, that the Presbytery actually proceeded to appoint a
Professor of Theology, who entered upon his duties, teaching in his own
house. This was before the Seminary at Columbia was founded, to
which he was transferred at the commencement of its operations, as
Professor of Church History and Government
24 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
Several times only two members would be present, who would
adjourn from day to day, waiting for the arrival of a third.
Traveling was in that day a much more difficult affair than
at present. It required then a week or more to perform a
journey which we now accomplish in a day.
In 1S19, Dr.. Moses Waddel was called to the Presidency
of the Georgia University. He came again into connection
with Hopewell Presbytery, after an absence of more than
nineteen years, having been dismissed to the Second Presby¬
tery of South Carolina in 1801; he rejoined the Presbytery
in April, 1820. From this period we may more properly
date the permanent and onward progress of the Presbyterian
Church in Georgia. Before this, it had rather a precarious
existence in the State. The Churches were few and feeble.
They were generally in the Country; in none of the larger
towns and villages had we any Churches, except Augusta,
Washington, Eatonton, etc. In Athens there was a small
organization. In Milledgeville, the seat of government,
there was none. Macon, Columbus, LaGrange, Newnan,
etc., were unknown—indeed, had no existence as towns. A
Church was organized at Milledgeville in 1826, with seven
members, and at Macon, consisting of twenty-five members.
A Church was also gathered in Butts county in the same
year. The following Churches were reported as recently
formed in the year 1829, viz: Greenville, Thomaston, La-
Grange, Nazareth, and a Church at Columbus consisting of
five members. The Church at Decatur, DeKalb county, was
constituted in 1825, and the Church of Smyrna, Newton
county, and Philadelphia, Fayette county, in 1826. In
1820, a small Church was gathered at Lawrenceville, Gwin¬
nett county. From that point, over all the broad district of
South-western Georgia and Florida to the. Gulf of Mexico,
not a single Presbyterian Church was found. The Church
at Lawrenceville was the ultima thule of Presbyterianism in
the west of the State. Beyond the Chattahoochee, now the
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
25
territory of Cherokee Presbytery, the Cherokee Indiana
dwelt; among them a few missionaries (not Presbyterians)
were laboring.
In 1820, the Presbytery consisted of the following minis¬
ters : Rev. Francis Cummins, pastor at Greensborough;
John Brown, D.D., without charge; Moses Waddel, D.D.,
pastor at Sandy Creek; Thomas Newton, without charge;
Edward Pharr, without charge; N. S. S. Beman, pastor at
Mount Zion and Eatonton; Benjamin Gildersleeve, no charge.
The Presbyterial report of that year shows the numerical
strength of the Churches: Greensborough had 20 members;
Sandy Creek, 25; Mount Zion, 40; Eatonton, 20; Bethany,
23; Salem, 15; Washington, 15; Bethsalem, 15; Daniels-
ville, 15; New; Hope, 20; Mulberry, 27; Hebron, 30 J
Thyatira, 25; Madison, 25; Athens, 21; Clinton, 6. The
total number of persons reported this year was 342. This
report was evidently partial. The Augusta Church was not
reported, nor any Churches from the low country, and
perhaps some other small organizations in the up country.
But it was manifestly a day of small things. There were
only seven members of the Presbytery, and. four of these are
set down as without charge. We are not, however, to con¬
clude from this that they were not preaching the gospel as
they had opportunity. It should be remembered that Hope¬
well, in 1820, embraced a large part of Georgia, from near
the Atlantic coast to the Tennessee, and from the Savannah
River to the Gulf—a vast territory, with only seven Presby¬
terian ministers and some fifteen or eighteen feeble Churches.
May we not say it was a day of small things. Jacob was
small; our towers were few and far between. Dr. Waddel's
accession to the Presidency of the State College infused a
new and more enterprising spirit into the Churches. A
number of young and energetic men entered the field. Cham¬
berlain was appointed a Missionary Evangelist. He traveled
extensively in the State, labored abundantly, and organized
26
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
many Churches. Church and Gildersleeve were invested
with full ministerial authority, and Alexander H. Webster
became the efficient and beloved pastor of the Washington
Church. Although his ministry was brief, yet .few men
have made and left a deeper impression or a more grateful
memorial on the hearts of those to whom he ministered, than
Alexander H. Webster.
The Synod of South Carolina and Georgia had in view the
formation of a Foreign and Domestic Missionary Society,
and issued an address to the Presbyteries, soliciting their
concurrence in the enterprise. The Presbytery of Hopewell
cordially entertained the question in the following resolution:
"Resolved, That this Presbytery highly approve and adopt
the proposed plan of the Synod, and that each member
solicit contributions and bear or send them to the Synod at
their Sessions in November next." *
In 1823, the Presbytery seemed to feel very deeply the
destitution of a preached gospel within their bounds, judging
from the following action of the body: " In consideration
of the destitute condition of many of our Churches, and the
languishing state of religion, it is hereby Resolved, That it
be strongly recommended to every ordained minister con¬
nected with this Presbytery, to devote fourteen days in each
succeeding year to laboring in destitute Churches and places
without the circle of their usual ministerial labors. Resolved,
That the Stated Clerk be directed to write to some member
of the Session in each vacant Church within the bounds of
the Presbytery, requesting that reports of the number of
their members and the state of their several Churches be
forwarded to him at or before our next stated Sessions."
* The Missionary Society of the Synod continued its operations for
several years. It established a Mission among the Chickasaw Indians,
at a place called Monroe, under the care of the Rev. Thomas C. Stuart.
After the removal of the Indians to the West, Mr. Stuart continues to
reside near the same place.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
27
Among other matters to which the attention of the Pres¬
bytery was most anxiously directed at this time, was the
manifest decay of religion in the Churches, and the neglect
of ministers and elders to discharge their official duties.
The subject is thils considered: " Viewing with regret the
apparent declension of vital religion among the members of
the Church of our communion, and their neglect in atten¬
dance on the means of grace—feeling the necessity of more
energy in our measures: Resolved, That the Moderator be
directed to draft and transmit as soon as possible a letter to
each member of Presbytery absent from our present Presby¬
tery, requesting him by that authority which we have received
from the Lord, for edification and not for destruction, that
for the future he be more careful and punctual in his atten¬
dance on ecclesiastical judicatories; also, that he transmit a
letter to one elder in each congregation, requesting that
elder to convene the other elders, and that they unite their
efforts in the support of discipline, the instruction of youth,
and suppression of vice, reminding them of the bearing of
their ordination vows to the discharge of these and like
duties; and further, requesting that some one, elder in each
congregation, be appointed to report to every stated session
of this Presbytery as to their fidelity and success in these
things."
What was the result of this action of the Presbytery we
are not informed. It was probably like a great deal of such
proceeding in our Presbyteries and Synods—a dead letter.
But it may be remarked that such action very strongly com¬
mends itself to the conscientious consideration of every
Presbytery. The neglect of members of the Churches to
attend on the means of grace is a great and destructive evil
in all our Churches. It is an offence against the good order
and discipline of the Church. It is really a disciplinary
offence; yet it is rarely so treated. An individual who
habitually, and without any providential reason, neglects
28 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH GEORGIA.
attendance in the house of God, and absents himself from
the ordinances of the gospel, should be made to account for
it; and if he does not reform, should be cut off. Dead
branches not only deform, but injure the tree. There is
great need, efficiently, to use the pruning knife of discipline
in most of our Churches.
And further, the neglect of members of Church judicato¬
ries to attend their deliberations, is also a crying evil in our
Presbyteries and Synods, and one that ought to be remedied
■without delay. Such neglect is a wrong done, not only to
the body itself—which has a right to expect the assistance
in labor and council of every member—but it is a wrong
done to the Churches in. which the delinquents labor. What
Church ever prospered where the minister and elders did not
attend the Church Courts ? Not one. Stupidity and spir¬
itual declension is the inevitable result. It may be asked,
Why ? The old proverb of Solomon may answer the question:
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneththe countenance
of his friend." Social communion of Christians promotes
Christian growth 'and enjoyment; so the communion of
ministers and elders adds greatly to their efficiency and
happiness. Who has attended upon such convocations, and
has not felt refreshed and better qualified for his work! A
minister who is continually enrolled among the absentees at
Presbytery and Synod is but a dead head in the Church.
He is a workman that needeth to be ashamed.
The other point referred to in this Presbyterial action is
still of more solemn importance—the duties of elders towards
the flock over which they preside. They are called overseers;
but, alas! many of them see or know little about the flocks.
Neither the lambs nor the old sheep receive little of their
care or sympathy. To call such overseers is a misnomer.
They neither visit the people, pray for, or instruct them. If
there is a pastor, they throw the whole burden of responsi¬
bility on him, and fold their arms in ineffable indifference.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 29
Some have supposed that the Apostle refers to elders, "when
he speaks of helps, governments, etc. But, alas! the
majority of elders are poor helps. It is well to remind such
of their ordination vows—the solemn pledge they have made
to perform all the duties of the office to which they have
been called.
The most important enterprise ever entered upon by any
ecclesiastical body in the State, had its inception at the
Session of Hopewell Presbytery at Thyatira Church, in the
spring of 1823. This was the formation of the Georgia
Educational Society. Out of this enterprise arose the whole
movement of denominational education in the State. To it we
trace the existence of Oglethorpe University, Emory College,
and Mercer University. The movement, it is true, excited
some apprehensions among the friends of the State College.
They feared that its patronage would be diminished by
building up these institutions; that there were not a sufficient
number of youth in the State, who would seek a collegiate
education, to fill all the colleges, and that, consequently, some
of them must languish, if they did not actually die ; and the
apprehension was, that this blight would most certainly fall
upon the State University, since the several denominations
would naturally support their own colleges. But these fears
were groundless. While the denominational colleges rose
and flourished, Franklin College also increased in numbers
and efficiency. Its educational standard was raised, and it
probably graduated more young men annually afterwards
than it ever had before. The truth of the matter was, that
the founding of these colleges diffused a more general spirit
of education among the people, and has added to the number
of educated men in the State a large per cent, annually. It
has doubled the number of educated men in the learned pro¬
fessions, and has especially elevated the character of the
Christian ministry among the different denominations.
At the time referred to, the Presbytery declared that, "in
30
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
consideration of the great an^ pressing exigencies of the
Church of Christ in this State, and the uncertainty and
insufficiency of ministerial supply for our Churches from any
means now in operation: Resolved, That this Presbytery
cordially approve, and strongly recommend to its members,
its Churches, and the pious at large, an immediate and united
effort to establish a Georgia Educational Society, for aiding
indigent young men of piety and talents in acquiring a suit¬
able education for the gospel ministry; and that the Revs.
Moses Waddel, Thomas Goulding, Remembrance Chamber¬
lain, and Dr. James Nisbet, be a Committee to prepare the
plan of a Constitution, and take suitable other steps as may
to them appear necessary or useful for •accomplishing the
purpose without delay, and report the nature and success of
the same at our next Sessions."
At the next meeting, in October, 1823, the Committee
reported verbally in part, which was approved. The Rev.
Thomas Goulding was directed to prepare a full report of
the same for insertion on the minutes at or before the next
Sessions.
This report was made at the same Sessions, and is as
follows:
" The Report of the Committee appointed by Hopewell Pres¬
bytery at its Sessions at Thyatira Church, May 24, 1823,
to organize a Georgia Educational Society.
" This Committee, consisting of the Revs. Moses Waddel,
D.D., Remembrance Chamberlain, and Dr. James Nisbet,
met, according to appointment, at Athens, on Monday, 26th
of May, 1823, and continued its Sessions until Wednesday,
the 28th. The plan of a Constitution, with an address to
the Churches and benevolent individuals in our State, was
agreed upon by the Committee and published in the Mission¬
ary at Mount Zion; and appointing the 7th of August next
ensuing for a meeting in Athens, to organize the Society upon
the plan proposed. • The Society was organized, and the
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
81
proceedings took place according to the accompanying
printed circular, as then agreed on."
I here insert this circular as embodying the views of these
fathers of the Church, none of whom are now living, with a
single exception.
It is proper here to note that the Georgia Educational
Society was catholic, not denominational, addressing itself
to all pious and benevolent persons of every name throughout
the State. Its officers were taken from different denomina¬
tions. During its existence, it extended aid to others having
the ministry in view, besides Presbyterians. Nor did it cease
its operations in this respect until the different denominations
of Christians in the State had made provision for the educa¬
tion of their own ministry by founding institutions of their
own. It was thus instrumental in awaking the mind of the
Christian Church to the importance of ministerial education,
and has accomplished incalculable good to the cause of
religion by furnishing to the Churches, of all the leading
denominations, an enlightened ministry.
The circular embodies the reasons for such organization.
It was addressed to individuals and the Churches generally,
in the following terms:
" The plans of benevolence which constitutes the glory of
the day in which we live, are so numerous, that to obtrude
another on your consideration, with any expectation of
patronage, would be presumption, were we not persuaded of
its importance and practical utility. It is a duty which we
owe to you and to the public, to give a concise statement of
facts which have led to the formation of a Society, the
Constitution of which is herewith transmitted.
" We need not inform you that the number of able and
faithful ministers of the gospel among us by no means
increases with the increasing population of the State; that
many of our Churches, already organized, are comparatively
destitute of the ordinances of the gospel, and that many
32 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
more might be established if they could be supplied "with the
Word of Life. We have looked anxiously for this supply
from those institutions in the more favored sections of our
country, whose laudable object it is to aid young men of
piety and talents in acquiring an education suitable for the
gospel ministry; but our expectations have not been realized.
In aid of these institutions the citizens of Georgia have here¬
tofore contributed with their accustomed liberality; hut a
general impression at present prevails that our benevolence
should be less diffusive, and that our exertions should be
principally concentrated in building up our own Zion, and
repairing her waste places.
" In the different denominations of Christians in our State,
we are personally acquainted with young men of piety and
talents who would gladly labor in the vineyard of Christ,
but who are unable to incur the expense of an education
preparatory to the work. Unless, therefore, some benevo¬
lent individuals or some Society shall take them under their
patronage, their usefulness will be limited to the obscure
Walks of private life.
" You will doubtless concur in the sentiment,' that with
the progress of literary improvement in any country, the
prosperity of religion requires a similar improvement in the
ministry. Whilst we rejoice in the good which many pious
and zealous defenders of the faith have been enabled, by the
blessing of God, to effect, whose opportunities in early life were
limited, we cannot avoid asking how much more good they
might have done if to the same piety and zeal had been
united the learning of a Gill, a Wesley, or a, Dwight? Our
object, in short, is the supply of our own Churches with
pious and able ministers of the gospel, to bring to light
talents that are concealed under the mask of poverty, and
to encourage young men of piety and talents to engage in
that glorious cause, the fruits of which will remain forever.
" As our interests are identified with the interest of this
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
33
State; as its political and literary institutions are dear to us>
and as the religion of the gospel, ably and faithfully preached,
is calculated to secure a continuance of these blessings which
we now enjoy—shall we not use our exertions to raise up
those among us who shall ' point to heaven and lead the
way ? ' And may we not expect your hearty concurrence
and liberal patronage?"
The circular was issued in May, and the Committee met
according to adjournment, in Athens, on the 7th of the
following August, and after some deliberation^ adjourned to
meet the next day in the College Chapel.
On the 8th of August, 1823, the Committee met, together
with a number of the citizens of Athens and gentlemen from
different parts of the State, it being the Annual Commence¬
ment week of the College. The Rev. Dr. Waddel was in the
Chair, and the Rev. Thomas Goulding, Secretary. A Con¬
stitution was proposed as a substitute for one which had been
previously submitted, which on motion of the Rev. Benjamin
Gildersleeve, seconded by Rev. Thomas Goulding, was
adopted.
It would occupy too much space to give the Constitution
at length; I, therefore, present a brief synopsis of its most
important features.
After designating the usual officers and their duties, the
second article declares that the object of the Society shall be
to aid young men of hopeful piety and talents in acquiring
an education suitable for the gospel ministry. The eighth
article provides that no person shall be a beneficiary of the
Society unless he be in the communion of some Churchr and
signify his desire of entering upon the work of the ministry,
and also exhibit testimonials both of his talents and real
indigence. The ninth article grants liberty to beneficiaries
to prosecute their studies either in the College at Athens, or
in any respectable academy, or under a private instructor.
The tenth article requires every beneficiary to give an obli-
3
34
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
gation to the Society for the monies which he shall receive
from time to time, which obligation should be null and void,
provided he prosecuted his studies preparatory to the ministry
with diligence, or ehter upon the duties of that office within
any time which the directors may deem reasonable, otherwise
to remain in full force and effect. The eleventh article
declares that no beneficiary shall be entitled to a continu¬
ance of the patronage of the Society, unless once a year, or
oftener if required, he shall furnish a certificate from his
instructor of his proficiency, together with his moral and
Christian deportment, which shall be satisfactory to the
directors. These articles embrace all the important princi¬
ples of the Society.
The Constitution having been unanimously adopted, the
Society proceeded to the election of officers, which resulted
as follows:
Maj. Abraham Walker, President.
Rev. Dr. Moses Waddel, 1st Vice President.
Rev. Dr. Francis Cummins, 2d " "
Rev. Dr. John Brown, 3d " "
Rev. William Me Whir, 4th " "
Rev. William T. Brantly, 5th " "
Rev. Peter Gautier, 6rh " "
Rev. Abiel Carter, 7th " "
Corresponding Secretary—Rev. Thomas Goulding.
Recording Secretary—Moses W. Dobbins.
Treasurer—Dr. James Nisbet.
Pirectors.—James Nephew, Joseph Law, Joseph Cum-
ming, Samuel Dowse, Thomas Cumming, Andrew Semmes,
Joseph Bryan, Benjamin Gildersleeve, John Nisbet, Stephen
Upson, Alonzo Church, John R. Goulding, Thomas W*
Stanley, Hugh Montgomery.
The Society,.thus ushered in being, was prosperous for
many years. On the roll of its beneficiaries are the names
of such men as Cassels, Ingles, Scott, Saye, Alexander IL
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
35
Stephens, James Johnson, Crosby, Freeman, Caldwell,
Montgomery, etc. Many entered the ministry who have
proved a rich blessing to the Church of Christ. Some
entered as beneficiaries who did not prosecute their studies
to the end of the prescribed course. Others were assisted
who, for divers reasons best known to themselves, abandoned
the purpose of entering upon the holy office, and turned to
other vocations. Of these, some have attained to great
distinction and influence in society. It educated, at least,
one who became a Bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church.
I have already stated that out of the Georgia Educational
Society arose the spirit of denominational education, which
resulted m establishing at least three denominational Col¬
leges. The public attention had been directed at this time
to the plan of Manual Labor Schools. A school on this plan
existed somewhere in the North, which was represented as
having been successful. It was supposed that such an
institution would greatly lessen the expenses of education,
and thereby afford to a greater number of the less affluent
classes an opportunity of obtaining a good education. The
plan was thought by some to be practicable, and it was
proposed to be adopted by the Society as a less expensive
method, at least, of preparing its beneficiaries for the College
classes. Accordingly, in the fall of 1832, a convention was
called to deliberate on the question of establishing such a
school. After a careful examination of the subject in the
light of all the information it possessed, it was determined to
make the experiment. For this purpose a tract of land was
bought in the vicinity of Athens, having on it suitable
buildings and otber appurtenances, and the school was put in
operation in the winter or spring of 1833. It was not,
however, very successful. It was thought that its proximity
to the College prevented its prosperity. It was found that
boys who labored part of their time were not admitted, as
students, to social equality with young gentlemen in the
36 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
University classes. After languishing until 1835, it was
resolved to break up the school and remove it to some other
point. The property was therefore 0 sold, and instead of
establishing one school, the proceeds were divided between
two—-one to he located near Lawrenceville, Gwinnett county,
and afterwards known as the Gwinnett Institute, and the
other at a place called Midway, between Milledgeville and
Scottshorough, both upon the Manual Labor plan. The
Society committed a great blunder in this attempt to sustain
two schools. Had its energies been concentrated on one
institution, a great deal of trouble and waste of funds had
doubtlessly been avoided. As it was, neither school suc¬
ceeded well.
It was found, when too late, that the Manual Labor system
of education, although attractive in theory, was impracticable.
It was discovered that young men could not, or would not,
work and study too. Like many other beautiful theories, it
soon exploded, and was everywhere abandoned.
The former of these schools languished for a few years,
and then died of inanity. Those who had the control of the
Midway school, after a year or two of ineffectual struggle, took
it into their heads to make a College of it, for which a charter
was granted by the Georgia Legislature under the style and
title of " Oglethorpe University." It was a'" University"
only on paper. It had no endowment, no college buildings,
nor faculty. A poor piece of land and a few pine trees
constituted all its riches. But its founders, reckless of
expense, at once proceeded to erect a college building at a cost
of some $40,000.
By improvident management in the first years of its exis¬
tence, it became involved in great financial difficulties. At
first it was placed under the supervision of Hopewell Pres¬
bytery, and afterwards transferred to the care of the Synod
of South Carolina and Georgia. After years of trial and
monetary difficulties, it was freed from them by the labors,
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 37
principally, of its financial agent, the Kev. It. Chamberlain.
After the division of the Synod of South Carolina and
Georgia, the Synod ofJ3outh Carolina, the Synod of Georgia,
and the Synod of Alabama, became joint proprietors and
supervisors, each being represented in the Board of Trust,
and endowing a Professorship. Its first President was the
Rev. Carlisle P. Beman, D.D.; upon whose retirement, the
Rev. Samuel R. Talmage, D.D., was called to preside over
it, and under whose Presidency it attained a good degree of
prosperity. It was greatly favored with seasons of refresh¬
ing from on high, by which a large number of its pupils
became hopefully pious, a goodly proportion of whom entered
the holy ministry. For some years a larger number of
students in the classes of the Theological Seminary at
Columbia were from Oglethorpe than any other institution.
Its alumni compared favorably, in point of scholarship and
efficiency, with any other College in the land.
In consequence of the death of the lamented Talmage, and
the war—by which it has lost a large part of its endowment—
it is at present doing little for the cause of education. A
movement is on foot to resuscitate it, and, I trust, will prove
successful. As a denomination, a College of our own is
indispensable. The impression has generally obtained that
the location of the College is unfavorable. This is probably
true. It needs more local patronage. This it cannot have
where it is at present. It should be within, or in the imme¬
diate vicinity of some city or large town, from whence it
might obtain a constant supply of students. It should also
have a more central and healthy habitation. The question
of its removal has been agitated for years. Probably noth¬
ing will be effected in this direction until times shall favor its
re-endowment.
Looking back to the formation of the Georgia Educational
Society, and weighing its results, we are constrained to
regard it as among the most influential agencies promotive
38
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
of the prosperity of our Church in the State. The benefits
derived from it are incalculable. Eternity alone can reveal
them all. To thousands the gospel has been carried with
saving effect by those who have been Nurtured by it, either
directly or indirectly.
The Presbytery of Hopewell contained, in 1825, twelve
ministers. It was during its spring Sessions at Lexington,
that the first step was taken towards the organization of a
Domestic Missionary Society, A committee, consisting of the
Rev. Drs. Brown and Waddel and Rev. William Moderwell,
was appointed to inquire into the expediency of establishing
a Domestic Missionary Society. The committee thereafter
reported: That in their opinion, the establishment of such a
Society is both practicable and expedient, and suggested the
appointing a committee to draft a Constitution, and make the
necessary arrangements for its organization. Rev. Drs.
Brown and Waddel, and Rev. Messrs. Moderwell, Church
and Gildersleeve, were appointed that committee, and directed
to report before the close of its present Sessions. The com¬
mittee subsequently reported a Constitution, which was
adopted. The second article of this Constitution declared
that the object of the Society " shall be to send ministers
wherever they think it expedient within the State, and to
assist in building up feeble Churches." By the eleventh
article, the compensation of missionaries was to be fixed by
the Board of Directors, subject to the control of the'Society
at its annual meeting.
Of this Society, Joseph Bryan, of Mount Zion, was
chosen President; Augustus Moore, of Augusta, Treasurer;
Rev. Mr. Moderwell, Corresponding Secretary, and Rev. B.
Gildersleeve, Recording Secretary. Joseph C. Stiles, who
had been licensed at that session of the Presbytery, was
appointed its general agent to collect funds and form auxiliary
societies. The receipts of the society the first year were
about $100. Stiles seems to have been the only missionary
presbyterian church in georgia.
in their employ. In their first annual report, they complain
of the difficulty of obtaining suitable laborers. In their
decond year, they employed four missionaries at a compen¬
sation of $40 per month. The Society accomplished a good
work in succeeding years, employing many efficient men as
missionaries, and founding and fostering Churches in the
more recently acquired territories in the south-western
portion of the State. In glancing at the records of the
Society, many familiar names meet our eye on the roll of its
missionaries, such as Patterson, Williams, Carter, Quillian?
Galaher, Scott, Lanier, Jehiel and James Talmage, McAlpin,
Baker, Stratton, etc.; and we find such Churches as Columbus,
LaGrange, Newnan, McDonough, Alcovia, Hopewell (Craw¬
ford,) Forsyth, Jackson, etc., sharing in its benefactions. In
more recent years, it has received at least one valuable
legacy.
We find the Presbytery at this time (1825) inaugurating a
system of protracted meetings, or rather, camp-meetings,
from which resulted great good to the cause of Presbyterian-
ism. An extract from their minutes will show their reasons
for this measure: "Whereas, the members of our Churches
within the bounds of this Presbytery are few, and scattered
over a comparatively large surface of country; and Whereas,
great advantage has arisen to Churches from meeting to¬
gether, and holding Christian communion with each other in
the enjoyment of gospel ordinances: it is, therefore, Resolved,
That the Presbytery recommend to the brethren, and to the
Churches under our care, to meet together in as large numbers
as may be convenient, at least once a year, on sacramental
occasions, and that our ancient custom of fasting, humilia¬
tion and prayer, on such occasions, may be revived as far as
expedient."
In the more densely settled regions of country, and where
houses of worship have been erected sufficiently spacious for the
accommodation of the people, and where the ordinances of the
40
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
gospel are regularly administered, such convocations are unne¬
cessary; but in the condition of our Church in Georgia, at that
period, such a system was highly expedient, and was attended
with the most beneficial results. Thousands, oftimes, assem¬
bled at these meetings, and spent usually four or five days
in prayer and praise, and preaching and hearing. These
occasions furnished thousands an opportunity of learning
what Presbyterianism was, who otherwise would never have
possessed any intelligent idea of its doctrines or polity.
Presbyterians from a long distance in the surrounding coun-
try came together, and formed a personal acquaintance, which
otherwise had never existed. They learned to love each
other. They entertained for each other afterwards an
undying affection. It rendered the Churches more homoge¬
neous, and cemented them in bonds of Christian friendship.
Christians in that day were not as in ours, cold and formal,
neither knowing nor caring for each other's welfare. In the
spirit of the Apostle's injunction, they " looked not every
man on his own things, but every man also on the things of
others." They sympathized with and prayed for each other.
That selfish iceberg coldness, which pervades Christian
society in this day, was then unknown. Soul mingled with
soul like kindred drops of water. Well do we remember
the closing scenes of many of these holy convocations. When
the parting hour came, what tender farewells were uttered!
what warm expressions of Christian love and esteem were
exchanged between those who had come together as utter
strangers! With what spirit and deep emotion have we
heard the great congregation unite with one heart and one
voice in singing their parting song:
"Blest be tbe tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian lore;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.
" We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear,
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
41
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.
M "When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again."
These seasons of Christian communion were oftentimes not
inappropriately called the Feast of Tabernacles, when, like
the Jews, the people retired from their homes and dwelt in
tents or booths, leaving all their secular cares behind, and
devoting the time exclusively to the worship of God in the
great temple of Nature. As that season was to the pious
Jew, a season of " marked and decided indications of joy," so
were these assemblages rich in comfort and spiritual blessings
to multitudes who would otherwise have been entirely deprived
of the ordinances. These meetings were often signally blest
by the outpourings of the Divine Spirit and the conversion
of multitudes of souls. Not infrequently fifty to^an hundred
souls would be brought to confess Christ. Even distant
Churches were strengthened and builded up, so as soon to be
able to sustain pastors. Thus the banner of the Cross was
planted in places where a personal ministry had been
unknown.
Many, it is true, attended these gatherings who received
no benefit from the services. They came not with a desire
to be benefitted. They came to look on, or even for worse
purposes. Many of them were of the " baser sort." But it
rarely happened to hear of any outrages on the part of such
at Presbyterian meetings, whatever has characterized such
convocations of other denominations. It has generally been
observed, that those who are orderly themselves, and free
from extravagancies, are not likely to be assaulted by those
inclined to produce disturbance. These meetings were, in
general, characterized by deep solemnity, and as much staid-
ness and sobriety as are witnessed in our Sabbath c.ongrega-
42
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
tions in our most conservative and well organized Churches.
Very rarely any noise or confusion broke upon the stillness
and attention of the waiting audience.
About the close of the eighteenth and beginning of- the
nineteenth centuries, there were camp-meetings held by
Presbyterians in many parts of the country. They had their
origin in Kentucky, in the year 1801, during the great
religious revival which commenced in North Carolina, pene¬
trated into Tennessee, and spread over all the West.* They
also extended into South Carolina. Not more than one or
two was held in Georgia, near the close of these camp-meet¬
ing times. •
* It so happened that, on one occasion, in the early part of that revival,
so many people had come from a distance to the administration of the
Lord's Supper at a particular Church, that accommodation could nowhere
be found in the neighborhood for all, during the successive days and
nights which they wished to spend at the place. This induced as many
as could to procure tents, and form something like a military encamp¬
ment, when, atf provisions were easily to be had, they might stay till the
meetings closed. Such was the origin of camp-meetings. They thus
originated in sheer necessity. They were afterwards held at various
points during that extraordinary season of religious solicitude. The
country was thinly settled; deep and widespread feeling prevailed on the
subject of religion; many persons attended from distances of thirty, forty,
and fifty miles, and on ouql occasion, some came from a distance of one
hundred miles. These meetings were held, when the weather permitted,
in the midst of the noble forest. Seats were made of logs and planks,
the under rubbish being cleared away; a pulpit was erected, facing the
rows of seats; and there, forenoon, and afternoon, and evening, the
ministers of the gospel made known the '• words of eternal life." Public
prayer was also held at the same spot, early in the morning and at the
close of the services at night. Lamps were suspended at night from the
boughs of the trees, and torches blazed from stakes eight or ten feet high,
iu front of each tent. In the rear of the tents, morning and evening,
such simple cooking operations as were necessary, went on. Each tent
was occupied by one or two families. A horn or trumpet announced the
hour for the commencement of the public services. Solemn scenes
occurred at these meetings, such as might well have caused many who
scoffed to tremble. They were confined for years to the frontier settle¬
ments. They served to bring together, to the profit of immortal souls,
a population scattered far and wide.—Bairds Religion in America.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
43
These meetings were sometimes attended by strange and
marked bodily exercises, such as have not been witnessed in
latter days at such places—such as falling or striking down,
in which the individual continued for hours, and sometimes
even for a day, in an apparent state of insensibility. Occa¬
sionally they were perceived to pray, and sometimes they
would cry out. Others were exercised by the most violent
bodily agitations, to which the vulgar epithet of the jerks
was given.*
Some have attempted to account for these strange phe¬
nomena on the ground of nervous exhaustion; but probably
no one has ever arrived at any true and satisfactory reason
for these bodily motions. They generally occurred, but not
always, in religious assemblages. That they were the result
of divine influences, in all cases, we have never believed,
since many who were the subjects of them never afterwards
manifested any piety; nor did those who professed conver¬
sion, and who became staid and sober Christians in after
life, profess to have had any deep convictions of sin, <Jr
overwhelming views of guilt,' at the time of their prostration,
nor to have received any illumination, or other spiritual
manifestation at the time. Yet, it is by no means proved
that it was all fanaticism and delusion. There were, beyond
question, many true conversions. Was it a disease ? or was
it a diabolical influence ? We know not.
In the meetings recommended by the Presbytery, and
* It cannot be denied that from 1799 to 1803, in this revival season,
elsewhere so free from excitement, there were, in parts of Kentucky and
Tennessee, extraordinary "bodily exercises, called the jerks, falling
down," etc., in the meetings, which the enlightened friends of the work
lamented, and which excited its enemies to ridicule and blasphemy. But
it must be remembered that these physical agitations took place at large
camp-meetings, in which were gathered all the elements of excitement
from every quarter, and which were continued, day and night, till the
consequent exhaustion of the multitudes, in a great measure, took away
the power of self-control.—Dr. Davidsorii State of Hie Church.
44
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
which has given occasion to these remarks, no such extrava¬
gance was ever witnessed.
We are not the advocate of these meetings under all
circumstances. As above observed, in the older and more
densely populated portions of the country, they are altogether
unnecessary; but among a destitute and scattered people, as
was the condition of society in Georgia at that time, they
furnish a most excellent opportunity for spreading abroad
the knowledge of Christ, and building up the Church. And
this is especially the case where there is a paucity of laborers
to gather the harvest. It has been largely owing to such
efforts in the newly settled regions of the State, that the
Presbyterian Church has been planted in so many places.
It is not apparent that Hopewell Presbytery required the
Churches under its care to send up their sessional records
for review before the meeting at Lexington, in the spring of
1825. An order was then issued, " that the session of each
Church should send to the Presbytery, at its annual spring
Sessions, a written congregational report, together with its
hook of records." Indeed, in the early days of the Presby¬
tery, it does not appear to have very carefully regulated its
proceedings by ecclesiastical law, or the rules of legislative
practice. The absence of members, in many instances, is
not noted at the opening of its Sessions. Sometimes the
records do not state whether the Sessions were opened or
closed with prayer. Doubtless they were, and thus it is a
clerical omission. No memoirs of deceased members are
recorded: as, for instance, it is simply said of the first
minister who died after its organization, "The Rev. John
Newton has departed this life since our last sessions," and
of Mr. Springer, " The Rev. John Springer has deceased
since our last sessions." In our day, the order of proceed¬
ings as they appear from the minutes of this body, would not
pass the review of the superior ecclesiastical court without
severe animadversions.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
45
The 64th Sessions of Hopewell were held at Fairview,
Gwinnett county, in August, 1825. This was evidence of
an aggressive movement. This was new territory. Hitherto
its meetings had been confined to the older portions of the
State. It had never been farther west than the county of
Jackson. But now it assembled on the borders of the Chat¬
tahoochee, in what had been recently Indian country. Here
a small Church had been gathered of emigrants from other
regions, and here a pastor was to be installed. At this Pres¬
bytery there were present nine ministers and four elders.
Besides the installation and receiving the trials of several
young men under their care, the Presbyteryappointed two
committees to report at the next Sessions—the first in rela¬
tion to the propriety of singing a psalm or hymn whilst com¬
municants were assembling around the table of our Lord, and
the second " to enquire into the propriety of having a regular
and uniform mode of making a public profession of religion
on entering into full membership of the Church." Two inter¬
mediate meetings were held before the spring Sessions—one
at Monticello, 1st September, 1825, and one at Washington,
Wilkes county, December 15th, 1825. These meetings were
held for judicial purposes. The spring Sessions were held at
Mount Zion the 7th April, 1826, at which eleven ministers
were present and four elders. At this Presbytery the com¬
mittee appointed to enquire into the expediency of having a
uniform method of receiving members into fellowship with
the Church reported.
This subject elicited some debate. Its propriety was ques¬
tioned. It was then, and has been since, condemned in many
parts of the Church, on the ground that such a formula was
a kind of abbreviated creedf and inconsistent with the practice
of the Presbyterian Church, and as opening a door to error in
doctrine. In some places this has probably been the case,
but generally, no such evil has attended its adoption. It has
been charged that it is a congregational dogma. This is
46 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
probably in some measure true, as many practices have been
foisted into the Presbyterian Church from the shops of Con¬
gregationalism, ■which never had any sound Presbyterian
authority. Such a thing has never obtained in the Church of
Scotland; nor was it known in our Church in its earlier days.
The* committee say in their report, that after "the most
serious deliberation they are of opinion, in all things which
are to be considered as mere matters of decency and order in
the government and discipline of the Church, and concerning
which no particular and express rules or examples are given
in the Scriptures, that a difference in modes and forms ought
not to be a bar to communion, or infringe on the mainte¬
nance of the unity of the Christian spirit in the bonds of peace
and love. That however the external forms may be differ¬
ent as the circumstances of the Church may differ, or as
different errors or vices prevail on that account, it may be
expedient for the Church of Christ to lift up her testimony,
and guard against them, in that way which may be deemed
most effectual."
Yet the committee was fully of opinion that those who have
been received into membership of the Church, by satisfying
the Church officers of their soundness in the faith, their own
experience of a saving work of grace in the heart, and ah
orderly life and conversation before the Church and the world,
are justly entitled to all the privileges and benefits of Church
membership, whether they have, or have not made a public
profession in the midst of a congregation at the time of their
initiation. Nevertheless the committee was of opinion that
uniformity, even in these things, which are merely circum¬
stantial, is very desirable, and that making a public and open
profession of the faith of .the gospel in a congregation of
Christian worshippers, is that of whichjio one need or ought
to be ashamed, who is duly qualified by grace for the enjoy¬
ment of gospel ordinances.
The committee, therefore, recommended that a public dec-
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 47
Juration of faith in Christ, and obedience to Him of some kind,
should be practised, wherever it might be done without injury
to the cause or the feelings of those concerned.
The formula of admission was presented by the same com¬
mittee, and I presume adopted, though such does not appear
from the minutes to have been the fact.*
* It is probable that few in the present day, either ministers or private
members have ever seen, or know of the existence of such a formula. I
have thought proper to append it in a note. Most of our ministers have
some form, either prepared by themselves or obtained from some other
quarter. I think, if used at all, there should be a good degree of unifor¬
mity. The following is the form recommended by the committee:
M Candidates for admission, having been previously examined as to
their soundness in the faith, and experimental acquaintance with religion,
and the motives which influenced them to desire membership in the
Church, and the Elders having been satisfied as to their orderly deport¬
ment and moral character, shall be requested, before or after sermon, to
present themselves in the presence of the congregation, and the minister
shall address them in following or like form:
You have now presented yourselves before God and this congregation
to dedicate yourselves to the service of the Almighty, "and to become in¬
corporated with his visible Church: In doing this, you profess to love
God supremely; that you repent of your sins; that you rely on the ability
and willingness of the Lord Jesus Christ to save such as come unto Him;
and that you rely on Divine aid to assist you in walking in the com¬
mandments and ordinances of the gospel of Christ. The transaction is
solemn in its nature, and will be followed by eternal consequences. We
trust you have seriously considered the nature of the professions and en¬
gagements you are about to make, together with the character proper to
be sustained, and the duties to be performed by you as members 6f the
Church of Christ. And you may come to God with holy boldness, in the
name of Christ, who is rich in mercy to all those who call upon him.
And, indeed, you may freely venture to commit yourselves to his care,
and trust in his faithfulness for strength to fulfill your engagements.
The minister shall then propose to the candidate the following ques¬
tions :
1. Do you believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be
the word of God—the only infallible rule of faith and practice?
2. Do you sincerely adopt the Confession of Faith of this Church, as
containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures?
3. Do you approve of the government and discipline of the Presby¬
terian Church in, these United States ?
48 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
In relation to this and every other formula, I have ever felt
one strong objection. No one should be required to assent or
subscribe to a thing of which he is ignorant: And these
articles of profession are generally imposed upon persons who
are ignorant of their contents. It can then be nothing but a
blind assent. It is not an intelligent profession.
If such a profession must be made, the candidate should
certainly be informed, beforehand, of the doctrines and prin¬
ciples he is required to adopt, otherwise he is solemnly called
upon blindly tov subscribe to a creed which he has never ma-
4. Do you promise to study the peace, unity and purity of the Church ?
5. Do you promise to love the Christian brotherhood, and due subjec¬
tion to the exercise of lawful authority in the Church, for conscience
sake?
These questions having been answered in the affirmative, the minister
shall address himself to the candidates in the following or like terms:
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the authority he hath
given to the Church for edification, we do receive you as membeVs of his
visible Church, and declare you entitled to all its privileges, and welcome
you to fellowship with us in all the blessings of the gospel: And for this
purpose, may the blessing of God rest upon you, and the spirit of Christ
fill your heart. Amen.
And now, brethren, we commend you to God, and to the word of his
grace. Let it be impressed upon your minds, that you have entered Into
solemn engagements from which you can never be released. Wherever
you may be, the obligations of Christ and His Church, to which you have
now given your pledge, will rest upon you; they will follow you through
life, to the bar of God, and throughout eternity. Henceforward, as you
conduct yourselves in life, religion will be honored or disgraced; If you
live according to the gospel, you will be a credit and a comfort to us,
and to all the Church of God. May Jehovah bless you and keep you.
May He lift upon you the light of His countenance, and be merciful to you.
May He strengthen you in your passage through this transitory life, and,
when this warfare is ended, may we all be brought together into that
happy Church where our communion shall be perfect and our joy ever¬
lasting. Amen. *
The minister and elders present may then take the initiated by the
hand and say: We give you the right hand of fellowship, and welcome
you to communion with us. And may your communion be not only with
us, but also with the Father, and with the Son, and with the Holy Ghost*
Amen "
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 49
turely considered, • and which he may afterward feel in con¬
science bound to repudiate.
This is little better than Jesuitism. Hence, where such a
plan is adopted, the formula should be placed in the hands of
the candidate that he may have opportunity calmly to consider
the nature of the obligations he is about to assume. This
would enable him to make an intelligent profession.
At this session the Presbytery recommended the Churches
to make out regular calls for the ministers of their choice,
wherever it was practicable, and have them installed. The
object of this recommendation was to obviate the practice of
stated supplies, which, though very general in our day, is un¬
known to the Constitution and laws of our Church, and has
been repeatedly forbidden by our highest courts.*
The committee appointed the preceding August to consider
the propriety of singing a psalm whilst communicants were
assembling around the Lord's table, reported, that they could
not discover any justifiable reason why the practice should
be either prohibited or discontinued.
A system of Presbyterial visitation was adopted; and it was
resolved that the ministers of the Presbytery go two and two
on visitation tours to the Churches in the several counties
where our Churches existed, and that the Churches be in¬
formed of the time and purposes of their coming. This was
a good plan, and ought to be adopted by all the Presbyteries.
The Presbyterial Report, prepared to be sent to the General
Assembly at this session, shows that the Presbytery consisted
of fifteen ministers, four licentiates and thirty-one Churches;
that it had four beneficiaries on the Education Society, pur¬
suing studies at Athens, and that the Missionary Society had
four missionaries in its employ.
It is cheering to note these advances of our Church, at that
time, in numbers and efficiency. At the next meeting still
further evidence of aggressiveness was manifest. A pastor
# See Baird's Digest, pp. 90, 93.
4
50 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
was ordained and settled at Milledgevillp, and Churches were
reported as having been organized at Jackson, Butts county,
and Macon.
The Presbytery continued in a prosperous condition, grow¬
ing in numbers until 1831, when it was deemed necessary to
divide it, as it had become rather unwieldy for the transaction
of its business with facility. At its last session, prior to its
division by the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, held at
Greensboro*, Ga., there were present some seventy members,
ministers and elders. Some were present, who had seen its
early days, and when it could hardly gather a quorum to do
business, and rejoiced in its prosperity.
THE PRESBYTERY OF GEORGIA.
The Presbytery of Georgia, as at present constituted, in¬
cludes little more than the sea-coast of the State. It has,
during many years, been a small Presbytery—a small terri¬
tory, few ministers, and few Churches. It has not always
been so. Since its organization it has undergone many and
great changes of boundaries.
For the following statements I am indebted to the Rev.
Mr. Buttolph, of that Presbytery, who has kindly com¬
municated them in a paper drawn up by the late Rev. C. C.
Jones, D. D. The precision of Dr. Jones in all his investiga¬
tions of historical facts, guarantee its accuracy. It may be
observed that he differs in his account of the origin of the
Presbytery from that usually correct work, " Baird's Assem¬
bly's Digest." In that book it is represented as having been
erected by the division of Hopewell. Dr. Jones says it was
formed out of the Presbytery of Harmony. There are cir¬
cumstances, not necessary to be stated here, that establish
the correctness of what Dr. Jones has written, and has been
entered upon the records of the Presbytery.
The following is the paper to which I have reference:
" 1. Organization.—The Presbytery of Georgia was formed
out of the Presbytery of Harmony, and set off as a Presbytery
by regular act of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia,
at "Washington, Wilkes county, Georgia, November 9,1821,
agreeably to the following resolution: * Resolved, by this
Synod, That the members who have been set off from the
Presbytery of Harmony, be formed into a Presbytery by
themselves, to be known by the name of the Presbytery of
Georgia; and that the dividing line between the Hopewell
and Georgia Presbyteries commence at the mouth of Little
£>2 presbyterian church in georgia.
^River and run in a southwest direction, leaving the counties
<of Columbia, Warren, .Hancock and Baldwin, and all the
territory below, in the Presbytery of Georgia, and all the
(Counties above in the Presbytery of Hopewell: And that
the Rev. Nathan S. S. Beman, who is now a member of Hope¬
well Presbytery, be dismissed from that body and annexed
to the Presbytery of Georgia. It is understood, likewise,
that the licentiates and candidates who fall within the bounds
of the Presbytery of Georgia, be and hereby are connected
with that body. It is, moreover, ordered by this Synod,
that the Presbytery constitute at 1 o'clock, p. m.,' this day,
and that the Rev. N. S. S. Beman be the first Moderator."*
2. Original Members.—The original members thus set
off were, Rev. William McWhir,.who was received into the
Harmony Presbytery from the Presbytery of Killileagh,
county of Down, Ireland, upon his approving and consenting
to the Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church in the
United States of America. He was received at the meeting
of Presbytery at Columbia, South Carolina, November 9,
1815; Rev. Murdoch Murphy, who was received from the
Presbytery of Orange, at Savannah, December 27, 1811
Rev. Thomas Gould ing, who was licensed by Presbytery of
Harmony, at Augusta, Georgia, October 31, 1813. He was
ordained and installed at White Bluff, near Savannah, Janu¬
ary 21, 1816f; Rev. William Moderwell who was received at
Salem, Black River, April 19, 1821, from the Presbytery of
New Castle; Rev. Samuel S. Davis, who was received at
Augusta, November 2,1821, from the Presbytery of Albany,
New York; and Rev. Remembrance Chamberlain, who was
* See Minutes Pres. 6a.: pp. 1, 2.
f Is White Bluff a Presbyterian Church ? It would seem to have been
such originally, from the fact that it had a pastor ordained and installed
over it by the Presbytery of Harmony., It is at present unknown to the
Synod of Georgia as such, never having been reported by the Presbyteiy
of Georgia.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
53
received at the same time and place from the Addison Asso¬
ciation, in Vermont.
These ministers were set off from Harmony Presbytery, to
whom the Synod united the Rev. Nathan S. S. Beman, from
Hopewell Presbytery, and the Rev. Benjamin Gildersleeve,
who fell within the bounds of the Presbytery of Georgia, also
of Hopewell Presbytery. The Presbytery thus constituted
had under its care two licentiates, Mr. James Word and Mr.
James S. Olcott; and one candidate for the ministry, Mr.
Carlisle P. Beman.
3.—Bounds.—(1) Original bounds: East, it was bounded
by the Savannah River and the Atlantic; on the north by
the counties of Lincoln, Wilkes, Taliaferro, Green, Putnam,
Jasper, Monroe, Upson, Talbot and Harris; on the west by
the Chattahoochee River, and stretching south, included all
the Floridas.
Within Georgia, the Presbytery embraced forty-five coun¬
ties, namely, Columbia, Warren, Hancock, Baldwin, Jones,
Bibb, Crawford, Marion, Muscogee, Houston, Twiggs, Wil¬
kinson, Washington, Jefferson, Richmond, Burke, Emanuel,
Laurens, Pulaski, Dooly, Sumter, Stewart, Randolph, Lee,
Early, Baker, Decatur, Thomas, Lowndes, Ware, Irwin,
Telfair, Montgomery, Scriven, Bullock, Tatnall, Appling,
Effingham, Chatham, Bryan, Liberty, Mcintosh, Wayne,
Glynn and Camden. This was more than half of the State
as it then existed.
(2.) First alteration of bounds.—The Synod, in 1824,
annexed to Hopewell Presbytery the counties north and west,
beginning with Columbia, Warren, Hancock, Baldwin, Jones,
Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Twiggs, Wilkinson, Washington,
Jefferson, Richmond, Burke, Emanuel, Laurens, Pulaski,
Montgomery—in all eighteen; thereby cutting off a large
number of Churches and ministers, and reducing the Presby¬
tery to a very small body. This action of the Synod was
objected to by the Presbytery at its session at St. Marys,
54
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
April, 1825, and a delegate appointed' to present the com¬
plaint of Presbytery before Synod at its next meeting, and
request that a portion of its territory be restored, which,
however, was never done.
(3.) The 8eeond alteration of its boundary.—After the for¬
mation of Flint River Presbytery, out of Hopewell, the
Synod established the line between the Flint River and
Georgia Presbyteries, at its meeting in Milledgeville, Novem.
ber, 1836, by the following resolution : " That it be a right
line from the Ocmulgee to the Flint River, commencing at the
corner of Telfair and Irwin counties, opposite Jacksonville,
and running to the mouth of Flint River." This act cut off
from the Presbytery of Georgia all of Early, Randolph, Lee,
Stewart, Sumter, Marion and Muscogee—seven counties—
and parts of Dooly, Decatur and Baker—three more.
(4) The third alteration of boundary—Was on the petition
of the Churches in Middle Florida, in connection with the
Presbytery of Georgia, to the Synod, which petition was con¬
curred in by the Presbytery, in compliance with which the
Synod at its Sessions }n Augusta, November, 1840, set off the
counties of Baker, Decatur, Thomas and Lowndes, together
with Middle and West Florida, into a new Presbytery, which
received the name of the Presbytery of Florida, consisting of
four counties from Georgia, and Middle and West Florida.
As above remarked, the Presbytery of Georgia is a small
body, confined to the sea coast. An attempt was made in
1866, to restore the counties in Georgia, namely, Decatur,
Thomas, Lowndes, Brooks, &c., belonging to the Florida
Presbytery,' to the Presbytery of Georgia. But it was un¬
successful. Such an arrangement would greatly strengthen
the Presbytery. Its most efficient Churches are the First
Church of Savannah, the Church at Mt. Vernon, Wayne
county, and the Churches of Flemington and Walthourville,
in Liberty. It has organizations at St. Marys, Brunswick,
Bryan, Darien, and, perhaps, some other places. St. Marys
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
55
and Darien were desolated by the war, and the people driven
away.
The Presbytery of Georgia has been distinguished for its
successful efforts in behalf of the religious instruction of the
negroes. The work was inaugurated by that body under the
leadership of the late Dr. C. C. Jones, who devoted the
larger portion of his ministerial life to missionary labors
among that people.
Other Presbyteries caught the spirit, and almost every¬
where within our State, and in many other places within other
States, much attention was given by ministers and people to
this good work. Almost all the young men reared within the
bounds of that Presbytery, who entered the ministry, as very
many have, went out imbued with the spirit of devotion to
that cause. A Ladson, of Columbia, and a Winn, of Miss¬
issippi, are remembered as shining examples of untiring and
successful labors in this department of the Master's work.
The results of the war has closed the door, at least for the
present, in this direction.
PRESBYTERY OF FLINT RIVER.
The original name of this Presbytery was Good Eope, but
at the next meeting of the Synod after its formation, was
changed to that of Flint River.
"At the meeting of the Synod of South Carolina and
Georgia, held in Columbia, South Carolina, on the fifth day of
December, eighteen hundred and thirty-three, the resolution
of Hopewell Presbytery was presented, praying the Synod to
divide said Presbytery, so that that part of its present terri¬
tory included between the Ocmulgee and Chattahoochee
Rivers, with the counties of Newton, Walton, Gwinnett,
Campbell, Carroll and Heard, may form a new Presbytery,
to be called the Presbytery of Good Hope; Whereupon, it
was resolved that the Presbytery of Hopewell be divided,
according to the resolution of that body in April last, and
that the part of the Presbytery now called Hopewell on the
west side of the Ocmulgee River, together with the counties
aforesaid, be denominated the Presbytery of Good Hope, to
meet in McDonough, on Thursday before the fourth Sabbath
in March next, at 11 o'clock, a. m., to be opened with a ser¬
mon by Edwin Holt, or in case of his absence by the senior
member present, who is to preside until a Moderator is chosen."
The Presbytery of Hopewell had existed thirty-seven years
without any formal division of its territory or alteration of
its boundaries, except those which had occurred in settling
the boundaries of Georgia Presbytery. Its limits had been
vastly extended by the addition of new territories in the west
of the State. In 1818, its western boundaries were Franklin,
Jackson, Morgan, Jones, and the Ocmulgee River. By the
treaties of 1818 and 1821, they were carried to the Chatta¬
hoochee River. It was this new territory which was now
erected into a new Presbytery.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
57
The Presbytery of Good Hope consisted of ten members,
to-wit: Remembrance ChamberlaiD, John S. Wilson, James
Gamble, Edwin Holt, James C. Patterson, Thomas F. Scott,
Joseph Y. Alexander, John Baker, William B. Richards,
and William K. Patton. Only one of these remained in
connection with it until its recent division into the Presby¬
teries of Atlanta and Macon. Seven of them have died, and
two transferred their relation to other denominations—one to
the Episcopalians, and one to the Baptists. Its first meeting
was held at McDonough, Henry county, according to the
direction of the Synod, and was opened with a sermon.by
Rev. Edwin Holt. The Rev. James C. Patterson was elected
Stated Clerk, which office he held till his death, a space of
thirty-three years. It had under its care some twenty-six
Churches.
From its first annual report made to the General Assembly,
we are able to gather some information as to the strength
and spiritual condition of the Churches. In that report, the
Presbytery said: "We have but just commenced our Pres-
byterial existence. Our communication must consist, then,
less of what we have done, than of what we have to do. Our
Churches are, for the most part, small, and many of them
labor under great disadvantages from not having enjoyed,
heretofore, regular systematic pastoral supervision. They
are planted, for the most part, in desirable situations, where
a growing population holds out to them the prospect of con¬
siderable enlargement, and presents a loud demand for active
labor. The fewness of the laborers, compared with the
extent of the field and the distance between the Churches,
hold out serious impediments to that efficient co-operation
and vigorous extension of our efforts which are so necessary
to the increased usefulness of our Churches. Our denomina¬
tion, we believe, is destined to exert an important influence
on the flourishing counties within our bounds. Could our
destitute Churches procure self-denying and faithful ministers,
58 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
and could the favorable openings for the formation of new
Churches be promptly occupied by zealous, active laborers,
we may expect to report, at the close of the year, that our
Presbytery has extended widely her ranks, her resources,
and her influence."
These anticipations were very partially realized. Though
more than thirty-four years have passed since these utter¬
ances, very much of the land yet remains to be possessed.
The subject of Domestic Missions and Church extension
engaged the earnest attention of this Presbytery from the
beginning. At its first meeting, it inaugurated a plan for
carrying forward the work by organizing a Board of Missions,
whose duty was declared to be, " to ascertain the state of
all the feeble and destitute Churches, and to find out how
much each one may be able or willing to do for the support
of a preacher among them; and also, to become acquainted
with the more destitute places, where ministers may be
profitably employed, and to procure suitable laborers, and to
send them out to supply the destitute, and to form new
Churches."
The Presbytery resolved to conduct its own missions.
This rule, with the exception of a short period—when it was
connected with the General Assembly's Board of Domestic
Missions—was never violated. The work thus commenced,
was prosecuted with much zeal and efficiency for many years.
The great complaint of the Presbytery during the first
years of its existence, was the scarcity of laborers. It had
more funds than missionaries. Besides the liberal contribu¬
tions of the Churches, the Presbytery, in 1843, received a
liberal bequest from a Mr. Moses Alexander, residing in the
neighborhood of Fort Gaines, Early county, of the rents,
issues and profits of a valuable plantation, to be applied to
the support of Domestic Missions. From this source, as
also from a portion of the Fox legacy—which had been left
to Hopewell Presbytery by a Mr. Fox, of Augusta, prior to
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
59
the division—the Presbytery was enabled to tprosecute its
work of evangelization with considerable, success. At times,
every organized Church within its bounds was supplied with
the stated preaching of the Word.
The Presbytery increased in Churches from twenty-five to
forty-six, the number at its late division. In the meantime,
a number of organizations had been dissolved, or had entered
into new combinations.
At the second meeting of the Presbytery, the subject of
the education of young men for the ministry was taken up,
and the formation of a Board of Education was effected.
This Board was directed to seek out the indigent,, pious
young men of our Church, who desire to enter the* gospel
ministry, and to afford them such aid in acquiring the requi¬
site education as they may be able, and the necessities of the
young men may require.
This Board was so far auxiliary to the Georgia Educational
Society as to make an annual report to that body. The
Presbytery also approved and contributed to the support of
the school founded by that Society in the vicinity of Athens,
and sent thither several of its young men to be educated.
When the Society determined to break up that school, and,
by dividing its interests, to found tWo schools, one of these
(the Gwinnett Institute) was located within its bounds. In
September, 1835, the Directors of the Georgia Educational
Society tendered the control of the institution to the Presby¬
tery, which was by it accepted. The school continued under
its superintendence, with varied success, until the fall of
1845, when the property was sold and the enterprise aban¬
doned. This was the end of the Manual Labor system of
education ia Georgia. Yet, that school was not without
fruit. Several worthy young men received there their
education, who afterwards became useful ministers, some of
whom continue in the vineyard to the present time.
The first alteration in the bounds of the Presbytery oc-
60
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
curred in 1840,when the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia
detached from it, the counties of Decatur, Early and Baker,
and attached them to the newly constituted Presbytery of
Florida.
The second change of boundaries was made by the Synod
in 1842, when the county of Bibb, and the Church of Macon,
was transferred to the Presbytery of Hopewell, and, as com¬
pensation, the counties of Paulding, Walker, Cobb, Floyd,
Cass, Cherokee, Chattooga, Murray, Gilmer and Dade were
transferred to, and became a part of Flint River. This was a
singular ecclesiastical freak. The gratification of personal
feelings, and not the greatest good of the Church, influenced
this measure.
The third change in boundaries was made by the Synod in
in 1843, when that part of its territory known as the Chero¬
kee country, west of the Chattahoochee River, was set off and
erected into the Presbytery of Cherokee.
No other alterations occurred until the winter of 1866,
when the Synod of Georgia divided it, constituting the Pres¬
byteries of Atlanta and Macon. Thus, after an existence of
thirty-four years, the name of Flint River Presbytery was
stricken from the roll of Presbyteries.
PRESBYTERY OF FLORIDA.
The Presbytery of Florida was erected by the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia, at its Sessions in Augusta,
November, 1840, by detaching the whole State of Florida
from the Presbytery of Georgia, and three or four counties in
Georgia from the Presbytery of Flint River. The intention
was to constitute another Synod, but the plan has not been
effected. It consists at present of twenty-seven Churches
and eighteen ministers.
PRESBYTERY OF CHEROKEE.
The Presbytery of Cherokee was organized the 18th of
April, 1844, at Summerville, Chattooga county, Georgia, in
accordance with the following resolutions passed by the Synod
of South Carolina and Georgia at its Sessions in Augusta
in 1843:
Resolved, That in accordance with the unanimous vote of
Flint River Presbytery, as expressed at its last meeting,
Synod proceed to set off and erect into a new Presbytery, all
that part of the territory now belonging to Flint River Pres¬
bytery known as the Cherokee Country, and also the counties
of Forsyth, Lumpkin and Union, belonging to the Presbytery
of Hopewell, to be called by the name of the Presbytery of
Cherokee, to include all the Churches within said counties,
62
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
and the ministers there located, viz: Isaac W. Waddel, Jas.
Gamble, Nathaniel A. Pratt and Alexander B. McCorkle,
with the licentiates, Thomas Jackson and James B. Dun-
woody ; that said Presbytery meet on the Thursday before
the third Sabbath in April, in the town of Summerville,
Chattooga county; that the Rev. James Gamble be appointed
to preach the opening sermon, and preside until a new
Moderator be chosen; and in case of his absence, the senior
minister present discharge his duties.
The Presbytery had under its care some ten Churches at
the time of its organization. Its efforts from the beginning
seem to have -been mainly directed to the work of Domestic
Missions and Church extension. It was a prosperous and
efficient Presbytjery up to the time of the commencement of
the late civil war. Twenty-eight Churches were added to its
roll from 1844, the date of its first meeting, until 1858, a
period of fourteen years. Many of these, however, have been
dissolved, or become extinct, since, according to its last
report, it shows only thirty-one Churches on its roll. Its
membership seems to have been somewhat transient, since, of
forty-two ministers who have been connected with it in the
twenty-four years of its existence, only fourteen remain on its
roll.
This Presbytery, like all Presbyteries in new countries,
has experienced many changes. Small Churches are gather¬
ed with the prospect of increase, which, after a few years,
have become extinct, either by emigration, or for want of
regular preaching and administration of the ordinances. The
latter is, more generally, the cause of failure. Few instances
have ever occurred, where a regular and efficient ministry has
been maintained, that Churches have declined and become
extinct. And ministers coming into such Presbyteries,
though with sincere intentions of becoming permanent labor¬
ers, find the Churches weak, and unable to give the necessary
material support, after a short trial become discouraged, and
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
63
under the pressure of want, are compelled to seek more
favorable fields of labor.
This will continue to be the case until we have an adequate
sustentation fund, to furnish liberal aid to our feeble Churches.
All over Georgia, to-day, may be found the wrecks of Presby¬
terian Churches once planted in hope, and with some good
prospect of success. They maintained a sickly existence for
a. few years, and then succumbed for want of the constant
ministry of the Word. And they had not a constant ministry
because they were unable to sustain it, and there was none
to help them. This is the sad history of an hundred organi¬
sations. And never, until we have a more perfect system of
benevolence, will things grow better.
The Churches in the Presbytery of Cherokee suffered
greatly in the late war. .Over its territory the contending
armies passed, an<f swept a large portion of it as with the
besom of destruction. The devastation was wide and ap¬
palling. The material wealth of the people was consumed—
their agricultural interests ruined—their towns and villages
burned or wrecked—their houses of worship demolished or so
defaced as to be unfit for use—their ministers driven from
their homes, many of them never to return—the membership
of their Churches scattered and driven into exile, some of
them dying, and others taking up their permanent abode in
the regions to which they fled, have diminished their strength,
and those who did return greatly impoverished and discour¬
aged. For many months the exercises of religion were
suspended in most of their Churches. The effects of the
storm of war that has passed over it cannot be contemplated
without the most profound sorrow. But the King in Zion
lives and will restore her breaches.
THE PRESBYTERY OF ATLANTA.
At the meeting of the Synod of Georgia, in the city of
Savannah, in November, 1866, the Presbytery of Flint River
was divided, constituting the Presbyteries of Atlanta and
Macon. The dividing line between the two Presbyteries
commences on the Chattahoochee River, at the corners of
Troup and Harris counties, and running thence by the most
direct county*-lines to the Ocmulgee River, where the northern
line of Bibb county touches said river. The Presbytery
north of this line is the Presbytery of Atlanta. It has under
its care some twenty-five Churches.
The original members were, Rev. Messrs. John S. Wilson,
D.D., W. M. Cunningham, D.D., T. F. Montgomery, Robt.
Logan, R. T. Marks, James Stacy, John Jones, W. J. Keith,
A. G. Pedan, H. C. Carter, J. L. Rogers. Its first meeting
was held in Newnan, Coweta county, Georgia.
THE MACON PRESBYTERY.
The Presbytery south of the line dividing Flint River
Presbytery, is Macon, and consists of some twelve or fourteen
Churches. The original ministers were Rev. Messrs David
Wills, D.D., C. P. B. Martin, Geo. II. Coit, Homer Hendee,
Luther II. Wilson, J. L; King, Henry Hoyt, Theo. E. Smith,
J. N. Bradshaw, John C. McCain. Its first meeting was
held in the city of Columbus, Georgia.
In closing this brief sketch of the Presbyterian Church in
Georgia, it is proper to refer to the Synod of Georgia.
Hopewell Presbytery was erected by the Synod of the
Carolinas in 1796, and was the eighteenth Presbytery consti¬
tuted in the United States. Georgia Presbytery was erected
by the Synod of South Carolina in 1821, and was the forty-
fifth Presbytery constituted in the United States. Flint
River was set off by the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia
in 1833, and was the seventy-third Presbytery in the United
States. Cherokee Presbytery was erected by the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia in 1843. The Presbytery of
Florida was set off in 1840, by the Synod of South Carolina
and Georgia.
The Synod of South Carolina and Georgia was formed by
a division of the Synod of the Carolinas in 1813, constituting
it and the Synod of North Carolina contemporaneously. The
Synod of Georgia was erected by a division of the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia in 1845, in accordance with the
following memorial:
" The Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, at its Sessions
in Columbia, December, 1844, directed the following memo¬
rial to be laid before the General Assembly of the Presbyterian
Church in the United States of America:
5 65
66 presbyterian church in georgia.
Resolved, That the Commissioners, from the several Presby¬
teries comprising this Synod, to the next General Assembly,
be directed to request the Assembly to divide the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia into the Synod of South Carolina
and the Synod of Georgia; and that the geographical limits
of the Synod of South Carolina be those of the State of
South Carolina; and that the geographical limits of the Synod
of Georgia be those of the State of Georgia, together "with
the territory of Florida, so far as this may not interfere with
the limits of the Synod of Alabama.
Resolved, also, That the General Assembly be requested
to direct the Synod of South Carolina to meet in Pendleton,
on the first Thursday of November, in 1845, at 11 o'clock,
a. m., and that the opening sermon be preached by the Rev.
Edward Palmer, Moderator, and, in case of absence, by the
oldest minister present; and the Synod of Georgia to meet
in Macon, on the third Thursday of November, 1845, at 7
o'clock, p. m., and the Rev. Thomas Goulding, D.D., be
appointed to preach the opening sermon, as Moderator, and,
in case of his absence, the oldest minister present.
Resolved, further, That all the records and papers hereto¬
fore belonging to the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia,
be left in the hands of the stated clerk of the Synod of South
Carolina, at all times open to the inspection and use of the
Synod of Georgia."
This memorial was presented to the General Assembly at
its Sessions in Cincinnati, in May, 1844, and the prayer therein
contained was granted in ipsissimis verbis.
The1 first meeting of the Synod was accordingly held in
Macon on the 20th of November, 1845. Dr. Goulding was
chosen its Moderator.
The Synod at present (1869) consists of six Presbyteries,
to-wit: Augusta, Savannah, Cherokee, Florida, Atlanta and
Macon.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 67
At the time of its organization, as per its first report, had
on its roll: Ministers, 65; Churches, 99;
As per reports to the General Assembly of 1868, it con¬
sisted of—Ministers, 88; Churches, 141.
The increase of ministers since 1845 has been 38; of
Churches, 42.
The total of communicants, as reported to the Assembly
of 1868, about 8,000.
In concluding this brief history of the Synod, I deem it
proper to add an extract from its Minutes of 1868.
The Synod of 1867 appointed a committee, consisting of
Rev. Messrs. Green and Buttolph, to adjust and define the
boundaries of the several Presbyteries. The committee re¬
ported, and on motion, the resolutions were taken up' seriatim,
and, after some amendments, the report was adopted, and is
as follows:
The committee appointed at the last meeting of the Synod
to consider the propriety of altering the boundary line be¬
tween the Presbyteries of Hopewell and Georgia, will call the
attention of the Synod to the following resolutions, passed by
the Presbytery of Hopewell, at its last meeting:
1. Resolved, That it is inexpedient for any portion of the
territory of Hopewell Presbytery to be ceded to the Presby¬
tery of Georgia; that the Churches of Augusta and Waynes¬
boro ' and Bath, which it has been proposed shall be set off,
are naturally connected with Hopewell Presbytery. While
on account of their distance from the Churches of Georgia
Presbytery, it is believed that it would not be of great advan-^
tage to that Presbytery, nor for the interest of the Church
in general, for their ecclesiastical connection to be changed.
2. Resolved,, That this Presbytery overture the Synod, at
its next meeting, to change the name of the Presbytery of
Hopewell to the Presbytery of Augusta.
The committee cannot, therefore, recommend that any
material change be made in the boundary line between these
68 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA.
two Presbyteries. But they have taken into consideration
the whole matter of the boundaries of the Presbyteries in this
Synod, and have endeavored to ascertain whether the objects
desired to be effected by the change proposed, could not be
accomplished otherwise.
They believe that the convenience of many of the Churches,
and the welfare of the Presbyteries, require that some charges
be made in the present boundaries of several of the Presby¬
teries.
The committee would beg leave to present the following
resolutions:
I. That the request of the Presbytery of Hopewell be
granted, and its name be changed to the Presbytery of
Augusta.
II. That the name of the Presbytery of Georgia be changed
to the Presbytery of Savannah.
III. That it be ordained by this Synod, that the following
shall be the boundaries of the Presbyteries:
1. The Presbytery of Gherokee shall embrace the North¬
western portion of the State of Georgia; its southern and
eastern boundaries being a line running along the northern
county-lines of Harralson, Carroll and Campbell counties,
thence along the Chattahoochee and Chestatee Rivers and
the western lines of Lumpkin and Union counties.
2. The Presbytery of Atlanta shall embrace that portion
of the State lying south of the Presbytery of Cherokee; the
eastern lines of Gwinnett, Walton and Newton counties, and
the Ocmulgee River to the northern corner of Bibb county*
being its boundary on the east, and the southern lines of
Monroe, Upson, Meriwether and Troup, south.
3. That the Presbytery of Augusta shall embrace that
portion of the State lying east of the Presbyteries of Cherokee
and Atlanta; its southern boundary being the northern
county-lines of Scriven, Emanuel, Laurens, Twiggs and Bibb.
4. The Presbytery of Macon shall embrace that portion
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GEORGIA. 69
of the State lying south of the Presbyteries of Atlanta and
Augusta; being limited on the southeast by a line beginning
at the southern corner of Johnson county, and running along
the northern and western county-lines of Emanuel, Mont¬
gomery, Telfair, Irwin, Berien, Colquitt, Thomas and Decatur.
5. The Presbytery of Savannah shall embrace that portion
of the State lying south and east of the Presbyteries of
Augusta and Macon.
6. The Presbytery of Florida shall embrace all the State
of Florida that 'belongs to this Synod, and not embraced in
the Synod of Alabama.
IV. The Churches which by these changes fall within the
bounds of other Presbyteries, shall, together with their minis¬
ters, have their Presbyterial connections changed accordingly,
and they are hereby so changed."
NECROLOGY.
REV. JOSEPH YOUNG ALEXANDER.
Joseph Young Alexander, second son of Abram and
Margaret Alexander, was born the 10th of December, 1792, in
Cabarras county, North Carolina. His parents were mem¬
bers of the Poplar Tent Presbyterian Church, of which his
father was a ruling elder. He was dedicated in infancy, and
was piously trained under the ministry of that eminent ser¬
vant of God, the late Rev. John Robinson, D. D.* It seems
probable, from a single fact that has come to our knowledge,
that he was dedicated in faith and prayer by his pious
parents from his birth, to the holy ministry, since his mother,
when he announced to her his matured purpose to preach the
gospel, joyfully exclaimed, "I have prayed and hoped you
would be a minister."
He was of Scotch-Irish descent. Sometime in the last
century five brothers emigrated from Ireland, and first settled
in Pennsylvania, and thence removed to other States. The
grandfather of Mr. Alexander came to North Carolina.
AVe find nothing worthy of note in his boyhood. He was
a good boy—learned his catechism—read his Bible—and
went to Church. He was the subject of early religious im-
pressions, and made a public profession yf his faith in Christ
*Dr. Robinson was graduated at Winnsboro'College, South Carolina,
and was licensed by Orange Presbytery, April 4th, 1793—was first settled
at Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1800, and in 1801, at Poplar Tent, and
then again at Fayetteville, in 1806. He returned to Poplar Tent in 1818*
where he remained till his death, December 14,1843, in the seventy-sixth
year of his age.
71
72
NECROLOGY.-
in the sixteenth year of his age, and united with the Church
of his father. He was an earnest Christian; of great unifor¬
mity of Christian temper, rarely suffering from depression,
nor yet from over-excitement—he held on the even tenor of
his way through life.
His education was principally by, and under the direction
of Dr. Robinson, " who, for many years, carried on a classical
school in Poplar Tent congregation, at which were trained
many of the leading men of the present generation.* He
was a good classical scholar, though he had not the advantages
of a collegiate course.
He first left the parental roof to take charge of a school
in the town of Charlotte, North Carolina; and was afterwards
engaged in mercantile pursuits in the same place. Indeed,
he had chosen the business of a merchant as his vocation for
life. But God had other designs; for it was while thus en¬
gaged, his thoughts were first seriously turned to tire subject
of the gospel ministry. It was after a long and painful con¬
flict between a sense of duty and his worldly interests, that
he yielded to the Saviour's claims. He had tempting secular
prospects before him, but so strong became his convictions
that he ought to preach Qhrist, that he delayed not, but
leaving all and abandoning his business, he repaired to Wil-
lington, South Carolina, where he entered at once upon the
study of Theology, under the direction of the late Dr. Moses
Waddel. Here he was associated with several other young
men having the Same object in view, most of whom still live
and stand in their lot on the walls of Zion, while of that large
Presbytery which licensed them, not a single one is in the
land of the living.
At that time (1817) Theological Seminaries had not began
to attract much attention. Princeton was in its infancy, and
was then the only seminary of the Presbyterian Church.
♦Foot's Sketches of North Carolina.
REV. JOSEPH YOUNG ALEXANDER.
73
Few Southern students thought of going thither. Candidates
for the ministry, generally, pursued their studies under the
direction of some pastor or private instructor, which, after
all that has been said in behalf of seminaries, is, perhaps, the
better plan. It has, at least, generally furnished more prac¬
tical men in the ministery, than many of those who have been
trained in these institutions.
After the usual time spent in preparation, Mr. Alexander
received a license from the Presbytery of South Carolina in
April, 1820. According to the custom of that Presbytery,
the first six months of his ministry was spent as a Missionary
in the Districts of Lexington and Newberry, within its
bounds. It would be well, doubtlessly, if all Presbyteries
would adopt the same rule in relation to their young men.
Let the young eaglets try their wings near the parent nest,
instead of flying away to towns and cities, canvassing for
settlements in places for which they are not qualified.
At the close of his mission, he took charge of an academy
at Newberry. Here he remained a year or two, and ihen
removed to Lincolnton; Georgia. After a year or two en¬
gaged in teaching in that place, he removed to Lexington,
Oglethorpe county, where he had charge of the Meson
Academy for some time. In the several places of his abode,
he ever diligently continued tp preach the Word as oppor¬
tunity offered. There is evidence that he was greatly useful
in thefce several fields of labor, not only as a teacher, but as a
minister of the gospel.
About this time the new country on the Chattahoochee, in
the west of the State, was beginning to attract notice, and
called for laborers, both in the school-room and the pulpit.
Brother A. paid a short visit to that region; and being
pleased with the prospect for usefulness in that quarter, he
left Lexington, and removed his young family to Newnan,
Coweta county. This was then a new and uncultivated
country. Here he spent more than two-thirds of his minis-
74
NECROLOGY.
terial life, and the prime of his days. Here he reared his
family, and here he ended his work on earth.
During many years after his settlement in.Newnan, he was
confined to the school-room; and many, both male and female,
are ready to bear witness to his fidelity and success in this
department of labor. A Presbyterian Church had been or¬
ganized in the place prior to his removal, but it was feeble
and unable to support a minister; he was, therefore, com¬
pelled daily to toil, for the support of himself and family, in
a school, while he preached to the people on the Sabbath for
a poor and stinted stipend.
By such self-denying and self-sacrificing labors, not only
the Church at Newnan, but many other Churches in the
Synod of Georgia, have been built up. Few men in the
present day know anything of the toil and suffering it required
to lay the foundations of Presbyterianism in Western Georgia.
It was a day of small things. The seed had to be sown—
houses of worship erected, and the scattered sheep gathered.
Ch»rches which now contribute thousands to support their
pastors and the benevolent enterprises of the day, were then
but a mere handful, without wealth, and, indeed, without a
disposition to give, had they possessed the means. Hard
work and hard fare was the allotment of all laborers in this
part of the vineyard.
Brother A. was not only instrumental in sustaining and
building up the Church in the place of his abode, but in
founding several other Churches in the regions round about.
After laboring many years as a stated supply of the Newnan
Church, he received a regular call, and was for some time its
settled pastor, but resigned the charge two or three years
before his decease.
Brother Alexander had his faults and his enemies, and let
him who has none cast the first stone. He always acted from
a firm conviction of duty, and independently of the prejudices
of others, and consequently encountered, at times, violent
REV. JOSEPH YOUNG- ALEXANDER.
75
opposition. Yet, after all, it may in verity be said of him,
that he died universally lamented. The community in which
he had so long resided and labored, felt, when he died, that
th|y had suffered a great loss. They realized, that a good
man had fallen, and they " carried him to his burial, and
made great lamentation over him."
He was a sound Presbyterian, as may be readily supposed
from his antecedents—having been trained from infancy in a
pure and healthful Presbyterian atmosphere. He was ever
an earnest advocate of the doctrines and polity of the Church
of his fathers. Nevertheless, he was a man of a Catholic
spirit, always rejoicing that the gospel was preached and good
done by other communions. He scorned a sectarian and
proselyting spirit in any denomination. As a preacher,
though not brilliant^he was instructive, and especially accep¬
table to Christians, comforting and strengthening them in the
faith. As a Presbyter, he was faithful in his attendance on
the Jadicatories of the Church; and his opinions in matters
connected with the prosperity of Zion were always heard
with respect. He served his Presbytery only once as a com¬
missioner to the General Assembly, which met in Cincinnatti.
As a true bishop, he was "given to hospitality;" and though
never possessed of much of this world's goods, he was generous
and benevolent to the poor and needy. He was a warm ad¬
vocate of all the benevolent schemes of the Church. For a
time he acted as Superintendent of the General Assembly's
Board of Publication for the State of Georgia, in which
capacity he was industrious and efficient. Jle was a very
strenuous advocate of the Temperance Reform, and though
his course brought down upon him, from a certain quarter,
the most virulent opposition and unrelenting persecution, yet
he remained to the last the firm and unyielding supporter of
the cause.
He was a man of great simplicity and regularity of life—a
pleasant companion, and strongly attached to his friends.
76
NECROLOGY.
He was very systematic and regular in all his household
affairs. His diary presents a record, among other things, of
all the sermons he preached from the time of his entering the
ministry till his death, from which it appears that in sojie
months he preached as often as twenty-six times, (an evidence
that he was abundant in labor serving the Lord.) There is
also in the same record, the number of times and places he
administered the Lord's Supper, the children he baptised,
and the marriage ceremonies performed.
Brother A. was twice married. ' His first wife was Miss
Ann McAuslin, a foster-daughter of Dr. John Robinson, his
early friend and instructor. They had a large family of sons
and daughters—six of whom still survive, several having
died. She was a lady of great worth—an excellent wife and
mother. They were united in marriage the 7th of September,
1820. His second marriage was with Mrs. E. H Corbin, the
relict of the Rev. Mr. Corbin, on the 17th of October, 1848,
by whom he had one daughter. The widow and the daughter
are both living. He was very happy in both his marriages.
He was at no time a man of very robust constitution, and
for several years preceding his death, was in very feeble
health. The last few weeks of his life, were weeks of great
bodily anguish. His physical agony at times produced con¬
siderable mental aberration. Yet, in moments of his greatest
sufferings, that entire submission to the will of God, and un¬
wavering trust in the Saviour, manifested through life, was
exhibited. His constant prayer was, that he might have
patience to endure to the end. He felt that his work was
done, often remarking to those around him, " I shall preach
no more; yet if I should live, I hope I may do good in some
way." The thought which seemed most to occupy his mind,
as he approached the end of life, was that unending state into
which he was about to enter. The word "eternity" was
often on his lips. He had no rapturous views of heavenly
glory, but a solemn, abiding sense of the infinitude and urn-
REV. JOSEPH YOUNG ALEXANDER.
77
ending bliss of the righteous. In the last paroxism which
closed the scene, and emancipated his spirit from the frail
tenement of mortality, he was asked by one, if he wished
anything. He promptly replied: "I want dying grace,"
and immediately added, laying his hand on his breast, " I
have it here."
Thus closed the life of this good man, on Monday morning,
the 30th of March, 1857, in the sixty-fifth year of his age,
and the thirty-seventh of his ministry. We could but say:
" Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord; they do rest
from their labors, and their works follow them." His funeral
sermon was preached by his old friend and classmate, and
fellow-laborer, from the text, " For me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain." Philippians i: 21. And then we laid him
in the grave, there to wait the morning of the resurrection
of the just made perfect.
BEY. DONALD JOHN ATJLD, M. D.
Donald John Auld was the third son of Dr. Isaac Auld,
of Edisto Island, S. C., and was born on the 26th April, 1810.
His father being a man of a highly cultivated mind, and
rightly appreciating the advantages of a polished education,
spared neither pains nor expense in securing for him those
advantages. At an early age, he was placed under the care
of that distinguished and successful teacher, the late Chris¬
topher Cotes, of Charleston.
Gifted with a mind of no slight powers, he sedulously im¬
proved the talents entrusted to his keeping, and under the
thorough drilling of his able teacher, he acquired a charac¬
ter for accurate scholarship in the Latin and Greek languages,
and in Mathematics. At the age of eighteen, he entered
the Senior Class in the Charleston College, and graduated
in 1829.
Immediately after his graduation, he entered the office of
Dr. P. G. Porcher, of Charleston, as a student of medicine,
and in the year 1832, received the degree of Doctor of Med¬
icine from the Medical College of South Carolina. As a
student, in both the Literary and Medical Colleges, he was
distinguished for independence of thought, and firmness in
maintenance of what he believed to be truth, which were
marked characteristics of his mind throughout all his after
life. During the summer of 1832, he visited Philadelphia,
where the cholera was raging fearfully, and received the ap¬
pointment of attending physician to the Arch Street Prison;
the duties of which he faithfully discharged, and with grati¬
fying success, till the subsidence of the pestilence. In the
possession of fine health and high spirits, and being strongly
imbued with the spirit of adventure, he removed to Memphis,
Tennessee, which was then considered a frontier town.
78
REV. DONALD JOHN AULD, M. D.
79
But here the hand of the Lord was laid upon him. Here
commenced that "chastening," which seemed to him so
" grievous," but which afterwards yielded " the peaceable
fruits of righteousness," and worked out for him " a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Up to this
period, life and its pleasures were all in all to him; and in his
new home, his genial disposition and very popular manners
soon drew around him a large circle of friends, and opened
to him an extensive practice.
From too great exposure, he soon became a victim of
rheumatism, and was led by an unseen hand to return to
Charleston in 1835. From this time till his death, a period
of twenty-two years, he never knew what it was to he
entirely well, or free from pain.
In the course of the year 1835, it pleased God to deliver
him "from the power of darkness," and to translate him
" into the kingdom of his dear Son." From this time, the
burden of his thoughts was, " What shall I render unto the
Lord for all his benefits towards me?" And oftentimes to his
troubled mind would arise the exclamation of St. Paul,
" Necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach
not the gospel." After deep and prayerful consideration,
he was led by the Spirit to offer himself a "living sacrifice "
unto the Saviour, who had done so much for him. Now all
was clear before him, and he entered with ardor upon his The¬
ological studies in the Seminery at Columbia, S. C. In 1837,
he was licensed by the Presbytery of Charleston to preach
the gospel, and was ordained, in 1839, by the same Presbytery.
The first two years of his ministry were devoted to the
Wappetaw Congregational Church, in the neighborhood of
Charleston, and to the Presbyterian Church at Darlington,
where he is still remembered with affection. Early in 1840,
he became pastor of Harmony and Brewington Churches, in
Sumpter District. In this pastorate he continued eight
years, laboring faithfully and with much success, oftentimes
80
necrology.
bo prostrated in health that it was a matter of wonder to
his friends that he could bear up under so much bodily afflic¬
tion, and still continue his ministerial labors; and yet, amid
all this suffering, he acquired a high reputation as a popular
preacher and a skillful debater in the judicatories of the
Church. At one time during this period he was reduced to
the very verge of the grave, and recovery seemed hopeless,
even to himself. Yielding to the earnest solicitations of his
friends, he visited the Warm Sulphur Springs in Virginia, as
a last resort, hut with no beneficial effect. On the contrary,
he continued to grow worse, and he hastened home to die, as
he verily believed. In passing through Charleston, on his
return, he was persuaded by a friend, who had been a simi¬
lar sufferer, to use a certain remedy. To the great surprise
of himself and his friends, the result was almost magical,
and in the course of a few weeks he was enabled to lay aside
his crutches and walk with a firm and elastic step, though he
was never restored to perfect health. At the time when he
was in daily expectation of death, he made his Vill, which
we only mention, as an extract from that document affords
an insight into his character, and beautifully exhibits the
depth and earnestness of his piety:
"And, first, I render thanks and glory to the most gracious
God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, that he has been
pleased to call me, a miserable, helpless, and hopeless sinner,
to a knoweledge of himself, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom he has sent, and to beget me again unto a
lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ; and, ac¬
cording to his gracious word—contained in Jeremiah, chapter
49, verse 11—I thankfully and humbly leave my fatherless
children in his keeping, and exhort my widow to trust in him.
. . . Finally, I commend my perishing body and my im¬
mortal soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, my only hope and
blessed Redeemer, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
In 1848, he accepted a call to Purity Church, in Chester
REV. DONALD JOHN ATJLD, M. D.
81
District, -where he labored with much acceptance for four
>years, still maintaining his high reputation as a preacher
and a faithful witness for the truth as contained in the Holy
Scriptures. Some one or more of the great fundamental
truths of the Bible, which are so hateful to the carnal mind,
were always embodied in his sermons'*} and these he would
bring home to the hearts and consciences of his hearers with
great power and logical clearness. But while he kept not
back "the terrors of the law" and the thunders of Mount
Sinai, still it was upon the love and mercies of Christ that
he loved mostly to dwell. While holding up to view the
crucified Saviour, his eye would kindle, his voice gather
strength, and his feeble frame vibrate with deep emotion:
then would he give utterance to strains of such fervid elo¬
quence and melting pathos, that it seemed as if his lips, like-
Isaiah's, had been touched with " a live coal from off the
altar," Truly, with him, Christ was " all and in all."
In 1852, he removed to Florida, and became pastor of the
Church in Madison county. We will now close our memoir
with an extract from the minutes of Florida Presbytery :
" His five years' pastorate in that Church has made an
impression on this Presbytery which cannot soon be forgotten.
Nor will his self-denying and arduous labors, so- abundantly
blessed of God in destitute portions of our territory, cease to
be remembered. During the past summer (1857,) brother
Auld yielded to the earnest application of the Church in
Tallahassee; and with the hope that he was entering a wider
field of usefulness, and that he could better provide for the
education of his children, he became their pastor. Alas!
that pastorate was of brief duration. In a little more than
a month after he entered upon his labors, he wras laid upon a
bed of sickness, from which he was never to rise until he was
carried by others. His sickness was the sequel of an alarm¬
ing illness, which confined him to his bed for several weeks
after his return from the last General Assembly. Five
6
82
NECROLOGY.
weeks he lingered in agony; and then, on the 29th day of
October, in the forty-eight year of his age and twentieth of
his ministry, without knowing that he was dying, so gently
fell asleep in Jesus, that we may almost say he was "trans¬
lated that he should'not see death." His couch of suffering
was a place of instruction; he was so patient, so resigned, so
humble, so grateful, so affectionate. At the close of a period
of intense agony, as a brother minister, who had frequently
visited him, entered the room, he raised both his hands and
exclaimed, "Nothing but thanks, nothing but praise this,
morning: read the 23d Psalm." * * * In the various
relations he sustained, brother Auld was an "example to
believers." As a husband, he was untiring in his devotion;
as a father, so affectionate that his children were to him
occasions of the most painful anxieties; as a brother, fond
and faithful; as a friend, sincere and firm; as a companion,
affable and genial; as a man, upright and conscientious.
But of his character as a minister of the gospel, we must
more particularly speak. A ripe scholar and a hard student,
gifted with a strong intellect, disciplined by long continued
culture, he brought ' beaten oil' into the sanctuary. His
sermons were models of simplicity of style, propriety of
diction, clearness in the exhibition of truth, cogency of
reasoning, pungency as well as persuasiveness in appeal, and
fullness in displaying the doctrines of grace. Delivered in
easy and unaffected manner, they never fatigued and seldom
failed to interest the hearer. As a preacher, brother Auld
was exceedingly popular; yet, he preached doctrines exceed¬
ingly offensive to the carnal mind. As a pastor, he was
faithful and devoted, never sparing himself, even in seasons
of great bodily weakness, when by labor he could promote
the comfort of others, or advance the interests of the Church.
His rule was, never to be absent from his post as long as he
had strength to reach it. As a member of Presbytery, we
can all bear'testimony to his kindness, courtesy, readiness
REV. DONALD JOHN AULD, M. D.
83
for every good word and work, wisdom in counsel, promptness
in action, and firmness in the maintenance of the truth.
" But he is gone ! we miss him ! We shall miss him from
our firesides, our pulpits, our seats in Presbytery, and the
communion table, where we were wont to take sweet counsel
together. God be praised for the gift of such a brother,
and make us resigned to his loss."
To this memoir we are enabled to add the two following
letters, as farther illustrative of the character of the deceased
—the first from the late lamented Charles Colcock Jones,
D.I)., and the other from Mr. J. S. Maxwell, a ruling elder
in the Tallahassee Church, Florida:
Riceboro', November 10, 1857.
Through the kindness of a friend, I have had the perusal of a letter
from a member of the Church in Tallahassee, over which our lamented
brother Auld was pastor. The letter contains affecting statements,
which all who loved him will be happy to read and possess for them¬
selves ; and, I am sure, both the writer of the letter and the friend to
whom it was written, will yield their assent to the use 1 now make of it
in sending you an extract.
It was my happiness to meet brother Auld on my way to the General
Assembly last spring; and we traveled several hundred miles together,
by land and water, and we were daily and close companions. I had not
seen him before for years. His general health appeared improved, his
spirits excellent, and his interest in all around him, and in the beautiful
scenery through which we passed constant. He enjoyed everything,
and all his friends and acquaintances enjoyed him. He conducted
evening worship for us on board the steamboat, and we well remember
the faith and fervor of his prayers. He was a man naturally of unflinch¬
ing resolution, warm feelings, and firm friendship. And all these traits
were sanctified in him. He was resolved in his devotion to the Divine
Master, and was always, openly and boldly, a professor and preacher of
His name. His spiritual affections were tender. He had love for the
souls of men, and a peculiar love towards, and confidence in his brethren
in the Lbrd; and he waited upon them in sickness and in health, in joy
and in sorrow, because he loved them. He was candid, generous, and
gentlemanly in his intercourse with men, highly intelligent, and a very
social man, with a sprightliness and vivacity in conversation that made
his society not only agreeable, but attractive. His heart, also, was
always alive to the interest of Christ's kingdom, and always willing and
84
NECROLOGY,
ready to labor for it His life in Florida gave ample witness of bis
devotion to his ministry. He had become deeply interested in that State,
and we conversed a great deal about its spiritual destitutions, and by
what means they could be best supplied. He was a public spirited man,
and is a great loss to the State. His numerous friends will sincerely
mourn with us his early death, and will not fail to bear in remembrance,
at a throne of grace, his afflicted wife and children.
Very truly, yours, C. C. JONES.
The letter of Mr. Maxwell, dated
November 1, 1857.
It is the Sabbath, but I cannot under the circumstances think it wrong
to address you. The subject which I propose shall be the main topic of
this letter, though a painful one, is fraught with comfort and consolation.
It is the death of our pastor, Dr. Auld. He went peacefully to his eternal
rest on Friday morning last. Yes, one of the best men, and one of the
most faithful preachers of Christ, has fallen. He came among us, as you
know, in the Summer—came from a sick bed, and has not enjoyed a well
moment to the hour of his death. He would preach, however, and meet
his appointments promptly, often with fever on him. His last sermon
was preached at Bell Air. He went to the desk with a chill on him, and
never in my life did I hear a more powerful appeal to sinners than he
made that night. He returned home next day and retired to his bed,
from which he was carried to his grave.
It was my privilege, I may well say, my privilege, to sit up with him the
whole of Thursday night, the night before he died. Oh, how vividly did
I realize that night the Christian's victory over death and the grave. He
required constant attention, so that my companion and myself never left
him for a moment until daylight, when his devoted and self-sacrificing
wife relieved us. He said to her, " My dear wife, here are two of the
best nurses that ever stood by me," and to us," God bless you, my friends,
you will be rewarded. Oh, the mercy and truth of God I What volumes
are comprehended in these words ?" He- was repeating such passages of
Scripture as tell of God's mercy and truth when he was awake, though
we begged him to desist, thinking he was injured thereby, I can never
forget that hoarse and husky voice, and those bright animated eyes now
closed in death. He repeated the whole of the twenty-third Psalm with
a pathos and enunciation that I never heard before. " The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want He maketb me to lie down in green pastures;
he leadeth me beside the still watersand taking his feeble arms from
under the covering, and1 making a circle with them, he repeated, " He
restoreth my soul," saying, "so when I have wandered away from Him,
He brings me back to the fold," < I asked a question touching his willing¬
ness to depart He said," Oh, my dear sir, I am willing; yes, I am ready."
He had not much acquaintance with my companion, and looking intently
at him asked, " Have you professed Christ ?" " No, Doctor, I have never
done so." " My dear friend, suppose you were in my situation, would
there be time now, think you? Oh, my dear sir, what would you do
without the promises of a covenant-keeping God to support and comfort
you ? Oh, defer not a matter of such moment to a dying hour," &c. He
left a large family—a wife and seven children.
REV. BENJAMIN BURROUGHS,
Benjamin Burroughs was the son of Benjamin Burroughs,
and was horn in the city of Savannah, on the 25th of October,
1807. His parents were pious, and members of the Indepen¬
dent Church in that city, of which his father was one of its
elders for many years. He was carefully trained up in the
nurture and admonition of the Lord, having been dedicated
to Him in infancy by baptism. Of his early education we
have no information—it was probably in some of the city
schools. His preparatory studies for entering college were
prosecuted at an academy in Jamaica, Long Island, New
York, under the care of a Mr. Eigenbrot.
After spending four years at this academy, he entered
Union College, Schenectady, New York, Sophomore Class,
half advanced.- During his Junior vacation he visited his
parents in Savannah. It was then that he received his first
permanent religious impressions, under the preaching of the
Rev. Dr. Bethune; at which time he was hopefully converted,
and shortly thereafter made a public profession of his faith
in Christ, and was received into the communion of the Inde¬
pendent Presbyterian Church.
He graduated with honor in 1828, and having determined
to devote himself to the ministry of reconciliation, he shortly
afterwards entered Princeton Theological Seminary. During
his connection with the seminary, he was licensed to preach
the gospel, by the Presbytery of New York, on the 21st of
April, 1831. In the autumn of that year, he completed his
full course at the seminary. Soon after his graduation there,
he received a call to become the pastor of a Church in New
York City. This he promptly declined, alleging as a reason
that his heart was with his beloved South, where he believed
85
86
NECROLOGY.
lay his field of labor, and that duty called him to work in
that portion of his Divine Master's vineyard.
To the interests of the home of his birth and love, he was
ever heartily alive and devoted, ever ready to defend her pe¬
culiar institutions, assailed as they were even at that day, by
the spirit of rampant fanaticism. During his several visits to
the North and Northwest, he more than once not only openly
vindicated the South from undue aspersions and unjust charges
brought against her by members of a Christian assembly, but
boldly pronounced them false. On one occasion, during a
visit to one of the New England States, being invited to
preach in one of its Churches, before the hour of service, he
was waited upon by some of the elders, and requested not
to officiate, as they were credibly informed that a party had
organized to mob him in the pulpit, should he attempt it.
To them he replied, " If you fear my personal safety alone, I
shall preach, God willing." And he did so, without the
slightest molestation, the crowd merely assembling at the
doors of the Church. It is believed that he preached several
times after to the same community, without further trouble.
He never intruded his views and opinions upon the questions
which had so long and violently disturbed the grand body of
the Church North, but whenever assailed, he fearlessly arose,
and while modestly rebuking his elders, he ably defended the
rights of the Soiith, never yielding once to the remonstrances
of friends, as to the policy of silence in the midst of enemies.
Such was Benjamin Burroughs, in defence of what he be¬
lieved to be truth and justice. A man of iron nerve, who
never faltered nor stood abashed before the most formidable
opposition. He seemed more fully to possess the indomitable
spirit of John Knox or Martin Luther than any other man
we ever knew.
Mr. Burroughs became the stated supply of the Church in
Milledgeville on his coming South, and continued in that rela¬
tion until sometime in the year 1833. On the 27th of
REV. BENJAMIN BURROUGHS.
87
Nov., 1833, he was received, by a regular dismission from
the Presbytery of New York, into the Presbytery of Georgia.
After leaving Milledgeville, he became the stated minister
of the White Bluff Congregational Church, near Savannah,
until April 9,1835, when he was appointed by the Presbytery
to visit the Church at Tallahassee, Florida, then vacant and
laboring under difficulties. He proceeded to Tallahassee, and
on the 11th of May, 1835, the Church made out a regular,
call for him as pastor. This call was presented by a com¬
mittee of the congregation at the next meeting of Pres¬
bytery, November 3, 1835, and by Presbytery it was put into
his hands, and by him accepted. He continued his ministerial
labors in Tallahassee until the 1st of May, 1839, when he
asked leave to resign his charge, as the bad health of himself
and family would not allow him to remain longer in Florida.
Of his services in Tallahassee, B. F. Whitner, Esq., an
elder of that Church, remarks: " His coming among us was
in the spirit of a missionary, and not without its privations
in other regards than health. From 1835 to 1839, we were
employed in building and paying for a Church edifice, at a
cost of over ten thousand dollars, and Mr. Burroughs cheer¬
fully accepted at our hands less than a support." He was
highly esteemed and beloved by the Church, and they parted
with him with regret."
Returning to Georgia, he was again invited to become the
minister of White Bluff Church, and he entered regularly
upon his duties in the beginning of the year 1840. At the
Sessions of the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, in No¬
vember, 1840, he was set off with other ministers to form the
new Presbytery of Florida. To this he consented, on account
of the great interest which he had in the religious improve¬
ment of the State. He continued in connection with the
Presbytery of Florida, though residing and ministering in
Georgia, until April 3, 1847, when he was received back
again into the Presbytery of Georgia.
88
NECROLOGY.
Of his ministry at White Bluff, which continued from 1840
to 1854, Mr. David Adams, an aged and venerable Christian
man, and a member of that Church, thus speaks: " Too
much praise cannot be given to Mr. Burroughs for the manner
in which he discharged the duties of pastor. Having settled
permanently among the people, he felt himself more particu¬
larly interested in their welfare, as being identical with that
of the community in which his own interest lay. Hence he
visited and attended upon the rich and the poor, with more
than ordinary zeal and labor. It was his invariable habit
never to suffer a regular attendant upon the services of the
sanctuary to be absent more than twice without waiting upon
him or her, ascertaining the cause of such absence. With
such a spirit of labor on his part, in conjunction with his
forcible, faithful, searching style of preaching,, it was to be
expected that so long as there was material, there would
appear evidences of ministerial success." And such, in fact,
was the result during the first years of his ministry. In the
latter part of it, the congregation was much diminished by
death and removals. His spirits were affected by this decline
in numbers in his ministerial charge, and two years before
his death he removed to the city of Savannah, and became,
in addition to his charge at White Bluff, a city missionary.
In this field he labored but one year, yet he is held in grate¬
ful remembrance by the poor, among whom he went about
doing good.
To all classes of people and denominations of Christians
at White Bluff Church the memory of Mr. Burroughs, as a
kind man and faithful preacher, is dear. Thus, when his
estate was wound up, there were persons who purchased, or
desired to purchase, articles simply as memorials of one for
whom they entertained so much respect and affection.
About a year before his own death, he passed through a
season of deep affliction in the loss of his wife. Their attach¬
ment commenced in childhood, and increased in tenderness
REV. BENJAMIN BURROUGHS.
89
to the sad moment of their separation. Six children survive
their parents.
It was in the faithful discharge of his duties as a city mis¬
sionary in Savannah, in the memorafre summer of 1854, that
he contracted the epidemic of yellow fever, which then pre¬
vailed with so much violence. Untiring in his efforts to
relieve the sufferings of the sick and destitute, he labored day
and night. When frequently urged by his friends to leave
the city, he uniformly answered, " I am but discharging my
duty, and I feel it my duty to remain." But being persuaded
to accompany his brother to Richmond Bath he reluctantly
consented, with the intention and expectation of returning to
Savannah in ten days. lie arrived at Bath on Saturday,
and engaged to supply the pulpit of the pastor of that place
the next day. But meanwhile he was stricken down with
yellow fever, and died the following Wednesday night. The
Rev. R. K. Porter, pastor of that Church, was with him in
his last hours, and having asked him if he could assent to the
truth of a passage of Scripture read to him, he replied, " 0,
yes, I have never received God's word with a partial faith,
but with all my mind and heart." These were the last words
he was heard to utter.
And thus did he die as he had lived, by faith in the Son of
God. He was truly a pious man—strictly sound in doctrine,
and devoted to his own branch of the Church of Christ, yet
charitable to all others. Of a warm and sincere address in
his pulpit exercises, he convinced his hearers ^that he fully
believed and felt what he uttered; and this prepared them to
give his message a candid consideration. He was free from
attempts at display or affectation of wisdom and learning.
His aim was to declare the truth of God, and thereby to
benefit mankind. He was modest in respect to his own at¬
tainments, deferential to the opinions and judgment of others,
especially his brethren in the ministry, for whom he ever
exhibited respect and warm affection. He was generous, and
90
NECROLOGY.
of a cheerful and agreeable manner and temper, and his long
connection with the Presbytery, although sometimes tried,
never was seen the shadow of unkind feeling to pass across his
brow, nor was heard a word of bitterness to escape his lips.
He was full of brotherly love, and was always an agreeable,
as well as an active member of his Presbytery, whom all his
brethren loved.
His ministry, especially at White Bluff, was not without a
Divine blessing. For the size of the congregation, there oc¬
curred an extensive revival while he acted as pastor of that
Chifrch; and it was this blessing that so endeared him to that
people.
He was enabled to bear his afflictions with meekness and
peaceful submission to the will of God; and when called to
minister, under appalling circumstances to the sick and dying,
his spirit was undaunted ; and when he was himself brought
to pass through the valley of the shadow of death, falling him¬
self under the dreadful epidemic, he feared no evil, for his soul
was stayed upon the Divine and Precious Redeemer.
Mr. Burroughs died in his fiftieth year, and the twenty-
third of his ministry. By what Presbytery he was ordained,
or when, we have not learned, but probably that of New York.
REV. SAMUEL JONES CASSELS.
Samuel Jones Cassels was born on the 24th of February,
1806. Liberty county, Georgia, (which is so celebrated in
our annals for the number of ministers which it has given to
the Church,) was the place of his nativity. He was the
subject of strong religious impressions at the early age of
twelve years. These never wore off, and five years after, he
made a public profession of religion, and connected himself
with the Midway Congregational Church.
His attention was soon directed to the ministry; and in
January of the following year, under the care of the Educa¬
tional Society of Liberty county, he commenced his prepara¬
tion for College in the Grammar School at Athens. So
great was his aptness for learning, and his ardor and energy
in pursuing his studies, that in the short space of eleven
months, he had finished his preparatory course, and was
adhaitted, after examination, as a student of Franklin College.
He graduated August 6, 1828, with the highest academical
honors that the College could bestow^
During his collegiate course, he labored with untiring zeal
and great success for the salvation of his fellow-students.
The College, before his entrance into it, was notorious for
its dissipation, irreligion, and immorality, and for the disor¬
derly conduct of the students. The President, (the venerable
Dr. Waddel,) as a remedy for these evils, which seemed
beyond the reach of ordinary discipline, advised the Trustees
to offer publicly to educate, at the expense of the Statey
several young men having the ministry in view, hoping that
their example and influence would, like salt cast into the
mass tending to corruption, correct the evil. The Trustees
*MSS. Rev. J. B. Ross, Dr. John Leyburn, T. Q. Cassels.
91
92
NECROLOGY.
adopted the suggestion, and our brother was among the first
who entered the College under this arrangement. The result
showed the wisdom of the President's advice. The College,
during brother Cassels' connection with it, and greatly
through his zealous instrumentality, was visited with two
powerful revivals of religion. In the first, out of the one
hundred students then in attendance on its instructions, fifty
made a profession of religion; and in the second, fifty more,
connected with the institution, were added to the Church.
His energy and industry are exhibited in the fact, that
while pursuing his .collegiate course, he studied Theology
under Dr. Waddel; and a few days after his graduation, he
was examined and licensed to preach the gospel by Hopewell
Presbytery. After his licensure, he was engaged in teaching
an academy in Bath, Richmond county, and there acquired
much distinction as an instructor of youth. But the school
did not prevent him from laboring abundantly and earnestly
in the destitute neighborhoods around Bath.
He was ordained in Augusta on the 17th of February,
1829; was called to the Church in Washington, Wilkes
county, Georgia, in October, 1831, and removed thither the
following January, and was installed in November of the
same year. Toward the latter part of 1836, he received a
call to Macon, and removed thence; and in November of the
following year, was installed pastor of the Presbyterian
Church in that city.
His next pastoral charge was in Norfolk, Virginia, where
he continued until the spring of 1846, when he was com¬
pelled to resign it, on account of ill health. He then removed
to the city of Savannah, Georgia, and opened a school, and
was prospered. He was elected Principal of the Chatham
Academy, which position he continued to occupy until the
time of his death.
Our brother was an eloquent, acceptable, and remarkably
successful preacher of the gospel. He preached much at
REV. SAMUEL JONES CASSELS.
93
camp-meetings and in revivals, in the upper part of the State
of Georgia, during the first years of his ministry; was
engaged as a chief laborer in the extensive religious excite¬
ment in and about Princeton, N. J., in 1841, and also, a few
months after, in a great awakening in the Churches of East
Hanover Presbytery, Virginia, during which some seventy or
more additions were made to his own pastoral charge.
He was at length prevented, by the frequent recurrence of
hemorrhage and the loss of his voice, from preaching; but
continued, to within two weeks of his death, (though extremely
weak and emaciated, and suffering at times dreadfully from
his disease,) to labor with his pen. Under the signature of
"Paul the Prisoner," he spoke weekly to the readers of the
Southern Presbyterian; wrote articles for the Southern Pres¬
byterian RevieWy and tracts, which have been, or soon will be,
published.
As a preacher, brother Cassels was remarkable for his
extempore powers; for the vividness of his conceptions of
truth, his clear and simple manner of arrangement, and the
lucid way in which he presented truth to the minds of
the people; for his felicity of illustration; for the ten¬
der solicitude which he manifested for his hearers, and
for the animation of his delivery. He was moved and melted
down by the great truths he stood up to proclaim, and he
moved and melted down those who heard him.
His death illustrated the power of religion he had so long
professed. During his long and protracted sickness, he bore
his sufferings with patience and submission to the will of
God, grew rapidly in meetness for his great change, and was
inwardly supported in a surprising manner by Divine grace.
He acknowledged God's wisdom and mercy in causing him
to pass through the furnace of affliction. To the last, he
retained his clearness of mind and confidence of hope. Not
a cloud cast its shadow over his soul during his passage
through the dark valley. With affectionate solicitude, he
u
NECROLOGY.
commended his afflicted partner and children to his friends
around him, for support and comfort. Whenever his extreme
exhaustion would permit, he was engaged in bearing testi¬
mony to the wonderful grace and condescension of God
towards him, and in speaking lovingly a word of encourage¬
ment and exhortation to friends gathered around. As the
effusion on his lungs mounted higher and higher, lessening
more and more the space for vital air, he whispered, " The
change is coming," and calmly folded his hands across his
breast and died. May each of those who shall read this
short sketch, live as well, as usefully, and die as serenely
and happily as our dear departed and sainted brother.
J. B. R.
" His funeral, held in the city of Savannah, was numer¬
ously and most respectably attended. The next day, his
remains were brought for interment to Midway graveyard.
That was the Church at whose altar he dedicated himself to
the Lord, and in its cemetery he desired to rest until the
last trumpet shall sound. This wish he expressed in a senti¬
ment he sent to be read at our late county centennial cele¬
bration : 4 Liberty county—the place of my first and second
birth; to be the place of my third.' "
44 His piety was unquestionable, his talents extraordinary,
and his industry and energy not less striking. The writer
remembers, some ten years ago, to have seen a letter from
the venerable Dr. Alexander, of Princeton, (where brother
Casspls was then laboring in a revival of religion,) in which
he gave it as his opinion, that as an effective gospel preacher,
brother Cassels scarcely had his equal in the Presbyterian
Church.
44 He died June 15, 1853. The day before he died, this
text, Psalms xvii: 15—4 As for me, I will behold thee in
righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in thy like¬
ness '—was the topic of an interesting and instructive con¬
versation with a brother minister. He spoke in humble tone,
REV- SAMUEL JONES CASSELS.
95
but in an elevated strain, of his approaching conformity to
Christ. This hope of the heart, "which had been so long his
sustaining principle, and had given decision to his character,
clearness to his understanding, comfort in sorrow, encour¬
agement in imperfection, now held steadfast to the end."
From Thomaa Q. Cassels.
McJntosii, Liberty County, April 26, 1864.
Dr. J. 8. Wilson—My Dear Sir: I have had sickness in my family ever'
since I received your letter, asking information respecting my deceased
brother, Rev. S. J. Cassels. * * *
My brother, by his mother's side of the family, (who was a Miss Jones,)
was a regular descendant of the Puritans. His ancestors came originally
from Dorchester, Massachusetts, to Dorchester, South Carolina, and
from thence to St. John's Parish, now Liberty county. His grandmother
was a Miss Baker. She was a sister of the late Dr. Daniel Baker's father.
His connections are numerous in this county. Judge Alfred Iverson, of
Columbus, is also a near kinsman, his mother and the Judge's having
been sisters. His father was a Carolinian, a descendant of the Huguenots*
Mrs. Robert Toombs and the Rev. John E. DuBose, of Tallahassee, Fla.,
are the only relations that we know on the paternal side. From early
youth he was impressed with a deep reverence for divine things. His
fondness for the Bible was very remarkable, having read it entirely
through three times by the time he was ten years old. He was taken by
his uncle, Mr. Samuel Jones, (after whom he was named,) when about
fifteen or sixteen years of age, and sent to school. When he reached his
seventeenth year, he became a clerk in a store in Sunbury. While thus
engaged, he studied Latin under the Rev. Adam Holmes, of the Baptist
denomination. In 1822, he left Sunbury and went to Athens, Ga., and
lived for some time in the family of Dr. Waddel, and attended the
Grammar School in connection with the University of Georgia.
From the Dev. John Leyburn, D. D.
Richmond, July 27, 1864.
Deverend and Dear Sir:—Your note of the 20th ultimo, asking my
recollections of the late Rev. Samuel J. Cassels as a preacher, should
have been responded to sooner, but for various unavoidable hindrances.
My first acquaintance with Mr. Cassels was in the autumn of 1843,
soon after hfs settlement in Norfolk, when he came to assist me in a series
of meetings during a revival in my Church in Petersburg. He remained
with us on that occasion some two weeks, and then, and very often
afterwards, I had the opportunity of hearing him preach. Indeed, we
became very intimate, and often exchanged visits, and labored together.
96
NECROLOGY.
I had formed high expectations of his preaching powers, from accounts
I had seen and heard of the extraordinary impression he had made upon
the professors, students, and community at Princeton, N. J., during a
visit to that place not long before. These expectations were not disap¬
pointed. As a preacher in revivals, I have rarely, if ever, heard his
equal. His facility in preparation was almost marvellous. It seemed to
cost him no effort to strike out appropriate and admirable viens of
thought. His plans were ingenious and original, and they were filled
out with fine material, and often irradiated with passages of singular
beauty. Indeed, when warmed by a revival atmosphere, and under the
stimulus of continuous preaching, his mind fairly flashed with brilliancy.
Most of the sermons preached during the meetings at Petersburg,
were composed on the morning of the day they were delivered, and
usually, in a great part, before he left his bed. He had a great fondness
for the allegorical; and I can never forget a sermon of this character on
the Straight Gate. Faith and Repentance were his gate-posts. His vivid
pictures rendered the gate almost visible, whilst his expositions of doc¬
trine and duty showed that he was not simply dealing in the fanciful, but
availing himself of a striking and ingenious method for inculcating and
enforcing truth. His discourse from the text, " His blood be on us and
on our children," I thought, perhaps, the most powerful and thrilling
pulpit effort I had ever listened to. This was one of the sermons I had
heard of his having preached with effect at Princeton.
Mr. Cassels' manner was not, as is usually called, oratorical. He had
nothing of the oro rotundo, nor the elegant roll of sonorous sentences.
His language was simple, chaste, and admirably chosen, so as to bring
out his thoughts distinctly and clearly. There was no mere verbiage.
His sentences Were, for the most part, short and pithy, and often came,
with the sharpness and precision of a rifle-shot, directly to the conscience.
Always earnest, but never boisterous or declamatory, it was impossible
to listen to him without feeling that his own heart was deeply moved by
the thoughts he was endeavoring to impress upon others. At times,
indeed, his manner was characterized by an indescribable tenderness.
This was especially the case when holding up the Saviour to the ruined
sinner. Then his soul seemed to be melted with love for his Redeemer,
and for the perishing. I have never heard a preacher of whom it was
more eminently true, that Christ and his cross was all his theme. Indeed,
he perhaps gave this too literal an interpretation, dwelling almost entirely
on the work and claims of our Saviour, to the exclusion somewhat of
the obligations and penalties of God's offended law. Hi^ voice was not
of the full, rich, sonorous description, nor had the clear, clarion ring.
Sometimes it was almost husky; but, tuned by his gushing, tender,
yearning spirit, it not unfrequently gave out notes of exquisite pathos,
which even now I can recall.
REV. SAMUEL JONES CASSELS.
97
Amidst the animating scenes of a revival our brother threw himself
into his work with a relish and cheerfulness and an absorption which
could not be surpassed. He was then completely a man of one idea.
Everything else seemed to be forgotten, and morning, noon and night, in
the house of God, in the prayer meeting, visiting from house to house, or
in the retirement of the home circle, that one subject was always in his
thoughts and on his lips. Well do I remember how that somewhat rug¬
ged visage used to light up until suffused with joy—how his eye sparkled
—how he would start up in his chair—and how the laugh of exhilaration
would burst forth, as he heard or talked of the various cases aud charac¬
ters whose mental exercises, struggles and triumphs were the prominent
events of those happy days.
It is greatly to be regretted that our lamented brother has left no
adequate memorial of his remarkable pulpit powers. At his decease, he
requested that his manuscripts should be placed in my hands, and I
fondly hoped that it was to be my privilege to present to the Church a
collection of his sermons, which would prove a rich and enduring treas¬
ure. But what was my disappointment on looking over his papers, to
find that they consisted chiefly of the products of his earlier ministry,
and of serial didactic discourses. Neither in matter nor style did they
resemble what had given such delight t6 his Virginia auditors. I do not
doubt that that portion of his life from the time of his visit to Princeton
to his leaving Virginia, with broken-down health, was his halcyon day
as a preacher. The continuous revivals called out the powers of his
mind and heart under circumstances which seemed almost to invest him
with new gifts. But of these rich, glowing, scriptural, gospel sermons,
well nigh nothing remains. None of them were reduced to writing, not
even that noble one from, M His blood be upon us, and upon our children."
However well matured in his own mind, they were extemporaneous as
to their delivery, and alas! have died with him.
It is not surprising that his consuming zeal, restless energy, and almost
entire disregard of himself, should have resulted in the breaking down of
his health. ' As to the last mentioned particular, he was almost reckless.
He had naturally a fine constitution, and, as the event proved, presumed
too much upon it. When I used to remonstrate with him about not
taking better care of himself, he would sometimes laughingly say, that
Dr. Olin had once remarked " it was very hard to raise a man in the
part of the country he (Mr. Cassels) came from, but when you had raised
him, it was very hard to kill him."
But though his days seemed unduly shortened, he did a noble work.
His pastorate at Norfolk was instrumental in adding largely to that
Church, and in greatly edifying those already in it, whilst in the Churches
of Bichmond and Petersburg, and elsewhere in the Synod of Virginia,
his preaching was attended with the happiest results.
7
98
NECROLOGY.
I have spoken, as you perceive, only of the "Virginia portion of our
beloved brother's life. Of his labors in your own State, you are better
informed. I saw him in Savannah after disease had made sad inroads
on his fine constitution. His spirit still shone with undimmed lustre.
But though the spirit was more than willing, the flesh was too weak to
permit his longer engaging in those labors for his Master in which he so
much delighted. His work as a minister in Christ's Church was done,
and in faith and joyful hope he was waiting for that rest into which he
was so soon to enter, and whither his works will long continue to follow
him.
Yours fraternally,
JOHN LEYBURN.
REY. REMEMBRANCE CHAMBERLAIN *
Remembrance Chamberlain was born in the town of
South Newberry, in the State of Vermont, December 2,1789.
He was of Puritan ancestry. Of his youthful days and early
training, we know nothing. He was not communicative on
subjects connected with his personal history, and hence almost
all our information concerning him we have obtained from
others. His parents, though not wealthy, were possessed of
a competency of this world's goods.
He was entered as a student at Middlebury College in 1810,
and graduated in 1814. During two years after leaving college
he was employed in teaching, first in the town of Cavendish, and
then at Royalton, in his native State. He was highly accepta¬
ble and successful in this vocation. But not purposing to make
teaching his business for life, and having chosen the medical
profession, he repaired to Philadelphia and entered the medi¬
cal departmant of the University of Pennsylvania, in the
'winter of 1816. Here he continued only a few months. God
had other work for him than the pursuit of the healing art
—another and more important field to occupy—not the heal¬
ing of the maladies of the body, but the cure of souls. The
Master had need of him, and he sent Him into his vineyard.
He entered the Theological Seminary at Princeton, New
Jersey, in the spring of 1817, and received a certificate of
having completed the prescribed course in that Institution in
1820. He was a classmate, in the seminary, of Drs. Hodge,
Nevins and Post, and probably of Bishop Johns, of Virginia.
He was the intimate and strongly attached friend of the
gifted and lamented Sylvester Lamed, whose sun went down
so early in life, a victim of the climate of New Orleans.
*MSS. from Dr. Wilson.
99
100
HECRtJLOGY.
Soon after leaving the seminary, he received license to
preach the gospel from a Congregational Association in his
native State. Afterwards he spent some time in the State
of Kentucky as a missionary, and was a highly popular
young minister. Upon his return from this field of labor, he
determined to come South. He arrived in Georgia in the winter
or spring of 1820, and shortly thereafter connected himself
with the Presbytery of Georgia, and settled in Burke county.
His first field of labor in this State was at Waynesborough,
Burke county. He had been ordained before he came South,
probably by the Association which had licensed him. In the
spring of 1822, he joined the Presbytery of Hopewell on a
certificate from the Presbytery of Georgia, at Bethany, Green
county, Georgia. He subsequently had charge, as a tempo¬
rary supply, successively, of the Presbyterian Churches of
Madison, Morgan county, of Jackson, Butts county, ofMon-
ticellc, Jasper county, and for a time he labored statedly in
the Decatur Presbyterian Church, DeKalb county. About
this period he traveled extensively through the middle coun¬
ties of the State, and organized a number of Churches, some
as far west as the border counties on the Chattahoochee River.
He was an Evangelist m the full sense of the term. He
went everywhere preaching' the Word, and establishing
Churches. He cared not to build on another man's founda¬
tion, but preached the Word " in- the regions beyond." There
are very few Churches of our denomination in the central
and western part of the State, where his voice has not been
heard. He zealously and successfully labored for the exten¬
sion of the Church of Christ.
Presbyterianism had little more than- a nominal existence
in Georgia prior to the year 1820. There had existed a few
scattered Churches, here and there, for more than half a cen¬
tury. But they were few and far between. The Churches
of Augusta, Waynesborough, Washington, Bethany, Mount
Zion, Greensborough, New Hope, Thyatira, and a few other
REV. REMEMBRANCE CHAMBERLAIN. 101
organizations, which had a being rather nominal than real,
comprised most of the Presbyterian element in the State.
There were no Churches in Athens or Milledgeville. The
site of the city of Macon was a pine forest, and that of Co¬
lumbus an Indian old field around the Coweta Falls of the
Chattahoochee. There were no Churches in LaGrange,
Newnan or Decatur. The Church at Lawrenceville was or¬
ganized by Mr. Chamberlain in 1823. The great west of the
State was an unbroken forest—the home of the red man.
There were few ministers of our faith in the State. In 1819,
Dr. Waddel was called to the Presidency of Franklin Col¬
lege. At his" suggession, the trustees adopted a resolution
to educate, at the expense of the State, so far as college
expenses were concerned, such young men of any denomina¬
tion, having the gospel ministry in view, as should desire it.
Within three or four years thereafter several young men
entered the ministry of the Presbyterian Church. To our
brother Chamberlain, and a few others, who came into the
State about the same time, is to be attributed, under the bless¬
ing of God, the rise and extension of our Church within its
borders.
Brother Chamberlain was a wise counsellor, and an ener¬
getic pioneer. He never accepted a permanent pastorate,
or, in other words, was never installed the pastor of any
Church. He labored either as a stated supply, or as a
missionary evangelist, or as a financial agent, all his days.
His admirable financial and business talents soon pointed
him out as one highly qualified to take charge of the pecu¬
niary interests of the Church. There was much to be done
in this respect in Georgia at that time. The Domestic
Missionary work had to be organized and sustained, and
provision to be made for the education of young men for the
ministry. Much of this labor devolved upon him. There¬
fore, the greater part of his ministerial life was spent in
connection with these agencies. The Georgia Educational
102
NECROLOGY.
Society and the Georgia Missionary Society owed much of
their efficiency and success to his labors. He was for a time
the Agent of the Gwinnett Institute, a school for the educa¬
tion of young men.
But the great and last work of this kind, (and to which he
probably fell a martyr,) was the agency in behalf of Ogle¬
thorpe University. This institution, when transferred to
the care of the Synod, was found to be overwhelmed with a
crushing debt, from which, unless speedily relieved, it must
cease its existence under the hammer of the auctioneer. The
importance of maintaining a school for the education of our
young men under Presbyterian influence, was felt by all,
and by none more than our brother Chamberlain. He,
therefore, enlisted in an effort to relieve it, with all his heart
and soul. As the financial Agent of the College, he was
instrumental in securing a sum little less than one hundred
thousand dollars. Its creditors were numerous, and their
claims large. To his prudence and management was com¬
mitted, almost exclusively, the settlement with these creditors
the onerous debt which so weighed down its energies and
blighted its prospects. The collection of funds and the
arrangement of claims, called into exercise the most intense
efforts of both body and mind for several successive years.
It was a herculean task, indeed, to pay its debts, and at the
same time keep the institution in operation. There are few
who know the labor and anxiety it cost. Yet, with the
blessing of God, he accomplished it, and accomplished it well.
The President of the University has very justly remarked,
in a letter to his biographer, " His self-denying labors and
toils for Oglethorpe University will ever be highly appre¬
ciated. They were arduous and protracted, and oftentimes
given when his failing health seemed to justify his resting,
instead of laboring."
In the prosecution of this enterprise, he necessarily trav¬
eled extensively through South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia,
REV. REMEMBRANCE CHAMBERLAIN. 103
and Florida, and formed, perhaps, a larger personal acquain¬
tance with ministers and Churches than any other man in
his day. He was certainly one of the best judges of human
nature we ever knew. His intercourse with men seemed to
have given him an almost intuitive knowledge of the princi¬
ples and drift of men, at least in money matters.
At length, amid these toils, symptoms of apoplexy and
paralysis began to be developed, which admonished him to
resign the agency he had so long and successfully prosecuted.
He afterwards visited his native State, and attended the
sessions of the General Assembly of 1854 as a Commissioner
from Hopewell Presbytery. On returning to his home, he
began to set his house in order for his departure. He dis¬
posed of his wordly affairs, dividing his property between
his two sons, reserving only what he supposed would be a
competence for his support during his few remaining days.
Ho then retired to the quiet village of Decatur, where he
spent the little remnant of life among those who knew him,
and loved him much. From this period, disease made rapid
inroads on his constitution, and like a stern and inexorable
destroyer, marched on to the consummation of its purpose.
Repeated paroxisms utterly prostrated both mental and
physical powers, and we saw with sorrow that strong body
and active mind sink into utter imbecility. Months before
he expired, he was incapable of recognizing his most intimate
friends. He died early in March, 1856, in the sixty-eighth
year of his age, and about the thirty-sixth of his ministry.
He died without giving any external evidence that he was
conscious of his approaching end. But though gone from
earth, though the grave has gotten its victim, a voice from
heaven proclaims, "Blessed are the dead who die in the
Lord; they rest from their labors, and their works do follow*
them." His remains were carried to Jackson, Butts county,
and buried by the side of his wife, who had some years pre¬
ceded him to the grave.
104
NECROLOGY.
Mr. Chamberlain's wife was a Mrs. Matilda Peeples, of
Green county, Georgia. To him were born several children,
only two of whom survive him. He was many years some¬
what extensively engaged in planting in Jasper county, and
by economy and industry, accumulated a considerable
property.
A brief estimate of his character will close this short
memorial.
1. The first question that occurs is, "Was he a good
man ? " This we answer affirmatively. In the language of
the speaker at his funeral, we say, " The active and perse¬
vering labors of a tolerably long ministerial life attest the
fact. Possessing a worldly competence, and able to sustain
h'mself independent of all salaries and support from others,
yet he never sat down in indolence, or ceased to toil for the
good of others, and the general welfare of the community.
Though, as we have seen, in the last years of his life, suffer¬
ing from great bodily infirmities, yet he did not spare him¬
self. Though impressed with the conviction, for many years
before his decease, that his life would be suddenly terminated,
yet he did not relax his toils while strength remained. He
ever felt that he must work while the day lasted."
He had his infirmities and weaknesses in common with
other imperfectly sanctified Christians. But from a somewhat
intimate acquaintance of thirty-three years' standing, We
think we knew something of his Christian feelings and the
spirit of the inner man. Though he expected to be suddenly
cut off from his earthly attachments, yet he always spoke
with calmness and serenity of his approaching end, ever
expressing a firm conviction of his readiness to depart when¬
ever the Master called for him, and that it mattered little
when and where a Christian died, if his lamp was trimmed
and his light burning.
At what time and under what circumstances he became
hopefully pious, we have no means of ascertaining. Our
EEV. REMEMBRANCE CHAMBERLAIN. 105
impression is, that it was while a member of the College at
Middlebiiry. Naturally of an ardent temperament, he
rarely desponded, even in the darkest hour, but reposed with
unwavering confidence in the promises of a covenant-keeping
God. It would, indeed, have been a source of much conso¬
lation to his friends, had he been permitted a lucid interval
before his departure, that they might have learned his views
as he passed through the dark valley to his eternal state.
But this was denied them by that mysterious Providence
which impaired both mental and physical powers for so long
a time. Bat we know how he lived. As was appropriately
remarked in his funeral discourse, " His was a faith that
neither faltered nor stumbled. It neither soared above the
sight of mortals, nor did it ever sink into the slough of
Despond. It was equable and cheerful, holding on the even
tenor of its way."
2. Before disease had impaired his powers, he possessed
a peculiarly cheerful and mirthful temperament. He was
among the most social and companionable men with whom
we ever met. He. abounded in wit and humor. His presence
in our ecclesiastical meetings was ever hailed with pleasure.
His generous disposition and business tact always rendered
him a most acceptable member of our Church judicatories.
Who that has been in the habit of attending our Presbyteries
and Synods, does not remember how often a playful remark,
or a timely anecdote uttered by him, when members of these
bodies had become somewhat chaffed and excited in the ardor
of debate, acted as oil on the troubled waters ? Few men
possessed such a talent to calm and soothe, when agitation
and conflict threatened.
3. He was a man of more than ordinary ability. There
was nothing tame nor commonplace in his pulpit efforts. His
conceptions were generally original and sprightly. He was
never obscure. The department of labor to which most of
his life was devoted, did not demand special efforts as a
106
NECROLOGY.
preacher; but had his mind been more concentrated on the
composition and delivery of sermons, he would, doubtless,
have occupied a respectable position in this department of
labor. In one respect he was pre-eminently gifted, namely:
in hortatory appeals to Christian assemblies.
In the early settlement of Western Georgia, protracted
and camp-meetings were frequently held for the benefit of
the sparsely scattered population of this district. Brother
C. delighted to attend such convocations, and when there,
the part of the work usually assigned him was exhortation;
and to-day, there are thousands living in Georgia who will
readily attest the telling effect of these efforts on the audi¬
ences addressed.
He possessed a facility, more than any man we ever knew,
of seizing upon incidental occurrences, and bringing them to
bear at once on the judgments and consciences of men. Who
that was present can ever forget the mad-dog scene at the
Olney camp ground, in Jackson county, in August, 1830 ?
It was a calm Sabbath morning; all was still and solemn;
the venerable Dr. Waddel was preaching. In a moment, a
boy came running towards the assembly, shouting at the top
of his voice, "A mad-dog! a mad-dog!" The audience
(probably two thousand or more persons) rose as one man in
the utmost panic. Some sprang up the trees near them.
Mothers rushed towards the platform with their children,
begging the ministers to save them from the fury of the rabid
animal, supposed to be approaching. Mr. C. calmly remarked
to some one near him, " This is the devil's work, and I'll pay
him back." When it was ascertained to be a false alarm,
and the people again composed, and the sermon concluded,
he arose, and he did pay the devil back in a most solemn
and soul-stirring appeal, reminding the people that there was
a more dangerous beiftg on that ground than a mad-dog, and
yet they showed no fear of him; that fathers and mothers,
just now so anxious for the safety of their children, sat
REV. REMEMBRANCE CHAMBERLAIN.
107
unconcerned about their eternal welfare, when the devil, as a
roaring lion, was going about that camp ground, seeking to
devour them. The effect of his address was thrilling and
deeply impressive. On another occasion, at Fairview Church,
in Gwinnett county, in 1831, exhorting very earnestly the
importance of seeking an immediate interest in Christ, he
warned the people that death was ever near, and that he
knew not but that some one might be called that very moment
from that large assembly to his final account. As he uttered
these words, a man, sitting in the midst of the congregation,
sprang to his feet and instantly fell, struggling in a terrible
convulsion fit. He seized the incident in a moment, and
exclaimed, " I told you so ! " Men's countenances seemed
positively to gather blackness; they shuddered with dreadful
apprehension of the wrath of God about to fall upon them.
It sent a thrill of terror through the whole audience. He
used such occurrences with tremendous effect.
4. He was a sound Presbyterian. Few men amongst us
was more strongly attached to the doctrines and government
of our Church, or more readily detected the slightest depar¬
ture from its constitutional usages. This attachment origi¬
nated, not from the prejudices of early training, (for he was
reared in the midst of Congregationalism,) but from a thorough
conviction that her doctrines and polity were more scriptural,
and tended more to exalt the Saviour and humble the sinner,
than any other system. He believed that the polity of the
Presbyterian Church was derived from the Word of God,
and in its form and tendency was more orderly and conser¬
vative than any other, and better adapted to, and in harmony
with, our form of civil government. Yet he was by no means
so exclusive in his views that he could not rejoice in the
success of all other evangelical denominations. He possessed
the charity which "rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in
the truth."
108
NECROLOGY.
From Levi WiUard, a liuling Elder in (lie Decatur Church, dated
Decatur, June 27, 1864.
Brother Wilson:—You request me to give you ray views of the Rev.
R. Chamberlain as a minister, and to spend an hour or two in dotting
my recollections of him. I have been rubbing up memory, but cannot
bring to mind any very striking illustrations of his ministerial character.
All who have ever seen him at Presbytery or Synod, will recollect his
playful manner of trying to carry his point. All expected to hear some
sally of wit or humor as he rose, with sober face and pouting lip, to rap
the knuckles of some preceding speaker, dealing with opponents, how¬
ever, quite humorously. We might quote his language, but to put his
manner on paper would be impossible.
He was strictly orthodox, but not much of a controversialist. He
would give an exhortation at a Methodist camp-meeting, if requested to
do so. He sometimes preached on the mode of baptism. One objection
he urged against immersion, was its inapplicability to all subjects, all
seasons, all regions. " Why," said he, " were you to baptize subjects by
immersion in the winter of the frigid zones, they would come out frozen
stiff as stakes."
As a missionary or pioneer, he rendered great service to Presbyterian-
ism. An impression may have obtained that he was avaricious, or, at
least, worldly-minded; but when first married, he thought himself justi¬
fiable in making exertions to clear the estate of debt and consequent
embarrassmeut, for, said he, "My wife had quite a pretty little property,
but there was quite a pretty little debt hanging over it."
Hate in life he visited his native Vermont. But he heard so much
about the negro, and how to dispose of him, that he had but little inter¬
course with the people, and an opportunity presenting itself he returned
to Georgia to die. He now lies buried beside his wife, in a garden for¬
merly owned by himself in Jackson, Butts county.
I would not compare him to Eli, though he may have been a very
indulgent father, neither restraining his sons within proper bounds, nor
permitting others to do so. His piety was not of the type of good old Dr.
John Brown, formerly of Fort.Gaines, lor in the presence of Dr. B. you
felt that a holy man was near.
As a preacher, I thought him too fond of the marvelous; especially in
his anecdotes embodied in his exhortations. In the latter part of his life
he did not like to preach—exhortation being his particular hobby.
He was a zealous agent for Oglethorpe University; and was what few
ministers are, a close collector for himself. I presume he thought he gave
a liberal share of his liberal salary to Oglethorpe.
In presenting ten dollars to the Vermont preacher of his native place,
he desired him to know that it was not negro money, as it came to him
some other way.
I expected to fail, and I have failed, so I quit.
Very cordially, LEVI WILLARD.
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D.D.*
The subject of this notice was born in Brattleborough, in
the State of "Vermont, 9th of April, in the year 1793. His
father, Mr. Reuben Church, was a soldier in the Revolution¬
ary war, and near its close held a commission from the State
of New York as first Lieutenant of Captain Artemas How's
Company in the Regiment of Militia in Cumberland county,
whereof Timothy Church, Esquire, was Lieutenant Colonel,
commandant. He had previously been commissioned, and
served as ensign in another regiment from Vermont.' In
consequence of these services, he was entitled to a pension
from the Government, which he enjoyed to the end of his life.
Dr. Church was one of seven grown children: Alonzo,
Elizabeth, Abigal, Elvira, Rebecca, Jonathan W. and Reuben,
and was the only surviving, son at his father's death, which
did not occur unil 1834, having exceeded the usual period
allotted to man on earth.
His father is styled " Gentleman" in his military com¬
mission, and so styled himself in his last will and testament.
Dr. Church received his literary education at Middlebury
College, in the State of Vermont, where he graduated in his
twentieth year; and being threatened with lung complaint,
soon after his graduation he sought a Southern climate, more
congenial with his weak lungs, and settled in Eatonton, in
the county of Putnam, in the State of Georgia, in 1816. He
became the Rector of the Academy in that town, where he
very soon built tip a flourishing institution. of learning; and
from which he was transferred in a few years to the State
University, as Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy.
Dr. Moses Waddel was about the same time elected President,
*MSS. W. L. Mitchell, Esq.
109
110
NECROLOGY.
"which position he filled for ten years with great benefit to the
public, and with extending reputation. During this decade
such was the impression made upon the Board of Trustees by
the young Professor, as well as upon the classes that had
passed successively under his training, and upon the public
generally, that upon the retirement of Dr. Waddel in 1829,
he was unanimously nominated to the Senatus Academicus as
the proper person to fill the vacancy, and unanimously con¬
firmed by that body, composed of the Trustees of the Uni¬
versity and the Senators of the State.
This post Dr. Church filled for thirty years with great
fidelity, and with untiring zeal in the discharge of his arduous
duties, having always an unselfish eye to the interests of the
College, from which he retired at the close of the year 1859,
having preserved his connection with the Institution just
forty years. He received his Doctorate from his Alma Mater
in compliment to his elevation as President of the University.
How well he succeeded as President may be inferred from
a few facts and considerations, And first of all, it may be
said of him, that such was his prudence and skill in the man¬
agement of young men that he never had a rebellion, and
there was never an interregnum of any class during his whole
term of service, which is a rare instance in the history of
colleges in this country.
But in the next place, we can judge of his competency by
the actual result of his labors. For during his first decade,
from 1829 to 1839, he graduated 186; during his second
decade, from 1839 to 1849, he graduated 223 alumni; and
during his third decade, from 1849 to 1859, he graduated
240 alumni; showing each decade was an improvement upon
its predecessor. Dr. Waddel's decade yielded only 162
alumni, and the whole period from 1801, when the College
first went into operation, to 1819, yielded only 70 alumni.
Now this success of Dr.^Church is the result of the confidence
which he had even from 'the public, and is not to be attribu-
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
Ill
ted solely to the increase of wealth and population. For
during this period, and during the last fifteen years, there
were three strong denominational colleges struggling for stu¬
dents, and to his personal merits as a manager of college boys
we must attribute his great success to the last. For it is to'
he noticed, to his credit, that each decade was an improvement
upon the succeeding one.
But in estimating his services as President, we must not
limit them to the graduates, for many other students attended
the Institution and received their education under him, who
falling short of the degree of Batchelor of Arts, nevertheless
obtained a considerable fund of science and classical learning,
and exerted a good influence on the public mind and morals.
These all left feeling the influence of a ripe scholar, an earnest
teacher, a well-bred, courteous gentleman, and a pious minis¬
ter of the gospel.
But there are other results of Dr. Church's influence and
zeal in behalf of the University of the State, which must be
considered monuments of his fitness for his important station.
And among them, in order of time, is, first, the splendid dona¬
tion of the British Government to the Library of the Uni¬
versity, of more than ninety large volumes, commencing
early in the history of England, and embracing the most
important annals of their legislation, their jurisprudence, and
other very important features of their political economy.
They contain a rich mine of authentic material for history
and political science in general, including Doomsday-Book,
and the Statutes at Large. Now, this very handsome dona¬
tion was the result of Dr. Church's influence with Mr. 0. Rich,
an extensive bookseller of London, who had influence with
the Government, and who designated the institution over
whicb Dr. Church presided, as one of the twenty Libraries
in America to be selected for the purpose of depositing these
costly and rare books. They are well worth a visit to Athens
by any .gentleman who wishes to look into the very founda-
112
NECROLOGY.
tion of the law, and to study its progress as developed by
English legislation.
The next item adduced i3 this:
That in the year 1837, in his annual communication to the
Board of Trustees, he urged upon that body the importance
of taking steps to procure the Colonial History of Georgia;
and though the Board, from their limited means, were unable
to undertake the enterprise, they recommended him, in his
annual communication to the Senatus Academicus, to bring
the subject before that body, and thus, through the Senatus
Academicus, to get it before the Legislature. This was
done, and the result was, that Charles Wallace Howard, Esq.,
was dispatched to London by Governor Gilmer, under leg¬
islative action, to procure copies of such documents as would
elucidate the Colonial History of Georgia. Mr. Howard, in
due time, deposited at the State Capital some twenty volumes
of copies of Colonial records, the value and nature of which
have never been published to the people, but which may be
of service in the hands of a competent historian who is yet to
arise in our State. At any rate, Dr. Church first pointed
out the field of research, and by his wise and earnest sugges¬
tions, prevailed so far as to secure legislative action. If the
results have not yet been fully realized, they may be at some
future day.
The following facts and extracts from the Minutes of the
Board of Trustees, may serve to show in what estimation he
was held by that distinguished body of men.
In 1842, upon a re-organization of the College Faculty,
rendered necessary in consequence of the withdrawal of the
appropriation of six thousand dollars by the Legislature,
Dr. Church was re-elected President without a dissenting
vote. In the following year, (1843,) at the Annual Com¬
mencement, James Camak introduced the following preamble
and resolution, which was agreed to nem. cm.:
" The faithful discharge of hia duties by the President,
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
113
Dr. Church, for a long series of years, having impaired his
health:
"Resolved, unanimously, That he have leave of absence
from the duties of his station until the commencement of the
exercises in January next, for the purpose of endeavoring to
restore his health."
Under this action of the Board, Dr. Church made a visit
to the North, taking his wife with him, and returned much
benefitted as to health.
Again, in 1848, at the annual commencement, on motion
of Bishop Elliott, It was "Resolved, That the President of
the College, in consideration of the feeble state of his health,
be permitted to take relaxation from his labors for the
remainder of the present term.
" That, as a slight token of the value which the Board
places upon the long devoted and meritorious services of the
President, the sum of five hundred dollars be appropriated
for the use of the President during his absence."
Under this action, he visited Florida, and returned con¬
siderably improved in health.
On motion of Mr. Mitchell, jn 1850, "Resolved, That the
President of the College be requested to depart from his
usual custom of procuring some distinguished minister of the
gospel to preach the commencement sermon, so far as to
deliver that sermon himself at the annual commencement,
(1851,) in view of the semi-centenary determined on by the
Alumni Society." This duty Dr. Church performed to the
great gratification of the largest number of alumni and
friends of the College ever assembled in Athens. Over
three hundred alumni and others sat down to the public
dinner served up at the Town Hall.
The following extracts will show his wisdom in College
affairs:
In one of his annual messages, he says, " I consider much
legislation as to the rules of conduct in College, injurious.
8
114
NECROLOGY.
Young professors are very apt to discover defects in laws
and rules of conduct, and in their zeal .and wisdom, too often
legislate to the injury, rather than the advantage of the
institution. I believe a few general rules are better than a
large number of specific enactments. Students should be
required to conduct themselves in an orderly and gentlemanly
manner, and attend to their collegiate duties industriously
during assigned hours, and the Faculty should be the judges
of what is proper conduct and reasonable study."
In the same message we find the following sound views:
" The Board will pardon me for saying, that mere science
will not qualify a man for a professorship. He may be
eminent for his attainments, and felicitous in his ability to
teach, and yet be a curse to the institution. There must be
moral and social qualifications, as well as literary and scien¬
tific. No man who has not been long and intimately con¬
nected with an institution of this kind as an instructor, can
estimate the influence for good or for ill which a professor
exerts, apart from his daily instructions in science. His
temper and disposition will win or disgust the student—will
promote peace and harmony, or jarring and discord in the
Faculty. To be a successful teacher, a man must be well
acquainted with human nature—must be able to meet the
foibles and weaknesses and errors of youth with patient
kindness, yet with wise and firm decision. Every professor
ought to consider the advancement of the interests of the
College his first and highest duty. Unless willing to devote
his time and labor, and ease, if necessary, to promote its
highest prosperity, he cannot successfully accomplish the
purpose for which he has been placed in office. But above
all, I am constrained to say, that an indispensable qualifica¬
tion to make the perfect teacher, is piety, I do not mean
that he should be a mere professor of religion—a member of
some Christian church. A man may, and not unfrequently
does, make the worst professor for being a member of a
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
115
church. The man whose life is inconsistent with his Chris¬
tian profession, leads students to despise him, and to regard
true religion with indifference, and often to treat it with
disrespect."
Such was the noble testimony he delivered to the distin¬
guished gentlemen of the Board, in behalf of the religion he
preached. He was himself a fine sample of the very doctrine
he taught, for no man was ever more unselfishly devoted to
the interests of any literary institution than Dr. Church was
to Franklin College.
His economy in the expenditure of small items, and in
saving where others would have been careless or indifferent,
was highly commendable. As an illustration of this, it may
be stated, that from eighty to one hundred dollars were annu¬
ally expended in white-washing, mending plastering, repairing
fire-places and hearths, setting glass, &c., &c., which he
reduced to ten or twelve dollars per annum, by the agency of
the College servants, under his personal direction. In this
way during his administration he saved the College hundreds
of dollars.
As Dr. Church advanced in age, like all men of decided
character and fixed principles, he met with opposition, and
had many severe conflicts, but was always sustained by the
Board.
In illustration of this, reference may be made to his troubles
in 1856, without going into any unnecessary detail, jand
without any desire to call up unpleasant reminicenses. In
that year the difficulties in tho Faculty became so serious, and
the effects upon the students so disastrous, that the Board of
Trustees were constrained to adopt the following resolutions:
"Resolved, That if evidences of insubordination on the
part of students of the College, such as have for some time
past been exhibited, shall continue, and the Faculty fail to
enforce rigidly the laws of the University, regulating the
conduct of students, the Prudential Committee are hereby
116
NECROLOGY.
instructed to call a meeting of the Board of Trustees to take
the subject into consideration, and apply the remedy as the
exigency may require."
"Resolved, That the Trustees view with deep mortification
and uneasiness the discord and dissentions that have for some
time past existed among the members of the Faculty; that
as a continuance of such a feeling will be fatal to the best
interests of the College, it becomes their imperative duty to
arrest it; that unwilling to resort to extreme measures, while
there is a hope that milder measures may be efficacious, and
entertaining a sincere respect for the character and intelli¬
gence of the Faculty, the Trustees earnestly appeal to them
to bury in oblivion past differences, and to cordially unite in
earnest co-operation for the promotion of the high interests
entrusted to their guardianship."
At this meeting of the Board, Br. Church in order to do
all in his power to relieve the Board from any embarrass¬
ment, sent in his written notice of intention to resign the
office of President at the close of the civil year. Whereupon,
Gov. Gilmer moved the following resolution:
"Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to
wait upon Br. Church for the purpose of ascertaining whether
he can be induced to withdraw the same."
The committee consisted of Messrs. Gilmer, Hillyer and
J. H. Cooper.
On motion of Br. Reese,
"Resolved, That the committee above named be instructed
to express to Br. Church tho unanimous regret of the Board
at the step he has taken."
Notwithstanding these decided manifestations of confidence
on the part of the Board, Br. Church declined to withdraw
his notice of resignation. In fact, he had long sighed for the
repose and quiet of retired life, and moreover had a strong
desire to spend a few years before his death wholly in preach¬
ing the gospel to the poor, in imitation to his Bivine Master.
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
117
This was with him a very strong feeling, for his feeble state
of health for many years had rendered him unable to per¬
form the duties of his office and at the same time to do much
in preaching. But he must speak for himself. In his annual
communication to the Trustees, at the same session, he says:
" If the State College ever rise to that dignity which it
ought to attain, it must, I repeat it, have young rtien to edu¬
cate; and if it is to contend merely for numbers, with so
many sectarian and private institutions as exist in the State,
it must ultimately raise its standard much higher than these
institutions, or the contest will be too unequal for a hope of
success, even in this respect, or with respect to the'grand
object for which it was established. If it desire the patron¬
age of numbers, that patronage must be secured by the
attainments of its alumni. If it ultimately acquire the pat¬
ronage of the Legislature, it must be secured in the same
manner. It may require time and patience to secure these
objects—it will require wisdom and caution in bringing about
a change in public opinion without temporarily paralysing
the College—but they may, &nd I doubt not will be secured,
if the friends of education faint not, and if the Faculty of
your College will act with cautious prudence, which they will
much need.
These objects, however, cannot be secured without officers
well qualified to instruct, and at the same time capable and
willing to control. In such an institution, a uniform, ener¬
getic,', and wise system of discipline, is indispensable to
success. Even young men, to say nothing of mere youths,
assembled in considerable numbers, apart from friends, and
in a great measure excluded from society, must have the
careful and judicious and constant supervision and restraints
of their instructors, or idleness and dissipation will ensue.
And officers capable of controlling young men under such
circumstances must be well acquainted with human nature.
They must be kind and affable, yet firm and fearless,' and
118
NECROLOGY.
faithful in the discharge of police duties, in enforcing moral
and religious and industrial discipline. Without qualifications
to discharge these duties relating to the good government of
a college, mere literary and scientific attainments will he
comparatively valueless. Nor can the discipline of a college
he sustained hy a part of its officers. To effect this the
Faculty must he a unit as to all important measures, and
especially a unit before the public and in the apprehension of
the students. Aptness and ability to teach are important,
essential to the professor, hut they are not half the essential
qualifications for eminent success. Without the confidence
and respect of his pupils, his efforts will never avail. If he
cannot inspire them with a love for knowledge, and stimulate
them to make proper exertions to acquire it, his success will
he small indeed. You cannot force young men to listen with
profit to the teachings, or submit with patience to the control
of those whom they do not respect. Temporary prejudices
may he overcome, and occasional dislikes will arise without
reasonable causes, and he removed when the occasions which
produce them have passed ; but long and settled dislike will
he transmitted, and increase and spread disorder and insub¬
ordination in spite of all the efforts of those who may he
respected, and even he loved. The successful teacher must
he more than a mere hireling. While the teacher is employed
jn one of the most useful professions, and his talents should
he rewarded equally with those of other professions possessing
similar attainments and performing equal labor, it will he
found invariably true that the man who teaches merely for
his salary, and whose service? are ever seeking a better mar¬
ket, will never raise high the reputation or largely increase
the usefulness of an institution of learning. And here, I
would observe, that our system of tutorships is obnoxious to
serious objections. We have two of these officers who are
had temporarily here, so far as their own interest is concern¬
ed, simply for the salary. They are almost necessarily
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
119
young men. They have no wish or expectation of long re¬
maining connected with the College. They have little or no
experience either in teaching or governing young men, and
their services as teachers, unless we have a larger number of
students than have ever been in attendance at one time, ought
not to be greatly needed. With a Professor in the house
occupied by Dr. LeConte, no serious disturbance or riotous
conduct could exist without his knowledge; and with Profes¬
sors occupying the south side of the College buildings, the
same would be true. That the discipline of the College for
five or six years has not been efficient is too true. That there
have, been causes in operation which have been constantly
aggravating the evil, I have heretofore intimated to the Board,
and for these intimations have received no small measure of
abuse from some with whom I have been associated. I think
the subject requires the immediate attention of the Board,
and the application of such remedies, if such can be devised,
as will arrest the evil. It is doubtless the opinion of some
that the College has suffered during the last two years in
consequence of the resignation of two Professors, and the
subsequent newspaper controversies growing out of these
resignations. With these subjects the Board, I apprehend,
and especially the Prudential Committee, are well acquainted.
With the latter I have had nothing to do, except to read the
various essays unsparingly abusive of myself, and grossly
false respecting the College. And so far as I have been
personally concerned with the former, I have acted, as I then
thought and still think, primarily and principally in defense
of the College; and I cannot doubt that the consequences
would have been much worse had not the course pursued, or
some similar one, been adopted. In this matter, as in every
other since my connection with the Institution, I am conscious
of having had for my first object and highest efforts the pros¬
perity of Franklin College. The efforts have been feeble, but
they have been honest, and if my enemies, in endeavoring to rob
120
NECROLOGY.
me of a reputation for honesty and zeal, have felt themselves
at liberty to endeavor to injure the Institution, Intrust I shall
not be considered as having transcended the limits of official
propriety in attempting to defend myself, so far at least as
my pwn defence involved the defence of the College. Farther
than this I believe I have not gone, and I leave the subject
to the judgment of those to whom I have been responsible."
The vindication of Dr. Church by the Board has already
been recorded, and his vindication before the Senatus Aca-
demicus and the country was equally flattering. He was
triumphantly re-elected President, and induced to remain at
his post for a few years longer, which he consented to do;
notwithstanding his feeble health and increasing age.
As evidence of the soundness of his judgment and the wis¬
dom of his counsels, which were adopted by the Board, and
• carried out as far as they could do so by their legislation and
their choice of proper professors, as early after these troubles
as 1858, the Committee on Laws and Discipline say in their
report, which was adopted, that
" Such is the healthful conditipn of the College that no
action is needed on the part of the Board so far as the exe¬
cution of laws and enforcement of discipline are concerned.
Harmony prevails among the Faculty, a cheerful obedience
to all obligations characterizes the conduct of the students.
Indeed, we have no hesitation in saying, that a more consci¬
entious, indefatigable and efficient corps of teachers, or a
better set of young men, are not to be found in any similar
Institution in the country. The consequence is a marked
advancement in the standard of scholarship throughout all
the classes. As an illustration of this fact, we will mention
that had the number of speakers in the Junior Class been
limited as usual to ten, an average of 95 in his studies, 100
being the highest grade, would not have entitled a member
to a speaker's place."
So impressed was the Board with the great improvement
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
121
above described, that it ordered tbe same to be published for
general information, and tbe gratification of the friends of
the College.
Notwithstanding this success, Dr. Church says in his com¬
munication to the Board, at Milledgeville, in November of
this year, "I now inform the Board, as I shall to-morrow
the Senatus Academicus, that I shall retire from my connec¬
tion with the College at the end of the ensuing year."
And so with the year 1859, his life-long labors as a teacher of
youth ended. The Board of Trustees at their first meeting
thereafter, in July, 1860, ordered the following testimonial
to be entered on their minutes: " Dr. Church, whose long
and faithful services entitle him to the lasting gratitude of
the State, having resigned the Presidency of the University
of Georgia, and this being the first meeting since his connec¬
tion with the College has ceased, the Board of Trustees take
great pleasure in testifying to his fidelity and zeal in behalf
of the cause of learning; and in further testimony of their
appreciation of his character, do respectfully , invite him to
take a seat on the stage in the College Chapel during the
public exercises of this and each ensuing Commencement
during his life."
In the year 1859, he made preparation to move from the
dwelling appropriated to the head of the College, to a small
farm adjoining the town of Athens, on which he settled at the
close of the year, or early in 1860, and where he spent the
last two and a half years of his life, his death occurring on
the 18th day of May, 1862, being the Lord's day.
The Rev. Andrew A. Lipscomb, D.D., the Chancellor of
the University, and the successor of President Church, an¬
nounced his death to the Board at the annual meeting in July,
1862, as follows: " Since your last meeting it has pleased
the Providence oi; Almighty God to remove from our midst
the Rev. Dr. Church, formerly President of the University.
A large part of his life was spent in your service, and the
122
NECROLOGY.
lofty integrity of that life, its constant earnestness and inflex¬
ible devotion, are imperishable portions of the Institution
committed to your care." During that session the Board
past the following resolutions:
" In view of a recent dispensation of Providence,
Resolved, That we sympathize with the people of our State,
and especially with his bereaved family, in the demise of Dr.
Alonzo Church, late President of the University, and faith¬
fully devoted, during many years, to its prosperity and use¬
fulness.
Resolved further, That the best portrait that can be
obtained of Dr. Church be procured by the Prudential Com¬
mittee, and suspended in the Library Room."
This duty has been attended to, and the portrait can now
be seen in the elegant Library Room, so beautifully fitted up
by Chancellor Lipscomb. The portrait is the work of a
highly accomplished artist, Mr. Charles P. Weigandt, who,
for his taste and genius in art, has been created Professor of
Art in the University by the Chancellor. This portrait of
Dr. Church will be gazed at with melancholy pleasure by
many a student of old Franklin.
Some incidents are now added to illustrate the character of
Dr. Church still further.
When the four-story College, occupied as a dormitory, was
consumed by fire in 1830, soon after Dr. Church's accession
to the Presidency, destroying the Library and most of the
furniture of the students occupying the building, Dr. Church
assembled the Faculty between midnight and day, and took
steps to have every parent and guardian having sons and
wards at the Institution properly advised of their personal
safety, so that the news of the fire could not be received
before the news of their safety. He at once dismissed the
College and repaired to Milledgeville to canvass the Legisla¬
ture then soon to assemble; and, in conjunction with the
friends of the Institution from all parts of the State, succeeded
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
123
in placing the College on a better footing. The Legislature
voted funds to purchase a Library, to rebuild the burnt edi¬
fice, and to found additional professorships.
He selected the books in person, and laid the foundation
of that admirable Library which now enriches the alcoves of
the beautiful room to which allusion has been made. He also
year after year, urged upon the Board the importance of
building houses for the Professors, so as to be within conven¬
ient distance for police purposes; and, finally, as soon as the
funds would warrant it, prevailed upon the Board to under¬
take the enterprise which eventuated in the erection of five
comfortable mansions for the President and four of the Pro¬
fessors. It was also in pursuance of his urgent and repeated
importunity that a boarding house was erected, as well as the
new Library building.
Besides these important achievements, it must not be for¬
gotten that he was a most laborious teacher, not only attend¬
ing to his own peculiar studies, but in the course of his long
services, supplying the places of every Professor—when
vacancies happened, and temporary absences occurred from
sickness or otherwise—so as to keep the classes from loss by
such events, except in the chairs of Experimental Philosophy
and the Natural Sciences. He was a good classical scholar,
mathematician and astronomer. Political Economy, Law of
Nations, Moral and Mental Philosophy and Logic were his
peculiar branches, and he sometimes taught Belles Lettres,
Criticism, and kindred branches. He often acted as Libra¬
rian, a most laborious post, and besides these labors acted also
as inspector of buildings and superintended the repairs.
Amid all these labors, enough for three men, his health was
often so poor as to render him unfit for the lightest of them>
and yet he persevered and struggled on to old age with a zeal
and fidelity which richly deserved the success which crowned
his efforts.
It will be seen at once that but little time was left Dr.
124
NECROLOGY.
Church for the exercise of his sacred functions outside the
College campus. t Yet he loved the work of the ministry.
He preached at a number of small and humble Churches with
great acceptance. Among these may be mentioned Ebenezer,
in the county of Clarke, of which old uncle Ben. McRea was
the Ruling Elder, and which was dissolved by Hopewell Pres¬
bytery after the old gentleman's death ; also, at Sandy Creek
in 'the county of Morgan, and Sandy Creek in the county of
Jackson, Danielsville in the county of Madison, and Union
Church, a colored congregation, four miles above Athens,
which was dedicated by him. The worshippers in all these
humble congregations ever manifested a warm attachment to
the Doctor. He often officiated for Dr. Hoyt, the venerated
pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Athens, and especially
aided him on Communion seasons and at Prayer meetings,
when his efforts were very happy and edifying.
In the great controversy of 1837 and '38, between the Old
and New School Presbyterians, he was a firm advocate of the
Old School party, and probably did as much or more than
any other minister in his Presbytery to prevent distraction.
He visited many' of the destitute Churches, and influenced
them to send their Elders to Presbytery, so as to control the
vote for the Old School side upon the great questions in con¬
troversy. And it was confessedly the vote of the Ruling
Elders of Hopewell Presbytery that saved it from much dis¬
traction, and this vote was the direct result of Dr. Church's
labors and influence with the weak Churches which he had
served mere or less for years ; for he served not only those
above named but others of like character, and they all voted
with him. The vote of the Ruling Elders in Hopewell
Presbytery during those exciting times was nearly or quite a
unit, and all for the Old School side.
In 1831, while the workmen were engaged in undermining
one of the walls of the burnt College, which it will be remem¬
bered was four-stories high, & young man was lying on the
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
125
grass, at a safe distance from the wall as lie supposed,^watch¬
ing the progress of the work, when it suddenly fell and
crushed him to death. The shock upon the Faculty and
students can be better imagined than described. The realities
of eternity seemed to be impressed upon every heart, and the
necessity of immediate preparation for death was felt by all;
and that evening at Chapel prayers, President Church, with
deep solemnity and unearthly look, which all present must
remember, opened the Holy Bible, and, with a voice as from
the grave, read: " There were present at that season some
that told him of the Gallileans whose blood mingled with their
sacrifices. And Jesus answering, said unto them, suppose
ye that these Gallileans were sinners above all the Gallileans,
because they suffered such things ? I tell you, nay, but
except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those
eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them;
think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in
Jerusalem ? I tell you, nay, but except ye repent ye shall
all likewise perish." And he closed the book, and in a few
awfully solemn words applied the subject, and poured out his
soul in prayer to God for the conversion of the students ; and
then began a revival in the College which resulted in the
conversion of a large number of the students and many per¬
sons in the town. And yet in this and other revivals with
which the College was blessed during his long connection
with it, he was never known in any instance to try in any
degree to influence any student to become a member of his
own denomination. If the student only embraced the Saviour
the President was satisfied, and left him to his own Church
preferences.
When he dedicated Union Church, before alluded to, there
was a very large attendance of negroes of the Baptist and
Methodist persuasions, and among them several colored
preachers. The communion was administered by him, and it
was a remarkable fact, worthy of record, that these humble
126
NECROLOGY.
servants, with a single exception, and that not of the preach¬
ers, all sat down to our Lord's table, and partook of the
elements, distributed by General Thomas R. R. Cobb and
another Elder, with great propriety and real Christian fellow¬
ship. It was, indeed, a communion of saints.
In 1860, Dr. Church was sent as a Commissioner from
Hopewell Presbytery to the General Assembly which met
that year in Rochester, New York. There had existed for
some time a colony of French Catholics at St. Ann, in the
State of Illinois, under the guidance and religious training
of Father Chiniquy, a Catholic Priest. Appeals had been
made from time to time in behalf of this colony, represented
to be in a starving condition, and a committee had been
organized in New York to receive and manage the contribu¬
tions of the benevolent. The colony was visited by ministers
of different denominations, and described to be a pious and
Christian people, and Father Chiniquy was pronounced a
true minister of Christ, in the Protestant sense of that term.
Soon the question began to excite some quiet interest as to
what Protestant denomination the poor people would attach
themselves, as it was evident they could not remain in the
Romish Church. It was even said that efforts were made to
proselyte them by one denomination at the North; but whether
so or not, it was known that the Presbyterian Church did in
no way attempt to influence their decision. And yet in due
time, and prior to the meeting of the General Assembly at
Rochester, in May, 1860, Father Chiniquy and his people
deliberately, and of their own accord, and after scriptural
examinatien of the creed of different Churches, declared in
favor of the Old School Presbyterians, and attached them¬
selves to our Church. Their necessities were still as great as
ever. Rut as soon as this step was taken, the supplies which
had been liberally contributed, especially by the Episcopalians
of the North, were withheld, and the poor colonists turned
over to our people, principally, for the means of keeping from
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
127
starvation. It was in this juncture of affairs that the Roches¬
ter Assembly met, and among the urgent calls upon that
Assembly was the one from St. Ann. After a careful exami¬
nation into their case, and being satisfied of their sincere
devotion to Christ and his Kingdom, the Assembly resolved
to aid them. As no time was to be lost, each minister was
called upon to say how much he would pledge himself to raise,
upon his return home, and transmit it with as little delay as
possible for the relief of these suffering people. Dr. Church
pledged himself for one hundred dollars; and upon his
returning to Athens requested to occupy Dr. Hoyt'S pulpit
for the purpose of bringing the subject before the congregation,
which he did with real zeal and animation, after his sermon was
delivered on the subject of Christian Benevolence. Now
Providence so ordered it, that on the Saturday before the
effort of Dr. Church, two gentlemen of the legal profession
had terminated a long, laborious and difficult arbitration, for
which service each had received a fee of five hundred dollars;
and as the Doctor urged his case with warmth, each of these
lawyers said within himself, the Doctor's pledge must be
redeemed, and we must furnish him the means, as it will just
be a tythe of our fees in the arbitration case. As soon as
the benediction was pronounced, they met in the aisle, com¬
pared notes, and agreed to contribute the amount of the
pledge. But they were not the only persons interested in
this work, as many others made contributions, not only of
the Presbyterians but also of the Methodist Church in Athens
and its vicinity. His success was greater than any other
minister of the Rochester Assembly, as will appear from the
following letter:
Chicago, July 24th, 1860.
Rev. Dr. Church—My Dear Sir: Yours of the 18th, enclosing check
for $204, in redemption of your pledge for $100, came to hand to-day.
You will be glad to learn that you are not the only one who has redeemed
the pledge made at Rochester; though I believe you are the only one
who has gone above double. 1 am happy to be allowed to inform you
128
NECROLOGY.
that the people are sharing in the wonderful blessings of crops in harvest
and in prospect, which make this whole country such a charming marvel
to see at this time. Last Thursday they observed as a day of thanks¬
giving at St. Ann, and I am informed had a very interesting time.
We have almost ceased to distribute food, except in special cases. We
are now trying to press forward arrangements for meeting the demands
of the spiritual work among them, and are beginning its difficulties and
the mischief that unscrupulous proselyters may do. Mr. Chiniquy
leaves for Europe this week, by special invitation from Scotland, to
attend the tri-centenary commemoration of the Great Reformation, they
bearing the expenses of the trip. We trust that the cause here will go on
by the aid of others, one of whom, young Monad, has been among the
people all summer, and we trust will take charge of the High School this
fall. I go down in the morning to see about matters.
Very truly yours,
W. M. SCOTT.
While contemplating Dr. Church's ministerial character
jjlncf labors, it is pleasant to know that he had evidences like
tlfe following. A young gentleman of Alabama, pursuing
tike study of the law, and who had graduated at the Univer¬
sity, .writes thus:
Old Friend—This is to inform you that a change has come
overthe spirit of my dreams—that I have changed my habits of life—in
short, that I have made a profession of the Christian religion. 1 write
you because whenever any great change takes place in mind or body, I
immediately look for the prime cause; and having examined this, have
come to the conclusion that your kind advice, and the interest manifested
in me by some of your family, had much to do in bringing about such a
result
His liberality and disinterested hospitality were proverbial.
Although he might have accumulated a handsome estate, he
saved barely sufficient to make his retirement comfortable,
and his old age easy. In addition to a few servants and a
small farm, he had a pecuniary income of about twelve hun¬
dred dollars, which sufficed for his simple wants. He had a
private library of great value for its theological works, which
afforded him occupation and pleasure in his leisure moments.
He had for years contemplated writing the history of the
University of Georgia, but the necessary duties incident to
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
129
his new settlement on the farm, and the loss of his accom¬
plished wife, interfered so seriously with this plan as to
render it impracticable immediately after his retirement from
the College. And then the war put an end to all his means
of collecting materials for such a history.
His incessant labors in the College and his feeble health
prevented him from cultivating authorship to any great
extent. His principal publication is an octavo pamphlet of
forty pages on the subject of education in Georgia, entitled,
"A Discourse delivered before the Georgia Historical Society,,
on the occasion of its Sixth Anniversary, on Wednesday, the
12th February, 1845," in the city of Savannah. This dis¬
course, as indeed all his official communications, show that
he possessed an elevated style, a clear perception, a sound
judgment, and an earnest logic, while it manifests that noble
love of fame so strong in the breast of man. Let a single
quotation suffice as an illustration :
" In looking"at the relations we sustain to our fellow-men,
we find that they do not connect us with the present day
alwj^, J>ut also with the past and the future. To many who-
hajre prSc.q4fid us, we are under peculiar obligations—obliga-
tioiqs^h&ky'cannot be disregarded without failing in duty,
not to^$'em |}pn^bu£. to present and future generations.
The names ^qodFn|en who have gone to the grave—men
who have *d6vote<hj(fieir lives to the happiness of their fellow-
men, should be rescued from oblivion. Their virtuous deeds
should be held up"to*fhe view, and for the imitation of all. This
duty, ever binding upon the members of*society, is felt only
by the few, and but seldom discharged by apy. And even
the few that attempt in any degree to discharge their duty to
those who have preceded them, have confined their efforts
almost exclusively to those who have been pre-eminent in-
wisdom and virtue. That distinguished men should be re-v,
membered with merited honor, all will at once acknowledge*
and most will occasionally render them the tribute of just
9
130
NECROLOGY,
praise. But such men will be honored—they need not our
efforts to secure for them the just meed of fame. But there
are many others to whom we are greatly indebted, whose
names and whose virtues will be unknown to future ages,
unless rescued from oblivion by speedy exertions. Men have
ever been too indifferent to the merits of humble virtue ; 'and
especially have they been too remiss in seizing upon that strong
passion in the human heart, the love of posthumous praise.
Every man wishes to be known to succeeding ages. Every
man desires that his name may stand upon the chronicles of
the country, that he may in some degree be considered a
benefactor of his fellow-men. And a hope that this desire
will be gratified will incite to virtue—will restrain from vice.
We owe it then to the dead—we owe it to the living—we owe
it to the good of succeeding generations, and especially to
the welfare of society, to rescue from oblivion the good deeds
of those who, though they may not have been most conspicu¬
ous among their fellow-men, have still rendered some service
to their country—have still been benefactors to their race.
In discharging this duty local history is an all important
instrument." pp. 5-6.
In the very spirit of the quotation the Synod of Georgia
is now acting, by placing on record proper memorials of her
deceased ministers.
There is another aspect in which the labors of Dr. Church
•must be viewed in order to appreciate his character fully as
an educator of youth. It will be remembered that for years
& controversy has been going on in relation to the studies
whieh should be introduced into a College curriculum. On
the one side it is contended that little or no attention should
be paid to the ancient classics—that modern languages
should in a great degree take their place, and especially the
English language; that all the natural sciences should be intro¬
duced ; that education should be eminently practical, rather
than training; that the student should see <the present use of
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
131
all his studies. "While on the other hand, it is contended
that College education should he mainly confined to training
studies, which the experience of ages has demonstrated to he
the seven liberal arts and sciences; that the true mode of
real education is not to multiply subjects of study, but to
study these seven liberal arts and sciences more thoroughly.
Now in this controversy, Dr. Church threw all his weight and
influence on the side of the latter, and did much to form a
sound sentiment on this subject among our Southern Colleges,
and justly entitled himself to be considered, as he was con¬
sidered, one of the best College Presidents that ever blessed
our institutions of learning.
Dr. Church was licensed by Hopewell Presbytery, at
Athens, the 4th April, 1820. He was ordained by the same
Presbytery, at Bethany, Green county, April 3d, 1824. He
was a thorough Presbyterian in principle and sympathy, but
as free from sectarian narrowness as it is possible for a good
man to be. It is to his influence in no small degree that so
much harmony has uniformly prevailed among the Christian
denominations of Athens.
Dr. Church was at one time invited to become the Pastor
of a leading Church in Charleston, S. C. A most stubborn
opposition to his acceptance was made by the people of Athens,
without reference to denominations or parties. It was liter¬
ally a popular demonstration by way of petition, signed by.
everybody. Upon another occasion the people of Athens
presented him with a service of silver, at a cost of several
hundred dollars, in testimony of their respect and veneration
for him.
Dr. Church never took part in politics. He was from
conviction a free trade man. He was so prudent in voting
that not more than one or two persons knew how he voted.
He had one rule that he invariably followed, and that was to
vote for the candidate that was educated under him, without
reference to his party alignment, provided he had maintained
132
NECROLOGY.
a good moral character. He made character an important
item in all the votes he cast. He wrote his tickets and
refused the printed ones. He sometimes made up his ticket
with the names of good men from the lists of both parties,
rejecting such as were reputed to be drunken and immoral,
and if the lists did not furnish enough names of good men he
voted an imperfect ticket.
He was married soon after his settlement in Eatonton to
Miss Sarah Trippe, a beautiful young lady of the county of
Eutnam, and remarkable for retaining her beauty to the end
of life, and survived her only about one year. They had a
large family of children, several of whom died in infancy, and
eight of whom arrived at years of maturity, and survived both
parents.
They are scattered through different States; one having
died; the year after his father. Hot one of them resides in
the State of Georgia, though it is to be hoped that his youngest
son may yet settle in our State, and enjoy the prestige of his
father's good name and fame among us.
In estimating Dr. Church's personal character, we must
not omit his courage, his prudence, his courtesy and fine
manners, his Christian meekness, and that wonderful com¬
mand of temper which he possesjed above most men.
In stature, be was six feet high, spare built, with very
pale complexion. He had black hair, and keen black eyes.
In the class-room, he ever commanded, by his dignified
presence, the respect of every student.
At the meeting of the Synod of Georgia, in Macon,
November, 1862, in a minute adopted by that body, after
recounting his valuable services as an educator, it proceeds:
"As a man, Dr. Church was the finished gentleman—polished
in his manners, affable and kind in his social intercourse with
men—a man of spirit, yet of humility. As a Christian, he
was meek, cheerful, consistent, charitable; as a preacher,
he was plain, practical, and persuasive. Though he never
REV. ALONZO CHURCH, D. D.
133
filled the pastoral office, yet was abundant in labors as a
minister, supplying the feeble and destitute Churches in the
vicinity of Athens. It was his delight and his glory to
preach the gospel to the poor."
His mortal remains lie interred in the Oconee Cemetery—
the beautiful burying-ground of the cultivated peop^ of
Athens—by the side of his beloved wife.
REV. BENJAMIN D. DuPREE.
Benjamin David DuPree was born in the city of
Charleston, South Carolina, 29th of December, 1799. He
was the son of Benjamin and Mary DuPree. The family
was of French or Huguenot descent. At what time it came
to America, is not known; probably soon after the revocation
of the edict of Nantez, when so many of the Reformed reli¬
gion emigrated from France to this country.*
When the subject of this memoir was about ten years old,
the family removed from Charleston to Old Pendleton, S. C.
After their removal, he pursued his studies in an academy
taught by a Mr. McClintock, at Pendleton. We have been
unable to learn at what time he became the subject of divine
grace. It was, doubtless, while at the academy, and under
the ministry of the Rev. Mr. Hillhouse, then the efficient
and successful pastor of the Pendleton Presbyterian Church.f
* Huguenot.— Probably froni the word Huguon, a night-walker,
because, like the early Christians, they assembled privately in the evening.
It was on the eve of St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1572, at the
ringing of a bell, that the massacre of the French Protestants began. An
unparalleled scene of horror ensued. Five hundred men of distinction,
and ten thousand of inferior order, were slain that night in Paris. A
general destruction was immediately ordered throughout France; sixty
thousand perished. More than 800,000 were destroyed in thirty years, in
France, for adopting the Reformed religion. The Huguenots fled to
every Protestant country in Europe, and many of them passed over to
America. They settled in Carolina; and much of the best blood of that
State is of Huguenot origin.
fRev. James Hillhouse was the son of William and Sarah Hillhouse,
and of Irish origin. His father was a soldier of the Revolution, and was
at the siege of Savannah, and in many other battles in the Carolinas. He
was a man of eminent piety, and brought up his family in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord.
Mr. Hillhouse received his classical education at the Yarrennes
134
REV. BENJAMIN D. DUPREE.
135
After having obtained a good classical education in 1818, he
commenced the study of Theology under the private instruc¬
tion of his pastor, (Mr. Hillhouse,) who then resided a few
miles from the village of Old Pendleton.
In 1819, he was taken under the care of the Presbytery
of South Carolina, as a candidate for the holy ministry, and
by that body was licensed to preach the gospel, on the 5th
of November, 1821.
On the 1st day of February, 1820, he was married to Miss
Eliza Frances Came, daughter of Thomas Wilkinson and
Elizabeth Came, who had removed from Charleston to Pen¬
dleton in 1816.
Soon after his licensure, he was appointed by his Presby¬
tery to labor as a missionary among the destitute Churches
in that part of Old Pendleton, now Pickens District, in the
northwestern part of the State of South Carolina. He
continued to occupy this field until 1825. He organized,
about this time, a Church on Cane Creek, called Mount Zion,
and another on Conoross Creek, called Westminster—to both
of which he continued to minister for some seven or eight
years.
Returning to the village of Pendleton, he ministered for
three or four years to Sandy Springs Church, and subse¬
quently at Old Bethel, Bachelor's Retreat," Pickens C. H.,
and at other places. To all these his labors were acceptable
and useful. In all these fields his memory will be long
cherished with esteem and affection.
Academy, in what was then Pendleton, now Anderson District, S. C.,
under the instruction of the late David McDowell, of Wiunsboro'. He
studied Theology at Willington, under the care of the late Dr. Waddcl,
and was licensed and ordained by the Presbytery of South Carolina.
He had charge of the Presbyterian Church at Pendleton village for
several years. He emigrated thence to Alabama, and settled at Greens¬
boro', Green county, where he died in the prime of life. He was a man
of considerable ability—a most fervent speaker. His ministiy, though
short, was greatly successful.
136
NECROLOGY.
About this time, he determined to change his field of labor.
The Western portion of Georgia being then a comparatively
new country, in 1845, he moved with his family to Cobb
county. Here he connected himself with Cherokee Presby¬
tery, within whose bounds he labored most of his time as a
missionary among the feeble and destitute Churches in this
large and interesting field.
At the time of his death, he was preaching as stated
supply at Hickory Flat and Midway Churches, in Cherokee
Presbytery, and at Villa Rica and Carrollton, and New
Manchester Factory, within the bounds of Flint River
Presbytery.
From this brief statement, we learn that our venerable
father was no loiterer in the Master's vineyard. He occu¬
pied, in many respects, hard fields of labor, furnishing him
with plenty of work, but affording him only a scanty and
meagre support. Like the Apostle Paul, he was compelled
to work with his own hands to provide for a dependent
family. The school and the farm were added to the toils of
a ministry extending over a large space of country, and
continued through a period of more than forty years. But
during this long and arduous ministry, he was the honored
instrument, in the hands of God, of turning many to right¬
eousness, who were seals of that ministry on earth, and will
be stars in his crown of rejoicing in heaven.
The history of this brother is the history of many others,
who, like him, lived and labored for the good of society—
little known, and with little worldly compensation. The
people among whom he labored were poor, in their own esti¬
mation. They neither fed nor clothed his family; yet were
they spiritually enriched by his toil. He went on the warfare
at his own charges; he planted, and others eat the fruit; he
fed the flock, and eat not of the milk of the flock.
The arduous and long continued services of Mr. DuPree,
exhausting in their nature, drew heavily upon a constitution
REV. BENJAMIN D. DUPREE.
137
unusually robust, but to which it eventually succumbed. He
was always punctual in fulfilling his engagements, even at
the most distant points, allowing no severity of weather to
prevent his meeting with the people of his charge. When
urged by his family at times not to expose his health and
life in such inclement seasons, he would reply, " I would
rather wear out than rust out."
On Saturday the 11th of April, 1863, he met for the last
time with the Presbytery of Cherokee, then in session at
Marietta, and was apparently in usual health. He returned
to his home about seven miles distant, and was suddenly
attacked with a violent sore throat on Thursday or Friday
following, supposed to be diptheria, and died early on Satur¬
day morning, the 18th of April, 1863, just one week after
meeting with his brethren in Presbytery.
He died in the 64th year of his age and the 42d of his
ministry. He left a widow and four children, two sons and
two daughters, all grown and members of the Presbyterian
Church. Three of these were comfortably settled in life, of
whom a married daughter lived in South Carolina, and two
married sons quite near him. Three sons and two daughters
had preceded him to the grave. One of his sons, Mr. Newton
DuPree, was an Elder in the Church, and fell on the field of
battle in Virginia during the war.
REV. GEORGE CLAUDIUS FLEMING *
George Claudius Fleming was torn in St. Augustine,
Florida, October 30th, 1822. His parents were Roman
Catholics, and he was educated in that faith. In the year
1837 he was sent to school in South Hadley, Mass. Two
years after he was hopefully converted, and removed to
Amherst, in the same State, where he was prepared for Col¬
lege, but owing to pecuniary embarrassments he did not enter
college. His inclinations led him to seek the ministry as the
field where he could best promote the glory of God, and do
good to the souls of men. But at the earnest solicitations of
friends he consented to study medicine.
After his graduation at the University of Pennsylvania he
practised medicine for a time at Black Creek, Florida. His
heart, however, was in the ministry, and he soon laid aside
the profession of medicine, and commenced the study of
Theology at Princeton, N. J.
His first labors in the ministry were at Woodstock, Florida,
where he preached for three years. He then removed to St.
Marys, Georgia, where he labored one year with great accep¬
tance, and with much promise of success. His disease,"which
was consumption, first made its appearance in the Spring of
1857, but he continued in the faithful discharge of his duties
until July, when, after a communion season which severely
taxed his strength, he was laid aside from preaching, and
never again entered the pulpit.
In February following he left St. Marys for Magnolia,
Florida, hoping that the change would prove beneficial to his
health. But he sank rapidly under his disease, and in one
week after his arrival at the latter place he calmly andpeace-
*MSS. From Rev. D. L. Buttolpb.
138
REV. GEORGE CLAUDIUS FLEMING.
139
fully entered into his rest. A ministerial brother who visited
him in his last illness says, " That though weak in body, and
oftentimes wandering in mind, yet in his lucid intervals he
gave evidence of a strong faith in Christ, and quiet resigna¬
tion to the Divine will. His last words, after taking leave of
his family, were, " God is love."
Mr. Fleming was very much beloved by the Church in
St. Marys. His preaching was distinguished for warmth and
earnestness. He was an excellent pastor. He visited his
flock often, and labored from house to house. He left a wife
and several children.
REV. THOMAS GOTJLDIXG, D.D.
For the following commemorative notice of the Rev. Dr.
Goulding we are principally indebted to the papers of the
Rev. Dr. Talmage and^the Hon. Joseph II. Lumpkin, found
in Sprague's Annals of the American Pulpit. Having
enjoyed a somewhat intimate acquaintance with him for thir¬
teen or fourteen years as a co-presbyter, we can cordially
endorse what they have said of his excellence as a man and a
minister. For many years he lived in almost daily expecta¬
tion of death. He felt he had the sentence of death within
him, and that at any moment he might be called from earth.
We remember well an observation he made to us the last
interview we had with him: speaking of some expected event,
he calmly remarked, tkI shall go up yonder some of these days
suddenly '—lifting his hand and turning his eye heavenward.
He lived more habitually in expectation of his departure than
almost any man we ever knew. He kept his lamp trimmed
and his light burning in readiness for the coming of the bride¬
groom. His disease, an affection of the heart, he regarded
as hereditary, his mother, we think, having died of it.
The following letter is from the Rev. Samuel K. Talmage,
addressed to Dr. Sprague, and dated,
Oglethorpe University, January 23, 1849.
. My Dear Sir—I cheerfully comply with your request, that I should
furnish you with a brief notice of the life, and some estimate of the char¬
acter of my ever venerated friend, the late Rev. Dr. Thomas Goulding.
Thomas Goulding was born in Midway, Liberty county, Ga., March
14, 1786. At the time of his death, he was the oldest of fifteen Presby¬
terian ministers from one Church, occupying usefully and honorably
various and important responsible stations in the South. He was the
first native licentiate of the Presbyterian Church in Georgia.
It might be profitable to enquire why the one Church of Midway,
Liberty county, has furnished more Presbyterian ministers for the State
140
REV. THOMAS GOtTLDING, D. H.
141
of Georgia than all the other ninety-two counties united. The influence
of one little colony of Puritans that made its way thither, through a
scene of trials and disasters, from Dorchester,Mass., who can describe?
Heaven's register will unfold many a page which earth's historians fail tor
write. What the Christian Church does for the State, the world will
never fully know.
At the age of sixteen, young Goulding was sent to Wolcott, Conn.,
Where be received the priucipal part of his academic education. He
prosecuted the study of the law In New Haven, in the office of Judge
Daggett. He was married to Ann Holbrook, In Southington, Conn., in
November, 1806. In April, 1810, he became connected with the Church
in his native place, (Midway,) and soon felt it to be his duty to devote
himself to the work of the Christian ministry.
Towards the close of the year 1811 he was received as a candidate,
Under the care of the Harmony Presbytery,* and was licensed to preach
the gospel in December, 1813. A few months after his licensure, he com¬
menced preaching as stated supply at White Bluff, and was ordained and
installed pastor of that Church January 1st, 1816. Here he labored
faithfully, acceptably and successfully for about six years, during which
time the warmest reciprocal attachments were formed between himself
and his flock. In 1822 he resigned his charge, and removed to Lexing¬
ton, Oglethorpe county. Here he remained for eight years, during which
he exerted an influence over some of the first minds in the State, which
b now telling and will forever tell on the best interests' of men. Many a
community is now reaping rich spiritual blessings, the source of which—
unknown to themselves—is in the honored instrumentality of this faithful
man of God. On the establishment of the Theological Seminary by the
Synod of South Carolina and Georgia, he was elected by the Synod its
first, and for a time, its only Professor.
He was honored with the degree of Doctor of Divinity from the Uni¬
versity of North Carolina in 1829.
For one year he instructed a Theological class at Lexington in connec¬
tion with his pastoral labors, and was transferred by direction of the
Synod to Columbia, South Carolina, the present site of the Seminary.
After serving the Church laboriously by he department of Ecclesiastical
History and Church Government for several years, in connection with
others associated with him, he resigned his chair as Professor, and was
called to his late charge in Columbus, Ga., in January, 1835. For thirteen
years and a lyilf he was the laborious and faithful pastor of that Church.
He found it comparatively weak, and by bis persevering fidelity raised it
to influence and strength.
* Harmony Presbytery included all the seaboard of Georgia at that period, and
Until 1821, when the Presbytory of Georgia was set off.
142
NECROLOGY,
He was, for many years in succession, elected President of the Board
of Trustees of Oglethorpe University, which office he held at tire time of
his death. He died, as was his oft expressed wish, " with his harness
on." On the evening of the 26th of June, 1848, he attended his usual
weekly lecture. He was in a state of great bodily debility when he left
his house, and was attacked, whilst in the house of God, with a paroxysm
from an affection of the heart, under which he had long been laboring.
With great effort, he finished the service. The subject of his lecture
was taken from the first four verses of the 63d Psalm—" O God, thou art
my God," etc. It was a fitting theme for the veteran soldier of the cross
to dwell upon, just as he had reached the portals of his Father's house.
It was a suitable topic to present in his last address to his beloved
parishioners. And happy were they who did not allow themselves to be
detained from the service.
Within one short hour from his pronouncing the benediction upon his
hearers, he was called, I doubt not, to hear the benediction pronounced
upon his own spirit from the lips of the Saviour whom he loved, "Well
done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
On retiring from the place of worship, he hastened to his chamber in
a state of great exhaustion. He had scarcely reclined upon his couch,
when a violent paroxysm of his disease seized him. He rose to lean
upon the mantle, his accustomed source of relief, but relief came not; the
usual remedies proved unavailing. In the intense agony which he
suffered, he said to a friend, that he would be glad if it would please the
good Lord soon to take him away, as his sufferings were very great. To
a beloved son, who was overwhelmed at witnessing his agony, he admin*
istered a tender rebuke. He was presently heard, by one of his daughters,
uttering the prayer, " Come, Lord Jesus; come quickly." That prayer
Was heard: he ceased to breathe—his spirit was at rest.
The high estimation in which he was held was manifested at his
death by many unequivocal signs. It was evinced in the deep sorrow
that pervaded the whole city in which he lived, as the mournful intelli¬
gence spread through its habitations; in the thronged assemblage and
flowing tears witnessed at the funeral rites; and in the strong expressions
of regret with which the sad tidings were received among his large circle
of friends and acquaintances abroad.
Dr. Goulding possessed a fine intellect and cultivated taste. His
pulpit exercises were far above the ordinary standard, and especially
when his bodily infirmities did not interfere wjth the free exercises of
his physical and mental energies. He was a well read and polished
scholar, and had gathered rich harvests in the fields of literature.
More engaging attributes still were the strength and tenderness of
his sensibilities, and the sincerity and fervor of his piety. He was sus*
ceptible of strong friendships, for his feelings were of the most ardent
REV. THOMAS GOULDING, 1). D.
143
kind. There was also in his character a childlike simplicity, that won
irresistibly upon his associates. If these attractive qualities had their
corresponding infirmities, they were the natural result of his rare gifts,
and he would have baen the last man to claim exemption from the
frailties of humanity. Conscious of his own integrity, he looked for
honesty in others, and was liable to be imposed on by the crafty and
designing; whilst, again, the strength of his attachments made him feel
the want of reciprocity from others, whose colder natures could not yield
the equivalent which the warm heart requires.
His favorite pursuit was the Investigation of theological truth. The
inspired volume was the book he loved best to study, and to hold up to
the admiration of his feilow-men. He was well informed in, and thor¬
oughly devoted to, the doctrines and polity of his own Church, and was
an able advocate of both. But, as his own judgment was based on
faithful investigation and honest conviction, so his heart was open to
embrace all the real disciples of Christ. And so it is, that true piety
evokes insensibly a corresponding tone of harmony from every other
heart which the Spirit of God has strung to Christian unison. The
genuine impulses of true religious experience outrun the slow deductions
of argument, and bigotry itself is disarmed before the eloquence of love.
The illuminations of the Spirit dissolve sophistries and overthrow preju¬
dices which logic cannot demolish; and a heart overflowing with
enlightened Christian charity sometimes creates to itself a benignant
centre of attraction, where the most discordant materials are fused into
homogeneous unibn, and caused to move in harmony.
It was his delight to expatiate on the doctrines of the cross, and
proclaim them to his fellow-men. He was no reluctant hireling servant
in the spiritual vineyard. He loved his covenanted work, and was ever
ready, in season and out of season, in public and in private, to hold forth
the claims and vindicate the honors of his gracious Master.
With all his natural and acquired endowments, he was modest and
retiring, and shrunk from public observation. It was, doubtless, owing
to this fact that he was not before the public so often and so prominently
as many others. But whenever he was drawn .out to some public service,
all felt his power, and paid the tribute of profound respect to the origi¬
nality of his thoughts, the energy of his manner, and the beauty and
simplicity of his style.
Though, from bodily infirmity, his brethren were often, of late years,
deprived of the pleasure of seeing him in our ecclesiastical convocations,
his occasional presence was hailed with great satisfaction; and they
sorrow now that they shall see his face no more.*
* Dr. Goulding, by appointment of the General Assembly, opened the first
session of the Synod of Georgia, that met in Macon on the 20th of November, 1845,
with a sermon from Acts xx: 28, and was elected itB first Moderator.
144
NECROLOGY.
In person, Dr. Goulding was of medium stature, full habit, round
contour of face, high forehead, with a countenance expressive of deep
feeling and vigorous intellect. In his manners, there was a graceful
simplicity, blended with a commanding dignity, that was exceedingly
winning. His manner in the pulpit, whenever his health and spirits
were good, was at once pleasing and impressive—its two prominent
elements consisting in tenderness and earnestness.
He left a wife and nine children, having lost one in childhood. He
'lived to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing most of his children connected
with the Church of Christ. One of his sons and two of his sons-in-law,
are ministers of the gospel.
I am, dear sir, yours truly, SAMUEL K. TALMAGE.
From the lion. Joseph H. Lumpkin, Chief Justice of the State of Georgia.
Athens, Ga., May 19, 1857.
Dear Sir—I regret that ycur letter finds me so oppressed with engage¬
ments, and withal in such imperfect health, that it is quite out of my
power to comply with your request in any such way as will be satisfac¬
tory either to you or myself. I am unwilling, however, absolutely to
decline it; and will, therefore, in a very hurried way, just hint at what
seem to me to have been some of the most prominent features in Dr.
Goulding's character. My opportunities for knowing him could scarcely
have been better than they were. I received my firs' permanent religious
Impressions and joined the Church under his ministry, and was after¬
wards, for many years, a member of his session. I loved him as a mant
and revered him as a pastor; and I would gladly do anything in my
power to honor and perpetuate his memory.
Dr. Goulding's character was formed of a rare combination of intellec¬
tual and moral qualities, that fitted him to be at once eminently popular
and eminently useful. His intellect was much above the ordinary
standard, and it had been cultivated by diligent and long continued study.
As a preacher, he was always sensible and instructive; and sometimes
his pulpit efforts rose to a very high order of excellence. He was a
thorough Calvanist of the Geneva school; nor could any considerations
of policy induce him to relax, in public or private, one jot or title of his
creed. The doctrine of Justification by faith he regarded as an epitome
of the Christian system—as embodying its life and power; and this in its
connections undoubtedly formed the favoiite theme of his ministrations.
No one could sit under his ministry, with any degree of attention, with¬
out gaining very definite views of the system of doctrine which he held
and inculcated, as well as a deep impression of the importance he attached
(o it He was alike explicit and earnest.
It has been my privilege to listen to the most prominent divines both
in the United States and Great Britain, and in one respect it has seemed
REV. THOMAS GOULDING, D. D.
145
to me that Dr. Goulding has never been exceeded within my knowledge
—I mean as a preacher of funeral sermons. To this service,, which is
acknowledged, I believe, to be one of the most difficult which a clergy¬
man ever has to perform, he brought a degree of delicacy, discrimination
and pathos, that commanded not only the attention, but the admiration
of his hearers.
Though Dr. Goulding had in some respects a woman's heart, and was
of tender and delicate sensibility, he was always firm to his convictions
of what was true and right.' In worldly matters he was the merest child.
Conscious of entire sincerity himself, he seemed scarcely capable of sus¬
pecting the sincerity of others. A more unselfish man than he never
lived. In all circumstances he showed himself a model gentleman, as
well as a model Christian. He had an instinctive discernment of all the
proprieties of life, and practiced them with most scrupulous care and
consideration. In the social circle he was the most genial of companions.
He had at his command a fund of anecdotes, many of which were con¬
nected with his own history, that were both amusing and instructive, and
he knew how to turn them to the very best account
That Dr. Goulding was an eminently pious man, no one I believe ever
doubted, who knew him. And he assure'd me that if he was ever regen¬
erated it was while he was asleep. Wearied with his burden of sin, and;
his fruitless search to find a Saviour, he sunk despairingly into a profound'
slumber, and awoke praising God for his great salvation. I state the fact
without comment.
Regretting to send you so meagre a notice of my venerable friend and
pastor, when my feelings would dictate a fuller and worthier tribute to
his memory,
I am, sir, very truly, your obedient servant,
JOSEPH H. LUMPKIN.
The Synod of Georgia on the Death of Dr. Goulding.
At a meeting of the Synod at Greensboro', Ga., November
27th, 1848, the following resolutions were adopted:
"Whereas, It has pleased Almighty God, during the past
year, to remove by death the Rev. Thomas Goulding, D.D.,
an honored and beloved member of this body ;
Meeolvedj That we recognize the hand of an inscrutible
but All-wise Providence in this dispensation by which one of
our most useful pastors has been taken from a beloved Church;
a wise counsellor and a valuable member has been removed
10
146
NECROLOGY.
from our Synod, and the Church at large deprived of one of
her ablest and most faithful servants.
Resolved, That while we mourn the removal of our lament¬
ed father and brother from the scenes of his earthly labors,
yet we rejoice in the blessed memory he has left behind, and
in the confident assurance that he has entered upon that ' rest
that remaineth for the people of God.'"
KEY. JOHN HARRISON*
John Harrison was born in Virginia, June 4th, 1776,
His mother, Ann Harrison, was a daughter of the Rev.
Henry Patillo, of North Carolina.f He studied the Latin
and Greek languages under the tuition of the Rev. James
Gilliland, of Spartanburg District, S. C., commencing at the
advanced age of twenty-four. He did not, it seems, contem¬
plate entering the ministry at the time he entered on classical
studies. He was not then even a member of the Church.
His object was, probably, to qualify himself for a teacher.
For a number of years he was engaged in teaching the Latin
and Greek languages in the upper districts of South Carolina.
* MSS. from the family.
f Rev. Henry Patillo was a Scotchman, horn in 1726. He came to this
country when nine years old, in company with an elder brother. He was
first a merchant's clerk, and afterwards a school teacher. After t long,
conflict on the subject of his relations to God, as a sinner, he obtained
comforting and satisfactory views of Evangelical truth. Having obtained
hope of a saving interest in Christ, he became deeply anxious in respect
to the spiritual condition of those around him, and at length formed the
purpose of devoting himself to the ministry. He pursued his studies
under the instruction of the celebrated Samuel Davies, of Hanover, Va.,
and was licensed to preach the gospel by the Hanover Presbytery, Sept.
28th, 1757. He was ordained at Cumberland, on the 12th of July, 1758.
His first pastoral charge was Willis Creek, Byrd and Buckland. He was
dismissed from this charge in 1762, on the ground of inadequate support.
He subsequently supplied the Churches of Cumberland, Harris Creek and
Deep Creek. He was called to the Churches of Hawfields, Eno and
Little River, North Carolina, in 1765, where he spent the remainder of
his life.
In 1775 he was a delegate from the county of Bute, (now Warren and
Franklin,) to the First Provincial Congress of North Carolina. He died
away from home^in Dinwiddy county, Va., while on a missionary tour
in 1801. His last moments evinced the triumph of faith. His funeral
sermon was preached by the Rev. Drury Lacy.
147
148
NECROLOGY.
About the age of thirty-six, he united with the Church,
and shortly thereafter felt it to be his duty to devote himself
to the ministry. He placed himself un^er the care of the
South Carolina Presbytery as a candidate for the holy
ministry. He studied Theology under the superintendence
of the Kev. John B. Kennedy, of Laurens District, S. C.
He was licensed to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of
South Carolina, and taught and preached a few years in that
State, and then removed with his family to Jackson county,
Georgia, in the year 1818, and settled in the bounds of
Thyatira Congregation, where he spent the remainder of his
life. Mr. Harrison was ordained by Hopewell, Presbytery as
an Evangelist, at McDonough, August 11th, 1828.
His ministerial labors in Georgia were mainly confined to
the counties of Jackson, Franklin and Hall; particularly to
the Churches of Hebron and New Lebanon, in Franklin, now
Banks, county. In these two Churches hi£ labors will doubt¬
less be long remembered.
Being occupied much of his time in laboring with his own
hands, on his farm in Jackson county, his opportunities were
rather limited. He often spoke of his approaching dissolu¬
tion. ' Death did not overtake him as a thief in the night.
His departure was early in January, 1847, in the 71st year
of his age.
From Bev. Wm. P. Harrison, dated
Knox Hill, West Fla., April 20th, 1864.
Dr. John 8. Wilson—Yours, asking a brief biographical sketch of my
father, was received a month or two ago. I immediately communicated
the substance of your inquiries to my mother. The mailshave been slow
and irregular. By an oversight, the date of my father's death was omit¬
ted. I think it was the 2d of January, 1847. Before his death he had
destroyed nearly all his old manuscripts, thereby indicating that he had
no desire for posthumous notoriety. In any future record or publication
concerning the dead, there are other names among the former Presby¬
terian ministers of Georgia that will claim, and doubtless occupy a wider
space, and require more details.
Yours, in the gospel of Christ,
W. P. HARRISON.
REV. RICHARD HOOKER*
Richard Hooker was born in Springfield, Massachusetts,
on the 10th of April, 1808. He was of an honored and
pious ancestry, being of the «eventh generation in direct
descent from Thomas Hooker, that eminent divine who was
the first minister of Hartford, Connecticut."}" No man in
the early history of the New England Churches, had
probably a wider fame, or a more beneficent influence,
than this leader of the Colony who left Boston in June,
1636, to establish their new home on the banks of the Con¬
necticut. The whole company of these emigrants were of
the most valued and excellent citizens of the Massachusetts
Colony; but, in every respect, he was the acknowledged
head, and no one whom he left behind in the older home was
his superior, if indeed his equal. Like so many of the noble
men of those times, after accomplishing his appointed work
during his own life-time, he handed down a name full of
honor, and a character full of integrity and worth to his
children,' and his children's children. The covenant promise
erf God was fulfilled in'his case; and from generation to
generation, the descendants of this founder of the family in
our country were distinguished for uprightness and useful¬
ness, for Christian piety, and good deeds in every line. The
*MSS. from Mrs. Hooker, «of New Haven, Connecticut.
f Rev. Thomas Hooker was a preacher at Chilmsford, England, and
was silenced for non-conformity, and obliged to flee to Holland. He
was invited to come to America. He settled at Newton, now Cambridge,
Massachusetts. He wa3 a man of eminent pulpit talents. About the
beginning of June, 1636, he, with an hundred men, women and children,
left Newton, and traveled with the greatest difficulty over an hundred
miles of trackless wilderness, to Hartford. They drove about 160 cattle,
which afforded them sustenance, and carried their arms and utensils.
They were about a fortnight in the wilderness.—Marsh Eccl. Hist.
149
150
NECROLOGY.
grandfather of the subject of this brief sketch, was Rev. John
Hooker, who was the successor of the great Jonathan
Edwards as pastor of the first Church in Northampton, Mass.,
and who fulfilled a ministry of twenty-four years there, with
faithfulness and acceptance to all. The son of this North¬
ampton clergyman, and father of Richard Hooker, was the
Hon. John Hooker, a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
for the Western District of Massachusetts. He resided at
Springfield, where he always held the foremost position in
society, both as a man of strong mental power and of elevated
religious character. He was earnest in every good word and
work, active in the Church of Christ, and an example of
purity, and worth, and dignity, and the noble hearing of
former times in his relations to society; and one of the first
in this country to urge forward the work of sending the
gospel to heathen lands. In 1810, he became, with a few
others, a founder of the American Board of Commissioners
for Foreign Missions, and ever, to the end of his life, he was
,one of its most able and efficient members. He married Sarah,
the daughter of Col. Josiah Dwight, of Springfield, a lady
who, in mind and character, was like himself, and who to old
age was reverenced, not only by her own family, but by all
who knew her. This worthy couple were the parents of ten
children, of whom the youngest was the one, a short record
of whose career is now to be presented.
Inheriting thus, from all the preceding generations, the
most excellent traits, and being trained in a family whose
high moral tone, earnest religious fife, and uncommon culti¬
vation and refinement, were conspicuous to every observer,
Richard Hooker grew up, through his childhood, a guileless,
delicate, and conscientious boy. His mind, in those early
years, was bright and 'active. His physical activity was
very great, and he was even noted among his companions
for the spirit and agility with which he engaged in all out of
door and athletic sports and exercises. His preparation for
REV. RICHARD HOOKER.
151
college was carried forward mainly in the schools in the
neighborhood of his home, at Monson and Northampton; at
both-of which places, he took rank among the first in scholar¬
ship and excellence of deportment and of character. At the
age of fifteen, he entered Yale College, where he was grad¬
uated with high honors in the class of 1827.
During his collegiate course it was, that his attention was
first seriously given to the subject of religion. He became
interested at a time of revival, in the latter part of .his junior
year; and after a deep experience of the power of truth, he
united with the College Church in August, 1826.
But little is known of the four years he spent in New
Haven at that time, except that he still displayed the char¬
acteristics of his boyhood, and likewise manifested such
power of mind as gave promise of future success and
usefulness.
His health had become seriously impaired while he was a
Senior in College, so that after his graduation, it was deemed
prudent for him to spend the winter in a warmer climate.
Accordingly, he went to the South, and finally remained
there for some years, until he was so far recovered in
strength, that he was enabled to commence a course of
theological study. This was pursued in two different semi¬
naries—first in Princeton, N. J., and afterwards at Columbia,
S. C. He had been compelled, even before he left college,
by reason of his impaired health, to abandon the thought,
which he had began to entertain at the time of his conversion,
of going into the Foreign Missionary service. But by the
time he was ready to enter the ministry—eleven years after
leaving New Haven, i. e., in the year 1838—it became
manifest that his permanently enfeebled condition not only
would not allow an entrance upon the foreign field, but would
not even permit him to labor in the severer climate of his
native region. He, therefore, gave up all thought of return¬
ing to his home, and began his work in Georgia. Possessed
152
NECROLOGY.
of a mind of a high order, he might properly have looked
forward to. a large sphere, and to the accomplishment of
great things for the good cause. But when it seemed other¬
wise ordered in the providence of God, he submissively and
even joyfully accepted the work which was offered him to do;
and with an earnest and devoted soul, he began his course in
a small congregation in one of the smaller towns of that
State. "I had marked out for myself," he wrote to one of
his brothers, near this time, " a highway in life, but Provi¬
dence has thus far confined, me to by-paths, and I am content
to serve God in any way that He may direct." His friends
have often wondered how he could have borne up with so
much of cheerfulness and so strong a heart as he did, under
such disappointments of all his hopes and prospects as must
have come over him at the outset of his life—continually
hindered in all the activities and efforts for which his intellect
and soul were ready, by the limitations of bodily weakness.
And equally have they wondered how he had courage to
undertake the labor necessarily devolving on a minister in a
region requiring much physical exertion and fatigue, when
the depressing influence of this weakness was daily resting
upon him. Yet his patience and fortitude never failed him,
and he went on from day to day, busily and willingly with
his many and arduous duties. His first station was at Mt.
Zion, Hancock county, Ga., where he continued fi r three
years. Afterwards, he removed to Monticello, Jasper county,
and for two years more he preached to the congregation of
Presbyterians in that place with much satisfaction to those
who heard him, and with great good results in their moral
and religious education.
In the year 1843, while he was still under the very de¬
pressing influence of ill health, he was invited to preach in
the Presbyterian Church in Macon, Georgia. With no
thought of remaining there, and no idea even that he would
be able to take charge of the religious interests of so large a
REV. RICHARD HOOKER.
153
Church, he consented to supply the pulpit-for a few Sabbaths
only, and then expected to return again to his more limited
and unimportant field. But immediately upon the commence¬
ment of his ministrations in Macon, his power of mind and
elevation of character were recognized by the people there,
an^ he was urgently requested to become the pastor of the
Church, fie felt obliged, however, to decline the call, from
a sense of his inability through physical weakness, to discharge
the duties which would rest upon him. This negative answer
was communicated to the Church, but so deeply had they
been impressed with the conviction that he was the man for
the place, that they renewed their invitation with even more
earnestness than at first, and offered him, in consideration of
his feeble health, a vacation of three months during the
summer season, so that he might enjoy the cooler climate of
the Northern States. This second call overcame his refusal,
and he consented, though with much distrust of himself, to enter
upon the work; and on the 17th of November, 1843, he was
installed, and thus became the pastor of that Church.
Here he remained for somewhat more than eight years,
until the spring of 1852, when, having resigned his place, he
returned to the North to spend the remainder of his life. Of
his work in Macon it is scarcely necessary to speak, since his
memory is cherished in the hearts of many there, who are
able from their own experience to testify of his ability as a
preacher—of his faithfulness as a pastor—of his diligence in
the discharge of every duty—of his interest in the publio
welfare—of his worth in friendship and in every social rela¬
tion—and of his pure and heavenly minded piety. Suffice it
to say, that the Church grew in strength steadily under his
care; that many were added to its numbers who were led by
him to the new life, and thus became the seals of his ministry;
that he gained the high respeet of every one in the commu¬
nity, and that when he was led to give up his position, his
departure was a cause of deep regret to great numbers.
154
NECROLOGY.
On the 15th of* July, 1846—three years after his settle¬
ment in Macon—he married Aurelia, the second daughter of.
James Dwight, Esq., of New Haven, Conn., and a grand¬
daughter of the late President Dwight, of Yale College; and
on the 3d of September, 1849, he had a son born—his only
child—who received the name of Thomas Hooker, in remem¬
brance of the earliest founder of the family in America. The
fact that his wife's home in former years had been there,
led him to select New Haven as his new place of residence,
and as his condition of health was such as to make a perma¬
nent settlement impracticable, he continued in that city
during the years that followed. He did not, however, become
unable to take full charge of a Church, give up all work in
his profession, but on almost every Sabbath he preached in
some vacant pulpit in the neighborhood. He supplied several
different Churches for periods of three and six months, or
more, and for quite a long time he ministered in this way to
the Second Church in Dudham, Conn., a small town about
fifteen miles from his home, where the people became warmiy
attached to him, and to this day remember him with the great¬
est respect and affection. In New Haven Mr. Hooker met
many congenial friends, in whose society he had much enjoy¬
ment ; and he also found himself in the possession of those
literary privileges which belong to a University town of so
much celebrity—privileges which, by a mind and character
like his, were, of course, highly prized.
Thus, for more than five years—surrounded by his own and
his wife's relations and friends—in the midst of a cultivated
and refined society—with the rich enjoyment of a happy
home—and engaged, as he had opportunity, in the work to
which he had given his whole life, as well as his heart's
warmest affections, he lived on quietly and peacefully, until,
in December, 1857, the end came. His health had failed
more manifestly within the last few months next preceding
the time of his death, but still he had been able to engage in
REV. RICHARD HOOKER.
155
all his accustomed duties, and had preached regularly from
Sabbath to Sabbath, almost without any exception. About
the first of December, through some exposure during his
weekly journey to Dudham, he was more seriously affected
by sickness than he had been, and gradually began to sink
away. Yet it was not until three days before his death that
his symptoms became so alarming as to make either himself
or his friends greatly apprehensive in relation to the termi¬
nation of his illness. .He met the announcement of the
approach of the end with entire self-command and perfect
peace—made every arrangement in regard to his affairs, and
even his funeral service, with the utmost calmness, and com¬
mitted himself to God with an unwavering confidence in the
promises and in the covenant of His love. He waited for the
end with patience, looking forward to the joy beyond. He
waited for it even with thankfulness, feeling that when it
came it would bring a blessed release from all the weakness
and wearisomeness which had so long been his portion, and
under the burden of which he had been compelled for years
to keep up heart and hope in his laborious work.
On the morning of the 19th of December, 1857, just as the
sun rose almost with the softness and beauty of a summer's
day, he passed away to his rest, leaving the assurance of
hope to those who survived him—" An Israelite, indeed, in
whom was no guile." He handed to the generations follow¬
ing him, the honored name of the long line of ancestors who
had gone before not only undiminished in its glory, but even
adorned by the record of one of the purest and most holy lives
that were ever lived.
The intellectual powers of Mr. Hooker were of no ordinary
character. His mind was one of great clearness. He readily
seized upon all truth as it opened to his view, and made it
so thoroughly his own that he was enabled to communicate it
to others forcibly and distinctly. His pulpit efforts were
marked in this regard; and no one who sat under his minis-
156
NECROLOGY.
trations of the Divine Word could fail to be thoroughly
instructed in all the doctrines of the gospel, as well as in the
simple, easy way of salvation for the soul through Christ.
Gifted by nature with a strong memory, and with the power
of grasping the chief points of the writings of others, he had
an uncommon and most valuable mastery of all he had read.
He thus made the thoughts and reasonings of others to con¬
tribute, so far as they should, and in the best way, to his own
wants, and constantly strengthened his mind by judicious
reading and study.
But he was a man who thought for himself. Independent
in his own views of truth, and with a well-balanced judgment,
he approached every subject for himself, and unhesitatingly
cast aside what others presented to him, in case he regarded
it as worthless or erroneous. He was a man of fair, though
not of extraordinary powers of imagination—enough, indeed,
to render his writings interesting and attractive, yet not so
much as to make them of exuberant richness in this regard.
His taste was excellent. At a time when ministers so often
fail in respect to this most important matter, he was an
example and a model. He was equally excellent in judgment.
Calmly and dispassionately weighing all subjects that were
presented before him, he was a man whom friends would
resort to for advice with confidence, and upon whose decision
they would rest. A strong mind he had—remarkably under
his own control, and at bis service at all times—a mind also
cultivated by scholarship both in the fields of ancient and
modern literature. Indeed, his strength and cultivation of
mind were such as to strike all who knew him, and it is
believed that no one among the literary gentlemen of various
departments, who met him during his residence near Yale
College, failed to regard him as a man of real power and
worthy of the highest respect.
It was his custom, for many years, to preach his sermons
without writing them; but so carefully had he trained his
REV. RICHARD HOOKER. 157
mind, so completely did he have all his powers at command,
that his. spoken discourses were like written ones. And
when he came to write them down on the Monday after they
had been preached, they were written exactly as they ha^
been delivered on the day before. Few men, as we suppose,
have this particular power to so large an extent.
It ought to be remarked, also, that Mr. Hooker was a man
of liberality in his views. Trained in the strictness of the
orthodox faith, and in the strictness of the morality of New
England, he carried, into his manhood and mature life the
influence of his early education. As he was led to the
investigation of the important subjects of morality and
religion for himself, he strengthened, by his own personal
convictions, the views which had been taught him in child¬
hood. But while he held firmly and unwaveringly to the
truth, his was too broad a mind to be bound down to the
mere partisan system of any narrow school of theologians,
and he was not content to believe, that the world would never
grow in knowledge and wisdom. He had faith in progress.
He was willing to wait for the light, and to believe in it
when it came. He was large-minded enough to give proper
respect to those differed with him, or who had been
educated in a different way. He had much of the charity
that hopeth all things of other men. He was a man of well-
rounded intellect—with no great and marked deficiency, or
excess in any one direction as compared with other directions.
He was active, industrious, earnest, serious, conscientious, in
all his mental working; and in those exhibitions of his intel¬
lectual power in which he came before the public—namely,
in his sermons and public addresses—he is believed to have
had few equals and no superiors among his associates in the
ministry.
Mr. Hooker was a man of great reserve of character. His
own inner experience was a very deep and a very rich one,
but he shrank instinctively from displaying it to others.
158
NECROLOGY.
The great struggle of life went on within him, but it was too
solemn and sacred a thing to be opened fully to any one in
the world. Yet, notwithstanding this reserve, the members
of his own family and his immediate friends saw no lack of
tender and kindly feeling for others in his soul. They found
him a generous and affectionate friend, not believing in the
fitness or usefulness of too much praise, and yet not unwilling
that they should have his approbation, when it would truly
do them good. Generosity in the way of kindness and the
•distribution of money, was characteristic, belonging to him
more than the most of men. There was nothing little or
mean in his nature. Long burdened with trying ill health,
he was compelled to think much of his own condition, and
have a continual care for his own welfare. But, notwith¬
standing all the tendencies and influences connected with
such protracted illness, he was not bound up in himself; he
was, every one knew, a large-hearted and unselfish man.
Earnestness was also a prominent trait in his character.
He looked upon life as having a deep meaning, and gave
himself to his great work with the devotion and energy of a
soul that has been enlightened by the thoughts of another
world, or the vision of the endless future. Faithfulness was
the great thing he sought after—faithfulness to his fellow-
men for whom he labored, and faithfulness to the Master
whose embassador he was. And he proved this faithfulness
by his life-long struggle to do the work, amid all hindrances
and discpuragements which must have attended such a course
as his. If the words "well done" were ever spoken to a soul
at the end, they were surely spoken to him.
As a Christian, Mr. Hooker was sincere, humble, full of
faith in Christ, continuing instant in prayer. No person
could come into his society for a passing hour, without seeing
at once that he \ras a man of true piety and holiness; while
those who were with him from year to year, in the constant
intercourse of friendship, or the family only, saw the ever
REV. RICHARD HOOKER. 159
growing and most impressive evidence that his inmost life
was hidden with Christ in God. It was the universal testi¬
mony of those who knew him best, that he was, beyond almost
any other man they had ever seen, above reproach—that he
was a Christian, if there be any such thing as Christian
character in the world; and that he was surely moving,
through all the course of his mature life, toward the. kingdom
of heaven, if the great and glorious promises have any
meaning—those promises which come to faith, and meekness,
and patience, and godliness, and brotherly kindness and
charity—which come to the simple, earnest, self-denying,
.self-sacrificing, laborious servant of Christ—which come to
those who love God with all the heart, and rely upon the
merits of the Saviour's atoning blood with an immovable and
undying confidence. "Mark the perfect man and behold
the upright, for the end of that man is peace."
A few words are added, as giving the testimony of many
others in regard to Mr. Hooker's character and mental
powers. One who knew him well from his early years, says:
" He was remarkably clear in his views of truth, and very
rich was his conversation upon them with his intimate friends,
both of the clergy and laity. He was not at all fond of
theorizing, and was very cautious in separating established
truth from mere supposition, considering this to be a sacred
duty, especially in the theologian." The same person also
remarks, in respect to his preaching: " The preaching of
Mr. Hooker was of a high order, characterized by great
breadth and clearness of views, elevation and purity of
thought, and above all, by undoubted sincerity and deep
devotion. The same qualities were manifest in his conver¬
sation. Those who had the privilege of acquaintance with
him, remember with great pleasure the quiet but firm way jn
which he expressed his views so clearly 6n all subjects on
which he spoke, and the heavenly savor which pervaded all
his social intercourse."
160 kecrology.
Another gentleman, who knew him intimately, and who is
recognized by all as a person of excellent judgment and
great intelligence, says of him; 4< His predominant mental
exercises were meditative. He apprehended truth with
readiness, because his mind was accustomed to truthfulness
in everything. Like a polished surface, it reflected truly
what it reflected at all. While he was unyielding in matters
of principle and conscience, he was strikingly free from
dogmatism and opinionativeness. I never heard him preach
more than half a dozen times, that I remember; but the
impression made upon my mind, both by matter and manner,
is indelible. His voice was by no means strong, and his
manner was somewhat constrained; but there was a solemnity
and sincerity about the whole pulpit service which gave it a
peculiar charm. His way of conducting devotional exercises
was remarkably expressive of humility, affection, and profound
reverence. There was a familiarity which betokened a child¬
like faith. The most common blessings were made to appear
valuable by the very manner of his asking for them. No
words seemed to be used for effect, nor without the answering
emotion of the heart. Slow, distinct, and simple, his utter¬
ances seemed to be the expression of the soul's inmost desires.
" I have thought that many of his characteristics were not
unlike those of Henry Martyn. Mr. Hooker's frequent
indisposition, perhaps, gave an air of sadness to his counte¬
nance and manner, such as I have thought Martyn's letters
and journal indicate as belonging to him. But there was a
vein of cheerfulness running through the temperament of
both, which reveals a common source of peace and joy, with
which the stranger intermeddles not. His sermons were
evidently the production of a mind deeply impressed with
the reality and infinite momentousness of the truths they set
forth. If any man ever carried into the pulpit, in his
expression and demeanor, a sense of the solemnity and
responsibleness of the office of a minister of the New
BEY. RICHARD HOOKER.
161
Testament, it was Richard Hooter. It cannot be doubted
that many, Very many, souls were converted through his
quiet, but earnest and devout ministry."
A distinguished member of the Presbyterian Church in
Macon, Georgia, the Hon. E. A. Nisbit, thus describes him :*
"Mr. Hooker was an excellent scholar—indeed, distinguished
for solid as well as polite acquirements. No one appreciated
more highly, or enjoyed with a keener relish, the good things
of literature; whilst, more than most men, he was intolerant
of either bad, or light, or arrogant books. His taste in
letters was refined and severely accurate. Those who were
admitted to his companionship, found him familiar with most
topics of general knowledge—an unsparing, but not malignant
critic—suggestive and genial. He was averse to parade
in all things, and carefully avoided any display of his
learning—content to enjoy his own resources in his own way,
and to use them whenever duty made it necessary.
" In the judicatories of the Church, he rarely participated
in discussion; but when he did speak, his remarks were
clear, concise, and to the point. Strangers supposed he was
wanting in self-reliance; but, in fact, he was an independent
thinker—morally courageous, without obstinacy and without
vanity. So, also, he was considered, by those who did not
know him well, as cold and reserved. His mode of inter¬
course was somewhat reserved, or rather undemonstrative,
among strangers and in mixed companies. This was owing
to his modesty, his disrelish of ostentation, and to the influ¬
ence of a habit which originated in the sufferings and anxieties
of infirm health. For many years before his death, he was^
to a considerable extent, an invalid. He was, therefore,
destitute of that physical vigor which originates and sustains
buoyant spirits. Cold he was not; his intimate friends knew
that his attachments were warm and strong, his spirits
generous and free, and his domestic habits, as well as affec¬
tions, exceedingly tender. Of himself, his trials, hopes,
11
162-
NECROLOGY.
triumphs and disappointments, he was not wont to speak.
Even as to his personal experiences as a Christian, he may
be said to have been reticent. His personal relations to God
he seemed to think a matter too awfully delicate to be sub-
'mitted to the consideration of men. As to the religious
experiences' of the heart, God was his confidant. Acutely
sensible to the woes and wants of humanity, his love for man
in general was ardent; and he gave expression to it in his
prayers, his alms-deeds, his enlightened support of the
benevolent enterprises of the Church, and in the faithfulness
and power of his ministry.
"At his own fireside, and beneath the roof of near friends,
his reserve gave way, and the affectionateness of his heart
came out in quiet, gentle talk, and in sportive attention tQ
children.
" The prominent traits in his Christian character were
humility, faith, and prayerfulness. Before the cross; Mr.
Hooker appeared to feel that he was wholly unworthy—the
least of all saints. His whole life appeared an effort to
magnify grace through his personal abasement. His faith
never relaxed its grasp upon the doctrines and promises of
the gospel. He became steadfast through faith, wholly
impassive to any teachings from any quarter that in the
slightest degree impugned the truth as it is written in the
Bible. Prayer was his vital breath. The habit of his nature
was prayerfulness. His very being became a prayer. The
members of his Church remember well the humility, appro¬
priateness, and appealing fervor of his public prayers.
"Whilst pastor of the Church in Macon, he allowed
nothing to divert him from the duties of his charge. He
rarely left his people, except when, according to an original
stipulation, he left to r.ecruit his health. All other duties of
bis position he made subordinate to those which, as shepherd,
be owed to his flock, and verily he made them to lie down in
green pastures, and led them by the side of still waters.
REV. RICHARD HOOKER.
163
With remarkable fidelity he fed the lambs of the fold, and
with careful industry he watched over the temporal as well
as spiritual interests of the poor. The cross was found in
all his sermons—directly and indirectly, that was sure td
appear. His manner was earnest, without being impassioned
—his argumentation close and logical, and his style simple
and pure. He loved the Anglo-Saxon portion of the language,
and so perfect were his spoken sermons in all rhetorical
elements, that they might, with safety to his reputation,
have been published as they came from his lips.
" Looking back upon Mr. Hooker's residence in Macon,
and in contemplation of the many virtues that adorned his
character as a man, and the many excellencies that marked
him as a minister, we adopt the language of the prophet, and
exclaim, ' How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of
him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that
saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth.' "
The writer of this brief notice of the life of this honored
minister of the gospel, would only add in closing, that as
these testimonies which have been quoted all unite in one
harmonious commendation of his many virtues and noble
character; so numerous other testimonies of a similar char¬
acter might be gathered from different sources. The writer
has met many strangers who, as conversation accidentally
turned upon the subject of some Church where Mr. Hooker
had preached, or some work in which he had been engaged,
immediately on hearing his name, said, " Richard Hooker
was, indeed, a good man." And it is believed that few men
have ever lived, of whom these words could more fitly be
spoken. The inheritance of the saints in light is his, as we
cannot doubt, for he was truly a saint of God. He entered:
upon the unknown future in perfect confidence that there
was for him a place in the Father's house, resting upon those
164
NECROLOGY.
blessed words of assurance from Jesus himself, "If it were
not so, I would have told you." And to-day we believe he
is among the great and glorious company who are led to the
living fountains of waters, and from whose eyes all tears are
forever wiped away.
REV. JOHN C. HUMPHREY.1
John C. Humphrey was the son of William and Susan
(Woodward) Humphrey, and was born in Darien, Genesee
county, New York, July 3,1829. His father was of English
descent, but was a native of America. He was a farmer.
The parents of Mr. Humphrey were members of the Old
School Presbyterian Church, and were very careful to train
up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
They had a large family—five sons and four daughters—of
whom the subject of this memoir was the youngest. He lost
his father when eight years of age, and although so young,
yet the Christian precepts of his parent had made a deep
and indelible impression on his tender mind. One little
incident may be mentioned, illustrative of the character of
the father as a man and a Christian, and which served to
make a lasting impression on the son. His father had several
men in his employ during harvest time, and although in the
regular habit of morning and evening prayers in the family,
yet one day, owing to some absorbing engagement which
broke into the regularity of the morning, the hour of family
worship passed by unregarded. But business affairs did not
proceed well—there was something wrong; the domestic
machinery moved roughly; there were difficulties in various
quarters. What was the matter ? The master of the house¬
hold bethought him that family worship had been omitted.
Forthwith, about the middle of the forenoon, the family, the
workmen, and all, were summoned together; the Bible was
read and prayer offered. After which, they dispersed to
their several duties again, and things once more moved on
smoothly. (
*MSS. from Mrs. Humphrey.•-rMn. iSynod.
165
166
NECROLOGY.
Although young Humphrey was then a child of only six
years, yet the circumstance led him properly to regard the
duty and privilege of prayer, ^he confidence which this act
of his father inspired in his young heart, was very powerfully
evinced some two years from that time, and shortly after the
death of his father. His mother, who had conducted farfiily
worship with her children after her sore bereavement—*
oppressed by sorrow in her loneliness, her own health failing,
and the cares of her numerous family--at last became so
dejected, that she called her children together one day, and
told them how sadly she felt, saying to them she " did not
know that it was worth while to continue family worship
longer, as she thought it was all in vain, and it seemed to
her that God would not hear, if she did pray." " Little
Johnnie," the youngest lamb of the flock, looked up brightly
and cheerfully into his desponding mother's face, and said,
" Maybe it will, mother." These words were like an electric
spark to that poor mother's heart. They immediately inspired
her soul with fresh courage td press on cheerfully in the
discharge of her responsible duties. These little incidents
show the religious influences which attended the early years
of our departed brother, and imparted so much firmness to
his Christian character.
It pleased the All-wise God greatly to afflict that numerous
family in after years. Not only the father, but two brothers
and two sisters, and the mother, were speedily removed by
the hand of death. The mother, on her death-bed, when
she felt that her end drew near, called the remaining mem¬
bers of her household around her, prayed with, and counseled
them, and theP asked each one in turn what course in life he
or she intended to pursue. When she came to John, the
youngest, she seemed to make a great effort to compose
herself, when she asked him, " What are you going to do ? "
He burst into tears, for what could he, a child of thirteen
years, reply to such a question? Immature in mind and
REV, JOHN C. HUMPHREY.
167
body, he had formed no plans as yet for future life.
But, although so young, even then his natural energy and
industry were conspicuous—in school during the winter
season, and in summer on the farm, where he often accom¬
plished as much labor as a full grown man in the same time.
Yet, even then, he seems to have been a child of sorrow, for
at nights and on Sabbaths, when left to his own thoughts, he
would often retire into the orchard or some lonely place, and
throwing himself on the ground, weep bitterly, and wish that
he might die and be buried in the graveyard that lay just
beyond.his dwelling, where his parents and brothers and
sisters were entombed. He was yet without the Christian's
hope; he had not yet learned to say with Job, "All the days
of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come."
Two years after this period, another brother, and shortly
after, his youngest sister, to whom he was greatly attached,
were suddenly removed by death—one by fever, and the other
by quick consumption. Pulmonary disease was hereditary
in the family. .
There remained now only three of that numerous family—
the eldest brother, who removed to Michigan; the only
surviving sister, who married Mr. Danforth, and went out to
China aS a missionary; and the subject of this sketch, now,
we believe, at rest in heaven. We trust that this somewhat
extended notice of the immediate family of our deceased
brother will not be without interest and profit, as showing
the ways of God towards his own children. We shall now
take up more directly the history of Mr. Humphrey.
In the autumn of 1846, when seventeen years of age, he
determined to acquire a collegiate education, and for that
purpose he repaired to Alexander, Genesee county, eight
miles from Darien, his native town. The institution located
in that place, called Genesee and Wyoming Seminary, was a
mixed school, and, at that time, of some twenty-five years'
standing, and under the care of the Presbyterian Church.
168
- >
NECROLOGY.
It was designed to furnish an extended educational course to
both males and females alike, who were associated in the
■6ame classes. At the first public exhibition after he became
ft member of the institution, he bore off the palm foy public
speaking. The following winter, he taught the village school
of Wyoming, and the next summer returned to the institution-
He spent two years at Alexander, and prepared to enter
college. But at this time, symptoms of that fatal disease
which terminated his life, manifested themselves. This
decided him upon trying the effects of a milder climate. He
set out for the South, and arrived in Georgia in Octobef,
1848; and passing through the State, he arrived at Bellevieu,
in Talbot county, where he stopped. Here he soon commenced
a private school. He remained in Georgia two winters, and
then returned North, hoping to be able to finish his education.
During his engagement in teaching, he had continued to
pursue the course of study, and was now prepared to join,
the Senior Class. He entered the Genesee College at Lima,
New York. But the summer passed, and the cold autumn
wiuds soon drove him back to Georgia, much to his disap¬
pointment. He returned to Bellevieu, where he remained
two years longer, engaged in teaching. It was during his
residence at this place, that his thoughts were more directly
turned to the subject of personal religion. Though piously
trained, and possessing such a clear consciousness of personal
obligation to serve God from his earliest youth, yet he had
as yet made no public profession of religion. This seems to
have been instrumentally brought about by correspondence
with the young lady to whom he was afterwards united in
marriage. In the winter of 1851 and 1852, he made a public
profession of religion, and united with the Presbyterian
Church of Ephesus, near Bellevieu, then under the pastoral
care of the Rev. Erances McMurray. The summer of 1852
he spent in New York State, in feeble health. Physicians
then told him he could not live a year. He had symptoms,
REV. JOHN C. HUMPHREY.
169
of incipient consumption—a slight hemorrhage—but thought
it was gather a bronchial, than a lung affection. After a
few weeks, there was a decided improvement in his health.
He had gained several pounds weight before returning South
in the fall. He now went to Griffin, where he conducted a
private school for young men preparing for college. He
remained two years at Griffin, and in the meantime deter¬
mined to study for the gospel ministry, to which holy office
he felt himself called of the Holy Ghost. In pursuance of
this determination, he entered the Theological Seminary at
Columbia, South Carolina, in the autumn of 1854. In the
summer of 1856, he Bpent eight weeks with his friends at
Elma, Erie county, New York, and soon after his return—
September 10, 1856—he was licensed to preach the gospel
of Christ at Ephesus Church, Ga., where he had professed
Christ and of which he was yet a member, by the Presbytery
of Flint River. He immediately returned to Columbia to
pursue his third year's course of study.
In the Seminary, he had the love and confidence of all
who knew him. The Faculty of the Seminary recommended
him, at the close of his course, to the Augusta Church as a
.supply, its pulpit being then vacant—notwithstanding the
importance and responsibility of the charge. After supply¬
ing that pulpit for a time, with great acceptance and profit
to the people, his health failed, and thinking a more active
sphere of labor would benefit him, he left Augusta to engage
in the work of an evangelist, to which he was called, and was
•ordained by Hopewell Presbytery {having been previously
transferred from Flint River Presbytery) on the first Sabbath
in May, 1858.
Full of zeal, he went out to preach, holding alone, and
with other ministers, protracted meetings in many places
within the bounds of the Presbytery, in most of which
meetings good was done and souls won to Christ. Short as
was his career, no doubt there will be many jewels in his
170
NECROLOGY.
crown of rejoicing in the day of the Lord Jesus; no doubt,
many will rise up and call him blessed. In this field he
labored a few months, and untjl stricken down by disease—
when he had to cease, and never more engage in a work ho
loved so well, and for which he seemed so eminently qualified.
It is an inscrutable Providence—we shall never know till
we reach the spirit-world—why such gifted and successful
young men are so soon removed, and others, apparently less
useful, left to pass a long life in the vineyard below. But
even so is the good pleasure of our Heavenly Father. Like
a Summerfield, a Pollock, and many others, young Humphrey
soon finished what the Father had given him to do, and then
went up, at his Heavenly Father's bidding, to his home in
the skies.
The last year of his life, he was unable to preach at all.
He left Augusta, where he had spent the winter, in March,
and Arrived at Mavilla., Erie county, New York, the 20th of
April. During the summer, he made a trip to Mackinaw, to
visit his brother. Every known means were used for the
restoration of his health, but all proved unavailing. He had
the sentence of death in him. On the 8th of September,
shortly after retiring to his chamber at night, he was seized
with hemorrhage of the lungs, which soon terminated his
life. During all his illness, in prospect of a speedy death,
he manifested perfect resignation to the will of his Heavenly
Father, choosing rather to die than liye, if he might not have
strength again to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ.
At the same time, he endeavored to comfort all around him.
To his young wife he said, " God will take care of yqu, my
dear wife." During his last day he conversed very little,
and the latter part of the night, in which he finished his
sufferings, he was not able to utter a word; yet he gave signs
that he understood those around him, and was conscious and
perfectly composed in prospect of that glorious change which
^waited him.
REV. JOHN C. HUMPHREY. 171
At break of day, September 14, 1859, an eternal day of
bliss dawned upon his ransomed spirit. His body rests in
hope of a blessed resurrection, in the graveyard within sight
of his early home in Darien, N. Y.
Mr. Humphrey was married to Miss Louisa S. Jackman,
Elma, Erie county, N. Y., September 30, 1857.
The loss of such a man was no ordinary loss. In him
were sweetly blended most of the elements of a minister's
power and success. He had talents of a high order; but his
power was that of a man of God. What he did, was by
prayer.. His hearers always felt, when he was before them,
that he had been with Jesus, and they listened to him almost
as one from an unknown world. Simple and unostentatious
by nature, these qualities were sweetened at the cross. His
own soul was alive with the influence of grace, and he loved
to tell of its wonders to others. Whatever he did, was for
God and the Salvation of sinners, and he was strong relying
on Him. Such an one could fear no evil. Speaking at one
time of his soon expected death, he was asked by a brother
how he felt in view of it." Calmly, he replied, as going
home, the home of his Father and Saviour. Writing to a
brother minister, after he had been laid aside by disease, he
said, " My dear B., preach as if you were delivering your
last sermon, standing upon your own grave, where you will
soon lie down."
Thus passed away a young minister. Some three years or
less he had been in the vineyard, when he received the
command, Come up higher.
We close this memorial in the expressive language of the
Synod: "We mourn for the lost one here, but with the
assured hope he is at rest at home."
REV. JESSE I1XJME*
We are indebted to B. F. Whitner, Esq., a venerable
Elder of the Church in Tallahassee, Florida, now no more,
for the material of the following memorial of the Rev. Jesse
W. Hume. We regret that we have been unable to procure
the early history of this brother. Mr. Hume was a man of
mark. He died young, but his memory is blessed.
Jesse W. Hume was a native of Tennessee, and a gradu¬
ate of the University of Nashville. He studied Theology at
Princeton Seminary, New Jersey.
The son of pious parents, and the object of the most
prayerful training, he was early converted to God, and
almost in the infancy of youth, was he devoted to the minis¬
try of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Soon after his entering upon the solemn duties' of this
office, he was called to the united pastorate of the Churches
of Gallatin and Shilo. His labors were abundantly blessed,
not only to the conversion of souls unto God, but to the
establishing among the people of his charge, and to a great
extent in the community where his lot was cast, the doctrines
of our faith and order.
His mind being far matured at an early age, when most
men's minds are but just opening to the influences of
truth, and imbibing much of his Master's spirit, while he
was able to lay downy in a Christian spirit, the doctrines of
the cross, he was able also to defend them against the at¬
tacks of enemies. Often called upon to defend the truth
against Universalists, Campbellites and other errorists, he
did it always in the spirit pf meekness, and at the same time
* MS3. from B. P. Whitner.
17%
REV. JESSE HUME,
173
with so much strength, clearness and power, as to confirm
the wavering and put to shame its most virulent enemies.
But unhappily for the Church of God, the labors of his
too active mind, were too great for his frail body. Disease
soon made its appearance upon him, and marked him for its
victim. He was compelled to seek a milder climate, nis
people -ardently attached to him, most reluctantly parted
with him. Following in the track of other invalids, he
turned his face towards Florida in the winter of 1850.
Though unable, and forbidden to preach, when he left Ten¬
nessee, by his physicians, yet so great was his improvement
in health, after a short residence in Florida, that he began
to speak, and was soon thereafter called to the pastorate of
the Church in Tallahassee. Feeling that he had but a few
short years to live, he betook himself with great assiduity to
the work of his Master, that he might not waste the last sands
of life. For more than two years did he labor with the
greatest acceptance to the people of his charge and the com¬
munity at large, leaving the impression with every effort he
put forth upon every mind that heard him, that he was a man
of no ordinary mind, a man of no ordinary attainments, and
a man of no ordinary piety.
He was acknowledged by all who knew him, and could
judge him, that he possessed the best mind of any man in
the State. But so luminous a star was not long to shine
amongst us. In the spring of 1853, his Master again laid
him aside. The rest of his history is well known to all. In
the fall of 1854, at the age of 31, and in the full triumphs of
a living faith, he went up from the Church militant, to the
Church triumphant, after a ministry of something more than
ten years. Thus fell a man who gave promise of standing
as a Theologian, a preacher, and a man of piety, among the
first Doctors of the land.
174
NECROLOGY.
From. B. F. Whitner, a Ruling Elder of (he Church of Tallahassee, dated,
Tallahassee, March, 1864.
Rev. J. S. Wilson, D.D.
Dear Sir:—Your letter of the 23d December last, was duly re¬
ceived, but the almost constant cold weather, and the infirmities of 72,
have delayed an answer, chiefly as they prevented access to Church
records, and I could not trust a frail memory.
Rev. Jesse W. Hume, of Tennessee, came to Tallahassee in the begin¬
ning of 1850 for the sake of his own health, (bronchial disease) and as an
escort of an older and feebler minister (Rev. Mr. Todd, of Kentucky),
Who died here a few weeks after their arrival.
Mr. Hume was interdicted from preaching by his physician, and pur¬
posely omitted to bring with him any aid to enable or tempt him to make
the effort. But he met an old Theological fellow-student here, and was
so encouraged by his rapid improvement that he preached to us one ser¬
mon, and made a few short exhortations at prayer-meetings, and after a
few weeks hurried back to Tennessee.
Our Church very soon after became vacant, unexpectedly, and our
thoughts, with great unanimity, were directed to Mr. Hume. His health
again failed, and the very week before he received our letter, he was
again unable to speak in the pulpit; and with the Doctors advice and
other friends, determined to arrange for removing to Florida. He accord¬
ingly arrived at Tallahassee, in October, 1850.
In the spring of 1851, he united with the Presbytery of Florida, and be¬
came the pastor of our Church. But his zeal constantly over-taxed his
physical powers—a feeble body, and yet ready to undertake the labors of
a Whitfield. He had sickness in his family, and lost a lovely little
daughter, and Mrs. H. became anxious to get back to her mother, then
resident in Tennessee. He refused a respite from his labors, which we
offered him for the ensuing summer, and chose to have his pastoral rela¬
tions dissolved. Our pulpit continued supplied for awhile, but was finally
declared vacant by Presbytery. We could not oppose, though we could
not join in requesting such action.
I think that Mr. Hume held for a short time, an agency for Oglethorpe
University, but I cannot give any particulars of it. He was, however,
back here, and moderated a Church-meeting that elected his successor
The Church was declared vacant the 2d of October, 1853, and Mr,
Hume died in Tennessee, August 10th, 1854,^less than a year after. I
enclose you the notice of that sad event, which is well prepared, except
that it is strangely deficient in names and dates. Had my own health
permitted,I would have had it otherwise; but many weeks or months
intervened, and have been followed by yeare, while few are left to sup¬
ply the information wanted.
Mr. Hume had a good classical education, having studied the Scrip-
eev. jesse sume.
175
tures in the original languages, and having had his Theological training
at Princeton, in its palmiest days, under Alexander, Miller and Hodge.
His brief Ministry was principally around Nashville, Gallatin, the Hermi¬
tage, etc. I know not his exact age, but conjecture it was 32 or 33. I think
his life was not prolonged—probably it was shortened by his return too
goon to Tennessee. J3ut his work was done, and his heavenly Father
judged right to release him from his labors on earth, and receive him
early to His bosom, and his eternal rest. * * * *
Yours very truly, BENJ. F. WHiTNER.
Proceedings of the Tallahassee Church in relation to the
death of Mr. Hume, referred to in Mr. Whitner's letter.
" Presbyterian Church,
Tallahassee, September 3, 1854.
The sad and painful intelligence has been received of the
death of our late much-loved pastor, the Rev. Jesse W.
Jlume, and we have to-day assembled here in the house of
God, to mingle together our grief—to record our high sense
of departed worth—and to tender our sympathies to those,
who are by this dispensation, so suddenly and sorely
bereaved.
Four years have not elapsed since Mr. Hume first came
amongst us to assume the pastoral relation. Impressed with
the belief that his failing health must soon put an end to his
career in the ministry, he yet hoped, as we all did, that our
mild climete might recruit his exhausted powers. For a time
such seemed to be the result. He entered upon his duties
with characteristic zeal and devotion, and we were encour¬
aged to believe that the Lord of the vineyard had indeed ap¬
pointed this for his field of labor, and that a long life of
usefulness was opened before him. But very soon our hopes
were over-clouded, and by degrees the sad truth was forced
upon us, that the God of Providence had otherwise ordained.
Anxious that no means should be left untried for his re¬
lief, we urged him to discontinue his labors for a season, and
to try the effect of relaxation and change of scene. But his
high sense of duty forbado his acceptance of such an indul-
176
NECROLOGY.
gence. Believing, as he did, that the interest of the Church
must suffer by even a temporary absence, he chose rather to
resign his post to another, and insisted upon a final dissolu-
tion of his connection with us. We at length unwillingly
assented, and" thus was severed the tenderest of Christian
relations—that of a beloved pastor to a beloved people. Yet,
though separated, we have never ceased to entertain toward
him those sentiments of personal affection and respect with
which his many virtues had inspired us. And it is a melancholy
pleasure to know that our affection was fully reciprocated by
him, and even on his dying bed he remembered us, and left
us his blessing. We shall ever cherish his memory as thai;
of a dear personal friend and brother.
The character of Mr. Hume was, in an eminent degree
that of a holy " man of God, thoroughly furnished unto all
good works." His talents, naturally of a high order, had
been from earliest youth thoroughly cultivated and trained;
and he was a constant and laborious student all his life. In
every earthly relation of life- he was an example of righte-
ousness and tiuth. As a companion and friend, he was
agreeable and instructive—as a husband and parent, he was
patient, kind and affectionate. But it was in his sacred call¬
ing as a pastor of Christ's flock, that his more lovely and
noble qualities were exhibited. This was his chosen and be¬
loved sphere. For this, he was by nature and grace, most
peculiarly fitted. He fully realized his solemn obligations,
and he devoted every euergy to it. Earnest and self-sacri¬
ficing to a fault, he toiled on in its duties, till his frail body,
exhausted, sunk in the effort.
In the pulpit, Mr. Hume particularly excelled. His ser¬
mons were eminently scriptural, doctrinal, and argumenta¬
tive. Yet, with these qualities he happily combined practical,
solemn and affectionate exhortation. The great and funda¬
mental truths of the gospel were his constant theme, and in1
explaining and enforcing them, he manifested a power and
REV. JESSE HUME.
r .
177
facility rarely witnessed. His sermons were always prepared
with great labor, and were lucid, condensed, vigorous and
logical. He studiously avoided mere ornament, seeking
rather to convince the heart, than please the ear; yet, such
was the severe simplicity of his' style—the originality, fit¬
ness and beauty of his illustrations, and the natural, clear,
and connected arrangement and progress of his argument,
that he seldom failed to charm and instruct as well the most
cultivated as the most careless of his hearers; and so happy
was his faculty of impressing the main points of his dis¬
course upon the mind, that one could recall the whole of
them with ease and pleasure, as if they were the scenes and
incidents of Borne pleasant road traveled together. His voice
was pleasing, his manner solemn and spiritual, while his
earnestness, animation and evident sincerity, riveted the at¬
tention of all.
His sermons, delivered while here, constitute a Bystem of
Presbyterian doctrine and belief, comprehensive, thorough
and popular, and have, as we believe, had the effect of ele¬
vating in a high degree the moral and religious intelligence
and sentiment of our whole community. "We indulge the
hope that those sermons may be preserved and published to
the world, that thus their usefulness may be prolonged and
extended, and that he, though dead, may yet speak in his be¬
loved Master's cause.
In the more private duties of the pastorate office, Mr.
Hume was alike acceptable. His gentle sympathy and holy
counsels went straight to the hearts of the doubting and dis¬
tressed. His prayers and consolations brought strength and
comfort from the very fountain, seemingly of God's love.
Mr. Hume did not confine his efforts to his own immediate
charge. He was deeply imbued with a missionary spirit,
and throughout the bounds of the State his labor and influ¬
ence were felt for good. During his stay here, our branch
of Christ's Church was, in a great degree, by his instrumen-
178
NECROLOGY.
tality, raised to a position of strength and prosperity it had
never before enjoyed.
Such was the character and such the capabilities for use¬
fulness of Mr. Hume. We loved him, and were proud of
him. And who can wonder ? We feel that his death (at this
early age) is a calamity, not merely to his family and friends,
but to the Church and the world. A strong man—an able
and fearless defender of the truth has fallen. We canno^
but wonder that Providence has seen fit to remove him, yefc,'
we doubt not it is done in Infinite Wisdom, and it becomes
us not to repine or despair. The battle is the Lord's—we
will put our trust in him That torn and suffer¬
ing body now lies in the grave, never again to be racked witfy
pain, in its fitting and chosen resting place at the feet of his
venerated earthly father,while his freed spirit,at the feet of his
Redeemer on high, is drinking in the pure and holy joy of
Heaven. Whilst we are still left to grope on a while longer
in the night here below, hifc morning has already come. Let
us not selfishly wish him back, but forget our sorrow in his
• ft
j°y-
REV. DANIEL INGLES *
Daniel Ingles was born in "Western New York, in the
year 1806. He resided in the Northwestern part of the
same State until he arrived at maturity. Little is known of
his parents, as they both died before he was five years old.
Of his ancestry we know nothing. Left as an indigent
orphan, he was taken as a beneficiary into the family of a
Mr. Cleghorn, where he performed the servile labors of the
family until he arrived at manhood. In the capacity which
Providence assigned him, he was early subjected to priva¬
tions and hardships; nevertheless, through life he ever man¬
ifested a respectful regard for the memory of his foster pa¬
rents, and an affectionate esteem for the members of the
family in which he was brought up. Compelled to labor for his
daily support, he enjoyed no literary advantages whatever—
he was of age before he knew a letter in the alphabet.
It was under the ministry of the celebrated and eccentric
evangelist, Finney, of Western New York, he was awakened
to a serious consideration of his sinful state, and led to in¬
quire what he must do to be saved. Having obtained peace
through faith in a crucified Redeemer, he soon became desi¬
rous of obtaining a liberal education, qualifying himself for
the work of the ministry.
Struggling with poverty, he persevered amidst many diffi¬
culties until he became a student in the Oneida Institute, N.
Y. In that institution he became acquainted with a James
H. George, a young man from Georgia, who had been disin¬
herited by his father, because he had professed religion, and
felt it to be his duty to preach the gospel of Christ, rather
* MSS. from Rev, H. C. Carter.
179
180
NECROLOGY.
than enter the profession of the law, for which his father
intended him.
With young George, Mr. Ingles came to Georgia about the
close of 1828. He was taken under the care of the Georgia
Education Society, in January, 1829. He entered Franklin
College, Athens, then under the Presidency of the Rev. Dr.
Church, and by that Society was sustained during his Col¬
legiate course. Even while a student, he was noted for his reli¬
gious zeal and energy. He abounded in laborious efforts to do
good, traveling, during his vacations, oft-times forty and fifty
miles to visit Churches and communities, where there was
any prospect of doing good. In prayer meetings he was re¬
markably gifted in prayer and exhortations.
During his stay in College, his Sabbaths were usually
spent in attending Sunday Schools in the country where he
had opportunity of exercising his peculiar gifts. At these
places, large congregations would assemble, being attracted
by his fervid eloquence. At camp-meetings, especially, he
seemed to be in his proper element. On such occasions,
during the intervals of public worship, he would watch for a
suitable opportunity to commence an exhortation amidst a
group of young people, and wherever his sonorous voice was
heard, there a crowd would be immediately assembled.
There was something solemn and impressive in the deep in¬
tonations of his voice, united with the earnestness of his .
manner. There was a harmony in his eye, his voice, and his
action, rarely found in combination in the same individuals
It attracted and fixed the attention both of old and young;
and his manifest sincerity over-awed the scoffing sceptic. He
was in many .respects a remarkable man, and a remarkable
preacher. He was a Boanerges—a son of thunder—of ar¬
dent temperament, and vigorous energy of body and mind;
lie threw his soul into the work. Whatever he undertook,
he did it with all his might.
In 1833, Mr. Ingles was graduated, and shortly thereafter
REV. DANIEL INGLES. 181
■was married to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of James D. Cole,
Esq., of Athens. In the same year he received license from
Hopewell Presbytery to preach the gospel.
For some years he was engaged in teaching an Academy
at the village of Social Circle, Walton county, Georgia,
while at the same time he preached in all the surrounding
region as opportunity offered. He afterwards supplied the
Presbyterian Church in the city of Macon, for two years.
Having sold his possessions in Walton county, he bought
a farm on the Coosawatie river, in Gordon county, in the
west of the State, to which he removed his family in 1850.
Here he remained for some years in comparative seclusion,
devoting himself almost. exclusively to farming, and occa¬
sionally supplying some feeble Churches in his vicinity. In
1856, he was called to mourn the death of Mrs. Ingles. This
was to him a sore bereavement, and he immediately sunk
into a state of mental gloom and despondency. Although
Mr. Ingles was a man of ardent feelings, and by nature pre¬
pared to overcome difficulties by persevering efforts, yet, at
times he was subject to extreme mental depression, as though
he were suffering under deep convictions. During these seasons
of gloom and melancholy, he could not be induced to engage in
any ministerial work. But when the dark cloud was lifted,
he would return to his work with renewed energy. Such
was the case after the death of his wife. After a few months
he began to revive and make arrangements once more to
emerge from his seclusion, and go forth again to labor in the
gospel vineyard.
As a public speaker, he was eloquent and impressive. His
imagination was vivid, his illustrations were strikingly appro¬
priate, and sometimes thrilling and sublime. His appeals to
the consciences of the impenitent were pungent and alarm¬
ing. Oft-times sinners would feel themselves to be the ob¬
ject of his personal address. We now distinctly recollect an
instance of this kind, that fell under our own observation.
182
NECROLOGY*
A worldly, wicked, careless man, had by some one been in¬
duced to attend an evening service where Mr. Ingles was the
preacher. He was in his finest mood. His address was to
the impehitent. As he proceeded in depicting in the most
glowing colors the sinner's character and danger, holding up
before his eyes the wrath of God as revealed against all un¬
righteousness and ungodliness of men, the man began to
conclude that he was addressing him personally—that he
certainly knew him, or that some person had told Mr. Ingles
what sort of a man he was, for in the glowing description he
gave of the sinner's character, he saw the picture of himself,
and heard him virtually saying to him, " Thou art the man."
He was highly offended—he rose in wrath and left the
Church. We met him the next morning on the street. He
was still very much excited, and affirmed that he would never
hear that man again, who had so wontonly insulted him. He
wa3 told that Mr. Ingles did not intend a personal insult—
that he knew nothing of him—did not doubtless know that
there was such a man in the congregation—had in all proba¬
bility never heard his name. But on the contrary, his own
conscience was the accuser—that the sword of the spirit had
pierced his heart and discovered to him his sin; and that he
had more reason to be offended at himself than any other
being or earth. He was evidently under strong convictions,
and, although, he had resolved not to hear that man again,
the very next evening he was in the Church again, not to
resist the truth, but as an awakened soul, asking, " what he
must do to be saved?" A few days more, and he was rejoic¬
ing in hope, and lived and died a triumphing Christian. In¬
deed, such were the pointed and pungent nature of his ap¬
peals at times, that few could hear him, without feeling them¬
selves personally addressed.
Thus many a bold blasphemer quailed beneath his thun¬
dering denunciations, and were filled with trembling dismay
in view of the faithful portraiture of himself, as drawn by
KEY. DANIEL INGLES.
188
this faithful declaimer against prevalent iniquities. He feared
not the face of man. He never hesitated to denounce the
judgments of God against the ■wicked. The following illus¬
trates this fact:
"At a camp-meeting in the middle part of the State,
•hearing that a number of drunken fellows, of the baser sort,
had assembled at a neighboring drinking-shop, for the pro-
.fane purpose of holding a mock-meeting, and where they in¬
tended to administer the sacrament of the Lord's supper, he
was fired with holy indignation; and notwithstanding the
threats uttered of personal violence, he fearlessly entered
their assembly and boldly denounced the judgments of
heaven upon their blasphemous conduct, if they did not im¬
mediately repent and desist. To the ring-leader of the
band, he said, as one having authority, " God in his wrath, I
verily believe, will cut you down this very night, if you do
not at'once repent."
Seeing that they were determined to continue their blas¬
phemous sport, he left them and returned to the camp. Not
long after his return, this bold blasphemer, while in the very
act of ridiculing sacred things, dropped dead upon the floor,
and his terrified comrades came running to the camp, begging
God's people to pray for them.
On another occasion, as he was visiting in a certain village
whither he had gone to assist the pastor in an approaching
meeting, he entered the house of a professed Universalist,
he being absent, and conversed and prayed with his wife and
daughters. Returning to the same house a few days after¬
wards, he was met at the door by the Universalist and per¬
emptorily ordered away. lie calmly replied, " I will never
visit your house again until you send for me," adding, " and
this you will do before long." This proved true, for this act
was overruled as the means of his persecutor's conviction,
and he found no peace until he sent for Mr. Ingles, and
asked his forgiveness. He, his wife, and two daughters, all
184
NECROLOGY.
his family, were afterwards brought hopefully to the Saviour.
We have already alluded to the effect of the death of his
wife, which threw over his spirits a deep gloom, from which
he was not restored for many months. At length, however,
the sun began to appear—the shadows which had so long
hung around his soul fled away—and he began to think of
returning to his work. But just as he was about consum¬
mating his plans for future usefulness, the Master called him
suddenly to a higher and holier state. Early on the very
day he wa3 to remove to a place he had purchased recently,
he was found, reclining upon a sofa in his chamber, dead.
By him lay an open Bible, and at his feet a religious tract,
which had probably dropped from his fingers as they had
been palsied by the touch of death. Thus, while meditating'
upon divine and heavenly truth, his spirit returned to God
who gave it. It was a mysterious providence.
He died in the fifty-fifth year of his age, and the twenty-
fourth of his ministry. On the 29th of December, 1857, he
was laid in the grave by the side of his beloved wife. For
nearly twenty-five years he had labored faithfully and suc¬
cessfully in the vineyard of his Lord and Master.
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D.D.*
Charles Colcock Jones, the son of Captain Jones and
Mrs. Susannah Hyme Jones, was born at his father's resi¬
dence, Liberty Hall, Liberty county, Georgia, December
20th, 1804, and was baptized at Midway Church, of which
bis mother was a member, by the Rev. Cyrus Gildersloeve,
at that time its pastor. The sole care of him, when three
months old, was, by the lamented death of his father, devolved
on his mother. Of Huguenot descent, she was a woman of
great excellence of character and sincere piety; and her
earnest desire and frequent prayer for her fatherless child
were that he might glorify God in the Christian ministry—a
prayer destined to' be signally answered long after her lips
were silent in death.
Bereft by death of a mother's tender care before he had
reached his fifth year, God did not forget the little orphan,
but in His kind providence committed him to the protection
of affectionate relatives, and " to the special guardianship of
his uncle, Captain Joseph Jones, who ever sustained to him
the relation of a father, and to whose influence, protection,
and kindness he ever accorded the respect, obedience and
affection of a son."
Having received at the Sunbury Academy, then under the
preceptorship of the Rev. William McWhir, D.D., the rudi¬
ments of an excellent ^English education, he entered at the
age of fourteen, and continued some six years, in a counting
house in Savannah. While thus employed, the evening hours
of leisure were spent by him in reading and study. And in
this way the young clerk and future minister of the gospel
amassed valuable historical information, and disciplined his
*MSS. From Rev. R. Q. Mallard and Mrs. Jones.
185
186
NECROLOGY.
mental faculties in mastering Edwards on the Will. Such
were his energy, industry, system, and strict integrity, that
he won the entire confidence of his employers; and it is said
that at the close of this period, he could have commanded
almost any position he should have chosen. But God had
other work for him to do.
Up to this time, it is not known that the subject of this
sketch, although of tender susceptibilities, was ever under
deep convictions of sin; but during his commercial career a
Severe spell of sickness brought him to the verge of the
grave, and was, under God, the means of his profound
Rwaj^ening. His exercises of soul at this interesting period
are not known, but evidence of their genuineness was from
the first apparent. Connecting himself, while still a resident
of Savannah, at the age of seventeen, with the Midway Con¬
gregational Church of Liberty county, then under the pas¬
toral care of the Rev. Murdoch Murphy, he became at once
an active Sunday School Teacher in the Independent Pres¬
byterian Church of that city; visiting his scholars at their
homes, and even drawing up rules for the guidance of their
daily conduct. The idea of studying for the ministry was
first urged upon his serious consideration by the Rev. Mur¬
doch Murphy.
About this time the Hon. John Elliot, then a Senator in
the United States Congress, and a warm friend of the family,
urged Capt. Joseph Jones to send his ward to the Military
Academy at West Point, and offered to use his influence in
obtaining a place for him. But the Providence and Spirit of
God had now directed the aims and designs of his young ser¬
vant to a higher and holier calling, and owing, perhaps, to
this fact, that Dr. Ebenezer Porter,'of Andover, was at this
time favorably known in his native county, through his visits
for health to the South, his attention was turned towards that
Seminary, then distinguished alike for its strict orthodoxy
and thorough intellectual culture.
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D,
18T
At the age of twenty he connected himself with Phillips
Academy, at Andover, and had almost attained his majority
when, for the first time, he took the Latin Grammar in hand.
His stay at Andover, including the time spent in the School
and Seminary, was three years and a half. We may well
suppose from his previous, as well as subsequent career, that
these were not years of idleness. With Dr. Porter he asso¬
ciated on terms of intimacy, and ever spoke of him with
affectionate veneration, and has been heard to say that he
had visited him in his study at all hours of the day, and that
there was not an hour at which he did not at some time find
him on his knees. During one vacation while connected
with Andover, Dr. Jones labored as a missionary in Provi¬
dence, It. I.. Ilis report, by its fearless exposure of vice, gave
much offense, while his great exertions impaired his health.
From Andover Dr. Jones went to Princeton Seminary,
New Jersey, and eighteen months afterward completed, under
Doctors Alexander and Miller, then its great ornaments, his
Theological education. In the Spring of 1830, he was licensed
to preach the gospel by the Presbytery of New Brunswick,
then in session at Allentown. In November, 1830, he re¬
turned to his native county, Liberty, and on thie evening of
December 21st, 1830, was united in marriage to Miss Mary
Jones. For a period of four or five months he preached as
opportunity offered, and on the 31st of May, 1831, he received
and subsequently accepted a call to become the stated supply
of the First Presbyterian Church in Savannah, Georgia.
Entering upon his pastoral labors with his characteristic
energy and zeal, besides visiting in the week, he preached
three times on the Sabbath, devoting one of the services to
the blacks, and delivered a course of lectures on the Epistle
to the Hebrews, with marked success. In November of the
same year, Dr. Jones connected himself with the Presbytery
of Georgia, and was by them ordained and installed pastor of
the First Presbyterian Church, Savannah. The installation
188
NECROLOGY.
and ordination services were held, by invitation, in the Inde¬
pendent Presbyterian Church, then under the pastoral charge
of the Rev. Daniel Baker, and before a large congregation,
who filled the vast audience room of that stately edifice. His
relations with Dr. Daniel Baker were of the most pleasant
character.
After eighteen months spent in his first and last ministerial
connection with a pastoral charge of whites, Dr. Jones felt,
constrained by a sense of duty to devote himself to that
great work, with which his name has been so long and hon¬
orably associated—the evangelization of the negroes. To
this needy and important class of our population, his mind
seems to have been drawn while a student at Princeton
Seminary. Severing his connection with the Church in Sa¬
vannah, he returned to Liberty county, November, 1832,
and gave himself, body, mind and soul, to his chosen self-
denying, and so far as any pecuniary recompense was con¬
cerned, gratuitous work; the full results of which eternity
only will disclose. He succeeded to a remarkable extent in
awakening a deep interest in this neglected people, not only
among the citizens of his own county, but by his extensive
correspondence, his writings, and his published reports, he
under God, did more than any other man in arousing the
whole Church of this country to its duty to the Africans
among us. It was during this period of labor that he pre¬
pared his " Catechism of Scripture Doctrine and Practice,'*
intended mainly for the oral instruction of colored persons j
but suited to families and schools, which has been so exten¬
sively used in the South, and has been translated by the
Rev. John B. Adger, D.D., while a Missionary at Smyrna,
into the Armenian and also into the Armeno-Turkish; and
by the Rev. John Quarterman, at Ningpo, into the Chinese,
and has been found of eminent use in instructing the heathen.
In unintermitted missionary labors, which engaged his time,
and employed him in the direct work of instruction not only
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D. 189
several nights in the week, but almost the entire Sabbath
from morn to night, Dr. Jones spent a period of five years.
At the expiration of this time, in 1835, he was elected by
the Synod of South Carolina and Georgia to the Chair of
Church History and Polity in the Seminary at Columbia,
S. C., and in 1836, he removed with his family to that city,
and as one of his associates in the Faculty testifies, dis¬
charged the duties of his professorship with his characteristic
zeal and ardor. After two years of arduous service he re¬
signed in 1838, his Chair, and returned to his old field of
labor. Here he labored with unremitting activity and great
success until November, 1847, at which time he laid before
the Presbytery two calls which he had received; the one
inviting him to become an Agent and Secretary for the
Assembly's Board of Missions for the South and Southwest,
with a special view to the religious instruction of the negroes,
and the other calling him again to the Chair of Church
History and Polity in the Columbia Seminary. Presbytery
recommended the acceptance of the latter, and accordingly
he removed, in 1848, to Columbia, and entered upon his pro¬
fessorial duties.
On the night of the 18th of April, 1850, the house in
which he lived with all its contents, was consumed by fire,
he and his family narrowly escaping with their lives. By
this disastrous event, which he bore with beautiful resignation,
the most valuable portion of his library, all his missionary
journals, sermons and other MSS, and his lectures on Church
History, which had been prepared with assiduous care, were
lost. Elected about this time Secretary of the Assembly's
Board of Missions as the successor of the Bev. William A.
McDowell, D.D.,* after prayerfully and carefully weighing
♦William Anderson McDowell, D.D., was born at Lamrington, N.
May, 1789. He graduated at Princeton College in 1809, and at the Theo¬
logical Seminary in May, 1813. He was first settled at Bound Brook,
N. J., and afterwards at Morristown. He left N. J. in October, 1823, and
190
NECROLOGY.
the reasons for and against the change, (a draft of which
reasons, is now extant in his hand writing) he again resigned
his Professorial Chair, and in 1850, removed to Philadelphia
and entered upon his duties as Secretary. In this new posi¬
tion he manifested the same qualities which had always char¬
acterized him, and his systematic and practical business
habits, his manly independence, his thorough comprehension
of the demands of the field, his uncommon and untiring in¬
dustry, and his unflagging zeal, infused new life and energy in¬
to the operation of the Board. In this important position he'
was not permitted long to labor. His constitution having long
sustained the heavy drafts of a life of constant and severe
exertion, and unremitting toil of the office, completely broke
down, and was compelled to seek restoration in the quiet
seclusion of his own delightful home in Liberty county.
From this period we must date the invalid life of Dr.
Jones, protracted through ten years, if indeed we can prop¬
erly call a life such, which was active and laborious as that
of many students in the enjoyment of robust health. As
his strength permitted, he preached to white and black, and
labored untiringly on his own plantation for the spiritual
good of his servants, eleven of whom, as the fruits of his
labors, he had $he pleasure of seeing unite with Midway
Church, in February, 1861. He attended, as he was able,
the meetings of Presbytery, and twice during this period,
represented it in the General Assembly. He was a member
of the First General Assembly of the Confederate States,
and took an active part in its deliberations, being made .
Chairman of one of its most important committees. Those
who were present on that memorable occasion, will not soon
forget the deep and respectful attention with which the
Assembly listened to his counsels, and the profound stillness,
was installed pastor of the Third Presbyterian Church, Charleston, S.C.,
jn Dec, 1823. He was elected Secretary of the Board of Missions in
1833, and resigned in 1850. He died in 1851.
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D, 191
with which a great congregation, as well as the Assembly,
hung upon his lips, as unmindful of his physical weakness, he
poured forth what proved to be his last appeal to the Church
in behalf of the souls of our servants.
But the chief work of this part of his life was, " The
History of the Church of God," the foundations of which
were laid in his lectures at the Seminary. On this he
wrought untiringly and with great delight almost up to the
day of his death, and that event found it lacking but a few
chapters of completion, and ending, strange to say, just
where the fire in Columbia had cut short his lectures.
From an injury received in childhood the subject of this
memorial, remarkable td relate, lived and labored with but
one lung in active play, and experienced at times, in conse¬
quence a sensation of weariness in the vocal organs, such as
is. not felt by one in full health. As early as his second
period of missionary life in Liberty county, the seeds of the
disease which finally ended his days seem to have been sown.
Symptoms of nervous exhaustion were on one occasion felt,
but at the time disregarded. In Columbia, premonitory
symptoms of his disease manifested themselves, and alarm¬
ingly developed themselves in Philadelphia. Ilis disease was
known as the wasting palsy. It gradually, yet surely wasted
away his frame, leaving his mind to the last untouched, and
growing and ripening to the end. Ilis son, Br. Joseph
Jones, has a minute history of the entire progress of his
disease, written out by himself, and continued up to the last
month of his life.
No one watched his symptoms with greater care and com¬
posure than he did himself. With a strong trust in his Redeem¬
er, he looked on, cheerful and happy, when he knew that a fatal
disease was gradually taking down his tabernacle of clay.
A period of uncommon mortality prevailed among his servants
and his deep anxiety about them, and about the war, in which
as a patriot he took the deepest interest, it is believed
192
NECROLOGY.
hastened his end. The emaciation gradually extended from
his limbs to his person, and even those who saw him at short
intervals of time, were shocked at the progress which the
disease had made. He kept his end constantly in view, and
remarked not many months before his death to his eldest
son: " My son, I am living in momentary expectation of
death, but the thought of its approach causes me no alarm.
The frail tabernacle must soon be taken down. I only wait
God's time." Four days before his death he made this en¬
try in a journal: "March 12th, 186B, have been very weak
and declining since the renewal of the cold, on the 1st instant,
in the Church. My disease appears to be drawing to a con¬
clusion. May the Lord make me to say in that hour in sav¬
ing faith and love, * Into thy hands I commit my spirit: Thou
hast redeemed me, 0 Lord God of truth,'" Ps. xxxvi: 5.
(The passage thus referred to reads thus; " Thy mercy, 0
Lord, is in the heavens, and thy faithfulness reacheth unto
the clouds." " So has our blessed Saviour taught us by his
own example to do, and blessed are they who die in the
Lord."
His nights at this time were sleepless, his respiration
labored, and his strength sensibly declining, yet his Chris¬
tian composure and cheerfulness never forsook him. On
Sunday the 15th of March, he took a short ride on horse¬
back, hoping that it might relieve his unpleasant sensations.
On the morning of the lGth, the day on which he died, having
dressed himself with scrupulous neatness, he came down from
his chamber and breakfasted with the family. After break¬
fast he walked for a short time upon the lawn, but returned
much exhausted, and retiring to his study, spent the fore¬
noon there, sometimes sitting up and sometimes reclining.
He conversed with his wife and sister with difficulty, and
evidently suffered much from restlessness and debility. At
two o'clock, dinner was served in his study, and he eat with
apparent relish. Soon after addressing himself to his wife
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D. 193
and alluding to the recent order of Gen. Beauregard, as
encouraging, and speaking of the gigantic efforts of our ene¬
mies for our subjugation, he continued : " The God of Jacob
is with us—God our Father,Jehovah God, the Holy Ghost and
God our Divine Redeemer, and we can never be overthrown."
Mrs. Jones repeated some of the promises of the Saviour,'
that he would be present with those who put their trust in
Him, even when called to pass through the dark valley of the
shadow of death. To which he repled: " In health we may
repeat those promises, but now they are realities." She re-
,plied: " I feel assured that the Saviour is present with you."
He answered, "I am .nothing but a poor sinner, I renounce
myself and all self-justification, trusting only in the free un¬
merited righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ." Being
asked if he had any messages for his sons, he said : " Tell
them both to lead lives of godly men in Christ Jesus, in
uprightness and integrity." His feebleness increasing, she
suggested that it might be pleasant to him to retire to his
chamber and recline upon his bed. To this he assented, and
supported by his wife and sister, he left his study playfully
remarking, " How honored I am in being waited upon by two
ladies." Reclining upon his bed, in a few moments, without
a struggle, 'a sigh, a gasp, he gently fell asleep in Jesus. A
glory almost unearthly, which awed all who approached,
>Csted upon his peaceful countenance.
Shortly afterwards, just as he was, in the same garments
he had put on, with his white cravat unsoiled, and every fold
as his own hands had arranged it, he was borne back to his
study, where, surrounded by the authors he had loved in life,
he seemed to rest in sweet and peaceful sleep, until the third
day following; when, after appropriate services at Midway
Church, conducted by the Rev. D. L. Buttolph, his mortal
remains were committed to the grave in that venerable cem¬
etery, where his own parents and many generations of God's
saints await the resurrection.
13
194
NECROLOGY.
This memorial cannot be better closed than by quoting
from the discourse preached on the occasion of his death, by
the Rev. D. L. Buttolph, on the 17th verse of the 48th
chapter of Jeremiah, " How is the strong staff broken, and
the beautiful rod." The following estimate of his character
and genius, as a man, a Christian, and a minister of the
Gospel:
" Dr. Jones was a man who possessed striking and salient
points of character. He was born to lead. No one could
come into contact with him, even for a short time, with out
feeling that he was in the presence of a commanding intellect,'
His mind was of the first order. He would have succeeded
in any sphere he had chosen. Such were his strength of
purpose and resolute will, that difficulties so far from deteri
ring him from the prosecution of his object, only aroused to
increased activity, the powers of his extraordinary mind.
He seemed to grasp a subject in all its bearing and relations
at once, and speedily to arrive at his conclusions. His
judgment appeared to be almost unerring. Seldom was he
compelled to reverse a decision, which he had formed. He
was an independent thinker and actor. No man surpass^
him in moral courage. He was not afraid to assume the ree
sponsibilities of any given course of action when assured that
course was right. He only feared God.
His perseverence was indomitable. Nothing deterred him
in the path of duty. He went forward relying on the
strength of God, and the rectitude of his course.
His acquisitions in knowledge were very great. Whatever
subject he studied, he mastered. His knowledge was acurate
as well as extensive. With a retentive memory and a logical
mind, he could bring into immediate use all the rich stores
of learning he had acquired. Probably no man ever lived
who made better use of his time. He regarded time as a
most precious talent, and most faithfully did he improve it.
He never spared himself. He labored hard and successfully
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, J>. D. 195
up to the very close of life. The Master, when he came,
found him at work. He fell as he desired to fall, with his
harness on.
Dr. Jones possessed qualities which are rarely found
united together in the same person. He was not more the
"strong staff," than he was the "beautiful rod." Strength and
beauty seemed to be equally combined in him. Accompany¬
ing his stern, strong will, his unyielding purpose, and his fear¬
less courage, there was a modesty, a humility, a gentleness
which are rarely surpassed. These qualities were not as¬
sumed, or put on for effect, they were as natural to him as
were those strong characteristics which commanded the re¬
spect and admiration of all who knew him. He had a tender
heart, which was alive to every kind and generous emotion.
He sympathized deeply with all who were in distress. He
seemed to place himself in their condition and to bear their
burdens. " Weep with all who weep, and rejoice with all
who rejoice."
Blessed with wealth, he regarded all that he possessed as a
treasure loaned from the Lord, and himself as the Lord's
steward. He labored for years in the ministry at his own
charges, and gave liberally of his substance to the poor and
every benevolent cause. The afflicted of every class and
degree found in him a sympathizing friend and helper. He
was pre-eminently a good counsellor. He appeared to know
what ought to be done in every emergency, and such was the
soundness of his judgment, that he seldom made a mistake.
His conversational powers were of the highest order. His
accurate and extensive information upon almost every subject
united with great ease and courtesy, made him both instruc¬
tive and entertaining to all classes. No one could be in his
company and listen to his conversation without pleasure and
profit. . His home was the abode of hospitality, and none
who have ever enjoyed it, will forget the kind welcome which
190
NECROLOGY.
he always gave. Probably no one in the county bad a larger
and choicer circle of friends and. acquaintances.
Dr. Jones' Christian life was marked by its depth, sincerity
and earnestness. Religion with him was the great reality of
life. It was his chief concern to please God, perform his duty
and prepare for eternity. His reverence for God, was deep
and abiding. He lived and moved under the abiding conscious¬
ness that God's eye was upon him. He had the most exalted
ideas of the greatness, majesty, glory, and holiness of God,
Every thing connected with His character, will and worship^
received his homage and reverence. He bowed low in the
presence of God. All profane trifling with the name, attri¬
butes, and worship of Deity, shocked every feeling of hia
.soul. The Bible was his constant study. He was familiar
with its truths. He not only read, but studied its sacred con¬
tents. He brought every opinion to the test of God's Word,,
and tried it by that sacred standard. The views and opin¬
ions of men were nothing with him, unless they agreeed with
the teachings of Scripture. He loved God's Word. It was
the food on which his soul constantly fed. He studied it not
only that he might instruct others, but that his own heart
might be sanctified. His expositions of God's Word were
satisfactory and conclusive. They proved that he spoke from
his own experience of their truth and power. The Sabbath
was also his delight. He reverenced the Lord's day. Its
hours were faithfully consecrated to public and private wor¬
ship. While his health permitted, he labored as an am¬
bassador of Christ to men, and when unable to preach, he
was a, most regular attendant upon the means of grace ....
Our departed brother was eminent for his piety. He had
made great attainments in holiness. He lived [near the
throne of grace. .He held constant communion with his
Saviour. No one could hear him pray, whether in the sanc¬
tuary or at the family altar, or at the bedside of the sick
and dying, without perceiving that prayer ^vas his " native
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, H. D, 197
breath." He possessed to a remarkable degree the gift and
grace of prayer. In prayer his soul seemed to mount up on
the wings of faith to the very presence chamber of Deity.
There was an appropriateness of thought and expression in
his prayers, which rendered them most edifying to all who
joined with him in devotion. We cannot enumerate all the-
traits of his Christian character.
He was remarkable for his humility. Having the .most
exalted views of God's infinite greatness and holiness, it is
Lot strange that he had low and debasing views of himself.
In his own sight he was nothing, and less than nothing.
" Renouncing himself," as he expressed it, " and all self-
justification, he trusted only in the free and unmeritedjright-
eousness of the Lord Jesus Christ." This was his only hope.
Christ was all his salvation and all his desire. •
He ardently loved the Saviour, and desired that His name
should 1)e known and honored Jthroughout the^earth. He
loved the Christian brethren—his heart went forth in true
affection towards all who loved Christ in sincerity and truth.
He loved the souls of the impenitent. He prayed for
their conversion. He strove to bring them to a saving
knowledge of Christ. His efforts for their conversion were
not confined to the pulpit. He spoke to them in private,
and endeavored to win them to Christ. The one great aim
of his life was to do good to the souls of his fellow-men.
This was exhibited especially in his ministerial life. He felt
it to be a distinguished privilege and honor to be called to
serve God in the ministry. No one had higher views of the
sacredness of this office than the subject of these remarks.
When he became assured of his call to the ministry, he
entered upon the preparation for its duties with the utmost
zeal. His lack of collegiate education was made up by in¬
defatigable application to study. He became a ripe scholar.
All his acquisitions in learning were made to contribute to
success in the ministry. Everything which did not directly
198
NECROLOGY.
or indirectly further this grand end, was cast aside as worth¬
less. His knowledge of the languages in which the Scrip¬
tures were originally written, was thorough and extensive.
It was his daily custom to study the Bible, both in the Greek
and Hebrew. The Bible, indeed, was his great store-house
of knowledge. In one sense, he was a man of one book.
He prized the Bible above all human productions. In every
disputed question connected with theology, he first asked,
"What saith the Lord? and when he had ascertained the
mind of the Spirit, his opinions were irreversibly fixed. He
was well read in the writings of those learned divines whose
labors have thrown so much light upon the Scriptures. Few,
if any, excelled him in his knowledge of the history of the
church. Having been called twice to the chair of Church
History and Polity, in the Seminary at Columbia, he gave
particular attention to this branch of theological learning.
The last and best years of his life were spent in giving to
the world his researches upon this subject, and- his book,
when published, will be a most valuable contribution to the
literature of the church, and a lasting monument of his
learning, wisdom, and zeal.
But the pulpit was his appropriate place. Here the pow¬
ers of his gifted mind were brought into most vigorous exer¬
cise. His whole appearance in the pulpit indicated the
greatest solemnity and reverence. He felt the awful re¬
sponsibility which rested upon him as the ambassador of
Christ to dying sinners. His subject was always well di¬
gested. He seized the strong points of his text, and pre¬
sented them with plainness and simplicity, which made them
level to the comprehension of the most illiterate, and at the
same time with a force and eloquence which would interest
and instruct the most learned and refined in the congrega¬
tion. He would become all absorbed in his subject, and at
times would rise to the highest flights of eloquencea Ho
usually drew his happiest figures and illustrations from na-
BEV. CHABLES COLCOCK JONES, t>. D.
199
ture, and these always beautified bis discourse. There was
a fervor and unction about his preaching not often equalled.
His sermons to the colored people were adapted to their
comprehension. He sought to instruct and interest them.
Probably no man in this country so well understood their
character. lie had studied it with a view of adapting his
labors to their capacity. And most signal has his success
been among this people. They loved and honored him.
They felt that he was their best friend. Whenever it was
known that he was to preach, they flocked to the house
of worship, and sat at his feet for instruction. Ilis labors
have been crowned with abundant success, and many have
been hopefully converted under his preaching. Eternity
plone will disclose the amount of good he was enabled, by
divine grace, to accomplish. He now rests from his labors,
and his " works do follow him."
The high estimation in which he was held by his brethren
of the Presbytery of Georgia, is thus appropriately expressed:
"We cannot close this imperfect memorial of this eminent
servant of God, without expressing our high appreciation of
his character, gifts and services, and our sincere sorrow over
the removal of the brightest ornament of our Presbytery—
its strong staff and beautiful rod. And while in confident
belief that our loss is his unspeakable gain, we cheerfully
bow to the will of Heaven, and sincerely sympathize with
the family of our revered brother. We resolve that we will
ever cherish his memory, and by God's grace endeavor to
follow his faith, considering the end of his conversation,
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever."
We cannot forbear subjoining the testimony of the Synod
of Georgia, as a ratification of all that is said of him in the
preceding memorial. At its sessions in Athens, Nov., 1853,
the Synod thus speaks :
"Though eminently successful as a pastor, instructive and
Ignored as a professor, and pre-eminent in his management
200
NECROLOGY.
of the affairs of the Board of Domestic Missions, yet his
labors for the servants of the South was his great work. He
ever felt it to be so, and for the manner in which he fulfilled
his mission, 'his praise is in all the churches,' and his name
will be had in 4 everlasting remembrance.' "
As a man, Doctor Jones was a fine example of the Chris¬
tian gentleman. Easy and unaffected, and courteous in his
manners, ample and generous in his hospitalities, sincere,
warm, and abiding in his friendships, a charming companion
in his associations with his fellow-men.
As a preacher, he was sound, practical, and popular.
Few persons exceeded him in the clearness and power with
which he uttered and enforced truth, and in the earnestness,
and at the same time the dignity, with which he stood in the
place of Christ and besought men to be reconciled to God.
His ministry was an eminently useful one, and in his death
the church has sustained a great loss, and by it we are im¬
pressively reminded, that our best brethren, most talented,
useful, and beloved, cannot continue, by reason of death."
From Rev. John Jones.
Dr. J. S. "Wilson,
Rev. and Dear Brother:—In compliance with your request, I
send you a brief sketch of the missionary life of Dr. 0. C. Jones among
the negroes of Georgia.
In order to be distinct, I will arrange the following statements under
four heads:
First, the place and time of his labors. Second, the amount of labor
bestowed. Third, the self-denial and exhausting character of his work.
Fourth, the fruits and results:
1st. Although Dr. Jones preached occasionally to colored people in
various parts of Georgia, his permanent scene of labor was Liberty, his
native county, and the home of his parents and grand-parents. He had
three principal stations: Midway, where the African church, erected
after the commencement of his mission, and by his efforts and contribu¬
tions, stood ii ird by tlnil venerable building in which four successive
generations of whites and blacks have Worshipped together; Newport, a
Baptist church, central to a large negro population; and Pleasant Grove,
a church erected chiefly by his energy. There was also another station,
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, ». D.
201
called Hutchison, where he occasionally preached, erected also through
his instrumentality.
TIME DEVOTED TO THE WOBK.
His mind was turned to the religious instruction of the negroes whilst
a student of theology. He graduated at Princeton Seminary, in 1830,
was licensed by New Brunswick Presbytery, and returned home with his
heart fixed on the colored population. But deeming it best to enter the
field with due preparation, he accepted a call to the First Presbyterian
church of Savannah, in the spring of 1831. He continued in Savannah
until November, 1832, taking the liveliest interest in the instruction of
the blacks, and devoting to them much attention, in addition to the
usual duties of his charge, preaching ouce every Sabbath for them. He
then moved to Liberty county, and entered upon the chosen work of his
life.
He formed, at the beginning, among the planters of the county, an
Association for the religious instruction of the colored population. This
Association was not denominational. It held regular annual meetings,
to which the Missionary made a report of his labors, and inspired an in¬
terest in his work.
These annual meetings were deeply interesting, and were often attended
by the best citizens from the adjoining counties.
Dr. Jones labored in this field during the years of 1833, '34, '35, '36.
In November of 1836 he was elected by the Synod of South Carolina and
Georgia to the Professorship of Ecclesiastical History and Church Polity,
in the Columbia Theological Seminary. He passed two years in Colum¬
bia. During his professorship he constantly held up before the students
the colored field, and labored personally for the negroes, by preaching,
and the formation and personal superintendence of a Sabbath school of
200 scholars.
He returned to Liberty county in the close of 1838, and resumed labor
among the colored people, who gave him a most hearty and grateful
welcome. His return seemed to receive the divine sanction, by a special
and protracted outpouring of the Spirit on his work, early in 1830.
• He continued in this field for ten successive years, the prime of his life,
until he was again called to the same chair in the Theological Seminary.
He remained in Columbia during 1840 and the seminary year of 1850.
Having experienced a most solemn providence in the loss, by fire, of his
library, and lectures, and sermons, and manuscripts, and all household
valuables, and the bare escape of himself and family, and haviDg been,
soon after this calamity, elected Secretary of the Board of Domestic Mis¬
sions of O. S. General Assembly, he removed to Philadelphia in October
1850, and there remained for three years, until prostrated by excessive
labor and devotion to his office, he was compelled to return to his home'
ih Liberty county, in the fall of 1853.
202
NECROLOGY.
1 1 — ——
He again resumed his work among the colored people. He was spared"
until the 16th of March, 1863. During this period he labored beyond his
. ability, with a zeal and devotion, and success, which increased as his
years and strength declined. "When no longer able to stand, he would
preach sitting in the pulpit. And, especially was he devoted to the in**
struction of his own servants, both in the home chapel and in the family
mansion, where they came for personal conversation and teaching, and
many of them were brought into the church of God.
Thus it will be seen, that the morning, the meridian, and the evening
pf his ministry, were devoted to this chosen field of life.
rr. THE AMOUNT OF LABOR BESTOWED.
His work commenced in his study. His preparations for the Sabbath
were made most carefully, and with critical examinations of the original
Scriptures. His sermons were often expository, and dwelling on many
verses, sometimes a chapter, and occasionally a short book of the Bible»
On Sabbath he rode to the stations, generally on horseback. The labors
of the day were introduced by a prayer meeting and a watchman's meet¬
ing. Then followed the regular services of the morning. The third service
was a patient inquiry meeting, to which all were encouraged to come who
desired personal instruction. This meeting was regularly held, and he
prized it very highly, having long tested its practical value. The closing
exercise of the day was the Sabbath school, in which he taught hymns
and his catechism. Into these schools he gathered all ages, but especi¬
ally children and youth. All recited together. These schools evinced
the efficiency of oral instruction. They were remarkable for their ani¬
mation, proficiency, and accuracy; and their catechatical instructions
received the special sanction of God, the Holy Spirit
Such were the Sabbath labors of our Missionary. He literally worked'
while the day lasted, and the sun was usually in the tops of the trees,
and the shadows of evening fast gathering, before he turned his face
homeward. In addition to the Sabbath labors, he had, during seven
months of the year, when at his winter home, his plantation meetings
from once to thrice a week. These meetings were at night. He would
ride on the saddle from three to ten miles to some plantation, preach and
return home, however late the hour or long the distance. The planta¬
tion meetings he regarded as very useful, but they were a great draught
on his constitution.
in. THE SELF-DENIAL AND EXHAUSTING NATURE OF HIS LABORS.
It was a self-denial when he commenced, because the work was un¬
popular and untried. He went into it alone. Many thought it would
prove a failure. Numerous other fields were open and inviting in the
South, to which he received calls, and the laborers, especially native
Presbyterian ministers, were very few. His labors were confined to a
REV.' CHARLES COLCOCK JQNES, D. D. 203
warm, damp, and exceedingly depressing climate. He conducted the
singing, as well as the other exercises of the Sabbath. It was a day of
earnest, continued labor, away from home, and allowing no intervals of
short repose. His plantation work was particularly exhausting and
drastick. It required an iron constitution to stand exposure to the dews
and frosts, and swamp atmosphere of Liberty county. Frequently he
would return home in mid-winter and at tnid-night, with feet and cloth¬
ing perfectly soaked, from the watery roads and night dews.
From such labors his constitution received that severe shock which
resulted in a premature decay of health, and the going down of his sun,
long before the autumn of old age.
IT. THE FRUITS AND RESULTS OF HIS LABORS.
The fruits were seen in the increased intelligence, good order, neatness,
and general morality of the colored people; their elevated regard for
marriage vows, and attention to the morals and manners of their chil¬
dren. Scriptural kowledge abounded in comparison with the past. The
accurate acquaintance with the catechism displayed by many was aston¬
ishing, and most gratifying; and God, the Holy Spirit, was pleased to
honor his labors, in the conversion of many souls. The good seed was
continually watered. But there was one season particularly distinguished
by a remarkable and protracted outpouring of the Spirit. It commenced
early in 1839, and continued for eighteen months, and the fruits were an
addition to the churches of the county of 300 converts. And the general
results of his labors were seen among the whites as well as the negroes
—an extended interest on the subject, into other communities and regions
of the South, an increased attention to the physical, as well as the moral,
condition of the colored race; the erection of neighborhood and planta¬
tion chapels; the multiplying of plantation and family schools, in which
Jones' catechism was taught; a greater devotion of time to the negroes,
by churches and pastors; and a general awakening, throughout the
South, to the duty of systematic religious instruction to the blacks.
In fact, the work of Dr. Jones for the spiritual elevation of the colored
race, was a decided success, in his own county, and throughout the
South. His catechism (which has been translated into three Foreign
languages, and is successfully taught in China and Turkey,) will remain
as a witness of his devotion and adaptation to his work. His book on
the4i Religious Instruction of the Negroes," and his other writings on that
subject, including his last public utterances before the Confederate Gen¬
eral Assembly at Augusta, Georgia, in December, 1861, all attest that he
was singly, earnestly consecrated to one great mission of life. ,
He was eminently the friend of the colored race, and to them, without
salary or earthly compensation, constrained by the love of Christ, he
gave a life remarkable for its continuation of untiring zeal and energy,
204
NECROLOGY.
with a solid mind and matured judgment. He has rested from hi9 la¬
bors, and his works do follow him.
Very truly and respectfully yours,
J. JONES.
Desirous of presenting as full and complete account of the
labors of Dr. Jones in that field to which most of his life
was devoted—preaching to the colored people, and otherwise,
seeking their spiritual welfare—the following paper has been
prepared, by one who knew him better than any other living
being—his wife.
As will be seen, it is principally extracts from the annual
reports made to the association, organized in Liberty county,
to promote the instruction of the colored people, and especi¬
ally from the Tenth Annual Report, which comprised &
review of the past years, and the plans devised for prosecu¬
ting the work.
It is proper that the world should know something of the
extent of that work, which this good man accomplished by
his personal labors, and thednfluence which flowed from them
to other portions of our country.
It will not be extravagant to say, that more was done for
the solid benefit of the negro, through his instrumentality^
than has since been effected by all the Freedman Bureaus in
the land.
In the life of Rev. 0. C. Jones, D. D., was illustrated
true refinement and Sensibility, high cultivation of mind s£nd
manners, with all the ennobling and honorable principles
which constitute true greatness in character. Hallowed by
the purifying and sanctifying grace of God upon his heart,
time, talents, and earthly possessions were consecrated to
his Divine Master's service, in imitation of whose gracious
example he esteemed it his highest honor to preach the
"gospel to the poor." It has been remarked by a ministe¬
rial brother, who knew him intimately, and day by day
witnessed his godly life,, that he considered him " the most
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D.
205
thoroughly converted man he ever knew/' There was an
honesty,' an uprightness, a thorough integrity of purpose, a
devout and reverential regard, an acknowledgment, appear¬
ing at all times and in all places, of the Divine presence, and
his own accountability to the great head of the Church. In
the positions of influence he was called to occupy, amid the
trials and varying circumstances of life, in all the tender rela¬
tions he bore to his own family and friends, his obligations
to society and to his country, and, above all, to the sacred
cause of Christ, it may truthfully be said, that his whole life
was passed in the unquestioning performance, to each and to
all, of every duty.
It is hoped athat, at some future time, a more extended
memoir may be prepared of this truly good and eminent
servant of God. We present only brief extracts from the
reports, which he made annually, of his missionary labor, to
the "Association for the Religious Instruction " of the ne¬
groes in Liberty county, Ga. During seventeen years of
the most vigorous portion of his life, this was the chosen
field of devoted efforts for their evangelization and elevation.
They also were instrumental in awakening and increasing an
extensive interest, not only among Presbyterians, but also
among all the Christian denominations throughout the South¬
ern States, and he Was honored with the friendship and
confidence, and held correspondence with the best and wisest
clergymen and philanthropists, who sympathized and aided
in this great work. His missionary joiirnals, and most c'
'his correspondence, were destroyed by fire, in Columbia,
South Carolina.
Preaching to the negroes he regarded as the work to
which he was called of God. His labors were gratuitous,
and although blessed with the means of making them with¬
out charge, they nevertheless involved self-denial and per¬
sonal exertion, in every form, for their accomplishment.
These extracts are from the Tenth Annual Report, pre-
206
NECROLOGY.
sented in 1844, and contain a retiew of missionary labor up
to that period:
" The present Annual Meeting completes the tenth entire
year of my labors as missionary to the negroes of this county,
and, with some interruptions, the fourteenth of my eonnec-
tion, in one form or other, with this Association. ' Is it not,
then, a fitting occasion for a review of the work which has
for so long a time occupied our hearts and our hands ?
" I'commenced my labors on the 2d of December, 1882.
The Lord had opened the door; a great work was to he done,
but to me it was almost entirely new. There were no prece-
dents in our country to which I could look for encourage¬
ment and instruction. The work was one of exceeding
delicacy. A slight impropriety might ruin it, while on its
success the spiritual welfare of multitudes might depend.
The public mind was sensitive and tender ; there were fears
and there were objections. Some 'of them I had heard ex¬
pressed in no measured terms. I laid down the following
rules of action, which I have ever since endeavored to ob¬
serve faithfully:
1. To visit no plantation without permission, and never
without previous notice.
2. To have nothing to do with the civil condition of the
negroes, or with their plantation affairs.
3. To hear no tales respecting their owners, or drivers, or
work, and to keep within my own breast whatever of a pri¬
vate nature might incidentally come to my knowledge.
4. To be no party to their quarrels, and have no quarrels
with them; but cultivate justice, impartiality, and universal
kindness.
5. To condemn, without reservation, every vice and evil
custom among them, in the terms of God's holy word, and
to inculcate the fulfilment of every duty, whatever might be
the real or apparent hazard of popularity or success.
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D. 207
6. To preserve the most perfect order at all our public and
private meetings.
7. To impress the people with the great value of the priv¬
ilege enjoyed of .religious instruction; to invite their co-op¬
eration, and throw myself on their confidence and support.
8. To make no attempt to create temporary excitements,
or to introduce any new plans or measures, but make diligent
and prayerful use of the ordinary and established means of
grace of God's appointment.
9. To support in the fullest manner the peace and order
of society, and to hold up to their respect and obedience all
those whom God in His providence has placed in authority
over them.
10. And to notice no slights nor unkindnesses shown to
me personally; to dispute with no man about the work, but
to depend upon the power of truth, and upon the spirit and
blessing of God, with long suffering, patience and persever¬
ance, to overcome opposition and remove prejudices, and
ultimately bring all things right.
" The Association went quietly and. unobtrusively^ into
operation. Upon inquiry, near fifty plantations were re¬
ported as being open for instruction, and this large number
convinced us of the favorable disposition of planters towards'
our work, which was viewed by all as an experiment. r Four
stations were occupied in rotation on the Sabbath, and a'
lecture every Thursday evening during the summer and au¬
tumn at Walthourville. The general plan of- instruction (for
system is everything) laid out in my own mind, was to ac¬
quaint the people with the main facts of sacred history, the
Creation, the Fall, the Flood, the call of Abraham, the insti¬
tution of God's visible church, the destruction of Sodom, the
giving of the Law, the Birth, the Life, the Wonderfql Works,
the Character, the Sufferings, the Death, the Resurrection,
the Ascension of the Divine Redeemer, the Descent of the
Holy Ghost, the Missions and Labors of the Apostles, and
208
NECROLOGY.
■■ * ■ ' ■■
then all the great doctrines of the Gospel: Depravity, Atone¬
ment, Justification, Regeneration, Repentance, Faith, the
Law and its uses, Relative Duties, &c. This plan was stead¬
ily pursued, though the subjects did not succeed each other
in the regular order here indicated. At first I preached two
sermons morning and afternoon. An Inquiry Meeting
closed the labors of the Sabbath. My first attempt at teach¬
ing or instruction was with the tnembers of the church. A
Bible class, or class of instruction, was formed, and over
three hundred names were enrolled.
" My second attempt was with the children and youth, be¬
ing convinced that our main hope of success, in our work,
lay in bringing them under regular instruction. Being the
only teacher, I was compelled io throw the whole school into
one class. The lesson was accompanied with repeated ex¬
planations and an application. I taught them psalms and
hymns, and made use also of Scripture cards. I tried all
the catechisms. Necessity finally forced me to attempt
something myself. I prepared lessons weekly, and tried and
corrected them from the schools, and the result was * The
Catechism of Scripture Doctrine and Practice/ which has
been for several years in use in this county and elsewhere
in the Southern States. Since the publication of this cate¬
chism I have prepared one on the creed, and a historical
catechism, embracing both the Old and New Testament. The
second year, 1884, was marked by a large increase of Sab¬
bath school instruction, and instruction upon plantations, by
owners themselves. One gentleman gave fifty dollars for
the instruction of the children under his care, and eight
members of the Association offered fifty dollars each for a
missionary to labor as my assistant on their plantations; but
we could procure no suitable person.
" The vacations in the Seminary, from July to October,
1837 and 1838, were spent in Liberty, preaching to the ne¬
groes. A revival of religion, taking its rise in the summer
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. D. 20&
of 1838, continued until the close of 1842. One hundred
and twelve inquirers were registered, coming from fifty dif¬
ferent plantations. Fully four-fifths of the inquirers were
from the Sabbath schools. There were seven schools in op¬
eration during the year, with four hundred and fifty-five
scholars and thirty-one teachers. From August, 1838, to
January, 1840, about one hundred and fifty negroes were
admitted to the different Churches. The year following there
.were one hundred and forty-three admissions.
"This Association has been in existence fourteen years, and
with the exception of three years, in active operation eleven
years. During this time it has accomplished much. Through
its Missionary it has furnished to the negroes of the Fifteenth
District, embracing a population of over four thousand, reg¬
ular preaching on the Sabbath, at stations so conveniently
situated as to bring the Gospel very nearly in reach of all
who chose to avail themselves of the privilege of hearing it.
"It has established and kept in operation four large Sabbath
schools for children and youth, in the instruction of which
adults also, in considerable numbers, have shared.
" It has maintained inquiry meetings, to aid those who were
in spiritual darkness or distress, and hundreds have been as¬
sisted by them.
" It has pursued a system of plantation meetings. These
meetings have upheld religion on the plantations, impressed
the careless, restrained the vicious, promoted the observance
of the Lord's day, and induced the attendance of old and
young at the house of God.
" Members of the Association have made efforts to instruct
their own people on their plantations, by means of schools
and evening prayers. Eight annual reports and three ad¬
dresses have been published and circulated throughout the
United States, and an extensive correspondence conducted
through the Missionary.
"The general character of the negroes, comparing the
14
210
KECJtOLOGfY.
present with the past, is much improved. Running away,'
theft, lewdness, profane swearing and filthy conversation,
quarreling and fighting, witchcraft, Sabbath breaking, drunk¬
enness, violations of the marriage contract, idleness and
indifference to their own comfort, and infidelity in work*
have diminished. Their appearance and manners are changed
for the better; greater numbers attend the house of God. In
respect to religious knowledge, they are not the same people}
and by Divine blessing upon the means of grace, some hun¬
dreds of them have been hopefully converted, and received
into the Churches, most of whom remain to the present hour,
but some have fallen asleep in the hope of eternal life.
" The religious instruction of the negroes is a laborious,
self-denying work, and requires time to develop results. The
missionary is called to preach in all sorts of houses and
places. He is obliged to take lonely rides at late hours of
night, through frosts and dews; to go over and over the same
course of instruction, u and simplify and repeat, and repeat"
and simplify," and to witness the slow progress of oral in-'
struction. He is not to be astonished at the ignorance,
superstition and hardness of the people; ilor to be depressed
and driven from the field by want of sympathy or assistance
on the part of Christian brethren, even in the ministry; nor
is he to regard those who decry his efforts as feeble, and his
prospects as hopeless. He must, in a sense, he a man of
stone, having neither sight, nor hearing, nor feeling, #rmly
standing in his place. Yet must he also be all eye, all ear,
all feeling, all activity. Faith in G>od and the love of soulfl
must bear him through. Hence, those who possess no energy
and decision of character, no true love for the poor perishing
people, no patience, no perseverance, no self-denial, will not
accomplish much."
For many years there were five hundred children under
instruction at the different stations, besides private schools.
These reports to the Association form a volume of several
REV. CHARLES COLCOCK JONES, D. J>. 2H
hundred pages, and embody a history of the work, not only
in Liberty county, but throughout the Southern States. Dur¬
ing this period he also prepared and published a volume of
277 pages, " On the Religious Instruction of the Negroes in
the United Statesaldo " Suggestions," to be used as a man¬
ual of instruction by those engaged in the work. The Cat-
chism has been translated into three foreign languages, and
used by our Missionaries.
When compelled to retire, by complete failure of health,
from the office of Secretary of the Board of Domestic Mis¬
sions, he returned to his own home, and labored until the
close of life for the good of this people, in the church, and
the bosom of his own household. When unable to stand, he
sat upon an elevated platform, and preached to them in the
most earnest and heavenly manner. These years of compar¬
ative withdrawal from active labor were constantly occupied
in the preparation of his " History of the Church of God
during the period of Revelation," which is now in the process
of publication.
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSOtf. *
George Whitfield Ladson, the youngest child of William
and Cynthia Ladso^, was born June 10th, 1830, at Bethesd^,
near Savannah, Ga. His father died two months before his
birth, and being a great admirer of that great and good man
who founded Bethesda, requested, on his death bed, that his
unborn child, if a son, should receive the name of George
Whitfield. Shortly after his birth, his mother removed to
Savannah, where the seal of the covenant was applied to her
fatherless boy, by the beloved and venerated Br. Preston,
pastor of the Independent Presbyterian Church. When
four years old, he was, by the death of his mother, made an
orphan. Though so young, he retained a vivid recollection
of that pious mother kneeling with him in prayer, and com¬
mitting him to the care of that God who has said, " I will
be a God to thee, and thy seed after thee." After her death
he was received into the family of his kinsman, Mr. John
Dunwody, of Liberty County, where he ever received all the
care and affection, both temporal and spiritual, which the
heads of that family, with pious zeal and strict integrity,
bestowed upon their own children. So long as they lived he
had a child's place in their hearts, and to this day the chil¬
dren of that family speak of him with as much affection as if
he had been their own brother, and as deeply mourn his
death. For the whole family he ever entertained the great¬
est affection, and could never speak of. their kindness to him
without emotion. He often said, "All I am, and all I shall'
ever be, I attribute, under God, to the principles of honor,
truth, and piety, instilled into my youthful heart by those
who acted towards me with more than parental care." He
*Frora Mrs. Lad/on, Dr. Woodrow, Rev. Mr. Green, and others.
212
rev. george "whitfield ladson. 213
ever spoke of them with the greatest reverence and respect.
They were his models of all that was good and noble. They
lived to see the fruit of their labors, and their hearts were
greatly rejoiced.
When six years old his uncle Dunwody removed from Lib¬
erty to Roswell, Cobb county, Ga. He remained with the
family until his fourteenth year. His independent spirit
now made him feel that he ought no longer to be dependent
upon his kind relations, and, therefore, he requested of them
permission to let him go and provide for himself. His uncle
was very desirous that he should receive a collegiate educa¬
tion, as his own sons had done, but this Jje refused. At his
own request he was placed in a printing office in Marietta.
Now began to be seen the effects of the religious training
he had received from his God-fearing relatives j and even
row, though he was still an " alien from the commonwealth
of Israel, and a stranger from the covenants of promise,"
their prayers were, in a measure, answered. A mere boy,
warm and social, and most affectionate in his disposition,
brought up in the lap of elegance and refinement, he was now
thrown daily, with not only the rude and vulgar, but with
the profane and wicked. Severe as was the test, he stood it
all, and came out of the fiery ordeal unscathed. Never as¬
sociating intimately with his fellow-printers, and yet doing
his appointed work so promptly as to gain the praise and
regard of his employer, so that for days together he would
place the whole office under the care and direction of this
mere boy. Even now he made duty his standard, and that
was his motto through life. While at Marietta his seat was
never vacant in the Sabbath school, nor in the sanctuary,
unless he was sick, or on a visit to his relatives in Roswell.
Such was his regard for the Sabbath, that he said, " I never
but once openly broke that holy day, and that week every,
thing went wrong with me." His motto was, "A Sabbath
well spent brings a week of content."
214 NECROLOGY.
He served his time in Marietta, and then went to Savan¬
nah. Here he entered a job-office as a journeyman printer,
where, by his prompt 'attention to business, he once more
gained the confidence of his employer. There was, however,
only one young man in this office with whom he could asso¬
ciate, and so disgusted did he become with the vice which
surrounded him, that he determined to try some other means
of support. For five years he had been exposed to great
temptations, hut had successfully resisted every one. No
profane word had ever passed his lips; the vulgar jest he
abhorred; he shrank from the intoxicating cup as from a
serpent.
His reading had been confined to poetry and history. It
was then that his brother, who was a merchant, offered him
a place in his store, which he accepted, and there remained
until he left to prepare for the ministry. So upright and
moral was his walk and conversation, that his fellow-clerks
' i
called him " preacher." But though so strictly moral, he
felt himself to he a great sinner, and knew that morality
would not save his soul. As he said himself, " all this whilej
though apparently the merriest of the merry, I was misera¬
ble. I never had a happy moment. ! I knew that if I should
die my soul would sink to hell. Such had been my training,
that never a day passed without reading my Bible and re¬
peating a prayer. Such was my dread of death, that I was
often afraid to go to sleep. I would go into company, and
strive in this way to forget God; but the moment I was alonej
all my fears would return." He was a regular attendant on
the ministry of Rev. Mr. Ross, pastor of the First Presbyte¬
rian Church, who took a deep interest in the spiritual welfare
of his young friend, as also did the Rev. Samuel J. Cassels.
The latter offered him his board free, "for," said he, "to
have his boys under his influence, was more than compensav
tion for his board." He formed a strong attachment for
this family, lyhich continued unabated until his death. He
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSON. 215
i
remained in this sad state of mind for several years, feeling
after Jhe Saviour, but not finding Him. At last it pleased
God to take from him his burden, and reveal Himself to him
in all his saving power, and he was enabled to rejoice in his
Saviour. On the 29th of June, 1851, he made a public pro¬
fession of his faith in Christ, and was received into the
communion of the First Church of Savannah; and his name
still remains on that Church roll. With him nothing was
done half way, and when he gave his heart to the Saviour,
he most solemnly consecrated all his powers to the service of
his Master. From his inmost heart he could exelaim, " I
love thy kingdom, Lord." Jesus was his theme, and his one
desire was to do his Master's will, and be all things to oil
men, so that he might win souls. He immediately took an
active part in the Sabbath school apd prayer meetings, and
began to take an interest in the class of people to whom he
afterwards devoted his life. His friends Ross and Cassels
urged him to study for the ministry, but he shrank from the
awful responsibility. God's Spirit would not, however, let
him rest, and when he was sorely exercised as to what was
duty, that man of God, Doctor Daniel Baker, visited Savan-
nan, and, without hesitation, told him that a "woe" would
be pronounced against him if he preached not the Gospel.
He decided to do so, and " 0 what joy," said he, "filled my
soul." Now was seen his indomitable will and perseverance.
One with less of these would never have attempted the ardu¬
ous task. But, as he said, " the love of Christ constrained
me. I felt that I could do all things through Him strength¬
ening me. I had many difficulties to overcome. I was with¬
out means. I had to commence at .the very foundation, for
I had only a mercantile education. Here I was, arrived at
manhood, and nint years of study before I could be received
into the ministry. The prospect was dreary enough, but He
who said, 1X will never leave nor forsake thee,' bade me go
forward, and leaning alone on my Saviour for strength and
216 NECROLOGY,
grace to sustain, teach, and guide, I determined to do so.
He had delivered my soul from hell, and should I shrink from
any course that might honor Him or advance His kingdom?"
So strong was his faith, that the want of means gave him no
uneasiness. *IIe felt that if God. had called him to the work,
He would provide the means, and in this he was not disap¬
pointed. He raised up for him many kind friends, whom he
ever held in grateful remembrance.
lie went to Roswell, his old home, and entered Dr. Pratt's<
school, who kindly offered to prepare him for college. While
at Roswell he gave the leisure he could command from his
studies to labors for the factory people, and, more especially,
to that which became the great work of his Hfe-^thq religious
instruction of the colored people. He established a Sunday
school for them, and was instrumental in .causing a Church
to be built for their use. He entered Oglethorpe University,
and though the demands upon his time and strength were
very great to keep .up with his classes, yet he held prayer
meetings through the week for the colored people,, and col¬
lected large numbers of them into Sunday schools in the
neighboring village of Scottsborough, opening two—one for
adults and the other for children. His labors were greatly
blessed, both here and at Roswell, in the hopeful conversion
of many of his pupils.
He was graduated in the summer of 1859. In September
of 1859, he entered upon the last stage of his preparatory
studies, in»the Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C. It
should have been noticed in its proper connection, that he
was taken under the care of the presbytery of Georgia, at a
meeting held in Savannah, in October, 1853. Soon after
entering the Seminary, he took a class of boys in the Sabbath
school of the Presbyterian Church, and for three years most
earnestly did ' e ftr ve to win them to Christ. They were
made, one by one, the subjects of special prayer, and when
it became necessary to give up the class, he continued to
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSON.
217
feel the deepest interest in their welfare, and when some of
them went into the army, they were followed by his prayers.
Upon his resorting to Columbia to enter upon the study of
theology, a still wider field was opened before him, which he
was not slow to enter. As soon as practicable, he resumed
the work so dear to him, establishing Sunday schools and
prayer meetings, and in every way doing all in his power for
the people to whom he had devoted his life. He began a
course of Sabbath evening lectures, and had soon a crowded
house. The Holy Spirit was poured, out, and the work of
God revived. It was not long before the spiritual charge of
this part of the Church was almost wholly committed to him.
He was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery
of Georgia, at Waynesville, Ga., in April, 1861, and was im¬
mediately thereafter formally appointed missionary to the
colored people—their pastor, as they loved to call him—in
which capacity he continued to spend himself until he ceased
from all earthly labor. As one remarks, " he threw his
whole soul into the work, and, night after night, he attended
meetings for those who were enquiring the way of salvation.
Many were added to the Church. Almost from the com¬
mencement of his work among the people of his last charge,
they enjoyed a constant revival. Multitudes thronged to
hear his instructions—more than could be accommodated at
the place of worship at his command, so that it became one
of his cherished plans to secure the erection of a large Church
building, to be set apart exclusively for the use of the col¬
ored congregation. At taking charge of the work in Colum¬
bia, he found the Church with about twenty-five colored
members, and left it, at the close of his brief ministry, with
one hundred and fifty, notwithstanding the long probation
to which every applicant for admission was subjected, and
the care taken in every way to prevent the reception of the
unworthy. At every communion season a greater or less
number were received into the Church. In order to provide
218
NECROLOGY.
for all the classes who desired to attend upon his ministra¬
tions, he multiplied meetings to an extent which seemed
injudicious to his friends, in view of his feeble health. But
such was his zeal that he could not be persuaded to discon-4
tinue any one of them. He usually held five services every'
Sunday, viz: prayer meeting very early in the morning,
preaching at eleven, catechetical exercises . for children at
three, and for adults at four, and preaching again at night.
Besides these there were three meetings during the week,
one for the special instruction of inquirers, and the others
for other classes. To this must be added unusual fidelity in
visiting the sick and dying, and other pastoral duties. It is
not strange that his strength, never great, gave way under
such unceasing toil.
In the summer of 1860, he lectured to the cadets at the
Arsenal every Sabbath morning. They heard him with great
respect and attention, and as a token of their appreciation of
his labors, presented him with an elegantly bound copy of the
Holy Scriptures. On the 4th of April, 1861, he was united
in marriage to Mrs. J. E. Smith, only daughter of James
Ewart, late of Columbia. At Walthourville, April 13th,
1862, he was ordained as an evangelist, by the Presbytery
of Georgia. This he felt to be the most solemn step of his
life. Writing to his wife in view of this solemnity, he says:
"As to my ordination, I feel as though God had sent me to
preach Christ, but how deplorably unworthy I am. I fear a
proper solemnity does not possess me; yet I am not insensi¬
ble to the importance of the position in which I hope God in
his mercy will soon place me. 0, my precious wife, what
consolation would your presence give me. But our Saviour
is nigh, though I have as yet no sweet, exulting view of His
near approach. Trust me in the hands of Jesus. Here is
where I hope to confide during my examination before Pres¬
bytery."
After his ordination, he received calls to other fields of
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSON. 219
labor; but, after much prayer, he decided to remain in Co¬
lumbia. The colored people of that city earnestly desired
Jiim to continue to minister to them, and showing their at¬
tachment to him in many ways ; and, indeed, he was never
happier than when instructing and preaching to them. His
friends often urged him to curtail his labors. They saw hi3
unceasing toil was wearing him out. His invariable reply
was, " 0, it is so sweet to labor for such a Master." Yet he
was induced to take a few weeks rest in the summer of 1863,
after which he returned to his work with increased vigor.
He considered no effort too great to win souls to Christ. He
would rise at the midnight hour, although so feeble, to visit
and pray with the dying. He rarely passed an aged servant
in the street without speaking to him of his sours welfare ^
nor did he ever converse with any one without giving them
some word of warning or encouragement. Jesus was the
constant theme of his conversation—that precious name was
ever on his lips. At home or abroad, at the prayer meeting
or in the pulpit, it was his unspeakable delight to speak of
" Heaven, sweet Heaven," and " My blessed Saviour," and
there was such a pathos and tenderness in his words, that if
any one loved the Saviour his heart would be stirred within
him. Were it admissible to give the more private history of
his soul's exercises—his ardent love for the Saviour—his
nearness of communion with Him—few men, we judge, since
the days of the disciples, could with more emphasis say,
" How my heart did burn within me, while he manifested to
me His love." Some one may ask, was this the uniform state
of his feelings ? Had he no dark hours ? Though he had
such sweet communion with his Saviour, yet he often had
seasons of darkness, when his soul was fearfully distressed,
and Satan assailed him at every point. The sun withdrew
its light, and thick clouds covered him. Then he mourned
sore; but his resource in such seasons was such as every true
Christian is accustomed to flee to—it was prayer. Indeed,
220
NECROLOGY.
hero was the secret of all his spiritual joy and strength. lie
"Was a man of prayer. This kept his armor bright. He asked
in faith,, nothing doubting. Whether he preached, or visited,
or gave to benevolent objects, he prayed. In his domestic
relations he was most faithful and happy. Here the touch¬
ing loveliness of his character was eminently displayed. He
was the devoted husband, the fond father, the affectionate
brother, the true friend. To those knowing his intense love
for his family, it was with astonishment they beheld him,
through the abounding power of divine grace, calmly, and
with a child-like confidence, commit them into his heavenly
Father's hands in the closing scene of his life.
In the spring of 1864, his health began visibly to decline,
and he was compelled to abridge his labors. After preach¬
ing he would be well nigh exhausted, yet such was his ardor
that no persuasion could keep him from preaching, even in
his great feebleness. He had always entertained great fears
of the pains of death. Being peculiarly sensitive to physical
pain, he dreaded death. But as this dreaded king of terrors
Approached his fears departed, and he spoke of dying with
delight. His thoughts seemed to dwell constantly upon
death and heaven. If he sang, it would be some hymn whose
theme was one or the other. One day he said, " I some¬
times think I will Dot be here long, for all my dread of death
has passed away, and I now only look upon it as the door
which will open to usher me into the presence of my Saviour.
Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly," he exclaimed with great
emotion. Seeing that his wife was distressed, he said, " I
do not want to distress you, dear wife, but I think we ought
to talk of these things. It may please our Father to spare
us to each other many years, and I hope this may be His
blessed will; but if He should take me away, don't be sad,
and grieve for me as dead—always think of me as only gone
home, and in (rod's time you will join me, and hand in hand
we will walk the streets of the New Jerusalem, and together
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSON. 221
cast our crowns at Jesus feet." While he thus discoursed
his countenance glowed with the glorious prospect. At an¬
other time he said, " The pins ard being taken from the
tabernacle." He often repeated, with great delight, II Cor^
vi: 9, "As unknown, and yet well known: as dying, and
behold we live: as chastened, and not killed."
On the 2d Sabbath in June he appeared for the last time
in the pulpit; yet neither he nor his people thought this was
the last time. He seemed stronger than he had for weeks-
The subject of his morning discourse was, Eccl. xi: 6. It
was the evening of what, to him, preceded an unfading morn¬
ing. He preached with his wonted earnestness. With great
faithfulness he urged Christians to " Sow seed while the day
lasted." At night his theme was, Luke x: 27. His appeal
to Christians and sinners was such as never can be forgotten
by those who heard him. This ended his public labors. A
few days afterwards he was attacked witl^ the fatal malady
(dysentery) which pushed him to the grave; and though he
was by no means ill, he felt that he never would be well
again. He suffered no acute pain, except from excessive
prostration. He did not speak of dying, but his thoughts
were constantly fixed on Heaven. He would be often heard
to whisper, "Jesus, precious Saviour." His interest in his
people continued unabated—he was constantly sending mes¬
sages to them. When it was known to them that their
beloved pastor was very ill, they came at all hours, enquiring
how he was; and most tenderly did they nurse him, each
one considering it a privilege to do something for him. Al¬
though his physician succeeded in checking the disease, yet
his enfeebled constitution could not rally from its effects,
and in a short time he became painfully nervous and rest¬
less. All hope of restoration now fled. He often said, " If
it was God's will, he would rather see his wife and child
home before him, yet he could say, * His will be done.' I
would like to live longer," he remarked, "to preach Jesus,
NECROLOGY,
but Qod will do whatever is most fpr His honor and glory."
His conversations with those dear to him—his interviews
with his many intimate and attached friends, during the days
immediately preceding his departure, were of the most heav¬
enly tone—cheering and comforting to their grief-stricken
hearts; they are treasured, and will he cherished by them as
long as life Bhall last. Many of them are too sacred to be
recorded, even in this Memorial.
On the beautiful morning of the fouth of July, 1864, he
sank quietly to rest, without having been subjected to very
intense suffering, except for a few hours. During the few
days before his death he calmly gave the necessary directions
as to his temporal affairs, and then expressed his desire to
depart, and to be with Christ. His confidence in his Sav¬
iour, whom he loved and served, was unwavering, so that he
rejoiced in the near approach of the hour which should ad¬
mit him into His immediate presence, and only sorrowed
that he must be separated for a time from his wife, whom he
tenderly loved and cherished, and his two little children—his
little Dunwody and his babe not then born.
His death, causing grief and sadness throughout all the
eirele of his many friends, fell with crushing weight upon his
bereaved people. Their attachment to him had known no
bounds. He had devoted himself with singleness of purpose
to their welfare, having declined several tempting invitations
to go elsewhere; and they had daily given evidence of their
unlimited affection for him. It was, therefore, with uncon-
trolable grief they learned he was gone from them. The
news spread quickly throughout the city, and the cry was
heard from the lips of. man, woman and child, " Mr. Ladson
is dead." Multitudes of them came to look for the last time
on the face of him who was so dear to them, and tears and
flowers were showered upon his inanimate body. At his
funeral, which was attended by many hundreds of his friends,
both white and black, they crowded the place of chief mourn-
REV. GEORGE WHITFIELD LADSON.
223
ers; and they asked to be permitted to berir all the expenses
of his sepulture; to purchase a lot in Elmwood Cemetery as
the place of his burial, and to erect a monument over the re¬
mains of their .beloved friend and pastor. Nor have they
ceased to show their love for him, by seizing eagerly every
opportunity of doing acts of kindness to his bereaved family.
Indeed, there are few instances on record where stronger
manifestations of sincere affection for a pastor have ever
been given. Others may have been borne to their graves
with greater outward marks of sorrow, but this was the sin¬
cere outpourings of sincere love from a 6imple-hearted, hum¬
ble people.
"Being dead, he yet speaketh." His influence can never
cease to be felt in the congregations in which he labored, and
especially in that which last enjoyed his presence. But it is
not confined to them. Besides the general influence of one
such example, all the Churches in Columbia were stimulated
by it to greater diligence in the instruction of the colored
people, and are still reaping the fruits of their increased
fidelity. And a much more extensive range was given to
it by the fact that during the period of his labors in Columbia
a larger number of students were at the Theological Semin¬
ary than at any previous time, all of whom were witnesses of
his mode of instruction arid its happy results. Many of these
trace to him their determination to give special attention to
this part of their pastoral work, as they are now doing in
every part of our land.
It was hoped that his influence might have been still more
widely extended by the publication of the scries of questions on
the Shorter Catechism, which he used in the instruction of his
Sunday scholars; but he was taken away before the prepar¬
ation of these for the press was sufficiently advanced to allow'
them to be printed.
We cannot more appropriately close this memorial, than
224
necrology.
by appending the following paper adopted by the Columbia
Church a few days subsequent to his death.
Columbia, July 18,1864.
The congregation of the Presbyterian Church adopted
unanimously the following preamble and resolutions:
Whereas, It has pleased the Great Shepherd of the Church
to remove from this earthly sphere, the Rev. George W. Lad-
eon, who, for some years past, labored for the spiritual good
of the colored people of this congregation, and for the last
three years has sustained to them, as an Evangelist, a more
close and special relation, this Church and congregation would
hereby express their high appreciation of his worth, of his
consuming zeal and persevering labors; their sorrow at what
appears, to our feeble perceptions, his untimely death; their
deep regret that his faithful efforts for the salvation of our
servants have terminated, while so much that it was in his
heart to do, remains unaccomplished. We tender to his be¬
reaved family our heartfelt sympathy, and commend them to
the protection of Him who is the widow's God and Judge,
and the Father of the fatherless; and we sincerely hope that
his patient instructions, his faithful rebukes, and holy exam¬
ple, his triumphant faith, and his kind and considerate coun-'
sels, will never be forgotten by the people of his charge, for
whose salvation he poured out his life; and it is hereby
Resolved, In testimony of our regard for his sorrowing
family, that his salary be continued to them until the first day
of October next.
Resolved, Further, that a copy of these proceedings be
sent by the Chairman to the widow of the deceased, and be
published in the religious papers of the Fresbyterian Church.
J. A. Crawford, Chairman.
BEY. ANDREW RUTHERFORD LIDDELL.
Andrew Rutherford Liddell was the son of Moses Liddell
and Mary (Freeman) Liddell, and was born in Gwinnett
county, on the 4th of April, 1829. His father was an elder
of the ^Presbyterian Ohurch. He was dedicated to God, by
baptism, in his infancy, and brought up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord. He was not distinguished for any¬
thing peculiar in his youth. He labored on his father's farm,
and attended the common schools of the neighborhood until
his fifteenth or sixteenth year. He commenced his classical
education in the Gwinnett Institute, at that time under the
care of the late Rev. Dr. J. C. Patterson, where he was pre¬
pared for College. He was a diligent and orderly student,
and, possessing a good mind, was eminently successful in his
literary studies. During his connection with the Institute,
he was, after a season of deep anxiety and distress, enabled
to trust in the Saviour, and forthwith turned his thoughts to
the Christian ministry. He united with the Fairview Church.
In 1851, or 1852, he entered Oglethorpe University, and
graduated in 1855. After leaving college he engaged in
teaching for a short period, in Campbell county. From
thence he went to the Theological Seminary at Columbia, S.
C. He completed the prescribed course in the Seminary in
May, 1858, and was licensed to preach the Gospel by the
Presbytery of Flint River, the 24th day of the following
June.
Soon after his license he visited the churches of Cuthbert
and Fort Gains, in the counties of Randolph and Clay. His
ministry proved very acceptable to these people—indeed, it
gave such promise of future usefulness, that they forthwith
called him to be their pastor. He was ordained by the Pres-
15 ' 225
226
NECROLOGY*
by tery of Flint Biver, with a view to these pastoral charges,
on the 10th of October, 1858, and installed in the Cuthbert
Church on the first Sabbath in December following; and in
the Fort Gains Church on the first Sabbath of January, 1859.
On the 4th of October, 1859, he was united in marriage to
Miss Sallie Irwin, of Henry county, Alabama.
In February, 1859, symptoms of that insidious disease,
which brought him to an early grave, began to pianifest
themselves. Seeking for restoration, he made a visit to the
State of Texas, whither his mother's family had removed.
This proved in some measure successful. He returned with
renewed vigor, and resumed his labors in September. But
the relief was only temporary. He had the sentence of death
within him. The worm had seized his vitals. He was doomed
to fall by consumption. In December he succumbed to the
fell destroyer. His strength was gone. He could no longer
preach. He gave up his charge and set his house in order.
He was young—he had fondly hoped that he might labor
long in the Master's vineyard; but the Master had otherwise
determined, and he was content. From this time he gradu¬
ally declined, until the period of his death, which sad event
occurred at his home in the town of Cuthbert, on Sabbath
morning, November 26th, 1860, at 3 o'clock, in the thirty-
second year of his age, and two years and five months after
his licensure.* His remains were carried to Fort Gains for
sepulture, where a funeral discourse was delivered by the1
Bev. Homer Hendee, from I Cor. xv: 56, 17, "The sting of
death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law; but thanks
be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus
■Christ."
*That Providence which removes one so young, so well qualified by
nature, grace, and education, from the sphere Of their labors and useful¬
ness, is, to our feeble perceptions, inscrutable. "We know not now;
perhaps we shall know hereafter.
The reader of these memorials of our dead, must, however, be solemnly
impressed with the fact, that so many of our ministers have been cut off
REV. ANDREW RUTHERFORD LIDDELL.
227
This young brother had scarcely entered upon his labors as
a probationer, "when the seal of the Great Head of the Church
was stamped upon his ministrations, and considerable addi¬
tions were made to the Church of those who were converted
through his instrumentality. He was truly a " burning and
shining light." His ministry was characterized by ardent'
piety, self-denying toil, clearness and force in the presenta¬
tion Of the doctrines of grace, and directness in the searching
application which he made to the consciences of his hearers.
Bold and earnest in manner, he convinced every hearer that
he "believed, and therefore spake." Naturally endowed
with a logical mind, which was disciplined in his preparatory
training, he was prepared to accomplish much, even in the
brief period of his service; and we may confidently affirm,
that he made an impression for good, lasting as eternity.
He died as he had lived—a Christian—exemplifying the
doctrines he had preached—faith in Christ, and reliance alone
on his merits for acceptance with God.
He left an affectionate and devoted wife, and a people ar¬
dently attached to him, to mourn his loss. His entire active
ministry did not continue more than one year, although he
in the very dew of their 'youth—while they have stood with sickle in
hand, just ready to enter the field white to the harvest, and reap, they
have been mowed down by the scythe of death. Of those whose memo¬
rials will he found in this volume, a Humphries, a Liddell, a Mathews,
a Quarterman, a Siraonton, a Winn, and a Ladson—one-fourth of those
connected with the Synod of Georgia, who have fallen within the first
twenty years of its history, have died in the early years of their ministry.
This fact may well lead us to inquire if there is not something radically
wrong in our mode] of training young men for the holy office. Our sys¬
tem of education is not too thorough, but it is too laborious, too inactive,
.too theoretical. The constant-attrition of seven to ten years close study,
will weaken, if it does not wear out, any constitution made of materials
less durable than brass and iron. The sons of Anak would succumb
under such a process. There is just about as much common sense in
shutting up young men in a seminary while preparing the furniture and
acquiring the theory of preaching, and at the same time by their inactiv¬
ity prostrating their physical energies, as there would be in building a
228 NECROLOGY.
lived more than two years after his licensure; hut in this
brief space he accomplished much for the cause of Christ.
And though being dead, he yet speaketh, saying, " Remem¬
ber the words which I spake unto you while I was yet present
with you."
The Presbytery of Flint River, at their ensuing session in
April, 1861, adopted the following resolution:
u Be it Resolved, That we deeply sympathize with the
afflicted widow and other relatives of the deceased in this
severe trial; and also with the bereaved people of his charge,
whom we commend for comfort and consolation to Him whose
ruling hand is in each event of life, and whose compassion is
ever towards His people in their sorrow; and we fervently
pray that the Good Shepherd may soon send to this bereaved
people one who shall go in and out among them in the spirit
of our beloved brother, breaking unto them the bread of ev¬
erlasting life."
naval academy, and educating a company of youth destined for the navyf
on the top of a mountain a thousand miles from the sea, where they never
saw a ship, handled a rope, or beheld the curling of a wave: Our young'
ihen are, in a good degree, destitute of all practical knowledge of their
profession when they leave the institution—their health is often impaired
through want of physical exercise—they are incapable of bearing hard¬
ness and exposure—the seeds of fatal disease are sown, which in a few
years mature and sweep them into the grave.
We would, therefore, have a radical change in the organization of our
seminaries. We would ordain that no session should continue more than
three or four months in a year, and that the other eight or nine months
of the year should be spent in traversing the country, assisting pastors,
or laboring as missionaries in destitute places; and then we would have
them return and attend another session, and so continue, until they have
received a thorough practical training. Thus they would learn the ropes,
be able to trim the ship, box the compass, and hold the wheel. The
study of human nature is as important to a minister as the study of books,
but this can only be learned in actual contact with hitman nature—not
within the walls of a theological seminary.
REV. RICHARD T. MARKS. *
This faithful and devoted minister of Christ, dying, leaves
in his life and character a precious legacy to the Church. It
is part of her capital, which it behooves her to treasure up
and " trade" upon. It is a new edition of the Gospel,
" written, not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God ?
not on paper or parchment, but in the fleshly tablets of the
heart." Not only are such lives and deaths of piety the
best witnesses to the truth of the Gospel, but they " point to
heaven and lead the way," and encourage us to be followers
of them who " through faith and patience, inherit the prom¬
ises." With these views, and for these purposes, we put on.
record the following memorial of one who, without doubt, has
a far, fuller and brighter " record on high:"
Richard T. Marks was born in Louisville, Jefferson Co.,
Ga., in September, 1809. lie was the child of poor, but
worthy parents. His mother was a devotedly pious member
of the Presbyterian Church, and brought up her son as the
child of the covenant. When nine years old he was taken
as a son into the family of the late Major Matthew Robinson,
a relative of his, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church in
Augusta, and a conductor of one of the journals of the city,
by whom he was inducted into the mysteries of the printing
art. In this art he soon became an expert, and surpassed
all his fellows in the rapidity with which he executed his
work. A proof of this is furnished in the following incident:
When Richard was about fourteen or fifteen years old, a
stranger—a printer—came to Augusta, asking and receiving
higher wages than any of the same profession, on the ground
that he could do so much more work, in the same time, than
*MSS. from Rev. W. M. Cunningham, D.D.
9.0Q
230
NECROLOGY.
any of the compositors in the city. This nettled the spirit
and fired the ambition of the craft. To be thus dishonored
and depreciated by a new-comer, was more than they were
willing to bear. They resolved to contest his claim; and,
after consultation, they selected young Marks as their cham¬
pion, and sent a challenge to the stranger to withdraw, or
make good his boast. A wager of a fine suit of clothes and
an oyster supper was the prize that was to reward the victor.
The challenge, of course, was accepted, and as the day drew
nigh on which was to decide the question, the whole commu¬
nity became not only interested, but excited, by the pending
conflict. The time fixed to decide the question was the work¬
ing hours of a given dag. By breakfast hour Richard stood
abreast with the stranger. The excitement in the town in¬
creased. At the dinner hour Richard had gained on his
rival, and at the supper hour Richard was far ahead, and by
common consent was crowned the prince of type-setters.
When he was only eighteen years of age, he united with
Mr. Lamar, afterwards of Texas fame, in establishing the
Columbus Enquirer, the first, and many years one of the
ablest papers in Western Georgia. Under the administra-"
tion of Mr. M., at a later date, this paper became a power in
the State, and in 1839 and '40 did more to influence the
policy and politics of the State than perhaps any other jour¬
nal in the State. But whilst seated on his throne of power
and popularity, with the golden stream of wealth beginning
to flow in upon him, brother Marks heard the voice of tho
Master, calling him to preach the Gospel, and " straightway
he rose up, left all, and followed Jesus."
But we must go back a little, to take up what has now
become the main thread—the real warp of the web of his life
—his conversion and consecration to God. Though the child
of piety and prayer, Richard grew up to early manhood a
perfect Gallio on the subject of religion. The warmth of his
social affections, his sparkling and sprightly intellect, the
REV. RICHARD T. MARKS. 231
» . ■■ —-I
ardor and energy with which he threw himself into whatever
he undertook, all conspired to expose him, in a peculiar
manner, to the temptations of a city. Though, from nature
and training, abhorring everything that was mean and ma¬
lignant, he was yet the ring-leader of the gay and the giddy,
and the godless.
The first serious religious impression was made at a prayer
meeting, to which he was led for the sake of accompanying
his mother. During that prayer meeting two prominent
members of the Church, and of the community—between
whom there* had long existed a most unchristian feud, rose
up, m^de mutual confessions and concessions to each other,
and with tears embraced each other, and bowed together
before the mercy seat. This was a sermon he had not ex¬
pected, and the moral of which he could not resist. " Surely,"
he said to himself, a there must be some principle, or power,
above nature, that could make these proud spirits humble
themselves in the presence of each other, and of their fellow
men, and forgive and love each other! There must be a
reality in religion; and if so, I am lost!" But no decisive
action followed this conviction.
Sometime after this the Methodist Church in Augusta was
stirred as by a mighty rushing wind. Every person went to
see and hear, and seemed to feel. Richard T. Marks went—
went with his lady-love, and as the house was crowded, he
took his seat in the gallery. At the close of the sermon, to
which he had given little attention, the preacher invited all
Who desired the prayers of God's people, to kneel at their
seats. A great multitude bowed. The preacher then re¬
quested all who had a heart to pray for anxious sinners to
kneel in prayer. Young Marks, who had been closely ob¬
serving the movement, saw the whole mighty congregation
prostrate before God. It seemed to him that he was almost
the only exception. Horror stricken at the hardness and
insensibility of his own heart, he exclaimed, " My God! am
232
NECROLOGY.
I the worst sinner in Augusta ? " and quietly he crept down,
upon his knees. A perfect tempest of conflicting thoughts
and feelings now swept through his soul. It seemed to him
that every person had seen him kneel, and that the eye of
that great congregation was fixed upon him; and there he
was, a hardened hypocrite! for he was not praying, nor had
he bowed because he wanted the prayers of God's people.
Shame, remorse, self-loathing, as an armed man, seized and*
shook his soul. He despised himself as much for his weakness
in assuming a false position, as for his wickedness in being
so hard-hearted. lie yielded to the impulse to extricate
himself from this horrible predicament. Stealthily he rose
from his knees and left the house whilst the prayer was be¬
ing offered, and wandered hurriedly through the city, without
knowing whither or why he went; and it was not until he
found himself in his room, at a late hour, that he thought of
the young lady of his charge, whom he had so unceremoni¬
ously left at the church. He now felt that he was forever
disgraced and ruined. Life was a burden and a curse. Sad
and gloomy weeks passed by, during which he retired, as
much as may be, into the dark chambers of his own misera¬
ble soul. Of course he got no better, but consciously grew
worse. The mercy seat offered him his only hope,, and
thither, in a darkened and dusty garret of his office he re¬
tired, while his comrades went to their dinners.
Whilst there bowed, God set before him his sins in th«
light of His countenance. So many and so aggravated
seemed his sins—so justly did he deserve the wrath of God,
that he felt not only that it would be ashing too much, but
that it was purely mean and base to ask God to forgive him,
and he arose from his knees without uttering a petition—a
justly doomed and lost man. He hurried to the street, and
there, while pacing the cidewalks of Broadway, blind and
oblivious of everything around him, the words of the Saviour
were suggested to him, as though spoken by aq audible voice,
REV". RICHARD T. MARKS.
233
" Come unto me all ye tliat are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." lie stopped abruptly. " Whose words are those ?"
he said to himself. A moment's reflection told him they
were the words of Jesus, the Saviour. He repeated them to
himself. "Surely," said he to himself, "I am a weary and_
heavy-ladJi sinner, and if Jesus, in his boundless goodness
and grace, invites me, and is willing to receive me, I will
come unto him for rest." And there, in the thronged thor¬
oughfare of the city, in one of the busiest hours of the day,
the soul of young Marks bowed and melted at the feet of his
Saviour, and he consecrated himself forever to His service.
How momentous the change! yet who of the rushing crowd
noticed it, or cared for that mightiest of the works of God ?
But the light that was in him could not long be hid, and
he was shortly afterwards received into the Presbyterian
Church.
When young Marks removed to Columbus, about the year
1827 or '28, the Church there was in its infancy, and he
aided in laying its foundations, and was elected one of its
ruling elders. His zeal and his faith, at this time, may be
inferred from the following fact: The little Church was
very anxious to obtain the services of the Rev. T. F. Scott,
then a young minister of promise in our Church. After ex¬
hausting their efforts in obtaining subscriptions, they still
lacked two hundred dollars of the amount required. The
Church was sad and desponding. Mr. Marks resolved that
they should have preaching; and although poor, and with a
dependent family and a limited salary, he filled the bill by
adding two hundred dollars to his name. He trusted that
God would provide the means, though then he could not see
how. Pay day drew nigh, and not a dollar had Mr. Marks,
in hand or in prospect. He began to be troubled. One day
in going from dinner to his office, a house and lot was being
exposed to sale at public auction. Marks put in a bid. To
his horror, it was the last that was offered, and the property
234
NECROLOGY.
was stricken down to him. a What a fool am I," he said to
himself. " I have ruined myself! I don't want the prop¬
erty, and I have no money to pay for it! What madness
possessed me to bid for it?" His first thought was to find
the last bidder, pay the difference, and by this sacrifice free
himself of his folly. But, before he had executed his pur¬
pose, the last bidder had found him, and finally gave him
two hundred dollars for his bargain. This was just the
amount that Mr. Marks needed, and with it he settled his
subscription. Mr. Marks never after that wanted faith to
do, or to dare, what the interest of the Church required of
him.
The call for ministers in Western Georgia, was at this
time loud and urgent. The Churches were feeble and scat¬
tered, and many of the new settlers were not organized into
Churches. All of them were anxious for some one to break
to them the bread of life. Mr. Marks heard the Macedonian
cry, and yearned to bear to them the Gospel of the grace of
God. His fathers and brethren saw in him the gifts and
qualifications that promised to make him useful in the min¬
istry. He was accordingly licensed by Flint River Presby¬
tery, in 183T, in La Grange, and in 1839 was ordained to
the full work of the Gospel ministry in the city of Culumbus.
Without following his history further, which, for the most
part, was that of an unpaid missionary, we notice:
1st. His personal sacrifices for Christ and His Church.
We have already stated, that when he gave up his paper and
press, it had become the source of power and of wealth; but
in leaving it, he lost not only the revenues it was bringing
him, but many thousands of dollars of its earnings, the most
of which would have been collected, had he stayed at his
post. And for his labors as a missionary, to which he was
commissioned by his Presbytery, and which extended from
the mountains of Georgia to the seaboard, he was never re¬
quited—not even, it is believed, to the extent of covering his
REV. RICHARD T. MARRS.
235
expenses. As lie never'complained—none knew, but bimself,
how little he did receive; but all knew that it was far less
than he deserved, or than was promised to him. And after
he ceased to act as the commissioned missionary, his labors
were not less gratuitous or abundant. We feel safe in say¬
ing, that no missionary or minister within our bounds, did
more work; yek none were ever half so poorly paid. This
was not because his services were not appreciated, or because
he could not have commanded more remunerating fields of
labor. No minister within our bounds was more welcomed
to the pulpits of our ablest Churches. The truth was, that
in all his deliverances there was so much of head and heart,
of light and heat, with such quick and clear perceptions of
what the occasion required, that it was impossible for a con¬
gregation that had heads and hearts, to hear him with indif¬
ference. Whether in the sanctuary or in the senate chamber
—for that honor was once thrust upon him—whether in the
primary assemblies of the people or in the General Assembly
of our Church, brother Marks was always listened to with
interest, and rarely without effect. Our General Assembly
is not ordinarily the place for tears; and yet, under an ad¬
dress on home missions, which brother M. was called to
deliver, that venerable body, then sitting in the city of New
York, wept like women. No, brother M. could have occu¬
pied some of the high places of our Zion; but, in the spirit
of self-sacrifice, he chose to preach the Gospel to the poor
and needy, and scuffle on within himself, as best he could, for
his own support.
2d. My second remark is, that brother M. was not only a
self-denying and laborious minister, but was eminently a
useful one, and was greatly honored and blest in the salvation
of sinners. From his business knowledge and habits, from
his wielding the pen of a ready writer, by which he could
put into practical shape his own thoughts and words, and that
of those around him; from his having been for more than
236
NECROLOGY.
twenty years the Treasurer of Presbytery, and the Secretary
and working man in her Committee of Domestic Missions,
and from his willingness and ability to do anything and ev¬
erything the Presbytery required of him, brother Marks had
become almost a necessity of his Presbytery, 0, how much
we miss him! He was almost the Standing Chairman of the
Synod's Financial Committee, and to disentangle and relieve
a perplexed problem in finance, we have yet to see his equal.
Put it was chiefly as a preacher of the Gospel that brother
Marks was a blessing to the Church and the world. His spirit
travailed in birth for the salvation of sinners, and to him it
was given, in no ordinary degree, to be " wise to win souls to
Christ." How few are the Churches in the bounds of Flint
River Presbytery, that have not been blessed with times of
refreshing, in connection with, and in consequence of, his
labors ? He fell a martyr to his zeal on this subject, and
he closed his active ministerial life amidst the joys pf the
harvest home.
The last two protracted meetings which he conducted—
one at Americus and the other at Fort Gains—were crowned
with a rich ingathering of souls. Put his labors were too
great for his frail body, and he went home to bleed and die.
His first hemorrhage from the lungs took place on the cars,
on his return; and so free and copious was it, that both he
and his friends thought it would terminate his life, even be¬
fore he could reach the nearest depot, where medical aid
could be employed. Whilst lying on the verge of eternity,
as he supposed, his faith was turned into vision. The ex¬
ceeding greatness of the recompense about to be awarded
him, overwhelmed him, and he exclaimed in his heart,
" Plessed Jesus! this is too much—infinitely too great a glory
to be conferred upon a poor, miserable sinner, such as I
am!" "Too much for your deserving," said the Saviour,
" but not too much for my grace to give. For my love's
sake, and for my name's sake, I give all this grace and
REV. RICHARD T. MARKS. 237
glory !" "Never "before," said brother M., "did I feel so
deeply my own utter insignificance and worthlessness; and
never before was I so lost in wonder, love and praise, at the
exceeding Tiches of the grace and glory of my Saviour."
But brother M. was mistaken as to the speedy issue of the
attack. Five years longer was he to linger in the valley and
shadow of death; "but never again was he allowed to proclaim
publicly the unsearchable riches of Christ. This he felt to
be his greatest trial. The only regret or complaint he was
ever heard to utter during his protracted and painful afflic¬
tion, was that he could not show forth the grace and glory
of his adorable Redeemer. " 0," said he, "if I were per¬
mitted again to preach, I would, I think, preach so differently
—so much more to the point, and so much better than I ever
have done. I would throw away, as foolishness, all the gew¬
gaws of human rhetoric and reason, and know nothing btit
Jesus Christ and Him crucified."
His death was such as became such a Christian. It was
not so much a death as a translation. So long had he dwelt
on the borders of that better land—so familiar had he become,
by contemplation, with the faces and forms of its blessed
inhabitants, and with their enjoyments and employments, and
so fully assured did he feel of his " inheritance amongst the
saints in light," that, to him, dying was, in truth, but going
home. The heavenly recognition was to him a source of
great comfort. He often spoke with pleasure of soon seeing
loved ones that had gone before, and of meeting loved ones
who would soon follow on. When requested to bear a mes¬
sage to his sainted brother Dudley, who had died two weeks
before, he nodded his head, and smiled at the anticipated
pleasure. Never, to surrounding friends, did heaven appear
so near or so natural as in that chamber when this good man
breathed his last. " 0, if I could tell you what I see and
feel!" When life had become exhaustive labor, he exclaimed,
"I am so tired—so tired! I want to go home to rest!"
238
NECROLOGY*
After trying in vain to put his signature to a paper, when
his right hand had forgot its skill and cunning, he said, "Lay
me down; it makes no difference; all is right; and turning
upon his side, with his hand under his face, without a strug¬
gle or a groan, Richard T. Marks breathed his last. Ilig
friends thought he was asleep. He was asleep in Jesus.
He left a loved and cherished wife and four children to
mourn their loss, and rejoice in his infinite gain. He died
in Americus, Ga., at the house of his son-in-law, Doctor
Bruce, on the 6th of December, 1867, in the 59th year of
his age.
KEY. WILLIAM MATHEWS*
William Mathews, the subject of this memorial, was born
of pious parents, in Franklin county, Ga., on the 14th of
November, 1819. His father, Phineas Mathews, was the son
of William Mathews, of Jackson county, Ga., a Revolution¬
ary soldier, and for many years a ruling elder of Bethesda,
now Sandy Creek, Church. His mother was a daughter of
James W. Towns, of Madison county.
He was dedicated to God in infancy, and enjoyed the ad¬
vantages of early religious training. He was noted for
sobriety from early childhood, and never seemed inclined to
engage in the sports and amusements in which other hoys
delighted. He delighted in passing his time in reading. His
fondness for books, and his retentive memory, enabled him
to acquire a greater amount of historical knowledge than
most youths, of his age and limited opportunities, generally
do.
He was the subject of religious impressions from early,
childhood; yet he has been heard to say ofttimes, that he
could not point to the time when he experienced a change of
heart—a fact not very infrequent with those whose minds
have been imbued with religious truth from very early youth.
He united with the Church when he was about fifteen years
old.
His limited means prevented his enjoying the advantages
of a thorough collegiate course of instruction. He was pu¬
pil for several years in the Gwinnett Manual Labor School.
After leaving the Institute he taught school in the family of
the late Dr. C. C. Jones, of Liberty county, for one year.
He subsequently taught in the county of Mcintosh, during
* aiss. from the family of Prof Lane.
239
240
TTECROLOGY.
two or three years. Part of the time during his sojourn in
this county, he had the care of his two brothers and two sis¬
ters. We think he entered the Theological Seminary at
Columbia m 1846, and after the usual course of study, was
licensed to preach the Gospel by Flint River Presbytery, in
the summer of 1849. In the fall of 1849, he entered upon
his field of labor as a missionary, in the counties of Baker,
Early and Randolph. Gradually contracting his field of
operations, he became, in process of time, pastor of the Pa-
chitla Church, in Calhoun county. After a few years spent
in this sphere, the relation was dissolved, and he then became
the stated supply of the Church at Perry, Houston county,
during twelve months, preaching also at other points, in two
adjacent counties.
In 1857, he received a call from the Mineral Spring Church,
Decatur county, Ga., within the bounds of the Florida Pres¬
bytery. He accepted the call, and was installed its pastor
some months after he removed to the county. This relation
he sustained until it was dissolved by death.
In July, 1858, he was united in marriage to Miss Martha
Shivers, of Macon, Ga.
Until within a few months previous to his decease, his
health was generally good, excepting a chronic disease, with
which he was afflicted from early childhood; but of this he
had been almost entirely relieved a few years before his
death.
In the winter of 1862, at the earnest desire of some of his
neighbors, he consented to teach school. The duties of pastor
and teacher combined, proved too laborious for him, and no
doubt contributed, in a good degree, to undermine his health,
and bring about his premature death. The summer prior to
his demise, he had a severe attack of disease, which so much
prostrated his system that he never seemed to rally entirely
from its effects. Afterwards he had frequent attacks of
chills and fever, which weakened him very much. His health
REV. WILLIAM MATHEWS.
241
was at length so much impaired that he was obliged to dis¬
continue his school before the end of the year. In November
he went to Macon with his family, hoping that a change
might prove beneficial to him.
While in Macon he attended the meeting of the Synod of
Georgia, which he seemed to enjoy very much. A few weeks
after the Synod adjourned, he was attacked with pneumonia.
A physician was called in, but he did not apprehend any
danger, nor did his family. About thirty hours before he
expired, his symptoms became alarming; he suffered in¬
tensely ; his mind began to wander, and at length he became
insensible to every object around him. In this condition he
remained until his ransomed spirit joined the company of the
redeemed in heaven.
A short time before his intellectual powers failed, he calmly
told his wife he felt that God was about to take him away
from her, as he had been admonished, from, time to time, of
his approaching dissolution. To a friend he remarked,
" sickness makes a perfect child of a man;" but added, " I
feel that I have not had my share of pain and suffering—not
so much as I need." These were about his last intelligible
words. Ilis spirit passed away on the 20th of December,
1862.
His loss was deeply felt, not only by his family and other
relations, but by the Church and community in which he re¬
sided. His people were warmly attached to him. To this
his Church gave strong expression in resolutions adopted in
reference to his death. Brother Mathews possessed a mild
and gentle disposition. So much was he noted for his kind¬
ness of temper, even in his school-boy days, among his fel¬
low-pupils, that he received from them the nom de plume of
"Friend." This disposition continued wi,th him through
life. In the language of the minute of the Synod, " He
possessed a sound judgment, a correct taste, and no mean
attainments in knowledge. As a preacher he was earnest,
16
242
NECROLOGY.
solemn, and scriptural. As a pastor he was laborious, affec¬
tionate, and faithful. As a Presbyter he was courteous,
unambitious, and unwavering. As a Christian he exhibited
the meekness and gentleness of Christ; and as a husband,
father, and friend, he illustrated all the higher relations
which God his Saviour called him to occupy."
He was Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Florida at the
time of his decease.
From the Itev. Prof* Lane.
Covington, March 8,1861
Rev. and Dear Sib :
I can only give you my general impressions in'regard to the mind,
character, and ministerial qualities of brother Mathews, though he and
myself were intimately connected by marriage, and were on the most
cordial, brotherly terms. Yet, as we never lived near each other, and
were together chiefly in occasional family visits, I was not as intimately
acquainted with him, as a minister, as one would expect at first view.
Brother M. had a clear, active mind, of more than ordinary vigor. His
reading, both theological and general, was very extensive. But few of
our brethren, of his age, ever excelled him in this particular. In the
pulpit he was plain and faithful—solid rather than showy. As a pastor
he was conscientious and diligent, and won the hearts of his people by
his gentle, earnest, loving ministrations. His last sickness, whilst it was
sent at the best time, (being sent by Infinite Wisdom,) was probably
hastened by too abundant and too frequent labors during the year pre¬
ceding his death. • * * * Yours fraternally,
C. W. LANE.
KEY. WILLIAM McWHIR, D.D*
William McWhir wus the son of James and Jean (Gibson)
McWhir, and was born in the parish of Moneyrea and county
of Down, Ireland, on the 9th of September, 1759. His
father was a farmer, in comfortable circumstances, and both
his parents were exemplary professors of religion. In his
early childhood he lost the sight of one eye, and came very
near losing his life, by means of the small-pox. His father
and grandfather had both been elders in the Presbyterian
Church, and his parents were desirous that one of their*
children should be a minister; and contrary, as it would
seem, to his better judgment, they conferred the honor on
him. After having for some time attended a school in the
neighborhood of his father's residence, he was transferred to
another school, of a higher order, in Belfast, to be prepared
for college. Here he was brought into intimate relations,
for some time, with an unprincipled and profligate young
man, whose influence upon him, temporarily at least, was
very disadvantageous. He remained at this school until
1778, when he was sent to the University of Glasgow, being
then about nineteen years of age. Here he passed three
sessions, which was the period prescribed for their candidates
by the Synod of Ulster. It does not appear that, even at
this time, his mind was at all awake to a sense of Christian
obligation, notwithstanding he had made a profession of re¬
ligion, and his studies were directed with particular reference
to the ministry.
Immediately after leaving the University, he put himself
Tinder the care of the Presbytery of Killiheagh, in the county
of Down, and having gone through with his trials and exam-
* MSS. Autobiography—Mr. E. J, Hardin, Esq., Sprague's Annals.
243
244
NECROLOGY.
inations, was licensed to preach the Gospel on the 2-lth of
December, 1782. He war ordained by the same Presbytery
on the 25th of September, 1783.
Having, from the age of about twelve years, been deeply in¬
terested in America, by reading Carver's Travels, he early
formed a purpose, with the consent of his father, (his mother
was now dead,) to find a home on this side the water. Ac¬
cordingly, immediately after his ordination, he >sailed from
Belfast for Philadelphia, where, on his arrival, he received
from various distinguished individuals, a cordial welcome to
the country. After a few weeks, he went, in compliance
with a request that had been sent to him previous to his
leaving Ireland, to engage as a teacher at Alexandria; and
he now became the head of a large and flourishing academy,
which was liberally patronized by General Washington, and
to which the General sent two of his nephews. This brought
him into quite intimate relations with that illustrious man,
as well as with many other men of note in that neighborhood.
The following is his account of his first visit to Mount
Vernon:
"A few days after General Washington's return to Mount
Vernon, I visited him, in company with a countryman of
mine, Col. Fitzgerald, one of Washington's aids. At the
dinner table Mrs. Washington sat at the head of the table,
and Major Washington at the foot—the General sat next
Mrs. Washington, on the left. He called upon me to ask a
blessing before meat. When the cloth was about to be re¬
moved, he returned thanks himself. Mrs. Washington, with
a smile, said, 4 My dear, you forgot that you had a clergy¬
man dining with you to-day.' With equal pleasantness he
replied, * My dear, I wish clergymen, and all men, ta know
that I am not a graceless man !' " He goes on to say, " I
was frequently at Mount Vernon, and saw him frequently at
Alexandria; nor did I ever see any person, whatever might
be his character or standing, who was not sensibly awed in
EEV. WILLIAM MCWHIR, D. D. 245
his presence, and by the impression of his greatness. The
vivacity and grace of Mrs. Washington relieved visitors of
some of that'feeling of awe and restraint which possessed
them. He was uniformly grave, and smiled but seldom, but
always agreeable. His favorite subject of conversation was
agriculture, and he scrupulously avoided, in general society,
topics connected with politics, or war, or his own personal
actions."
In the year 1792, Mr. McWhir was applied to by an in¬
fluential friend in Georgia, to visit Augusta, with a view to
taking charge of both an academy and a Presbyterian Church
in that towc; and as he found that his expenses of living in
Alexandria were too great to justify the expectaion of being
able to lay up any part of his income, he was inclined to
listen to the application. He accordingly, after making ar¬
rangements for a temporary supply of his place in the acad¬
emy, proceeded to Augusta on horseback; but on his arrival,
found that the affairs of both the Church and the academy
were so identified with the movements of political parties,
that there was little encouragement to him to remain. He
therefore returned almost immediately to Alexandria, only,
however, to resign his place in the academy, and to get ready
to seek a more southern residence. As soon as he could
make the necessary arrangements, he left Alexandria, and
went to Savannah, and thence to Bryan county,"to visit some
of his friends. During his sojourn there, he accepted an
invitation from the people of Sunbury, in Liberty county, to
take charge of their Church and academy, both of which
were at that time vacant. Here his labors as teacher and
minister overtasked his strength, though his preaching was
remarkably well attended, and his school grew constantly in
numbers and popularity.
About this time he was married to a Mrs. Baker, a lady
of an excellent character and about his own age, and shortly
after he purchased a plantation a few miles from Sunbury,
246
NECROLOGY.
to which he gave the name of Springfield. After continuing
in his school about five years, he removed with his family to
his plantation, in consequence of finding that his health suf¬
fered from the excessive labor which the two offices of minis¬
ter and teacher devolved upon him. He however, in com¬
pliance with the urgent solicitation of his friends, soon
opened a select school at Springfield. Por awhile he con¬
tinued to preach at Sunbury, but as the school became large,
he held religious services on the Sabbath at Springfield. His
school he kept up for several years, until the labor and re¬
sponsibility became so great that he resolved once more to
abandon teaching.
Still, however, he was not willing to lead an inactive life,
and the great destitution of the means of grace in the sur¬
rounding region, impressed him with the obligation still to
preach, as had opportunity. About the year 1809, he com¬
menced preaching at the Court House in Mcintosh county,
about twelve miles from Darien, where, in the midst of great
darkness, and the most violent opposition to religion, he suc¬
ceeded in organizing a Church. His labors here were almost
entirely gratuitous. Prom this station he went to Darien,
where he labored for some time; and after the building of a
new place of worship, the Mcintosh Church was transferred
to the latter place.
An event now occurred in the life of Mr. McWhir, which,
to those who have followed his history to this point, will be a
matter of no little surprise. Notwithstanding he had always
been a minister, in regular standing, of the Presbyterian
Church, he had been, even from the time he commenced his
education, privately a Unitarian. Having occasion to re-ex¬
amine the Scriptures, about the year 1812, with a view to
prove their Divine authority, he was led to take a new view
of the doctrines they contain, and, at no distant period, be¬
came thoroughly satisfied that the creed which he had before
only professed to receive, really embodied the true sense of
BEY. "WILLIAM MCWHIB, D. D.
247
the Word of God. This change of religious opinion, led, of
course, to a corresponding change in his preaching, which
did not escape the observation of those to whom he minis¬
tered.
In September, 1804, there was a tremendous hurricane,
which desolated the coast of Georgia, sweeping directly over
his plantation, and occasioning him a loss of about fourteen
thousand dollars. Being now urged to take charge again of
the Sunbury Academy. He did so, partly with a view to
repair his fortunes. After a few years, he relinquished it
again, on account of his health; he again returned to it, and
continued his connection with it awhile longer. On leaving
it the third time, he gave up teaching as a profession, though
he occasionally received a few pupils to instruct in a private
way.
In 1819, he suffered a severe affliction in the death of his
7 4
wife. After this, his health being much enfeebled, he de¬
termined on a visit to his native country. Accordingly, in
the' spring of 1820, having attended the sessions of the Gen¬
eral Assembly at Philadelphia, he sailed for Liverpool, and
after remaining there a short time, passed on to London,
where he was knocked down in the street by robbers, and so
severely injured as to be confined to his room for a month.
Thence he went to Ireland, and visited the few of his relatives
and acquaintances that remained after the lapse of forty
years; and in the spring of 1821, proceeded to Scotland,
where he had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of
Dr. Chalmers, and being present at the session of the Gen¬
eral Assembly of the Church of Scotland. He returned to
the United States in the autumn of that year, with renovated
health.
In 1824, in consequence of a representation which had
been made to him of the deplorable destitution of the means
of grace in East Florida, he was induced to visit St. Augus¬
tine, with a view to making an effort for the promotion of the
248
NECROLOGY.
Redeemer's kingdom. He accordingly constituted a Pres¬
byterian Church, and ordained elders there; and, for several
years after this, was engaged in collecting funds requisite
for building a Church edifice, and, in due time, he had the
pleasure to see the object(accomplished.
From 1827-to 1835, he was engaged in supplying vacant
Churches in Bryan, Liberty, and Mcintosh counties, and in
various efforts for the promotion of the cause of education.
In 1838, he disposed of his homestead and went to Savan¬
nah, where he remained more than a year. lie then ac¬
cepted an invitation from his friend Major VVm. J. Mcintosh,
of Bryan county, to reside in his family, and he actually
lived there till 1847, when he returned to Savannah, and
fixed his home in the family of his grandson, (by marriage,)
Edward J. Hardin, Esq. At the age of nearly ninety, he
became a volunteer colporteur of the American Tract Soci¬
ety, and continued in this service till he was too feeble to
labor. For several years previous to his death, he was una¬
ble to preach, but he never lost his interest in religious
meetings, and was a regular attendant at Church, even down
to the Sabbath immediately preceding his death. He died
at the house of a friend in Liberty county, in perfect peace,
on the 31st of January, 1851, in the ninety-second year of
his age. His funeral was attended at Midway Church,
whence, in accordance with his expressed wish, his remains
were carried to Sunbury, and buried beside those of his wife.
In the disposal of his property, which was not large, he made
several bequests to charitable institutions. He left no de¬
scendant and no relative in this country.
The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him
by Franklin College, in Georgia, in 1832.
REV. WILLIAM MCWHIR, D. D.
249
From the Rev. C. C. Jones, D. D.
Riceboro, Liberty County. Ga., )
March 24,1855. J
My Dear Sir:
I knew Dr. McWhir in my childhood, and as a friend and frequent
visitor in our family, and was afterwards a pupil in his school. He was
one of my examiners when received into the Presbytery of Georgia, and
also when I was ordained by that body. The friendship which he enter¬
tained for my parents, he transferred to tin ir son, and were, for some
twenty years, on terms of intimacy and confidential friendship.
■ He was a man of medium stature, of good proportions, muscular and
quick in his movements, and with uncommon powers of endurance. He
had a pure Irish face, and having been disfigured in childhood by the
small-pox, was homely, and, becoming prematurely gray and bald, he
carried the appearance, in his countenance, of a man advanced in years,
when he was not as yet past middle life. His personal habits were the
neatest imaginable. I do not remember ever having seen him dressed
otherwise than as a gentleman and a clergyman. He possessed great
self-respect, and a high appreciation of his office. He desired always to
be recognized and treated as a clergyman. He never himself forgot, nor
suffered others to forget that he was one. His manners, in the family,
and in his association with all classes, were uncommonly polished and
dignified; and aside from the politeness, which seemed natural to him,
he was formed upon the model of a genllcmau seen in the Old Dominion
at the period of the Revolution.
Dr. McWhir exacted in society much attention, but it was fully re¬
turned, and seemed a spontaneous movement, on his part, to preserve
that elevation of manners, and that mutual respect, which add so
great a charm to the intercourse of life. He was the most perfectly social
man that I have ever known. Warm and sincere in his attachments, it
was a real, heartfelt pleasure to him to be in the society of his friends,
and to mingle with men of distinction; and his effort was, by cheerfulness
of spirit, and ready and easy powers of conversation, to convert the hour
or the day, as the case might be, into one of high social and friendly en¬
joyment. Fond of children, they never escaped his notice.
In intellectual power, he was, perhaps, not superior to the general
mass of his brethren; yet an excellent scholar, well grounded in Latin
and Greek, and in the usual branches of English education, and had no
superior, in his day, as a teacher and disciplinarian. His reputation as
such was unbounded, and he is remembered more as a teacher and a
friend of education and a patron of learning, than as a minister, although
he ranked among our first Presbyterian ministers, and bore his part re¬
putably in the early efforts to establish our Church in the State. Of real
courage, and. of mercurial temperament, of a high sense of honor and
250
NECROLOGY.
justice, and of strict integrity, energetic and prompt in decision and ac¬
tion, his schools were always models of morality and of order. He was
a terror to evil doers. No fear of personal consequences to himself, nor
family connections, nor wealth, nor friendly relations, nor poverty on the
part «of his pupils, served to screen the guilty. He used the rod spar,
ingly, but, When necessary, most effectively. He was long a teacher, and
educated fathers and their sons. Scholars were sent to him from all parts
of the State, and when not engaged in teaching, he traveled in our own
country, and in England, and Scotland, and Ireland, to perfect himself,
and to become master of improvements in that great art. His energy
and perseverance were such as to secure him success in whatever he
undertook. Never having studied Theology systematically, and coming,
as he believed, to a saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, some
years after his migration to the United States, and the period of study
with him was waning, and much of his time occupied in teaching, and
constant engagements adverse to close application, he could not be ranked
among accomplished Theologians, although he was firmly settled upon
the doctrines of our Confession of Faith. He adhered conscientiously to
the Old School branch of our Church, through every trial and difficulty.
His preaching, after I knew him, partook more of the practical and hor¬
tatory, than the doctrinal. He had a habit of yielding to his feelings in
preaching, and most commonly was affected to tears. He contributed
liberally to our benevolent societies and objects, while he had a special
.interest in the circulation of the Scriptures, and in our missionary opera¬
tions, both at home and abroad. He was one of the earliest advocates of
the Temperance Reformation, and adhered to its principles to the day of
his death. Towards the close of his life, his heart was more than ordi¬
narily interested in the progress of the Gospel on the earth, and in its
success he greatly rejoiced. His reading was chiefly religious and devo¬
tional, and he seemed to be rapidly maturing for Heaven. The lamp of
life literally burnt to the socket, and mind anijl body wasted away in
extreme age unto death.
My last conversation with him, which occurred not many weeks be-
fbre his death, found him fixed upon the " Rock of Ages." Said he,
" My dear friend, I cannot say, that I have the faith of assurance, but I
think I can say I have an assured hope."
Wishing you success and usefulness in your work,
I am very truly yours in the Lord,
C. C JONES.
REV. RICHARD ANDREW MILNER.*
Richard Andrew Milner was the child of pious parents.
The family, it is believed, came originally from England. He
was born in Laurens District, South Carolina, October 28,
1816. He enjoyed in early youth the advantages of Chris¬
tian education. His father was many years an elder of the
Presbyterian Church.
Richard was hopefully converted in his sixteenth year,
under the preaching of Dr. Daniel Baker, and soon there¬
after made a public confession of his faith in Christ. At
the time of his conversion he was pursuing studies prepara¬
tory for entering College, in the village academy at Laurens
C. IL, under,the care of a Mr. Robert Spier. He entered
the Freshman class in Franklin College, Athens, Ga., in the
fall of 1833. After graduating, he studied law, and was
licensed to practice in 1839. But the law was not congenial
with his taste, and the following year, 1840, he abandoned
it, and turned his attention to the study of Theology, which
he pursued privately, and, in due course of time, was licensed
to preach the Gospel, by the Etowah Presbytery, a body in
connection with the New School Presbyterian Church. That
Presbytery becoming extinct, he joined the Cherokee Pres¬
bytery, the year in which it had been set off by the Synod of
South Carolina and Georgia, and was by it ordained to the
full work of the Ministry, as an evangelist, in 1844. He
was engaged in the missionary work during several years,
within the bounds of his Presbytery, and as stated supply of
the Church at Friendship, near Cartersville, of which his
venerable father, Arnold Milner, was a ruling elder. He
had removed with his family from South Carolina in 1834.
* MSS. from Rev. J. F. Lannean.
2K1
252
NECROLOGY.
Mr. Milner also preached at Cassville, Adairsville, and Cal¬
houn during these years. In all these places he labored
with great acceptance and usefulness. lie was a Boanerges
—no one has ever been more popular in these places, as a
preacher of the Gospel. He is represented to have been a
man of glowing zeal, a clear head, ready utterance, and pow¬
erful action in the pulpit—-just such a man as would secure
the attention, and move the hearts of the masses.
In the autumn of 1855, he received and accepted a call
from the united Churches of Cartersville and Eijharlee, in
the same county, to become their pastor, and was installed
at Cartersville, on the 4tb Sabbath in October, 1855, with
the expectation of supplying, occasionally, the Church at
Cassville. He was unwell at the time, but consented to be
carried, in his feeble state of health, to the Church at Cart¬
ersville, where the solemn services were performed. From
thence he returned to his sick bed, which was to him, in two
weeks afterwards, the bed of death. He died on the 13th
of November, 1855, the day on which the Synod of Georgia
met at LaGrange, Ga.
Thus suddenly, and under peculiarly trying circumstances
was this young, able, faithful, and successful minister of the
Gospel, at the early age of 39, taken away from a large and
promising field of labor.
Ordained in the same year in which the Cherokee Pres¬
bytery was organized, he was identified with all the interests
of that Presbytery from its beginning, and with the cause
and welfare of Presbyterianism within that interesting por¬
tion of the Synod.
During the eleven years of his ministerial life, he was
greatly instrumental, under God, of lengthening the cords
and strengthening the stakes of .the tabernacle of our be¬
loved Zion. He was permitted the joy of seeing his Pres¬
bytery increase from four to twenty ministers, and from nine
to thirty-five Churches. His humble and ardent piety, his
REV. RICHARD ANDREW MILNER.
253
burning zeal, and his untiring energy, his touching and glow¬
ing eloquence, won for him the confidence and the love of
his brethren, and a wide-spread popularity and usefulness.
But just as he was entering upon his pastoral work, over
Churches in a great measure gathered and sustained by his
exertions, and which were growing in importance and influ¬
ence, it pleased the Great Head of the Church to remove
him from his labors on earth, as we humbly trust, to his re¬
ward and rest in heaven.
Mr. Mjlner was married on the 12th of December, 1843,
to Miss Lucinda Slator Brogden, of Oothcoologa Valley, by
whom he had two sons and four daughters, who, with his
bereaved widow, were left to mourn his untimely departure.
His eldest son, who professed conversion under the preach¬
ing of Dr. Stiles, in 1859, and united with the Church at
Cartersville, is now a candidate for the Gospel ministry,
under the care of the Presbytery ,of Cherokee. We trust
that the mantle of his sainted father may fall on him-, and
that he may be qualified by the training of God's spirit and
providence, to become, like him, a valuable and useful laborer
in the Master's vineyard.
KEY. W. N. PEACOCK.
"We have been able to gather a very few facts in relation
to the life, character, and ministry of the Rev. Mr. Peacock.
The following brief communication contains the sum and
substance of all that is known concerning him. These state¬
ments were obtained from his family. He does not seem tp
have been actively engaged in the ministerial work after his
removal to Florida. He was diligent in business, but, per¬
haps, deficient in fervency of spirit.
From (he Eev. A. Baker.
Madison, Fla., August 29,1864.
Rev. and Dear Sir :
* * * The Rev. W. N. Peacock was born in Montgomery-
county, N. C., on the 28th of June, 1803. His father was a Presbyterian
minister, and a native of Glasgow, Scotland.
Mr. Peacock, the subject of this brief sketch, received his education,
principally, from a Mr. McMullan, a distinguished teacher of that day.
So far as we know, he never went to college, and if he did, it was only
for a short time, for he never graduated. His literary course was imper¬
fect His Theological education could not have been thorough, for it
was commenced after his marriage, under the direction of the Rev. Colin
Mclver, of Fayetteville, N. C. He married when about 20 years of age.
He was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Presbytery of Fayetteville,
in 1833. He was called to supply several small Churches in his native
county, which he served for a number of years, with commendable zeal
and usefulness. His health failing, from the weakness of his lungs, he
removed to Florida in 1855, where he was able to do little preaching. I
believe he never had a charge in this State.
As to the character of his mind, I would say that he had rather more
than ordinary native talent. He was no book worm, but studied men
and things around him. He was a man of quick temper. He was fond
of argument, especially on doctrinal questions. He often discussed the
doctrine of election in the pulpit. He was not eloquent, nor was he a
popular preacher, but sound and sincere. His ministry was much inter¬
rupted by his love of his farm. It may truly be said of him, that he was
diligent in business. He had few equalsln the farm, and by this he grew
rich. This detracted much from his usefulness, and laid the foundation
for a charge against him by his enemies, that he loved money. He
died on the 24th of September, 1863. * * * * *
Tours very truly, A. BAEER.
254
BEY. ROBERT QUARTERMAN.-*
The Congregational Church of Midway, Liberty county, has
been long and well known in Georgia. It is about one hun¬
dred years old, having its origin some time before the Revolu¬
tionary War. The ancestors of those who composed it were
Puritans from Dorchester, England, who first settled at Dor¬
chester, Massachusetts, and emigrated there in a body, with
their pastor, and formed a settlement about 20 miles from
Charleston, S.C., at a place which they also called Dorchester.
This locality proving unhealthy, they again removed in a
body, and settled in Liberty county, then called St. John's
Parish. About half way from Savannah to Darien, the
traveler passes the Church on the left of the road, with the
grave yard on the right, where sleep the remains of most of
the original settlers.-
Among the early pastors of this Church, more than half
a century ago, was the Rev. Murdoch Murphy, brother of
the late Governor Murphy, of Alabama, who resigned his
charge in order to spend the residue of his days near his
brother, having served the Church faithfully and acceptably
about ten years. He had been preceded for the previous 20
years, in the same office, by the Rev. Cyrus Gildersleeve,
who was afterwards settled in New Jersey, and finished his
course at Wilkesbarre, Pa. Robert Quarterman, the subject
of the following memoir, succeeded Mr. Murphy in 1822, or
1823.
Robert Quarterman was born in Liberty county, Ga., on
the 13th day of January, 1787. Bereaved in childhood, of
father and mother, he was taken into the family, first, of a
sister, and afterwards that of an aunt, where, in early life,
he received those religious impressions which were afterwards
so fully and so brightly developed.
MSS. from Rev. T. Sumner Winn and Miss Quarterman.
255
256
NECROLOGY.
He received his classical training in the Sunbury Acad¬
emy. fn the year 1809, when he was twenty-two years old,
he united himself to the Church at Midway, in his native
county, and was chosen to the office of deacon in the same
Church in 1811.
The war with Great Britain commenced in 1812. The
people of Liberty county were on the alert, and ready, as
they had ever been, to oppose the enemies of their country.
Their ancestors, in the war of the Revolution of 1776. had
been so distinguished for their lofty bearing and love of lib¬
erty, that the name of their county had been changed from
that of St. John's Parish to that of Liberty.
The British fleet threatening to effect a landing on the
coast of Georgia, every important point was carefully guarded.
In the history of these times, among others, appears the
name of Robert Quarterman, who had nobly responded to the
call of his country, and volunteered his services in defence
of her invaded rights. He was elected captain of the rifle
company, and was stationed at Darien. His noble hearing,
his stately mein, his courteous manners, his officer-like con¬
duct, and his Christian deportment, won for him the confi¬
dence of his men, and commanded the respect of all the
people.
The following extract, from a historical address of the Rev.
Charles Colcock Jones, D. D., delivered to the "Liberty
County Independent Troop," in 1856, presents an interest¬
ing memorial of Mr. Quarterman's military life. Speaking
of the war, he observed: "At the same time the infantry
companies of the county were ordered to Darien, under the
command of Captain Robert Quarterman and Captain John
"Winn. The two companies were afterwards united under
Captain Quarterman. On Captain Quarterman's 'payroll,'
the original of which I have in my possession, there are one
hundred and thirty-three names, including officers and pri¬
vates.
REV. ROBERT QUARTERMAN.
257
" My first recollections of Captain Quarterman were during
bis march to Darien. The troops passed along the public
road. A couple of us lads were playing at mimic war, firing
our brass cannon from our little fort, attacked by the British
fleet afloat on the pond. We heard the drums, and rushed
to see the show. Captain Quarterman was at the head of
his company, a tall well proportioned and handsome officer,
with full whiskers, and had his sword drawn. You all re-
remember and venerate him. For twenty-three years after¬
wards he was the able, consistent, and successful pastor of
Midway Church. He hts had few or no superiors, take him
all ia all, among the prominent citizens of this county.'*
At the close of the war he resigned his commission and
returned to his farm, and soon thereafter commenced a course
of Theological studies, preparatory to entering the ministry.
In 1819, he was licensed to preach the Gospel by the Pres¬
bytery of Harmony, which at that period included the low
country of South Carolina, and the seaboard counties of
Georgia.
On the removal of Mr. Murphy to Alabama, he was called
to the pastoral charge of Midway congregation. He was
ordained to the full work of the ministry on the 27th of May,
1823, by the Presbytery of Georgia, it having been set off
from Harmony Presbytery in 1821.
This relation he sustained to the Church of his fathers for
thirty years, faithfully discharging all the duties of the min¬
isterial charge to that people so long as his health permitted.
Some twelve or fifteen years before his death, as his field of
labor had become extended, and as the summer retreats of
the people rendered it expedient that he should have helpy
the congregation elected the Rev. Isaac Stockton Keith Ax-
son, D. D., at present the beloved pastor of the Independent
Presbyterian Church, of Savannah, his colleague; and no
two ministers ever occupied the same field with more har-
17
258 necrology.
monj, and with greater acceptance to the people, until Mr.
Quartcrroan was laid aside by a paralytic attack.
We beg leave in this place, to introduce a letter written
by Dr. Axson, a few days after the decease of Mr. Quarter-
man, in May, 1819, and furnishing a faithful and interesting
portraiture of his venerable co-pastor.
" My Dear Brother :
" You will not be surprised to learn that our friend
and fellow-laborer in the Gospel is no more. The messenger
came at last, and this servant of God has entered upon his
rest. We were deprived of his parting counsels, and disap¬
pointed in regard to a dying testimony, it having pleased
God, for many weeks previous to his death, severely to im¬
pair his mental faculties, and almost to destroy the power of
speech. When the last conflict came he was almost insensible
to everything around him.
"From the note book of the attending physician, I have
gathered this description of his case: He was seized sud¬
denly and very violently on the night of the 14th • of Febru¬
ary, 1845, with pulmonary apoplexy, from which he recovered
by morning. Subsequently he had several attacks somewhat
similar, but not so violent. In September, 1848, his articu¬
lation became impaired, and in December, after a sort of
simple apoplexy, his case terminated in palsy, and the loss
of nervous power in one side. On the night of the 18th of
April, he gently sunk into death, and is now buried with his
fathers.
"The day of his interment was one of solemn interest to his
people, who gathered from all parts to look for the last time
on his gray hairs; and it may be hoped, that around the aged
pastor's bier, good purposes were formed, to 'call to remem¬
brance,' and, by the grace of God, to heed 4 the things which
he spake unto them while he was yet with them.'
" The most interesting recollections of the man, by the
REV. ROBERT -QUARTERMAN.
259
people of this community, "will unquestionably be those asso¬
ciated with his character as a Christian and a servant of
Jesus. For forty years he had walked with God, during the
whole of which period his history was closely connected with
that Church in whose grave-yard he is now sleeping. He
was admitted into its membership in the year 1809. Two
years after he was elected to the office of deacon; and in the
year 1823, having privately pursued a course of preparation
for the ministry, he was chosen pastor of the Church, which
relationship, as an expression of their respect for one who
hadAong watched over them in the Lord, his people resolved
he should hold till death, notwithstanding that disease had,
in a great measure, excluded him from the pulpit for the last
four years.
44 In glanciBg at his career, I am reminded that our broth¬
er's usefulness was not limited to the exercises of the pulpit.
Practically, though not professionally trained, he was skilled
in medicine; and in the part of the country where he for the
most part resided, no regular physician being at hand, it is
impossible to say how much the suffering and the sick were
indebted to the pastor's labors in this line; for it was his
common practice, where ever and when ever called, cheer¬
fully to wait upon the sick, administer to their wants in re¬
gard to prescriptions, and medicines, and nursing, and diet,
and all necessary articles.
"As a tribute to his memory, setting forth the influence
of his private walk and conversation, let me register a testi¬
mony which, since his decease, has been handed me under
the signature of many of his parishioners: 4 His grave and
even deportment,' say they, 4 his unquestioned Christian
character, his spirit of kindness and sympathy with the dis¬
tressed, caused him to be approached with the utmost confi¬
dence by all. He was very generally consulted in cases of
difficulty, whether religious, civil, or domestic; and the whole
manner of his life was such as to give him an influence over
260
NECROLOGY.
the community, which they feel even more than his pulpit
preaching.
"Farewell to the aged pastor, who has now finished his
course, having fought the good fight, and kept the faith!
May we, my brother, be partakers of the same blessedness,
when we shall next meet him, wearing the crown of right¬
eousness, awarded by the Righteous Judge to all his faithful
servants. Yours in the Gospel,
" I. S. K. A. "
Although Mr. Quarterman was physically unable, for
many years, to render any pastorial services, yet he was con-
tinu d the senior pastor of the Church.
Among the foreign missionaries who have been sent out to
foreign lands by the Presbyterian Chureh, were two of his
children—a son and a daughter. The Church itself has sent
into the ministry more of its sons than probably any Church
in the South. Among those who entered the ministry during
the pastorate of Mr. Q., are-the Bakers, Daniel, John W.,
and Richard W.; Dr. and John Jones, Cassels and Dun-
wody; John and T. Sumner Winn; John Quarterman and
R. Q. May. The most of these were brought into the Church
during his ministry, so that he did not labor in vain, nor
spend his strength for nought. Having fought a good fight
and finished his course, he entered into rest, amid the re¬
grets of all who knew him.
It was during his ministry the system of means for the
religious instruction of the colored people, which became 60
efficient, had itsorigin, andso far as that congregation was con¬
cerned, its maturity—presenting a model which deserved
to be generally imitated, but which, by the events of a few
past years, has been overthrown.
lie died the 18th of April, 1849, in the 62nd year of his
age, and the 30th of his ministry. His remains were laid in
the Midway Cemetery, to await the glorious morn of the
resurrection.
rev. robert quartermax.
261
At a regular meeting of the Session oT Midway Church,
May 15, 1849, the following resolutions were adopted, ex¬
pressive of the feelings of that body in reference to the death
•of their aged pastor, to-wit:
" It having pleased Almighty God to remove by death our
revered and honored pastor, the Rev. Robert Quarterman,
and the fact having been announced to this Session by our
clerk,
Resolved, That in this dispensation we recognize the hand
of God, and bow in humble submission to his sovereign will.
Resolved, That in his decease we regard ourselves as hav¬
ing sustained a serious bereavement—the Church, in the loss
of a pastor and spiritual guide, by whose ministrations we
have been instructed, and whose example has ever tended to
our edification—and the community, in the loss of a friend
whose memory is endeared by numerous acts of generous phi¬
lanthropy and private kindness.
Resolved, That while recording this our loss, it is our con¬
solation to believe, that death has been his unspeakable gain,
and that we are herein admonished to live the life of the
righteous, that our last end may be like his.
Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the
bereaved family, as a mark of our sympathy and condolence,
and that they be published in the Southern Presbyterian."
Faithfulness and industry in the Master's work character¬
ized him as a minister. His sermons were of the most prac¬
tical and pointed character. The spiritual interests of his
flock ever laid near his heart; and his ministerial success was
very great, as doubtless scores of redeemed souls now in
Heaven, and many still on earth, are able to testisfy, who
will rise up in the last day and call him blessed.
He was married four times, and at his death left a widow
and eleven children. Four of his sons have become minis¬
ters, and two of his daughters minister's wives. One of his
sons, the Rev. John W. Quarterman, was tor twenty years a
262
NECROLOGY.
faithful and successful missionary to the Chinese, among
whom his remains are now deposited. One of his daughters,
the wife of the Rev. R. Q. Way, spent sixteen years among
the same people, and in the same glorious work.
Such is a brief memorial of the Rev. Robert Quarterraan,
of Midway.
REV. JOSEPH MELANCTIION QUARTERMAN.»
Joseph Melancthon Quarterman, one of the younger sons
of the Rev. Robert Quarterman, was born in Liberty county,
where so many have been trained for the Gospel ministry, on
the loth day of April, 1828. Like the other members of
this highly favored family, he was a child of prayer, and was
brought up in the hallowed atmosphere of true piety. It
gives us no surprise, then, to learn, that in 1842, when but
14 years of age, he joined the Midway Congregational
Church, of which his father was at that time the senior
pastor.
In January, 184G, he became a student in Oglethorpe
University, having the ministry in view, and, prosecuting his
studies diligently, was graduated in 1817, with the first hon¬
ors of his class. Then followed three years study in the
Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C. Upon its comple¬
tion, he was licensed as a probationer in the Gospel ministry,
by the Presbytery of Georgia, 1850.
lie began his ministerial labors at Mt. Vernon, Montgom¬
ery county, over which charge be was, upon his ordination,
installed pastor in 1851. Here he toiled, in labors abund¬
ant and self-denying, for five years—ministering among a
people who gave him but a scanty support, he eked out his
living by drawing unmurmuringly on his private means, but
was ultimately obliged to seek a field elsewherd.
In November, 1855, he removed to Palatka, East Florida,
where, with unflagging zeal and diligence, he applied himself
anew to the arduous duties of the ministry. Besides laboring
at Palatka, he gave one Sabbath in each month to the Church
at Orange Springs, 25 miles distant. It was in the perform-
MSS. from Rev. R. Q. Way.
2C3
264
NECROLOGY.
ance of this last fatiguing duty that the disease was developed
which terminated so unexpectedly in his death. It seemed
hut an ordipary attack of intermittent fever, which for a
week or two created no alarm. But suddenly a congestive
chill thrust its cold fingers upon his vitals. lie sank in, de¬
lirious unconscientiousness beneath the destroyer, and the
soul emerged from the cloud on the heavenward side. He I
died on the 29th of March, 1858, in thirtieth year of his age,
and seventh of his ministry.
In the humble and noiseless circle in which he moved, he
was known only to be loved and respected by all, without
(qualification or exception. From deep and fixed principles,
rather than lively and spasmodic impulse, he was faithful,
consistant, and unwearied in the performance of every duty
growing out of the various relations to his family, to the
Church, and to the world at large. As a minister of the
Cross, he preached Jesus, and preached Him earnestly and
faithfully. As a pastor, his character shone forth most con¬
spicuously, for his humility, that sweetest grace, had a wider
field for its activity.
He left a lovely and interesting family to mourn the loss
of a husband and father, but he left them a rich inheritance.
His memory will be precious to them, and his prayers and
his labors for them, and for the Church, have already come
up before God.
We subjoin an extract from the minutes of the Synod of
Georgia of 1858, which presents a fine illustration of Irs
character, and was written by a young brother, probably a
Theological classmate, and one who possessed a high and just
appreciation of his character:
4< There was a fine symmetry in the character of our de¬
parted brother, which, while it is a positive excellence, nukes
it difficult to give desired relief to his portrait. There were
about him few or no salient points to engage attention; this,
with his modest and retiring nature, prevented the full ap-
REV. JOSEPH MELANCTHON QUARTERMAN. 265
preciation of any except his neax*est and most intimate friends.
Some members of this body may recollect the occasional ap¬
pearance in the Synod, a few years since, of a pale, slender
young minister, who, from his unconspicuous seat, watched
with interest the proceedings of the body; but, with modest
deference, took no active part in them, except to give his
votes. This was a man who, in his field at home, labored
indefatigably to promote the cause of Christ, " working while
it was day," as if with a near presentiment that his "night
must soon come." And he not only bestowed his unwearied
labors, but he spared not his little earthly possessions. Said
a worthy member of his last charge, 1 Brother Quarterman
has given more to the Church than any of us.' Thus he
showed himself cheerfully willing to * spend and be spent'
for his gracious Master. It only remained that he should
be called to endure the minister's, the husband's, and fath¬
er's last trial and struggle; but when the summons came, the
Christian, by Divine grac?, proved triumphant over all. He
pyfully realized, that to 'depart and be with Christ was far
better.' "
REV. LUCIUS A. SIMONTON*
Lucious A. Simoxtox, son of Ezekiel and Sophia Simon-
ton, was born in Newton county, Georgia, in 1830. His
father was for many years a ruling Elder in the Church of
Hopewell, Crawford county, and was greatly respected for
his1 devoted piety, and the integrity of his character. He
had several children, only three of whom survived him. He
died in Talbot cpunty, Ga., in 1855. The mother of Lu¬
cious died in his early childhood, but her place was most
faithfully supplied by an excellent step-mother to whom he
was, till the close of life, most tenderly attached.
He was trained up in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. During the period of boyhood and youth, he
was remarkably exempt from the follies and vices peculiar to
that season. We know not that he manifested during that
period of life any special concern about his spiritual welfare.
After having received a good academical education, he was
for a time, clerk in a mercantile establishment. Whether
this was by his own choice, or in obedience to parental wish¬
es, we know not. He, however, found this vocation very un¬
congenial to his tastes, so he abandoned it, and after neces¬
sary preparation he entered Oglethorpe University in 1851,
where he was graduated with honorable distinction in 1853.
While a member of that Institution, it was visited by one of
those gracious revivals, with which God has so signally favored
it. Lucious became a subject of it, and to use his own words,
'• it was there I learned to love Christ." Very soon after
his conversion, his thoughts were directed to the gospel min¬
istry. Being fully satified in his own mind, that God had
called him to the work, he entered the Theological Seminary
at Columbia, S. C., immediately after his graduation.
MSS. from Rev. S. II. IIay.
2GG
REV. LUCIUS A. SIM0NT0N. 287
He completed his Theological course in the Spring of 1855,
and was licensed to preach the gospel by Hopewell Presby¬
tery. During the following summer he preached in several
places with great acceptance. He was invited to supply the
Churches of Sparta and Mt. Zion, in Hancock county, but
being necessarily engaged in settling his fathers business,
they were willing that his labors should not commence until
January 1856. In the meantime he was married to Miss
Annie C. Peck, of Columbia, S. C.
He entered upon his ministerial work*under a deep sense
of his responsibility. He continued to be a diligent student,
while he labored in season and out of season. He was very
much beloved by both congregations; and there are many of
them who will give their testimony to his faithfulness and
untiring z'eal in his Master's service. The Church of Sparta
gave him a unanimous call to become their pastor. This he
accepted and was accordingly ordained in June following and
installed pastor of that Church. lie continued to preach at
Mt. Zion as before. In both Churches God gave him souls
for his hire.
In the fall of 1858, he received' an invitation from the
Church in Albany, Ga., to preach for them a Sabbath or two.
He complied with the request, and the result was a call to
become their pastor. Although the sundering of the ties
binding him to the beloved people of Sparta, and Mt. Zion,
was exceedingly painful, yet after much prayerful delibera¬
tion, he felt it his duty to accept the call. His people
aware thit his field of usefulness would be much enlarged,
by the change, made no opposition. Early in December the
Presbytery dissolved the pastorial relation between him and
the Church at Sparta. The Lord, however, had ordered dif¬
ferently. His purpose was, that his ministerial labors should
cease where they had begun. In making preparations for his
removal, he contracted a severe cold. He preached his farewell
sermon the second Sabbath in December. He was then very
2G8
NECROLOGY.
unwell. It proved to be his last sermon. lie became very
feeble, and it was evident to all that he was in a rapid decline.
He had repeated and severe hemorages from the lungs, al.-o a
harrassing cough, which, with excessive debility prevented
him from conversation with his friends. Leaving a depend¬
ent family to whom he was so tenderly attached, at first,
seemed to depress his spirits, but God gave him faith to com¬
mit them into his hands. He was calm and resigned to the
will of his Heavenly Father. On the morning of the 31st of
March 1857, he gently fell asleep in Jesus. By his request
he was hurried in Elmwood Cemetery near Columbia, S. C.
He left a son and two infant daughters, the elder' of whom
has since been re-united to him in Heaven.
During the three months illness of this young servant of
God, he was attended to with the most unremit:ing kindness,
not only by those for whom he had labored, but by all around.
Nothing was left undone that could contribute to the comfort
of himself and family. Too much cannot be said of their
kindness and liberality. The recollection of it is gratefully
cherished by those who loved him.
REV. JOSEPH B. STEVEN'S.
Joseph B. Stevens, was the son of Joshua and Chloe
Stevens, and was born at Brookfield, Connecticut, August
3d, 1801. His parents were poor but respectable and pious.
They gave him but a limited education, which he himself made
no effort to improve until after his 21st year. It was at this
time be was hopefully brought to an experimental knowl¬
edge of the Saviour, and feeling it his duty to preach the
Gospel, he determined to obtain a Collegiate education. lie
united with a church in New Haven, and entered Bow loin
College in the State of Maine,where he graduated September
5th, 1827, being about twenty-six years of age. He studied
Theology in the Seminary at Bangor three years, and was
licensed by a Congregational Association in Maine to preach
the Gospel, being then some twenty-nine years old.
His first labors in the ministry were at the barracks near
Bangor. How long he continued in this station, we know
not. He was afterwards settled over a Church at Falmouth,
in Maine. In Falmouth he married Miss Lydia Crabtree,
daughter of William and Hannah Crabtree, June 18th,
1835.
A few years subsequently he determined to leave New
England. In 1840, he immigrated to Georgia, and settled in
the town of Brunswick, on the Atlantic coast. Here he
preached and taught for some time. He afterwards removed
to the town of Darien. Thence he removed to the city of Ma¬
con in 1845, and in the following year to Savannah, where
he was employed in preaching in the Seaman's Chapel, and
Broughton Street (now the first Presbyterian Church) for a
year or two. In January 1847, he removed to Butts coun¬
ty, Ga. He then became the stated supply of the Churches
269
270
NECROLOGY.
of Fellowship, Bethany, Smyrna, and McDonough. He was
for a year or two, the regular installed pastor of the Betha¬
ny and Smyrna Churches, during which time he resided in
Newton county. lie also lived one year in Griffin.
In the winter of 1856, he removed to Whitney, Calhoun
county, Ga., and engaged in teaching and preaching. He
supplied the Church of Pochitla in that county, as also a
branch of the same, composed principally of colored people,
on Spring Creek in Early county. This was his last field
of labor. His health failed, and after along and painful ill¬
ness of organic disease of the heart, in which the lungs sym¬
pathized, developed in the form of asthma, from which he
suffered excessively, he died in Whitney, May 9th, 1860, in
the 59th year of his age, and about the 30th of his ministry.
He left a widow and six children—four sons, and two
daughters.
Of Mr. Stevens, we can truly say, he was a good man.
At the meeting of the Synod ©f Georgia, in Columbus in the
fall of the year in which he died, the following record was
made: (and we feel that we cannot present a better estimate
of his character, than by giving an extract from that minute.)
" Mr. Stevens was, emphatically a man of God. As a
Christian, he was humble, consistent, devoted. As a Preach¬
er, he was earnest, solemn, and instructive. As a Pastor, he
was faithful and laborious, giving heed to the flock over
which the Holy Ghost had made him the Overseer. He min¬
istered for the most part to feeble Churches. His labors
were arduous and self-denying, and received but a poor pecu¬
niary compensation; but we doubt not his reward in Heaven
was great, for he was eminently useful. The colored people
and the poor of his congregations received special attention,
and among these he had many seals of his ministry. At one
time he reported the addition of some thirty-five or forty col¬
ored persons to the communion of the Church.
Thus, in noiseless, unostentatious labors for the salvation
REV. JOSEPH B. STEVENS.
271
of God's elect, he fulfilled his ministry, and has gone to his
account, to receive, as we believe the benediction of the Mas¬
ter: "Well done thou good and faithful servant; enter thou
into the joy of thy Lord : thou hast been faithful over a few
things, I will make the ruler over many things."
In the death of Mr. Stevens, we have lost a beloved broth¬
er in Christ, and an efficient co-laborer in the vineyard of
the Lord. Whilst we bow in submission to the will of God,
who doeth all things well, we sincerely lament his decease.
With his bereaved wife and children, we affectionately sympa¬
thize, and in prayer, commend them to the widow's God, and
the God of the fatherless."
REV. JOHN WILSON REID.
For the following sketch of the life and labors of Rev.
Mr. Reid we are indebted to the pen of the late Rev. R. A.
Houston, who was for years his intimate friend and fellow-la¬
borer.
The death of this beloved and venerated servant of God,
at about the age of sixty-three, has awakened general and
tender grief. An unusual sense of bereavement is felt by a
large circle, not only on account of his endearing and admi¬
rable personal qualities and relations, but also for the void
created in a wide sphere, for which he was singularly gifted
and trained, and which he filled with rare credit to him¬
self and usefulness to the Church and country. His life and
character afford the key to the feeling of desolation which
has swept over so many hearts, and amply justify the high
regard in which he was held. Both are replete with instruc¬
tion and encouragement to all who like him, aim at the high¬
est and holiest ends by the earnest and indefatigable employ¬
ment of the best means for their attainment. In the beauty
and strength of his character, his spotless example, and la¬
borious, fruitful career, his survivors possess a legacy of
great prerfousness. Under a constant and profound impres¬
sion of the solemnities and responsibilities of life, he was ever
actively engaged in useful and noble purposes, and therefore
achieved great results. The strength of his early and ar¬
dent aspirations for usefulness was severely tested by what
we are accustomed to call adverse circumstances by which he
was encompassed in youth. But there was too much native
vigor in his mind to be diverted, or arrested by obstacles;, and
in his resolute encounter with them, he acquired additional
strength and elasticity. This sort of discipline, as he testi-
272
REV. JOHN WILSON REID.
273
fied to the writer, led him to exercise and cherish the most
ardent attachment to Christ and his cause. He. therefore,
turned not aside from what he regarded as the path of duty
in view of any obstructions or dangers. His sanctified will
was inflexible under any pressure save the divine pleas¬
ure, when it was equally remarkable for pliancy and submis¬
sion. Cautious to avoid error, he made wide and careful
searches after truth, and hence was generally slow in reach¬
ing conclusions ; but when reached, they wrere held with un¬
wavering though modest tenacity. His judgment was clear and
accurate. Few men exhibit so much prudence and discretion
as marked prominently his whole life. Patient and quiet as¬
siduity characterized all his studies, and indeed, all his pur¬
suits. His memory was excellent. Ilis intimate friends of¬
ten spoke of his incessant and unwearied mental activity.
Ilis Christian character was a model and the admiration and
delight of the godly, while it constrained the highest respect
of all. At an early age he consecrated himself to the service
of God, and henceforth it was "his meat and his drink to do
his Father's will." His whole soul seemed to be penetrated,
im'tued, and thoroughly seasoned with the spirit of religion.
These were a completness and harmony and unity, and yet
a wonderful variety in his spiritual gifts, which never failed
to attract the love and awaken the admiration of the discern¬
ing. Free from affectation and cant, sourness and gloom,
his piety by its depth and weight, its purity and simplicity,
its warmth and constancy, its uniformity, power and growth,
commended itself as the product of truth and grace of God.
The grace of humility covered him all over like an inseper'a-
ble robe. Gentle, loving and cheerful, his presence would
disperse the clouds of care and despondency, and his well-
chosen words of sympathy and encouragement would hight-
en and strengthen as by a magic wand. Ilis meekness,
though often provoked to the utmost, was so divine in its
quality and temper, as to withstand the sorest pressure. lie
18
274
NECROLOGY.
was not hurried into speaking unadvisedly with his lips. In
this respect, few indeed, were his peers. lie had acquired
such self-possession and control, such serene and firm re¬
liance on God, that in the various trials of his life he kept his
" soul in patience, " and acted with rare judgment and jus¬
tice, unbiased by unhallowed passions or prtjudice. True, his
jealousy for the Lord God of hosts, and his zeal for truth and
irighteousness, were so ardent and active as to enkindle his
holy indignation against sin, especially in its more repuisive
and arrogant forms ; yet the.v were commingled with so ten¬
der and affectionate an interest for the sinner, as to disarm
malice, to overcome and restrain, and often to melt and sub¬
due the offender. His faith would not be shaken by any ad¬
verse appearances or circumstances. In affliction and be¬
reavement and distress, as well as in joy and prosperity, he
manifested submission and conformity to the divine will.
Therefore, his piety pervaded his whole mind and heart, and
was ever exhibited in his conversation and life. It was not
put on for great occasions, or for the discharge of official du¬
ties. It always appeared with, and as a part of the man. Ilis
light shined. Ilis holiness was seen and felt at all times.
It beamed out in a steady radiance from an unclouded sun. A
fountain of living water in his soul sent forth constant
streams in every direction to fertilize and gladden the earth.
Endowed thus with the whole circle of virtues and grac «s,
appropriately grouped, healthful, vigorous, flourishing ; in¬
tensely conscientious, heartily benevolent, and of tireless ac¬
tivity, he presented a corresponding life in all duties and re¬
lations, as son, husband, father, friend, citizen, and mas¬
ter. He thoughtfully and in God's fear, sought to understand
his responsibilities and perform them wfth pains-taking and
fidelity. IIow well he succeeded, the love, gratitude, and
grief so bountifully bestowed upon his memory, bear im¬
pressive testimony. But while his private life displays'all we
eould expect, much more than we generally see, and most of
REV. JOHN WILSON REID.
275
what we would desire in mortal man, it is in his public career
where he was most conspicuous and wrought most largely for
the Church and the country.
For about thirty years he laboriously followed the occu¬
pation of teaching in connection with the exercises of hi-< min¬
istry. Having completed his preparation in North Corolina,
his native State, he came to Georgia at a mature age to be¬
gin life in a new sphere ; and having spent several years—
ten or twelve—in the instruction of youth in the counties of
Columbia and Lincoln, with decided acceptance and success,
he removed to Woodstock, Oglethorpe Co., where he resided
until his death. This village, delightfully embowered in a
fine grove of oaks, in a sequestered spot, free from all the
common sources of temptation to the young, was built up by
the subject of this sketch and two or three other gentlemen
of wealth and intelligence, for the sake of social, educational,
and religious privileges. It has been devoted to these high
purposes, and having become classic ground to hundreds, will
he long remembered for its sacred associations, and extensive
salutary influence. For a few years, Mr. Reid taught the
numerous scholars placed under his care in all the branches
and to the extent ordinary in a high school. But the capaci¬
ty, skill and success of the teacher in training young men,
rapid ily increased his reputation; and many others from every
direction and from distant points, even beyond the bounds of
the State, came hither to enjoy the rare intellectual and mor¬
al advantages of the school. It was thought, therefore, that
a more regular organization would secure greater efficiency,
and meet the wants of that numerous circle who desired to
prepare for the various occupations of active life, and from
different causes were unable to meet the requirements of a
College. The studies of quite a full literary, classical, and
scientific course were, therefore, arranged into four divisions,
adapted to youth in all the different grades of advancement,
and adequate to insure thorough and efficient scholarship.
276
NECROLOGY.
The school henceforth took the name of tkPbilomathean Col¬
legiate Institute." lie was most efficiently assisted during
two or three years, first by his eldest son, and afterwards by
his youngest—the former a graduate of Princeton, and the lat¬
ter of Oglethorpe University. The organization accomplished
all that its friends expected. The change was made at the sug¬
gestion and by the aid of the Hon. A. II. Stephens, a finished
scholar himself, and long a patron of the school. For among
tbe numerous patr otic and benevolent efforts of this gen¬
tleman in behalf of his countrymen, none shine brighter ihan
his education of worthy young men without adequate means to
accomplish it themselves. lie frequently had several at the
same time under Mr. Reid's instructions; and their diligence
and attainments, generally, vindicated the wisdom of their se¬
lection as well as the choice of their teacher. On account of
his interest in these young men of the school, and of general
education, Mr. Stephens himself sometimes came to Wood¬
stock, especially at the annual examinations, or Commence¬
ments, as they came to be popularly called, on account of
the intelligence and refinement of the audience, the more th »n
ordinary exhibition of thorough and critical scholarship
evinced by the pupils, and the literary address given by some
gentlemen of ability and distinction. While his presence
was always desired and appreciated, yet it was not without
considerable trepidation that the young men found themselves
for review in the hands of such a master. They generally
consoled themselves, however, with the reflection that if they
could endure the searching test of their teacher, they had lit¬
tle to fear from their distinguished visitor. It is proper to
mention in this connection that Mr. Reid also was in the hab¬
it of boarding and teaching young men of promise, but with¬
out means, on condition of payment if they ever became able.
It is supposed that perhaps a hundred were thus enabled to
obtain an education. And it is worthy of record that the uni¬
versality with which these engagements have been discharged,
REV. JOIIN WILSON REID.
277
reflects honor upon the discernment of the teacher and the
nobleness of the pupils.
Mr. Reid stood abreast of the first rank of teachers in the
State, and wrought an untold amount of good in the prepara¬
tion of large numbers for advanced positions in the different
Colleges of the country; in fitting many others for the active
and useful employments of life; in elevating the standard of
education ; and in creating and cherishing a deep and prac¬
tical interest in the public mind in favor of a more genera)
and thorough cultivation of the minds and hearts of the
young. His attachment for youth, and his desire for their
preparation for usefulness, burned with wonderful energy,
and led him to spend and be spent in the attainment of these
lofty ends. Week after week for a long series- of years, he
toiled in this, to him, delightful but laborious work, with un¬
flagging diligence and zeal, never relaxing his labor, though
often afflicted with bodily infirmities, which would have arrest¬
ed most men in their pursuits. During nearly the whole of
each day, he addressed all his energies and employed all his
attainments in giving patient, tf ilsome instruction. He more^
over did not simply stuff the mind with knowledge. He de¬
veloped and strengthened it, and led it out into investigation
for the discovery of truth. He always gave and demanded
reasons. Every proper argument and motive were used to
awaken interest and stimulate application. Good in rll de¬
partments, he was superior in mathematics and the Latin
tongue. He loved teaching with an ardor that was not quench¬
ed even on his dying bed.
In the discipline of his school, he was patient and forbear¬
ing almost to a fault, but firm, decided, and invincible, wheh
necessity forbade further indulgence. So wise and judicious,
so just, kind, and considerate was he in his intercourse and
dealings with those under his charge, as generally to wia
the most devoted and grateful attachment, and always their
highest regard and veneration. His sympathy, supervision,
278
NECROLOGY.
and efforts were abund intly ex ended to their moral and spir¬
itual interest. He ceased not in school and out, at every suit¬
able opportunity, by prayer, by careful instruction, admoni¬
tion and advice ; by manifest tearful solicitude ; by reproof
and entreaty ; by argument and illustration, to lead them to
fialva ion through the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Timely
remarks here and there, were often ar.ows of conviction,,
while his special appeals were of'en heart-thrilling and pow- r-
fullv effective. Large numbers of his pupils became hopeful¬
ly pious; and quite a con.-iderable proportion have entered
the ministry, and are in turn exerting an influence for the su¬
premacy of that relig on he loved so well, and taught
faithfully and illustiated so beautifully.
Having studied Theology under the supervi ion of tin Rev.
Dr. Talmage. Mr. Reid was licensed to preach the gospel,
September, 1833, by Hopewell Presbytery, at its sessions in
Deearur, Ga. Ilis ministry in connection with his school
made his a life of most intense and exhau-ting labor. He
possessed, in a most eminent degree, the scriptural chat aeter-
istics of a minister of Christ, and made full proof thtr< of,
of a meek and lowly mind, relying with all his might upon
the strength and grace of God, and absorbed in his mission,
he ceased not, day and night, with many tears, wher< vt r the
door was op n, to-preach the truth to perishing sinners, and
to-bu ld up he Chumh in knowledge and true holiness. He
possessd much of the missionary spirit, and sometimes n.ade
long journeys to feed the starving, and gather in the scattered
sheep. He long supplied several small Churches with the
bread of life, riding often onhorseback, from ten to forty miles
to do so, and returning in t me to meet his school on Monday
morning. No sort of weather would prevent him from meet¬
ing his appointments, and the smallness of the congregation
would never deter hiin from preiching. ITis" often infirmi¬
ties," and frequently his serious illness were no obstacle in
his way. uThe path of duty L the path of safetywas his
REV. JOHN WILSON REID.
279
motto ; and the solicitations of anxious friends, moved him
not a hair's-breadth from his purpose. With what emphasis
he has often been heard to read, " My heart is fixed, oh God ;
my heart is fixed," as if the sentiment welled up from tho
profoundest depths of his sou?.
He believed with a deep and unutterable conviction that
the gospel scheme of salvation was the only efficacious means
to arrest and eradicate the disorder, collisions, and vices of
human society, to reclothe the soul with holiness, and bring
it to glory, honor and immortality/ Hence he could not tol¬
erate any thing however plausable or pretending that
claimed its place or efficacy; or lead the people astray from
the fountain of life, to " broken cisterns which can hold no
water." He believed and taught; and acted on the faith
too, that God's plan needed no suppliments or aid? to accom¬
plish the work, being " ordered in all things and sure ." Hav¬
ing the "truth as it is in Jesus," thus solidly and under¬
standing^ inwrougt in his mind, and warming his affections,
and possessing an intense yearning for the salvation
of men, he naturally preached with great unction and
fervor, with great simplicity and tenderness, pointedly,
and with fidelity. His sermons were not elaborated with
great learning. Not with "enticing words of man's wis-,
domdid he endeavor to compass his ends, " but in demon¬
stration of the spirit and of power." His preaching was
full of gospel truth, and thoroughly imbued with the spirit of
piety. His hearers always caught something of the holy fire
that ever burned on the altar of his heart. And those to
whom he regularly ministered were alwiys in an unusually
lively condition. Often where he preached has the Divine
presence been so manifest as to be fel , acknowledged, and
almost seen. lie was accustomed to prepare himself with
much prayer and careful study for his pulpit exer¬
cises. Though never writing out fully his sermon, almost
invariably he had a " brief," containing the divisions and
280
NECROLOGY.
leading thought of his discourse, together with pas¬
sages of Scripture, or reference to such passages, all
accurately and logically arranged. In his younger days,
when in health, he spoke with great animation and vigor,
hut asagecrcpt on, and disease, and long, hard labor, impair¬
ed the stability of his clay tabernacle, he spoke with le>s ac¬
tion, but with equal unction.
When this godly man lifted up his voice in prayer eve¬
ry one felt that he reuliz d the presence of God, and com¬
muned with him in spirit and truth, while heaven was brought
very near.
In the course of his ministry, several hundred were hope¬
fully converted ; but the wonderful amount of good he did in
building up the people of God in faith and knowledge, eterni¬
ty alone can unfold. The nature and extent of his labors
prevented much ptstoral visba ion, except in his immediate
neighborhood, where as usual ho was faithful, was always
welcome, ever did good. In the sick room, his cheerful
gravity, and words of encouragement were invaluable.
Wnenever not weighed down with bis life long and distressing
o o o
physical maladies, be shed always around him hope and glad¬
ness.
Mr. Reid manifested the profoundest interest in the welfare
of the colored people. Believing that the institution of
slavery was based upon the solid foundation of Bible teach¬
ing and authority, he thought, and with diligence and ear¬
nestness taught in the pulpit, in the church judicatories, and
his private conversation, even from house to house, that it
was the solemn duty of masters to train up their servants in
" the nurture and admonition of the Lord." This was the
course he pursued with his own. lie always gathered his
house servants in his family devotions, morning and evening.
As to the laborers in the field,he had a separate set vice for them
rising by daylight, and conducting suitable religious exercis¬
es before they repaired to their work, and in like manner af-
REV. JOIIN WILSON REID.
281
ter they returned in the evening. For upward of twenty
years, also, it was his custom, when at home, to assemble on
Sibbath afternoon a large congregation of these people, and
to instruct them was his usual care and toil, in the great doc¬
trines of revealed religion—using the Bible and Jone's Cate-
o o
chism, with preaching, for this purpose. Faithfully he warn¬
ed them against their peculiar vices, set forth and taught
their obligations in the relations then subsisting, and by eve¬
ry available means endeavored to enlighten, elevate and save
them. His labors were fruitful in many respects, and indi¬
viduals and society at large, reaping great benefit from his
influence and exertions.
In the church courts, the subject of this sketch was held in
the highest estimation. His ardent piety, ever-burning zeal,
activity, and interest in every thing pertaining to the ad¬
vancement of the Redeemers Kingdom, gave him great weight
whieh wa* always exerted prudently, and for high purposes.
More than one minister has been heard to testify, that from
his presence and preaching, they had derived more benefit
than from those of any other man.
But the end approaches. The faithful servant had fought
the good fight, had run his race, had lcept the faith, and now-
must finish his course. Although seriously ill, he set out on
Saturday morning of a hot July day to ride twenty miles on
horse-back to preach to oneof the Churches in his charge. On
Sabbath morning on his way to his own church, he stopped at the
Methodist, and scarelv able to stand, made an address to the
Sabbath school. When he reached his own pulpit, he was
too ill-to preach, and retired to a friend's house, where he re¬
mained until Monday afternoon, at about an hour before sun¬
set ; when he rose, requested his horse to be brought and.
started for home, which he reached about two o'clock in the
morning, in so weak and exhausted a condition as hardly to
be able to reach his bed. The powers of nature were exhaust¬
ed ; and though perfectly rational when aroused, he never
282
NECROLOGY.
rallied from the depression. During his remaining short
stay, he offered the most solemn and affecting prayers for,
those around him, left his parting messages to different mem¬
bers of his family, and one for the Church in Woodstock, to^
which he had so long preached. The latter is contained in iho-
twelve first verses, of the twelfth chapter of Hebrews, togeth¬
er with the charge: " Prepare to meet thy God." lie seemed
to be occupied, during his illness when left to himself, in
preparing sermons, preaching, and teaching. On Thursday
morning, about daylight, he fell a>leep in Jesus, so gently as
to be scarcely perc< iv»d.
Of hi-n we may truly say ; " Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord, from henceforth; ye», saith the Spirit}, that
they may rest from their labors ; and their works do follow
them.'*
REV. SAMUEL KENNEDY TALMAGE*
Major Thomas Talmage, the father of Dr. Talmage, was
a native of New Jerse\, born at Basking Ridge on the 24th of
October, 1775, and grew up amid the scenes of the Revolu¬
tion. Ilis early r I'gi >us training was under the ministry
of the Rev. Sa nuel Kanneday,f for many years the faithful
and successful pastor of that ancient Church, and after whom
he named his son, the subject of th.s memorial. He united
with the Church in his twentieth year. His piety is repre.
sented as be ng intelligent and ardent. His views of doctri¬
nal truth and religious experience, having been formed in the
school of one, who was almost an immediate disciple of the
early puritans, had all the depth and warmth which charac¬
terized those holy men. lie was one of the few remaining
Christians of a former ago. No one could converse with him,
even an hour, without perceiving that his thoughts and feel¬
ings were assimilated to those of Bunyan, Bates and Howe.
*MSS. from the family and Board of Trustees, Oglethorpe Uni¬
versity.
f ltev. Samuel Kennetlay was a Scotchman, born m the year 1720,
anil educator! at the University of Edinburgh. lie sturled Theology in this
country, and was received under the care of the Presbytery of New
Brunswick in December, 1749. He was licensed in May, 1750, to preach
the Gospel, was ordained to the work of the ministry, aud installed pas¬
tor of the congregation of Basking Ridge, N. J. in June 1751.
Mr. Kenneday was in many respects a remarkable man. He was, at
the same time, a minister and a physician. He was distinguished for
the parity and elevation of his Christian character. He was a thorough
scholar—accurate theologian—and a vigorous defender of theCalvinistic
•\ stem. I» appearance and manner one of the most simple and unosten.
tacious of men,—his great modesty kept him very much out of the
range of public observation ; but in the pulpit his power of thought and
fervor of manner sometimes rendered him perfectly overwhelming.
283
28±
NECROLOGY.
Ilis pietv, although partaking largely of the <leep-toned,
and contemplative cast of the last century, had, nevertheless,
all the ardor and activity of the present time. During a re¬
vival enjoyed at Somerville in 1822, he seemed to be anima¬
ted almost with apostolic zeal, going from house to house com¬
mending the Saviour to all men.
At different times he exercised the office of Ruling Elder,
O 7
in the Churches of New Brunswick, Boundbrook, and Rari-
tan ; and sustained it with honor to himself and advantage
A circumstance lias been told of him, by the Rev. Dr. Talmage,
which be learned from bis father, and which we beg leave here to relate.
It left a deep impression on the minds of those who heard him; and*
displayed the wonderful grace of God.
" There had been a season of unusual coldness in the Church at Bask¬
ing Ridge, and the pastor had become not a little discouraged in view of
the apparent fruitlessness of his labors. Ou a certain Sabbath, at the
close of the public services, he resolved to spend the whole of the follow¬
ing week in earnest prayer and devout study, with a view to prepare a
sermon that, by God's blessing, might rouse the congiegation from their
spiritual torpor, and bring tliem 'o feel the importance of eternal reali¬
ties. lie fulfilled his purpose—immediately selecting his text tor the
next, Sab »ath, and devoting the whole inte-vening week to manning
and arranging his thoughts upon it The Sabbath came, and he leg
strong in th • belief that lie had produced something that would move
bis people, and be expected confidently to witness some special tokens of
the Divine presence. After singing and prayer, he gave out the second
liyinri, and took his Bible to open to the text. But strange to tell, he
could noteall to his mind, text, chapter, bo<>k—even subject, had descried
him. The congregation had finished singing, and in a half bewildered
state, he rose and gave out another hymn, lie turned over the leaves
of the Bible to find some passage on which to found an extempori-
neous di course,and his eye lighted repeatedly on one text upon which
lie thought he might say something. If my memory serves me, it
was: "The wicked shall be turned into Ilell, and all the uath ns
that torgct God." The singing being again concluded, he rose,
overwhelmed with agitation and distress, and preacUc4 a sermon
which melted down the whole c aggregation, and was the commence¬
ment of a wonderful revival of religion. He said, never had he before in
bis life, enjoyed so much freedom or exercised so much power in the
pulpit. He went home alone, weeping and rejoicing.
NIr. Kenneday died ou the 31st of August, 1787, in the sixty eighth
year of his age, and thirty-seventh of his ministry.
REV. SAMUEL KEN21 EDY TALMAQE.
285
to the house of God. He died on the 2nd day of October
1834, in the seventy-ninth year of his age.
Ilis wife, and m >ther of Dr. Tulmage, was Miss Mary Mc¬
Coy. She united with the Church in her sixteenth year. "They
lived together in the greatest connubial happiness for the
space of fifty-seven years, and became the parents of twelve
children, all of whom they had the happiness of seeing arrive
at maturity, and walking in the way c-f righteousness." Two
of the r sons consecrated their lives to the service of the
Church of Christ, in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church,
namely: the Rev. Jehiel Talmage and the subject of this me¬
morial. She died the 15th of November, 1832, in the seventy-
fourth year of her age, preceding her husband to the king¬
dom of glory about two years, having been a member of
the Church of Christ about fifty-eight years. Such w ere the
parents of him,' a brief sketch of whose life we are Dow to
write.
Samuel Kennedy Talmage, the sixth son of Thomas Tal¬
mage, senior, and his wife Mary McCoy, was born near
Somerville, in the State of New Jersey, on the 11th day of
December, 1798.
Early in life they devoted him to God in baptism, as they
did all their other children, and trained him up in the nur¬
ture and admonition of the Lord. He was always a pleasant
lad, and grew up to manhood, admired by all who knew him.
He was prepared for College at the classical school in Somer¬
ville. At the age of seventeen he was thrown entirely upon
his own resources. During the year of 1815, he taught at
Georgetown, D.C., as assistant of the Rev. Dr. Carnahan, and
during the years 181G and 1817, he taught in the State of
Maryland. He entered Princeton College, (Nassau Hall,) 1818,
and was graduated with honor to himself, in 1820. In 1821,
he united with the Presbyterian Church at Basking Ridge, N.
J. then under the care of the Rev. W. C. Brownlee, D. D. He
was at that time usher of Dr. Brownlee's Classical School. He
286
NECROLOGY.
was then chosen Tutor to Princeton College, arid this position
he fil'ed for three years. In the me intime, he entered the
Theological Seminary, pursuing his divinity studies, and at¬
tending to his College duties at the same time. He was licensed
to preach the Gosp 1 by the Presbytery of Newton, in the
spring of 1825. In.the fall of the same year, he was ordain¬
ed as an Evangelist, by the mime Presbytery, and coming
South, he labored as a missionary for one year at Hamburg
and other points in Edg field District, South Carolina,
In January, 1827, he was united with the Rev. Dr. S. S. Da¬
vis, in supplying the Pre-byterian Church at Augusta, Ga.
to the pastorate of which he was called in the early partof 1828.
In this relation he contiuu- d until January, 1836, when he
was elected to the Professorship of Languages in Oglethorpe
University. This chair h filled until the close of 1841, at
which time he was chosen President of that Institution. The
Doctorate of Divinity was conferred upon him by Princeton
College.
The duties of the Pre-idency he continued to discharge un¬
til his health began to fail in the fall of 1862, and he died
whilst still at the head of the University. He departed this
life at Midway, Ga , on the 2nd day of September, 1865, in
the sixty-sevenih year of his age, and the forty-first of his
ministry.
Such is a brief record ef the life of an able and good man.
Its perusal simply inspires the conviction that he was from
youth to old age an earnest worker. He lived for oio holi¬
day purpose. He lived to declare the glory of God, and to
bless his fellow men. He filled profitably a wide field of use¬
fulness. Entering life as a teacher, he was at an early age
set apart to the sacred ministry, and closed his pilgrimage, a
laborious, sclf-sacrificing preacher, and a successful exponent
of the educational interest of his adopted State, It is natu¬
ral and just to contemplate the character of this eminent man
in a three-fold point of view, as a citizen, as a teacher, and a
Christian minister.
REV. SAMUEL KENNEDY TALMAGE.
287
How few in these aspects of character present so little to
censure and so much to commend? Duty to him was made
easier, by a vigorous constitution and a cheerful tempera¬
ment. In these respects Providence wa9 bountiful to him.
The greater part of his life he knew but little of the draw¬
back of debility upon intellectual effort, and experienced
the comfort and solid advantage of a sound, enduring, and
elastic physique. Doubtless that uniformity of temper which
his friends were accustomed to find in the Doctor, was a con¬
science at peace with God. Piety is the fountain of Chris¬
tian cheerfulness ; yet the causes stated, may contribute to its
graceful and benignant flow. His manners were easy and
cultivated, and in the society of ladies, soft and winning. lie
was a pleasant companion and an instructive talker. Chris¬
tianity in him wore no repulsive garb, and he made no di-
* vorce between the sanctity of his vocation and the amenities
and pleasures which it both allows and commends. His ex¬
ample was, therefore, a continuous and eloquent presentation
of the Christian gentleman. He had the faculty of adapting
himself pleasantly to the company he chanced to be in, with¬
out for one moment compromising the claims of religion.
Few, indeed, were blessed like him, with the capacity of ut¬
tering a word of religious counsel, without offence, even in
circles of thoughtless gaiety, or of absorbed worldliness. In
this sense he was a man of the world, and all things to all
men.
He was an observant and enlightened citizen ; well inform¬
ed upon general questions of statesmanship, and familiar with
the local wants, and political divisions of the State. Nor did
he hesitate, whilst studiously avoiding all partisanship, to
make known his opinions upon proper occasions, and to as¬
sert them practically at the polls. Unlike some of his breth¬
ren of the ministry, he did not believe that his consecration
to God absolved him from the obligations of citizenship.
Hence in conversation, in the class-room, and through the
288
KECROLOGY.
press, he advcaoted and elucidated the principles which con¬
stitute the foundations of good government—chief among
these he held to be education and Christian morality. It is
believed that no minister of the gospel contributed more to
the formation and perpetua'ion of a sound public sentiment
in Georgia, with reference to monetary, economical, ag¬
ricultural, and social interests, than did Dr. Talmagc. lie
might well be designated a conservative statesman, so or¬
dering and so timing his political teachings, as to interfere
not at all with higher obligations of scholastic instructions, or
with the holier functions of the miuistry. lie lived to see
the State he loved, great in population, wealth and moral
power. And although now broken by the storms of war,
and shattered by conquest, destined under the blessing of God
to become a great and renowned commonwealth.
The Presbyterian Churchy impressed with the importance
of subjecting secular education to the influences of religion,
founded Oglethorpe University, and to make the end practi¬
cable, it was placed under denominational control. Upon the*
retirement of its first President, the distinguished C. P. Be-
man, D. D., Dr. Talmage was called to the Presidency. No
better man could have been selected to carry out the views
of the Church. Profoundly convinced of the fact, that the
Church is the safest depository of education, and of the fact,
that all knowledge maybe pernicious without piety—satisfied
that the young should be taught, not a creed, but the truth
as it is in Jesus Christ—he gave himself to the service of
the College, with ardent zeal and unconditional consecra¬
tion. All other objects became, with him, secondary and
subservient. The Board records with pleasure, and with grat¬
itude, the fidelity and ability with which he fufilletP the trust
which they committed to him.
At the breaking out of the late war, with an able corps
of instructors—with classes numerically respectable and in¬
creasing, and with the confidence of the public—the Univer-
REV. SAMUEL KENNEDY TALMAGE.
289
sity stood in the first rank of Denominationa^Institutions at
the South. It had become a decided success, and was indebt¬
ed in an eminent degree for its great usefulness to the abil-
ty, and indomitable energy of its President. In the recit?_
tion room he was apt in communicating knowledge, and in
discipline paternal, yet firm, relying more upon appeals to> a
sense of character than the penal visitation of law. He was
patient, affable—vigilant and persistent. An accomplished
classical scholar, and a finished rhetorician, he was a beauti¬
ful examplar of polite literature. As such he became a mod¬
el for the young men under his charge. Naturally he was a
generous and magnanimous man. It is not surprising, there¬
fore, that he impressed his character upon them. He was in
the habit of devoting his long vacations to preaching excur¬
sions into the country ; and wherever he went—at the seat
of Government—in the towns and villages—before the
Presbyteries and Synods—and through the religious and sec¬
ular papers, he instantly pressed the claims of religious edu¬
cation, and of Oglethorpe University. Indeed, it is more than
probable that excessive labor for a number of years, contrib¬
uted to the disease which finally closed his life.
It remains to speak briefly of hi3 ministerial character.
His preaching was evangelical. The cross wTas the motive
power of his ministry. The atonement was the theme where¬
with he sought to move sinners to repentance, and Christians
to advancement in holiness—to a more implicit obedience
and a more unwavering faith. Planting himself on the great
truths of Calvinistic Theology, he made them practical by
argument, illustration, and persuasive oratory. Tie delight¬
ed greatly in the devotional songs of David, and loved to re¬
peat the resounding strains of Isaiah. He was a learned Theo¬
logian, but not a dogmatical expositor. Especially did he
venerate the long avouched standards and long approved poli¬
ty of his own Church. These he defended against the per¬
version, interpolation, and infusion of secular philosophy.
19
290
NECROLOGY.
lie was a regular attendant upon the judicatories of the
Church, where his experience and business habits made him
useful.
In the fall of 1802, his health began to fail. lie was at
first seized with something like paralysis. Renewed attacks
were attended with convulsions, which, for a few days after
each attack, left his fine intellect clouded to such an extent
as to make it necessary to place him under the care and pro¬
fessional jskill of his friend, Dr. Green, at the Georgia State
Asylum, with the hope that isolation, treatment and rest,
might restore him. But his hope proved to be vain. At ir¬
regular inrervals the convulsions returned, each one of them
followed for several days by a disordered action of his men¬
tal powers. This continued gradually and surely, undermind-
ing his constitution, till on the second of September, 1865,
this long and painful disease terminated his life.
The loss of the mind of a man so great and so good, is one
of the m}Tsteries of ^Providence which inspires awe and trem¬
bling, and the solution of which, it were follv to undertake.
T **
We only know that the Lord of all the earth will do right,
and that it is our duty, humbly to submit to the most inscruit-
able of His dispensations. He died suddenly and without
pain ; and whilst his death is a great loss to the Church, the
College and the country, it is to him ineflible gain. His
work was done. God called him; and whilst we are bereaved,
he is transferred to the upper Sanctuary. We rejoice in the
conviction of bis acceptance by God, through the merits of
his Son. The fruits of his life are proofs quite sufficient for
this conviction. His example lives, and we hope to emulate
his virtues.
He left a widow, Miss Ruth Sterett, to whom he was uni¬
ted in marriage, July 11th, 1831. They had no offspring.
In addition to the preceding memorial. The Board of
Trustees of Oglethorpe University, at their first meeting
subsequent to his decease, adopted the following note and res¬
olutions :
REV. SAMUEL KENNEDY TALMAGE.
291
" We would not intrude into the presence of his heart-strick¬
en wife with unavailing condolence, and would leave her
rather to the soothing influence of time, to the sweet memo¬
ries of her husband, and to the healing grace of God. We con-
not, however, forbear to express our sympathy for her in the
time of her deep affliction. We would lay our hand gently up¬
on her aching heart and say: ' Peace be still—he is not deod
but sleepeth—his spirit is in the bosom of God, and his body
shall rise again glorified at the last day.'
" Resolved, That in the death of Dr. Talmage, the Church
and the State have sustained the loss of a wise and patriotic
citizen—a laborious and successful teacher—a distinguished
patron of letters, a devout Christian, and an able and evangel¬
ical minister of the Gospel. His removal was an act of Divine
Sovereignty, at which we feel no spirit of murmuring, and
in which we desire humbly to acquiesce. ' God only is great'
and lie alone is merciful. The crowning mercy of Dr. Tal¬
mage^ life was his death.
L' Resolved that this Testimonial be entered upon the min¬
utes of the Board of Trust, and that the Secretary furnish
Mrs. Talmage with a copy of the same."
The Synod of Georgia at its annual Sessions in Augusta,
Ga., October, 18G5, adopted the following minute in reference
to this afflictive event:
" This Synod, in the Providence of God, is called upon to
perform the painful duty of recording the death of the Rev.
Samuel K. Talmage, D. D., who departed this life on the 2nd
day of September, 1865, in the sixty-seventh year of his age.
This event has filled the heart of the Church with emotions
of unmingled grief and sorrow, and deplored as a public ca¬
lamity by the intelligence and virtue of the country. His
high social qualities as a gentleman, displayed in the affa¬
bility of his manners, and the charms of his conversa¬
tion, hi3 fine classical attainments, and extensive eru¬
dition as a scholar, his signal administrative abilities as
292
NECROLOGY,
President of Oglethorp University, the depth and feiror of
his piety as a Christian, his fidelity, diligence and populari¬
ty as a pastor, and his rich instructions and fervid eloquence
as a preacher of righteousness ; these are a few of the lead¬
ing facts and features in the life and character of our honor¬
ed father who has entered upon his rest and reward. It be¬
ing impossible on this occasion to discuss the rare combina¬
tions of gifts and graces,which belonged to our lamented and
beloved brother, therefore,
"Resolved, 1st, That this Synod devoutly recognize the
sovereignty of God in this painful affliction, and in the final
change of this eminent and faithful minister of the Gospel.
"Resolved, 2nd, That an expression of profound gratitude
is due from us to the Great Head of the Church, for sparing
so long this laborious and devoted servant in the field of use¬
fulness which he occupied, and that we will ever cherish his
memory, and emulate his pure and exalted virtues.
" Resolved, 3d, That all the members of this Synodical As¬
sembly interpret this providential dispensation as a solemn
call from the skies to greater sacrifices and more abundant
labors in our Master's vineyard, that we may be ready al¬
ways to render up our account with joy.
"Resolved, 4th, That we unitedly tender our warmest sym¬
pathies to the widow of the deceased ; and that our prayers
will ever ascend for grace to comfort and sustain her in this
hour of deep affliction."
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D.D*
Nathan Hoyt, D. D., was born in Gilmanton Township,
Belknap county* New Hampshire, February 27, 1793.
. The brief 6ketch which Dr. Hoyt has left of his father, i?
quite sufficient to show that he was a man of marked charac¬
ter. Ener gy of will, fixedness of purpose, and thorough-go¬
ing integrity of principle, seem to have been his leading qual-
ites. For the times in which he lived, he was respectably
educated. His intellect was fresh and bouyant, delighting
in its own freedom, reliant on its own impressions, and touch¬
ed with that fine spice of originality which delights in gentle
humor. Withal he was impulsive and enthusiastic; imagi¬
nation and sensibility, were closely linked in his moral na^
ture ; the range of his mind was complete, for all the offi¬
ces of earnest conviction, so that whatever he saw, he saw
vividly, and whatever he felt, he felt deeply. The circum¬
stances of thecountry during his early youth, were just such
as intensified a character like this; and hence it is not re¬
markable that so impassioned a person should have voluntari¬
ly entered the American army at sixteen years of age, and
continued therein during the last four years, of the Revolu¬
tionary War.
Dr. Iloyt's mother was a pious, sensible, devoted woman.
The parents had their home in the country, where, with cheer¬
ful content, they toiled for a livelihood. A happy household,
they lived in the daily fellowship of love and peace. Both
the parents belonged to the Baptist Church. The religious
nurture of their family was, with them, a constant solicitude;
the sanctity of the Sabbath was reverently observed ; the
doctrines of the Bible were taught from its pages ; the in-
* Chancellor Lipscomb.
293
294
NECROLOGY.
structions of the Shorter Catechism were faithfully given ;
and no means were neglected that sound wisdom could sug¬
gest or tender love supply to draw the hearts of the children
to the God of their parents. Of course their work prospered.
Such work never fails, if it could fail this would be a much
sadder world.
The early life of the Doctor, as recorded in his auto-biogra¬
phy is vividly presented. It has much of that quiet person¬
ality, that simple naturalness, that exquisite truthfulness to
instinctive emotion, which as an art of writing, was so admi¬
rably exemplified by Bunyan, Cowper and De Foe. Only a
few hints—the quick monosyllables occasionally sparkling—
the vivid glance—the terse epitome—the eager movement
from scene to scene—a boy's sense of loneliness in the
country—the long Sunday—a boy's wonder at his Sis¬
ter's achievment in reciting the " long Fourth Command¬
ment"—the era of his first day at school, and how very
still he sat, and how fixedly he kept those restless eyes
on his book—the joy of his first triumph when he "marched
up to the head of the class before night" and the greater joy
when he hurried home to tell the amazing victory to- his
mother, and her unconcealed delight, that made him " about
the happiest child in those parts"—and then the question¬
ings of himself as to whether it were possible ever to learn
" that strange jargon, English Grammar " and his large be¬
lief in the fact that "if a man had ever been to College for
three, or six months, he was a great and learned man."
All this reads like a whispered soliloquy, when the heart is
rehearsing its memories to its answering throbs.
The history of his boyhood and youth in their spiritual
aspects, is more than usually interesting. The whole story
is given just as though he felt facts then, as he felt them at
the instant of occurence. Few can be trusted to
narrate feelings long since experienced, for the mem¬
ory of emotions is not only singularly treacherous, but
REV. NATHAN HOtT D. D.
295
the imagination is exceedingly apt to put its own in¬
terpretations on them, and thus present a comment on
the text, instead of the text itself. But this narrative
strikes one as intellectually truthful in the highest degree.
The retentive brain, holding its grateful recollections as a de¬
vout inheritance, neither adds nor takes away: there is no
foreign and intermeddling self; but simply what ho felt, and
how he felt—this and no more. First came the tenderness
toward God and Christ, which grew up within his heart un¬
der the loving words of his mother's instruction ; then the
keener sensibility to sin as a matter of personal conscious¬
ness ; then the struggle with its alternating results, until the
victory was won in the blessedness of trust and peace. It
wa.» the conflict of a boy's nature. It was like everything in
boyhood, the sensuous and the spiritual confusedly intermix¬
ed. Yet even then, the manly spirit was silently shaping it¬
self into the strength and gladness of awaiting years.
" My parents," says the Doctor, " took me to Church
when I was quite young, and I was much impressed with the
solemnity of the communion services. I wondered what it
meant, and when I listened to the preaching, I was anx¬
ious to understand what the preacher was saying, but I could
not. The first deep, religious impression made upon my
mind was produced by a short conversation from my pious
mother, when I was perhaps nine years old. I am now sixty-
six years and one day old; and yet some of the affectionate
expressions and exhortations of my mother ring in my ears.
Oh, that all the mothers of the land knew their power, and
would use it for the salvation of their children." A year or
two after, " I became," he remarks, "the subject of the
deepest religious impressions. For a long time, the salva¬
tion of my soul rested heavily upon my young mind. I used
to wander off alone into the fields or the woods, and there in,
anguish of spirit, indulge my grief. I prayed and wooed ; I
resolved and wept, but still I was a miserable child. I
296
NECROLOGY.
think that months were passed in this way ; and yet perhaps
no human being suspected my condition. My power of con¬
cealment was great. God only knew what was passing in
my mind."
At the age of seventeen, he professed the religion of our
Lord Jc3us Christ. It was an intelligent, well-considered,
earnest profession,—more so, we apprehend, than is common
at that period of life. Six years of severe struggles with er¬
ror and unbelief, making one false effort after another to
find rest and peace in himself; trying to appease his con¬
science !y the doctrines ofTelagianism, and finally aroused
to a sense of his dangerous condition. These memorable six
years seem to have exhausted the last remnant of self-trust,
and to have prepared him by humiliation and defeat for a sim¬
ple and heartfelt embrace of the Cross of Christ. On one
page, he writes: " Many of my friends, severalof my sisters
and others dear to me, were hopefully converted. I stood
amazed at what I saw and heard. I went to the meetings,
listendod to the preaching, the exhortations, and the prayers,
but still I was unmoved. I had little or no sense of my sin¬
fulness before God. I intended to take my own time. I
was not to be frightened into religion. I had, as I vainly
hoped, the power in my own hands, and when a convenient
time should come, I intended to pass into the Kingdom and
be saved." On the next page, he adds : "After the revival
had been going on for some weeks, the thought was stereo¬
typed upon my mind,that I was now to have my last call, and
that if this season passed and I remained in sin and unbelief,
my doom was fixed forever. This impression I could not
shake off, go where I would, or do what I would, it followed
me night and day. And now my distress began, and it ulti¬
mately became very great. All my fancied power of working
myself into favor with an offended God vanished like the
dew before the risihg sun " And one page farther on in
the narrative, he says: " I went to a prayer meeting one
REV. NAM AN HOYT, D. D.
297
night in the country,feeling as if I should sink into the earth.
With much timidity, I arose and requested the people to pray
for me, and then sat down. They did pray for me. And
for the first time, a faint hope sprung up in my mind.
I felt calm, but not a thought entered my mind that
God had pardoned my sins and accepted me through
Christ. I only dared to hope that God would pardon
me. Mounting my horse, I rode toward home, a dis¬
tance of three miles or more. As I was riding along in the
O O
darkness all alone, suddenly I became so filled with joy in
God that I was almost ready to shout aloud. Arriving at
home, I laid down that night for the first time in my life feel¬
ing that I was in the arms of my Heavenly Father, and that
I loved to be there. The next morning when I arose and
went forth to my daily duties, it appeared to me that I had
never seen the world, the trees, the flowers, the houses, the
people, look so beautiful—all nature seemed to be lifting up
her voice in praise to God. I seriously thought that I
loved God so intensely that I could and would love liirn,
even though.he were to send me to hell."
These extracts give the spirit of genuine experience.—
Again and again their simple force and unstudied eloquence
have reminded me of the fervor of Edward Irving, or the
directness of Wesley, or the tender grace of Doddridge.
There is no novelty here, and who would have it in such
hours as these ? Evidently more was felt than uttered. The
strong will held back the vigorous hand,and the loving heart
was too humble to unburden all its weight of feeling. Nor
can any thoughtful Christian fail to observe, that this acute
sense of his own utter impotence, this total abnegation of
self, this unreserved reliance on Christ Jesus, as the recon.
ciler between God and man, no less than between man and
God, as they combined in his experience, had a most active
and significant influence in moulding the future minister as
o O
well as the Christian. I am sure that I can recall conversa-
298
NECROLOGY.
tions, lectures and sermons, when, whatever the immediate
topic the Doctor was reproducing, the thoughts, images, feel¬
ings of that rural prayer-meeting, only interpreted by the
larger scope of manhood's eye, and vivified by the mature r
experience of an earnest life.
Soon after this he joined the Baptist Church, and contin¬
ued in its communion for ten years. The first hint of the
ministry is thus given : "Not long after I joined the Church,
I used to think of the Christian ministry as a delightful call¬
ing, and occasionally would indulge a faint hope that I
might be permitted, at some futu -e day, to enter on that
high and solemn work." His anxiety to obtain a liberal
education now increased. "My advantages for education,"
says he, "were simply those afforded by the New England
system of Free Schools. Every winter I attended school,
and was considered a good scholar in the English branches
taught in those schools." At this time, his health which
had been singularly good, began to decline. The disease
increased, and finally compelled him to abandon business.
But he was not idle, for he remarks : "I determined, poor
as I was and in feeble health, to try and obtain an education.
I had to teach school awhile, and then study. I studied
sometimes with private teachers, and at other times in pub¬
lic institutions." Not long after, he changed his residence.
" "With the little money that I had earned by teaching a
country school, I set out for the sea-shore, thinking that the
climate near the sea might benefit my health so that I could
again prosecute my studies. I went to Cambridge, Mass.
and remained there for some time, studying generally with a
private teacher, and with a view, if God should permit, to enter
College and take a thorough course. My success in study
was beyond my expectations ; my health was better ; and I
began to hope that I might live to do some good in the
world.
Stormy times followed. The war of 1812-14, was still pro-
HEV. NATIIAN HOTT, D. I>.
299
gressing. Boston, Charlestown and Cambridge were full of
excitement. Political parties were violently arrayed against
each other, and, to consummate an agitation already intense,
a British- fleet appeared off Boston harbor. Threatening
messages passed and repassed between the belligerents. Sol¬
diers were hastening to Boston, and defenceless women and
children were hurrying away into the country. Commodore
Bainbridge was there with his brave words: ' Fifiht, fight,
fight; old Ironsides shall he my coffin ere I yield one inch F
But the British fleet at length retired without firing a gun.
Peace was declared, and all was changed. During this peri¬
od of agitation, not much progress was made in study. About
a year and a-half after, I returned to New Hampshire, uhd
again engaged in teaching, which I continued for nearly six
months. My religious feelings were quickened, and I used
to open my school with a short prayer. I tried to prosecute
my studies, though under great disadvantages. I took an ac¬
tive part in prayer-meetings, and at times would indulge the
fond hope that I might yet preach the gospel. But I had
already encountered so many difficulties from my relentless
enemy, dyspepsia, and from poverty, and above all, from a
wicked and unsanctifled heart, in which so many ambitious
aspirations were constantly springing up, that my hopes at
this period were very faint."
Closing his school, he went to Salisbury, N. II., and en¬
tered the High School under the charge of Mr. W. a gradu¬
ate of Dartmouth College. Of this gentleman he speaks
most affectionately, as one who "took the deepest interest"
in his welfare, giving to his mind its needed encouragement,
relieving its difficulties, and guiding him with great skill
through " Euclid," " Astronomy,"and " old Virgil." The im¬
pulse communicated to his intellect, and still more to his affec¬
tions, was most marked, for the Dr. remarks that " he did more
to unfold and develop my mind in six months, than any other
man ever did in two years." After having been an usher
300
NECROLOGY.
in this Academy, he taught a district school near the head
of the Merrimac, remaining in this situation six or e'.ght
months.
And now life began to open before him more fully. Though
still uncertain as to his future vocation, he was unconscious¬
ly growing in the direction of that work which afterwards
became the joy of his heart. One can murk, at this juncture,
how the dim instincts were groping towards the light which
was felt if not seen, and how the spirit, under God, was silent¬
ly forming its strength for the day of battle. It is the old re¬
cord, old and yet ever new, repeated yesterday and to-day,
and forever, and still bearing its blessed testimony to the
sovereign presence of that spirit which worketh after the
counsels of its own will,and heedeth not our hindrances, but
doeth its own work, at its own time, and in its own way. The
future man begins to be outlined. The types and shadows
that forecast every life signally devoted to God, indicated
their sure fulfilment, and were already accomplishing their end
in the facts'they prophesied.
There was returning zest of feeling. The buoyant heart
had comeback again; the cheerful outlook on the world, rhe
vivid fancy, the sustaining temperament which disease had
weakened, the keenly-receptive senses and the vigilent nerves
that keep watch and ward over the myriad objects in which
intellect and spirit find strength and inspiration. And there
came too the former thrill of wandering joy, and the large es¬
tate of sentiment and hope in the universe of sight, and
sound and motion, and the ready accesses of all free and no¬
ble things to the imagination; and yet more, the stern sense
of diviner realities, asking for utterance, the forming passion
for speech, and that unmistakable touch upon the very core of
the inward being, when the future talker, pleader, intercessor,
first becomes aware of the strange power to move others—of
a power to transfer his thoughts and feelings into their breast^,
to repeat his life in their life—and to hear the echo of his
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
301
own hesitant voice rehearsing, from afar, the ministry of an
accomplished service in behalf of the world.
Among the points of special interest at this period, I may
notice that openness to sympathy,that capacity to enter free¬
ly into scenes and circumstances about him, for which Dr.
Hoyt was subsequently so remarkable. Intimations of this
trait of character appeared early in his life. But at this
stage, it is specialized by a prominence it never lost. Almost
every page of the autobiography teems with illustrations of
that large, sweet, joyous humaneness that dwelt in the man.
He loves the every-day world. He loves men, and women,
and children. He love3 to hear anecdotes and incidents,
loves to recount any striking occurrence, loves to lose him¬
self in outside interests. Far from his genial soul are the
ways of the cynic, the cold satirist, or the sly sharp-shooter
of arrowy malice. And withal he has a gentle humor and
sometimes a keen wit,that are not to be lightly valued in this
many-sided world. The District school, "at the head of the
Merrimac," seems to have put him fairly afloat in the world;
and it certainly brought out his latent force which had pre¬
viously had no urgent call for demonstration. On the whole,
he enjoyed teaching, though he evidently did not regard it as
a luxury. What was most fortunate, the elastic tone of his
mind was quite restored. The pithy anecdote now and then
emerges into the brilliant foreground ; the story of manag¬
ing a notorious boy of the school, and of this same " F" who
was cured of stealing brown sugar at a store-door, by the
merchant mixing a quantity of potash with it, and the mu¬
tual fright of merchant and boy, when the catastrophe reached
its climax of yelling and screaming, is finely told. And
there are side pictures of men and things, local touches, in¬
sights into the times, rough customs of the neighborhood,
which are all illustrative of the social vivacity of the man, to
say nothing of Mr —, a sort of Partington in those days,
who returning from Boston during the blockade,was asked by
302
NECROLOGY.
his friends, " How matters were in Boston ?" and replied ;
" Oh dreadful! Boston is all Block-Headed J"
Having retired from the District school, he went back to
Salisbury to prosecute," as he states, "any original purpose
in the critical study of the Latin Language." Here his health
again failed. " I had to seek relief," he states, " by visiting
the far-famed Mineral Springs in Saratoga County, N. Y.
I think this was in the fall of 1816. I went on horseback j
and the apparently trivial circumstance of getting my horse's
back injured while on my way to the springs, was the means,
under God, of giving a new turn to my life,—the beginning of
a series of events which resulted in my leaving the Baptist
Church, and finally, years after,of entering the ministry of the
Presbyterian Church."
The narrative proceeds: "For several seasons, the summers
in New England and in the Northern States had been so
cold that the corn could not ripen. I think it was in 1815 or
16, when (where I lived,) there was frost every month in the
year except one. I saw it snow, as hard on the sixth day of
June for hours, as lever saw it snow in January. There was
every prospect of a famine. This produced in the minds of
many people, gloom and melancholy. Thousands upon thou¬
sands fled to the far West. I, among others, was sighing for
a country where winter would not last all the year. If my
health should be restored, I intended to seek some pleasant
location where I could teach and thus support myself while
I pursued, in private, my classical studies. The thought of re¬
maining at Saratoga, never crossed my mind. But my horse
was injured, and I could not go away. Weeks on weeks
passed, and I was still there. My health was better. I
wanted employment, for I despised idleness, debt and tobac¬
co. . . . One pleasant day, I wandered into the upper
part of the village, to see if I could not find a private boarding-
house more retired than the hotel, at which I was stopping.
I knocked at the door of a house standing a little back from
REV. NATHAN nOYT, D. D.
303
the main street, when a fine-looking, polite gentleman, about
thirty years of age, came to the door and met me in the
blandest manner. I told him my business, and also that 1
would like to engage in teaching. On examining my papers,
and finding that they spoke of the bearer as a thorough-go¬
ing teacher, he became interested in me, took me into his
family, and soon made up for me a select school, two or
three of his children attending,) which I continued to con¬
duct with great success for several years. This gentleman
was the Rev. D.,0. Griswold,who organized the Presbyterian
Church of Saratoga, after I w^nt there, and became its first in¬
stalled Pastor. The friendship thus providentially commenc¬
ing between Mr. G. and myself, never ended but with his life.
A noble and generous man he was; and when he studied,
(for he did not love study) he was a splendid preacher.
I had entertained some doubts as to the truth of the Baptist
system. . . . My solemn doubts relative to the scrip¬
tural soundness of my religious creed, constantly increased,
and the more so as I began to study the New Testament in
Greek. . . . During four years I investigated the
subject, more or less, and sometimes my mind was almost en¬
tirely given up to it I could not endure close
communion, and at times, I would break through the rules of
my Church and commune with Pedobaptists. I loved all
Christians, and could not bear that exclusive system. Dar¬
ing several long years, I suffered greatly in my feelings,
while I was unsettled on this subject. At length, with clear
convictions of duty, I joined the Presbyterian Church at Sar¬
atoga Springs, and soon became more peaceful and happy."
Here, too, he first heard Dr. Nettleton, and the eloquent
young Larned. The discourses of Dr. Nettleton deeply im¬
pressed him, while the private intercourse of this distinguish¬
ed man charmed his heart. The following entry occurs:
" Dr. N. labored with us for several months with great suc¬
cess. A powerful revival of religion was the result, which
304
NECROLOGY.
extended over many counties in New York, and ultimately in¬
to Massachusetts. Dr. N. was the wisest and holiest man
I ever saw. I consider the time spent with him at Saratoga,
and afterwards at Malton, as most profitably spent, and as
one of the best parts of my education."
Health again failed. Another change was made, and the
book-business undertaken. This required him to travel, and
disease was arrested. Then hi3 whole mind turned to the
ministry. " My heart yearned for the work. Up to this
time, I had always been indulging the ambitious desire to be
a great preacher, or no preacher, at all. But now, by the
grace of God, I gave that all up. . . . When I was
enabled to come down into the dust, God, in his providence,
opened the way for me to resume both my Literary and The¬
ological studies, and to gj on with great success." Kind
friends sympathized with his struggles, counseled and cheered
him, and did all in their power to direct his growing mind,
but he could not be content, unless he could enter College
and pursue a regular course of education. In this, he was
disappointed. And yet the failure of this cherished hope only
made him more sensible of the vast benefit which he had
received from the Rev. Dr. Tucker, Dr. E. D. Griffin and oth¬
ers. The influence of Dr. Griffin, who had then risen to that po¬
sition of acknowledged eminence which his blended genius and
goodness so strikingly adorned, seems to have left a lasting im¬
press upon his nature. It was a silent force working in the
calmer depths of his heart, rather than a demonstrative pow¬
er acting upon the more palpable forms of intellect and emo¬
tion. Like all indirect agencies, it had somewhat the spirit
of an inspiration, destributing itself in measures large and
rich through the inward avenues of his being. With all Dr.
Griffin's views, he did not then, nor afterwards, agree. But
the ministerial idea that fashioned that great intellect into
such beautiful conformity to its lofty standard,—the deli¬
cate taste that, like an additional sense, could harmonize
REV. NATHA3T HOTT, D. D.
305
whatever the other Benses imparted of sublimity,or loveliness,
or grace,—the open sensibility that welcomed with cordial
joy all that was elevating, and ennobling,—and yet more,
those profounder qualities which constitute a capacity for ex¬
perience, and enable a certain order of men, as though en¬
dowed with a peculiar gift, to appropriate all they see, hear,
feel, and know, to the service of a ruling passion ;—these
characteristics of Edward Dorr Griffin wrought upon him
with wonderful effect, and led him not to imitate the thinker,
the instructor, the preacher, with whom he was in contact,
but, what was so much better, to* look through Dr. Griffin to
the ideal which the Doctor himself sought to< realize.
Amid these charming opportunities for culture and growth,
Dr. Iloyt was again doomed to disappointment. His breth¬
ren of the Presbytery of Albany, N. Y., under whose auspi¬
ces he had been preparing for the ministry, thought that the
time had arrived for him to commence his public labors. A
new mission-field having been opened in Troy, it was sup¬
posed that he was a suitable person to enter upon this
work. The sequel proved that his brethren were right. Had
he been left to himself he would probably have preferred to
continue his education. But how often Providence interrupts
our methods of education, and in their stead, substitutes its
own higher agencies ! If the education go on, who dare de¬
mur ?
After having been licensed,Doctor Iloyt proceeded to Troy.
The kind and considerate sympathy of Dr. Beman's Church,,
with which the Mission was connected, greatly cheered his
heart. Like his divine Master, he began his ministry among
the poor. His first sermon was preached in the Poor-house;
and a memorable sermon it was,—pointed and pungeant,—
securing instant success, and followed by an extensive revi¬
val of religion. But in the midst of this great work, his
health failed, his labors were arrested, and he sought tho
South to find the means of restoration.
20
306 NECROLOGY.
It was late in the autumn of 1825, that he reached South
Carolina, and became the guest of Capt. R. Cunningham, to
whom he brought letters of introduction. After a short stay
in this charming 'family, to whose kindness and care he
felt so much indebted, he continued his journey to Augus¬
ta, where he met his friend, Rev. Dr. Davis. It was not long
before he received an invitation to preach on Beach Island,
which he accepted. That winter and the spring ensuing, he
labored on the Island, and in May 1826, went to the North
to visit his friends. On the sixteenth of August this year,
he was ordained as an Evangelist, at Stillwater, N. Y., by the
Presbytery of Albany. On the fourteenth of September fol¬
lowing, he was married, at Springfield, to Miss Margaret
Bliss, daughter of Mr. Alexander Bliss of that place. Re¬
turning to Beach Island, he resumed his labors. At no peri¬
od of his ministry, does his mind seem to have been so in¬
tensely excited. And at no period in that long and blessed
ministry, wis he so signally prospered. The very words
which record his feelings, have their warmth condensed into
a fiery glow. " I prayed ; I wept; I studied ; I preached;
I visited from house to house. ... I could not sleep.
I could not rest while the people were posting on through my
sermons to hell." Such earnestness, animated and directed
by the IIolv Ghost, could not fail to accomplish its divine
end. A most gracious revival followed, which continued
through the summer and autumn. " The organization of
the' Church took place on the 2d Sabbath in August, 1827,
when between thirty and forty people were received into the
Church and most of them for the first time admitted to the
holy ordinance of the Lord's Supper—nine of them receiving
baptism at my hands."
About this time, Dr. Iloyt was called to several Churches.
He decided to go to Washington, Ga. A simple entry in his
own handwriting tells the pathos of the parting: "With
an aching heart, I left the lonely weeping " little flock" at
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
807
B. Island the last of February, and began my labors in
Washington, on the 2d day of March, 1828." The congre¬
gation grew rapidly " until the house could scarcely hold the
people." lie also labored at Lexington where much fruit was
gathered from his ministry. In the spring of 1880, he re¬
ceived a unanimous call from the Presbyterian Church of
Athens, Ga., to become its pastor. The call was accepted,
and about the first of May, 1880, he removed to that city, and
entered upon his pastoral duties. The first year of his minis¬
try in Athens ended ; the second had begun ; and then ; in
the latter part of May, 1831, signs of promise appeared. And
the signs grew like the Prophet's cloud, until the whole fir¬
mament wras a cloud-sign of the near presence. And nearer
drew, that presence, and still nearer in hastening joy ,till at
length every hillside and every valley fe}t the descending
fruitfulness.
It was a memorable season. It was memorable then, and
it is yet memorable. " Seriousness and deep feeling per¬
vaded the town and the college. Some days, I think, there
were nine prayer-meetings in a day. . . Stores were
shut on the streets, for much of the time during the first few
days of the meeting. . . . About forty of the young
men of the college joined the different churches on the same
day. June 12, 1831, I received into my Church forty-six
people, all on profession except five. .About eighty-five or
ninety joined the different Churches at the same time."
During the year ensuing, another revival occurred, though
not so extensive as the former. Nothing remarkable trans¬
pired in his ministry in 1833-34. But early in 1835, his
mind was impressed by the spiritual condition of his Church
and congregation; the tone of his preaching was peculiarly
searching; and with daily renewing energy, he consecrated
himself afresh to his work. The revived sympathy with his
great duty of preaching Christ crucified, fed by the blessed
memories of the past,and nourished even more by the blessed
308
NECROLOGY.
hope of the future, soon reproduced its living strength in other
hearts. Who of God's elect would resist its silent sweep?
Who could resist it ? Willing in that day of power,—the
distinctive glory of the covenant, like the Shekinah of old,
enshrined in the inner sanctuary of the human will,—hearts
and hands were willing then to labor in the cause of Christ.
But from that single soul, from its private toils and public
efforts, what a power glided all abroad!
And now came the days that long dwelt deepest in his rec¬
ollections, and to which, if disquieted, and languid, and sad,
he would turn for refreshment and joy. Not thea, perchance,
did he read all their meanings, but the interpretative light
of years brightening as they approached the throne, shed
back its significance, and made clear the mystic import. The
influences of the Holy Ghost are always supernatural, and
they would always be deemed miraculous if we understood
the laws of mind as tvell as the laws of matter. The real
superstition lies in their rejection, not in their acceptance ;
and here, as elsewhere, "Blessed are they that have not
seen, and yet have believed." The true blessedness is in see¬
ing by believing, for thus the soul, conscious of its birth¬
right in Christ, asserts its supremacy over sense, and enters
at once upon the privileges of eternal life, by means of the
life spiritual.
Let this simple-minded man tell the story of this beautiful
portion of his experience:
"We commenced a protracted meeting in my Church on
Thursday before the first Sabbath in June, and the first ser¬
mon was preached by the Rev. James Stratton, then of Ma¬
con, Ga., from Jeremiah ii: 19. Every word of that simple,
plain sermon went to my heart, and to the hearts of many
others. It was evident that God's spirit was among us. Af¬
ter brother S. sat down, I arose to make a few remarks,
when, to my astonishment and to the astonishment of all my
people who had never witnessed in me anything like it, I
REV. NATHAN HoTT, D. D.
309
-could not speak two minutes, I sat down, and the whole
house was a Bochim. Rev. Dr. Church arose to speak.
But he could not do much better than I had. He sat down.
The like had never occurred with me before; it has never oc¬
curred since. The assembly was soon dismissed, and the
people and the preachers went away to pray. At night,
the Rev. S. J. Cassels, now in Heaven, preached with great
power and effect. The work of God was fairly begun. . .
Our meetings were thronged night and day. Cases of deep
conviction, and of happy conversion, were occurring almost
•constantly. . . Between thirty and forty were received
into our Church and many into the Baptist and Methodist
Churches. That precious revival cannot soon be forgotten
by any who were priviledged to mingle in its solemn scenes.
It was of the Lord's doings ; it was marvelous in our eyes,
and cheering to our hearts."
Sufficient has probably already been said to give a gen¬
eral view of the ministry of Dr. Hoyt. If an accurate sum¬
mation of the results of that ministry could be made, we think
it would present a most striking testimony to his evangelical
power as a preacher, and illustrate most forcibly his re¬
markable success in the work to which he was divinely
called. But no one can ever measure his own usefulness,
and it is equally true that mo one can measure another's use¬
fulness. The rain falls and sinks into the hiding earth; the
sunshine, broadcast and free, scatters its munificence of light,
and heat far and wide; but our pastures and fields are
merely infinitesimal evidences of the enriching clouds,
and the benignant splendors. Harvests gathered are only
fragments. Who takes note of the ungathered abundance
that nature, in myriad forms, appropriates to her life, and
strength, and beauty? Not unlike this is a good man's
usefulness. Statistics, reckonings, palpable results, one and
all* they simply give a vague hint, as to his life and labors.
310
NECROLOGY.
But they are valuable, since they show how promises are
fulfilled, fidelity rewarded, God glorified.
The last Sabbath of April, 1859, closed the twenty-ninth
year of Dr. Iloyt's ministry in Athens. During that period
he had preached some two thousand five hundred and sev¬
enty-five sermons, made some sixteen hundred addresses, at
prayer meetings and to other assemblages, and received
into the Athens Church, six hundred and eleven num¬
bers. Aside, from this, his tours through the country,
and visits to points of interest, were frequent, and were gen¬
erally of signal service to the Churches. Instant in season
and out of season—"semper paratus— every call to du¬
ty, a fresh inspiration of joy;—every day a new day for new
efforts and higher aims ;—he never faltered, never flagged, if
his bodily strength were adequate to sustain exertion. The
whole man was made for work. With him, work was no dull
and heavy obligation, which added weight to duties in them¬
selves, weighty, but an impulse that was organized in bone
and muscle, yet still remained an impulse. And the worker
knew his sphere, even as the ant knows its plodding realm or
the eagle his etherial element; and once there, instinct, and
intellect, and spirit, all alike satisfied, he wished no other
bliss and sought no other glory.
But he was now approaching the boundary that nature
sets to active exertion. One who knew him, could see the
half-concealed struggle between former habits and present
disability, and could mark the silent transition in an old
man's life from energetic blood to the calmer pulsations of
the heart. It is usually in noble minds the climax of experi¬
ence, and such it eminently was in Dr. Hoyt. Retreating as
it were from the senses and their disturbing sensations, and
withdrawing their restless functions from those intellectual and
moral faculties, which are most closely allied to the physical
man and his world, the spirit gathers its once-distributed
life into itself and begins to typify its final separation from
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
311
the material body. It is life in its completeness, because it
is death in its inceptiveness. No one cmld have felt this
change more profoundly than Dr. Iloyt, and as he yielded day
by day, to its demands, and it was easy to trace the serener
submission and the growing repose that settled upon his obe¬
dient heart. Almost to the end he kept at his work, and
what life he had, he breathed into its tasks. But it was the
work of a dying man, and the eyes of all saw the shadow in
which it lay dimmed. Step by step, the veteran of three gen¬
erations retired from the open world ; month by month, shrink¬
ing closer within his cherished home ; day by day, dwelling
apart from human interruptions, in closeted stillness with
thoughts of Jesus and of his precious blood, until at last he
stood alone—face to face—with death. His closing hours
were full of blessed visitations from above; and amid these
foretastes of fuller joys, July 12th, 1866, he fell asleep in
Ju8us. ******
The happy home was now broken up by the death of the
patriarch, whose benignity and social tenderness had so long
shed a tranquil grace over its scenes. The devoted wife
who in the gentle ministry of a woman's love bad contribu¬
ted so much strength and support to his active work, surviv¬
ed him. Six children had grown up and gone forth into the
world, each in his or her respective sphere,useful and honored
and happy, inheriting the blessing of a good man's name, and
cherishing the grateful memory of that example which in the
daily offices of life, is the surest and strongest influence known
to the human heart. Two of these had entered the ministry ;
one was a physician; and one was the wife of a minister. In
the closing notes of the auto-biography, I find tins entry :
"God has been very gracious to my family. All my children
are hopefully pious. Two of my sons are preachers, and my
youngest daughter, Mrs. M. J. Axson is the wife of a promis-
ising young preacher. Surely this is all of grace, and to
God be all the glory. I would a thousand times rather see
312
NECROLOGY.
a son of mine or a son-in-law, in the sacred desk preaching
Christ to dying sinners, than to see him a Senator, or the
President of theUnited States." * * *
The life of Dr. Hoytt so remarkable in many of its aspects,
wa3 peculiarly striking in its close connection with all that
concerned the welfare, temporal and spiritual, of his people.
Emphatically were they his people, bone of his bone, and
heart of his heart, one life shared between them so far as the
diversities of human character and the limits of sympathy
permit individual beings to blend together. Nothing that in¬
volved their present or future happiness was foreign to him,
and in this respect, he has often reminded me of the portrait¬
ures given of Neff and Oberlin. A thoroughly practical sym¬
pathizer, he was always ready to make good his wise coun¬
sel by effective action. He had the rare art of helping others
precisely at the point where they needed help, and what is
essential to a faithful pastor, he was master of his sympa¬
thies, never allowing them to over-rule his deliberate judg¬
ment and preserving him from that common folly of gener¬
ous natures, which, in the minor affairs of life, too often whis¬
pers : " Peace, when there is no Peace." The spirit of the
ofd weeping Prophet's tenderness was his, and his, too, the
high, courageous, inflexible rectitude that could face a fel¬
low-man's errors and sins, and warn him of danger impending.
Naturally he had, I imagine, somewhat of a despotic intel¬
lect. a tendency to dogmatize, a bold and uncompromising
assertion of his opinions, that in weaker men takes the form
of unreasoning obstinacy; but if this were the fact, he had cer¬
tainly, in the years when I knew him, obtained the victory
over the besetment. I know that he wa3 frank, unselfish,
generous; and I know, moreover, that he had that supreme
virtue of character which can practice the most painful sort
of self-denial for the sake of magnanimity of sentiment.
Along with this trait, he had an acute sensitiveness to kind¬
ness from others that often struck me as unusual in a man of
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
313
tis natural independence and self-reliance. A passing act
of attention on the part of a child, or an inquiry after his
health by a servant, would touch his feelings. Little tokens
of respect and affection, which so frequently meet no more
than a fugitive recognition, seemed to enter within and add
to his stock of happiness. Nor did he ever forget a kindness;
and I often had occasion to notice that he excelled, in grati¬
tude to people, a quality of character quite as rare as grati¬
tude to God. ******
That Dr. Hoyt was a man of marked individuality of char¬
acter, none who knew him can doubt. That this individual¬
ity of character, sanctified and directed by the spirit of God,
was the secret of his strength and the source of his success,
must be as readily admitted. The foundation of this pecu¬
liar force lay in his temperament, which, in its acute sensi¬
tiveness to impression, and its eager tendency to demonstra¬
tive action, played interchangeably between thought and sen¬
sation with a bouyant vitality that we have never seen sur¬
passed. So characteristic was this trait, that his thoughts
seemed, at times, to be sensations, while under some circum¬
stances, his intellect, aroused to fullest stretch of energy,
would grapple with you as though it were muscular might. A
moiety more of temperament, and perhaps, he had needed to
watch against romance and imaginative illusions. Constitu¬
ted as he was, however, and disciplined from an early age by
a, dreaded liabilty to ill health, he turned his temperament to
good account in securing to himself a facile effectiveness in
public speaking.
Ilis intellect was thoroughly concrete. Premises and
conclusions lay near together—so near that sometimes they
were hardly separable. If he ever used the stepping-stones
of formal logic, he was certain to touch them lightly with his
impatient feet. Abstractions were neither suited to his taste,
nor adapted to his style of intellectual action. If he had any
sympathy with metaphysics, it was not with its subtle dia-
314
NECROLOGY.
lectics nor yqt with its attenuated arts of expression, but rath¬
er with its skill in eliminating error, still more with its trans¬
parent purity, which, like the ether above the common atmos¬
phere, affords a readier movement to the waves of light.
Nothing, therefore, of the essayist appeared in his mental ef¬
forts. Nevertheless, be was strong in his grasp of all the doc¬
trines of the gospel—comprehensive as well as minute—full
of masculine vigor in the width of his perceptions, while re¬
flective enough to pierce to the heart of all vital truths. One
felt in hearing him, th?> t he was profounder as a thinker than
as a speaker. Before an audience, his reasoning power seem¬
ed to be held in firm abeyance. The results of reasoning,
the palpable facts deduced, the means of direct impression,
these were before his eye, and nothing else. Like great
rivers that have their fountain-heads in mountains remote
and hidden, close by overhanging clouds, this order of think¬
ers is abstract and exhaustive in cloistered moments; and
as those rivers, when reaching the abodes of civilization, are
highways of commerce and scenes of busy usefulness, so
these men in their public ministration make everything yield
to the practical significance of the occasion.
As would be expected from such a mental constitution,
Dr. Hoyt conBned himself in the pulpit to the gospel, as the
divine means of salvation. Without doubt he delighted to
penetrate beyond its immediate aspects. HacJ he failed here,
his practical force would soon have been exhausted. The
philosophy of the gospel must, of necessity, enter into the
conditions of all deep and earnest investigation. But the
library, not the pulpit, is the place for such an invigorating
exercise. And hence the wisdom of Dr. Hoyt's course.
Standing in the 'presence of men, he used such trains of
thought as were adapted to men as listeners, not to men as
logical students, or speculative philosophers; and, consequent¬
ly, while he formed himself a3 an effective speaker, he also
moulded his congregation to be admirable hearers. In this
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
315
respect, he was a model most worthy of imitation. True to
the very letter of the phrase, he 'preached the gospel. The
paramount of the idea always was not to discuss, not to
elaborate, not to intellectualize in any shape or form that
might divert his efforts in the direction of philosophy or art,
but simply and solely to preach the gospel, which, in his
mind, meant a specific manner of uttering the truth, as well
as the truth itself.
On the one hand then. Dr. Hoyt avoided all dry, didactic
method. On the other, he shunned all mere literary imbel-
ishment. Both the logical and the sensuous forms of intel¬
lect were excluded .from his public ministrations. If, how¬
ever, as shown above, he was a deep and fervent thinker, it is
also true, that he was not deficient in a certain kind of imag¬
ination, to which much of his success must be attributed. In
its use, he was rarely found in the province of the poet. Un¬
like the imagination of Jeremy Taylor, it was seldom pictu¬
resque, and never gorgeous; it had no tropical luxuriance; it
never sought to embower itself in a Persian Paradise. For
its own sake, it had no charms. To revel in beauty or to be
transported by sublimity for the mere joy of ecstatic emotion,
was as foreign to his sense of intellectual congruity as to his
conscience. But that adjunctive office of this grand faculty
which aids the reason by apt illustrations and vivid enforce¬
ments,—this he had in an eminent degree. Less brilliant
than the artistic imagination; much less capable of those
sudden transfigurations which lift speaker and hearer out of
themselves ; it is, nevertheless, far more serviceable since it
allies itself more fully and permanently with the moral sen¬
sibilities. Of this nature was the Dr's. imagination—fresh,
pungeant, incisive —always on the alert, and sure of its eclec¬
tic instinct,—full of pith and point,—appropriating the com¬
mon incidents of the day or historical incidents to his pur¬
pose, and seldom failing, thereby, to set his topic in sharper
relief before your quickened fancy. A little humor would
316
NECROLOGY.
-occasionally-come to the verge of utterance, and be instantly
repressed. And sometimes he could be sarcastic, but gener¬
ally when he stung, it was like a bee—the thighs laden with
lioney. Once on a memorable occasion, he indulged in cutting
invective, but his heart soon revolted against the use of such
weapons, and he abandoned them forever. For sustained
vitality of sentiment, word, manner, we have rarely seen his
oqual. The dignity of dulness was heartily eschewed. If
he ever tired you, it was because he was not himself. With
him, pulpit-life was a perpetual renewal; and to the la9t,
his thoughts had a vascular force that reminded you of youth¬
ful activity. A strong and shining blade, that warrior's
hand ever held, and when it dropped, it was neither dull nor
dim.
Tried by the standard of art, Dr. Hoyt could not be regar¬
ded as a polished orator. The graces of the rhetoritician, he
-esteemed lightly; nor did he rely for success in any degree
»upon those artistic means which some have employed as an
auxiliary to higher results. His early struggles with himself
as to " fine 'preaching" were never forgotten, and it is quite
likely that the rebound was rather too strong in the other di¬
rection. Whether so or not, he deserves praise for strict ad¬
herence to his convictions, nor can we appreciate too highly the
sternly critical spirit that made him so watchful over the least
tendency to self-gratification in his discourses. One could easi¬
ly see, that he had much more expressional power than he saw
fit to exert. His manner was naturally inclined to acting.
Had he chosen, he could certainly have been a more effective
speaker, as the world judges effectiveness. But he restrain¬
ed, himself, and we think, most wisely; for this self-restraint,
as is unusually the case, developed other and higher forms of
power. In his style of preaching, he attained a marked de¬
gree of excellence. Whatever subject he treated, he was
sure to vitalize it with his personal being, so that it seemed
born of his private heart. His mind, like a dramatist, mov-
REV. NATHAN HOTT, D. D.
31T
ed his theme forward to its conclusions, and moved it too-
with an energy, with a pliant skill, with a concentrated ea¬
gerness that gathered at every advance upon your interest.
At times, his style was involved. The unconscious parenthe¬
sis would frequently appear, and at the next instant,a sudden
off-shoot frcm the main line of discussion would disturb your
consecutiveness of thought. In all, however, there was move¬
ment; and if it was somewhat irregular for the mo¬
ment, you were sure to he carried on to the final impression.
This was mainly due to the directness and vigor with which
he threw his whole mind upon you, and accordingly, his
thoughts, in the manner of handling, reminded you of pro¬
jectiles that were aimed at a given effect. His will—the
truthful test of all oratory —was very apparent in his efforts.
Determined on his purpose, and indifferent to side results,
he was so thoroughly aggressive that you had either to re¬
sign your strongholds, or shut up yourself more closely within
your prison-walls.
But the real power of this noble man lay deeper than the
structure of intellect and the emotional constitution. The
finely-wrought sensibility that under the slightest touch went
quivering to the brain—the acute senses that lodged the
soul all too closely to the world external —and then,, too,
such a temperament as is found only in men of genius either
dormant or developed;—all these were organized in the outer
man, and all these acted powerfully upon the man within.
But those other attributes which are counterparts to the
merely physical and intellectual,—the suhlimer qualities
that organize the spirit towards God and Christ, as those just
named, embody the soul towards nature and life,—surely we
must look to them to find the height, depth, scope, and
rounded completeness of his character.
It sounds like a commonplace truism to say, that Dr.
Hoyt realized the doctrines which he believed and preached.
But when we use the word " realized" we mean somewhat more
318
NECROLOGY.
than its currant acceptation implies. All Christians realize reli¬
gion,—religion that is a reality to their judgments to their
consciences, to their hearts. But to what extent? A difference
in degree is sometimes equivalent to a difference in kind, and
never is this fact more significant than in applications to
spiritual experience. The scriptural idea which we seek to
embody in the term "realize " is peculiarly emphasized by
the New Testament writers, and by none so forcibly as by St.
Paul and St. John. To convey thi,s idea, they borrow the
language of the senses. Such phrases as walking by faith,—
enduring as seeing him who is invisible, — "which we have
looked upon and our hands have handled,"—must be designed
to show that experimental piety affects the heart, as outward
objects affect the senses. Men there are who realize the
God of the conscience through the conscience; men there are
who realize the God of beauty through the imaginative aspect#
of Christianity; while another class realize the God of ten¬
derness through the emotions. A dwarfish one-sidedness is
the result,—a Christian life that reduces itself to a particu¬
lar function of the mind,—while the rarest of things is -to wit¬
ness and experience, in which all elements coalese in harmo¬
ny and strength.
Certain constituents of Dr. Hoyt's mind gave a most vig¬
orous vitality to his religious life. Towards those grander
truths that inspire awe, solemnity, reverence, his nature was
broadly open, while as a counterbalancing energy, his sensi¬
bilities to love and tenderness were intensely operative. No
keen observer could fail to mark the ceaseless interplay of
thought and sentiment between these two parts of his organ¬
ization. As they alternated, you would see him sternly true,
or touchingly gentle; and when at last through years of
struggle, they came together in perfect reconciliation, it was
beautiful to seethe more majestic attributes of mind dwelling
side by side with those kindlier and more lovely virtues,
through which Heaven is symbolized to the pure in heart.
REV. NATHAN HOYT, D. D.
319
Age brought him its large blessings. The great work that
Time does for a Christian soul, as it does for a noble oak, when
it fills its huge arms with brawny strength, and covers them all
over with richest foliage, this greatest of earthly work, was hap¬
pily accomplished in him. How well I remember these clos¬
ing years. The gradual mellowing,—how complete at last!
I recall his piercing insight, his deepening sense of reconcili¬
ation with stubborn circumstances, his growing content, his
enlarging charity, his widening love to God and man; and
among the instances of beautiful age that are present with
ipe, I recollect not one that impresses me like this.
"Yet to the last, thou wast a King"
The old hero at seventy was still " girded with strength"
in the " inner man," and it was "renewed day by dag."
The work of his hands was established, and the beauty of the
Lord rested upon him. " The glory that excelleth" crowned
his three-score years and'ten, and when'it faded, it faded in
the light of Christ's immediate presence.
In the Presbyterian Church of Athens, Ga., a beautiful
mural tablet has been erected, bearing this inscription:
IN MEMORIAM.
Rev. Nathan IIoyt, D. D.
Born in Gilrnanton, N. II., Feb. 27,1793.
Became Pastor of this Church, May 1,1830.
Died in its Service, July 12,1866.
VALIANT FOR GOSrEL TRUTH;
THE FIOUS LIVES AND TRIUPHANT DEATHS
OF MANY. W,HO ENJOYED HIS
MINISTRY,
rilOVED HIS FAITHFULNESS.
Believing; Hoping; Loving; Working;
lie served two Generations by the will of God;
Then fell asleep in Jesus.
REV. WASHINGTON BAIRD *
Washington Baird, was the son of pious parents, born in
Fayette County, Pennsylvania, about the year 1807. In
very early childhood, he removed with his parents to the
neighborhood of Maysville, Kentucky. Here he spent his
youth, and here he was prepared for College. He then re¬
turned to Pennsylvania and entered Jefferson College, and
graduated with good standing for scholarship in the year
1831. In 1832, he came from Kentucky to Milledgeville, Ga.
Soon after his arrival, he visited the printing-office of Hon.
Seaton Grantland, in order to advertise for a school. Mr.
Grantland informed him that he was then in need of a teach¬
er in his family. After a short consultation, Mr. Baird was
employed as a family tutor, by Mr. Grantland, and a friend¬
ship was formed between these parties which grew stronger
and stronger on a more intimate acquaintance, and has been
perpetuated to a second and third generation of the Grant-
land family. The family school expanded into a neighbor¬
hood school, at Woodville, in the vicinity of Milledge¬
ville.
Here Mr. Baird continued a few years, until his reputation,
as an able teacher, brought him an invitation to a large and
flourishing Institution, the Chatham Academy, located in Sa-
*. The Editor of this work is indebted to the Rev. John Jones, of Grif¬
fin, for the following memorial, of the Rev. Mr. Baird, compiled from
his funeral sermon, preached at Philadelphia Church on the 15th Aug.
1868. Although it was our intention to include only the biographies of
ministers who had died within the first twenty years after the organiza¬
tion of the Synod of Georgia; yet the publication having been so long
delayed, and others having fallen during the interim, he has ventured
to insrfrt the memorials of as many such as he could obtain, believing
it would be gratifying to their friends and the Church, to give them
this permanent form.
320
REV. WASHINGTON BAIRD.
321
vannah, Ga. He accepted this call, and remained a number
of years in Savannah.
Here he commenced the study of Theology, having doubt¬
less had the ministry in view for many years. lie put him¬
self under the care of Charleston Presbytery. In connection
with his school duties, he prosecuted his sacred studies, receiv¬
ing advice and direction from the Rev. Willard Preston, pastor
of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah. After
due preparation, he was licensed by the Charleston Presby¬
tery to preach the gospel. Having been called, he removed
to Waynseville, Ga., taking charge of Waynesville and Linton
Grove Churches. In this position he remained several years,
laboring in a large territory, until called to the pastoral care
of the St. Mary's Church, Ga., about the year 1840.
At St. Mary's, Mr. Baird conducted a flourishing school in
addition to his ministerial duties; besides, he repeatedly vis¬
ited East Florida, doing missionary work. He organized
the Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville.
In 1847, having been chosen by the Synod of Georgia for
that purpose, he removed to Milledgeville, Ga., and established
the Southern Presbyterian, and was its able editor for many
years, both in Georgia, and after its transfer to Charleston,
S. C. From the editorial chair he retired as Agent of the
Presbyterian Board of Publication.
July 1st, 1855, he took charge of the Presbyterian Church
of Spartanburg, S. C. From thence he was called to the
care of the Presbyterian Church of Camden, Arkansas, Sep¬
tember 26th, 1859.
In 1863, he was sent as a Commissioner to the Confederate
General Assembly, which met in Columbia S. C. He lin¬
gered after the Assembly adjourned, probably with his old
friends in Spartanburg, for some weeks. In the meantime,
Vicksburg fell into the possession of the Federal troops. The
connection between the East and West was destroyed, and
he was unable to return to Arkansas: Being without charge,
21
322
necrology.
and without home, he returned to his old friend, Mr. Seaton
Grantland, who gave him a refuge and a kindly welcome.
Thus, after a lapse of thirty years, he returned so his first
home made in Georgia, and experienced the friendship of his
noble old friend, on whose heart, time and increasing kvears
had wrought no decay. While at Mr. Grantlands, his active
mind was employed in preparing Elementary Confederate
School Books, and in teaching the grandchildren of Mr. G.
In the spring of 1866, Mr. B. came to Griffin, and for a
year, was employed as tutor in the family of Mrs. David J.
Bailey, a daughter of his old friend, Col. Seaton Grantland.
lie soon became interested in neigboring destitute Churches
O o
of Butts and Clayton counties ; and in the spring of 1867,
he located in the bosom of Philadelphia congregation, as the
center of his operations ; and in the month of October, 1867,
at Atlanta, the Presbytery of Atlanta employed him as a
Missionary to labor in the counties of Butts, Henry, Clayton
and Carroll. Into this large and laborious field he entered, and
continued with all the life, and hopeful elasticity of a
young man in the morning of his ministry: and he labored
above his strength, preaching up to the last Sabbath of his
life—literally enduring hardness as a good soldier of our
Lord Jesus Christ: and, finally, fell in the harness with his
face to the field, and passed from the bosom of his friends
on earth to the bosom of his Father in Heaven.
We give the following letter from Mr. Andrew L. Iluie,
an Elder of Philadelphia Church, referring to his sickness
and death:
"Clayton County, Ga., July 26, 1868.
bey. J. J.—Dear Sir:—We have just committed to their
final resting place the mortal remains of the Rev. Washington
Baird. He departed this life yesterday at 12 m. He had been
complaining for six weeks. He was taken with hoarseness, at¬
tended with fever. He continued, notwithstanding, to la¬
bor in ossuntly throughout his wide field, embracing Ilenry,
REV. WASHINGTON BAIRD.
323
Butts, Clayton and Carroll Counties. He returned from Car¬
roll on Friday night, the 17th instant, very much exhausted,
hut disposed to attribute it to the extremely hot weather, and
the fatigue undergone during the trip to Carroll and back.
Notwithstanding his weakness, he would fill his appoint¬
ment at our Church on last Sabbath, 19th instant. He
preached a short but exceedingly interesting sermon from the
text: " Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth, as it is
done in heaven.
I visited him on Monday, and found him feeble, but not
disposed to complain. lie remarked however that his end
was close at hand. On Tuesday, Dr. McKown was called to
see him, and found him in a critical condition. He began to
decline rapidly. On Friday morning, the 24th, he again spoke
of his end, and said he had been looking for it for the last
three months. On Friday evening he said he would pass
through the night, but not through the coming day. On Sat¬
urday, the 25th, a few hours before his death, and evidently
dying, he was asked how he felt. He replied that he felt
that he was passing from the bosom of his friends on earth to
the bosom of his Father in Heaven. "When asked how he
found the passage, he answered, "Pleasant, glorious!" He
continued gradually to sink, until 12 o'clock M., when he
gently breathed his last.
Although he suffered greatly during the short time he was
confined, he bore his sufferings with remarkable patience. He
died at Mr. Alexander L. Iluie's, which has been his home
during his sojourn with us.
Mr. Baird, had greatly endeared himself to this entire
community."
Such is a short outline of his life, labors and death.
Let us dwell briefly upon his mental and moral traits;
First, he was remarkable for an earnest, life-long devotion to
God his Saviour. From early youth he gave himself to Christ,
and never wavered in his Christian walk. His piety was un-
324
NECROLOGY.
ostentatious; he made no loud demonstrations ; he contin¬
ued on the even tenor of his way; his faith in Christ was sim¬
ple and child-like, and comforting and supporting. He was a
godly man : the Master had chosen and loved him, and he
loved the Master, and His kingdom and His people, and the
work of the Master was his chief delight.
There was a mellowness of Christian character as he advanc¬
ed in years ; his path was the path of the just that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day; his peace was as a riv¬
er, and his righteousness as the waves of the sea. Such was
his piety—uniform, simple, grateful, comforting, increasing,
abounding.
Second, his mind was vigorous, independent, simple and
direct. He was an able expounder of God's word, and
thoroughly evangelical in doctrine, holding fast the form of
sound words. He was a clear reasoner, a ready writer, a
wise counsellor, and a strong debater in our ecclesiastical
courts. In 1841, at the Synod in Charleston, he was ap¬
pointed the chief advocate in a difficult case of appeal, and
sustained the appeal, although opposed by some of the ablest
members of the United Synod of South Carolina and Georgia.
He was a man of remarkable intelligence on all subjects—
keeping abreast of the advancing improvements in arts and
sciences. Nothing escaped him. He was alive to every
subject of interest in Church and State. He was well versed
in the dead languages, and thoroughly acquainted with the
natural sciences. He was a superior teacher, because he united
with literary attainments, a remarkable interest in youth—
great sympathy for them, and an untiring patience in in¬
structing them. His mind was eminently analogical and
didactic. He possessed, in a rare degree, the faculty of sim¬
plifying, and illustrating his thoughts. His love for children
wa3 wonderful! No child ever passed him without a smile,
a kind look, and a word of instruction and encourgement. He
was a man of true decision of character. He avoided hasty
REV. WASHINGTON BAIRD.
325
inferences, and examined with care all questions of duty
and discussion. Having reached a conclusion, he remained
firm. This was eminently true in regard to theological issues.
He was not carried about by every wind of doctrine.
In the ecclesiastical revolutions of the Presbyterian Church
which occurred in 1837, he was as firm as a rock—accept¬
ing and maintaining the positions of the Old School Party.
He was a man of energy; he loved work, and industry was a
natural necessity with him. It may be said of him, as of
Richard Baxter, " He loved to labor" and labor was his life.
But he loved such work as was practical and efficient for the
temporal and spiritual well-being of mankind. His little book,
"Duty and Reward," is a true exponent of his mind and
heart. Brother Baird was truly a self-sacrificing man,
strangely indifferent to personal ease and comfort—ever
averse to giving trouble to any one. He accommodated him¬
self to circumstances, and was equally at home in the fam¬
ilies of rich or poor. He was singularly free of the sin of
covetousness. He was generous to a fault. Indeed he erred
in his indifference to worldly possessions, and just dues for
his ministerial labors. Because of this indifference, he lived
and died under pecuniary embarrassments. He was a true
friend, and never forgot a friend or favor. He was forgiving
to those who injured him, and patient under provocations.
He admired all that was noble in others, and enjoyed and
praised the performances of his brethren. He never indulged
in a detracting or censorious spirit. He was uniformly
cheerful, sometimes facetious and playful, indulging in inno¬
cent, dry humor, but never in sarcasm. He was always hope¬
ful in the darkest hours. He was eminently patriotic [ He
loved the South, in all her interests, and delighted in expa¬
tiating on her undeveloped resources, and her glorious pros¬
pects. And he loved the whole country. He was devoted to
the public good, especially to the religious and literary ele¬
vation of the young/ Finally he was above the fear or favor
826
NECROLOGY.
of man, in the performance of duty. Like John Knox,
he feared not the face of clay! As a man, a minister, an
editor, he did his duty fearlessly and faithfully, looking for
the approbation of God and his own conscience.
Such was "Washington Baird—a plain man, a wise man, a
good man.
We close this brief tribute to his memory with an extract
from his memorial sermon by Rev. Mr. Jones. He observes:
u It is an honest estimate of his religious, moral, and intel¬
lectual worth. The fact that our earthly communion has finally
closed, awakens emotions of unfeigned sadness ! But we will
think of him as having entered his everlasting rest and rec-
call his example for our improvement and encouragement.
Let us therefore be admonished to prepare for our own
end. How uncertain is life. A few weeks since, and the
prospects of our brother for long life,were better than those
of many who survive him. What is life ? It is a vapor that
appeareth for a little while and vanisheth away.
Let this Church ever cherish the memory of their minister.
You have lost a kind friend, a faithful shepherd. He loved
you all with great tenderness. You will never, probably, find
one so perfectly suited to this field, and so much at homo
among you all. Cherish his memory! He was a lone man
in the world. He leaves neither widow nor orphan to per¬
petuate his name and to bedew his grave with their tears—
the Church was his family. His dust is in your keeping. You
have laid him to rest amidst your native hills, and he sleeps
with your fathers and your children, in the bosom of five gen¬
erations of your own beloved kindred ! He will come no more
into this sacred desk! His active form will move no more
in your midst! You will look no more upon his kind face !
You will listen no more to his gentle words, and stirring ad¬
monitions ! He has gone to render an account of his steward¬
ship ! He has entered into his rest!"
REV. ISAAC WATTS WADDEL.
Isaac Watts Waddel, second son of the Rev. Moses
Waddel, D. D., and Elizabeth Woodson Waddel, was born at
Willington, Abbeville District, South Carolina, on the 11th
of July, 1804. lie was "brought up" by his Christian pa.
rents in the strictness which old-time Presbyterianism imposed.
He was early taught the great doctrinal truths of our holy
religon, as contained in our symbols of faith. This ren¬
dered him in after life a sound Theologian. He was pre¬
pared for college, principally, by his cousin, Moses W. Dob¬
bins, a most accomplished clasical scholar, and by his elder
brother, James P. Waddel, for many years Professor of the
Latin and Greek Languages in the University of Georgia.
Mr. Waddel was of Irish descent. His ancestors emigrated
from the neighborhood of Belfast, about 17G0, and settled
in North Carolina. The family, as far back as is known,
was Presbyterians of the purest type.
His father was called to the Presidency of Franklin Col¬
lege, at Athens, Georgia, and in May, 1819, entered on
the duties of his office. Isaac Watts, with his younger
brother, William Woodward Waddel, entered in the Fresh¬
man Class, and graduated in August, 1823. He was a good
scholar.
After the completion of his college course, his father, in¬
dulging his passion for the life of a planter, removed him to
the old homestead, in South Carolina. Here he entered
upon the duties of rural life, superintending the cultivation
of his paternal acres. What success attended his labors in
this sphere of action, we know not. But, having given the ex¬
periment a fair trial, we find him in 1827-'28, entering upon
the study of a profession. We judge that he did not find
327
328
NECROLOGY.
the cultivaton of cotton and corn to be in exact accordance
with his tastea, and he, therefore, left his broad acres to take
care of themselves, while he went to consult Blackstone, and
delve in other legal lore. He entered the law office of the
Hon. Augustine S. Clayton, of Athens.
Where and when he made a public profession of his faith in
Christ, we know not. It was probably while he resided at
Willington, as early as 1827. He was, doubtless, a mem¬
ber of the Church when he entered upon the study of the
law. He remained but a short time in the law office. God
had other purposes,—he was soon called to consider his duty
toward his fellow-men, and to examine the question of be¬
coming a minister of the Gospel. Whether self-suggested
or from outer influences, he resolved on the study of Theology.
lie forthwith commenced the study under the care of the
Rev. Thomas Goulding, D. D., then of Lexington, Ga., af¬
terwards Professor' of Church History and Polity in the
Theological Seminary at Columbia, S. C. He was taken
under the care of Hopewell Presb}'tery, at their Sessions in
Augusta, December Cth, 1828, and was licensed at Greens¬
boro', August 8th, 1830. He was ordained at Gainsville,
Hall County, as an Evangelist, in May, 1832. He labored
as a Domestic Missionary in the west of the State for some
time, with great acceptance. His memory is cherished by
many in the western counties, till the present day.
In September, 1831, he married Miss Sarah K. Daniel^
daughter of James K. Daniel, Esq., of Greene county, Ga.
He afterwards removed to Willington, S. C., where his fa¬
ther then resided. During his residence at Willington, he
preached in the churches of Hopewell and Lebanon, Abbe¬
ville, S. C. In the year 183—, he purchased a farm in
Walker county, Ga., whither he removed his family; but,
that region (being in the neighborhood of 'the mountains)
proving too bleak for the delicate constitution of his family,
he bought a plantation in Sumpter county, Alabama, whither
REV. ISAAC "WATTS WADDELL.
329
he removed. This was a disastrous change of location.
Here he lost, by death, a lovely little daughter, and several
slaves. He afterwards hired a house in Demopolis, Ala.,
where he lived for a short time; but, finally disheartened by
his misfortunes, he returned to Georgia. lie afterwards
received a call to the Church at Marrietta, Ga., where, after
a few years, he terminated his unpretending, unobtrusive,
but his quietly useful life, of a lingering chronic complaint,
on the 1st day of November, 1849, in the 45th year of his
age, and the 19th, of his ministry.
Mr. Waddel Was a man of a very quiet temperament, and
aptly fulfilled the obligations of husband, father, and mas¬
ter. His was not a marked literary turn, although he was
an accurate scholar. lie conciliated the love, and affection,
and confidence of all who were intimate with him, by the
generally straight-forward view of things, which character¬
ized his course. To all he was kind, affable, and affectionate.
As a minister of the gospel, he was generally acceptable to
the plain people whom he served. His sermons, not being
written, were plain and without ornament, and, perhaps, on
that account, more useful to those to whom they were ad¬
dressed.
To crown all, his personal piety was never impugned, how¬
ever, he might be thought to lack " Unction," in his outward
demonstrations.
Eight children were born to him, of whom five attained
maturity. His eldest son graduated at the University of
Georgia in 1853, with much credit. He studied law, and
was taken into the co partnership by Col. Chislom, of Cedar
Town, Polk county, whore his ambitious industry and per¬
severance soon brought him into public notice. At the ear¬
liest period of the late Confederate War, he joined the
army, where he soon rose to the office of Colonel of the 20th
Georgia Regiment. Eliza, his eldest daughter, became the
wife of Dr. Setze, of Marietta. Mary, his second daughter,
330
NECROLOGY.
resides in Cherokee county. John left College for the army
and was twice wounded during the war. Isaac Watts, the
youngest son, resides with some of the family.
Mrs. Waddel, after the death of her husband, removed to
Greensboro', Ga., where she died in December, 1863.
REV. PETER WINN*
Peter "Winn was born in Liberty county, Georgia, on
the day of , in the year 1816. He was the son
of Maj. J6hn and Mrs. Eliza Winn—pious, intelligent, and
respectable parents,—who, in accordance with the usages of
the Congregational Church, dedicated him in infancy to the
service of tho Lord. His father was the descendant of a
long lineage of pious ancestors; a graduate of Yale College,
and a lawyer by profession; but spent many years of the
latter part of his life in instructing the youth of Liberty
county. It was his earnest desire to have all his children
well educated, that they might be fitted for stations of use¬
fulness and respectability in life. But he did not live to see
his wishes accomplished; he died when Peter was a little
over four years old, and the responsibility of his training
and education, and that of six other children, was thrown
upon their mother, who, through Divine Grace, was well
qualified for so responsible a position.
Mrs. Eliza Winn, the mother, and, to a great extent, the
moral educator of Rev. Peter Winn, was a woman long
known and much noted in that part of the country for her
ardent piety, her wisdom, prudence, humility, zeal and en¬
ergy. Her children are all ready to bear testimony to her
faithfulness in endeavoring to train them up "in the nurture
and admonition of the Lord." The Bible and the Catechisms
of the Presbyterian Church, were the chief text books used
for the moral culture of the household. The good old prac¬
tice of assembling all the family together on the evening of
the Sabbath, and hearing them recite the Shorter Catechism
of our Confession of Faith, was common with her through the
*MSS from Rev. T. Sumner Winn.
331
332
NECROLOGY.
greater part of her life. She ever taught "that wisdom is
better that gold;" and it was her earnest desire, her constant
prayer, and most strenuous endeavors to have her children
converted to God, and become useful in life. There is no
doubt but that the influence of that noble woman, was the chief
means, in the hand of God, in developing and moulding that
fine character in the person of the subject of this memoir,
which we are about to delineate. " Many daughters have
done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Her children
rise up and called her .blessed; her husband, also, and he
praiseth her."
Were we to begin with the childhood of Peter Winn, we
would say, that he was devotedly attached to his mother,
very fond of his books, affectionate towards his kindred and
friends, conscientious in all his dealings with others, and
remarkably deferential in his deportment to the old. He
exhibited the force of that precept of Moses,—" Thou shalt
rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old
man." His simplicity of character, his candor, integrity,
and correctness of behavior, in general, always commanded
the respect and admiration of his companions at school.
To this day, his name is seldom mentioned by any of his early
associates without expressions of affection, esteem and praise.
We saw with him in boyhood, what remained with him in
manhood,—ardor in temperament, soundness in judgment,
and determination in purpose.
He commenced his literary course at the early age of six
years, in the school of Mr. John C. Baker, the brother of
the celebrated Daniel Baker, D. D., in the^village of Flem-
ington. He was a few years after removed to Walthourville,
and placed under the tuition of the Rev. Dr. Henry Ripley,
afterwards a Professor in the Baptist Theological Seminary,
at Newton Centre, Massachusetts. But the greater portion
of his early academical life was with Mr. Edward Pyncheon,
an intelligent and highly educated gentleman, who taught
REV. PETER WINN.
33-3
in the Walthourville Academy for many years, and did
much to elevate and improve the educational status of the
youth of Liberty county. It was here, in this ancient
Academy, so pleasant to the memory of many, that young
Winn, in common with several others of the Prasbyterian
Ministry of the South, obtained the rudiments of that thor¬
ough scholarship for which he afterwards became noted among
his fellew students. Mr. Pyncheon soon discoved his worth,
and appreciated his merits, and ever regarded him as one
of his best scholars. He was much beloved and respected
by his companions at school, and was very often called to
act as an arbiter and peace-maker in the difficulties that
sometimes occurred among the boys.
It is probable that, while a student at the academy, he
received his first strong and permanent religious impressions,
which changed his destiny for time and eternity. About
the year 1831, there was a considerable revival of religion
in Walthourville, under the-preaching of Drs. Daniel Baker
and Joseph C. Stiles. During this refreshing, young Winn,
and many other youths of the village, professed conversion.
After a month of prayer and reflection, he connected him¬
self with the Midway Congregational Church, the venerated
church of his father's. But his peace of mind and assurance
of acceptance with God, seem not to have lasted very long.
It is believed that he did not avail himself of the privilege
of coming to the Lord's table more than two or three times,
before he fell into a state of great spiritual doubt and dark¬
ness, and for several years gave up all hope of his conver¬
sion. He did not, however, abandon religion and return to
the world, as is too often the case, but continued to struggle
on, having, however, no hope of acceptance with God. Long
and terrible were the conflicts that agitated the soul of the
troubled youth. Days upon days were devoted to fasting
and prayer for relief, but no relief came. What grief, what
anguish do some of us still remember to have seen depicted
334
NECROLOGY.
in the face of that young Christian ! lie could say, as did
Job: "Oh, that I knew where I might find him! that I
might come before his seat! Behold, I go forward, but he
is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him ; on
the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him:
he hideth himself on the right hand that I cannot see him:
but he knoweth the way I take ; when he hath tried me I
shall come forth as gold !" He was like Bunyan's Pilgrim in
the Slough of Despond. Mty we not suppose that God was
leading him through these deep and dark waters of despair,
to break his hold on the world, to chasten his soul, to purify
his heart, and prepare him for greater usefulness in the
Church ? He was tried indeed ! But, he came forth at last
as gold heated seven times in the furnace. The encourage¬
ment received from his mother, together with the faithful
instructions of his old Pastor, Rev. R. Quarterman, were
blessed of God, to his complete deliverance from that state of
doubt and despair. In gratitude for deliverance, he seems
to have dedicated himself anew to the survice of Christ;
and no sacrifice or self-denial was too great for him to make
to the cause of his Divine Master.
From this period his thoughts were turned to the office of
the sacred ministery as a profession best fitted for glorifying
God and doing good to man. He was not hasty, however,
in coming to this conclusion, but pondered and prayed over
the matter for years. But, when he had once made up
his mind to do so, hardly anything, not even the most form¬
idable obstacles, could shake him from his course. In or¬
der to do this, he at once bagan preparation for college, and
in January, 1835, he entered the Freshman Class, in Frank¬
lin College, Athens, Ga., then under the Presidency of Dr.
Alonzo Church. The same high and honorable character
for punctuality, diligence, sobriety, and scholarship, which
he bore in the academy, he here sustained throughout his
collegiate course. \Ye do not know that he was deficient
REV. PETER WIN2T.
335
in any of the branches of learning there taught, but it is
known that he excelled in the Mathematics. In his class,
were many young men of superior talents, some of whom
have done much honor, both to the State and Church.
Among them, we might mention Dr. B. M. Palmer, of New
Orleans, Prof. John LeConte, Prof. Milton E. Bacon, and
some others of like sort. Though a very hard student, and
incessantly engaged through all the secular days of the week
in his college duties, yet he usually spent his Sabbaths, not
in rest and recreation, but in holding Sabbath schools and
religious exercises at the Factories and destitute places in
the vicinity of the town. The cause of the Redeemer lay
heavily upon his heart; it was, therefore, the one great
purpose of his soul to promote that cause in every lawful
way.
In August, 1838, he graduated with the second honor of
his class. He left immediately after for Talliafero county,
Ga., where he entered upon the duties of a teacher, in a
country school, and remained until November, and, as usual,
holding meetings on the Sabbath for the people. Ilere
commenced the one great error of his life,—an error for
which he ultimately paid most dearly,—which, most proba¬
bly, cost him his life. He should have spared himself and
embraced that opportunity for resting and prepariug both
his physical and mental energies for the laborious studies yet
before him in the Theological Seminary. But, having only
limited means, being unwilling to burden the Church with
the expense of his education, ever ready for work, and fired
with zeal, he determined to pay his own way through the
course of preparation necessary for entering the ministry.
His engagements for teaching having expired, and the exer¬
cises of the Seminary begun, we next find him in Columbia,
S. C., a student of Divinity, intent on his preparation for the
holy office of the ministry. Now, the long cherished and fond
hopes of his heart were about to be realized. A few years
336
NECROLOGY.
more, and he would stand up an ordained and approved mes¬
senger of Jesus Christ, to publish to a dying world the ever¬
lasting Gospel. Alas! for human foresight; these ardent
hopes were doomed, in a measure, to be blasted for the pres¬
ent. God had other work for him. He must occupy an¬
other sphere of which he knew nothing. He must preach
the gospel, it is true, hut he must preach it in a way differ¬
ent from what he had himself preferred and marked out.
During the vacation in the Seminary in July, 1839, he re¬
turned home, and, instead of resting and recuperating his
exhausted energies, he very imprudently engaged to supply
the place of the absent Preceptor of Walthourville Academy.
The school was large, and many of the pupils far advanced, so
that, in addition to teaching during the day, he was com¬
pelled to study much by night, to be able to instruct his
classes. Here, also, he held meetings for the people, and
aided his pastor in many ways. The labor was too much
for exhausted nature. "The spirit was willing, but the
flesh was weak." His health gave way—fever ensued—and
that was succeeded by hemorrhage of the lungs. This wa3
the beginning of that long season.of pain, sickness, sorrow,
and disappointment, which never ceased until our gifted
young friend was borne to the grave. It was the first alarm¬
ing symptom of that insiduous disease, the consumption,
which claims death, usually, as its sure and certain end.
This case should warn young men, and especially Theolog-
cal students, not to follow the example here given, and allow
their zeal to overtax the energies of exhausted nature.
" There is a time for all things," and there is a time of
study. There is also a time for relaxation, " for much
study is a weariness to the flesh." According to human
appearances, a little more prudence, a little more rest, might
have prolonged the life and spared to the Church the ser¬
vices of Peter Winn. It is the solemn duty of the Church
to aid and sustain her indigent candidates for the ministry.
REV. PETER WINN.
337
She ought to fill the treasury of her Educational Commit¬
tee, and see that her pious sons, struggling against poverty,
do not lack for pecuniary aid, and young men needing help,
ought not to feel any delicacy in asking assistance. But in
this case the Church is not to blame. She gave no aid, for
none was asked. Mr. Winn's energetic and independent na¬
ture induced him to undertake what he had not strength
to accomplish. We repeat what we have already said: It
was the great error of his life. But we are all fallible.
"It is human to err." God alone is perfect. If I justify
myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me : if I say I am
perfect, it shall also prove me perverse." God, no doubty
permitted it to be so for good and wise purposes. " What
thou knowest not now, thou shalt know hereafter." If the-
judgment of that young man erred, it was error more of the
head than of the heart—an error on the side of virtue-
lie meant well. So we pronounce no censure; we onljr
express a regret, and drop one sad tear of sorrow.
So far as health is concerned, he was now ruined for the
active duties of the ministry. There being still a few weeks-
remaining of the Seminary vacation, he left the school room,
and betook himself to horse-back riding as a means of re¬
cruiting his health. He takes a trip to the up-country of"
Georgia. He visits his brother, J. W., at Forsyth, and his-
brother-in-law, Rev. S. J. Cassels, at Macon, and manjr
other places and friends; comes home improved in health,
bouyant in spirits, and imagining all was well with him-
He returns to the Seminary to resume his studies. But
alas! it was too late. The seeds of disease were too deeply
rooted in his system to be eradicated. After struggling
With ill health a few months, his strength entirely failed.
Following the advice of physicians and professors, he was-
forced at last to bid farewell to the Seminary—to abandon,
for the present, all hope of ever entering the ministry; and,
at last, he set out on his melancholy journey homeward,—
22
338
NECROLOGY.
perhaps to die ! IIow sad to behold! all the hopes of nearly
a whole life time apparently blasted forever. Shall one so
gifted, so willing to preach the gospel, never be permitted
>to enter the ministry of reconciliation ? The regrets and
.sympathies, expressed by the community, Are well remem¬
bered. All pitied, but none could help him. And now
;shall that aged mother, who so gladly gave him up to the
work of the ministry, never enjoy the satisfaction of seeing
her cherished son in the pulpit ? Are the cries and suppli¬
cations of the righteous never to be answered ? Let us not
be hasty, but wait and see the result. " Why art thou cast
•down, 0 my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me ?
Hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the
help of my countenance and my God. Commit thy ways
•unto the Lord, and He shall bring it to pass."
We return to our narrative.
What shall the young student do ? The Theological Sem¬
inary has-been abandoned; the ministry seems to be beyond
•his reach; he has not strength to grasp the coveted prize.
Every avenue of usefulness seems closed against him. Must
'he go home to die in his mother's arms ?. Must he leave
this world, having done so little for his perishing fellow-men?
He is in the steamboat between Charleston and Savannah,
on his way homeward. His small stock of Theological
Books are along only to sadden his memory, by reminding
him of what he might have learned in the sublime science of
Divinity. He is feeble in body, and dejected in mind.
Health is gone ! Hopes are blasted!
In this state of mind, he arrives at Savannah, and goes to
the boarding house of Mrs. II , a Presbyterian lady.
There he met the Rev. Mr. Cook, an agent of the Amer¬
ican Tract Society, who, on learning his situation and supe¬
rior worth, became interesed in him, and offered him em¬
ployment as a Colporteur and General Agent in the whole
South. Oae door of usefulness being closed against him,
REV. PETER WINN.
339
Providence immediately opened another. If he is not al¬
lowed to preach to signers, in his own words, he is permitted
to do what is, perhaps, better—he may preach to them in
the words of Payson, Baxter, Edwards, Brainard, Wilbe-
force, and others of the sainted dead; yea, he may preach
to them in the words of sacred Scripture. This door of use¬
fulness being so unexpectedly opened to him, and so well
adapted for the improvement of his health, the call was, af¬
ter due reflection accepted, and subsequently entered upon.
But, before the necessary arrangements could be made, the
Liberty County Bible Society, which happened to have a
considerable number of books on hand, employed him as a
Colporteur for the rest of the year, to labor in some of the
adjacent destitute counties. During this time, he traversed
the counties of Tatnel, Appling, Emanuel, Effingham, and
a portion of Montgomery, distributing the Word of Life.
The Bible was carried to people and places where it had
never before gone. May we not hope that that Holy Book,
distributed by him, has been the means of saving many
souls ?
We have followed the history of Mr. Winn from early
youth through His Academical, Collegiate and Theological
course. We come now to what might be called the second
chapter of his history. His studies are laid aside, and he
is now in the field laboring for his Divine Master. He is
the Agent-of the American Tract Society, disseminating truth
to the unenlightened of his countrymen. Under the plea of
ill health he might have remained at home, or he might have
betaken himself to secular pursuits, for no one thought him
capable of enduring the hardships of a Colporteur. But he
was not a man to waste time, when men were perishing
around him. He felt that his time was short, and that he
must improve the little portion of life still left him.
His work for the Bible Society being completed, and the
necessary arrangements made for entering on his agency for
340
KECROLOGT.
the Tract Society, he commenced his operations in Georgia,
about the first of January, 1841. To this work he became
devotedly attached, and threw into it his whole soul. It
was a work to which he closely adhered for nearly, four years,
under all circumstances, and often amid unusual difficulties.
Large portions of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina,
and a part of Alabama, were visited by him. Exposed to
heat and cold, wet and dry, winter and summer, meeting
with friends and foes, sympathy and rebuff, he still pressed
on in the great and good work, without fainting or tiring.
Being all the time a confirmed consumptive, spitting blood
almost every day, and often attacked with violent hemor¬
rhages—often sick among strangers, and laid up in public
inns where he was much neglected, it is a wonder how he
persevered in his work, for he seemed more fit for the sick
room than a traveller on the highways. But, as "the
King's business was urgent, and required haste," he yielded
to no discouragements, but pressed onward and onward,
sometimes visiting regions where no gospel messenger had
ever before appeared. At one time, during this agency,
several months elapsed and no communication had yet been
received from him. In the meantime, a report got into cir¬
culation that he was dead; and just as his friends who had
become much concerned about his welfare, were making ar¬
rangements to send in search for him, he returned home much
improved in health.
That good was done in this protracted and extended
agency, none will doubt; but to what extent, the revelations
of eternity will alone unfold. We beg leave to mention but
one instance as illustrative of the good accomplished. It
came to the knowledge of his friends after his death. In
that portion of Georgia known as South-west Georgia, the
Colporteur happened to meet on the road Gen. G., a dis-
fcinquished citizen of that region. After some conversation,
and the- sale of a'few books to the General, they recog-
REV. PETER WINN.
341
nized each other as acquaintances, who had met at Athens.
He invited Mr. Winn to his house and entertained him for
the night, most hospitably. The opportunity was embraced
for conversation on the importance and necessity of per¬
sonal piety. The subject was pressed home upon his heart
with much force and tenderness. The Colporteur left next
morning to pursue his labors of love elsewhere, not knowing
that any good impression had been made on his kind host.
They parted never more to meet on earth. Other portions
of the South were visited, and the gospel preached to others ;
and the weary Corporteur has finished his course, and sleeps
in the grave. Then comes the information that an impres¬
sion was made that night upon the mind of Gen. G., never
to be effaced. He had no peace of soul until he surrendered
himself to the Saviour. He afterwards connected himself
with the Baptist Church, and became a useful and consistent
Christian.. " In the morning sow thy seed, and in the eve¬
ning withhold not thy hand : for thou knowest not whether
shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall
be alike good. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, for as much as ye know that your labor is not in vain
in the Lord." " They that sow in tears, shall reap in joy."
We have asked, shall Mr. Winn ever enter the ministry ?
and thus gratify the cherished desire of his heart. Will the
prayers of his mother ever be answered and her heart glad¬
dened in seeing him in the pulpit? Yes, that prayer was
answered. She saw him there, though only once. He be¬
came a minister of Jesus Christ, as one having ecclesiastical
authority. In the fall of 1843, he returned from a long
tour of Colportage through the upper and middle counties of
North Carolina, much improved in health, and very hope¬
ful of permanent restoration. His thoughts again turned
to the ministry. He would make at least one more effort.
His idea was, then, not to relinquish his agency for the
342
NECROLOGY.
Tract Society, but to blend tbe two together, so as to be
able to preach in the destitute regions, as he visited from
place toplace. He accordingly appeared before the Presby¬
tery of Georgia, in November, 1843, was taken under its
care, examined and licensed by that body at Midway Church
in the presence of a large congregation.
Having now explored and visited the most destitute parts
of the South, his thoughts were turned next toward the far
West, and especially the great valley of the Mississippi,
as a most needy and inviting field of labor. Having de¬
termined to go thither, he deemed it best, first, to visit the Is¬
land of Cuba and spend a few months, hoping that the mild
and salubrious climate of that trophical region would aid in
completing his restoration to health. Accordingly, about
the first of January, 1844, he left Savannah in a vessel
hound for that Island. The voyage was not long, but rough
and tempestuous. He encountered a severe gale, which he
described in one of his letters as truly grand and sublime.
He learned, indeed, that " they who go down into the sea in
ships, that do business in great waters, see the works
of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep." In order that
he might better enjoy the sublimity of the scene of an ocean
in commotion, he remained for hours on deck, lashed to the
mast, gazing upon nature in her most majestic manifesta¬
tions. But the storm at length subsided, and his ship glided
calmly into the port of Havana. He would gladly have
prosecuted his evangelical labors among the people of this
Catholic Island; but the Spanish authorities were too vigi¬
lant for such an attempt. His trunks, were searched, and
every Protestant book taken from him, 'except his Bible,
which was saved by being concealed about his person. Re¬
maining there a few months, regaling himself with the fruits
and luxuries of that delightful climate, he left in the spring
for New Orleans, and thence up the Mississippi—he visited
many towns and villages on its banks. He finally selected
rev. peter winn.
343
the western portion of the State of Mississippi as a suitable
field for his work. Here he was indefatigable and untiring
in his efforts to do good. The impression made on the peo¬
ple of the West was the same as that made on those of the
East. Here he became deeply interested in the spiritual
welfare of the colored people. To him they seemed as sheep
without a shepherd. He saw thousands upon thousands of
Africans in this region, who enjoyed little of the means of
Grace. " The harvest was plenteous, but the laborers were
few." So deep and strong were his convictions of the duty
of laboring for them, that he finally concluded to relinquish
bis connection with the Tract Society, and spend the balance
of his days as a Missionary among them. Being, himself,
a Southern man, born and reared among them, he possessed
a strong and lasting friendship for them ; and he thought,
that in no better way could he ameliorate their condition,
than by preaching to them the gospel of Christ. Thus, we
next find him in this new and interesting field of labor. He
choose Claiborne county, in the vicinity of Port Gibson, as a
point best adapted for the commencement of his work.
Here he was employed as a missionary to the blacks by a
number of wealthy and intelligent planters. Among these,
were such persons a3 Mr. Thomas Cleveland, Mrs. Daniels,
Bev. Zebulon Butler, D. D., and others,—persons from
whom he received much encouragement and assistance in his
work. For Dr. Butler and his family he entertained the
highest esteem and respect; and to the end of life, kept up
with him an intimate correspondence. It was mainly through
his influence that the mission was gotten up and sustained.
Id this field he was eminently successful. He soon won for
•himself the confidence and respect, not only of the Master,
but of the slave himself. They welcomed him with open
arms, and flocked by thousands to his preaching. Day and
night, both on Sabbaths and secular days, did he go from
plantation to plantation, breaking to this benighted people
the bread of life.
344
NECROLOGY.
While laboring in this field, he became acquainted with
Miss Margaret McComb, a worthy lady of Port Gibson.
Their acquaintance ripened into affection, and resulted in
their marriage in the year 1845. And it may not be amiss
to say, that she proved to him an angel of mercy, minister¬
ing to all his wants, and cheering him in his subsequent
great afflictions. She still lives, a resident of New Orleans,
and now the wife of Henry T. Bartlett, an Elder in the
Thalia Street Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Winn labored as a missionary to the colored people
in this place about eighteen months, and would gladly have
settled here for life, but God had otherwise ordained. It
soon became evident that the strength of his body was not
equal to the zeal of his heart. Incessant toil and exposure
to an unhealty atmosphere of night, as he visited from plan¬
tation to plantation, destroyed what little strength was left
him. But, unwilling to give up, and anxious to live for the
good of the colored man, one more effort was made for the
improvement of his health. But it was all in vain. Ilis
disease was incurable. His work was done, and he must
soon die. Resigning himself with Christian submission to
the will of God, he abandons his mission, resigns his charge,
and turns his face toward his mothers house,—the home of
his infancy. He has met with the sons and daughters of
Africa as their missionary for the last time. The poor black
man has lost in him one of his best friends. The last hymn
is sung, the last prayer has been offered, the last sermon
preached, the last parting word uttered, and he is off to find
a place to die.
He reached Liberty county in the month of April, 1846,
the mere shadow of a man—a living skeleton. No one
could look upon his pale, haggard, emaciated face, without
having his sympathies aroused. His cough was troublesome,
his strength exhausted, and his respiration, at times, difficult.
In addition to the wasting influences of consumption, he had
REV. PETER WINN.
345
a painful affection of the knee—acute inflammation, swel¬
ling, and contraction of the joint, exceedingly painful. He
walked a little, but only on crutches. Such was his condi¬
tion, when he left the missionary field. He worked to the
last—he fell in the battle—he died in the harness. He
came to end his days among a people where he was born,
and had been reared. With them, in earlier days, he had
lived and associated—with them he had often met in the
house of God. They knew his worth and appreciated his
merits; and when, at last, he returned to die in their midst,
they welcomed him back to his native land. Never did the
people of that community manifest a greater sympathy for
any one than they showed him. There were no dainties or
luxuries, that might contribute to his comfort, that they did
not shower upon him. They seemed to vie with each other
in exhibitions of kindness. In addition to the daily visita¬
tions of friends, he was often favored with visits of many of
his ministerial brethren, such as Messrs. Quarterman, Jones,
Cassels, Law, and Axson. These visits were comforting to
him, and highly valued. It may be asked by some, what
were his feelings now, or rather, what his state of mind ?
His hopes had been blasted—he had long been an invalid—
he had studied and labored under the greatest difficulties—
and had now been finally arrested, and brought in prospect of
soon standing face to face with his God in judgment. In view
of this, what were his feelings ? Was he dejected, melancholy?
Did he murmur at the hard and mysterious allotments of
Providence? We answer, that a|happier man could hardly
be found on earth. To the last, he was social, cheerful, and,
at times, exceedingly jocose and playful. Place him in any
company, whether with young or old, he would be the life of
that company. Even when on his death-bed, his house was
anything but the house of mourning. It was the house of
peace, cheerfulness, contentment, and quiet assurance. His
pastor, after visiting one day, remarked, that he "regarded
necrology.
it more a privilege than an affliction to have a child sick in his
situation, and with his state of mind." Grace triumphed over
all. He had been preparing for death, and when at last it
came, he was ready to depart. He could say, " I can do all
things through Christ who strengtheneth me." Fifteen
years he had closely followed his Master, and that Master
did not forsake him in the (Jay of need.
Mr. Winn was not confined to his bed for six months af¬
ter his return home. He usually sat up- most of the day—
rode on horseback very often—attended church regularly,—
and often visited his friends. In the month of October,
however, he began to sink more rapidly, and after that pe¬
riod, never rose from his couch. He lingered three months
more, and on the 18th of January, 1847, his spirit entered
into that rest that remaineth for the people of God, in the
31st year of age.
The following letter, written by his mother, to an absent
brother, a few days after his decease, discloses the scenes of
the dying bed of this young servant of Christ:
Walthourville, Jan. 21st, 1847.
My Dear : Ere this reaches you, you will, no doubt,
have received through letter of J., the melancholy intelligence
of the death of our beloved Peter. Yes, my precious child is
now a saint in heaven. And, although floods of tears run down
my furrowed cheeks, when I allow my selfish feelings to pre¬
vail, yet, when I think of his eternal gain, my grief is turned
into joy. We are indeed "sorrowful,yet rejoicing." Oh!
if you could have been present during the last few days of
his pilgrimage, and witnessed his calm and peaceful end,
you would have exclaimed, with our friend, Dr. C. C. Jones,
in his closing remarks at his funeral, " Let me die the death
of the righteous, and let my last end be like his." Such com¬
posure, such patient resignation, such entire confidence in
the merits of his Saviour, are rarely ever met with! There
REV. PETER WINN.
347
seemed to be a comlination of all the Christain graces rest¬
ing upon his soul, which gave lustre to his countenance, and
recommended to all who beheld him, the religion he pro¬
fessed. But, rather than give you my own words, I will re¬
peat to you many of the sweet expressions which fell from
his lips during the few days previous to his departure.
On Friday evening, Mrs. M. approached his bed-side; he
turned, took hold of her hand, and said: " Mrs. Minton,
heaven appears to brighten in prospect." A few hours af¬
ter, I said to him, " My dear child, how does Christ appear
to you now?" He looked intelligently in my face, and
said, "Very, very precious, one among thousands and alto¬
gether lovely." About three o'clock on Sa-turday morning,
we were summoned around his bedside to see him die. He
was asleep, and appeared to be fast sinking. We thought
it best to arouse him, and make known to him his situation.
His cousin, Thomas W. F., then asked if he was sensible
that his stay with us was likely to be very short ? He
calmly replied, " I feel very feeble, and if I am going, I
must bid you all farewell." He then took each member of
the family by the hand, and, with feeble voice and faltering
tongue, bid them all an affectionate farewell. Beginning
with me, he said: "Farewell, my precious mother, I commit
you to 'the direction of a kind Providence. May he sustain,
protect and provide for you, my dear mother. You know
the terms on which I had your watch. I now return it to you."
And then, turning to his wife, Margaret, he said, "And
you, my dear beloved one, farewell. Trust in your Saviour,
He will be all in all to you. Serve him, and you will be
happy. He is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
0, may he devise your way and direct your steps." To his
cousin, T. W. F., he said, " Farewell, my dear cousin, the
Lord bless you and your dear family." To his brother W.,
he said, "Farewell, my dear brother, may the Lord lead
you in paths of righteousness and peace. Tell sister L. S. and
348
NECROLOGY.
brother E., farewell for me. These three had not reached here.
To his brother J. "VV. W., he said, "Farewell, my dear
brother; 0, if I were sure of meeting you in Heaven. I
have long prayed for you, and I yet hope to meet you there.
0, that the Lord would pour his spirit upon you. The little
effects I leave my dear companion, I bog you will take charge
of." "Farewell, my dear cousin S., may the Lord be your
father and mother, brother and sister, and all." To Tallula
Cassels, he said, " Farewell, my dear little neice, may you
be early converted to God." To his friend and school com¬
panion, Mr. T. S. M., he said, "Farewell, my dear friend,
you have been a kind friend to me; may the Lord bless you
and your dear family." Then, turning to me again, he said,
" Tell my servants, Caroline and Solomon, my greatest de¬
sire for them, is, that they may be saved." I then asked
him, if he had any messages to send to his absent brothers
and his two old aunts. "Tell them I die in peace, and hope
they will prove faithful to the end in serving God." Once
more, turning to us all, he said, " I hope you will take care
of Margaret." These were some of the words he uttered
when we all thought him near his end. But he recovered
from this paroxysm, and his precious spirit remained with
us until half-past five o'clock Monday morning, when he fell
asleep in Jesus," without a sigh or groan. So quietly did
he go, that none of us were aware of it, until he had breathed
his last.
The day before he died. Dr. Jones and the Rev. Mr. A.,
came to see him, and remained in the village that night, that
they might witness the last scene. At one time he said to
Dr. Jones, "It is a great consolation to think of being bu¬
ried in my own churchyard by the side of my fathers, and
rise with them in the resurrection. Once I thought it of lit¬
tle consequence; but I think differently now." Dr. J. asked
him if he did not anticipate meeting his dear relatives in
Heaven, with delight ? "0 yes," he said, "it is like going
rev. peter winn.
349
home, and I can now say, Why delayeth thy coming ?" Pre¬
vious to this, his last night on earth, he could not lie down,
hut sat up in bed on account of the difficulty of respira¬
tion. Still, his sufferings at the last were not great. The
pain in his knee entirely ceased, and his cough did not an¬
noy him for many days previous to his death.
His funeral was held at my house. Six ministers were
present—four of them took part in the services; and his
remains were immediately conveyed to the graveyard at
Midway, where he now sleeps with the dust of his fathers.
And now, my dear , what use are we to make of this
solemn visitation of Providence, but by being more diligent
in making preparation for our own solemn change; The
voice of God is, "Be ye also ready." So let us "work while
it is day, before the night cometh when no man can work."
0, that this affliction might be sanctified to each member of
the family! If this Providence should be the means of
bringing those who are yet unconverted to a saving knowl¬
edge of Christ, what a happy event would it be! Let us
pray especially for the salvation of their souls. We are all
deeply afflicted, at the same time supported. We talk and
weep much together; but the language of our hearts is: "It
is the Lord, let him doeth what seemeth him good." We
have lost much, but Peter has gained Heaven, which will
make amends for all his sufferings. Friends have been kind,
exceedingly kind, and there are so many merciful providen¬
ces connected with the affliction, that we have cause to praise
and bless God for His loving kindnesses and tender mercies
toward us. So, farewell, my dear child; may the Lord sus¬
tain you, Under this afflictive bereavement, is the prayer of
your mother, Eliza Winn.
This letter [speaks out for itself. It needs no comment
from us. His end was just such an end as we might expect
from his previous life. He could say, "Though I walk
350
NECROLOGY.
through 'the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no
evil; for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staff they com¬
fort me." Who does not see, in the peaceful and triumph¬
ant end of the Christian, the value of true vital godliness ?
Who will say that he has served God for naught? Some
may have thought this young man was ever-taxing himself,
while he prosecuted his self-denying labors in his Master's
vineyard. But, his constant reply was, "I must work the
work of him who sent me and the result proved that he
was right. lie did not labor in vain. lie received his reward
in this life. It was worth all toil to be able to meet death
as he met it. How sublime the spectacle, [when suddenly
awoke out of deep sleep in the dead of night, and told that
he was dying, and was asked what message he had to send
certain kindred, he calmly said, " Tell them 1 die in peace."
A "noble declaration! A strong exhibition of sustaining
grace! A glorious attestation of the truth of Christianity!
Tell them 1 die in peace ! Years have rolled by, yet, as we
stand by his grave, and memory recalls the scenes of the
dying bed, we are comforted and cheered by the remembrance
of this message,—"Tell them I die in peace." Let the
reader of this memorial consider well, and go and do like¬
wise. Your time to die, my friend, will soon come. Friends
will gather around your dying couch. You, too, may be
asked, what message will you send to absent friends. Will
you be able to say, "Tell them I die in peace." Without
grace—without the presence of Christ—you will have no
such message to send. "Be ye also ready, for ye know not
the day nor the hour when the Son of Man cometh."
Such is a brief sketch of the life of the Rev. Peter Winn.
More might' be added; but enough ha3 been said to enable
us to form a correct opinion of his character. A few more
words, with regard to some of his peculiar traits of body and
mind, will close this memoriam.
Mr. Winn, in person, was about the ordinary size of men
REV. PETER WINN.
351
—somewhat tall, never fleshy and robust. He was .delicate
from childhood; originally very straight and erect; but, in
time, much bowed under the force of his disease. He was,
in early life, rather graceful in his movements—somewhat
attractive and preposessing in his appearance. His face,
the index of his mind, betokened intelligence, benignity, de¬
cision and sincerity. It was such a face as a stranger would
be pleased with. His complexion was fair, his hair dark, and
his eyes black, keen, and penetrating, and under the influ¬
ence of his disease, they shone with more than usual splen¬
dor. He was not a genius, yet a man of more than ordi¬
nary mental ability. He usually excelled in everything to
which he turned his attention. He had excellent adminis¬
trative ability, and was very exact and correct in all his bu¬
siness transactions. His energy, industry, and perseverance
were untiring. He accomplished what few men in his state
of health would have dared attempt. He travelled thousands
of miles, year after year, when he seemed more fit for the
siek bed than a wayfarer. As to his preaching ability, lit¬
tle is known. Strangers alone must testify on this point.
He never preached but twice in his native county—once at
at Midway, and once at Mt. Olivet. He was a modest,
humble, retiring man. Few lived at home so little, yet none
loved home more. Nothing but a stern sense of duty made
him a wanderer on the earth. He could be graceful and
dignified, yet he was so social and playful in disposition,
that a little child would naturally run into his arms. He
was very prudent, had an excellent knowledge of human na¬
ture, and could adapt himself !to any situation. He was
conciliatory and yielding, except when duty and principal
were at stake, then he feared not the face of man. He was
very conscientious: as a proof of this, when travelling in
the service of the Church, to save expense, he would take
his seat in the box car, rather than the passenger coach.
Until his connection ^with the Presbytery in 1813, he was
352
NECROLOGY.
only a private member of Midway Churcb, and although for
ten years never a resident of the county, and enjoying none
of its sancutary privileges, yet he usually sent his annual
contribution to the support of its pastor. This, too, to a
Church then strong and wealthy, needing no assistance at his
hands. But as a member of that Church, he felt it his duty
and privilege, and such as he could not forego.
It has already been said that he was passionately fond of
his mother. Her letter, describing his death-bed scene, not
only confirms this, but shows this passion strong in death.
It is very much doubted whether, after he had attained years
of discretion, he was ever known to disobey or offend her. He
loved his mother, and she, in turn, was fond of her noble boy.
She called him "her wandering son." It was hard for her to
see him year after year, in such feeble health, leave his
comfortable and pleasant home to dwell among strangers,
that he might bear the invitations of the gospel into "the
highways and hedges" of the earth. Many a tear did she
shed, and many a prayer did she offer in behalf of her "wan¬
dering son." But they are now united, where they part no
more, and weep no more,—where there is no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more
pain.
The character of young Winn is a very fine one : but let
no one suppose that we regard him as a perfect character.
None such now lives on earth—we are all a fallen race.
He was but "a man of like passions jwith ourselves." He
had his infirmities as other men—and no one was more sensi¬
ble of this than himself. He was a man of strong feelings
and high temper, which, especially in early life, would some¬
times break out with considerable impetuosity. This, how¬
ever, he was enabled, through Divince Grace, so well to con¬
trol, that even his most intimate friends were hardly aware
of it. But he knew it, and mourned over it to the day of his
death. If he excelled any of his cotemporaries, the praise
REV. PETER WINN.
353
is due to God alone, for, after all, the great element of his
greatness and usefulness was his ardent piety. Here lies
the secret, the moving-spring of all his usefulness. He was
a man of prayer, a man of faith. Day by day he walked
with God. He could, in truth, say: " The love of Christ
constraineth me." If any would attain his eminence in vir¬
tue and usefulness, they must obtain supplies from the same
inexhaustible fountain. " I am the light of the world,"
said the blessed Saviuur, "he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
All love the memory of the man whose character we have
attempted to portray in these pages. Friends admire, and
kindred cherish it. None are offended when told that Peter
was the "flower of the flock." They are thankful that God
was pleased to raise up such a man in their midst. His
name has become a household word among them. They love
to call their children "Peter Winn." But they love him
chiefly because he was good.
Though he left no children, may we not hope and pray
that his mantle may fall at least on some of his many sur¬
viving relatives ?
23
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
Edwin T. Williams was the youngest son of Richard
and Mary Williams, and was born in the city of Savannah,
Georgia, 12th of March, 1&26. His parents were devo¬
tedly pious, and trained up their loving and gentle child
in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. By one it has
been remarked, he "was beautifully obedient to his devoted
parents."
From early boyhood, Jesus seemed to have marked him
for his own. Perhaps, like the child Samuel, he was loaned
to the Lord, and, as he grew in days and years, he gave in¬
creasing promise of the high and holy destination to which
he had been appointed of his heavenly Father. lie grew in
strength before the Lord. He was not only the child of prayer,
but a fraying child. His love of the family altar, at which
the morning and evening incense of prayer and praise were of¬
fered, was remakable in one so young. He never appeared
to be happier than when allowed the privilege of attending
the family devotions. When other children were wrrapped in
slumber, he would patiently wait, however late the hour, that
he might unite in the household worship. His father's business
often detained him until a late hour from home ; yet, when
the other members of the family had retired, it was the sweet¬
est privilege of little Eddie's life to be permitted to sit up
"till his return, and go with him and his old nurse to pray¬
ers." His father was a man of prayer. The midnight
hour and the early morn often found him at the mercy-seat;
and often would his little boy, missing him from his side,
steal away and kneel with him at the throne of grace, when
others were buried in sleep. Though but a child,
" He knew tbe worth of prayer,
And wished to be often there."
354
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
355
What can be more beautiful than such a picture of infant
piety ? We love to contemplate the youthful piety of a Sam¬
uel ofvflw&Old Testament.^imes, and a Timotl^y ofsthe New;
but in ^v, very few, instances-has, it been'miore fqll^devel-
opM'thjfn in him whose memorial is' our :"|)rivir£gecnow to
write. We are pleased to ppt it on record, ftiat it^jJiy hap¬
pily influence other parentsj^vho may read these memoirs,
to seek for their dear little ones the grace conferred upon
this child of the covenant.
That he was the subject of Divine grace, perhaps from
early infancy, we can hardly doubt. There is no period re¬
collected by the family, when he manifested t^ose exercises
of heart, usually attendent upon the converting opera¬
tions of the Iloly Spirit—conviction, sorrow, inquiry for the
way of life, and joy of the new-born soul. Says his sister :
"It would be difficult to say when the Holy Spirit first op¬
erated upon his young heart, he was always so lovely in dis¬
position—a heart so full of love." May we not conclude
that he was sanctified from the womb ?
His devotion to his parents was groat. His father died
while he was yet of tender years; but the example, admoni¬
tions and training of that beloved parent were never for¬
gotten. Wherever he was, whether at home or abroad,
whether in his native land, or upon distant heathen shores,
the influence of that father was still felt and reverently
cherished. In his fifteenth year he made a public profession
of religion, and united with the Independent Presbyterian
Church in Savannah.
HIS EDUCATION.
When he was nine years old, he was sent with his sister
(now Mrs. Gibbs, of. St. Augustine) to a school at Edgefield,
S. C., taught by Dr. William Johnson, a Baptist clergyman,
well 'known in that region as an educator of youth. But he
here remained only a few months. Such was the earnest
356
NECROLOGY.
yearning of his heart for the pleasant and pious home of his
childhood, that he was recalled.
In less than a year after his return to his home, his father
deid. He remained at home after his father's death until about
his fifteenth year, probabjy attending the schools of" his na¬
tive city. He was then sent by his mother to a school at
Wilmington, Delaware, taught^Jby a Mr. Gayley. He is
represented as being an excellent gentleman, and who was
ever fondly remembered by his pulpil, and, in return, was
loved and respected by his teacher and all his fellow-pupils.
Subsequent to his attendance of Mr. Gayley's school, he spent
some time at Hadley, Mass., having at that time a brother,
a member of Amherst College. Whether he attended school
at Hadley or not, we are not informed. It is probable that
he was still pursuing his studies. He returned to Savannah. It
was then that his missionary spirit began to manifest itself.
It is, however, probable that he first imbibed this spirit when
a child, as he often attended his father to the prayer meetings
among the negroes dn his plantation. He always loved to
speak to that people of Jesus and his salvation, and doubtless
his mind was even then turned to Africa, which became
eventually his field of labor. But, not only did the negroes
engage his attention, but he embraced every opportunity for
doing good to the souls of men. His evenings were then
often spent in distributing tracts and books—in talking to
and praying with the countrymen, who with their carts around
the " Old Market," had brought their produce for sale.
Here he would tell them of the Saviour, and publish the
glad tidings of salvation. Thus, a youth dedicated to
Christ's service, each year gave evidence of his strong and
active faith. He must be about his Father's business ; and
onward to the end with Apostolic zeal, Christ and his cross
filled his heart, and employed his hands.
In his eighteenth year, we find him teaching school near
Wilmington, Del., in the family of a Mr. Dupont, for the pur-
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
357
pose of securing means to enable him to enter Princeton Col¬
lege. From the necrological record of the College, furnished
by Prof. II. C. Cameron, we find that he must have matricu¬
lated in 1847, though the year is not noted, as he entered
the Sophomore class and was graduated in 1850. The same
year, 1850, he entered the Princeton Theological Seminary,
and completed the prescribe^ course of three years in 1853.
While a student at Princeton, he laborod diligently, as he
did in every other place of his abode in his Divine Master's
cause. He often spoke of this period of his life with great
delight and gratitude, as being among the most successful
and pleasant. He said God had honored his weak efforts
for the salvation of many precious souls. He spoke especi¬
ally of a Bible class of nine young ladies, whom it was his
privilege to instruct. Of the nine, eight gave their hearts
to Jesus while he was with them. One alone, he remarked,
seemed indifferent For her, his soul struggled in prayer,
bearing her up in the arms of his faith, and earnestly en¬
treating that she might be brought to the acknowledgment
of the truth as it is in Christ. But still she remained ap¬
parently uuconcerned. Yet, after all, it appeared that a cov¬
enant-keeping God was faithful to his promises—his pray¬
ers were answered.
Long years after, while laboring on the dark shores of
Africa, he received a letter written in London, from that
same lady, which filled his heart with joy. She had only
seemed indifferent. The seed sown had sprung up and brought
forth fruit to the glory of God. She hailed him as her
spiritual father. Of these nine ladies, three became mis¬
sionaries in other lands. Thus God honors 'the labors of his
servants. Who would not love and serve such a Mas¬
ter ? Jan. 1st, 1853, he offered himself as a missionary to the
Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church, and
was accepted, and assigned to the African field Jan. 17th,
1853. After completing his Theological course, he was li-
358
NECROLOGY.
censed by the Presbytery of Georgia, and was'ordained by the
same in the summer of 1853, and sailed from New York for
Corisco, "Western Africa, November 8th, 1853. '-'Corisco is
an island very nearly under the equator, and fourteen hun¬
dred miles to the east, and south of Monrovia in Liberia,
the American Colony of free blacks. It is a small but beau¬
tiful island, about twenty miles from the main land. It is
not more than four or five miles in length, and half that in
width. It has several high hills crowned with beautiful
palms and oalmettoes. This mission wa3 founded in 1850,
by Messrs. Mackey and Simpson, assisted by Rev. J. Leigh-
ton Wilson, D. D., then missionary at the Gaboon, from
which it was distant fifty or sixty miles." Previous to his em¬
barkation for Africa, he married his first wife, a Miss Sallie
Dupree, daughter of the Rev. Mr. Dupree, a minister of
the Methodist Episcopal Church, near Charleston, S. C. Says
one: " She was a very interesting and talented lady."
Mr. Williams remained at Corisco only some two or three
months, when he was compelled to return to this country on
account of the failure of his wife's health. She died a short
time after their return at Morristown, N. J. It was during
his stay at Corisco, that the missionary buildings were con¬
sumed by fire, by which he lost his papers and journals—
otherwise we might be able to give a more full and satisfac¬
tory history of that mission than we can now present.
He returned to New York, May 1st, 1854. After the
death of Mrs. W., he went South, and spent some time in
presenting the cause of Foreign Missions to the Churches.
Upon his return northward, he spent a year or more in the
Domestic Missionary work, in connection with the congrega¬
tion of the Rev. Dr. James W. Alexander, in New York
City.
In January, 1856, his thoughts were again earnestly di¬
rected to the subject of returning to the Foreign Missionary
work. It seems probable that this was a suggestion of Dr.
SLEV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
359
Alexander. A school had been founded in Monrovia, Libe¬
ria, Africa, called the "'Alexander High School," perhaps in
honor of Dr. Archibald Alexander. Of course, his son felt
a deep interest in its success. At that time the Rev. D. A.
Wilson, of Pennsylvania, was at its head. No one seemed to
be better qualified for the post than Bro. Williams. The
record in his jounral of the interviews with Dr. A. on the
subject, gives a pleasing exhibition of these two good men,
as they contemplated the importance of the work. Though
it would be a much more laborious one than the field he now
occupied, (that of a Domestic Missionary in the city of New
York,) yet, it would be more simple, and there was no com¬
parison between'his present field and Africa. The conclu¬
sion arrived at, was, that he should go to Africa as a teacher
and missionary in the Alexander High School. Arrange¬
ments were, therefore, immediately put on foot for his de¬
parture. But, before leaving for his new field of labor, he
determined to visit his native place, and once more hold com¬
munion with his dear friends, and bid them farewell—perhaps
a final farewell. Accordingly, he left New York on the 5th of
Feb. 1855, proceeded South, visiting Princeton, Willmington,
Del., (where he had received much of his early education) Rich¬
mond, Davidson College, Columbia, Charleston, and St. Au¬
gustine the farthest point South, where he arrived on the 11th
or 12th of April. After visiting friends and relations in St.
Augustine, Jacksonville, Savannah, and Charleston, he sailed
thence for New York on the 17th of May, where he arrived
on the 20th of May. lie paid a short visit to Morristown,
N. J., where reposed thet dust of her so often referred to in
his journals as "My dear Sallie, my precious wife." His
arrangements having been completed for his voyage to Li¬
beria, he embarked on board the schooner Cortes, on the 7th
of June, 1856. After the parting religious services on board
the ship, wrhich were conducted by the Rev. Drs. J. C. Low-
rie and J. Leighton Wilson, of the Missionary Board, the
360
NECROLOGY.
vessel dropped down to Sandy Hook, whence she sailed on
the 9th, at 1 P. M., and he notes in his dairy, " by sunset,
my native land had faded well nigh from view." There is
but one entry in his jonrnal during the voyage. That was
made on the 12th of June: " The anniversary of my precious
wife's dying day." It was a day he never forgot, whether
on sea or land—amid the toils and self-denials of missionary
life, or the sweet charities of home and Christian society.
He arrived in Monrovia on the 17th of July, 1856. A
few days afterward, he entered upon his work in the school.
The mathematical department was the principal field of in¬
struction assigned him. He preached as he had opportu¬
nity, and imparted religious instruction to his classes. His
life seems to have been very monotonous. He soon began
to feel the unhealthiness of the climate. Indeed, we find
him taking quinine within three days after his arrival, rather,
we suppose, as a preventive, than from any real indisposition-
Chills and fever were to be guarded against,—the acclima¬
ting African fever. In December, he made his missionary
tour up the St. Paul's River. During this journey, he vis-
ted several native towns, and preached by aid of an interpre¬
ter. In the same month he made a second missionay tour " to
visit other heathen towns." He gives us the names of sev¬
eral of these towns, such as "Gains' town, Gizi's town, Jalipa's
town, Ebo's town," and his reflections on what he saw in these
journeyings among the heathen are deeply interesting, but
too extensive to be given here. In January, 1857, he ex¬
perienced his first attack of chills, probably induced by his
travels in the interior. Of the danger of these journeys in the
country, he remarks he had been warned by President Ben¬
son and others. But we find him in a few days again in the
school room in the active discharge of his duties. In March,
1857, his fellow-laborer, Rev. D. A. Wilson, left him and
returned to the United States with his family. This was a sore
trial to him. He thus notes this incident in his journal of the 17
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
361
March, 1857: "Accompanied them to McGills wharf—many
tears of parting friends—hastened up to the light-house, and
sat till dark, when the anchor seemed weighed and them¬
selves on their way. I wept on the cape and on the rock,
this evening, engaged in meditation, self-examination and
prayer in view of my responsibilities and need of Divine
grace. I was filled with much trembling in view of my sins;
but enabled, I trust,to triumph in Christ, as my righteousness
and substitute. I am left alone, yet how? Is not God my
heavenly Father, my Saviour here ? They have not gone to
America. Then let me, trusting in Ilim, go cheerfully,
prayerfully, and hopefully to my work. God's dealings
with me are all mercy, mercy, mercy; my returns are in¬
gratitude and sin." He felt the responsibility now devolved
on him, more sensibly, in this, that the business transactions
of the Mission had been hitherto carried on by Mr. Wilson-
These'duties were now necessarily assumed by him. He
notes his gratificiation upon discovering, a day or two after,
among the books left by Mr. W., a copy of Mahew on book¬
keeping. He remarks, that he esteemed it quite providen¬
tial, since if was just what he needed to guide him in business
operations. In the same month he had a return of chills
and fever, and began fully to realize the enervating influ¬
ence of the climate. He complains of his inability to think
or compose his mind for anything.
As we trace the life and labors of the missionary on a for¬
eign shore, and in a sickly climate, far separated from the sweet
charities of his native home, we are impressed more and more
with his need of sustaining grace. Who but the Christain^
endued with a high degree of spirituality, and enjoying intimate
communion and fellowship with his Saviour, could main¬
tain a cheerful spirit, exposed daily to sickness and dangers of
a speedy death. Nothing but a faith that triumphs, as seeing
him who is invisible, can give courage at such a time. In
confirmation of this, we quote from the journal of Bro. Wil-
362
NECROLOGY.
liams. When he was left alone by the return of his fellow-labor¬
er to the United States, suffering, illness and solitariness, he
says: "I am reminded oftentimes of the possibility of my
dying here. But, through grace it does not alarm me. It
leads me to apply more earnestly to Jesus for an assured
interest in his blood, and to lea?e myself at his disposal.
Visions of home and loved ones often appear bright before me,
but, here is my duty, and here, therefore, is my Saviour :
here is my choice. I only pray for grace to be worthy of
him." Ilis journals exhibit little else than alternations
of chills and fever through the ensuing summer; yet, at¬
tending to his duties in the school, preaching occasionally,
and conducting the business of the Mission, which he
found exceedingly perplexing. Exhausted by repeated at¬
tacks.and incessant dabors, on the 8th of November he was
staicken down by congestion of the brain. He thus re¬
cords the facts after his recovery •: " Eventful day! Brought
to the brink of the eternal world ; unconscious of my situa¬
tion, I can only record what my friends have since commu¬
nicated to me." He writes again on the 11th of November:
"4-woke to consciousness—to a sense of my still'feeble con¬
dition, and to some appreciation of the greatness of my
deliverence. I trust if I had been called away, through riches
of sovereign grace alone, I should have been received up
into heaven."
It became evident that he needed a change of climate, and
that he must be relieved, at least for a season, from his du¬
ties to recuperate his wasted strength. Providentially, a
very excellent opportunity was soon presented, which he at
once embraced. On the 14th of November, the United
States frigate Cumberland, belonging to the African Squad¬
ron, was at Monrovia, bound to the Cape de Verd Islands.
Application was made to her commander, Commodore Cono-
ver, to grant him a passage to his destination, which was
readily and kindly granted. The next day he.went aboard
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
863
and was generously welcomed by the Commodore and Cap¬
tain Missroon, and sailed at noon the same day. Translated
from the miasmatic atmosphere of the Liberian coast to the
pure and exhilerating air of the Atlantic, he is soon restored
to his native buoyancy of spirit, and enters upon his work
of doing good, collectingf^he mariners in the bows, preach¬
ing to them, and instructing the boys in a Bible-class. On
the 30th of November, at daylight they made the Island of
Mayo, one of the Cape de Yerd group. He describes this
Island as rugged, a bare mountainous surface, without any
vegetation, save in the valleys. One high mountain or hill,
a thousand or two feet high, capped with white stones. The
Northeast trade-winds prevail here. There is mueh table¬
land, from 100 to 400 feet elevation; the soil is unproduc¬
tive, parched, and but one spring on the Island. On the
Southwest, a sandy bay, called English bay, within which is
the town and extensive salt-pans, abundance of fish, which,
with a few vegetables, afford the only food of the inhabitants,
who are Portugese and Blacks." Leaving Mayo, St. Jago
soon loomed in sight, being only fifteen miles distant, ex¬
ceedingly rugged, and equal in barreness to Mayo ; the shore
precipitous, 800 or 1000 feet in places, and sufficient depth
of water to sail within a stone's throw of the shore. Here
they anchored off Porto Praya, about dinner time, having
been about two weeks from Monrovia. This was the desti¬
nation of the ship, and found the ship St. Louis still await¬
ing her relief, and the store-ship. There they remained
until the 25th of December, when the Yincennes arrived from
the United States to relieve the Cumberland. He spent his
time very pleasantly at Porto Praya, on board of ship, and
in rambles about the town and the Island; the inhabitants
are mostly negroes, described as wretchedly ignorant and
immoral. Having taken leave of the officers and crew of the
Cumberland he wa3 transferred on board the Yincennes,
which was bound down the coast to Cape Palmas. On the
364
NECROLOGY.
27th of December, we find him again at sea, driven on by "a
stiff Northeast trade-wind, with miserable health and miser¬
able weather." He writes, so violent was the storm that they
could not have divine service on the Sabbath. On the 80th
and 31st of December, they were becalmed, and on the 3d of
January, 1858, they made Sierra Leone. There he spent
several days pleasantly, being entertainod kindly by the
missionaries of the United Brethren and the Lady Hunting¬
don Church. On Sabbath, the 10th of January, the ship
weighed anchor and put to sea. January 19th, made Cape
Mount, hoped to have reached Monrovia Sunday, but the
weather being unfavorable, came to anchor. On the 20th,
at 8 o'clock, Cape Mesurado appeared in view—took a boat
at 1 o'clock and was soon at his mission home, after an ab¬
sence of some two months. He says, " I was brought off in
a chair; I return well." He met with a warm reception
from his many friends who rejoiced to receive him safe and
sound. A few days, and he is again at his post in the school.
But, although restored to health and comfort by journeyings
at Bea, he is not shielded from the assaults of disease. His
old enemy, chill and fever, attacked him again, in the follow¬
ing March. In April, he again left his home, and went to
Harrisburg, a village on the hills, hoping to find exemption
from sickness in the purer atmosphere of that elevated re¬
gion, but was evidently disappointed. Almost every page
of his journal is marked fever, fever again. He returned to
Monrovia about the middle of May, and continues to write,
almost every day, chill and hot fever. On the 26th of May,
he was invited by the officers of the United States ship
Marion, then in port, to go to Cape Palmas, whither she was
bound. He accepted the invitation, and went aboard on the
26th. Every provision was made for his comfort. He vis¬
ited, on this voyage, many of the towns on the coast, such as
the Bassa people, Fish town, Rock town, and Garroway, and
June 3d, reached Cape Palmas. Having spent several weeks
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
365
visiting many places on the coast, he returned to his home the
last of July. Here he remained conducting the business of
the Mission, until January, 1859, when he left again and
proceeded down the coast to attend Presbytery at Sinoe.
On this trip, he visited Greenville, Bassa Cove, Edina and
Buchannan. He returned to Monrovia on the 13th of Feb¬
ruary. At length, enfeebled by constant ill health he deter¬
mined to return to the United States. It was a day of ten¬
der and affecting farewells when he took his leave of the peo¬
ple. The children gathered around him, and told him of
their Christian hopes, and bade him adieu. On the 5th of
June, 1859, he embarked on the brig President Benson.
After being at sea thirty-seven days, he reached the Chesa¬
peake Bay, and Baltimore, July 11th, 1859. Thence he
visited Philadelphia, New York and Morriston, New Jersey,
where his wife was buried. After spending several months
in the Northern and New Englond churches, present¬
ing the cause of Foreign Missions, he returned to his native
South and bosom of his own loved family. "Again and
again," says his sister, Mrs. Gibbs, of St. Augustine,
after going down almost to the brink of the river, where
Jesus was ever his joy, God was pleased to restore him to
health and strength, a little longer to bear the cross." Dur¬
ing the year 1860, he traveled much as agent for the Mission¬
ary cause, both North and South. It was his desire to re¬
turn to Africa to his chosen work, but the war intervening,
he was constrained to abandrn the idea. The first year of
the war he preached to a small church in Bryan county, Ga.,
near Savannah. He was present at the meeting of the first
Confederate General Assembly, in Augusta, December, 1861.
In that year he received a call from the Presbyterian Church
in Quincy, Florida. As he could not return to his chosen
field of labor he felt it to be his duty to accept it. He travel¬
ed extensively during this year among the churches of Florida
and Georgia. In May 1861, he went North, passing by rail
necrology.
to Louisville. At Atlanta he encountered troubles of which the
writer of these pages has some knowledge. He thus remarks
in his journal, " Realized this morning that war has been in¬
augurated in the land. Suspicions were excited by our bag¬
gage, especially one, a strange trunk, mischecked as Mrs.
Numan, at Macon. A mob, fierce and determined, gathered
on the platform and spoke threateningly—heard them speak
ef hanging." His baggage was examined, but nothing found
wrong. He received a certificate to that effect from the
Mayor, and proceeded without farther molestation on his
journey. He accepted the call to become the pastor of the
Quincy Church, and probably removed to that place some¬
time in 1862, (for with 1861, his written journal closes and
we have no certain dates as to the time of the commence¬
ment of his labors in that field.) He was installed Pastor in
1853. He contracted a second marriage, which was consum¬
mated November 12th, 1863, with Mary Catherine, daugh¬
ter of Judge William Fleming, of Savannah.
He continued to labor in this place with great success, and
acceptableness to the people. Early in the month of August,
1866, he was attacked with erysipelas, and on the 9th of that
month he died.
The following note was addressed to his sister on the day
following, informing her of his decease :
August 10th, 1866.
You have heard, my dear Mrs. Gibbs, of the death of your
dear brother, and our beloved pastor. I have taken my pen
at the request of Mrs. Williams, to say to you, how much she
would like to see you, in her sad affliction. She is as com¬
posed as we could expect under the circumstances. Oh! my
dear Mrs. Gibbs, we have all been sorely afflicted. That
dear man has passed from us so suddenly that we can, as yet,
scarcely realize it. It was my privilege to be with him part
of the last two nights of his life. He must have suffered the
rev. edwin t. williams.
367
first night, as the disease was so rapid, so very rapid. Both
Doctors pronounced his case the most progressive they have
ever known, and they had had much experience in the war
with his disease—erysipelas. Not even a groan was heard.
He could say but little, as he soon lost his consciousness, but
I heard him say, " Oh ! whether I live, may I live unto the
Lord, and whether I die may I die unto the Lord!" I think
he had no hopes ol himself, a very few hours after he was
taken ill. Indeed, he was too pure a spirit for this sinful
world, and God took him to Himself. Way our prayer be
that this great affliction may be sanctified to us all. Though
being dead he yet speaketh, " be ye also ready."
Mr. Orane preached his funeral sermon Thursday, to a
very crowded house. Dr. DuBose will preach to-morrow,
and will write his obituary.
Believe me to be, your sympathizing friend,
S. R. Gilchrist.
"VYe have now followed the footsteps of this godly man from
childhood to the closing scene of life's short journey. Four
times he crossed the Atlantic : many months and years he
spent on the African coast. We find him journeying and
visiting all the most important points on that dark and sickly
coast from the Isle of Corisco under the Equator to the Cape
deVerd Islands, 15 degrees north latitude, either in prose¬
cution of his work or seeking health and strength. Ilis
record for diligence and zeal will well compare with the most
zealous of those Apostolic men who have gone forth into the
heathen world to make known the gospel of salvation. None
but those who have had the inspection of his private journals
can form any correct estimate of his inner spiritual life.
These journals, consisting of six closely written volumes, un¬
fold a life of earnest action, of uniform piety, of fervent zeal
for the glory of God, and the salvation of all with whom he
hud intercourse. Not only at his missionary home, but when
868
necrology.
travelling by land or sea, to regain his wasted strength, did
he labor without intermission to promote the spiritual welfare
of those around him. When he goes to the Cape deYerd
Islands on board the United States ship Cumberland, he
labors diligently among the mariners, by forming Bible
classes and preaching. When transferred to the Yincennes,
on his return to Monrovia, he is again employed in the same
work; and so wherever he went it was his meat and his
drink to be doing good as he had opportunity. Ilis life and
labors contrast favorably with those of Brainard, Eliot,
Henry Martin and Moffat in doing the will of his Heavenly
Father, and spreading the knowledge of the Saviour.
His journals bear testimony, not only to the fact that he
was diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord,
but that he was an observant man. Nothing escaped his
watchful eye, whether on shore or on shipboard. He travers¬
ed the Island of St. Jago, while lying at anchor off Porto
Praya, on foot—ascended its volcanic mountains—notices it
peculiar formation—its trees—the production of its soil—
the character of its debased inhabitants. So did he at Sierra
Leone.
His correspondence gives proof of a tender and affectionate
heart. His attachment to his relatives and friends was ar¬
dent. We give an extract or two from letters addressed to
his sister. The first was written when at school, near Wil¬
mington, Del., in 1845. We would have the reader particu-
ly note the pious and devotional spirit pervading these ex¬
tracts. The same spirit is manifest in all he ever wrote, eith¬
er journals or correspondence—when young or more advanc¬
ed in years. They bear evidence of a heart deeply imbued
with the love of Christ. But to the extract:—
"Dear Sister Laura : Here I am again writing to ber,
'whom in very truth my soul loveth,' and who, though far ab¬
sent, beyond the privilege of social intercourse, still in thought,
imagination, and fond remembrance, is ever present, yea,
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
369
within the deep and welcome recesses of my earnest heart.
Your sisterly communication came joyfully to hand a week
or two since, and would have been immediately answered, had
not I written the week before. For the advice given me, as
endeavoring to maintain a cheerful spirit in all my religious
intercouse, I thank you, and shall so far esteem it, as that it
shall be my constant aim, in the strength of the Lord, to cul¬
tivate this sweet spirit of our Saviour to the utmost of my
ability. Such a walk, if consistant, I feel assured will do
more to recommend the religion of the cross to those uninter¬
ested in its holy realities, than a thousand examples of an op¬
posite character; for if the Christian pilgrim who journeys,
leaning on the bosom of his Saviour, and oftiraes from many
a Pisgah's top * surveys the landscape o'er,' should not re¬
joice with joy exceeding and full of glory—tell me who should?
Should not he rejoice, who, though wandering in a barren wil¬
derness, yet has given him by his Father, God, the grapes and
figs, and rich pomegranates of hi3 heavenly Escholas an
earnest or foretaste of the promised land: under such circum¬
stances, and with the everlasting arms of Jesus for his sup¬
port in life, in death, and eternal glory, where, 0 where !—
search the wide world o'er—can gloom be found ?
"What though our inward lusts rebel,
" Tis' but a struggling garp for life;
" The weapons of victories grace,
" Shall slay our sins
" And end the strife."
Soon shall we hear our Father say,' Come ye blessed-child¬
ren inherit the Kingdom; soon will he call us hence, and
take his wanderers home; soon shall our raptured tongues.,
His endless praise proclaim, and sweeter voices tune the
song of Moses and the Lamb."
The above extract presents a pleasing picture of an affec¬
tionate pious youth, distant from his native home and much
loved relatives.
24
370
NECROLOGY.
The following extract, is from a letter addressed to the
.same beloved sister from Monrovia, dated November, 1858,
consoling her under a heavy bereavement she had experienc¬
ed. It shows his sympathy and resources of comfort for the
heart stricken. After mentioning his own condition, health,
jand prospects, he observes : "Little did I dream that this year
.would prove one of such overwhelming grief to your heart. But
we need not be surprised at this; God gives not account to
any of his creatures, of his purposed and specific dealings
.with them. The/ are too deep, too mysteriously, yet sure¬
ly and graciously, iuterwovcn with the wonderous complexi¬
ties of his providence; our finite minds could not grasp their
innumerable relations, nor see how in ten thousand times ten
thousand ways, they are to promote the glory of the Saviour,
and effect the welfare of the entire people of God. But this
.one thing our heavenly Father does to all his children, to
all who are his in Christ Jesus, to all such he utters the sweet
assurance—4 All is well; it is I, be not afraid.' All things
shall work together for good, to them that love God, to them
who are the called, according to his purpose. * *
"Whatever brings Je3us near, makes his love and presence
more desirable and precious, shut out from our view this
world, and opens more clearly heaven and the beauties of ho¬
liness in that upper world. These are truly gracious gifts
of God; and however hot, they are the furnace of infinite
love and tenderness. So I believe you will find it to be the
case in the death of dear George; and the more precious,
the more reflecting the Saviour's grace and tenderness, by
so much the more as was the affliction keen and poignant.
Trust in Jesus—seek rather to have the stroke sanctified to
you and the whole family, and the Church; seek rather to
have Jesus glorified, than to have the wound healed. I only
pray God may help me to say something which may lead to
this result. "This is the will of God, even your sanctifica-
tion,' and the Saviour who came to do the Father's will,
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
371
already seems to be beginning this blessed work in your lieart.
Then,
" With patient mind thy course of duty run;
God nothing does, nor suffers to be done,
But thou would'st do thyself, if thou could'st see,
The end of all he docs as well as he."
Here we have not only the gospel assurance that all things
work together for good to them that love God, but the addition¬
al and comforting consideration,that God in his infinite wisdom
and love, is only doing in his most afflictive dealings with us,
what we would do ourselves, if we could see the end of all he
does, as well as he. Jesus knows the malady of every heart,
the peculiar dangers to which each one is exposed, and he
knows the remedies,—so our prayer should be in our afflic¬
tion, that it may please God to draw off the heart from earth¬
ly attachments—from the pursuit of its riches, honors, pleas¬
ures and cares—that our affections should not be set on the
things on the earth, but on things above where Christ sitteth
at the right hand of God ; yea upon Christ himself. It is he
who is only our life, and happiness, and wisdom, and it is on¬
ly when we shall find in him our all that we shall glorify him
as we ought, and be perfectly blessed in his love! 0 for
grace to know nothing on earth save Jesus Christ and him cru<-
cified—to know no other love, no other hope, no other ser¬
vice but his ; and welcome through his grace whatever furna¬
ces, heated never so many times hotter than they are wont to
be heated, if only they are to comsume our dross, and make
us fitter subjects for our Saviour's work and praise.
God will have us to serve the Lord our God with all our
hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, and all our
minds. But to this our carnal, worldly minds are naturally
opposed. The dross of sin and corruption must, therefore,
be consumed—God cannot, will not suffer his pure gold to be
lost or injured. The furnace is necessary and into it, heated
not one whit less, not one whit more than Jesus determines,
372
NECROLOGY.
lie casts his gold. Not one among the millions of the redeem¬
ed in glory, but has passed through these very furnaces, and
have felt the presence of one like unto the Son of Man, sus¬
taining, cheering and encouraging them with hopes of the final
and glorious consummation! But,dear sister, let us wait; kiss
every rod, honor Jesus before the world, and for the comfort
of all his other sorrowing children,by yielding sweet and cheer¬
ful acquiescence to the most afflictive of his dispensations—un¬
furl every sail, and spread them wide, that you may be waft¬
ed,the sooner, by every blast of sorrow into the haven of eternal
rest; and if God would have more of our poor sinful hearts by
thus dealing with us, 0 let him have them. * I see God is deter¬
mined to have all my heart, and he shall have it,' said a lady
with deep Christian submission, when she received news of
the drowning of two of her children, whom she tenderly loved.
It is recorded of an ancient patriarch, who, upon the announce¬
ment of the death of all his children, 'arose and rent his man-
tie and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground,
and worshipped, and said, naked came I out of my mothers
womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and
the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.'
And said the Saviour,' He that loveth wife or children more
than me is not worthy of me.' A martyr was once asked
whether ho did love his wife and children, who stood weep¬
ing by him ? Love them ! yes, said he, if all the world were
gold and at my disposal, I would give it all for the satisfac¬
tion of living with them, though it were in a prison. Yet in
comparison with Christ, I love them not.' This is the spirit
which honors Christ."
We trust we shall be forgiven by the reader of this me¬
moir, for the long extract. Our object has been to exhibit
the spirit of this servant of Christ—his tender and affection¬
ate condolence with his bereaved sister—and may we not hope
that his words may bring comfort to some other stricken
heart.
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
373
Bat it is time to bring to a close this brief sketch of the
life and services of our departed brother—not because there
is want of material for a much more extended and elaborate
record of the life, trials, and labors of this servant of Christ.
But the record is not needed on earth—it is on high. Ilis
name and works are in the book of Divine remembrance.
In summing up his character as a man, a scholar, a theolo¬
gian, a pastor, and an efficient laborer in his Master's vine¬
yard, we shall now turn to the declarations of those who knew
him best, and loved him most.
We quote again from the Necrological Record of Nassau
Ilall: " A man of fair talents and good scholarship, of kind¬
ly manners and loving disposition, he was still more remark¬
able for his ardent, active and humble piety, for his intense
devotion to the work of saving souls. In this respect ho was
a model, and seemed to lose no occasion of doing good to oth¬
ers. Those who knew him while in Princeton and in the
foreign field need nothing to remind them of his earnest
Christ-like piety; to others, the devotion of his life to Africa
and the spiritual benefit of the colored race, will be a proof
of his character, and a testimony to all of the truth and pow¬
er of that religion which he professed."
But let us draw nearer and hear from those who stood in
the more endearing and intimate relation of a people to whom,
as a pastor, he broke the bread of life. The following trib¬
ute of respect and love was paid to his memory by the con¬
gregation of the Presbyterian Church of Quincy :
" Whereas, Almighty God, merciful and gracious and just,
has been pleased in his inscrutable Providence, to visit the
members and the congregation of the Presbyterian Church of
Quincy, with a sad distressing affliction, in the death of our
beloved pastor, Rev. E. T. Williams, the devoted Christian,
and eminently a man of prayer, which occurred at 3 o'clock
on Thursday morning. 9th inst., at the parsonage, after two
days and a half of severe illness. And as such a dispensa-
NECROLOGY.
tion should, at all times, make every one pause and reflect on
their latter end, and a coming judgment, and especially, those
who have been closely and intimately connected by the en¬
dearing relationship of pastor and people, shepherd and flock,
going out and coming in together, as they are journeying
through this fast fading, and unsatisfying world, toward that
heavenly inheritance, incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth
not away. Therefore be it resolved,
That we as a Church and congregation, do humble ourselves
in the dust, mourning over our sins committed against a holy
pure and righteous God, and our great neglect in following
the bright and godly example of him who has been taken away
from us ; his devotion and unexampled prayerfulness not on¬
ly for his own flock, but for all Adam's fallen race—and
praying that we may be enabled to "consider our ways, and
live more in the discharge of the duties devolving on
the professed followers of the meek and humble Nazarene—
Jesus the sinners friend—so that God would have mercy on us,
and turn away his anger, and send us another under shepherd
to go in andoutbefore us, breaking unto us the bread of eter¬
nal life, and that he would'be our God, and'that we may be his
people.
Resolved, That we,as a church and congregation, greatly sym
pathize with the afflicted and bereaved widow of our departed
Pastor, praying that God would remember her and the fath¬
erless children giving to her all the comfort and consolation
so richly promised in his blessed word ; and that he would be
a pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night, to guide
and guard mother and children as they journey through this
wilderness world.
Resolved, That the widow of our beloved pastor be furnish¬
ed with a copy of the above preamble and resolutions."
We now come to the estimate his own fellow Presbyters
put upon him, in the fallowing Memorial:
REV. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS.
375
MEMORIAL
OF REY. EDWIN T. WILLIAMS,
Adopted by the Presbytery of Florida, April 13th, 1867.
When God speaks to us by His chastisements, it is fit that
we submit, and bow before Him in deep humility. It is our
place to hold our peace, and ponder the words of eternal
truth, What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know
hereafter. Truly God's ways are not our ways, nor His
thoughts our thoughts. Had we taken the roll of the Pres-
O C
bytery one year ago, to glance over its names, and select
those who, in our judgment, would most probably cross the
flood first, it is very likely that brother Williams would have
been among the last thought of. To all human appearance,
he would have been left to record our departure, not we to
mourn him. He was cut down in the vigor of manhood,
while he was bearing the burden and heat of the day, and
apparently indispensable to the Church. His work, how¬
ever, was done, his mansion was ready, and the Lord took
him to Himself.
To murmur at such a providence would be to commit a
great sin. Rather, let us thank God for the gift of such a
man, though for a short season, to his struggling Church,
and gird ourselves to more manly efforts, to greater diligence
and higher aims, that we may be ready when our change
comes.
Those who knew him best will testify that while he en¬
joyed a measure of faith, which few attain, he was at times,
sorely troubled by the enemy, and his conflicts were fearful;
lut he knew whom he believed, the Lord was his strong
tower, to Hi in he fled for refuge, by prayer and supplica¬
tion, and thus he triumphed, and became renowned for his
power in prayer.
He was pre-eminently a man of prayer. He prayed with¬
out ceasing; by the wayside, in the closet, in the groves, as
37G
KECROLOGr.
well as in the sanctuary; and not only so, but he agonized
and wrestled before his God, that His kingdom might be
established, not only in his own heart, ""but in the hearts of
all men.
In his spirit and temper, he was gentle, pure and lovely;
and whether he moved in the social circle, the Presbytery,
or among his own flock, he was alike the same affectionate
friend, and the same devoted follower of Christ, in all his
thoughts, words and actions. So entirely was he absorbed
in the realities of the eternal world, that the glory of God
and the good of man were his meat and drink.
As a minister of the Gospel, he was zealous, able and
faithful. None who knew him will forget his tender sympa¬
thy for the suffering, his forbearance toward the erring, and
his efforts to restore them. His pulpit exercises were al¬
ways sound, solemn and impressive, and always abounding
in Scripture illustrations suited to all classes of men, so that
saint and sinner might receive their own portion in due
Reason.
His scientific and theological education was prosecuted
and finished at Princeton, where his mind was imbued with
the spirit of missions, and early in his ministry, in 1853, he
was sent out by the Board to Africa, where he labored with
encouragement for several years. But, in the providence of
God he was compelled to return to his native land, on ac¬
count of his health, which was much impaired by diseases
peculiar to that benighted land; and though he wished, and
even longed to return to his station, the door was closed, and
he was never permitted to carry out his cherished hopes.
Seeing these things were so, he was led to accept a call to
Quincy,' Florida, where he was much beloved, and where he
labored with marked success, until his work on earth was
done. He fell asleep in Jesus, on the ninth day of August,
A. I). I860, iu the forty-first year of his age.
In view of this afflictive providence, therefore,
rev. edwin t. williams.
Resolved, 1. That while we mourn the loss of our co-
laborer, friend and brother, Ave yet bow submissively to the
hand that has afflicted us, knoAving that our loss is his
gain.
Resolved, 2. That we will ever cherish his memory, and
stri\re to imitate his example, that we may attain to a liko
measure of faith with him.
Resolved, 3. That Ave deeply sympathize with his bereaved
companion, and that we will ever remember her and her little
ones in our prayers, committing them to God and the Avord
of ITis grace.
Resolved, 4. That the stated Clerk of this Presbytery be
directed to furnish his family with a <;opy of this humble
tribute to his memory.
By order of Presbytery. A true copy.
A. W. Clisby, Stated Clerk.
Mr. Williams left two children, both daughters, who, with
their mother, reside in Savannah.