Author: Jean McDaniel

Dec. 30, 1798.  Isaac Backus commented against Federalist Party foreign policy in opposition to France.  Backus was a leading Baptist preacher during the era of the American Revolution who campaigned against state-established churches in New England.   Isaac Backus joined John Brown, Nicholas Brown, William Ellery, Stephen Hopkins, James Manning, Ezra Stiles, Samuel Stillman, Morgan Edwards and several others as an original fellow or trustee for the chartering of the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (the original name for Brown University), the first Baptist school of higher learning.  Backus served as a delegate from Middleborough to the Massachusetts ratifying convention, which ratified the United States Constitution in 1788. He voted in favor of ratification.  ABHS has a collection of Isaac Backus’ papers and many volumes by and about him.

Dec. 24. 1915.  William H. Doane, composer and hymnist, died in South Orange, NJ.  Doane was a manufacturer, inventor, hymn writer, choral director, church leader and philanthropist. He composed over 2000 church hymns. More than seventy patents are credited to him for innovations in woodworking machinery. His philanthropy led to the renaming of the Granville Academy, as the Doane Academy, a boys’ and girls’ private preparatory school associated with Denison University in Granville, Ohio, where he was a major benefactor.  Although raised in a Presbyterian household, Doane converted to his mother’s Baptist faith, while a young student at Woodstock Academy. This conversion began a lifelong commitment to service in that church, through his musical compositions, choir direction, denominational leadership and philanthropy.

Doane was a prolific composer of Christian hymn tunes. He edited forty-three collections of hymns and composed an estimated 2,300 works, including hundreds of original hymns and hymn settings. He is best known as a longtime collaborator of Fanny Crosby, having written music for an estimated 1,500 of Crosby’s poems.  As well as hymns, Doane composed secular instrumental, vocal, and choral works, including two cantatas on the legend of Santa Claus.   ABHS has a collection of Doane’s business dealings, charitable endeavors, copyright registrations, sheet music and family photographs and memorabilia.  The Doane Collection inventory is now available on ArchivesSpace.

December 23, 1844.  A letter from the Triennial Convention was on its way to the Alabama Convention saying that in good conscience the Convention could not appoint a slave holder as a missionary.  There is much correspondence and debate about this issue, and the letter sets out the reasons why they could not approve such an appointment.  This answer set in motion the split between the Southern Baptists and the Northern Baptists.  ABHS has the original hand written minutes of this and other Triennial Conventions as well as a typed transcript.

Dec. 22, 1776.  Henry Abbot submitted a resolution to North Carolina allowing all ministers to perform marriages.  Under colonial rule only the established church was authorized to perform the marriage ceremony, and this privilege was extended to dissenting sects only after ties with the mother country had been severed.   Abbot’s resolution provided that ministers of all denominations might perform the marriage rite. Although passed in a slightly amended form, this resolution was the forerunner of a state law approved by the legislature some fifteen months later. In 1776, Abbot and four other men were chosen to represent Pasquotank County in the provincial congress that met at Halifax and endorsed American independence.  He is generally recognized as author of the nineteenth article of the state constitution, which made formal acknowledgement that “all men have natural and inalienable rights to worship almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience.” Variously described as an “elegant gentleman” and “popular idol,” Abbot came to exercise an influence hardly equaled by ministers from his area before or since. As pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, he helped form the Kehukee Association.  Henry Abbot is mentioned in several of the reference books in the Reading Room.

Dec. 20, 1943.  Eleven Baptist missionaries were captured and executed by the Japanese in the Philippines.  The missionaries had been in hiding since the beginning of the war, supported by the local people.  They created chapel they called Hopevale.  Known as the Hopevale Martyrs, Jeannie Clare Adams, James “Jimmy” Howard Covell and his wife Charma Covell, Dorothy Antionette Dowell, Signe Amelia Erickson, Frederick Meyer and his wife Ruth Meyer, Francis Rose and his wife Gertrude Rose, Erle Rounds and his wife Louise Rounds, and finally Erle Douglas, the Rounds’ son, are remembered for their bravery and faith.  ABHS has photographs and records of these missionaries and the Hopevale chapel.

December 12, 1829.  William Staughton, pioneer in the areas of missions and education, died in Washington, DC.   Staughton was a Baptist clergyman, educator, and music composer. He was also a Chaplain of the United States Senate and the first President of Columbian College from 1821-1827, which is the original name and oldest division (1821) of The George Washington University.  He accepted a position as President of the Literary and Theological Institution of Georgetown College in Georgetown, Kentucky in September 1829. However, while making the journey to the College, Staughton died on December 12, 1829. He was originally buried in the District of Columbia’s Episcopal cemetery, but his body was later moved to Philadelphia’s Sansom Street Church Cemetery.  ABHS has the personal papers of Staughton and some of the records of Sansom Street Church.

Dec. 7, 1951   The first Baptist Women’s Day of Prayer was held.  This has become an annual event of the Baptist World Alliance.  “The Baptist World Alliance is a global movement of Baptists sharing a common confession of faith in Jesus Christ bonded together by God’s love to support, encourage and strengthen one another while proclaiming and living the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit before a lost and hurting world.”  The Day of Prayer is designed to encourage and celebrate unity in Christ among Baptist women of the world and work towards peace, reconciliation, justice and development through prayer, witness and service. ABHS has the historical records of BWA.