Letters from John Hubbard Church to William Jenks, 1795-1798

John Hubbard Church wrote these twelve letters to his friend and classmate William Jenks between 1795 and 1798. Church wrote the letters from Boston, Rutland, Cambridge, and Chatham in Massachusetts and from Somers, Connecticut; they were sent to Jenks in Cambridge and Boston, where for a time he worked as an usher in Mr. Vinall's school and Mr. Webb's school. Church's letters touch on various subjects, ranging from his increased interest in theology and his theological studies under Charles Backus to his seasickness during a sailing voyage to Cape Cod. Church also informs Jenks of what he is reading, including works by John Locke, P. Brydone, James Beattie, John Gillies, Plutarch, and Alexander Pope. He describes his work teaching that children of the Sears family in Chatham, Massachusetts, where he appears to have spent a significant amount of time between 1795 and 1797. Church's letters are at times very personal, and he often expresses great affection for Jenks and their friendship.

Purchased from the American Autograph Shop, January 12, 1942.

Title supplied by cataloger.

John Hubbard Church was born to Stephen and Esther Church on March 17, 1772 in Rutland, Massachusetts. He attended Leicester Adademy before coming to Harvard College, where he received an A.B. in 1797. During his last year of college, Church taught during the winter at a school in Chatham, Massachusetts. Following graduation, he pursued theological studies under Dr. Charles Backus of Somers, Connecticut for a year. After that, he began to preach as a candidate for the ministry at Pelham, New Hampshire; he was selected and ordained as minister at Pelham in 1798 and retained the position for the duration of his life. Church married Thankful Watson in May 1799; they would have two children together, although Thankful died in 1806. Church remarried in 1807, to Hannah Farnham of Newburyport; they, too, had two children together. Church received an honorary A.M. from Dartmouth College in 1813 and an S.T.D. from Williams College in 1823. He was a Trustee of Philips Academy, of the Theological Seminary in Andover, and of Dartmouth College for many years. John Hubbard Church died in Pelham, New Hampshire in 1840.

William Jenks was born in Newton, Massachusetts on November 25, 1778. He received an A.B. from Harvard College in 1797, an A.M. in 1800 and an S.T.D. in 1842. He also received two degrees from Bowdoin College: an S.T.D. in 1825 and an L.L.D. in 1862. Jenks served as pastor of churches in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Bath, Maine before joining the faculty of Bowdoin College as professor of Oriental and English literature. He later returned to Boston, where he founded a mission for seamen and took an active part in several of the city's humanitarian reform organizations. He served as a member of the Board of Overseers of Harvard College from 1832 to 1845. He was also a founder of the American Antiquarian Society and the American Oriental Society. William Jenks died in Boston on November 13, 1866.