1836 – Augusta Jane Chapin was born in Lakeville, New York. She was the first woman to receive an honorary D.D. degree (Lombard University, 1893), and the second woman to be ordained a Universalist minister. She was ordained in Lansing, Michigan on December 3, 1863. Chapin served churches in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, California, Nebraska, Massachusetts, … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 16
1838 – Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a sermon at Harvard Divinity School to seven graduating students, faculty members, and local ministers. Known as the Divinity School Address, the sermon caused a storm of protests, and Emerson was not allowed to speak at Harvard for another generation. Henry Ware Jr. and Andrew Norton rebuked him, but … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 15
1767 – John Quincy Adams was born in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts, the son of U.S. president John Adams. After graduating from Harvard College, he became a lawyer. His offices included U.S. senator, minister to Russia, chairman of the U.S. Peace Commission to Ghent in England, and U.S. minister to England. He was also secretary … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 11
1660 – After a century of religious freedom, this date was established as the deadline by which all Socinians were required either to conform to Catholicism or leave Poland. Too poor to emigrate, many Unitarians were forced either to live in hiding or practice in secret. For affluent Polish Unitarians, this date marks the beginning of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 10
1850 – Millard Fillmore, a member of the Unitarian Church in Buffalo, New York, became president of the United States when Zachary Taylor died. Read more about Millard Fillmore at: www.HarvardSquareLibrary.org – the digital library of Unitarian Universalism. The post July 9 first appeared on Harvard Square Library.
1741 – Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” at Enfield, Connecticut, beginning the Great Awakening revival movement. Edwards spoke of the endless torments awaiting sinners and depicted God as wreaking terrible vengeance with everlasting punishment for the non-elect. Universalists countered that teaching with a belief in universal salvation. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 8
1540 – Prince John Sigismund of Transylvania was born. He ruled from 1556 to 1570. George Blandrata and Francis Dávid were members of his court. Unitarianism was under attack, and Prince John held a Diet at Torda in 1568 to debate religion. The victory went to the Unitarians and Prince John, converting to Unitarianism, thereby … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 7
1874 – Paul Revere Frothingham, with forebears going back to the Mayflower, was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The grandson of a Unitarian minister, he was called to the Arlington Street Church in Boston in 1900 and served there until his death in 1926. He served on the board of the American Unitarian Association. Frothingham … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 6
1810 – Phineas Taylor Barnum was born in Bethel, Connecticut. He was reared a stern Puritan but became a devoted Universalist. The museum he opened in New York City featured natural history exhibits and curiosities. Barnum is best known for operating “The Greatest Show on Earth,” his circus. Barnum called himself the “prince of Humbugs” … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 5
1804 – Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He was an enormously influential early American writer. His works include Twice Told Tales, The Scarlet Letter, House of the Seven Gables, and Mosses from an Old Manse. Hawthorne married Sophia Peabody, sister of Elizabeth, and belonged to Transcendentalist circles. He worked at a variety of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History July 4
