1811 – Abiel Abbot Livermore was born. He became minister of the Unitarian Church in Keene, New Hampshire, then went to Cincinnati and Yonkers, New York, where he edited the Liberal Christian. In 1862, Livermore became president of Meadville Theological School until he retired in 1890. The post October 26 first appeared on Harvard Square … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 26

Bran Castle, Transylvania 1600 – The Diet of Léczfalva, Transylvania, used the word Unitarian as an adjective. This is the first time that the term was recorded. Since the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, when the central issue was whether Jesus is the same as or different from God, an underground “Unitarian” movement existed until … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 25

1844 – Divinity Hall at Meadville Theological School in Meadville, Pennsylvania, was dedicated on this date. It was the gift of Harm Jan Huidekoper whose goal was to establish outside Boston a school for the preparation of Unitarian ministers. Read about Meadville Theological School in a biography of Frederic Huidekoper, son of Harm Jan Huidekoper. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 24

1850 – The first meeting of the National Women’s Rights Convention opened in Worcester, Massachusetts. Many of the organizers and supporters, such as Lucy Stone, were Unitarians. Delegates came from eleven states, including California. Read about the first meeting of the National Women’s Rights Convention in “Emerson and Women’s Rights,” part of an online exhibit … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 23

1881 – The celebrated illustrator Newell Convers Wyeth was born. His work appeared in dozens of books, including Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island and in magazines such as Saturday Evening Post, Harpers, Scribner’s, Colliers, and The Ladies’ Home Journal. Wyeth’s historical and allegorical murals are in the Boston Public Library and the National Cathedral in … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 22

1772 – Samuel Taylor Coleridge was born in Devon, England. Raised partly as a “charity boy” in an institution, he was a minister’s child with an inquisitive mind. In early life, he was a Unitarian and often preached in Unitarian chapels, but he eventually became an Anglican. Coleridge was a gifted poet who was instrumental in … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 21

1880 – Lydia Maria Child, an ardent Unitarian, feminist, and abolitionist, died at age 78. Born in Medford, Massachusetts, she joined the church served by her Unitarian minister brother, Convers Francis, in Watertown, Massachusetts. Child found success as a popular writer, producing a romantic historical novel and practical household manuals. She became vice president of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 20

1735 – John Adams was born in Braintree, Massachusetts. He became a prominent lawyer and attacked the Stamp Act in 1765. He helped to draft the Declaration of Independence. Adams also drafted the Massachusetts Constitution. He was vice president under George Washington and succeeded him as president. He was a member of First Parish (Unitarian) … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 19

1796 – Hosea Ballou II was born in Guilford, Vermont. A grandnephew of Hosea Ballou, he wrote Ancient History of Universalism (1829). Before becoming a minister, Ballou was a schoolteacher in Roxbury and Medford, Massachusetts. He worked with Horace Mann as a major advocate for public education. Ballou was president of Tufts College from 1854 to … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 18

1792 – Sir John Bowring was born in Exeter, England. He was a writer and linguist who worked as a merchant and public servant. He was also a close friend of the economist Jeremy Bentham. As a member of Parliament, he promoted free trade. He also sponsored legislation to provide equal rights to all religions. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 17