Guide to the Sermon Book of John McDowell Presbyterian Minister 1816 MG 899

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Descriptive Summary
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Restrictions
Access Points
Related Material
Administrative Information


Guide to the Sermon Book of John McDowell Presbyterian Minister
1816 MG 899
The New Jersey Historical Society
52 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Contact: NJHS Library
(973) 596-8500 x249
library@jerseyhistory.org
https://www.jerseyhistory.org
© 2004 All rights reserved.
The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher
Inventory prepared by Laura Ruttum as part of the “Farm to City” project funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Finding aid encoded by Danielle Kovacs. March 2004. Production of the EAD 2002 version of this finding aid was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Finding aid written in English.


Descriptive Summary

Creator: John McDowell
Title: John McDowell Sermon Book
Dates: 1816
Abstract: Consists of a notebook containing outlines for sermons delivered in Elizabethtown, New Jersey from September 1, 1816 to November 24, 1816.
Quantity: 1 volume
Collection Number: MG 899

Biographical Note

John McDowell (1780-1863) served as pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown, New Jersey from 1804 until 1833. Following his time at the First Presbyterian Church, he served at the Central Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia. Over the course of his career, Reverend McDowell served as trustee to Princeton University, Director of the Princeton Theological Seminary, both Permanent and Stated Clerk for the Presbyterian Church General Assembly, Professor at the Theological Seminary at Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and Profesor at the Union Theological Seminary of Virginia. Reverend McDowell was also the author of the first Bible class questions that were ever published, in addition to several other publications.

Reverend McDowell was born in Lamington, New Jersey on September 10, 1780 to Matthew and Elizabeth Anderson McDowell. He was the grandson of Ephraim McDowell, who immigrated from the north of Ireland in 1746, his ancestors having fled from Scotland in the preceding century.

Reverend McDowell studied under Reverend William Boyd, then in 1799 entered the junior class at the College of New Jersey, (now Princeton University) from which he graduated in 1801. He studied theology under Reverend Holloway W. Hunt of Newton, and John Woodhull of Freehold. In December of 1804 he was ordained as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown, New Jersey, (now Elizabeth) and on February 5, 1805 married Henrietta Kollock in Newark. In 1818, he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from the University of North Carolina and Union College.

Reverend McDowell served as pastor of the Elizabeth Presbyterian Church until 1833, after which time he became pastor to the Central Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, where he served until his death in Philadelphia in 1863.

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Scope and Content Note

This collection consists of a notebook containing outlines for sermons delivered in Elizabethtown, New Jersey from September 1, 1816 to November 24, 1816. The notebook was hand-sewn in a newspaper cutting from Elizabethtown, published in the summer of 1816; the majority of the sections in this clipping are dated July 15, 1816.

The Biblical chapters from which Reverend McDowell preached are noted at the top of each entry, and include Corinthians, Matthew, Philippians, Exodus, Song of Solomon, and Genesis.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

Photocopying of materials is limited and no materials may be photocopied without permission from library staff.

Use Restrictions

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

The New Jersey Historical Society complies with the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions and protects unpublished materials as well as published materials.

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Access Points

The entries below represent persons, organizations, topics, forms, and occupations documented in this collection.
Subject Names:
McDowell, John, 1780-1863–Sermons.
Subject Topics:
Presbyterian Church–New Jersey.
Subject Places:
Elizabeth (N.J.)
New Jersey–History–1775-1865.
Document Types:
Sermons–New Jersey.
Subject Occupations
Clergy–New Jersey.

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Related Material

For related materials in print on John McDowell, see:

Sinclair, Donald A. (1993) A New Jersey Biographical Index. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., p. 488.

Sprague, William B. (1864). Memoirs of the Reverend John McDowell, D.D., and the Reverend William A. McDowell, D.D. New York: Carter & Brothers.

For related collections on John McDowell at the New Jersey Historical Society, see:

Manuscript Group 125, Joseph Black, Manuscript Collection

Manuscript Group 866, McDowell Family Papers

For related collections on John McDowell at other institutions, see:

McDowell, John. (1854). Fifty years a pastor : semi-centenary discourse, delivered in the Spring Garden Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, December 31, 1854. Philadelphia: Joseph M. Wilson. Held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

McDowell, John. (1822). Questions on the Bible for the Use of Schools. Elizabethtown: Mervin Hale. Held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

McDowell, John. (1830). Sermon…Human Depravity and its Remedy. Elizabethtown. Pamphlet held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

McDowell, John. (1809). Sermon on Horse Racing; preached in the Presbyterian Church, Elizabet-town, September 17, 1809. Elizabethtown. Held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

McDowell, John. (1825). Theology: in a Series of Sermons in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Elizabethtown; Mervin Hale. Held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

Presbyterian Church General Assembly. (1837). Pastoral and circular letters of the General Assembly of 183. Philadelphia : L.R. Bailey. Held in Rare Books at Princeton University.

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

The source of this collection is unknown.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 899, John McDowell Sermon Book, The New Jersey Historical Society.

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