Manuscript Group 894, Guide to the Oration of Abijah Davis Presbyterian Minister 1799-1882

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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

Container List

Oration and Letter


Guide to the Oration of Abijah Davis Presbyterian Minister
1799-1882
MG 894

The New Jersey Historical Society
52 Park Place
Newark, New Jersey 07102
Contact: NJHS Library
Phone: (973) 596-8500 x249
Email: library@jerseyhistory.org
URL: https://www.jerseyhistory.org
© 2004 All rights reserved.
The New Jersey Historical Society, Publisher
Inventory prepared by Chad Leinaweaver 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: Abijah Davis
Title: Abijah Davis Oration
Dates: 1799-1882
Abstract: Consists of an eulogy entitled “Oration on the Death of George Washington,” which is said to have been delivered by Abijah Davis in the Presbyterian church at Cold Spring, Cape May County, New Jersey.
Quantity: 1 volume
Collection Number: MG 894

Biographical Note

Abijah Davis was born in Cumberland County in 1763 to Esther Preston and Arthur Davis. Davis was a Presbyterian minister at the Cold Springs Presbyterian Church established in 1718 in Cold Spring, Cape May County, New Jersey. He was the church’s minister from 1791 to 1800, the same year he delivered the oration eulogizing George Washington.

He married Mary Meeke in October 1784. On October 12, 1813, Davis married for again. His second wife (it was second marriage for them both) was Ruth Clark, the daughter of James Clark (ca. 1734-1789) and Sarah Harris Ogden (ca. 1738-1802) of Fairfield Township in Cumberland County. Abijah Davis died in August 1817.

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Scope and Content Note

The collection includes an eulogy entitled “Oration on the Death of George Washington,” which is said to have been delivered by Abijah Davis in the Presbyterian church at Cold Spring, Cape May County, New Jersey. This pro-revolution oration is sewn into a notebook, which contains partial transcript of the oration and brief biographical background for Davis. The collection also includes a copy of a letter from George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel White, October 8, 1781.

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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:

Davis, Abijah, 1763-1817.
Washington, George, 1732-1799–Death and burial.

Subject Topics:

Presbyterian Church–Clergy.
Presbyterian Church–New Jersey.
Presbyterian Church–Sermons.
Sermons, American.

Subject Places:

Cold Spring (N.J.)
New Jersey–Religious life and customs.

Document Types:

Orations.
Sermons.
Speeches.

Subject Occupations:

Clergy–New Jersey.

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Related Material

For materials related to Presbyterians ministers at the New Jersey Historical Society, see:

Manuscript Group 323, Joseph Eckley Sermons
Manuscript Group 384, Nicholas Murray Papers
Manuscript Group 389, Caleb Smith Papers
Manuscript Group 805, Allen H. Brown Papers
Manuscript Group 1093, John A. Congleton Papers

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Administrative Information

Custodial History

Presented by William Davis, great grandson of Abijah Davis, to Allen H. Brown in 1882. Given by them both to the New Jersey Historical Society on January 18, 1883.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as: Manuscript Group 894, Abijah Davis Oration, The New Jersey Historical Society.

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Bibliography

A Book of Cape May, New Jersey. Cape May, N.J.: The Albert Hand Co., 1937

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Container List

Oration and Letter
Box Folder Title Date
1 1 Notebook containing an oration in the autograph manuscript of Abijah Davis, a partial transcript of the oration, and a transcript of Davis’ cemetery stone at the Presbyterian Church in Millville, New Jersey. 1799-1882
1 1 Letter (copy) : George Washington to Lieutenant Colonel White dated October 8, 1781 1882 May 13

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