Sunday, July 29, 2007

Manford's 1865

Manford's Monthly Magazine
(on the front page known as Manford's New Monthly Magazine)
volume 9 #4-7 September - December 1865


Not much about the southern Universalists in these issues -
the American Civil War ended in June of that year in the then west - and Universalists were just starting to slowly rebuild.
indeed the only thing is these issues concerning the southern Universalists was an exploratory meeting to determine if there was a need and desire for a General Meeting of Universalists, Northwest. J. D. H. Corwine of Kentucky was named to the committee on correspondence. (meeting held on September 5, I do not see that Corwine actually attended).

This reinforces my feeling that Kentucky was really part of the Midwest Universalists.

There was an ad in all issues for the "Mystic Star" a monthly Mason magazine by Chaplin and Billings. I suspect strongly that this Billings was the future Texas Universalist.

there is a story (article?) by the late George Rogers - "An Old Settler's Narrative" - I have no idea if true or not, or a reprint or not.

The saddest thing is a mention that George W. Depler, an Universalist from Fort Wayne Indiana, was trying to find his son, age 12 - who joined the military and had not been heard of since the Siege of Atlanta. G.W. Depler's wife was extremely grief stricken.

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

D. B. Clayton: Top of the Pops - Again!

The news hasn't been announced yet (and I haven't been sworn to secrecy either), but
someone from Bookfinder wanted to know why D. B. Clayton's autobiography was on the "most wanted" list again this year.... (number 2 last year, but dropped some this year)

my response:

Well, I can start off by saying that this year, it wasnt me looking for it!
I own a copy!
I think this a classic case of demand exceeding supply, but demand
probably not warranting a reprinting andnot an expensive
reprinting.....(there are lots of books like that).
Rev Clayton was an Universalist minister who preached throughout
the south, with regular congregations from eastern North Carolina to
western Mississippi down to Florida. Indeed at his death in 1907, he
had churches named for him in NC, SC, Florida, and Mississippi.
The appeal for book searchers now possibly is that this is one
of the few first hand accounts of the history of one branch of
liberal Christianity in the antebellum and reconstruction south. This
includes names of families, churches, politicians from Virginia to
Texas. So folks looking for information on their families and their
locations would be looking for this book. I suspect not many copies
show up on bookfinder, as it was self-published ( in two variant
editions with different bindings, one with a picture of Father
Clayton, one without). Ive seen 3 copies, and I know where a total of
about 8 are.
I havent really met anybody who wanted to pay big money for a copy -
but Ive met folks who state they'd like to READ my copy!

Saturday, July 07, 2007

still studying

Just because I have been quiet, doesnt mean that I'm not studying Universalist history.
Still gathering information on John Adams of Walton County Georgia (the man was aving Children in his 70s! Havent been able to prove that his second wife was the daughter of E.H. Lake), I found that C. F. R. Shehane's wife moved to Missouri after the war, she has a biography in the 1883 History of Jasper County, Missouri.
Red Hill in Clinton NC has a new website, and I plan to add that and other historic Universalist Churches to my links. Of course, that would mean I have to figure if Atlanta counts or not.....