a lull in the action

Hmm, pardon the lull in the action here.

There's been a little bit of talking about Charleston SC Universalist Historical Society mailing list.
Talking about Shecut (I didnt mention I picked up volume one of his novel, did I?) and the address of the Church was given, and that the money was invested when the building was sold. You dont have to be a member of the UUHS to be on their email list (of course membership has its privilege).

I admit that I haven't done much work on southern Universalism history recently,
haven't stirred up those boxes of notes to see what comes up.

I did see the name of an unknown minister in Moundville, SC; so it's been tempting.....
but Ive been researching my mother's family in Ohio and Pa - and have now gotten her a breakthrough back to German in the 1740s. She's been wanting this information for 60 years (ever since the DAR stuck their tounge out at her and said "prove it"). We knew about the Rice family and their bravado -spies for Gen Washinton - but we just couldnt prove that they married into the family (even though a brother and a sister married a sister and a brother). Probably still cant prove it. I couldn't join the DAR anyway, and could work on the SAR from my dad's side of the family if I really wanted to. but my mother is in poor health, and a picture of her grandfather's grandfather, and stories about him were a little tonic for her.

The Universalist Convocation will be within 33 miles of the old Rice farm in New Pittsburgh (Wayne Co) , Ohio; so you can bet I will put my feet on the ancestor's soil, when I go to the UC in six weeks.

Gov Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina

I've been doing some mild research into Gov Benjamin Tillman of SC, who's father died when he was a small child. BT got his father;s books, and I've seen quotes about his reading his father's copy of Ivanhoe, etc. However his father also had a very large Universalist library and was an Universalist himself.
There is no indication that BT had any Universalist sentiments, or is there? While we nowadays look at BT as the racist that he was - he was also the first SC politician who was a populist (even if that populism was for whites' only). An interesting if disturbing thought if he was an Universalst, would he had been better? Or if there was no Universalist tinge, would he never had been elected and we therefore spared the BT legacy? Pretty interesting idea for a thesis for a college student - particularly - if as likely, the list of Universalist books does still exists....


(I posted this on the new UU board http://choosingfaith.informe.com/index.php
and knew I couldnt let them keep that to themselves)

Charleston Universalists and the art of the duel

Ok, I went to the State Archives, and looked at a couple of the documents...
on microfilm! Did I ever mention how much I hate microfilm?

anyway the Universalists were petitioning the SC General Assembly to let them change their name, sell some of their land, etc. They were doing that as late as 1859 - certainly looking like they made it up to the war....

Still doing research into the few names I found...

and then there is this from a 1970 reprinting of the famous works of Theophilus Fisk (minister and banking reformer) where former SC Governor J. L. Wilson (1784-1849) writes Fisk a letter on behalf of the trustees of the board of the First Universalist Church in Charleston, asking him to please renew his contract for another year. I don't know when Gov Wilson became an Universalist, but this was after the time he was Charleston's representative to the 1832 Nullification Convention, and before the 1838 publication of his most famous book CODE OF HONOR, which basically is a gentleman's dueling book. This was THE how-to book on correct dueling etiquette...


the book:

Still digging in history

Everyone once in a while I like to post that I am still working and still digging.

Yesterday (for example), I discovered two names of members of the Universalist Church of Charleston - besides J.L.E. Shecut! It also seems likely that the Church survived past 1859. I hope to give a full report on this later this week (as I may be getting a look at, and copies of documents!)

I've learned a bit more about Rev Westall - who wasn't an Universalist minister as long as he was an Unitarian minister (went to Tufts and switched denominations!) He does appear in various stories by his nephew - Thomas Wolfe. I assume some Wolfe scholar has studied this....

"Our Home" at UUA

The "Our Home" Universalist Unitarian Church has an article on the UUA webpage at

www.uuworld.org/news/articles/8823.shtml



I could certainly go into a discussion of if the 1880s-1910s were the golden age of Southern universalism or if the 1830s-1840s were the golden age. However, this would be one of those fun but unwinable "How Many Angels can dance on the head of a pin" debates.

With the mention of the decline starting in the 1970s - plays into one of my current theories about the failure of organized universalism - that it doesn't flourish well in a society steeped in cynicism. And certainly deeprooted cynicism was one of the core features of the 1850s-1870s, 1920s, and 1970s-now. How can one care or think about Universal Reconcilliation or God is Love, when actually God is Dead, Nobody Cares About You, it's everyman for himself, and watch your back.

This sort of starts to push away from the core topic of this blog (history) - (the 1970s cant be history yet, can they?) but does bring up to me one of what I feel is an important cores of Universalism - the optimism of knowing a loving god - the optimism that even those cynics will eventualy be optimistic.....No wonder Universalism didnt grow past the 1910s!

optimisticaly yours!
sr

Southern Illinois U and U history website

http://www.cuuf.net/uusi/uusi.html

Is like the website I would like to do (and indeed started using one of Scott Wells then unused websites) - One of the advantages of a website instead of a book (even one like REBELLION IN THE MOUNTAINS: THE STORY OF UNIVERSALISM AND UNITARIANISM IN VERMONT (1976) Edith Fox McDonald is that corrections can continue to be added as they are found.

Back to Basics

Ok, it's back to basics on this blog -
This is now a history blog and will remain so.
The exceptions will be pictures of current southern Universalist Churches (and maybe some universalist Churches) and maybe items of interest to folks interested in southern Universalist history.

I have lots of items to tel: what famous southern writer had an Uncle who was a Universalist - and maybe an Unitarian - minister? which famous dogs were breed by an Universalist minister? What other old southern school was founded by an Universalist minister? What southern Universalist minister was a private in the Confederate army and what southern Universalist minister was a Lieutant? What southern Universalist minister was a Chaplin in the confederate army? (hint: he wasnt an Universalist then!) Which southern Universalist ministers became Spirtualists? What famous southern small town was founded mainly by Universalists?

The non-history material will be moving over to http://uu-ing.blogspot.com

as I try to tidy my blogs and my life!