Edwin Francis Hatfield

Background

Edwin Francis Hatfield was born on January 9, 1807, at Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States. His father, Oliver S. Hatfield, was descended from Matthias Hatfield, who went from New Haven to Elizabeth in 1665. His mother, Jane Mann, numbered founders of Elizabeth and Newark among her ancestors.

Education

Edwin graduated in 1829 from Middlebury College and studied theology for two years at Andover.

Career

Edwin Hatfield was ordained May 14, 1832. After three years in the Second Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, in 1835 he began a pastorate of twenty-one years in the Seventh Presbyterian Church of New York. When a portion of his congregation formed the North Presbyterian Church, Hatfield took the new pastorate, holding it till 1863, when illness compelled a year’s retirement. After this he devoted much time to the interests of Union Theological Seminary, of which he had been a director since 1846. In 1864 he served as financial agent for the institution, increasing its funds by nearly half a million dollars, and for ten years, beginning in 1864, he was recorder of the board of directors.

In 1846 Hatfield was made stated clerk of the General Assembly of the New School Presbyterian Church. He held office throughout the church’s history, by his vigorous administration contributing largely to its prosperity. He was secretary of the Joint Committee on Reunion of the two schools, formed in 1866. At the reunion of 1870, his preeminent qualifications and broad generous spirit led to his election as stated clerk in the reunited church. He served till his death, playing a great part in the church’s life by his knowledge of its affairs and by his wisdom and counsel. In recognition of this service he was elected in 1883 moderator of the General Assembly.

In hymnology, a lifelong interest, Hatfield acquired large knowledge and collected an important library. A few of his own hymns were in congregational use for a time. He published a Church Hymn Book (1872, 1874), which was especially notable in that he had attempted to restore to their original forms the texts of the hymns and had made an effort to determine accurately their authorship and dates. After his death there appeared his Poets of the Church (1884), a volume of biographies of hymn-writers. His notable library of over six thousand volumes, partly collected in Europe, was bequeathed to Union Seminary. In his later years he lived in Summit, New Jersey, where he died in the year of his moderatorship.

Achievements

• Edwin Hatfield became famous as the second pastor of New York’s Seventh Presbyterian Church. During his 21-year tenure he became known as a “preacher of deep spiritual earnestness and power, ” and more than 2, 200 new members joined his congregation.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Christ's Second Coming, Is It Pre-Millennial Or Postmillennial?: The Great Question of the Day, Scripturally, Historically, and Philosophically ... Or Chiliasm of the Ancient, Me...

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • The Poets of the Church: A Series of Biographical Sketches of Hymn-Writers with Notes On Their Hymns

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • St. Helena and the Cape of Good Hope: Or, Incidents in the Missionary Life of the Rev. James Mcgregor Bertram of St. Helena

    (This book was originally published prior to 1923, and rep...)

  • History of Elizabeth, New Jersey : including the early history of Union County

    (History of Elizabeth, New Jersey : including the early hi...)

  • The Chapel Hymn Book: With Tunes, for the Worship of God

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • The Early Annals of Union Theological Seminary in the City of New-York

    (This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curat...)

  • The Church Hymn Book, With Tunes: For The Worship Of God (1873)

    (This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of th...)

Connections

Hatfield was married on April 27, 1837, to Mary E. Taylor, and had two sons and three daughters.

Father:

Oliver S. Hatfield

Mother:

Jane (Mann) Hatfield

Spouse:

Mary Evelina (Taylor) Hatfield