Background
John McDowell was born on 10 Sep 1780 in Bedminster, Somerset County, New Jersey. He was the son of Matthew and Elizabeth (Anderson) McDowell, whose parents were of Scotch descent and had migrated to America from the north of Ireland.
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book
Theology, in a Series of Sermons in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism; Volume 1
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Questions on the Bible for the Use of Schools
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
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John McDowell
Edit ProfileEducation
His schooling was more or less interrupted by work on his father's farm, but he secured sufficient preparation at a classical school, conducted by Rev. William Boyd about two miles from the McDowell home, to enable him in 1799 to enter the junior class of the College of New Jersey. After graduating with honors in 1801, he studied theology, first, under Rev. H. W. Hunt of Newton, N. J. , and later, under Rev. John Woodhull of Freehold. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of New Brunswick, at Basking Ridge, April 25, 1804, and was ordained by the Presbytery of New York and installed pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Elizabethtown, N. J. , on December 26 of the same year.
Career
Resigning in 1845, he became pastor of the Spring Garden Church, constituted by some of his former parishioners. The duties of this office he performed until he was past eighty, when a colleague was called. A practical mind, executive ability, exactitude, methodical industry, and a thorough acquaintance with Presbyterian procedure, made him a valuable member of church boards, and of the General Assembly. The latter body he served as clerk, trustee, and, in 1820, as moderator. During the controversy which resulted in the division of 1837, he did not approve of the extreme measures taken by the conservatives, but after the division was effected he loyally supported the Old School branch of the church. He was an enthusiastic promoter of education, religious and secular.
Early in his first pastorate he formed a class for the study of the Bible and church history, and in 1814 his congregation united with the Methodists and Episcopalians in establishing the first Sunday school in Elizabethtown. He published, probably the next year, a system of Bible questions, a fourth edition of which, 1820, bears the title, Questions on the Bible for the Use of Schools, said to have been the earliest work of its kind in this country. It circulated to the extent of 250, 000 copies before being superseded by publications of the American Sunday School Union. He also issued in 1838 Bible Class Manual: or, a System of Theology in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, Adapted to Bible Classes. He was a member of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1812, which determined to establish a theological seminary at Princeton, and was chosen one of the first directors. Two years later he became a trustee of the College of New Jersey, and in 1822, a trustee of the Seminary. These positions he held until his death, serving as secretary of the Seminary Board from 1824 to 1860. On several different occasions, notably in 1818 when he visited the Southern states, he solicited funds for the Seminary, and once he made a tour in the interests of the College. His most ambitious publication was Theology, in a Series of Sermons in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. In 1828 he declined an appointment by the General Assembly as professor of ecclesiastical history and church government in Western (Allegheny) Theological Seminary, and in 1831 accepted the chair of church history and polity in Union Seminary, Va. , but later withdrew his acceptance. On December 31, 1854, he preached a sermon, published under the title, Fifty Years a Pastor: a Semi-Centenary Discourse Delivered in the Spring Garden Presbyterian Church (1855), which contains much biographical material. Several of his sermons were printed separately; two appear in The New Jersey Preacher (1813), and three in the American National Preacher.
Achievements
Works
book
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Theology, in a Series of Sermons in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism; Volume 1
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
-
Questions on the Bible for the Use of Schools
( This work has been selected by scholars as being cultur...)
-
Theology, in a Series of Sermons in the Order of the Westminster Shorter Catechism; Volume 1
Membership
a member of the Presbyterian General Assembly
Connections
On February44 5, 1805, he married Henrietta, daughter of Shepard Kollock.
- Father:
- Matthew McDowell
- Mother:
- Elizabeth Anderson McDowell
- Brother:
- William Anderson McDowell
- Sister:
- Martha McDowel
- Wife:
- Henrietta Blanchard Kollock McDowell
- Daughter:
- Elizabeth McDowell Rice
- Son:
- John McDowell, Jr
1738 - 18 August 1806
1750 - 20 September 1820
1789 - 17 September 1851
1783 - 5 August 1807
22 October 1786 -8 January 1867
25 February 1816 - 23 November 1874
25 June 1812 - 8 June 1869
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Born
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Died
February 13, 1863 (aged 82) -
Resting place
Woodlands Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States -
Nationality
American -
Religion
Presbyterian