Beecher
Beecher names 3 different subjects across the 6 encyclopedias on this shelf. Each is set out below.
Beecher HENRY WARD, an American clergyman
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
HENRY WARD, an American clergyman, born in Litchfield, Conn., June 24, 24, 1813. He was the son of Lyman Beecher; graduated from Amherst in 1834; studied in Lane Theological Seminary, near Cincinnati, O.; and began clerical duty as pastor of a church in Lawrenceburg, Ind., removing to Indianapolis in 1839. From 1847 until his death he was Pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in Brooklyn. He was one of the founders of the "Independent" and of the "Christian Union" (now the "Outlook"). He was also a prominent anti-slavery orator, as well as a famous lecturer. Among his numerous publications are "Star Papers; or Experiences of Art and Nature" (1855); "Freedom and War" (1863); "Eyes and Ears" (1864); and a novel, "Norwood, or Village Life in New England" (1867). His "Sermons" were edited by Dr. Lyman Abbott (2 vols., 1868). He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., March 8, 1887.
Beecher LYMAN, an American clergyman
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
LYMAN, an American clergyman, born in New Haven, Conn., Oct. 2, 1775. His ancestors vere Puritans. He graduated from Yale in 1796, and became pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Easthampton, L. I.; then of a Congregational church in Litchfield, Conn., in 1810; and then of the Hanover Street Congregational Church in Boston, Mass. In 1832 he became President of Lane Theological Seminary, near Cincinnati, O. His influence throughout the country was very great, especially on the questions of temperance and of slavery. His sermon on the death of Alexander Hamilton, in 1804, with his "Remedy for Dueling" (1809), did much toward breaking up the practice of dueling in the United States. His collected "Sermons and Addresses" were published in 1852. He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., June 10, 1863.
Beecher EDWARD, an American clergyman and author
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
EDWARD, an American clergyman and author, brother of Henry Ward Beecher, born in Easthampton, N. Y., Aug. 27, 1803. He graduated at Yale, studied theology at Andover, and New Haven; was pastor of various Congregational churches, especially the Park Street, Boston (1826-1830), and Salem Street Street , Boston (1844-1855). He was President of Illinois College, Jacksonville (1830-1844), and for some years Professor of Exegesis in the Chicago Theological Seminary. He wrote many religious books, including "The Conflict of Ages" (1853), and "The Concord of Age" (1860). He died in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 28, 1895.
What Has Changed in the Last Century
The dates and offices Collier's set down in 1921 still stand: Lyman at Lane Seminary, Henry Ward at Plymouth Church from 1847 to his death in 1887, Edward at Illinois College. What has moved is emphasis and omission. Collier's calls Henry Ward "a prominent anti-slavery orator" and says nothing of the 1875 Beecher-Tilton adultery trial, the most sensational courtroom spectacle of the American nineteenth century, which ended in a hung jury and now occupies more pages in modern accounts of him than his sermons do. The family's fame has also shifted sideways to a sibling these entries do not mention here at all: Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," is today by far the best-known Beecher, while Catharine Beecher is studied as a founder of American women's education. Plymouth Church still stands in Brooklyn Heights, a National Historic Landmark valued as much for its Underground Railroad work as for its preacher.
Written for this edition, 2026.