| This Day In Presbyterian History |
August
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2 |
1776 |
 On August 2, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed (this is the original copy displayed in Washington, DC; click link to see the faded original). On July 2, the vote was taken on independence and the Declaration was adopted on July 4th. The sixth president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton),  Presbyterian minister John Witherspoon (shown at left) was the only clergyman to sign the Declaration. You can click here to open a very large, more readable copy of the Declaration. Try to find Rev. Witherspoon's signature. Once opened, you can click on the image to make it supersized on your monitor. |
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5 |
1657 |
On August 5, 1657, a letter to the Classis of Amsterdam from Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius read: "At Hempsted, about seven leagues from here, there live some Independents. There are also many of our own church, and some Presbyterians. They have a Presbyterian preacher, Richard Denton, a pious, godly and learned man, who is in agreement with our church in everything. The Independents of the place listen attentively to his sermons; but when he began to baptize the children of parents who are not members of the church, they rushed out of the church." From another letter dated Oct. 22, 1657, the same writers continue: "Mr. Richard Denton, who is sound in faith, of a friendly disposition, and beloved by all, cannot be induced by us to remain, although we have earnestly tried to do this in various ways. He first went to Virginia to seek a situation, complaining of lack of salary, and that he was getting in debt, but he has returned thence. He is now fully resolved to go to old England, because of his wife who is sickly will not go without him, and there is need of their going there on account of a legacy of four hundred pounds sterling lately left by a deceased friend, and which they cannot obtain except by their personal presence." |
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11 |
1847 |
On August 11, 1847, Presbyterian missionary Charles Williams Forman sails for India. With early missionary pioneer to India (1835) the Rev. John Newton, Forman will begin missionary work at Lahore (now in Pakistan). He will spend more than forty years in the Punjab. In 1864, he founds a college in Lahore that beomes known as the Foreman Christian College. |
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12 |
1859 |
 On August 12, 1859, Rev. Ashbel Green Simonton (1833 - 1867), shown, was the first Presbyterian missionary to Brazil. He arrived in Rio de Janeiro on the merchant ship Banshee. The PHC will have an exhibit in August 2009 celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Brazilian mission program. |
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13 |
1947 |
On August 13, 1947, Chaplain Alexander J. McKelway (Presbyterian) was appointed Director of Chaplain Service for the Department of Veteran Affairs. |
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17 |
1643 |
On August 17, 1643, the Scottish General Assembly approved The Solemn League and Covenant, which gave Scottish Presbyterians the same legal rights as the Anglicans in England. |
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19 |
1954 |
On August 19, 1954,the Presbyterian Camp on Okoboji (in Milford, Iowa) was incorporated. Created by the Sioux City Presbytery, the camp opened its first summer of operation in 1956. |
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25 |
1893 |
On August 25, 1893, the World's Congress of Religions opened in Chicago under the auspices of the World's Columbian Exposition. Running from Aug. 25 to Oct. 15 at the Art Institute in Chicago, the World's Congress heard papers and presentations from clergymen throuhgout the world, including a paper on the history of the Cumberland Presbyerian Church. Mainline Presbyterians, Episcopalians and some Baptist denominations did not participate in the Congress. |
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26 |
1808 |
 On August 26, 1808, the Raleigh (N.C.) Register ran an ad from Presbyterian educator, minister and free black John Chavis announcing the separation of his classical education school into a Day School for whites and an Evening School for black children. Since its start in 1805, the school had been integrated up to this point.
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