Edward Raymond Ames
Encyclopedia
Edward Raymond Ames was an American
Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
, elected in 1852.
, Athens County
, Ohio
, one of three Methodist Episcopal Bishops to be born in Athens County.
at Athens. During his student years he united with the M.E. Church (August 1827). In 1828 he opened a high school in Lebanon, Illinois
which later became McKendree University. He taught there until 1830, when he became a Pastor
in the Illinois
Annual Conference
. He was Licensed to Preach by the Circuit Rider
(and Presiding Elder), Peter Cartwright
.
Upon the organization of the Indiana
Conference in 1832, Ames joined that body, serving the majority of his active pastoral life in the State of Indiana (with the exception of two years spent in St. Louis), until becoming a Bishop.
Ames was elected a Delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held in Baltimore
in 1840, and was there elected Corresponding Secretary of the M.E. Missionary Society, with responsibilities for the South and West. When the Church South broke with the Church North over slavery
, he remained with the M.E. Church. The Rev. Ames was subsequently elected Delegate to General Conferences in 1844 and 1852.
Missions of his denomination along the northern lakes and on the western frontier. He aided in establishing missions schools among the various tribes west of Arkansas
. In 1848 he officiated as chaplain
to a Council of Choctaws, being the first chaplain chosen by an Indian Assembly.
Ames was elected President
of Indiana Asbury University
in 1848, as well. But he declined the position, preferring to remain in more active ministerial work.
was 1852-53.
Ames was a firm supporter of the Union
during the American Civil War
. Though offered positions of influence, he declined them that he might be free for ecclesiastical duties. For example, when the United States government seized the property of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
(in Southern United States
), Ames was put in charge of the confiscated property by President Abraham Lincoln
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
. Such confiscation
resulted in complaints of unconstitutional governmental involvement in religion.
in that city.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
Methodist Episcopal Church
The Methodist Episcopal Church, sometimes referred to as the M.E. Church, was a development of the first expression of Methodism in the United States. It officially began at the Baltimore Christmas Conference in 1784, with Francis Asbury and Thomas Coke as the first bishops. Through a series of...
, elected in 1852.
Birth and family
Ames was born in AmesvilleAmesville, Ohio
Amesville is a village in Athens County, Ohio, United States, located on Federal Creek. The population was 184 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Amesville is located at ....
, Athens County
Athens County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 24,901 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, one of three Methodist Episcopal Bishops to be born in Athens County.
Education and ministry
At age 20, Ames became a student at Ohio UniversityOhio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
at Athens. During his student years he united with the M.E. Church (August 1827). In 1828 he opened a high school in Lebanon, Illinois
Lebanon, Illinois
Lebanon is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,523 at the 2000 census. Like many other places in "Little Egypt" or Southern Illinois, Lebanon was named after the Middle Eastern country of the same name. It is a part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St...
which later became McKendree University. He taught there until 1830, when he became a Pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
in the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
. He was Licensed to Preach by the Circuit Rider
Circuit rider
Circuit rider is a term originating from the United States for any professional who travels a regular circuit of locations to provide services, and has several specific applications:...
(and Presiding Elder), Peter Cartwright
Peter Cartwright
Peter Cartwright may refer to:* Peter Cartwright , American revivalist and politician in Illinois*Peter Cartwright , husband of the Governor-General of New Zealand, Silvia Cartwright, and chair of the Broadcasting Standards Authority*Peter Cartwright played Elphias Doge in Harry Potter and the...
.
Upon the organization of the Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
Conference in 1832, Ames joined that body, serving the majority of his active pastoral life in the State of Indiana (with the exception of two years spent in St. Louis), until becoming a Bishop.
Ames was elected a Delegate to the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church held in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in 1840, and was there elected Corresponding Secretary of the M.E. Missionary Society, with responsibilities for the South and West. When the Church South broke with the Church North over slavery
History of slavery in the United States
Slavery in the United States was a form of slave labor which existed as a legal institution in North America for more than a century before the founding of the United States in 1776, and continued mostly in the South until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in...
, he remained with the M.E. Church. The Rev. Ames was subsequently elected Delegate to General Conferences in 1844 and 1852.
Native American work
Ames traveled extensively, especially visiting the IndianNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
Missions of his denomination along the northern lakes and on the western frontier. He aided in establishing missions schools among the various tribes west of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
. In 1848 he officiated as chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
to a Council of Choctaws, being the first chaplain chosen by an Indian Assembly.
Ames was elected President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Indiana Asbury University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
in 1848, as well. But he declined the position, preferring to remain in more active ministerial work.
Episcopal ministry
Ames was elected to the Episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church by the 1852 General Conference. He thereafter traveled extensively through all the U.S. States and Territories. His first visit to the Pacific coastPacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
was 1852-53.
Ames was a firm supporter of the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Though offered positions of influence, he declined them that he might be free for ecclesiastical duties. For example, when the United States government seized the property of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
(in Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
), Ames was put in charge of the confiscated property by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
. Such confiscation
Confiscation
Confiscation, from the Latin confiscatio 'joining to the fiscus, i.e. transfer to the treasury' is a legal seizure without compensation by a government or other public authority...
resulted in complaints of unconstitutional governmental involvement in religion.
Death and burial
Ames' health was impaired for several years, but he continued his work until a few weeks before his death. He died in Baltimore, Maryland. He is buried in Greenmount CemeteryGreenmount Cemetery
Green Mount Cemetery is a historic cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as a large number of prominent Baltimore-area families...
in that city.