James Waddel
Encyclopedia
James Waddel was an Irish American
Presbyterian preacher from Virginia
noted for his eloquence.
, Ireland
in July 1739. His parents, Thomas and Janetta Waddel, emigrated to the United States
later that same year, settling in southeastern Pennsylvania
, near the Delaware
line. When James was about twelve years old he suffered an injury to his hand. This incapacitated him to the extent that his father thought it was necessary for him to be educated, so that he could support himself. He was educated at the historic 'Log College' (now West Nottingham Academy
) at Nottingham, Pennsylvania
and was taught by Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley
, DD. He became so proficient in ancient languages that he became a tutor at that school when he was fifteen years old. He became an assistant teacher in Reverend Robert Smith's academy in Pequea
, Lancaster County
.
When nineteen or twenty years old, he moved to Louisa County, Virginia
, where he became a tutor. Meriwether Lewis
was one of his students. Under the influence of Samuel Davies
, Waddel decided to study for the ministry. He studied theology under John Todd and was licensed to preach in 1761, and the next year became pastor of Presbyterian churches in the Northern Neck
of Virginia. He started several churches in Northumberland and Lancaster counties, introducing the Presbyterian Church into areas where previously there had only been the Anglican Church.
In Lancaster County, James met Mary Gordon, the daughter of Mary Gordon (Harrison) and James Gordon, a wealthy and influential planter. In 1767 James and Mary were married from "Verville", the home of her father, into the "Honeymood Cottage" at Merry Point, on the Corrotoman River
. The couple eventually had ten children, nine of whom survived to adulthood.
When the American Revolutionary War
began, the Waddel family moved to the Tinkling Spring
church in Augusta County
and also preached in Staunton
. He purchased a large farm called "Springhill" on the South River
by Waynesboro
. During the war he made many addresses to soldiers encouraging them to fight; one stirring sermon in particular was having been given to the forces of Campbell, McDowell, and Moffett, while assembled at Midway in preparation to meet the army of Charles Cornwallis
in North Carolina
.
In 1785 he settled on an estate in Louisa County
, where he supplied vacant pulpits and was principal of a classical school. He visited George Washington
the next year. He became blind about 1787 due to cataract
s, but continued his labors without interruption, writing as well as preaching with great industry, and was known as "the blind preacher."
Dickinson College
gave him the degree of D.D.
in 1792. He died at "Hopewell", his Louisa County estate near Gordonsville, Virginia
, in 1805. His last words were recorded as "Let me die, take the pillow from beneath my head. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Before his death he ordered that all his manuscripts be burned, so that his eloquence has become a matter of tradition. The best idea of him as a pulpit orator is to be gathered from the sketch of Dr. Waddel as the blind preacher in William Wirt
's Letters of a British Spy. This was written in 1803, when Dr. Waddel was old and infirm. It has been questioned how far the author gave himself the license of fiction in his description, but Dr. Waddel's biographer gives a qualified description as follows:
James Madison
, who had been his pupil, said: "He has spoiled me for all other preaching," and Patrick Henry
classed him with Samuel Davies
as one of the two greatest orators he had ever heard.
In 1871 his body was moved to the yard of the Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church at Rapidan, Virginia
. His daughter, Janetta Waddel, married the Reverend Archibald Alexander
in 1802. His grandson, James Waddel Alexander
, wrote a memoir of him originally published in the Watchman of the South (1846).
Tyler, in Men of mark in Virginia, omits Isaac and adds a daughter named Mary.
James Waddell is thought to have been a cousin of Rev. Moses Waddel
. There are various spellings and pronunciations of the family name. Descendants of James have typically pronounced "Waddell" with a stress on the final syllable and have spelled it with two Ls..
Irish American
Irish Americans are citizens of the United States who can trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,278,332 Americans—estimated at 11.9% of the total population—reported Irish ancestry in the 2008 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau...
Presbyterian preacher from Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
noted for his eloquence.
Biography
James Waddel was born in NewryNewry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in July 1739. His parents, Thomas and Janetta Waddel, emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
later that same year, settling in southeastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, near the Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
line. When James was about twelve years old he suffered an injury to his hand. This incapacitated him to the extent that his father thought it was necessary for him to be educated, so that he could support himself. He was educated at the historic 'Log College' (now West Nottingham Academy
West Nottingham Academy
West Nottingham Academy was founded in 1744 by the Presbyterian preacher Samuel Finley, who later become President of Princeton College . Today, the independent co-ed school serves both boarding and day students in grades 9-12...
) at Nottingham, Pennsylvania
Nottingham, Pennsylvania
Nottingham is an unincorporated community located in West Nottingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. The community is located at the intersection of U.S. 1 and Pennsylvania Route 272 near the border with East Nottingham Township a short distance north of the Maryland border. It is home to...
and was taught by Rev. Dr. Samuel Finley
Samuel Finley
The Rev. Samuel Finley , 1763 DD University of Glasgow . Evangelical preacher and academic, he founded the West Nottingham Academy, and was the fifth president and an original trustee of the College of New Jersey from 1761 until 1766.-Family and students:Finley was the...
, DD. He became so proficient in ancient languages that he became a tutor at that school when he was fifteen years old. He became an assistant teacher in Reverend Robert Smith's academy in Pequea
Pequea Township, Pennsylvania
Pequea Township is a township in central Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 4,358 at the 2000 census. The community was named for the Piqua tribe.-Geography:...
, Lancaster County
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
.
When nineteen or twenty years old, he moved to Louisa County, Virginia
Louisa County, Virginia
Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
, where he became a tutor. Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis
Meriwether Lewis was an American explorer, soldier, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition also known as the Corps of Discovery, with William Clark...
was one of his students. Under the influence of Samuel Davies
Samuel Davies (Presbyterian educator)
Samuel Davies was President of Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey.Born to Baptist parents in New Castle County, Delaware, Davies received his early education under the tutelage of Rev. Samuel Blair at the academy he conducted in Faggs Manor, Londonderry Township, Chester...
, Waddel decided to study for the ministry. He studied theology under John Todd and was licensed to preach in 1761, and the next year became pastor of Presbyterian churches in the Northern Neck
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
of Virginia. He started several churches in Northumberland and Lancaster counties, introducing the Presbyterian Church into areas where previously there had only been the Anglican Church.
In Lancaster County, James met Mary Gordon, the daughter of Mary Gordon (Harrison) and James Gordon, a wealthy and influential planter. In 1767 James and Mary were married from "Verville", the home of her father, into the "Honeymood Cottage" at Merry Point, on the Corrotoman River
Corrotoman River
The Corrotoman River is a small river on the northern banks of the Rappahannock River in Virginia, United States. The Corrotoman River is about 8 miles from the mouth of the Rappahannock River, which drains into the Chesapeake Bay. The Corrotoman River cuts into the Northern Neck; a region of...
. The couple eventually had ten children, nine of whom survived to adulthood.
When the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
began, the Waddel family moved to the Tinkling Spring
Fishersville, Virginia
Fishersville is a census-designated place in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,998 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Staunton–Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area...
church in Augusta County
Augusta County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
and also preached in Staunton
Staunton, Virginia
Staunton is an independent city within the confines of Augusta County in the commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat of Augusta County....
. He purchased a large farm called "Springhill" on the South River
South River (South Fork Shenandoah River)
The South River is one of the two main tributaries of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. It begins south of Staunton, Virginia, and flows northward to Port Republic, where it merges with the North River to form the South Fork...
by Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....
. During the war he made many addresses to soldiers encouraging them to fight; one stirring sermon in particular was having been given to the forces of Campbell, McDowell, and Moffett, while assembled at Midway in preparation to meet the army of Charles Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis
Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis KG , styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as The Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army officer and colonial administrator...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
.
In 1785 he settled on an estate in Louisa County
Louisa County, Virginia
Louisa County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the population was 33,153. The county seat is Louisa.- History :...
, where he supplied vacant pulpits and was principal of a classical school. He visited George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
the next year. He became blind about 1787 due to cataract
Cataract
A cataract is a clouding that develops in the crystalline lens of the eye or in its envelope, varying in degree from slight to complete opacity and obstructing the passage of light...
s, but continued his labors without interruption, writing as well as preaching with great industry, and was known as "the blind preacher."
Dickinson College
Dickinson College
Dickinson College is a private, residential liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Originally established as a Grammar School in 1773, Dickinson was chartered September 9, 1783, five days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, making it the first college to be founded in the newly...
gave him the degree of D.D.
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
in 1792. He died at "Hopewell", his Louisa County estate near Gordonsville, Virginia
Gordonsville, Virginia
Gordonsville is a town in Louisa and Orange counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 1,496 at the 2010 census.-History:Nathaniel Gordon purchased in 1787 and in 1794, or possibly earlier, applied for and was granted a license to operate a tavern...
, in 1805. His last words were recorded as "Let me die, take the pillow from beneath my head. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Legacy
Waddel is described as being tall and erect with fair complexion and blue eyes. After he lost his sight at the age of 48 he continued to write and teach until his death. He is invariably described as cheerful, happy, and resigned to his physical afflictions.Before his death he ordered that all his manuscripts be burned, so that his eloquence has become a matter of tradition. The best idea of him as a pulpit orator is to be gathered from the sketch of Dr. Waddel as the blind preacher in William Wirt
William Wirt (Attorney General)
William Wirt was an American author and statesman who is credited with turning the position of United States Attorney General into one of influence.-History:...
's Letters of a British Spy. This was written in 1803, when Dr. Waddel was old and infirm. It has been questioned how far the author gave himself the license of fiction in his description, but Dr. Waddel's biographer gives a qualified description as follows:
James Madison
James Madison
James Madison, Jr. was an American statesman and political theorist. He was the fourth President of the United States and is hailed as the “Father of the Constitution” for being the primary author of the United States Constitution and at first an opponent of, and then a key author of the United...
, who had been his pupil, said: "He has spoiled me for all other preaching," and Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry
Patrick Henry was an orator and politician who led the movement for independence in Virginia in the 1770s. A Founding Father, he served as the first and sixth post-colonial Governor of Virginia from 1776 to 1779 and subsequently, from 1784 to 1786...
classed him with Samuel Davies
Samuel Davies (Presbyterian educator)
Samuel Davies was President of Princeton University, then known as the College of New Jersey.Born to Baptist parents in New Castle County, Delaware, Davies received his early education under the tutelage of Rev. Samuel Blair at the academy he conducted in Faggs Manor, Londonderry Township, Chester...
as one of the two greatest orators he had ever heard.
In 1871 his body was moved to the yard of the Waddell Memorial Presbyterian Church at Rapidan, Virginia
Rapidan, Virginia
Rapidan is a small unincorporated community in Culpeper County, Virginia, United States. Bisected by the Rapidan River, it is home to the Rapidan historic district and dates to the 18th century, when it was a mill town known as Waugh's Ford. It was renamed Rapid Ann Station in 1854 and Rapidan in...
. His daughter, Janetta Waddel, married the Reverend Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander
Archibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
in 1802. His grandson, James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander
James Waddel Alexander was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander.-Early life:...
, wrote a memoir of him originally published in the Watchman of the South (1846).
Family
James Waddell and Mary Gordon had ten children:- Nathaniel Waddell. Married his cousin Mary Smith Gordon.
- James Gordon Waddell (1770-1857). Married (1) his cousin Lucy Gordon. Married (2) Mildred Thornton Lindsay.
- Elizabeth Waddell (1777-1851). Married Rev. William Calhoun.
- Isaac Waddell (1780-18??). Moved to South Carolina where he settled on the banks of the Tyger River in Greenville District. Married, about 1805, Nancy Middleton and had several children. One daughter married ____ Goodlet. Another daughter, Martha, married William Hubbard, a hotel proprietor of Anderson, South Carolina.
- Janetta Waddell (1782-1852). Married Archibald AlexanderArchibald AlexanderArchibald Alexander was an American Presbyterian theologian and professor at the Princeton Theological Seminary...
. Their issue included James Waddel AlexanderJames Waddel AlexanderJames Waddel Alexander was an American Presbyterian minister and theologian who followed in the footsteps of his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander.-Early life:...
, William Cowper AlexanderWilliam Cowper AlexanderWilliam Cowper Alexander was an American lawyer, politician, and insurance executive. He served as President of the New Jersey State Senate and as President of the Equitable Life Assurance Society.-Early life:...
, and Joseph Addison AlexanderJoseph Addison AlexanderJoseph Addison Alexander was an American biblical scholar.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the third son of Archibald Alexander and brother to James Waddel Alexander and William Cowper Alexander....
. Another son, Henry Martyn Alexander, was the grandfather of Eleanor Butler Alexander-RooseveltEleanor Butler Alexander-RooseveltEleanor Butler "Bunny" Alexander-Roosevelt only daughter of Henry Addison Alexander, a prominent New York lawyer and Grace Alexander...
, wife of Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. - Anne Harrison Waddell (1783-1853).
- Dr. Addison W. Waddell (1785-1855). Married (1) Catherine Ann Boys and (2) Mrs. Ann Douglas. He and his first wife were the parents of writer and historian Joseph Addison Waddell.
- Sarah Waddell (1789-1865)
- Lyttleton Waddell (1790-1869). Married Elizabeth Edmonson.
- Harrington Waddell. Died young.
Tyler, in Men of mark in Virginia, omits Isaac and adds a daughter named Mary.
James Waddell is thought to have been a cousin of Rev. Moses Waddel
Moses Waddel
Moses Waddel was an American educator and minister in antebellum Georgia and South Carolina. Famous as a teacher during his life, Moses Waddel was author of the bestselling book Memoirs of the Life of Miss Caroline Elizabeth Smelt.- Life and work:Born in 1770 in Rowan County, North Carolina,...
. There are various spellings and pronunciations of the family name. Descendants of James have typically pronounced "Waddell" with a stress on the final syllable and have spelled it with two Ls..