James Wickliffe Axtell
Encyclopedia
James Wickliffe Axtell was a newspaper man and prominent member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
.
congregations in Pennsylvania
, most notably the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg
. An alternative spelling of his name is James Wycliffe Axtell.
Beginning at about age thirteen, James worked in the Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
, printing office and set type for The Cumberland Presbyterian, the official newspaper of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
denomination. After graduating from Waynesburg University
, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church
institution, he was one of the founders of the Waynesburg Independent. He also helped to establish the National Stockman and Farmer which became one of America's primary agricultural newspapers. For about twenty-two years Axtell was either editor, manager, or managing editor.
J. W. Axtell married Mary Helen "Nellie" Minor in 1874. They had two sons, Philip Phillips Axtell and Clay Minor Axtell, and one daughter, Clara Eliza Axtell who married Charles Poynter.
In 1898, Axtell accepted the position of business manager with the St. Louis Observer. On the death of the paper's editor/publisher David Madison Harris in 1900, Axtell became The Observers managing editor. Later in 1900, with the sale of The Observer to the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, Axtell accepted a similar position in connection with The Cumberland Presbyterian newspaper (now relocated to Nashville, Tennessee). A year later he was made General Manager of the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House.
Axtell had been a member of the Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg
soon after its organization, and for eight years was the successful superintendent of Shady Avenue's Sunday school. From this experience he authored several books about Christian education. Axtell remained manager of the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House until poor health forced his resignation in 1908. He died on December 23, 1909.
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
.
Biography
Axtell was born in Pennsylvania, the son of the Rev. Dr. Philip Axtell who founded a number of Cumberland Presbyterian ChurchCumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
congregations in 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...
, most notably the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. An alternative spelling of his name is James Wycliffe Axtell.
Beginning at about age thirteen, James worked in the Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Waynesburg is a borough in and the county seat of Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States, southwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 4,184 at the 2000 census....
, printing office and set type for The Cumberland Presbyterian, the official newspaper of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
denomination. After graduating from Waynesburg University
Waynesburg University
Waynesburg University is a private, university located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, USA. The university offers graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations, and enrolls over 2,500 students, including approximately 1,500 undergraduates.Waynesburg University was...
, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church
Cumberland Presbyterian Church
The Cumberland Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Christian denomination spawned by the Second Great Awakening. In 2007, it had an active membership of less than 50,000 and about 800 congregations, the majority of which are concentrated in the United States...
institution, he was one of the founders of the Waynesburg Independent. He also helped to establish the National Stockman and Farmer which became one of America's primary agricultural newspapers. For about twenty-two years Axtell was either editor, manager, or managing editor.
J. W. Axtell married Mary Helen "Nellie" Minor in 1874. They had two sons, Philip Phillips Axtell and Clay Minor Axtell, and one daughter, Clara Eliza Axtell who married Charles Poynter.
In 1898, Axtell accepted the position of business manager with the St. Louis Observer. On the death of the paper's editor/publisher David Madison Harris in 1900, Axtell became The Observers managing editor. Later in 1900, with the sale of The Observer to the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House, Axtell accepted a similar position in connection with The Cumberland Presbyterian newspaper (now relocated to Nashville, Tennessee). A year later he was made General Manager of the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House.
Axtell had been a member of the Shady Avenue Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Pittsburg
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
soon after its organization, and for eight years was the successful superintendent of Shady Avenue's Sunday school. From this experience he authored several books about Christian education. Axtell remained manager of the Cumberland Presbyterian Publishing House until poor health forced his resignation in 1908. He died on December 23, 1909.
Books by James Wickliffe Axtell
- Axtell, J. W. The Organized Sunday School: A Working Manual for Officers. Nashville, Tenn.: The Cumberland Press, 1902.
- Axtell, J. W. The Teaching Problem: A Message to Sunday School Workers. Nashville, Tenn.: The Cumberland Press, 1902.
Sources
- The Cumberland Presbyterian, April 19, 1900, page 483.
- The Cumberland Presbyterian, December 30, 1909, page 821