Joseph Crane Hartzell
Encyclopedia
Joseph Crane Hartzell 1 June 1842 – 6 September 1929) was an American Missionary Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church
who served in the United States
and in Africa
. He was elected in 1896.
. He was converted
to the Christian
faith as a boy. In 1863 he rescued four men from drowning in Lake Michigan
, being honored by the City of Evanston, Illinois
for his heroism. In 1869 Joseph married Miss Jennie Culver of Chicago
.
Joseph earned his own education, entering upon an eleven years' course of study at the age of sixteen. He earned a B.D.
degree in 1868 from Garrett Biblical Institute. Prior to this, he had received a B.A.
degree from Illinois Wesleyan University
. Illinois Wesleyan and Allegheny College
both granted him the honorary degree
of D.D. in 1875. He taught school for a period of time in the early and mid 1860s, before entering the ministry.
Annual Conference
in the fall of 1866, being appointed Pastor
of Pekin
and Bloomington
. In February 1870 he transferred to the Louisiana
Annual Conference of the M.E. Church. He served for three years at Ames
Chapel (later the St. Charles Avenue
Methodist Church) in New Orleans. This was the only Methodist church in New Orleans to remain with the northern branch of the Church after the division over slavery
in 1844. During the next nine years, Rev. Hartzell served as the Presiding Elder of various districts in the Louisiana Conference. For several years he also was a prominent member of the New Orleans School Board.
In 1873 Rev. Hartzell began publication of The Southwestern Christian Advocate, which he carried as a private enterprise until its adoption as an official paper of the M.E. Church by the 1876 General Conference. He was editor of this paper until February 1881, when he resigned to become the Assistant Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Society. At the 1998 General Conference he was elected Corresponding Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid and Southern Education Society, to which office he was re-elected by the 1892 General Conference.
made necessary a successor
, the 1896 General Conference elected Dr. Hartzell Missionary Bishop for Africa. For the next four years, Bishop Hartzell traveled 70000 miles (112,653.8 km) performing the duties of his office. He presided over four Annual Sessions of the Liberia
Annual Conference. On 9 July 1897 he organized the Congo Mission Conference. He also laid the foundations of the Mission in New and Old Umtali in Mashonaland
. He received, as donations from the British South Africa Company
, valuable lots in New Umtali. These came with appropriations of funds for the maintenance of a school among European
s, and a tract of several thousand acres with twelve buildings (worth over $100,000 at that time) at Old Umtali, for the establishment of an industrial Mission.
Bishop Hartzell held the first sessions of the East Central Africa
and West Central Africa Mission Conferences, where were each formed in 1901 from the Congo Mission Conference. He dedicated the St. Andrew's M.E. Church 20 September 1903, the first Methodist Episcopal Church erected for the use of white people in Africa. In the spring of 1910, Bishop Hartzell organized the American Mission in North Africa
.
For his service in Africa
Bishop Hartzell was made a Knight Commander
of the Order for the Redemption of Africa by the Republic of Liberia. He retired at the 1916 General Conference.
Bishop Hartzell died 6 September 1929 as a result of injuries sustained during a robbery at his home in Blue Ash, Ohio
. He was 87. He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery
in Chicago
. Hartzell Hall at Dillard University
in New Orleans, Louisiana
is named in his honor. Hartzell United Methodist Church, in Cincinnati, Ohio is also named in his honor. Located only a few miles (2.5) from Bishop Hartzell's home in Blue Ash, the church maintains a number of artifacts related to the Bishop's life as donated by his family.
Missionary Bishop (Methodist Church)
A Missionary Bishop is one assigned in the Anglican Communion to an area that is not already organized under a bishop of a church. The term was also used in the Methodist churches at one time, but this was discontinued in 1964.-Anglican churches:...
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...
who served in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. He was elected in 1896.
Early life and family
Joseph was born of Methodist parents on a farm near Moline, IllinoisMoline, Illinois
Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, with a population of 45,792 in 2010. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities has a population of...
. He was converted
Conversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
to the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith as a boy. In 1863 he rescued four men from drowning in Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
, being honored by the City of Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
for his heroism. In 1869 Joseph married Miss Jennie Culver of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Joseph earned his own education, entering upon an eleven years' course of study at the age of sixteen. He earned a B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree in 1868 from Garrett Biblical Institute. Prior to this, he had received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree from Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University
Illinois Wesleyan University is an independent undergraduate university located in Bloomington, Illinois. Founded in 1850, the central portion of the present campus was acquired in 1854 with the first building erected in 1856...
. Illinois Wesleyan and Allegheny College
Allegheny College
Allegheny College is a private liberal arts college located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the town of Meadville. Founded in 1815, the college has about 2,100 undergraduate students.-Early history:...
both granted him the honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
of D.D. in 1875. He taught school for a period of time in the early and mid 1860s, before entering the ministry.
Ordained ministry
The Rev. Hartzell entered the Central IllinoisCentral Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central section of the state, divided in thirds from north to south. It is an area of mostly flat prairie. The western section was originally part of the Military Tract of 1812 and forms the distinctive western...
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...
in the fall of 1866, being appointed 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"....
of Pekin
Pekin, Illinois
Pekin is a the county seat of Tazewell County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located on the Illinois River, Pekin is also the largest city of Tazewell County, and a key part of the Peoria metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, its population is 34,094. A small portion of the city limits extends...
and Bloomington
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. In February 1870 he transferred to the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
Annual Conference of the M.E. Church. He served for three years at Ames
Edward Raymond Ames
Edward Raymond Ames was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852.-Birth and family:...
Chapel (later the St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue
St. Charles Avenue is a thoroughfare in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.A. and the home of the St. Charles Streetcar Line. It is also famous for the hundreds of mansions that adorn the tree-lined boulevard for much of the Uptown section of the route. The southern live oak trees, particularly found in...
Methodist Church) in New Orleans. This was the only Methodist church in New Orleans to remain with the northern branch of the Church after the division over slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in 1844. During the next nine years, Rev. Hartzell served as the Presiding Elder of various districts in the Louisiana Conference. For several years he also was a prominent member of the New Orleans School Board.
In 1873 Rev. Hartzell began publication of The Southwestern Christian Advocate, which he carried as a private enterprise until its adoption as an official paper of the M.E. Church by the 1876 General Conference. He was editor of this paper until February 1881, when he resigned to become the Assistant Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid Society. At the 1998 General Conference he was elected Corresponding Secretary of the Freedmen's Aid and Southern Education Society, to which office he was re-elected by the 1892 General Conference.
Episcopal ministry
When the retirement of Bishop William TaylorWilliam Taylor (bishop)
William Taylor was an American Missionary Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1884. Taylor University, a Christian college in Indiana, carries his name.-Ancestry and birth:...
made necessary a successor
Successor
A successor can refer to* Someone who, or something which succeeds or comes after * Successor , an American Thoroughbred racehorseIn history:* The Diadochi, or Successors to Alexander the GreatIn mathematics:...
, the 1896 General Conference elected Dr. Hartzell Missionary Bishop for Africa. For the next four years, Bishop Hartzell traveled 70000 miles (112,653.8 km) performing the duties of his office. He presided over four Annual Sessions of the Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
Annual Conference. On 9 July 1897 he organized the Congo Mission Conference. He also laid the foundations of the Mission in New and Old Umtali in Mashonaland
Mashonaland
Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
. He received, as donations from the British South Africa Company
British South Africa Company
The British South Africa Company was established by Cecil Rhodes through the amalgamation of the Central Search Association and the Exploring Company Ltd., receiving a royal charter in 1889...
, valuable lots in New Umtali. These came with appropriations of funds for the maintenance of a school among European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s, and a tract of several thousand acres with twelve buildings (worth over $100,000 at that time) at Old Umtali, for the establishment of an industrial Mission.
Bishop Hartzell held the first sessions of the East Central Africa
Central Africa
Central Africa is a core region of the African continent which includes Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda....
and West Central Africa Mission Conferences, where were each formed in 1901 from the Congo Mission Conference. He dedicated the St. Andrew's M.E. Church 20 September 1903, the first Methodist Episcopal Church erected for the use of white people in Africa. In the spring of 1910, Bishop Hartzell organized the American Mission in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
For his service in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
Bishop Hartzell was made a Knight Commander
Knight Commander
Knight Commander is the second most senior grade of seven British orders of chivalry, three of which are dormant . The rank entails admission into knighthood, allowing the recipient to use the title 'Sir' or 'Dame' before his or her name...
of the Order for the Redemption of Africa by the Republic of Liberia. He retired at the 1916 General Conference.
Bishop Hartzell died 6 September 1929 as a result of injuries sustained during a robbery at his home in Blue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash, Ohio
Blue Ash is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an inner suburb of Cincinnati, which is located just to the south. The population was 12,513 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Blue Ash is located at ....
. He was 87. He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery
Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago
Rosehill Cemetery is a Victorian era cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. The name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the area was previously called "Roe's Hill", named for nearby farmer Hiram Roe...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Hartzell Hall at Dillard University
Dillard University
Dillard University is a private, historically black liberal arts college in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 incorporating earlier institutions that went back to 1869, it is affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the United Methodist Church....
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
is named in his honor. Hartzell United Methodist Church, in Cincinnati, Ohio is also named in his honor. Located only a few miles (2.5) from Bishop Hartzell's home in Blue Ash, the church maintains a number of artifacts related to the Bishop's life as donated by his family.
Selected writings
- Comp. and edited, Christian Educators in Council, record of two important educational conventions, organized by Bishop Hartzell, who gave three addresses: The Freedmen Progressing, The Methodist Episcopal Church in the South Since the War, and a brief farewell word. Published, 1883.
- Address: Christian Work in Agricultural Districts, Second Ecumenical Conference, Washington, 1891.
- Address: The Open Door in Africa, First General Missionary Convention, Cleveland, 1903, also a pamphlet.
- Introduction, Springer, J.M., Heart of Central Africa, 1908.
- Minutes of African Mission Conferences presented to the General Conference, 1908. Autographed by Bishop Hartzell, in the Methodist Bishops' Collection at the library of Perkins School of TheologyPerkins School of TheologyPerkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
, Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. - Africa Diamond Jubilee Documents, Forward Movements, The Africa Mission, Diamond Investments in Africa, 1908-1909.
- Unification and Minorities, leaflet, n.d., in the Methodist Bishops' Collection.
Biographies
- Poem, Williams, Dwight, Wreck of the Schooner "Storm," 1891, in the Methodist Bishops' Collection at the library of Perkins School of TheologyPerkins School of TheologyPerkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J...
, Southern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist UniversitySouthern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. - Account of youthful heroism of Joseph C. Hartzell in 1863 in saving four lives from a wreck on Lake Michigan, in the Methodist Bishops' Collection at the library of Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.