Basel, Switzerland 1564 – The anti-Trinitarian Martin Cellarius died in Basel, Switzerland, at the age of 65. Considered the first self-proclaimed Unitarian, he was imprisoned in Germany for his beliefs. Cellarius is the author of several biblical and philosophical works, and he influenced both the Polish and the Transylvanian Unitarian movements. The post October 11 first … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 11

1822 – Samuel Johnson was born in Salem, Massachusetts. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Divinity School, he was a regular preacher at Unitarian churches in eastern Massachusetts for several years. In 1853 he became the minister of the Unitarian church in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he remained utnil 1870. Johnson published Book of Hymns … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 10

1860 – Lawrence Pearsall (L.P.) Jacks was born in Nottingham, England. Under the influence of Joseph Estlin Carpenter and James Martineau, he became a Unitarian. In 1903, Jacks became a professor at Manchester College, where he was later principal, from 1915 until his retirement in 1931. He was also editor of the Hibbert Journal from … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 9

1720 – Jonathan Mayhew was born on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Although he was the son of Calvinist preacher Experience Mayhew, Jonathan accepted a call to West Church (Unitarian) in Boston in 1747. Mayhew was learned, lectured widely, and became an early outspoken advocate of national independence. He was a pioneer of religious freedom, fervent … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 8

1894 – Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., a Unitarian physician and writer, died at age 85. Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he published the poem “Old Ironsides” to protest the scrapping of the frigate Constitution. Holmes was Parkman Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Harvard College and dean of its medical school. He wrote The Autocrat of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 7

1779 – Nathan Appleton was born in New Ipswitch, New Hampshire. He was a merchant, manufacturer, financier, politician, and philanthropist. A mill owner and operator, he was concerned about the human suffering caused by the factory system, and sought to change working conditions in the United States, combining the Unitarian principle of the goodness of … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 6

Oliver Cromwell 1655 – Having determined that John Biddle was so controversial that any court decision on his case would endanger the Puritan government, Oliver Cromwell, the lord protector of England, exiled and imprisoned him on the Scilly Isles. Cromwell released Biddle three years later at the request of friends. Biddle is known as the … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 5

First Universalist Church, Norway, Maine 1749 – Thomas Barnes was born. He became Universalist through the preaching of Caleb Rich. Barnes preached in New Hampshire and Vermont before taking up a ministry in Oxford, Massachusetts, from 1789 to 1792. In 1799, he moved to Norway, Maine and became the first Universalist preacher there. Barnes is … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 4

1802 – George Ripley was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard Divinity School, he settled at the Purchase Street Church in Boston. In 1836, he joined Ralph Waldo Emerson and Frederic Henry Hedge in forming the Transcendental Club. Ripley wrote frequently for the Christian Examiner and edited the Boston Observer and Religious Intelligencer. … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 3

1755 – Hannah Adams, the first woman in America to earn her living as a writer, was born in Medfield, Massachusetts. A pioneer in comparative religion, Adams wrote A Dictionary of Religion, and many other books. James Freeman, The Unitarian minister of King’s Chapel in Boston, was a strong supporter of Adams, and she was … Continue reading This Day in Unitarian Universalist History October 2