Guide to the Samuel Davies Papers

Descriptive Summary

Title

Samuel Davies Papers

Inclusive Dates

1751-1760

Call Number

RG 307

Creator(s)

Davies, Samuel, 1723-1761.

Quantity

0.25 cubic feet

Restrictions on Access

Collection open for research

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Biographical Note

Samuel Davies was born in 1723 in New Castle County, Delaware. At age 15 he "made a profession of religion" and studied the classics, science and theology under the Rev. Samuel Blair at his school at Faggs Manor in Pennsylvania. In 1746, at age 23, he was licensed and in 1747 was ordained an evangelist by the New Castle Presbytery. He went to Hanover, VA, near Richmond, where he ministered with considerable success to seven Presbyterian congregations despite the opposition of the established Church of England in the colony.

In 1753 the Synod of New York, at the request of the Board of Trustees of the College of New Jersey (Princeton), sent Davies and Gilbert Tennent to Great Britain to raise funds for that institution. In 1759 he was chosen to succeed Jonathan Edwards as president of the College of New Jersey. He held that position for about 18 months until his death in 1761.

Collection Overview

Record Group 307 consists of sermon manuscripts and correspondence of Samuel Davies. The correspondence consists of five letters of Davies to the Rev. David Cowel (1704-1760), a trustee of the College of New Jersey, and one letter of Cowel to Davies. Also included are the manuscript for one of his published works, biographical notes concerning Davies, bibliographical data for his sermons.

Organization and Arrangement

This collection is arranged as follows:

SERIES I: Correspondence, 1751-1760

SERIES II: Sermon Manuscripts, 1755, 1760, n.d.

SERIES III: Biographical and Bibliographical Data, n.d.

Alternative Formats

Also available on microfilm: MFPOS 809.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Collection processed and finding aid prepared: October 1992
Glenn Colliver, Assistant Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Personal Name Subject

Davies, Samuel, 1723-1761.

Corporate Subject

College of New Jersey (Princeton, N.J.)

Topical Subject

Presbyterian Church--United States--Clergy--18th century.

Sermons, American--18th century.

Genre-form

Sermons. aat

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 307

		The manuscripts are fragile and should be handled carefully.

		SERIES I: Correspondence, 1751-1760

1	2	Correspondence, 1751, 1758-1760

		SERIES II: Sermon Manuscripts, 1755, 1760, n.d.

1	3	Sermon Manuscript (1 Cor. 5:20), date lost
1	4	Sermon Manuscript (Death of David Cowel), 1760
1	5	Sermon Manuscript (Hebrews 4), n.d.
1	6	Sermon Manuscript, 1755 January 5
1	7	Manuscript, "Charity and Truth United, or, The Way of the Multitude Exposed: in Six Letters," 1755
1	8	Transcripts, n.d.

		SERIES III: Biographical and Bibliographical Data, n.d.

1	9	Bibliographical Data re Davies' Sermons. n.d.
1	10	Biographical Notes and Clippings, n.d.

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Guide to the Samuel Davies Papers

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