Scenes from the Truth in America (Part 1 of 0)

Ships in Peril on the Sea – Part one

Introduction

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of “Glimpses of the History of the Truth in America.” I cannot call it a “History of the Christadelphians,” because that name was not used for the first 32 years of the story. Nor is it a “Life of Dr. Thomas” because I hope to bring it down to our present day. Instead, I anticipate bringing out some fascinating facts, and some speculations, that will help you better understand our heritage and appreciate the work of our forebears in this country.

Most of what has been written about our history has been written by our English brethren, few of whom have had access to early American sources. I will make no attempt to reproduce what is written in the standard works1, most of which are based on “Life and Work of Dr. Thomas” by Robert Roberts. This is a magnificent book which should be part of any Christadelphian’s library. Rather, I will concentrate on information from contemporary American records. I will also attempt to answer some questions concerning the spread of the Truth in North America. Likely topics will include:

  • Daniel Gano, Clerk of the Supreme Court in Hamilton County, Ohio and his involvement with Dr. Thomas.
  • The Sycamore church in Richmond, where Dr. Thomas first occupied a pulpit.
  • What were the first “Christadelphian” ecclesias (more than one answer!).
  • How the Campbellites, with whom Dr. Thomas first associated, viewed him, taken from their own writings.
  • Thomas and the Mormons — some points of contact.
  • Whatever happened to Dr. Thomas’ three siblings in America?
  • Thomas in the Civil War — his involvement with General Magruder.
  • Thomas and the other brother Magruder (Allen Bowie).
  • The other American “Brethren in Christ.”
  • Thomas’ letters to the Millerites.
  • What are the reasons the Truth failed to expand in America as it did in England?
  • The earliest “Bible Schools.”
  • The Megiddo Mission Church — its Christadelphian origin and subsequent history.
  • Robert Roberts — the subject of an American swindle with the Electric Sugar Company.
  • The Amended/Unamended division — some thoughts.
  • The Berean division and and re-union.
  • Consciencious objection among the Christadelphians in North America. These, and others, will be treated in a largely stand-alone fashion, but taken together will help us understand better our heritage and strengthen our conviction to spread the Truth in North America.

In Peril on the Sea — Alexander Campbell, 1808

Anyone who has read anything on the history of the Christadelphians will be aware of Dr. Thomas’ disputes with Alexander Campbell. They will also be aware that for many years Dr. Thomas belonged to, preached to and was the pastor of various Churches of the Disciples of Christ in Virginia. Dr. Thomas first learned from, and then opposed, Alexander Campbell. In fact, there is correspondence from or about Dr. Thomas in the “Millenial Harbinger,” Alexander Campbell’s magazine, down to 1862 — almost 30 years after Dr. Thomas’ first letter in September of 1833.

Unless you have read Alexander Campbell’s biography, however, you are probably unaware Alexander Campbell encountered peril on the sea. His account relates that on October 1, 1808, he was sailing with his family to join his father, Thomas Campbell, in America. He embarked from Londonderry in Ireland, but his ship was wrecked on the rocky coast of Islay, one of the Hebr­ides off the west coast of Scotland. During that experience of shipwreck, Campbell, who was 30 at the time, decided he would devote himself to the ministry. It was probably inevitable, according to his biographers, that he would have made that decision anyway. Although no doubt in some danger, Campbell was able to save the families’ baggage and his own books (which were chiefly theological). As a result, it was not until August of 1809 that Campbell left for America, which he reached after a voyage of seven weeks.

In Peril on the Sea – Dr. Thomas, 1832

The story or Dr. Thomas’ journey to America is well known. According to Robert Roberts, he sailed in the Marquis of Wellesley for America on May 1, 1832. He had no special interest in religion up until that time, although his father was a pastor. The journey was extremely rough, and a series of severe storms, coupled with an accident off the coast of Nova Scotia that caused the ship to spring a leak, caused panic among the passengers, Dr. Thomas included. Dr. Thomas later reported that at one point when it appeared probable the ship would sink, he burst into spontaneous prayer and vowed if he survived, he would abandon all pursuits other than the study of religion until he had discovered the Truth. The ship did not founder, despite being severely damaged, and it limped into New York Harbor two weeks later after a voyage of eight weeks.

It is recorded2that this ship, built in Sunderland in 1811, was owned by Goodson and Son of London and normally made crossings from London to Granada in the West Indies. This is indirectly confirmed by contemporary American records, for these show only one visit by this ship to the port of New York in the period 1820-1850. Maritime records show the Marquis of Wellesley, was a “bark,” or a three-or-more masted vessel, with a combination of fore, aft and square sails. The records3also show that the recorded data of the ship’s arrival in New York was July 16, 1832, with its captain being John Hunt. This record is an interesting confirmation of the arrival of the Marquis of Wellesley with Dr. Thomas on board. Contemporary newspaper records4 show the date of arrival as July 13, after a voyage of 56 days. I have no means of knowing about any paperwork delays and this record is an interesting confirmation of the arrival of the Marquis of Wellesley with Dr. Thomas on board. I cannot explain the I might publish the record of those who sailed with Dr. Thomas — there is a reasonable chance that an ancestor of a present-day Christadelphian sailed on that ship.

Peril on the Sea – C.C. Walker, the 2nd editor of the Christadelphian

Although only indirectly connected with the Truth in America, there is one more case of a shipboard resolution in our Christadelphian history. In recording the death of Charles Curwin Walker, the editor of The Christadelphian from the death of Robert Roberts in 1898 to 1937, The Christadelphian of May 1940 has this account. On a voyage to Australia, his ship, the Aristedes, encountered a severe storm rounding the Cape Horn. As a result, when safely in the Indian Ocean, he penned these words: “I…declare that if it please God to bring me to Melbourne and to allow me to be baptized into the name of Jesus Christ I will thereafter devote myself entirely and exclusively to his service. Amen. Chas. C. Walker August 23rd 1881.”

And he did for the rest of his long life. How the American sugar disaster affected him, Robert Roberts and the spread of the Truth is another story.

  1. Other books on Dr. Thomas of interest include Life of Dr. Thomas by John Lea; an illustrated book entitled Life of Dr. Thomas published in Australia in 1985, and the series of articles by Islip Collyer published in The Testimony in the 1940’s. A recent smaller work is John Thomas and his Rediscovery of the Bible Truth, by Norman Fadelle. Much additional information about Dr. Thomas is to be found in non-Christadelphian books, of which Christadelphians in North America, by Charles Lippy, and Ante-Bellum Virginia Disciples of Christ by H. Jackson Darst are the most interesting.
  2. As discovered by Charles Lippy, op cit.
  3. See, for example, “Passenger Ships arriving in New York 1820-1850.”
  4. The York Commercial Advertiser, of the date.