Rev. Dr. William Staughton was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England to Sutton and Keziah Staughton on January 4, 1770. He graduated from Bristol Baptist College in 1792, and in the fall of 1793 he emigrated to Charleston, SC. He preached in Georgetown for the next year and a half. Shortly after arriving in South Carolina, he married Maria Martin Hanson, a young widow he had known in England prior to her sailing to America. The marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. Dr. Richard Furman, a lifelong friend of William Staughton.
William and Maria subsequently moved to New York, and then to Bordentown, NJ. While residing in Bordentown, William was pastor of the Baptist church, headed an academy, and was ordained a Baptist minister on June 17, 1797. Between 1797 and 1805, William served as pastor at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1801, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Princeton. In 1805 he was offered and accepted the pastorship of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia which, according to his granddaughter Leonora Maria Temple Hoyne, during his time as pastor there "increased its membership so greatly that the edifice was enlarged several times,and three churches were formed from it."
William held this position until the formation of the Sansom Street Church in 1811. Here, he preached every Sunday three or four times to audiences of several thousand, and also two or three times during the week.
In addition to his Sansom Street Church duties from 1811 until his resignation in 1822, William Staughton was the designated tutor of the Baptist Education Society of the Middle States of America, founded in 1812. He was also founder of the Philadelphia Bible Society, an organizer and "corresponding secretary" of the Triennial Convention from 1814 until 1826, and the principal of the theological department of the Triennial Convention in 1817.
Reverend Luther Rice, a philanthropist and Baptist missionary who had returned from India, began advocating the establishment of an educational institution (college) in Washington, D. C. for training Baptist ministers. William Staughton supported Rice's idea. In 1819 Luther Rice and his associates founded an association, and a tract of land was purchased on the outskirts of Washington, D. C. to be held and used for an educational facility. Two years later, the Congress of the United States granted a charter which established Columbian College, now the George Washington University. (The main administration building at George Washington University, Luther Rice Hall, is named in his honor.)
In 1821, in order to assume the presidency of Columbian College, William Staughton resigned as pastor of the Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia and, at the request of the board of trustees, familiarized himself with European educational methods. His tenure as president of Columbian College saw the founding of the law school, the departments of classics, medicine and theology, and a preparatory school. Guests at the first Columbian College commencement, held in 1824, included President James Monroe, members of his cabinet, members of the Senate, House, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Columbian College was then located on College Hill, a tract of land bordering Florida Avenue and 14th and 15th Streets.
William was responsible for teaching courses in both the theological and classical departments.
William served two terms as Chaplain of the US Senate. Appointed December 10, 1823, his first term ended on December 13, 1824. His second term began on December 12, 1825, and ended on December 7, 1826. He preached the eulogy of George Washington before the US Senate. During his second term as Chaplain, he delivered the memorial sermon in the US Capitol on July 16, 1826 following the simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826. William used as his text 2 Samuel 1:23, "Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."
William's beloved first wife, Maria Martin Hanson Staughton died of typhus fever in January, 1823 and, four years later, he resigned his Columbian College presidency. In September 1829, William Staughton was chosen to be president of the Literary and Theological Institution (Georgetown College) in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky. While enroute to his new position, William Staughton died in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 1829, probably of heart failure. He was buried in the District of Columbia's Episcopal cemetery. Approximately three years later, his body was exhumed, moved to Philadelphia, and re-interred in the Sansom Street Baptist Church cemetery. This cemetery was also known as the 5th Baptist Church cemetery.
On August 27,1829, William married the famous artist James Peale's daughter, Anna Claypoole Peale, a renowned artist in her own right, and she lived until 1878. Anna later married General William Duncan, who also predeceased her.
In addition to his first wife, Maria, William Staughton was predeceased by an infant son, William Hinton Staughton, who died December 14, 1799. His second wife, Anna and three of his four children born during his first marriage -- Leonora Maria, Elizabeth Ann, and James Martin survive him. Leonora Maria Staughton was wedded to Reverend Samuel W. Lynd who later authored "Memoir of the Rev. William Staughton, D. D." which was published in 1834. Elizabeth Ann Staughton was the wife of Dr. John Taylor Temple who subsequently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbian College from 1832 to 1835. James Martin Staughton, bearer of a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1821), was Professor of Chemistry and of Surgery in the Columbian College's Medical School from 1821 to 1829.
As the city of Philadelphia grew, there was no room for downtown cemeteries, so the Sansom Street cemetery, including the graves of Dr. Staughton and his first wife, Maria, were transported in the mid-1800s to Laurel Hill cemetery. Those graves are now in Laurel Hill's Section 6, Lot 97.
William Staughton is my husband's maternal 4th Great-Grandfather.
(Photo of building at right is of Staughton Hall on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC).
In recent weeks through the efforts of a few Staughton descendants, a bronze plaque has been placed at the foot of the tall monument marking the Staughton gravesite at Laurel Hill. The plaque contains the names of both William and Maria and their dates of birth and death.
On July 8, 2018 at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, WI, Staughton Hall was dedicated to the memory of William and Maria Staughton. Carol Bauer, a descendent of Dr. Staughton, her husband George and their son Brad (Board Chair of GLCC) were present at this dedication. Photos and video links of the Staughton dedication can be viewed at the Green Lake Conference Center's website, glcc.org. Select the Meetings and Events dropdown from the top, and then select Staughton Hall Dedication.
William and Maria subsequently moved to New York, and then to Bordentown, NJ. While residing in Bordentown, William was pastor of the Baptist church, headed an academy, and was ordained a Baptist minister on June 17, 1797. Between 1797 and 1805, William served as pastor at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1801, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Princeton. In 1805 he was offered and accepted the pastorship of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia which, according to his granddaughter Leonora Maria Temple Hoyne, during his time as pastor there "increased its membership so greatly that the edifice was enlarged several times,and three churches were formed from it."
William held this position until the formation of the Sansom Street Church in 1811. Here, he preached every Sunday three or four times to audiences of several thousand, and also two or three times during the week.
In addition to his Sansom Street Church duties from 1811 until his resignation in 1822, William Staughton was the designated tutor of the Baptist Education Society of the Middle States of America, founded in 1812. He was also founder of the Philadelphia Bible Society, an organizer and "corresponding secretary" of the Triennial Convention from 1814 until 1826, and the principal of the theological department of the Triennial Convention in 1817.
Reverend Luther Rice, a philanthropist and Baptist missionary who had returned from India, began advocating the establishment of an educational institution (college) in Washington, D. C. for training Baptist ministers. William Staughton supported Rice's idea. In 1819 Luther Rice and his associates founded an association, and a tract of land was purchased on the outskirts of Washington, D. C. to be held and used for an educational facility. Two years later, the Congress of the United States granted a charter which established Columbian College, now the George Washington University. (The main administration building at George Washington University, Luther Rice Hall, is named in his honor.)
In 1821, in order to assume the presidency of Columbian College, William Staughton resigned as pastor of the Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia and, at the request of the board of trustees, familiarized himself with European educational methods. His tenure as president of Columbian College saw the founding of the law school, the departments of classics, medicine and theology, and a preparatory school. Guests at the first Columbian College commencement, held in 1824, included President James Monroe, members of his cabinet, members of the Senate, House, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Columbian College was then located on College Hill, a tract of land bordering Florida Avenue and 14th and 15th Streets.
William was responsible for teaching courses in both the theological and classical departments.
William served two terms as Chaplain of the US Senate. Appointed December 10, 1823, his first term ended on December 13, 1824. His second term began on December 12, 1825, and ended on December 7, 1826. He preached the eulogy of George Washington before the US Senate. During his second term as Chaplain, he delivered the memorial sermon in the US Capitol on July 16, 1826 following the simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826. William used as his text 2 Samuel 1:23, "Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."
William's beloved first wife, Maria Martin Hanson Staughton died of typhus fever in January, 1823 and, four years later, he resigned his Columbian College presidency. In September 1829, William Staughton was chosen to be president of the Literary and Theological Institution (Georgetown College) in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky. While enroute to his new position, William Staughton died in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 1829, probably of heart failure. He was buried in the District of Columbia's Episcopal cemetery. Approximately three years later, his body was exhumed, moved to Philadelphia, and re-interred in the Sansom Street Baptist Church cemetery. This cemetery was also known as the 5th Baptist Church cemetery.
On August 27,1829, William married the famous artist James Peale's daughter, Anna Claypoole Peale, a renowned artist in her own right, and she lived until 1878. Anna later married General William Duncan, who also predeceased her.
In addition to his first wife, Maria, William Staughton was predeceased by an infant son, William Hinton Staughton, who died December 14, 1799. His second wife, Anna and three of his four children born during his first marriage -- Leonora Maria, Elizabeth Ann, and James Martin survive him. Leonora Maria Staughton was wedded to Reverend Samuel W. Lynd who later authored "Memoir of the Rev. William Staughton, D. D." which was published in 1834. Elizabeth Ann Staughton was the wife of Dr. John Taylor Temple who subsequently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbian College from 1832 to 1835. James Martin Staughton, bearer of a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1821), was Professor of Chemistry and of Surgery in the Columbian College's Medical School from 1821 to 1829.
As the city of Philadelphia grew, there was no room for downtown cemeteries, so the Sansom Street cemetery, including the graves of Dr. Staughton and his first wife, Maria, were transported in the mid-1800s to Laurel Hill cemetery. Those graves are now in Laurel Hill's Section 6, Lot 97.
William Staughton is my husband's maternal 4th Great-Grandfather.
(Photo of building at right is of Staughton Hall on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC).
In recent weeks through the efforts of a few Staughton descendants, a bronze plaque has been placed at the foot of the tall monument marking the Staughton gravesite at Laurel Hill. The plaque contains the names of both William and Maria and their dates of birth and death.
On July 8, 2018 at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, WI, Staughton Hall was dedicated to the memory of William and Maria Staughton. Carol Bauer, a descendent of Dr. Staughton, her husband George and their son Brad (Board Chair of GLCC) were present at this dedication. Photos and video links of the Staughton dedication can be viewed at the Green Lake Conference Center's website, glcc.org. Select the Meetings and Events dropdown from the top, and then select Staughton Hall Dedication.
Rev. Dr. William Staughton was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England to Sutton and Keziah Staughton on January 4, 1770. He graduated from Bristol Baptist College in 1792, and in the fall of 1793 he emigrated to Charleston, SC. He preached in Georgetown for the next year and a half. Shortly after arriving in South Carolina, he married Maria Martin Hanson, a young widow he had known in England prior to her sailing to America. The marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. Dr. Richard Furman, a lifelong friend of William Staughton.
William and Maria subsequently moved to New York, and then to Bordentown, NJ. While residing in Bordentown, William was pastor of the Baptist church, headed an academy, and was ordained a Baptist minister on June 17, 1797. Between 1797 and 1805, William served as pastor at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1801, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Princeton. In 1805 he was offered and accepted the pastorship of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia which, according to his granddaughter Leonora Maria Temple Hoyne, during his time as pastor there "increased its membership so greatly that the edifice was enlarged several times,and three churches were formed from it."
William held this position until the formation of the Sansom Street Church in 1811. Here, he preached every Sunday three or four times to audiences of several thousand, and also two or three times during the week.
In addition to his Sansom Street Church duties from 1811 until his resignation in 1822, William Staughton was the designated tutor of the Baptist Education Society of the Middle States of America, founded in 1812. He was also founder of the Philadelphia Bible Society, an organizer and "corresponding secretary" of the Triennial Convention from 1814 until 1826, and the principal of the theological department of the Triennial Convention in 1817.
Reverend Luther Rice, a philanthropist and Baptist missionary who had returned from India, began advocating the establishment of an educational institution (college) in Washington, D. C. for training Baptist ministers. William Staughton supported Rice's idea. In 1819 Luther Rice and his associates founded an association, and a tract of land was purchased on the outskirts of Washington, D. C. to be held and used for an educational facility. Two years later, the Congress of the United States granted a charter which established Columbian College, now the George Washington University. (The main administration building at George Washington University, Luther Rice Hall, is named in his honor.)
In 1821, in order to assume the presidency of Columbian College, William Staughton resigned as pastor of the Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia and, at the request of the board of trustees, familiarized himself with European educational methods. His tenure as president of Columbian College saw the founding of the law school, the departments of classics, medicine and theology, and a preparatory school. Guests at the first Columbian College commencement, held in 1824, included President James Monroe, members of his cabinet, members of the Senate, House, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Columbian College was then located on College Hill, a tract of land bordering Florida Avenue and 14th and 15th Streets.
William was responsible for teaching courses in both the theological and classical departments.
William served two terms as Chaplain of the US Senate. Appointed December 10, 1823, his first term ended on December 13, 1824. His second term began on December 12, 1825, and ended on December 7, 1826. He preached the eulogy of George Washington before the US Senate. During his second term as Chaplain, he delivered the memorial sermon in the US Capitol on July 16, 1826 following the simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826. William used as his text 2 Samuel 1:23, "Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."
William's beloved first wife, Maria Martin Hanson Staughton died of typhus fever in January, 1823 and, four years later, he resigned his Columbian College presidency. In September 1829, William Staughton was chosen to be president of the Literary and Theological Institution (Georgetown College) in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky. While enroute to his new position, William Staughton died in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 1829, probably of heart failure. He was buried in the District of Columbia's Episcopal cemetery. Approximately three years later, his body was exhumed, moved to Philadelphia, and re-interred in the Sansom Street Baptist Church cemetery. This cemetery was also known as the 5th Baptist Church cemetery.
On August 27,1829, William married the famous artist James Peale's daughter, Anna Claypoole Peale, a renowned artist in her own right, and she lived until 1878. Anna later married General William Duncan, who also predeceased her.
In addition to his first wife, Maria, William Staughton was predeceased by an infant son, William Hinton Staughton, who died December 14, 1799. His second wife, Anna and three of his four children born during his first marriage -- Leonora Maria, Elizabeth Ann, and James Martin survive him. Leonora Maria Staughton was wedded to Reverend Samuel W. Lynd who later authored "Memoir of the Rev. William Staughton, D. D." which was published in 1834. Elizabeth Ann Staughton was the wife of Dr. John Taylor Temple who subsequently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbian College from 1832 to 1835. James Martin Staughton, bearer of a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1821), was Professor of Chemistry and of Surgery in the Columbian College's Medical School from 1821 to 1829.
As the city of Philadelphia grew, there was no room for downtown cemeteries, so the Sansom Street cemetery, including the graves of Dr. Staughton and his first wife, Maria, were transported in the mid-1800s to Laurel Hill cemetery. Those graves are now in Laurel Hill's Section 6, Lot 97.
William Staughton is my husband's maternal 4th Great-Grandfather.
(Photo of building at right is of Staughton Hall on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC).
In recent weeks through the efforts of a few Staughton descendants, a bronze plaque has been placed at the foot of the tall monument marking the Staughton gravesite at Laurel Hill. The plaque contains the names of both William and Maria and their dates of birth and death.
On July 8, 2018 at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, WI, Staughton Hall was dedicated to the memory of William and Maria Staughton. Carol Bauer, a descendent of Dr. Staughton, her husband George and their son Brad (Board Chair of GLCC) were present at this dedication. Photos and video links of the Staughton dedication can be viewed at the Green Lake Conference Center's website, glcc.org. Select the Meetings and Events dropdown from the top, and then select Staughton Hall Dedication.
William and Maria subsequently moved to New York, and then to Bordentown, NJ. While residing in Bordentown, William was pastor of the Baptist church, headed an academy, and was ordained a Baptist minister on June 17, 1797. Between 1797 and 1805, William served as pastor at Burlington, New Jersey. In 1801, he received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Princeton. In 1805 he was offered and accepted the pastorship of the First Baptist Church in Philadelphia which, according to his granddaughter Leonora Maria Temple Hoyne, during his time as pastor there "increased its membership so greatly that the edifice was enlarged several times,and three churches were formed from it."
William held this position until the formation of the Sansom Street Church in 1811. Here, he preached every Sunday three or four times to audiences of several thousand, and also two or three times during the week.
In addition to his Sansom Street Church duties from 1811 until his resignation in 1822, William Staughton was the designated tutor of the Baptist Education Society of the Middle States of America, founded in 1812. He was also founder of the Philadelphia Bible Society, an organizer and "corresponding secretary" of the Triennial Convention from 1814 until 1826, and the principal of the theological department of the Triennial Convention in 1817.
Reverend Luther Rice, a philanthropist and Baptist missionary who had returned from India, began advocating the establishment of an educational institution (college) in Washington, D. C. for training Baptist ministers. William Staughton supported Rice's idea. In 1819 Luther Rice and his associates founded an association, and a tract of land was purchased on the outskirts of Washington, D. C. to be held and used for an educational facility. Two years later, the Congress of the United States granted a charter which established Columbian College, now the George Washington University. (The main administration building at George Washington University, Luther Rice Hall, is named in his honor.)
In 1821, in order to assume the presidency of Columbian College, William Staughton resigned as pastor of the Sansom Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia and, at the request of the board of trustees, familiarized himself with European educational methods. His tenure as president of Columbian College saw the founding of the law school, the departments of classics, medicine and theology, and a preparatory school. Guests at the first Columbian College commencement, held in 1824, included President James Monroe, members of his cabinet, members of the Senate, House, U.S. Supreme Court, and the Marquis de Lafayette. Columbian College was then located on College Hill, a tract of land bordering Florida Avenue and 14th and 15th Streets.
William was responsible for teaching courses in both the theological and classical departments.
William served two terms as Chaplain of the US Senate. Appointed December 10, 1823, his first term ended on December 13, 1824. His second term began on December 12, 1825, and ended on December 7, 1826. He preached the eulogy of George Washington before the US Senate. During his second term as Chaplain, he delivered the memorial sermon in the US Capitol on July 16, 1826 following the simultaneous deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on July 4, 1826. William used as his text 2 Samuel 1:23, "Lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their deaths they were not divided, they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions."
William's beloved first wife, Maria Martin Hanson Staughton died of typhus fever in January, 1823 and, four years later, he resigned his Columbian College presidency. In September 1829, William Staughton was chosen to be president of the Literary and Theological Institution (Georgetown College) in Georgetown, Scott County, Kentucky. While enroute to his new position, William Staughton died in Washington, D.C. on December 12, 1829, probably of heart failure. He was buried in the District of Columbia's Episcopal cemetery. Approximately three years later, his body was exhumed, moved to Philadelphia, and re-interred in the Sansom Street Baptist Church cemetery. This cemetery was also known as the 5th Baptist Church cemetery.
On August 27,1829, William married the famous artist James Peale's daughter, Anna Claypoole Peale, a renowned artist in her own right, and she lived until 1878. Anna later married General William Duncan, who also predeceased her.
In addition to his first wife, Maria, William Staughton was predeceased by an infant son, William Hinton Staughton, who died December 14, 1799. His second wife, Anna and three of his four children born during his first marriage -- Leonora Maria, Elizabeth Ann, and James Martin survive him. Leonora Maria Staughton was wedded to Reverend Samuel W. Lynd who later authored "Memoir of the Rev. William Staughton, D. D." which was published in 1834. Elizabeth Ann Staughton was the wife of Dr. John Taylor Temple who subsequently served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Columbian College from 1832 to 1835. James Martin Staughton, bearer of a medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1821), was Professor of Chemistry and of Surgery in the Columbian College's Medical School from 1821 to 1829.
As the city of Philadelphia grew, there was no room for downtown cemeteries, so the Sansom Street cemetery, including the graves of Dr. Staughton and his first wife, Maria, were transported in the mid-1800s to Laurel Hill cemetery. Those graves are now in Laurel Hill's Section 6, Lot 97.
William Staughton is my husband's maternal 4th Great-Grandfather.
(Photo of building at right is of Staughton Hall on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, DC).
In recent weeks through the efforts of a few Staughton descendants, a bronze plaque has been placed at the foot of the tall monument marking the Staughton gravesite at Laurel Hill. The plaque contains the names of both William and Maria and their dates of birth and death.
On July 8, 2018 at Green Lake Conference Center in Green Lake, WI, Staughton Hall was dedicated to the memory of William and Maria Staughton. Carol Bauer, a descendent of Dr. Staughton, her husband George and their son Brad (Board Chair of GLCC) were present at this dedication. Photos and video links of the Staughton dedication can be viewed at the Green Lake Conference Center's website, glcc.org. Select the Meetings and Events dropdown from the top, and then select Staughton Hall Dedication.
Inscription
Unfortunately, none of the inscriptions remain legible. For a transcription of what was written on the monument originally, see pp.310-311 of "Memoir of Rev. William Staughton," by Rev. Dr. Samuel W. Lynd.
Gravesite Details
Our family descends from Rev. Dr. Staughton through his eldest daughter, Leonora. Sources: Staughton-Lynd family letters and photographs; Memoir by Rev. Sam Lynd; Memorial of Leonora T. Hoyne. Thanks to Tom & Carol for further info!
