1840 Letter from Rev. Joseph and Abigail Badger Discussing Church Matters and Life in Perrysburg, Ohio
- Single three-page letter measuring 7 ½ x 12 ½ inches
- Perrysburg, Ohio , 1840
Perrysburg, Ohio, 1840. Single three-page letter measuring 7 ½ x 12 ½ inches. Some stains, folded with small tears at folds and tear at seal; overall near fine.. Joseph Badger (1757–1846) was the first missionary to be sent to the Connecticut Western Reserve.[1] He served in the Continental Army, received a degree from Yale, and was sent to Ashtabula County by the Connecticut Missionary Society in 1802. He retired in about 1833 after many years of organizing schools and churches around the Western Reserve, plus a stint as a brigade chaplain during the War of 1812.
Abigail Ely was Badger’s second wife; they married in 1819. The two write here to a widowed friend, Harriet Lyon, and her children in Gustavus, Ohio. They discuss the importance of singing to religious work and of teaching children to sing, and describe their living situation—on a farm, nearby to some of their children who help them out. They also briefly complain about the quality of ministry in the area, writing that the situation:
“is exceedingly dark; one Church has a Minister worse than none; Six others have no Minister. [...] Much of the preaching that comes along occationally, is calculated to excite the super-ficial affections of the mind, without reaching the heart, or enlightening the understanding.”
Of interest to historians of Ohio and religion in the Western Reserve.
[1] “Badger, Joseph”, in Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, accessed March 20, 2025, https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/badger-joseph.
Abigail Ely was Badger’s second wife; they married in 1819. The two write here to a widowed friend, Harriet Lyon, and her children in Gustavus, Ohio. They discuss the importance of singing to religious work and of teaching children to sing, and describe their living situation—on a farm, nearby to some of their children who help them out. They also briefly complain about the quality of ministry in the area, writing that the situation:
“is exceedingly dark; one Church has a Minister worse than none; Six others have no Minister. [...] Much of the preaching that comes along occationally, is calculated to excite the super-ficial affections of the mind, without reaching the heart, or enlightening the understanding.”
Of interest to historians of Ohio and religion in the Western Reserve.
[1] “Badger, Joseph”, in Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, accessed March 20, 2025, https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/badger-joseph.