Leonard Swain

Leonard Swain (February 26, 1821 – July 14, 1869) was a Congregational clergyman, and the first minister of Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1852 to 1869.[1][2] He was a respected preacher, scholar, and author of multiple hymns.[3][4]

Leonard Swain
Born(1821-02-26)February 26, 1821
Concord, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 1869(1869-07-14) (aged 48)
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationMinister
EmployerCentral Congregational Church
Spouse(s)
Julia Maria Allen
​
​
(m. 1847; died 1866)​
Children4

Early life and education

Swain was born Feb. 26, 1821, in Concord, New Hampshire, to Richard Swain and Sarah Sally Damon.[4][5] He graduated from Dartmouth College, Phi Beta Kappa in 1841,[6] and Andover Theological Seminary in 1846. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brown University in 1857.

Ministry

He served as the first minister of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, founded in 1847 in Nashua, New Hampshire.[4][5] In 1852 he became minister of the Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island.[4] Swain required that this new church be completely free of debt when he accepted his call.[7]

He wrote five sermons that were published as booklets:[5] Our Banners Set Up (1861),[8] God in the Strife (1861),[9] On the Death of President Lincoln (1865),[10] On the Death of Rowell Park Perry and Lemuel Grosvenor Perry (1867),[11] and God's Ownership of the Sea (1869)[5][12]

In 1858 two hymns that he wrote were published in the Sabbath Hymn Book (a hymnal), anonymously. His authorship was determined "only recently" before a 1907 Dictionary of Hymnology was published. The two hymns are "My soul, weigh not thy life" (The Good Fight of Faith) and "My soul, it is thy God" (The Christian Race). He also wrote "My soul, whene'er thou shalt arrive", published in about 1840. These hymns appeared in 56,[13] 21,[14] and 2[15] hymnals, respectively, that were published during 1840 to 1920.[4]

He was "active" in the 1845-founded Rhode Island Institute of Instruction (predecessor of the National Education Association in Rhode Island).[2][16]

He was the commencement speaker at Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in 1864.[2] He spoke in 1861 on "The Sea", and in 1864 on "Puritan Education". He also gave welcoming addresses in some years.[2]

He also served as secretary for the Evangelical Consociation of Rhode Island[2] and was Vice President of the American Missionary Association.

Personal life

In 1847, he married Julia Maria Allen (1824-1866). Their children included Susan Helen Swain (1849–1852), Julia Maria Swain (1851–1932), Sarah Howe Swain (1853–1872), and Edward Allen Swain (1857–1917).[5]

He died July 14, 1869, in Providence, while still minister.[4][5] He was buried in Swan Point Cemetery.

References
  1. Wright, Albert J. (printer) (1878). History of Providence: Ecclesiastical History. Hong, Wade & Co. (republished on internet by Rootsweb).
  2. "Reverend Leonard Swain, Commencement speaker". Wheaton College: History.
  3. The Fiske Family: a history of the family (ancestral and descendant) of William Fiske, sen. 1867. p. 143.
  4. "Hymnary.org: People: Leonard Swain". Hymnary.Org. (with text attributed to John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907); two typos of "New Haven" where "New Hampshire" meant are apparent)
  5. "Rev. D.D. Leonard Swain". Rootsweb.
  6. A catalogue of the New-Hampshire Alpha of the # B K, Dartmouth college, Hanover, 1851.
  7. "History". Central Congregational Church.
  8. Our banners set up: a sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I., April 21, 1861. OCLC 3656626. (at WorldCat)
  9. God in the strife. A sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I. April 28, 1861. OCLC 23377135. (at WorldCat)
  10. A nation's sorrow: a sermon preached on the Sabbath after the assassination of President Lincoln, in the Central Congregational church, Providence, April 15 [i.e. 16] 1865. OCLC 6209202. (at WorldCat)
  11. The true ground of Christian submission : a sermon on the occasion of the death of Roswell Park Perry, who died January 18, 1867, and of his brother Lemuel Grosvenor Perry, who died July 12, 1867 : preached in the Central Congregational Church, Providence, July 14, 1867. OCLC 54761977. (at WorldCat)
  12. "God's ownership of the sea: a sermon preached at the Central Congregational Church, Providence, R.I., October 7, 1860". (at WorldCat)
  13. Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul, weigh not thy life" (includes page scans)
  14. Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul, it is thy god" (includes page scans)
  15. Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul whene'er thou shalt arrive" (includes page scans)
  16. "NEARI: History of the Association". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
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