Unknown County GaArchives Biographies.....Sherwood, Adiel 1791 - living in 1874 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 February 4, 2005, 2:34 pm Author: J. H. Campbell ADIEL SHERWOOD, D. D. Though this venerable brother is yet living, and remarkably active and energetic for one so advanced in years, (for he is now, 1874, in his eighty-third year,) yet the history of the Baptists of Georgia would be very incomplete without a sketch of his useful life. When he returned to the State in 1857, it was with the intention of spending the remainder of his days among us. But his little farm in Butts county was in the track of Sherman's army, and he and his helpless family were stripped of all they had about them, which rendered his return to Missouri, where he had some property remaining, necessary. He was born at Fort Edward, New York, on the east bank of the Hudson, forty-five miles north of Albany, October 3d, 1791. [His father, Colonel Adiel Sherwood, was an officer during the revolution, was twice in command of Fort Ann, and was with Washington that cold winter at Valley Forge.] He was baptized by Ebenezer Harrington, and commenced the study of the classics at Granville, November, 1810, under Dr. Salem Town, who was in charge of Powelton Academy, in this State, in 1822 and 1823; entered Middlebury College at Town's suggestion in 1814, and in 1816 he went to Union College, Schenectady, near his home, where he was graduated in 1817. His graduating speech was a poem styled "The Battle of Niagara." He began to teach school in 1811, and taught, more or less, until 1858, when he had charge of Marshall College at Griffin. His knowledge of elementary books was so perfect that he could repeat (give him the first word or line,) most tables or chapters in those books, also most of Watts' psalms and hymns. He was at Andover Theological Seminary parts of 1817 and 1818, and studied Hebrew under Professor Stuart. In October, 1818, he arrived in Savannah, where he preached his first sermon, and taught the Academy at Waynesboro, Burke county, during the ensuing winter. He was ordained at Bethesda church, Greene county, in March, 1820, by a presbytery consisting of Mercer, Reeves, Roberts and Mathews, and was pastor of Bethlehem church, near Lexington, in 1820 and 1821. In May, 1821, he was married to Mrs. Early, relict of Governor Peter Early. He and Jesse Mercer aided in organizing the Baptist church at Greensboro, in June, 1821, of which he was pastor eleven years in succession. In April, 1823, he attended the General Baptist Convention of the United States, and in the summer of the same year he and Mr. Mercer visited the Mission Station at Valley Town, North Carolina. In 1820 and 1821 he was missionary of the Savannah Missionary Society, in Pulaski, Laurens and other counties in that region. In October, 1820, he prepared the resolution which was offered in the Sarepta Association, at Ruckersville, by Charles J. Jenkins, father of ex-Governor Jenkins, which resulted in the formation of the Georgia Baptist Convention, (or General Association, as it was first called,) at Powelton, in June, 1822. Having lost his first wife, he was married to Miss Heriot, of Charleston, South Carolina, in May, 1824. In 1827 he took charge of Eatonton Academy, Putnam county, and at the same time preached to the churches at Eatonton, Milledgeville, and Greensboro. Was pastor at the former place ten years, and, during a portion of that time, rode forty miles and back monthly to preach to the newly constituted church at Macon. He also had under his instruction a few theological students. In the Georgia Baptist Convention at Big Buckhead church, Burke county, in 1831, he made the motion for a theological institution, which finally culminated In the establishment of Mercer University. As the project was not pushed forward with such energy as met his views, he started a small manual labor school on his farm, two miles north of Eatonton, early in the year 1832; which, however, he discontinued so soon as Mercer Institute got into operation. He was several times a delegate from Georgia; in the Baptist Triennial Convention of the United States, in 1829, in company with Dr. Manly of Charleston; in 1832, with Hon. Thomas Stocks; and in 1835, with Jesse Mercer. He also aided in the formation of the American and Foreign Bible Society, in Philadelphia. He was elected to a professorship in Columbian College, District of Columbia, in which position he labored two years; and in 1838, returned to Georgia, and entered upon the duties of professor of sacred literature in Mercer University. He remained here only some three years, when he was called to the presidency of Shurtleff College, Illinois. While in Georgia, he was several times appointed by the Governor one of the board of visitors to the State University. His connection with Shurtleff College was continued several years, during which time the degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Dennison University at Granville, Ohio. While in the West, he served, for a time as President of the Masonic College at Lexington, Missouri. He also succeeded the lamented and indefatigable Isaac McCoy, as secretary of the American Indian Missionary Association, in which capacity he visited the Mission Stations West of Fort Towson, and also in Kansas Territory. In 1822, he removed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri; but rheumatism compelled him to return once more to Georgia, which he did in 1857. He took charge of Marshall College, with which he was connected until called to the pastorship of Griffin church. He resided in that city several years, which he at length left for his farm in Butts county, where, as already stated, he was broken up by the Yankee army in its victorious (?) march through the State in the fall of 1864. He and his family struggled against want until the following September, when they returned to Missouri and settled in St. Louis, where they now reside. Dr. Sherwood has ever manifested a fondness for literary pursuits and employments. He has written and published much. His "Gazetteer of Georgia," which has passed through several editions, with improvements, first appeared in 1827. It is an excellent work of the kind, and contains much valuable information no where else to be found. His "Jewish and Christian Churches " is concise and comprehensive, and is conclusive upon the subject of which it treats. His "Notes on the New Testament," an invaluable contribution to our religious literature, was first issued in 1856, and has passed through four editions of five hundred each. He was engaged on this work many years, and it is, perhaps, the most important he has ever published. Quite a number of his sermons have been published by request of those bodies before whom they were delivered. And then he has contributed hundreds, if not thousands, of articles for magazines, reviews and other papers in all parts of the land, and on all sorts of subjects affecting the welfare of mankind, and especially the interests of the cause of Christ. It would not comport with the design of this work to go into a detailed account of these productions of this laborious servant of Christ. As a preacher, Dr. Sherwood is ever systematic, concise and pointed. To those accustomed to hear him, it would seem that he could not be otherwise. In early life he was somewhat given to controversial preaching, in which he sometimes indulged in a degree of asperity of language towards his opponents. Later in life he has pursued a different course, and the writer has heard him express regret for what he considered unwise and unprofitable in this particular. His long life has been eminently a laborious one. He has not eaten the bread of the idler. Whatever his hand has found to do, he has done with his might—not for worldly gain, for, be it recorded to the reproach of those who have enjoyed the benefits of his preaching, he has been paid, on an average, only about one hundred dollars per annum during forty years of his ministerial career. Of course he has had to support his family by teaching, farming and other means, in all of which he had been successful. He now resides in St. Louis, Missouri. He has been eminently successful in winning souls to Christ, and few men are more efficient in seasons of revival than he. The great revival of 1827 and 1828 commenced under his ministry at Eaton ton. Thence it extended to the session of the Ocmulgee Association at Antioch church, Morgan county, where hundreds were converted, (among whom was the celebrated John E. Dawson,) and thence-the blessed influence was carried by the delegates, ministers and visitors throughout all the interior counties, whence it spread to the remotest parts of the State, resulting, in two years, in the hopeful conversion of upwards of fifteen thousand souls. Additional Comments: From: GEORGIA BAPTISTS: HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL BY J. H. CAMPBELL, PERRY, GEORGIA. MACON, GA.: J. W. BURKE & COMPANY. 1874. Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by J. H. CAMPBELL, In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 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