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William Tennent (1673 – May 6, 1746) was an early Scottish
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Presbyterian minister and educator in British North America.


Early life

Tennent was born in Mid Calder,
Linlithgowshire West Lothian ( sco, Wast Lowden; gd, Lodainn an Iar) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and was one of its historic counties. The county was called Linlithgowshire until 1925. The historic county was bounded geographically by the Av ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, in 1673. He graduated from the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...
in 1695 and was ordained in the
Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the sec ...
in 1706. He migrated to the
Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centu ...
in 1718, arriving in the colony of
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at the urging of his wife's cousin James Logan, a Scots-Irish
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...
and close friend of
William Penn William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
. In 1726 he was called to a
pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...
ate at the Neshaminy-Warwick
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...
Church in present-day
Warminster Warminster () is an ancient market town with a nearby garrison, and civil parish in south west Wiltshire, England, on the western edge of Salisbury Plain. The parish had a population of about 17,000 in 2011. The 11th-century Minster Church o ...
, where he stayed for the remainder of his life.


The Log College

In 1727 Tennent established a religious school in a
log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a less finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first generation home building by settlers. Eur ...
that became famous as the Log College. He filled his pupils with evangelical zeal, and a number became revivalist preachers in the First Great Awakening. The educational influence of the Log College was of importance since many of its graduates founded schools along the frontier.
Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
is regarded as the successor to the Log College. The name ''Log College'' had a negative connotation at the time, as it was a derisive nickname attached to the school by ministers educated in Europe. They chided Tennent for trying to educate poor farm boys considered by some to be unsuitable for the ministry. At least one school, William Tennent High School (located close to the location of the Log College) is named for Tennent. In addition, there is a Log College Middle School named in honor of the original Log College, about from the original building's location. Both are public schools within the Centennial School District in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, specifically Warminster, PA. Tennent's sons
Gilbert Gilbert may refer to: People and fictional characters *Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Gilbert (surname), including a list of people Places Australia * Gilbert River (Queensland) * Gilbert River (South A ...
(1703-1764) and William, Jr. were also noted early American clergymen. Rev. William Tennent, Jr. was the Presbyterian pastor of the
Freehold, New Jersey Freehold, New Jersey may refer to: * Freehold Borough, New Jersey, the county seat of Monmouth County * Freehold Township, New Jersey Freehold Township is a township in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is both a ...
congregation. A grandson, also the Rev. William Tennent, was known in church history as William Tennent the Third.


Old Tennent Church

The current edifice of the Old Tennent Church in Tennent, New Jersey, completed 1751–53, was named in memory of pastors William Tennent and his brother John Tennent.


Death

Tennent died in Warminster in 1746, and his gravesite can still be found today in the church cemetery of the Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian Church. Tennent's last will and testament is on record at the Bucks County Court House. It indicates that by the time he died he was still a humble servant of God, leaving what little he had to his wife Catherine (née Kennedy) Tennent. It is alleged that Tennent was also a slave owner, although the historical record is inconclusive.


William Tennent School of Theology

Inspired by the model of theological education began by Tennent and beginning in 2020, the William Tennent School of Theology was launched in Woodland Park, Colorado. The school currently offers three postgraduate degree programs, a M.A.T.S., a M.Litt., and a M.Div.


Archival collections

The Presbyterian Historical Society in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, has a collection o
Rev. Tennent's original sermons and notes


References


External links


Neshaminy-Warwick Presbyterian ChurchPDF hosted at the above site summarizing Tennent's life and career
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennent, William 1673 births 1746 deaths Scottish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Scottish Presbyterians 18th-century Presbyterian ministers American religious leaders Presbyterian Church in the United States of America ministers History of Christianity in the United States Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People from West Lothian People of colonial Pennsylvania People from Warminster, Pennsylvania 18th-century American clergy Burials in Pennsylvania