Charles Henry Corey (1834–1899) was a Canadian

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

clergyman.

Biography

Corey was born at

New Canaan, New Brunswick New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

on 12 December 1834. He graduated from

Acadia College Acadia University is a public, predominantly undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education, usually in a college or university. It typically includes all postsecondar ...

Wolfville, Nova Scotia Wolfville is a Canadian town in the Annapolis Valley, Kings County, Nova Scotia, located about northwest of the provincial capital, Halifax. The town is home to Acadia University and Landmark East School. The town is a tourist destination d ...

, in 1858, and from

Newton Theological Seminary Newton Theological Seminary or Newton Theological School may refer to: * Newton Theological Institution (1825–1965) * Andover Newton Theological School Andover Newton Theological School (ANTS) was a graduate school and seminary in Newton, Mas ...

in 1861. He served as pastor of the First Baptist Church in

Seabrook, New Hampshire Seabrook is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 8,401 at the 2020 census. Located at the southern end of the coast of New Hampshire, on the border with Massachusetts, Seabrook is noted as the location of ...

, from 1861 until the beginning of 1864, when he resigned to enter the service of the

United States Christian Commission The United States Christian Commission (USCC) was an organization that furnished supplies, medical services, and religious literature to Union troops during the American Civil War. It combined religious support with social services and recreationa ...

for the remainder of the

United States Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded ...

. He previously accepted a commission with the USCC when he accompanied the 2nd New Hampshire Volunteer Regiment to

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in the summer of 1862. Following brief service in Texas and the Lower Mississippi, he served the remainder of the war in

Morris Island Morris Island is an 840-acre (3.4 km2) uninhabited island in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina, accessible only by boat. The island lies in the outer reaches of the harbor and was thus a strategic location in the American Civil War. The i ...

and

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

Following the war, he was a missionary among the

freedmen A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. In 1867 he was appointed principal of the Augusta Institute,

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, which went on to become

Morehouse College Morehouse College is a Private college, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Men's colleges in the United States, men's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia, ...

and the following year was transferred to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, as president of the

Richmond Theological Institute Richmond Theological Institute (RTI) was a higher education institution active from 1867 until 1899 in Richmond, Virginia, serving African American and former slaves after the American Civil War. Formerly known as Richmond Theological Seminary, Ri ...

for the training of African-American preachers and teachers. He retired in 1898 to Seabrook and died the following year of

Bright's disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine. It was frequently accompanied ...

. 'New York Times'' 6 Sept 1899/ref>

Richmond Theological Seminary

In 1867, a Richmond campus of the National Theological Institute was established by Dr. Nathaniel Colver of the

American Baptist Home Mission Society The American Baptist Home Mission Society is a Christian missionary society. Its main predecessor the Home Mission Society was established in New York City in 1832 to operate in the American frontier, with the stated mission "to preach the Gospe ...

. Colver died shortly thereafter, and the newly renamed Colver Institute was taken over by Corey. The school was renamed again as the Richmond Theological Seminary (also called Institute) which Charles Corey headed for 30 years. In the 1890s, Corey was instrumental in the merging of the

Richmond Theological Seminary Richmond Theological Institute (RTI) was a higher education institution active from 1867 until 1899 in Richmond, Virginia, serving African American and former slaves after the American Civil War. Formerly known as Richmond Theological Seminary, Ri ...

with the

Wayland Seminary Wayland Seminary was the Washington, D.C., school of the National Theological Institute. The institute was established beginning in 1865 by the American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS). At first designed primarily for providing education an ...

to form

Virginia Union University Virginia Union University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black university in Richmond, Virginia. History The American Baptist Home Mission Society (ABHMS) founded the school as Rich ...

. In 1895, Corey wrote a history of the school. He retired in 1898.The L. Douglas Wilder Library and Learning Resource Center
holds the records of the

which includes Corey's personal and business correspondence.

Notes

References

* * Corey, Charles H.
A History of the Richmond Theological Seminary With Reminiscences of Thirty Years' Work Among the Colored People of the South
'. (Richmond: J.W. Randolph Company, 1895). 19th-century Canadian Baptist ministers 1834 births 1899 deaths {{Canada-clergy-stub