Reverend Cyrus Yale (1786 – 1854) was an American

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

, and minister. He was an active

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

and was among the leaders of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, having cofounded the United States

Temperance Union Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

with Stephen Van Rensselaer, the richest man in the country at the time. He was also a cousin of

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

Barnabas Yale and the author of the biography of Rev. Jeremiah Hallock and other works.

Early life

Cyrus Yale was born May 17, 1786, in

Lee, Massachusetts Lee is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, metropolitan statistical area. The population was 5,788 at the 2020 census. Lee, which includes the villages of South and East Lee, is ...

, to Captain Josiah Yale and Ruth Tracy, members of the

Yale family Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges char ...

.Annals of the American Pulpit
Trinitarian Congregational, Vol. II, William B. Sprague, New York, 1859, p. 615-617 Cyrus was the cousin of Rev.

Elisha Yale Reverend Elisha Yale (1780 – 1853) was an American clergyman and pastor, first Minister (Christianity), minister of the Congregational church of Gloversville, New York. He founded the Kingsborough Academy, now the Fulton County Historical Soci ...

, founder of Kingsborough Academy in New York, and of

lawyer Barnabas Yale, who petionned

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

in 1838 for the abolition of slavery with Senator

Silas Wright Silas Wright Jr. (May 24, 1795 – August 27, 1847) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. A member of the Albany Regency, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, New York State Comptroller, United Stat ...

, and cofounded the Central New-York State Society in 1842, auxiliary to the

American Anti-Slavery Society The American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) was an Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist society in the United States. AASS formed in 1833 in response to the nullification crisis and the failures of existing anti-slavery organizations, ...

. His great-grandson was New York senator Mortimer Yale Ferris and his great-grandnephew was Harvard professor

Edward Dana Durand Edward Dana Durand (October 15, 1871DURAND, Edward Dana
in ''

Department of Commerce The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...

. Yale worked in his early years on his father's farm, then started teaching at a school in his hometown. He prepared for College under Rev. Dr. Hyde. He was first from Lee, Massachusetts, then he emigrated to

New Hartford, Connecticut New Hartford is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 6,658 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, Northwest Hill ...

. Rev. Yale graduated with mention from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

in 1811. He studied under Dr.

Ebenezer Porter Ebenezer Porter (May 5, 1772 – April 8, 1834), D.D., was an American minister and writer. Early life and career The son of Vermont politician and judge Thomas Porter, Ebenezer was born in Cornwall, Connecticut on May 5, 1772. He graduated f ...

, president of

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambrid ...

, and obtained his license to preach by the Hartford North Association, and became a

of the church in New Hartford in October 1814. He was the fourth minister of the First

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

at New Hartford, named the Town Hill Church at the time.North Congregational Church, New Hartford, Litchfield County, Connecticut
Compiled & Written By: Rev. Dr. Greg Dawson, North Congregational Church, New Hartford, CT

Career

Rev. Yale remained in New Hartford the rest of his life, except for three years, when he went to

Ware, Massachusetts Ware is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,066 as of 2020 United States census, 2020. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metropo ...

. He was the author of "Life of Jeremiah Halleck", being the Reverend's biographer, as well as "Miniature of the Life of Rev. Alvan Hyde D. D." and "Biographical Sketches of the Ministers of Litchfield Co.". In 1827, he gave an oration to the Adelphic Union Society of Williams College. In 1828 and 1832, he is recorded as one of the original members of the

American Education Society American Society for the Education of Pious Youth for the Gospel Ministry was organized in 1815 for the purpose of raising funds for college expenses of young men aiming to become Protestant clergymen. It was renamed American Education Society (AE ...

from Hartford, along with Gen. Van Rensselaer, Rev. William D. Snodgrass, and many others. During Rev. Yale's term, the old meeting house was retaken by the city in 1829, and used for holding town and elector's meeting. They then erected a new church in 1829, which would eventually be abandoned at the death of Rev. Yale around 1854. As a peace maker, Yale gave a lecture to Hartford County Peace Society in 1833, a branch of the

American Peace Society The American Peace Society was a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, ...

, promoting the idea of having the United States completely abstain from war in the future.War Unreasonable and Unscriptural: An address before the Hartford County
Peace Society, Cyrus Yale, Published by the Peace Society, Philemon Canfield Printers, 1833, p. 19-20 He also expressed his views on oppression and classes : "Here is no throne of royalty to be ascended or sustained by the sword, no rival lines of kings, no despot to swing his iron rod over trembling millions,... no titled aristocracy,...as an impassable gulf between different classes of the community. Ours is a land of freedom. The people rule". Rev. Yale was one of the leaders of the

Temperance Movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

, being elected vice-president of the

American Temperance Society The American Temperance Society (ATS), also known as the American Society for the Promotion of Temperance, was a society established on February 13, 1826, in Boston, Massachusetts. Within five years there were 2,220 local chapters in the U.S. wi ...

, representing the state of Connecticut. He preached against all use of all psychoactive drugs, old world psychedelics, opium and alcohol. At the National Temperance Convention held in 1833 on Washington Square, Philadelphia, he became one of the 9 cofounders of the United States

, which absorbed the American Temperance Society. He was elected vice-president under president Stephen Van Rensselaer, a major general of the

Van Rensselaer family The Van Rensselaer family () is a family of Dutch descent that was prominent during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the area now known as the state of New York. Members of this family played a critical role in the formation of the Unit ...

, who was the richest man in America at the time, and one of the richest Americans in history.The Missionary Herald
Volume 30, Harvard Divinity School, Crocker and Brewster, 1834, p. 266 His wife was a member of the

Schuyler family The Schuyler family (Help:IPA/English, /ˈskaɪlər/; Dutch pronunciation: Help:IPA/Dutch, xœylər was a prominent Dutch family in New York and New Jersey in the 18th and 19th centuries, whose descendants played a critical role in the forma ...

and the sister-in-law of

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the first U.S. secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795 dur ...

. Other notable founders of the union included minister John Marsh and abolitionist jurist William Jay, son of Founding Father

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

. In 1846, Yale is recorded as a board member of the

American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian mission, Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the l ...

. In 1854, he wrot
The godly pastor. Life of the Rev. Jeremiah Hallock
which was published by the

American Tract Society The American Tract Society (ATS) is a nonprofit, nonsectarian but evangelical organization founded on May 11, 1825, in New York City for the purpose of publishing and disseminating tracts of Christian literature. ATS traces its lineage back thro ...

. Rev. Yale stayed the pastor of New Hartford church from 1814 to 1854.E. Speer, Robert (1903)
A Memorial to Horace Tracy Pitkin
Flemming H. Revell Company, London and Edinburgh, p. 19

Personal life

Rev. Yale was the granduncle of Rev. Theodore Yale Gardner, George W. Gardner, and Jennie Gardner, wife of Attorney General

James Lawrence James Lawrence (October 1, 1781 – June 4, 1813) was an officer of the United States Navy. During the War of 1812, he commanded in a single-ship action against , commanded by Philip Broke. He is probably best known today for his last words, ...

, son of Senator and Congressman William Lawrence. His granddaughter was Mary Yale Pitkin, wife of Charles Eliot, landscape architect of the firm

Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot The Olmsted Brothers company was a landscape architectural firm in the United States, established in 1898 by brothers John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920) and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870–1957), sons of the landscape architect Frederick Law ...

, and son of the President of Harvard,

Charles William Eliot Charles William Eliot (March 20, 1834 – August 22, 1926) was an American academic who was president of Harvard University from 1869 to 1909, the longest term of any Harvard president. A member of the prominent Eliot family (America), Eliot fam ...

. Eliot Sr. was a member of the Eliot family, cousin of poet

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

, trustee of

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...

and

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...

, and a friend of President

Teddy Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York politics, including serving as ...

. Eliot Jr. and his partners obtained the projects of Cairnwood House and

Lady Meredith House Lady Meredith House, also known as the H. Vincent Meredith Residence, is a historic mansion located at 1110 Pine Avenue West on the corner of Peel Street, in what is today known as the Golden Square Mile of Montreal, Quebec. It was originally ...

, and under Olmsted Sr., architect of

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

and

Mount Royal Park Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian ...

, they also obtained the commission of the

Biltmore Estate Biltmore Estate is a historic house museum and tourist attraction in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. The main residence, Biltmore House (or Biltmore Mansion), is a Châteauesque-style mansion built for George Washington Vanderbilt II ...

of the

Vanderbilts The Vanderbilt family is an American family who gained prominence during the Gilded Age. Their success began with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the family expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthr ...

. Another grandson was

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

graduate

Horace Tracy Pitkin Horace Tracy Pitkin (1869–1900) was a missionary in China of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Chinese Boxers killed him during the Boxer Uprising in 1900. Yale China Mission, (now the Yale-China Association), was founded ...

, president of the Yale Debate Society.

Marriage

Yale married to school teacher Asenath Bradley, who worked on Bradley Street in Lee, and had 9 children together. A few of them were Cyrus Yale Jr., a

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in goods produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Merchants have been known for as long as humans have engaged in trade and commerce. Merchants and merchant networks operated i ...

of New York, proprietor of Yale & Bowling Co., Dr. John Yale, a

graduate from

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...

in 1841, and President and cofounder of Brookfield Medical Club, Joseph Bradley, professor of music, Mary Eunice, professor at

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

, and Lucy Tracy, mother of Mary Yale and

. A descendant, Stanley Yale Shepard Jr. of

Atherton, California Atherton ( ) is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Its population was 6,823 as of July 2023 estimates. The town's zoning regulations permit only one single-family home per acre in new subdivisions, though smal ...

, graduated from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

in 1955 and became a fighter pilot in the U.S. Navy and Lieutenant Commander, before serving in the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

. Cyrus Jr.'s enterprise, Yale & Bowling, was a

wholesale Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...

dry goods Dry goods is a historic term describing the type of product line a store carries, which differs by region. The term comes from the textile trade, and the shops appear to have spread with the mercantile trade across the British Empire (and Common ...

and notions business, selling fancy dress goods, gentlemen's furnishings, and others items. He married to Martha, daughter of Colonel Ira West. Another daughter, Martha, married to Rev. Heber Hamilton Beadle, a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

minister from

Princeton Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the Unit ...

who gave a collection of artefacts to Yale University from his missionary expeditions in

Asia minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

.1921-1922 Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University, p. 339 Another son, merchant Richard Hamlin Yale, married to Mary E. Wakefield, daughter of Dr. Luman, and became the father-in-law of Judge John Hanson Kennard, a descendant of Founding Father

John Hanson John Hanson ( – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Maryland during the American Revolution, Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to ...

. Family members included Congressmen

James Wakefield James Beach Wakefield (March 21, 1825 – August 25, 1910) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was also Senator and 8th Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota. Wakefield was born in Winsted, Connecticut to Dr. Luman Wakefield and B ...

, Lancelot Phelps, James Phelps and

Samuel Ingham Samuel Ingham (September 5, 1793 – November 10, 1881) was a two-term Congressman from Connecticut. Early life Samuel Ingham was born on September 5, 1793, in Hebron, Connecticut. He attended the common schools in Vermont, studied law with ...

. Rev. Yale died May 21, 1854, and was buried at Town Hall Cemetery, New Hartford, Connecticut. His funeral sermon was preached by Rev. Frederick Marsch of Winchester.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yale, Cyrus 1786 births 1854 deaths Williams College alumni 19th-century American Congregationalist ministers Temperance activists American Christian pacifists Yale family Protestants from Massachusetts Religious leaders from Massachusetts People from Lee, Massachusetts People from New Hartford, Connecticut Religious leaders from Connecticut