George Washington Freeman (June 13, 1789 – April 29, 1858) was the second

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

bishop of Arkansas and Provisional Bishop of Texas.

Biography

Freeman was born of a Congregationalist family in

Sandwich, Massachusetts Sandwich is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States and is the oldest town on Cape Cod. The town motto is ''Post tot Naufracia Portus'', "after so many shipwrecks, a haven". The population was 20,259 at the 2020 census. Histor ...

. He did not initially intend a career in the clergy, but he afterward went to

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

and studied for the ministry of the Episcopal Church. Freeman was ordained deacon in Christ Church,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, by Bishop

John Stark Ravenscroft John Stark Ravenscroft (May 17, 1772 – March 5, 1830) was the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina and helped organize the Episcopal Diocese of Tennessee. Early life Ravenscroft was born in 1772 on his family plantation near ...

in 1826, and was ordained priest in

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...

the following year by the same bishop. Freeman married and later had a son, Andrew, who also became an Episcopal priest. In 1818, he married Anne Yates the granddaughter of Rev. William Yates, the

College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (abbreviated as W&M) is a public university, public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III of England, William III and Queen ...

's fifth president (1761–1764) and is the namesake for Yates Hall on the college's campus;Woodson, p. 207Higginson, p. 252Stanard, p. 94 and a descendant of

William Randolph William Randolph I (bapt. 7 November 1650 – 21 April 1711) was an English-born planter, merchant and politician in Colony of Virginia, colonial Virginia who played an important role in the development of the colony. Born in Moreton Morrell, W ...

, a colonist and land owner who played an important role in the history and government of the

Commonwealth of 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 ...

. He and his wife, Mary Isham, are referred to as the "Adam and Eve" of Virginia. She had married as her first husband,

Thomas Gholson, Jr. Thomas Gholson Jr. (1780July 14, 1816) was an American lawyer and politician. He represented Virginia from 1808 to 1816 in the United States House of Representatives, after serving in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1806 to 1809. Early lif ...

, an

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, p ...

lawyer and politician. He represented

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 ...

from 1808 to 1816 in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from both Virginia's 18th congressional district and Virginia's 17th congressional district both now obsolete congressional districts. He was a member of the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

from 1806 to 1809. For two years he served as missionary in the diocese of North Carolina. In 1829, Freeman was elected rector of Christ Church, Raleigh, and served in that office until 1840. In 1840, Freeman removed to

Columbia, Tennessee Columbia is a city in and the county seat of Maury County, Tennessee. The population was 41,690 as of the 2020 United States census. Columbia is included in the Nashville metropolitan area. The self-proclaimed "mule capital of the world," Colu ...

, and from there, a year later, to

Swedesboro, New Jersey Swedesboro is a borough within Gloucester County in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 2,711, its highest decennial count ever and an inc ...

. After a short stay in Swedesboro, he accepted a call to become rector of Immanuel Church,

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of 2020, the city's population was 5,551. New Cast ...

. He was soon afterward elected missionary bishop of Arkansas and the Indian Territory, and was consecrated in St. Peter's Church,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, October 26, 1844. Freeman was the 46th bishop in the ECUSA, and was consecrated by Bishops

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire, t ...

Jackson Kemper Jackson Kemper (December 24, 1789 – May 24, 1870) in 1835 became the first missionary bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. Especially known for his work with Native American peoples, he also founded parishes in wh ...

, and

Leonidas Polk Lieutenant-General Leonidas Polk (April 10, 1806 – June 14, 1864) was a Confederate general, a bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and founder of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Confederate States of America, which separat ...

. He received the degree of D.D. from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

in 1839. Freeman died in

Little Rock, Arkansas Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...

, April 29, 1858.

Notes

References

*Higginson, Thomas Wentworth ''Volume 2 of Harvard Memorial Biographies, Thomas Wentworth Higginson Civil War unit histories'' Publisher: Sever and Francis, 1866. *Saunders, Col. James Edmonds'' Early settlers of Alabama, Part 1'' New Orleans. Publisher: L. Graham & Son, Ltd., 1899. *Stanard, William G. ''The Virginia magazine of history and biography, Volume 7'' Richmond. Publisher: Virginia Historical Society., 1900. *Woodson, Henry Morton ''Historical genealogy of the Woodsons and their connections, Part 1'' Publisher: H. M. Woodson, 1915 {{DEFAULTSORT:Freeman, George Washington University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni People from Sandwich, Massachusetts 1789 births 1858 deaths People from New Bern, North Carolina 19th-century American Episcopalians Converts to Anglicanism from Congregationalism Episcopal bishops of Arkansas