Nathaniel Bouton
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Nathaniel Bouton (June 20, 1799 – June 6, 1878) was an American Congregationalist minister and
historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human species; as well as the ...
from
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
. He pastored the "Old North" church in
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
for 42 years from 1825 to 1867 and was a trustee of
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
from 1840 to 1877. He was passionate about
abolitionism 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 France in 1315, but it was later used in its colonies. ...
, temperance, education, and history; and authored a number of writings on the history of New Hampshire as part of the
New Hampshire Historical Society The New Hampshire Historical Society is an independent nonprofit organization that saves, preserves, and shares the history of New Hampshire. The organization is headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire, Concord, the capital city of New Hampshire. ...
and as State Historian.


Biography

Bouton, the youngest of fourteen children of William and Sarah Bouton, was born in
Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...
, June 20, 1799. His father was a farmer who had served during the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...
."Bouton family letters and sermons"
''Connecticut State Library''.
At the age of 14 he was bound out as an
apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a potential new practitioners of a Tradesman, trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study. Apprenticeships may also enable practitioners to gain a license to practice in ...
in a printing office in
Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...
. Bouton hoped it would give him the opportunity to read, as his family owned few books. He remained there for a few years, but his religious upbringing and attendance at a number of religious revivals caused him to feel, as he later said, "the good Providence and Spirit of God,
hich Ij () is a village in Golabar Rural District of the Central District in Ijrud County, Zanjan province, Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq ...
soon gave a new impulse and direction to my mind" and at the age of 16, he gave himself to the service of God. He then purchased the balance of his time in order to obtain an education for the ministry. With the help of his family and ministers from the area, he was able to get private tutoring and an education at local academies, which then allowed him to attend
Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...
, where he spent his vacations spreading the gospel to young people in the area as a way to repay the ministers who had helped him with his education. While at Yale he served as president of the Society of Brothers in Unity, and was a member of the
Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...
Society. He graduated from Yale in 1820. He then attended the
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 ...
, from which he graduated in 1824. On March 23, 1825, he was named pastor of the First Congregational Church in
Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...
, where he remained until his resignation on March 23, 1867. The church, also known as Old North, was the "rallying point of the town, and the great congregation, averaging about a thousand, thronged it every Sabbath. They came from all directions, long distances, and many on foot" according to historian John N. McClintock.McClintock, John Norris (1888). ''History of New Hampshire''. B. B. Russell. p. 560. In addition to preaching there on Sundays, Bouton held open Monday evening meetings, instituted four Bible classes, traveled on horseback to different districts to give weekly lectures in schoolhouses, pray with the sick and elderly, and visit each family in his parish at least once a year. Sunday school attendance increased under him to 925 students by 1832, and Bouton was notable for allowing and even encouraging women to speak and ask and answer questions in church. Bouton also served as Chaplain of the New Hampshire State Legislature in 1826, and Chaplain of the New Hampshire State Asylum for the Insane from 1867 to 1870."Bouton, Nathaniel (1799-1878)"
''New Hampshire Historical Society''.
In 1834, Bouton helped found the New Hampshire branch of 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, ...
along with Reverend
George Storrs George Storrs (December 13, 1796 – December 28, 1879) was a Christian teacher and writer in the United States. Biography George Storrs was born in Lebanon, New Hampshire on December 13, 1796, son to Colonel Constant Storrs (a wheelwright in ...
. Based in
Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other words Arts and media * ''Concord'' (video game), a defunct 2024 first-person sh ...
, it was one of the first
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 ...
societies in the area, the first being formed two years earlier in
Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...
.Bundy, David A. (1975). ''100 Acres More or Less: The History of the Land and People of Bow, New Hampshire''. Phoenix Pub. p. 283. In 1845, Bouton's Old North church hosted a famous debate between
Franklin Pierce Franklin Pierce (November 23, 1804October 8, 1869) was the 14th president of the United States, serving from 1853 to 1857. A northern Democratic Party (United States), Democrat who believed that the Abolitionism in the United States, abolitio ...
and
John P. Hale John Parker Hale (March 31, 1806November 19, 1873) was an American politician and lawyer from New Hampshire. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1843 to 1845 and in the United States Senate from 1847 to 1853 and again fro ...
on slavery and abolitionism. Bouton was outspoken with his views on issues such as his support of the abolition and
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 ...
s; however, he prided himself on never airing his personal or political views as part of his sermons.Starrett, Kathleen Wagner (1 April 1989)
"Rev. Nathaniel Bouton: Influential Pastor (1825-1867)"
''Longyear Museum''.
Bouton was involved in various other societies and served in positions such as trustee and president of both the New Hampshire Missionary Society and the Ministers' and Widows' Charitable Fund; co-founder and vice president of the American Home Missionary Society; director of both the New Hampshire Bible Society and the New Hampshire Educational Society; and member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, and Historical Societies in New Hampshire, Maine, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He also was a trustee of
Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...
from 1840 to 1877, which conferred on him the
honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
of
Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (DD or DDiv; ) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity (academic discipline), divinity (i.e., Christian theology and Christian ministry, ministry or other theologies. The term is more common in the Englis ...
in 1851. Bouton was also interested in historical studies, and in his spare time authored ''History of Concord'', published in 1856. At different times he also served as Librarian, President, and Corresponding Secretary of the
New Hampshire Historical Society The New Hampshire Historical Society is an independent nonprofit organization that saves, preserves, and shares the history of New Hampshire. The organization is headquartered in Concord, New Hampshire, Concord, the capital city of New Hampshire. ...
, which he became a member of in 1831, and edited two volumes of its ''Collections''. Feeling the need for a change, Bouton resigned his pastorate in 1867 after 42 years in the ministry, and was appointed as State Historian and Editor and Compiler of the ''Provincial Records of New Hampshire'', and in that capacity issued ten volumes of ''Provincial Papers'', from 1867 to 1877. He also published over 30 sermons and addresses, and a few other volumes. Bouton's children urged him to write an autobiography, which he did in 1877. He died in Concord on June 6, 1878, at the age of 79. He was buried at Blossom Hill Cemetery in Concord."Nathaniel Bouton, after 1878"
''New Hampshire Historical Society''.


Family

Bouton married Harriet Sherman on September 11, 1825, daughter of Rev.
John Sherman John Sherman (May 10, 1823October 22, 1900) was an American politician from Ohio who served in federal office throughout the Civil War and into the late nineteenth century. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both houses of the U. ...
and the great-granddaughter of founding father
Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an early American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, ...
, but she died in Concord, May 21, 1828, at the age of 21. He married his second wife, Mary Ann Bell, daughter of John Bell, of
Chester, New Hampshire Chester is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 census, up from 4,768 at the 2010 census. It was home to the now defunct Chester College (formerly White Pines College). History From ' ...
, on June 8, 1829, but she died ten years later in Concord, February 15, 1839, at the age of 34. On February 18, 1840 he married his third wife, Elizabeth Ann Cilley, daughter of Horatio G. Cilley, of
Deerfield, New Hampshire Deerfield is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,855 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 4,280 in 2010 United States census, 2010. Deerfield is the location of the a ...
. He had thirteen children in total, two children by the first marriage, five by the second, and six by the third.''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale College: Deceased During the Academical Year Ending in June, 1878''
. Yale. 1878. pp. 288–289.


References


Further reading

*Bouton, Nathaniel; ed. Bouton, John Bell (1879).
Autobiography of Nathaniel Bouton, D.D.
' New York: Anson D.F. Randolph & Company.


External links


Books by Bouton
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouton, Nathaniel 1799 births 1878 deaths Writers from Norwalk, Connecticut Yale College alumni Andover Newton Theological School alumni American Congregationalist ministers American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American clergy Historians from Connecticut Historians from New Hampshire Dartmouth College people American abolitionists Congregationalist abolitionists 19th-century American historians