Stephen Gano
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Stephen Gano (December 25, 1762 – August 18, 1828) was a physician and early pastor of the
First Baptist Church in America The First Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the First Baptist Church in America is the oldest Baptist church in the United States. The Church was founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was ere ...
in
Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...
.


Early life and Revolutionary War service

Stephen Gano was the third son born to Rev. John Gano, a prominent Baptist evangelist, and Sarah Stites. Gano was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
while his father was pastoring Gold Street Baptist Church (
First Baptist Church in the City of New York The First Baptist Church in the City of New York is a Baptist church on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. Its current structure was built in 1890–93 at the intersection of Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway and 79th Street (Manhat ...
). Stephen Gano planned on attending
Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...
where his uncle, James Manning, was President, but the Revolutionary War prevented him from enrolling. So at the age of thirteen Gano went to study medicine with his uncle, Dr. Stites. At age 17 in 1779 Gano served briefly as a surgeon's mate in the American army, then resigned to become a surgeon's mate on a privateer. Shipwrecked, marooned, and then taken prisoner by the British, he was confined in leg irons on a prison ship for some time. His father had previously joined the military as a chaplain, and a Gano family legend holds that John Gano baptized George Washington. No historian or biographer of Washington accepts this tale. He was admitted as an honorary member of the New York
Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a lineage society, fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of milita ...
on July 4, 1784.


Career in medicine and ministry

After the Revolution, Stephen Gano practiced medicine in
Orangetown, New York Orangetown is a town in Rockland County, New York, United States, located in the southeastern part of the county. It is northwest of New York City, north of New Jersey, east of the town of Ramapo, south of the town of Clarkstown, and west of ...
and in 1782 married Cornelia Vavasour, daughter of a British officer in New York City. In 1783 he had a
conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Convert'', a 2023 film produced by Jump Film & Television and Brouhaha Entertainment * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * ...
and turned to the ministry, and in 1786 he was ordained in the Gold Street Church by his uncle, Dr. Manning, and other clergy. He served as a Pastor of the Baptist Church at Hillsdale, NY and then Hudson, NY. In Hudson, his wife died leaving Gano with several young children, and in 1789 he married Polly, daughter of Colonel Tallmadge in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
. They had several more children. Gano then served as a
missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thoma ...
to the Old Northwest Territory and is credited with establishing a church at Columbia, Ohio, near present-day Cincinnati, the first Baptist church in the territory. In 1792, Dr. Gano became the pastor of the
First Baptist Church in America The First Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the First Baptist Church in America is the oldest Baptist church in the United States. The Church was founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was ere ...
in Providence, Rhode Island where he remained until his death. Many revivals took place throughout his tenure at the church with expanding church membership and baptisms. In 1797 Polly died, and in 1799 he married Mary Brown, daughter of Professor Joseph Brown, of Brown University, but Mary died in December 1800. Next Gano married Mrs. Joanna Latting, of
Hillsdale, New York Hillsdale is a town in eastern Columbia County, New York, Columbia County, New York (state), New York, near the New York - Massachusetts border and Great Barrington, Massachusetts. New York state routes New York State Route 22, 22 and New York St ...
, but they separated permanently in 1803 when she accused him of being a worshiper of the Devil because he was a
Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
.J. Stanley Lemons, ''FIRST: The History of the First Baptist Church in America'' (Providence, 2001), p. 28. Dr. Gano received the honorary degree of
M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
from Brown University in 1800 and was an Overseer of Brown University from 1794 until his death. He also served on the Providence School Committee for many years. Gano published several of his sermons and other writings. Gano Street in Providence takes its name from Gano's surname.


See also

*
First Baptist Church in America The First Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the First Baptist Church in America is the oldest Baptist church in the United States. The Church was founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was ere ...


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gano, Stephen People from the Province of New York 19th-century Baptist ministers from the United States Physicians in the American Revolution Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Brown University people 1762 births 1828 deaths People from Orangetown, New York Baptists from New York (state) 18th-century Baptist ministers from the United States