Epher Whitaker papers
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Abstract
Epher Whitaker (1820-1916) was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, Long Island, for more than forty years, retiring the pastorate in 1891. He was also an author and historian. The Epher Whitaker papers (1864-1900) include manuscripts of fourteen of Whitaker's sermons, lectures and short writings dating from the late 1800s. There is also a small amount of correspondence from 1864 concerning religious revival among children. Most of the lectures and sermons concern historical topics, including past ministers at Southold and Shelter Island; preachers who appeared in the pulpit of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, including African-Americans; the history of the First Presbyterian; and a survey of Suffolk County history. A summary of remarks entitled "The Proper Work of the Ministry" is an autobiographical account of Whitaker's career (1891). Other manuscript remarks include reflections on "The Rise of Woman" and the relation of church and state, as well as religious themes.
Biographical / Historical
Epher Whitaker (1820-1916) was a Presbyterian minister born in Fairfield, Cumberland County, NJ in 1820. He graduated from Delaware College in 1847 and at the Union Theological Seminary in 1851. He was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, Long Island, for more than forty years, retiring the pastorate in 1891. He was also Clerk of the Long Island Presbytery, Moderator of the Synod of New York and New Jersey, a Councillor of the Long Island Historical Society (now Brooklyn Historical Society), Vice President of the Suffolk County Historical Society, and a founder of Southold Academy. He received the degree of A.M. from Yale University in 1867, and a D.D. from Delaware College in 1877. Whitaker was also the author of several books and magazine articles.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in order of the three accessions that comprise it.
Scope and Contents
The Epher Whitaker papers include manuscripts of fourteen of Whitaker's sermons, lectures and short writings dating from the late 1800s. There is also a small amount of correspondence from 1864 concerning religious revival among children. Most of the lectures and sermons concern historical topics, including past ministers at Southold and Shelter Island, Long Island; preachers who appeared in the pulpit of the First Presbyterian Church of Southold, including African-Americans; the history of the First Presbyterian; financial relief for ministers in historical context; and a survey of Suffolk County history (1900) with Whitaker's thoughts on commerce, agriculture, seafaring, churches, public schools, and other developments over time in the county. A summary of remarks entitled "The Proper Work of the Ministry" is an autobiographical account of Whitaker's career (1891). Other manuscript remarks include an argument for an endowment to fund a department at the Suffolk County Historical Society for the study of "The Rise of Woman"; reflections on the relation of church and state, and sermons on religious themes, some noting the various locations and dates the sermons were delivered.
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Conditions Governing Access
Open to researchers without restriction.
Conditions Governing Use
The material is in the public domain.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Epher Whitaker papers, ARC.286, Box and Folder number; Brooklyn Historical Society.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
It is unknown as to how the material came to Brooklyn Historical Society. Whitaker was a councillor of the Long Island Historical Society (now the Brooklyn Historical Society) so it is plausible that the documents were donated by him.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The collection includes three accessions: 1973.224, 1973.228, and 1973.283. The accessions were processed individually, likely in the late 1970s. In 2012, they were brought together in one collection and described by Larry Weimer.
