Abijah Perkins Marvin (February 1, 1813 - October 19, 1889) was an American minister, writer, and teacher. He was a member of the
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met from May 4 to August 2 in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history, following the original constitutional conve ...
, and a member of the
New England Historic Genealogical Society
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845.
NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,[Lyme, Connecticut
Lyme is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States, situated on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The population was 2,352 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lyme i ...]
, February 1, 1813. He was the son of Asahel and Azubah (Still) Marvin, and was descended from Reynold Marvin, who came from England to
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
, in 1636, and was afterwards of Lyme. He attended the district school in Lyme, until he was fourteen years old; the next six years he spent in printing offices, doing all parts of the work. He fitted for college at the high school in
Brattleboro, Vermont, and graduated at Washington (now
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...
) College in Hartford, in 1839. He took his Master's degree in course.
Career
Marvin taught in schools of all grades, district, high, and private, in the academy, and as a tutor in college. He taught a public school in
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
, in 1832-1833, and a private school in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, in 1840-1841. He studied theology at
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
, graduating from the seminary there in 1842. He was ordained, in 1844, pastor of the Congregational Church,
Winchendon, Massachusetts
Winchendon is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,364 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs (also known as Spring Village). A census-designated place, ...
, and held this charge until 1866.
Marvin served for a year or two as agent of the American Congregational Association, and collected money for the purchase of a Congregational House. He was associate editor of the ''
Boston Recorder
The ''Boston Recorder'' was a Congregationalist newspaper established by Nathaniel Willis (Nathaniel Parker Willis's father) and Sidney E. Morse in 1816 in Boston, Massachusetts. It published weekly newspapers from 1817 to 1824. The paper prima ...
'', in 1867; and was at Worcester, without charge, in 1869-1870. He served as acting pastor of the Congregational Church in Lancaster, from 1870-1872, and was installed afterwards as its pastor. He was dismissed from this charge in 1875, but continued to reside in Lancaster. He was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853, representing Winchendon, and a Resident Member of New England Historic Genealogical Society from 1884.
Marvin married, March 5, 1845, Caroline, daughter of Micah and Roxy (Richardson) Holbrook. He died in
Lancaster, Massachusetts, October 19, 1889.
Selected works
Besides some sermons and articles in the New Englander and Bibliotkeca Sacra, he published a "History of Winchendon," a "History of Lancaster," and a history of "Worcester in the War of the Rebellion;" he also wrote a considerable portion of the "History of Worcester County." He left the manuscript of a "Life of Cotton Mather."
Marvin wrote the memoir for the posthumous publication of the poems of
Nancy Amelia Woodbury Priest Wakefield which came into print in 1883.
References
Bibliography
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Attribution
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marvin, Abijah P.
1813 births
1889 deaths
19th-century American writers
American Congregationalist ministers
Educators from Connecticut
People from Lyme, Connecticut
19th-century American educators
19th-century American clergy