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Benjamin Franklin DeCosta or de Costa (July 10, 1831November 4, 1904) was an American clergyman and historical writer.
18th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Website
Touch the Elbow – Blogging the Civil War by researchers of the 18th Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decosta, Benjamin Franklin 1831 births 1904 deaths Boston University alumni Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism American Episcopal priests 19th-century American historians American magazine editors 19th-century American novelists Union Army chaplains American male novelists 19th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American clergy
Benjamin Franklin DeCosta or de Costa (July 10, 1831November 4, 1904) was an American clergyman and historical writer.
Biography
He was born inCharlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Originally called Mishawum by the Massachusett tribe, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins t ...
, and graduated in 1856 at the Biblical Institute at Concord, New Hampshire
Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua.
The village of ...
(later part of Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
), became a minister in the Episcopal Church in 1857, and during the next three years was a rector first at North Adams, and then at Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts
Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts is one of the thirteen villages within the city of Newton in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The commercial area extends across the river into Wellesley, Massachusetts, where it is known as Wellesl ...
. After serving as chaplain in the 18th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and one other Massachusetts regiment during the first two years of the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, he became editor (1863) of '' The Christian Times'' in New York City, and subsequently edited '' The Episcopalian'' and ''The Magazine of American History
''The Magazine of American History'' was established in January 1877 by Martha J. Lamb, Martha Joanna Lamb, Nathan Gillett Pond and John Austin Stevens with the long title ''The Magazine of American History with Notes and Queries''. It was issued ...
''. He was rector of the Church of St John the Evangelist in New York City from 1881 to 1899, at which time he resigned while converting to Roman Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
.
He was one of the organizers and long the secretary of the Church Temperance Society, and founded and was the first president (1884–1899) of the American branch of the White Cross Society. He became a high authority on early American cartography and the history of the period of exploration. In addition to numerous monographs and valuable contributions to Justin Winsor
Justin Winsor (January 2, 1831October 22, 1897) was an American writer, librarian, and historian. His historical work had strong bibliographical and cartographical elements. He was an authority on the early history of North America and was elec ...
s ''Narrative and Critical History of America'', he published ''The Pre-Columbian Discovery of America by the Northmen'' (1868); ''The Northmen in Maine'' (1870); ''The Moabite Stone'' (1871); ''The Rector of Roxburgh'' (1871), a novel under the ''nom de plume'' of William Hickling; and ''Verrazano the Explorer; being a Vindication of his Letter and Voyage'' (1880). He died in New York City in 1904.
See also
References
External links
*18th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Website
Touch the Elbow – Blogging the Civil War by researchers of the 18th Massachusetts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decosta, Benjamin Franklin 1831 births 1904 deaths Boston University alumni Anglican priest converts to Roman Catholicism American Episcopal priests 19th-century American historians American magazine editors 19th-century American novelists Union Army chaplains American male novelists 19th-century American male writers American male non-fiction writers 19th-century American Episcopalians 19th-century American clergy