David Jewett Waller Sr.

David Jewett Waller Sr. (January 26, 1815 – December 7, 1893) was an American Presbyterian minister, entrepreneur, landowner and civic leader who lived in the American state of Pennsylvania. He also helped build several local railroads, such as the North and West Branch Railway and also owned many coal mines. By the time of his death, he was one of the most well-known people in northeastern Pennsylvania. He helped increasing the population and industrialization of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He also organized and created a number of churches in Pennsylvania.

Waller was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and attended the Wilkes-Barre Academy, Williams College, and the Princeton Theological Seminary. He spent most of his life in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, where he died. He was ordained in 1839 and attended General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church in addition to preaching in Columbia County. He retired from preaching in 1871 and most of his involvement in industrial and commercial work started at this point, including involvement in the railroad and the coal industries. He died in 1893 at the age of 78.

Early life and education

Waller was born on January 26, 1815, in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, the oldest of five children. He was born to Phineas Waller and Elizabeth Jewett and was descended from early settlers of Massachusetts and Connecticut. His ancestors moved to Pennsylvania two generations before his birth. When he was eight years old, his father moved to Oquago, New York, while he and his half-brother Nathan remained in Pennsylvania. He then went to live with his aunts Rachel and Sally, enabling him to attend the Wilkes-Barre Academy and avoid his mother, who was an alcoholic. Waller attended the Wilkes-Barre Academy and received good grades, despite what historian William M. Ballie called a " prickly" personality. However, he received good grades in school.

Waller taught Sunday school while in his early teens. When he was 15, he attended Williams College, from which he graduated in 1834. At Williams College, he came near to being expelled after arguing with a teacher. After Williams College, he considered being a lawyer, businessman or government worker. His brother William advised against his becoming a government worker or businessman, so he decided to become a minister. He attended the Princeton Theological Seminary starting in October 1834 and continuing for three years. Here he also came near to being expelled after a dispute with the teacher John Breckenridge. He graduated from the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1837 with a Bachelor of Divinity degree. Waller moved to Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in 1838.

Service to the church

In 1838, the Presbyterian Church in Milton, Pennsylvania requested Waller's service, but he instead began preaching in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. He also preached in Wilkes-Barre and Lancaster in late 1838 and in Danville and Milton in early 1839. On May 1, 1839, he was ordained in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. His Presbyterian ministry began on a church on Third Street in Bloomsburg. When he began preaching, his ministry covered all of Columbia County, as well as an area from Danville to the Wyoming Valley. In 1840, he stopped preaching at Briar Creek and Berwick, as they became part of a separate ministry. In 1842, he began preaching in Orangeville and New Columbia. he preached in Espy since at least 1857. Due to the size of his ministry, he was never able to preach at a given church more than once every two weeks and only preached at most churches once a month. He typically traveled approximately 5000 miles per year to preach or conduct funerals. Initially his salary was $600.

Waller was a counsel in ecclesiastical