Isaac Wilson Joyce (October 11, 1836 – July 28, 1905) was an American

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

in the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

, elected in 1888.

Early life

Isaac Wilson Joyce was born in Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio on October 11, 1836 to James Wilson Joyce. His father was a farmer. At the age of thirteen, in April 1850, Joyce and his family moved to Indiana. He joined the United Brethren Church. Joyce attended Hartsville College from 1854 to 1856, but left college to assist with the family's photograph business. He later completed college and graduated with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) 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. Tho ...

from Asbury University (now

DePauw University DePauw University is a private liberal arts university in Greencastle, Indiana. It has an enrollment of 1,972 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the G ...

) in 1872.

Career

In June 1858, Joyce was a preacher at the United Brethren Church and joined the

. He became a member of the Northwest

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

Annual Conference A conference is a meeting of two or more experts to discuss and exchange opinions or new information about a particular topic. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always decisions, are the main pu ...

of the M.E. Church in September 1859. He was ordained

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

in 1861 by Bishop

Matthew Simpson Matthew Simpson (21 June 1811 – 18 June 1884) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852 and based mostly in Philadelphia. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, most evangelical denominations in ...

, and an

elder An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority. Elder or elders may refer to: Positions Administrative * Elder (administrative title), a position of authority Cultural * North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and tr ...

by Bishop

Thomas Asbury Morris Thomas Asbury Morris (28 April 1794 – 2 September 1874) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1836. He also distinguished himself as a Methodist Circuit rider, Pastor, and Presiding Elder, and as an Editor. Ear ...

. Around 1867, Joyce became the presiding elder of the

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

district. In 1873, Joyce became the pastor at Trinity Church in Lafayette. He worked there for three years. In October 1876, Joyce became pastor of Bethany Church, a church in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

affiliated with his wife's cousin Charles J. Baker. He remained in Baltimore until the fall of 1877. He was offered to remain with the church, but he declined since the church would not become a regular Methodist church. In 1877, Bishop

Edward Raymond Ames Edward Raymond Ames (May 20, 1806 – May 15, 1879) was an American Bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852. Birth and family Ames was born in Amesville, Athens County, Ohio, one of three Methodist Episcopal Bishops to be born i ...

arranged for Joyce to join

Meridian Street United Methodist Church Meridian Street United Methodist Church, known in its early years as Wesley Chapel, the Meridian Street Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Meridian Street Methodist Church, is a Methodist church located at 5500 North Meridian Street in Indianapol ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, but ultimately Joyce returned to his old conference. In September 1877, Joyce was appointed to Roberts Chapel in Greencastle. He briefly accepted an appointment at Trinity Church in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. In September 1880, Joyce moved to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He became a pastor at St. Paul Church in 1880 and served as pastor of Trinity Church from 1883 to 1886. He then returned to St. Paul and remained there until 1888. Joyce was elected as bishop in May 1888. After becoming bishop, Joyce moved to

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. He remained there for eight years. He also served as chancellor of U.S. Grant University. In June 1896, Joyce moved to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

and preached at

Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church is a church across the Virginia Triangle (Hennepin Avenue/Lyndale Avenue) from the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Its address is 511 Groveland Avenue. History The church was organized as Henn ...

. He then supervised conferences in Japan, Korea and China until April 1898. From 1902 to 1904, Joyce visited conferences in South America.

Personal life

Joyce married Caroline Walker Bosserman of

La Porte, Indiana La Porte (French for "The Door") is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, India ...

, on March 20, 1861. They had two sons, Frank Melville and Wilbur Bruce. Wilbur Bruce died at the age of fourteen months. Their son Frank Meville was a captain in the Second Ohio Battery. Joyce lived at 310 Groveland Avenue in Minneapolis later in life. In 1875, Joyce suffered a severe illness diagnosed at the time as "congestion of the brain". Joyce died on July 28, 1905 in Minneapolis and is buried in

Lakewood Cemetery Lakewood Cemetery is a large private, non-sectarian cemetery located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It is located at 3600 Hennepin Avenue at the southern end of the Uptown area. It is noted for its chapel which is on the National Re ...

of that city. Joyce spelled his last name as "Joice" up until 1863.

Awards and honors

Around 1876, Joyce was conferred the degree of

Doctor of Divinity A Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or DDiv; la, Doctor Divinitatis) is the holder of an advanced academic degree in divinity. In the United Kingdom, it is considered an advanced doctoral degree. At the University of Oxford, doctors of divinity are ran ...

from

Dickinson College , mottoeng = Freedom is made safe through character and learning , established = , type = Private liberal arts college , endowment = $645.5 million (2022) , president = J ...

and in 1891, he received the degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor (LL. ...

from the University of the Pacific.

References

* ''Methodism: Ohio Area (1812–1962)'', edited by John M. Versteeg, Litt.D., D.D. (Ohio Area Sesquicentennial Committee, 1962).

External links