Jonathan Townley Crane (June 18, 1819 – February 16, 1880) was an American clergyman, author and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

. He was born in Connecticut Farms, in Union Township, New Jersey, and is most widely known as the father of writer

Stephen Crane Stephen Crane (November 1, 1871 – June 5, 1900) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. Prolific throughout his short life, he wrote notable works in the Realist tradition as well as early examples of American Naturalism an ...

Early years

Crane was the son of William Crane (1778-1830) and Sarah Townley (1776-1830), who both died when he was 11 years old. He was subsequently apprenticed to a trunk maker in Newark. Although raised in the

Congregational church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

, he rejected its deterministic teachings. Accidentally, in 1838, he wandered into a

Revival meeting A revival meeting is a series of Christian religious services held to inspire active members of a church body to gain new converts and to call sinners to repent. Nineteenth-century Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon said, "Many blessings may come ...

, and was converted to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

Education

He graduated from the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

in 1843 and in 1844 was licensed to preach, after which he was admitted to the New Jersey

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

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 ...

in 1845.

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

conferred upon him the Doctorate of Divinity in 1856.Wertheim, p. 71.

Career

Throughout his career as an educator, pastor and writer, Crane was active in local temperance movements, and strongly supported abolitionist causes.

Ministry

In 1846, he was stationed as pastor at Hope Township,

Warren County, New Jersey Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population was 109,632, representing an increase of 940 (0.9%) from the 108,692 residents counted at the 2010 census. The county borde ...

, and in 1847 at

Belvidere, New Jersey Belvidere is a town in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the town's population was 2,681, In 1848–49, he was the pastor at

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

, and in June 1849, was elected principal of the Conference school and seminary at

Pennington, New Jersey Pennington is a borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is located at the cross-roads between the Delaware Valley region to the south and the Raritan Valley region to the north. As of the 2010 United States Census, ...

, the post from which he resigned in 1858 to become pastor of Trinity Church in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark. From 1863 to 1865, he was the pastor of another large and important church, the Methodist Episcopal Church in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

. In 1868–72, he was the presiding elder of the

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.General conferences of 1860, 1864, 1868, and 1872 while he was the elder of the Newark (1868-1872) and Elizabeth districts (1872–76). He rejected the mid-19th century

Holiness Movement The Holiness movement is a Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent other traditions such as Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. The movement is historically distinguished by its emph ...

Christian perfection Christian perfection is the name given to theological concepts within some sects of Christianity that purport to describe a process of achieving spiritual maturity or perfection. The ultimate goal of this process is union with God characterized by ...

as unattainable and unreasonable; Crane's opposition subsequently limited his advancement as an administrator in the Methodist Episcopal denomination and drew the wrath of his father-in-law, Bishop George Peck. After his administrative career ended, he returned to parish work, serving at Cross Street Church in

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest City (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Port Jervis, New York Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...

Writer

As a religious writer, his contributions appeared largely in the periodical literature of his denomination. Most notably, he wrote "Essay on Dancing " (1848) in which he expounded its evils; despite his own personal lack of experience with dancing, he claimed he understood its evils. His books, ''The Right Way, or Practical Lectures on the Decalogue'' (1853) and ''Popular Amusements'' (1869), in which he described how even the most apparently innocent amusements led people into sin were aimed at juvenile audiences. In ''Arts of Intoxication'' (1870), he wrote against alcoholic beverages of any kind and advocated

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...

. He also wrote theological tracts ''Holiness, the Birthright of all God's Children'' (1874) and ''Methodism and its Methods'' (1875). Crane's literary works traditionally have been used as a foil for his son's urban grittiness, but more recent scholarship posits his writing as a critique of nineteenth century social failures to address problems of poverty, disease, education, and employment. In his "Christ and the Painters," which was published in the ''

Sunday School Times A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. ...

'' in 1877, he criticized the sentimental piety of contemporary painters who depicted Jesus blessing a clutch of rosy cheeked children; such "specimens of infantile innocence and grace" as were portrayed in these paintings were "perhaps just such a lot of little wretches as the modern traveler in that same region sees crawling out of their mud huts, dirty, unkempt, ragged, or without even a rag, to stare at him with their sore eyes." He rejected his contemporaries overly simplistic sentimentality that desensitized people to the real and abject problems of their fellow beings. The poison of sectionalism, he further explained in ''Methodism and its Methods,'' had distracted Christians from the real work of the Gospel, which was ''living'' the Word.

Educator

While presiding elder of the Newark District, Crane helped to found the Centenary Collegiate Institute, now known as

Centenary University Centenary University is a private liberal arts university in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Founded as a preparatory school by the Newark Conference of the United Methodist Church in 1867, Centenary evolved into a Junior College for women and later ...

, in

Hackettstown, New Jersey Hackettstown is a town in Warren County, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 10,248. Hackettstown was incorporated as a town by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 9, 1853, from portions of Inde ...

, in 1867, which was originally a coeducational preparatory school for girls. Both of his daughters attended the school, and his son Edmund was a librarian there. He also founded a school in Port Jervis to serve the African American population; one of his daughters taught there for several years. He was also involved in the founding of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association in 1869.

Family

* Mary Helen Peck (1827-1891), wife; married 1848. She was the daughter of an itinerant Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania clergyman, George Peck, who, at the time, was also the editor of the ''Methodist Quarterly Review''. Like her husband, Mary Helen Peck was an ardent abolitionist and an even more ardent member of the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting temperance or complete abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and its leaders emph ...

. They had fourteen children, although only nine survived into adulthood. After her husband's death, she moved to the predominantly Methodist Episcopal community at

Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park () is a beachfront city located on the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 15,188

, where she bought a small cottage, Arbutus Cottage. *William Crane (1778-1830), father *Sarah Townley mother; descendant of Colonel Richard Townley *Joseph Crane; grandfather, brother of General William Crane who was the father of

Ichabod Crane Ichabod Crane is a fictional character and the protagonist in Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Crane is portrayed, in the original work, as well as in most adaptations, as a tall, lanky individual with a scarecro ...

. *

(1709-1780), great-grandfather. Member of

First Continental Congress The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from 12 of the 13 British colonies that became the United States. It met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after the British Navy ...

Children

#Mary Helen Crane (1849–1933), wrote children stories for '' Frank Leslie's Illustrated Gazette'' #George Peck Crane (1850–1903), Postal Service employee, railroad employee. #Jonathan Townley Crane, Jr. (1853–1908), known as "Townley". Reporter in

. #

William Howe Crane William Howe Crane (1854–1926) was an American lawyer. Born to Reverend Jonathan Townley Crane and Mary Helen Peck Crane, he was the fourth-oldest of nine surviving children—Mary Helen, George Peck, Jonathan Townley, William Howe, Agnes Eli ...

(1854–1926), attended Centenary, graduated from Albany Law, had an independent law practice in

Port Jervis, New York Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...

. #Agnes Elizabeth Crane (1856–1884), teacher. #Edmund Brian Crane (1857–1922). #Wilbur Fiske Crane (1858–1918), known as "Burt". #Luther Peck Crane (1863–1886), flagman and brakeman for Erie Railroad; fell under the wheels of an ongoing train when a round rock turned and threw him down on the rails.Wertheim, "Luther Peck Crane," p. 74. #

(1871–1900), journalist, poet, novelist, author of

The Red Badge of Courage ''The Red Badge of Courage'' is a war novel by American author Stephen Crane (1871–1900). Taking place during the American Civil War, the story is about a young private of the Union Army, Henry Fleming, who flees from the field of battle. Ove ...

Crane's contemporary published work

*''The Art of Intoxication: Its Aims and Results,'' University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI 2006, *''Popular Amusements,'' University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI 2006,

Citations

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crane, Jonathan Townley American Methodist clergy People from Union Township, Union County, New Jersey People from Warren County, New Jersey American evangelicals 1819 births 1880 deaths Princeton Theological Seminary alumni 19th-century Methodists 19th-century American clergy Crane family of New Jersey