Leonard Swain (February 26, 1821 – July 14, 1869) was a

Congregational 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 ...

clergyman, and the first minister of Central Congregational Church in Providence,

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but it ...

, from 1852 to 1869. He was a respected preacher, scholar, and author of multiple hymns. (with text attributed to John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907); two typos of "New Haven" where "New Hampshire" meant are apparent)

Early life and education

Swain was born Feb. 26, 1821, in Concord, New Hampshire, to Richard Swain and Sarah Sally Damon. He graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native ...

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

in 1841, and

Andover Theological Seminary Andover Theological Seminary (1807–1965) was a Congregationalist seminary founded in 1807 and originally located in Andover, Massachusetts on the campus of Phillips Academy. From 1908 to 1931, it was located at Harvard University in Cambridge. ...

in 1846. He received an honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Brown University in 1857.

Ministry

He served as the first minister of the Pearl Street Congregational Church, founded in 1847 in Nashua, New Hampshire. In 1852 he became minister of the Central Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island. Swain required that this new church be completely free of debt when he accepted his call. He wrote five sermons that were published as booklets: ''Our Banners Set Up'' (1861), ''God in the Strife'' (1861), ''On the Death of President Lincoln'' (1865), ''On the Death of Rowell Park Perry and Lemuel Grosvenor Perry'' (1867), and ''God's Ownership of the Sea'' (1869) In 1858 two hymns that he wrote were published in the ''Sabbath Hymn Book'' (a

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

), anonymously. His authorship was determined "only recently" before a 1907 ''Dictionary of Hymnology'' was published. The two hymns are "My soul, weigh not thy life" (The Good Fight of Faith) and "My soul, it is thy God" (The Christian Race). He also wrote "My soul, whene'er thou shalt arrive", published in about 1840. These hymns appeared in 56, 21, and 2Hymnary.org: Texts: "My soul whene'er thou shalt arrive"
(includes page scans) hymnals, respectively, that were published during 1840 to 1920. He was "active" in the 1845-founded

Rhode Island Institute of Instruction Rhode may refer to: *In Greek mythology: :*Rhodos, goddess and personification of the island of Rhodes :*Rhode, one of the fifty daughters of Danaus * ''Rhode'' (spider), a genus of spiders *Rhode (surname) *Rhode, County Offaly, an Irish town *Rh ...

(predecessor of the

National Education Association The National Education Association (NEA) is the largest labor union in the United States. It represents public school teachers and other support personnel, faculty and staffers at colleges and universities, retired educators, and college stud ...

in Rhode Island). He was the commencement speaker at Wheaton Female Seminary (now Wheaton College) in 1864. He spoke in 1861 on "The Sea", and in 1864 on "Puritan Education". He also gave welcoming addresses in some years. He also served as secretary for the Evangelical Consociation of Rhode Island and was Vice President of the American Missionary Association.

Personal life

In 1847, he married Julia Maria Allen (1824-1866). Their children included Susan Helen Swain (1849–1852), Julia Maria Swain (1851–1932), Sarah Howe Swain (1853–1872), and Edward Allen Swain (1857–1917). He died July 14, 1869, in Providence, while still minister. He was buried in

Swan Point Cemetery Swan Point Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Established in 1846 on a 60-acre (0.24 km2) plot of land, it has approximately 40,000 interments. History The cemetery was first organ ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swain, Leonard 1821 births 1869 deaths American Congregationalist ministers 19th-century Congregationalist ministers Clergy from Providence, Rhode Island Dartmouth College alumni 19th-century American clergy Burials at Swan Point Cemetery